#but yeah really thanks for the ask and giving me the outlet to ramble on and on about OP

[lunalucykat]

what's your favorite thing about your favorite character?

Crazy ask tbh!! Cause this gives me free rein to talk about any favorite character in anything and that's so many options!!!

(Also I've been sat here staring at this question in my inbox for a week cause I was like, who do I even choose??? lol)

After a long and hard deliberation I said, Fuck it! Might as well pick the characters that I have been rotating in my head for the past few months. Sorry I'm gonna be a little One Piece lover for a minute because legit the storylines are SO good and I love SO many of the characters!

I'm gonna give love to the ASL brothers because I love each and every one of them so much (even though I haven't even met Sabo, but I know about him, so it's chill lol)

One Piece spoilers below if you care, also I anticipate this getting absurdly long lmao

Like, I am actually sorry how long this got, cause I went off on some tangents. But if you give me a platform to talk about One Piece I am Going to TALK about One Piece (and, I think, get off prompt way too often.) That being said, I am still REALLY sorry about the WALL of text. You don't have to - nor should you - read this whole thing. orz

Ah, yes. The Age, Sex, Location brothers (lmao I feel like this joke shows my age cause I would make this joke, but TJ would make the joke as: the Am.erican Sign Language Brothers.)

This is definitely more than you asked for because you asked what is your favorite thing about your favorite character, but I'm doing things about characters, so... sorry lol!

Sibling characters are so important to me in general, and any group of siblings are usually gonna be some of my favorites (e.g. Sand Siblings from Naruto.) I have two older siblings and one younger so that might contribute to why, but I usually love the dynamics. And I love these guys all separately and as a package deal.

Ace- TBH what's not to love about Ace? He is the epitome of cool! Everybody wants to be him (or maybe I'm just projecting, but GOD he's so cool!) He is Literally The Cool Older Brother, and I love that for him. He also sort of has the cowboy look too, so that gives him bonus points lol!

Something I really love about Ace is that he loves so fiercely and it's obvious in everything he does. It's the way he's protective over Luffy and makes sure he gives his baby brother some way to find him again if he ever needs. But it's also the way he freaks out when he realizes said baby brother comes to rescue him when he's in a dire situation. He definitely has eldest child vibes in that regard; giving help but not accepting help. It feels like a very eldest sibling thing to do. It's also the way he adamantly refuses to call his biological father his dad, and insists that his father is Whitebeard because he was the man who took him in and cared for him as his son. He literally states it to the world. He loves Whitebeard and won't let anybody tell him that he's not his father.

He is literally all about his family. And that feels stupid to say cause this whole show is about found/ forged families, but Ace wears his heart on his sleeve and isn't afraid to show just how much he loves his family, not only in his actions and words, but also in the things he wears. He's so sentimental that he keeps all of his most precious people with him in some sort of memento. (Some of these are more canonical than others, but most of them you can read a certain way and it makes sense, so bear with me).

The most obvious (and canon) is his back tattoo which is Whitebeard's symbol. He literally calls it his pride and displays it as such. That's his father, and he is happy to show it off. (I don't know if these next few are canonically correct, but the vast majority of fans agree on their symbolism connecting to his other family members.) The red beads around his hat and necklace are the same as the ones his foster mom, Dadan, wears, so they're likely a memento to remember her by. The next one I think has a lot of legitimacy to it, because for some reason I think some people still don't believe it, but the X'd out S in his arm tattoo ASCE is to remember Sabo by. (Textual evidence for this is the "what if" cover story Oda drew where the brothers were never separated and in that scenario Ace's arm tattoo it literally just written as ACE.) The X through the S I think has a double meaning because when he got it Sabo was presumed dead so it could be crossed out because his younger brother was gone, but also the X through the S could be because that was Sabo's mark. Like, it was his jolly roger when he set out to sea. Some people also like to say the little buttons on Ace's hat resemble a goggle-like appearance to mimic Sabo's goggles on his top hat, which I think is cute, but maybe not as legitimate lol. That just leaves Luffy. I'm not gonna lie, there's not a lot on his design that points specifically to Luffy, probably because he was confident he'd see him around. But if we wanna stretch we could say maybe his hat symbolizes Luffy (and probably Sabo too). He got a hat so he could join his little brothers' cool hat club lmao!!

The Symbolism on this boy goes WILD!!! He LITERALLY wears his heart on his sleeve, or back, or around his neck, or his arm, or his head lol!

I also love that he's also susceptible to sibling dumbassery. I'm talking about that shit where you're polite and respectable towards peers and shit, but the moment you're around your siblings you revert to little gremlin mode. Cause Ace met all the Strawhats and was like "Hello, yes, nice to meet you. I am Luffy's respectable older brother, thank you so much for taking care of him all this time, I know he's a lot to handle :)" But when he was alone with Luffy literally 5 minutes ago he was like "What's up fucker? Wanna arm wrestle you little bitch baby?" It's hilarious. I love it.

Also his character design is hot! What can I say? lol! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sabo- I am actually insane about Sabo and it makes no sense cause I haven't even met the dude yet! Like, I'm looking for some excuse to change my icon to him but it's going to be like at least 3 whole arcs until I meet him so idk lol (that probably won't stop me lmao! Sanji's days are numbered lol)

So I haven't technically met Sabo yet, but I do know a bit about him (because my brain decided to snatch him up into my "3 more of these little blonde bitches club [consists of Sanji, Sabo, and Rosinante/Corazon (WHOM I ALSO HAVEN'T MET BUT I LOVE HIM)]" and now I know more about him than I did like 4 months ago) so I'll talk about what I do know.

Erm, it's him being the middle child (as a middle child myself I heavily fuck with middle children characters.) As a kid he looks mostly well-adjusted and like, the peacekeeper of the three, but as a young adult he looks literally so unhinged, and that's the middle child experience babeeeyyyyyyyyy!!! (I'm only half kidding lol)

I also headcannon him as aroace. It's so easy to do that with any of Oda's characters tbh because he doesn't really focus on romance (which I'm thrilled about, because it means he's most likely not gonna do that thing that every mangaka does that everyone fucking hates which is to pair off characters who have no chemistry together or never interacted in canon, but they get married in the end just because he needs everyone to end up with someone and have a family in order to continue the story, but with the kids this time! I am literally looking at Naruto. Cause when the fuck did Choji and Karui ever interact? Literally never. Also, God. Don't EVEN get me started with Sasuke and Sakura.) ANYWAY!!!!! The way Oda writes his story makes it easy to headcannon characters as aroace, and I do with Sabo at least cause I'm also aroace and he's one of my favies, so.... rejoice! Aroace be upon ye! :) Idk, he just gives the vibe :) Also it's funny to make the joke that they're all "Ace."

He's also got that steampunk drip. Love that for him. Go whiteboy, go! Not only does he dress like he's smart, but I'm almost CERTAIN he IS the smartest of the three brothers. I mean like, he probably has similar qualities about him that he shares with Ace and Luffy in terms of general dumbassery, but he definitely gives the vibe that he Knows what the fuck he's doing. Probably helps that I'm pretty sure he was the only one of the three that received a proper education lol. But I love the potential for the duality of him ping-ponging between being really smart and doing something really dumb and reckless.

I think Sabo was the softer of the older brothers. Like, Ace wanted to check in on Luffy and make sure he was okay and everything, but also he and Luffy seemed rougher towards each other (literally arm wrestling upon first meeting again after 3 years of not seeing each other.) Sabo gives the vibe that instead of armwrestling upon seeing each other, he would instead give hugs. I LOVE soft interactions with siblings just as much as I love interactions with them roasting the shit out of each other, and I think Sabo brings the softness needed. I mean, had he and Ace interacted in their early 20s I think there would definitely be sibling ribbing, but I guess I'll never know that for sure :) :) :) I'd've loved to see it though! :) :) :)

But at least Sabo can be soft and baby the baby brother. And you know what? Luffy deserves hugs! And I'm sure Sabo does too! And hell! Throw Ace in there too! He also deserves hugs!

He's also part of the Revolutionary Army, that much I know for sure, so he is absolutely out there doing some much needed shit (Luffy also does liberation every now and then, but he doesn't exactly go out of his way to do it like the R.A. does, he more happens upon it as he goes lol) And we've already met some cool-ass R.A. members (IVA!!!), so he's in good company. Also - side tangent - but Luffy adopted him as his brother, Garp adopted him as his grandson, and Dragon essentially adopted him as a son, so all I'm sayin' is..... Monkey D. Sabo?????? (eyes emoji) [I'm on desktop so I can't do emojis]

Anyway! Can't wait to meet Sabo! Can't wait to see him be absolutely baller!! Can't wait for him to see Luffy again!!! Can't wait to find more reasons to love him than the bare minimum I know about him!!!!

Luffy- Luffy is literally The best MC of any shōnen anime ever and nothing can change my mind about that. I have watched nearly 500 episodes of One Piece and Luffy is one of my top favorite characters, and that says something cause the MC's are usually never even close to my top favorites. Ever.

Like, I watched all 720 episodes of Naruto, and Team 7 (Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura) are some of my least favorite guys in the show, I'm not gonna lie!! Like, I don't hate Naruto or Sakura, but because of their obsession with Sasuke (worst character, sorry Sasuke stans) it makes them SO boring to me. (I could so easily rant about Naruto, but this isn't about him lol, but I'm just sayin' you hit Shippuden and he gets real dull. And just to compare- 500 episodes of Naruto counts the first 220 from the original and then 280 of Shippuden so 500 in is a little over halfway through Shippuden, so I was basically over Naruto as an MC by then. ANYWAY! Enough about him!)

There's so much to love about Luffy. He comes out of the gate being Iconic as fuck in episode 1 and he STAYS that way! He stays that way but he also grows, but even after character growth moments he stays the same goofy guy in the end and I love that! He has a death grip around embodying joyous whimsy. It probably helps that he starts his journey already knowing who he is and what he wants. There is little in the way of self-doubt, and I love the confidence he has in himself and his dream and in others.

I also love that sometimes he's a little rude-ass! Okay, well he's blunt, so sometimes he comes off as rude, but it's funny as fuck. I also love that he displays many AuDHD symptoms, it makes him feel more relatable in some ways.

He's also just so emotionally intelligent. I mean, can he read the room most of the time? Not to save his goddamn life! But is he a great judge of character? Always. He is a ride or die homie! He often feels overly optimistic, but he's also so realistic in those tougher situations or decisions he has to make and I appreciate that kind of depth in a character, and it's SO important for an MC to have those traits! He knows when it's okay to be silly and when he HAS to be serious. And he doesn't mind relying on his friends!!! I see so many main characters insisting they can do something on their own, but Luffy admits time and time again that he DOES need to rely on his friends because they have skills he doesn't! He lifts others up and values them for the qualities they don't always see in themselves! I love him so much.

HE IS ASEXUAL!!! Like it's actually been very heavily implied and there is contextual evidence for it in canon. For example: he has these interactions with Boa Hancock whose Devil Fruit power turns horny people to stone (yeah), and when she tried using it on Luffy LITERALLY nothing happens to him. Aro/Ace King!!! (Again, I'm also aroace so that's why this scores big points with me!) Luffy will never go to horny jail, and good for him!

I also think there is a subtle but noticeable shift in his behavior when his brothers are around (well I can only really use Ace as an example here). But in a different way than Ace, because Luffy is the baby. Like Ace goes gremlin mode, and I think Luffy slips a bit into baby mode. It's harder to see the difference because Luffy is always kind of silly, but when Ace was around he feels a little more like he's clinging to his brother in a way. And to be fair Ace sort of lets him. Like in Alabasta before Luffy realized Ace was there, he was doing his damndest to use the one braincell he has to think through his predicament when encountering Smoker, even if it meant just running away from a fight he probably wanted to have but knew he couldn't win so he didn't engage. But the moment Ace stepped in and told Luffy not to worry about Smoker he was kind of like "oh yippie! :) Okay! Yayyy! <3" and just did what big bro said.

Idk how he'd be with Sabo, but I think he'd be even MORE of a baby around him because I feel like Sabo would let him get away with it more than Ace would.

Anyway!

I just like imagining the siblings having fun and doing sibling things together and everyone is happy and alive :) I love them! I I love the potential! I love what we could have haaaaaaaaaaad!!!!

Sorry this is so long. I love One Piece if you couldn't tell. And this could've been WAY longer. I really, really tried to hold back. But, erm, Your Honor, I love One Piece... I know some crimes can never be forgiven -_-'

[akirasarchives]

[03] | 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥

sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Chishiya wants to recruit your small group into a risky plan. He seems to have something up his sleeve when you refuse.

🃅 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 03: Rejection

“Thank you for shopping with us!” A painfully tight smile strains across your features as you hand the particularly well-dressed woman her shopping bag. The woman thanks you, taking her items swiftly and exiting the store with her bored husband in tow.

Each day has started to feel the same as each interaction blends together. Working part-time in a clothing outlet has provided you with a range of opportunities, much noted as: having fun sucked from daily life. With a strict manager who rotates shifts depending on whether the coworkers get along, you often find yourself stuck behind the cash register having to listen to your narcissistic coworker ramble about their love life.

The only excitement that gets you through your shift is watching the numbers change on the til, signifying that you’re legally free from your shift in less than two minutes. Thank God, as you’re sure that spending even five minutes longer in the brightly-lit, overstimulating hellhole with a broken AC would cause you to have a public freakout. Even so, you enviously watch the customers walk around your store. The people who actually enjoy being in it’s confinements.

“Shifts over!” You call, not caring for an answer. With your bag and coat being strung up in the small cloak-closet - and a sorry excuse for a cloak room - it’s easy to grab your items swiftly and leave. You’re pretty sure the coworker that was jabbering at you for the better part of five hours is complaining that you can’t leave yet as the girl who is due to come in after you isn’t here yet but you don’t pay her much mind.

Almost comically, a gust of cool air douses over you after standing in what felt like a fire pit. The relief flushed over you like an ice bath on a hot day which would be welcome at the moment as the sweltering heat of summer still manages to heat up the rest of the air conditioned shopping centre.

“Hey [l/n]!” Kuina calls from her shop opposite yours. A smile graces your face as you walk over to the woman. She’s smiling at you despite very obviously struggling to pull a tight fitted top over the mannequins' weirdly large shoulders.

“Did you just get off?” She asks, to which you nod.

“I told you to call me [y/n]” She tutts, rolling her eyes at you. You can tell she’s thinking about giving you her usual ‘just because you spent time overseas and feel like the last name culture thing is weird now doesn’t make her look any less rude for calling you your first name!’ But she doesn’t. With one last pull, the shirt finally rests on the mannequin. She stands proudly, dusting her hands off and places them on her hips.

“Lucky for you, my break just started!” She explains, kicking over the rest of the clothes that she was most likely meant to put on the mannequin too, but she rounds the display case and follows you outside the store.

It’s nice, thinking back on your time spent with Kuina. Though, all good things must come to an end as Usagi and Arisu basically barge into your room. Despite the short knock in your door, the two don’t exactly wait for a reply before walking in.

“You’re up” Usagi notes, smiling at the sight of you already propped up at the vanity area.

“Yeah” You confirm “Just thinking”

Arisu walks forward, careful to not trip on anything that could be scattered around the room.

“Did you find out any information?” He asks. Usagi follows behind Arisu, perching on the edge of your bed.

“No, not really” You shrug, standing from the rickety chair. Arisu exhales “You were talking to Kuina… and the blonde guy” He mentions. You suppose the two probably saw you chatting to the duo in the lobby area.

“Ah, Kuina pulled me for a drink” You remember “Though they asked me what I specialise in”

“What do you mean?” Usagi asked, suddenly intrigued by the minuscule conversation.

“As in, what game I’m best at” The two glance between each other “Kuina is good at spades and Chishiya is an expert in diamonds”

“You’re great at spades too, Usagi” The woman smiles, nodding her head at the compliment.

“Arisu, you’re great at almost everything so I can’t really pinpoint you” An airy laugh breaks from your mouth as Arisu ducks his head shyly.

“What are you good at?” Usagi asks. The question stumps you, as your previous conversation with the other duo had ended up without a clear answer too. Your silence is met with two curious looks.

“Honestly, I’m not sure” Sighing, you begin to walk towards the doorway of the hotel room “I just get by…”

“Hatter said you had six or seven cards, right?” Usagi recalls “Surely in those games you could see what you did better in!”

“They were mostly clubs and low-level spades games”

Arisu’s head snaps, as if something astonishing had clicked in his head “Maybe you’re good at hearts!”

The conversation was redundant. The same outcome as your one with the other duo.

Only time will tell.

Getting information from others was anything but easy. Most people were too drunk, high or simply spewed out weird conspiracies which did nothing but make your head hurt. Regrouping with Arisu and Usagi showed that the three of you all concluded that no one exactly knew what was going on.

“I’ll head to the annex basement for supplies” Usagi explains, not giving either you or Arisu a chance to join as she briskly walks away. You suppose she could keep a lower profile that way, but leaving her alone isn’t comforting either.

Gunshots ring out, causing both you and Arisu to share a confused look. Weaponry was banned from the Beach and those who were allowed were militants. That only meant that whatever was around the corner would cause trouble.

“Arisu” Hissing, you follow behind the man with a scowl on your face. Only he would follow the sound of gunshots and impending danger yet you suppose you're not any better as you follow behind.

Three men walk away from a blue bin with a tarp thrown over it. All three have guns meaning that they are part of the militant group in the Beach, but they’re quick to flee the scene. Arisu is quick to make his way over to the mysterious bin, yet he throws the tarp back over the top of the bin almost as quickly as he unveils it. He coughs, backing away from whatever is inside the bin.

From the corner of your eye, you spot the two familiar beings from yesterday. Chishiya and Kuina soundlessly walk down the steps which the militants had just walked on minutes before.

“That is the true nature of this utopia” Chishiya announces with his hands once again stuffed in his hoodie pockets. Kuina shoots you a smile once she sees you, despite the grim situation.

“This is part of the Beaches rule” He explains, finally making it to the bottom step.

“Death to traitors”

Surprisingly, finding out that dead bodies are inside the container doesn’t surprise you. In fact, judging from Arisu’s repulsed reaction the idea floated in the back of your mind.

Arisu heaves slightly, disturbed by the sight of decaying bodies and by the information. All in all, the grotesque and violent nature of the Beach does not surprise you as the fact the Hatter said you can’t leave makes you think that you will be forced to stay. Especially with the militants and their arsenal of weapons.

“Follow us” Chishiya commands, turning on his heel to walk up the steps again.

In a split second, you and Arisu share a look. Both of you are unsure where the blonde will lead you to; you comply and slowly follow after the mysterious man with Arisu in tow.

They lead you to one of the back entrances of the Beach. It’s not well kept as it’s obvious that militants probably only use this exit of the Beach to bring dead bodies or those facing their fate to this side. The carpet is covered in splotches of mould, splatters of blood and what is probably vomit. Each of your steps are calculated as you aim for pieces of the red carpet which appears decently clean.

“Watch” Arisu hisses, pushing you away from a pile of… something. The patch is neither wet nor dry, yet there’s a clump of black goo just centimetres away from your flip-flop clad feet. A disgusted yelp leaves your mouth as you flinch away from the mass, allowing Arisu’s hand on your shoulder to guide you away from it.

When you look up, Chishiya is looking at you over his shoulder. You can’t read what he’s thinking but the sight of him staring so intensely at you when caught off guard causes a flush of embarrassment to wash over your body. Your eyes snap back to the carpet only seconds later.

The ding of the elevator breaks you from the thoughts. Your small group of four easily filter into the roomy yet rickety box. It’s almost like deja vú - being in the lift. Your first proper conversation with Chishiya happened in one.

“Where are we going?” Arisu asks to break the silence. Kuina’s arms uncross as she gestures at the top floor button which is highlighted by a ring of light.

“Rooftop” She nods.

“Are you guys gonna throw us off of it or something?” You joke, fingers strumming against the cool, metal railing. Kuina laughs breathily as she fiddles with the familiar chewing stick.

“You never know.” She jokes, giggling softly to herself. Despite both of your efforts to cut the tense atmosphere, the sight of the two glowering men in the corner reduced your efforts. Kuina glances at you after noticing the two men’s guarded postures but stays silent as the elevator continues to fly past the floors and to the rooftop.

Cold air slaps your face when you finally arrive at the roof. It seeps through the opening doors and twirls around your scantily clad figure. You hold back the urge to chatter your teeth as you step out with your arms automatically clasping onto each other to seek some sort of warmth.

Kuina and Chishiya walk towards the sunnier part of the rooftop, about 5 feet apart between the two. For being a duo, the obvious difference in personal space between the two can be jarring at times.

Arisu cautiously walks forward, taking in his surroundings. Obviously there’s no one else on the rooftop - that you hope - and there’s little to no chances of people hearing the conversation, yet he very obviously snaps his head around to look for others. You suppose his time in the executive room would explain his caution as from the little detail he’s spared, the executives are not to be messed with.

“What’s this about?” Arisu asks, staring at Chishiya under a glare.

The blonde stares back amused, finding it funny how easily he’s seemingly gotten under Arisu’s skin.

“Your group seems to have collected a vast amount of information” He begins, nodding towards your figure. Your hands rest on your hips as you stare back, looking between both him and Kuina. She fiddles with her chewing stick, staring off into the clouds.

“What are you planning?” He asks. You look at Arisu, who looks greatly offended.

“Doing the same as you two” You shrug, stepping further out of the shade to join in on the conversation.

“You want to know why you’re here and want to get out too, right?” Chishiya nods with a subtle smirk ghosting his lips. Arisu glances at you, unsure if you’re answer was right or not.

“I’ll cut to the chase, then” Chishiya sighs, rolling his neck. His behaviour is odd to you. Despite lurking in the shadows his confidence seems to exude almost obnoxiously from his smaller stature.

“How will you live in a world full of despair?”

Huh?

The question throws a spanner into the works. He’s not really cutting to the chase, in your opinion, more so trying to prompt more information from you and Arisu.

“How?” Arisu echoes, staring at Chishiya with a cocked brow.

The two have a stand-off. The gentle breeze tousles with Chishiya’s longer strands, allowing them to graze over his features in an almost movie-like manner. Arisu stills, mulling over his answer,

“I just want to know the answer to my questions” He states, looking back at your supportingly, You reply with a soft nod.

“… Who killed Karube and Chota” He adds solomley. Luckily, being thrown into this vast world on your own meant you didn’t have to worry about your close friends dying, though with your newfound friendships, fate might come to bite you as well.

“I thought I’d be able to survive… and return to the original world with everyone” He continues. A stabbing pain of guilt twists in your chest as you listen to him speak.

“Arisu…” You call, silently telling him he doesn’t need to share. He sighs.

“If that is not possible, I want Usagi and [y/n] to return to the real world, at the very least” He nods.

You weren’t too sure you meant that much to the taller man, but his words cause a sad smile to prick at the corners of your lips. It’s nice to know that the two really have your back, besides their secretive pining for each other.

“What a tearjerker” Chishiya observes. Arisu glares.

“Your dream… it’s cool, but it’s not practical at all” Chishiya begins to walk, pacing closer to you as he rounds Arisu. In your head, you know it’s just an intimidation technique but his cruel words cause a spike of anger to flare within you.

“Seriously?” You scoff, arms crossing over your chest. Chishiya stops, mere inches from your form. His lack of empathy is somewhat shocking, especially for a world filled with death.

However, you’re almost 100 percent certain he finds it amusing how you’re so blatantly showing your emotions, but it’s exactly what he was going for.

“You’ll have to win all the games and become the next Number One, but that’s impossible” Kuina attempts to cool the mood by mentioning your earlier explanation of wanting to leave the borderlands.

“It has nothing to do with you guys.” Arisu spits, scuffing his sandal against the hot concrete.

“We think that you have potential,” Chishiya interjects.

“Huh?”

“That’s why we came to meet you”

“What do you mean?”

At this point, you’re feeling invisible. Whatever intellectual dick-swinging contest is going between the two is beyond your thought process.

“What if I said there’s a way to change the status quo all at once?”

“This is so stupid Arisu, don’t get involved with their plan.” You scold the messy haired man from your standing position. Usagi was briefly informed of the strange interaction you had on the roof with the duo but she had kept her opinions to herself as she processed the whole ordeal.

“We could get out of here” He explains.

“You think what… Four people against the executives and the Hatter can change the whole way this place runs?”

“Five” Usagi interjects, standing from the bed. You stare at her, shocked by her answer. As liberating as the whole plan sounds, it’s most likely going to blow back in your faces. The militants are literally armed to the teeth and you all have no idea what power or weapons the other executives hold. Chishiya may be one, but the eleven others and their minions outnumber your small vigilante group by too much.

“Usagi! You can’t be serious” Baffled by the duo, you can’t help but throw your arms out.

“You don’t have to get involved, [y/n]” Usagi explains, trying to ease the tension.

“I’m not, but you two are. You’re both going to get hurt and never mind the fact that you both don’t know either Chishiya or Kuina - or their intentions.”

“We’re aware of that, and it’s a risk we’ll take,” Arisu explains.

The conversation begins to seriously piss you off. You’re sure that the two can see your frustration written all over your face and body language.

“Like I said on the roof, I’ll make sure to get both you and Usagi back to the real world” Arisu repeats, attempting to ease your mood. But it doesn’t. The only thing you can think of is how selfish he sounds.

“Get us back to the real world by endangering yourself for something that you don’t even know will work? You two are the only people I have here and you’re throwing yourself headfirst into danger for no reason.” With that, you leave. Ignoring their pleas for your return and to reconsider your stance, it falls on deaf ears as you slam Arisu’s hotel room door shut, not caring for how the few people scattered around the hallways stare at your huffing figure. Maybe Arisu’s speech on the rooftop had secretly rooted a fear that you’d experience losing them.

Navigating through the hallways is tough, especially when you’re power walking and holding back every fiber of your being that encourages you to shout at the nosey onlookers. Having the two only people you consider friends endanger themselves outside of a game environment weighs heavily on your conscience. What are you meant to do if it backfires? Luckily, most people have headed to game venues after the Hatter announced he would be going to one himself, so the sight of people slowly disappears from your vision as you travel towards your room on the floor above.

As you're rounding the corner to your room, something stops you in your tracks. The door to your room is slightly adjacent. Either someone is in your room at this exact moment or someone has trifled through your belongings.

Quietly, you creep forwards, keeping an eye on the stream of light pouring from the doorway to watch for any movement. Nothing seems to have moved, so you hesitantly creek the door open.

Fear is replaced by curiosity, to which you fully enter the room once a wave of confidence hits you. Because in actuality, this person is in your room so why should you feel to be the awkward one?

“What the fuck are you doing in my room?” A frown rests on your lips as you stare at the blonde resting on your bed. The same smug, condescending look rests on his face as he stares at your standoffish body language. Your arms immediately cross over your chest as you stare down at the man who ruins your perfectly made bedding.

“Your door was open” He sighs, looking towards the ceiling.

“They’re all open, smartass” Rebuting, you walk around to sit at the wooden vanity table. He pays no mind as he continues gazing off.

“If this is some sort of plan to recruit me, don’t even bother” You bring your right arm up so that you can lean against your palm. Chishiya shakes his head, adjusting his position so that he can get a better look at you.

“No. Kuina doesn’t want to involve you anyway” He states. Your brow quirks automatically. Kuina doesn’t want you involved? and for what reason?

“So why are you here then?” As much as you want to know the answer you’re realistically not going to get it from Chishiya.

He pauses, turning his head slowly to stare blankly at the wardrobe in front him.

What a weird guy. The thought has crossed your head more than you would like to admit. During your last game with him, specifically.

“It seems I misunderstood you” He admits. The statements all but perplexes you.

“I thought you would follow your friends…” He stands from your bed, turning once again to face you. His deep brown orbs seem to have darkened as he stares down at you. The usual condescending look has shifted to something more serious.

“Maybe I was stupid to think that?” He questions with his tone almost teasingly heightening at the end.

“What are you even on about?” You manage to splitter through your confusion. The dim lighting of your room casts a shadow behind him. The sight of his shadow reflecting onto your ceiling and creating an almost sinister halo which makes him seem almost taller causes a spike in anxiety.

In your short time of knowing this man, all you know is that he’s shifty.

“You’re a liability.” He declares as he steps forward once more. From your seated position, he hovers above you with only a ruler's space between your bodies. The proximity and general uneasiness caused by the sudden atmosphere shift causes your breath to get stuck in your throat.

The small hitch of breath causes a light to shimmer in his eyes. Perhaps the sight of slight fear causes Chishiya to thrive.

“You know what we want to do… When we’re going to do it and I can’t have you get in my way” His left hand plays with something stuffed in the pocket of his usual white jacket. With a quick flicker on your eyes, you assume his fiddling with what could be the taser he had in the first game.

Is he insinuating he’s going to taze me?

“But I’m sure we can work something out” He finishes with a soft smile, enjoying how you try to hold back how utterly confused and petrified you are by his attitude shift.

Your lip quivers as you try to think of something to say. The blonde is so unpredictable. At first he was just something of a mystery to you, then he ends up being an executive, then he watches over you in a game and now he’s threatening you because you won’t cooperate with his plan to endanger yourself? Had you just experienced all stages of any potential friendship and animosity with this man?

“I wasn’t going to tattle” The sentence comes out slightly hushed. His face remains uncomfortably close to yours, but you can’t tear your eyes away from him. It’s as if you’re in a trance. Every detail of his face slowly engraves into your brain. Each imperfection. Each freckle and crevice.

“There’s no need to threaten me.” You spit with a furrowed brow. His own brows turn upwards, showing surprise for a few seconds. Maybe Chishiya thought you’d sit silently and take his threats with no more than a frown on your face.

“Maybe so.” He muses, standing back. It’s as if you can finally breathe as your shoulders finally drop. Your body had closed up as he grew closer.

“But I can’t just take your word for it” He shrugs.

Seriously?

“You think I’m gonna run to the militants about this?” You ask. He simply stares back, as if your question was idiotic.

“I’m not.” You state “Risking getting Arisu and Usagi hurt - even Kuina - is the last thing I want to do”

He snorts “You would let me, though?”

“You haven’t given me a reason to care whether you’re hurt or not.”

“Your friends agreed to my plan anyway,” He switches the subject. A part of you wishes it’s because your reply pissed him off but it’s unlikely. The man has left you with the impression that insults roll off his back like water off a duck's back.

“If you get my friends hurt I won’t hesitate to tell the militants you’re nothing but the puppet master”

“A bit contradictory, no?”

You stand from the chair, ignoring how it screeches against the wooden floor. He simply leans back as you begin to invade his personal space, even without physically stepping towards him.

“Will you just get out of my room?”

He smiles once more as an airy chuckle passes through his lips.

“I hope you’re not serious about telling the militants” He spares you a pitiful glance “I wouldn’t want to do anything too strenuous”

prev | next

taglist: @itzz-me-duh @annieray @yanfei-kisser @huachengsbestie01

[kitamars]

hope you don't mind me sending in another ask so soon but i always find this kinda stuff interesting- now that you've survived two big serious arcs how would you rank the main cast in terms of like. favs & stuff?

don't apologise for the asks at all!! i love answering them and rambling about my thoughts so actually thank YOU for giving me a viable outlet haha

so I had to pull out my notes app to draft this one bc i can't do things simply apparently. i can't rank characters for shit so I'm just gonna rate the main ones (at least to me) out of ten and that's that lol, so onward beyond the cut!

Gintoki: I'm in love with him. 10/10.

He's captivated me with his dead fish eyes and pathetic charm, the way he subverts the general shonen protag archetype really works for me (bc i tend to get annoyed with the genre every now and then) but other than that he's such an interesting character on his own that I cannot get into for fear of rambling too much but yeah. I like him a lot. I might cry about someday in the tags of some art or whatever

(also beam saber arc is UNDERRATED (to me) and its very much overshadowed by everything before and after it but I DON'T CARE it has some of my favourite gin character bits this is my propaganda i just felt like i had to put this here THANKS)

Shinpachi: the human-wearing-glasses gag is absolutely hilarious and I hope it never stops. 8/10.

I love shinpachi a lot I promise, i love how dedicated he is to the straight man role and also the times when he's not. Honestly he could have very easily annoyed me after a bit, but he's genuinely just so loveable and a lot of his charm just comes from his VA's delivery, I've never heard anyone else able to convey the emotional range that I've heard from shinpachi in this anime fnsnjrjgjs

I do think he needs more screentime though (watch beam saber arc),,,kagura tends to get a lot of the spotlight (which I'm not mad about) but he also needs some love!! he's just some guy yk gotta give some appreciation!!

Kagura: queen of kabukicho and the queen of my heart. 10/10.

SHE IS LITERALLY EVERYTHING TO ME. i don't have words to express how much I love her, she's one of my all time favorites ever. She's just doing her thing, eating gin-san out of house and home and kicking ass while she's at it and she's so valid for that.

A big part of why I like her is also just her relationship with the yorozuya. the amount of times I've felt like exploding when I see her and gin or shinpachi just interacting in the background of a scene or something similar is impossible to count. She's my little mimi and she deserves literally the world

(Also there's this one compilation of her singing on YouTube and i listen to it RELIGIOUSLY kugimiya rie is a blessing for this character for real it's insane)

Sadaharu interlude: Big ball of fluff/10 (he's adorable)

Hijikata: this man makes me feel a similar range of emotions I feel cramming the night before a final, if not more. 10/10.

He drives me NUTS. you know me, i love my dark-haired chainsmoking men with issues, and he's just chock full of them, it's like a dream come true. Every arc that's focused on him has been absolutely incredible, and even on his own he's such an interesting and funny character. Fully biased towards his VA btw, i don't think anyone else could voice him as effectively, the delivery is always top notch.

His dynamic with the rest of the shinsengumi is honestly one of my favourites, he's got so much range as a serious and gag character, especially when the plot decides to chuck his coolness out the window with that little mayonnaise addiction of his (now everytime I put mayonnaise on anything at all i give myself a dirty look, idk why).

Also i should mention that tosshi was one of the only things that made my watching experience truly difficult. I'd just cringe out of existence everytime he opened his mouth it was. An experience. I still love him very much. Too much maybe.

Sougo: sadism has never looked more fun. 9/10.

I don't think I really have much to say about him? he's genuinely a really fun character, and his endless quests to smear hijikata across the asphalt is always the highlight of any viewing experience. i loved him regardless, but the mitsuba and farewell shinsengumi arcs gave him that extra bit of depth that really solidified him as a fav hehe

YOU DONT GET CHARACTERS LIKE HIM VERY OFTEN AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

kondo: gorilla gorilla/10 (9/10)

thi guy is just the fucking funniest. he's one of the perfect examples of how gintama does characterisation through comedy because by introducing him with all his hilarious gags, you start to care a lot more about him when things actually get serious. Plus the joke never really gets old with him, if he shows up in an episode I know I'm about to have a great time.

but as a serious character as well he's just so good. Him being the glue of the shinsengumi is incredible and sometimes in the plot (crisis and farewell arcs) you can see exactly what it is in this man that makes people want to follow him to the ends of the earth, he is just a good person and I love him for that.

also he's the reason i realised I have not grown out of my 14 year old dick joke phase so there's that

Otose: gintoki's overdue rent/10 (9/10)

I enjoy her so much actually, she's already incredibly fun, but whenever they show more background to gintoki and her's relationship, all of a sudden i am in a puddle of tears on the floor, it's one of the most important things ever to me, the foster parent trope is my weak point.

evidently, kabukicho four devas was my kryptonite (in a really really good way)

Catherine: the heavy accent is pretty funny. 7/10.

I don't really have strong feelings about her tbh, she's alright and funny enough, that's pretty much all I can say

Tama: total number of her leukocytes/10 (9/10)

I LIKE TAMA SOOOOO MUCH SHES SO SWEET AND KIND AND ADORABLE. all of the tama centric arcs have been really fun and each episode involving her is so nice. Finding out she was the time traveller in the bfy movie was such a great twist but immediately made sense bc OF COURSE she would go that far for her very first friends!!!!! i love her innocence so dearly and the way she simply just wants to help others, also otose seeing her as a daughter makes me so emotional

Hasegawa: the madaodog madaonaire episode made me choke at the speed at which I got that reference. 8/10.

Incredibly funny character, the fact that he cannot win a single W is both hilarious but also a bit sad and pathetic, but he's authentic to himself regardless.

He also ruined my later attempts at trying to watch NGE

Otae: the price of one dom peri/10 (8/10)

I love her SOOOOO much she's so entertaining...again I don't have much to say but it's not really in a bad way, i just like her a lot and that's mostly it hehe

Kyubei: otae love/10 (9/10)

as a nb person I have a huge bias towards kyubei, their struggle to figure out where they stand in the binary is pretty relatable, and while I can say that you don't always see a character like that in media who is also hopelessly in love with a woman (so real for that though) i can also admit that this show isn't the best handling of it all, but honestly it's a very "take what I can get situation" so I try not to be too bothered, dekobokko was a bit strange but the ending for kyubei is better than most other instances I've seen, even if it doesn't stay consistent in the series

Also where is jugem jugem? i miss that little bastard so much that arc was so good

Tsukuyo: where does she stash all that kunai. 9/10.

TSUKUYO IS MY WIFE AND GINTOKI NEEDS TO MOVE OVER BC I WANT TO KISS HER. thank you

no but seriously she's a really fun character, and I love everything about her and yoshiwara and her relationship with hinowa and seita and he hyakka and ACK. yoshiwara in flames and the red spider arcs were really good for her, and her slightly confused air at most times is so charming, i love her muah

Sacchan: uhhhhhh huh. 7/10.

I'm gonna be honest, she's one of the only characters I really didn't like since she was introduced, i just found her so incredibly annoying all the time. But then came shogun assassination and suddenly I could stand her a lot more when her personality didn't revolve around gin-san's massive d– (but like. I hate that I can relate to her)

also I don't know where her strange friendship with tsukuyo came from but I actually genuinely like it a lot..........sillies with sharp knives, what could possibly go wrong?

Okay I'm running out of steam here honestly so if I've missed anyone (I'm very sure I have) feel free to ask in replies and I'll tell you what i think jgjekkfkd

this is terrible. Everyone is a main character in my eyes

EDIT: I MISSED THE REST OF THE JOUI 4. I WILL DISEMBOWEL MYSELF. BUT FOR NOW HAVE A LIGHTNING ROUND

katsura: 10/10.

One of my all time favourite characters ever, literal definition of head empty no thoughts, he is so stupid and I want to kiss him passionately under the moonlight

Sakamoto: 10(00000)/10

He is my everything. He needs more screentime. I'm begging on my knees. He is the perfect man.

Takasugi: 9/10

He's great. Shogun assassination made me cry over him. I'm forever sad about him now he was so mochi.....and then the trauma.............ue

Anyways now I think I'm done. time to atone

[legionofpotatoes]

Hi Legion! Long time lurker and lover of your art and tags here. I always read your tags and I'm really interested in your thoughts & views on love and relationships, so I'm curious to know where you got those ideas from. Are there any videos, terms, or books you could recommend? It really resonated with me and since I'm a huge nerd my first instinct is to find more sources haha. Thank you so much!

This ask genuinely made me sit with myself and think long and hard about how my views on that stuff really formed, something I maybe took for granted a lil bit. So thanks, and I'm sorry that I can't give a nerdy answer here! It is difficult to point to specific sources, it's more of a lived-experience type thing. It truly is The Question Of All Time lmao. And boy did it get me thinking back.

I'll put my ramble under the cut if this is not interesting or what you're after, but I enjoyed the introspection still! Thank you!

My context is entirely unremarkable (middle class cishet white guy from eastern europe), but if I had to point to one thing that is the bottleneck of my views on love and relationships, I genuinely think it could be traced to my insane early childhood nat20 roll to avoid toxic masculinity pipelines. I truly believe in my bones that if I had been seduced by that stuff - and legitimately all but maybe two of my childhood friends were - I'd be a completely different, colder, worse person today. I credit only luck in that.

Where I'm from, boys of my generation were set on a very specific path very early on that was pointed veeeery far away from "love". All wrapped up in warped orthodox christianity and crypto-nationalist sentiments, stemming from our incredibly disillusioned post-soviet parent figures constantly running in survival mode. So like, I legitimately don't remember how I managed to avoid those circles and behavior patterns, and the truth is that I probably sometimes didn't? I certainly made stupid mistakes in my early teens, but I had the luxury of making them outside of the public eye of social media. More luck.

There's other alchemy of course - as a child of divorce I got a real early up-close look at the ugly results of mistrust and toxic "love", and a lot of my life back then was rebelling against that. Not that the parenting itself was always bad - my mother turned me to the arts and to stories, which eventually led me to fandom that I can now identify as a much healthier outlet for my frustrations than whatever my peers were doing with their nighttime brawls. It led me to a very crystallized idea of what I really wanted from life - not glory or patriotism or ambition, but a quiet life with the ones I loved.

That is also around the time when I let go of teenage lust as my north star and started fostering friendships instead; because like, relationships are bonds and connections, nothing more or less. Sexuality and romantic love can take as big or as small of a role in that as the parties desire, and they're entirely ornamental to the value of linking your experience with another living, breathing human. Realizing the divinity and beauty in that changes almost everything in an instant. And it is such a goofy-ass thing to say, but yeah, for a lost idiot dude like me, fandom helped me see that. Even the raunchiest fics were ultimately about belonging and emotional nakedness, and I learned to desire that more than anything else. I am trying so hard to point to something specific here, but I honestly don't know with way back then. Bioware's found family-ass games/fanfics were a big one later on, but there were so many other communities before. My memory's just bad.

But knowing I wanted love was one thing, and being a healthier, more empathetic person ready to actually get that was a whole other trek. Made a few more dumb interpersonal mistakes. And then I met my current partner, now over twelve years ago, and realized there was a version of me reflected in her eyes that I could truly chase and grow into. This all sounds super melodramatic but it was more of a terrifying thought at the time, stoking self-doubt and real worry that I was leading her into a mistake. But of course that was all a symptom of terminal self-awareness. We were in our early 20s, mature enough not to play childish emotional games, and young enough to go on that growth journey together. More luck. Found that gentle peace I had yearned for with her., and I count my lucky stars to this day.

In short, everything about my understanding of love and relationships is rooted in personal circumstance + massive amounts of luck, and especially that early course-correction away from toxic dudeness. Nothing extracurricular. And then just more and more luck piled on with time, culminating with my lovely bean. So in that sense I'm the worst person to ask this question! And times have really changed irt internet culture and fandom so I can't even point at that part as an action point either.

But if nothing else, I believe that storytelling is the ultimate shortcut in getting our dumb teenage brains over the precipice of pride and control, and towards the gentle pursuit of love in all its forms. I think that's worth articulating over and over again. Thanks for reading this long and I promise I usually interpret asks like a normal person! This is an exception!!! a big question if there ever was one

[whosscruffylooking]

The Purest Things-Damaged

Aaron Hotchner x Female Reader

Warnings: Mentions of rape, murder, and cheating. Canon-typical violence. 

Word Count: 3.7k

A/N: and so we begin our descent into the world of slow-burn! this piece begins at the end of season 3 episode 13 & carries into seasons 3 episode 14. thank you to everyone who has interacted with my stories, commenting and reposting helps creators so much! enjoy this installment :)

The Purest Things Masterlist

Gif Credit: @hqtchner

january 2008

Bookend: “We are all damaged. We have all been hurt. We have all had to learn painful lessons. We are all recovering from some mistake, loss, betrayal, abuse, injustice or misfortune. All of life is a process of recovery that never ends. We each must find ways to accept and move through the pain and to pick ourselves back up....Each tragedy is an announcement that some good will indeed come in time. Be patient with yourself.” ― Bryant McGill

Another day, another murderer locked away. This case proved that sometimes, the so-called "good guys" can be just as selfish as the "bad guys." The special agent who recruited the BAU's help, Jill Morris, used this case to obtain personal fame and grow her career.

You sit next to Rossi aboard the plane. He had a more personal interaction with Morris throughout the case, and you can tell her actions have left him more than disappointed.

Looking out the window at the sun setting behind the clouds, you mumble to yourself, "What's the difference?"

"Did you say something?" Dave speaks up.

Looking to him, you brush it off, "Oh. Nothing. I was just talking to myself."

He crosses his legs and smiles a warm smile at you, "Penny, for your thoughts then."

"I guess...I just don't understand how Jill Morris's motives can be any different from Jeremy Andrus's. Of course, Jill didn't murder or rape anyone. But, she exploited this case for her own personal benefit. She didn't just use the unsub; she exploited the victims as well. How is that any different than Jeremy using women for his own gratification?"

David sighs, "Aristotle said, 'Every practical pursuit or undertaking seems to aim at some good.' Our brains are wired for love and solidarity. Greed forms to undermine that wiring and trick others into believing that their means to an end is done for "good." People believe that to maintain that myth, any and all costs to others are simply casualties in the long run."

"There is all the difference in the world between helping another soul and exploiting their hardship for your own gain and deceiving yourself that they are the same," he continues, "I tried to show Jill that. But, I think she's already determined that the reason she does this job is not for the same reasons that we do. The rush of catching a suspect comes second to the excitement she gets when being praised for her achievement."

"What happened to her empathy," you wonder, "Empathy is a natural foundation in each of our lives, and our society functions on it! How could that not overpower her desire for recognition? I mean, for Christ's sake, her friend just died!"

"Unfortunately," he solemnly says, "It is harder to understand the motives of our peers than it is to profile a serial killer."

+++++

You wake as if there is an emergency, like sleeping had become a deadly thing, your heart pounds, and thoughts jumble throughout your brain. Shooting up from your seat, you crawl over a sleeping Rossi and stumble your way to the bathroom.

Your knuckles turn white as you grip the edge of the sink. Looking cautiously into the mirror, as if you are uncertain of what you'll see, you take in your ghostly appearance. Sweat beads drip down your forehead. Unable to comprehend the blurry remnants of your dream, you turn on the faucet and splash your face with cold water.

Upon exiting the bathroom, you notice everyone is sound asleep. Thank goodness no one noticed your state of panic. You notice that one overhead reading light is on and look to see Hotch awake and blankly staring out the window.

"Can't sleep either?" You ask, sitting across from him.

"Are you alright?" He asks, trying to deflect your attention.

You squint at him, unwilling to back down, "Are you?"

He looks at you intently, taking the sight of you in inch-by-inch. No one has asked him that over the past few weeks. In fact, everyone has seemingly been avoiding him since he was served his divorce papers. Perhaps they are doing it because they are unsure how to support him or genuinely feel that what he needs right now is space.

However, you know that being alone is the last thing he needs right now. "Hotch, I know it isn't my place, and I--I'm sorry if this is overstepping. But that expression on your face that you've worn for the past few weeks isn't foreign to me. Perhaps to everyone else, it is. They don't know what to do or say. You're their unit chief, and they are used to you being strong and keeping it together for the sake of everyone else."

He straightens his posture, his attention centered on you.

"I witnessed firsthand the ways that divorce can torment people. My parents got a sudden divorce when I was 14. It was unexpected to all of us. My father was unfaithful, and although my mom was willing to forgive him, he didn't want to put in the work anymore. He found a new outlet for his frustrations. I watched my mother and father waste away for years," you lament.

Hotch sits on the edge of his seat, his eyes trained keenly on you. It was odd for him to make a connection so quick, to give his trust so easily. In fact, he hardly trusts at all. Dave and Haley are the only ones who have really been given an insider's peek into the mind and heart of Aaron Hotchner. There was something in the way he listens so actively to what you are saying. You would be lying if you said you didn't notice his gaze aimed at your lips.

There is a sympathetic and heartfelt concern he shows for you, one second only to your own regard for him. He listens like he is absorbing your words. The longer you spend in each other's presence, the more you both realize that this is the kind of friendship you both have needed for far too long. Even if the words go unspoken, you share an empathetic understanding of one another, and you are sure it has been there since the day you met. Hotch has been fascinated by you since he watched your interview with Strauss over and over again, though he would never let it be known.

+++++

February 2008

Today is the day that you get to accompany Hotch and Reid on the Criminal Personality Research Project to interview Chester Hardwick before his execution. Hardwick's case is one you know inside and out. You wrote a research report on it that was awarded the Graduate Student Ethics Writing Competition winner for the American Psychological Association and was published in their Ethics and Behavior journal. Agent Hotchner suggested that you tag along, considering you know just as much about the case as Spencer does.

You and Spencer absentmindedly fiddle with the knickknacks that rest upon the desk as you wait to be escorted to see Chester Hardwick.

Hotch's phone begins to ring, and he answers it, "Yeah, J.J... Um, no, it's--It's a personal matter. Yes, thank you. I will take care of it when I get back."

"Everything okay?" You ask softly.

"Yeah, fine." He says abruptly.

"We can do this interview another time," Reid offers.

Aaron huffs, "Well, he is scheduled to be executed next week."

"I can take the lead on the interview if you w-" Reid unintentionally pushes.

You cut him off, "Reid."

Hotch shoots you an appreciative look.

Anytime sir.

"Agent Hotchner?" A relatively short man wearing freakishly petite glasses comes to the door.

The Unit Chief shakes the man's hand and introduces you and Spencer.

"You're here to see our infamous inmate Hardwick," the warden exclaims.

"Yes," you say, "He agreed to meet with us as part of our Criminal Personality Research Project before his execution."

The man smiles widely, "I've read your research on Hardwick many times. I must say, seeing your perspective on the mind of such a prolific killer was very enlightening."

You beam with pride at his commendation. Instinctively you look to Hotch, who appears to have the slight trace of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

You wonder, how can he go from scowling and frustrated one minute to fighting back the urge to smile at the mention of your achievements? You bite your lip to suppress any further needless excitement.

The warden continues to ramble, "Serial killers are kind of a hobby of mine. Chester is the only one I've ever met in person, though. I bet you've met quite a few."

"Sir," Hotch interjects, "We'd very much like to get started as soon as we can."

Time to put our serious pants back on.

You can visibly see your superior's annoyance, and you stifle a chuckle.

The warden quickly composes himself and apologizes for his enthusiasm, touching his hand to Hotch's shoulder in the process. Hotch's mouth falls agape, and his sights shoot to you. A small snort escapes you, and you cover your mouth, attempting to conceal it as a cough. He squints at you as if he is mentally murdering you. You crinkle your nose at him.

Don't mentally murder me when we are about to interview one of the most prolific killers of our time.

The warden leads you into the small cell that you will convert into a makeshift interrogation room. Soon enough, you hear the clanking of chains echoing in the hallway. Everyone's eyesight is fixed on the door.

A silver-haired man dressed in a yellow jumpsuit walks in with an air of arrogance and determination. He glares at Agent Hotchner, who mirrors the prisoner's actions exactly. Hotch states that keeping the prisoner chained will not be necessary, a call that both you and Spencer are unsure of.

Hardwick sits across from you and leans into the table, "I know you."

"And I know you. Too well, I think," you respond.

A menacing grin sweeps across his face, "Oh, I like you already. How about you send these two away so the grown-ups can talk."

You can hear your boss scoff from behind you.

"Chester, it's time to get serious."

"You were born April 4, 1950?" Spencer asks.

"Does my birthday really matter?"

"It's customary for us to start at the beginning. We want to know as much as we can about your childhood," Reid continues.

"There's nothing to know. It was average. I lived in a nice house on a quiet street. I ate cereal, went to school, watched cartoons."

"I don't have time for this," Hotch raises his voice, causing you to jump slightly, "You grew up in a series of projects, each one worse than the last. You spent your teenage years peeping into your female neighbors' windows and burglarizing their underwear drawers when you got the chance. You set 100 small fires for which you spent 2 years in juvenile detention."

You glance at Reid from the corner of your eye; you are both uncomfortable with the direction Hotch is taking this.

"We've done extensive research, Mr. Hardwick," you say, gently trying to soften the blow and appeal to the man's ego. If Hotch is taking the bad cop role, you need to be this psychopath's ally.

"We've talked to almost everyone you've ever known," you continue, "including your mother."

Chester swivels on the balls of his feet, "Good ol' Jean? I'll bet she was a real treat."

"At this point, lying to us isn't really possible or helpful," Spencer offers a slight smirk to the man.

"Y/N, right?" the prisoner turns his attention to you, "They're wrong. They're all wrong."

"About what, Chester?" You implore him.

"I started a lot more than one hundred fires," he peers out the window.

You look up at Hotch, and he sighs in surrender.

Chester antagonizes you three, stating that no one care's whether or not they hear the truth. In between his jabs, he strays to various different series of thoughts. Most are meaningless, but it is his way of trying to get under your skin. For you and Spencer, it is relatively easy to maintain your composure. For Hotch, however, Hardwick's digs do nothing but add fuel to the already lit flame under the special agent.

"Let's talk about the specifics of this case, Chester," you interrupt his rant, "Why did you choose Sheila O'Neal?"

He shakes his head, "You gotta show me a picture. I don't know their names."

As if you can feel Hotch's anger radiating off of his body, you brace yourself for the oncoming strike.

"Is that what this is all about," he says disgustedly, "Some chance for you to relive all of this?"

"I have an excellent memory," Chester brags.

You tune his impassionate speech out and focus your observance on your boss. His scalding stare at Hardwick can only translate one way, 'I have initiated my emotional indifference. I could kill you and not care one bit. So proceed with caution.'

"They were toys, a diversion," you hear Hardwick chant as you tune back into the present. Hotch looks anywhere but at the killer in front of him, his gaze eventually landing you. You are some kind of shelter to him that neither of you has yet acknowledged or come to understand.

Your stomach churns at Chester's descriptions of his victims. He describes them as useless objects that, once their purpose was served, were discarded like garbage.

"Why did you ask us here?" Hotch charges.

The wicked man looks at you, his eyes void of a soul and his stare sending a chill down your veins. 

"I wanted to speak to her." 

Your breath catches at the back of your throat.

With that, Hotch straightens up and fervently positions himself between Chester and you. "Reid, pack it up," he commands.

Reid looks to you, "Are you sure?"

"No, now." Your superior repeats himself with even more fervor. He presses the buzzer to signal the guards to release us and says, "Have a nice trip. You're going where you belong." Hotch makes sure to put as much distance between you and Hardwick as possible. He buzzes the ringer again. No response.

"It's 5:17," Hardwick chuckles.

You close your eyes, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. Reaching out for Hotch's arm, you lower his hand from the buzzer. "The evening yard begins at 5 o'clock. No one is going to come open that door for-"

"At least thirteen minutes," Chester disrupts. He waltzes over the table and takes one of the images of his victims into his hand. Holding it up as if to brag to us about it, he says, "And it took me less than five minutes to do this."

You push aside your worry. Instead, you choose to focus on all of the information you have accumulated over the years about Chester Hardwick. There has to be something you can use to your advantage to diffuse this situation.

"Perhaps in all of your research, you should have familiarized yourselves with the guard tones," Hardwick jeers.

"I heard the tones," Hotch counters in a monotone voice.

"So you planned to be locked inside with me, with no guns or weapons."

Hotch shakes his head, his voice more natural than before, "I won't need a gun."

Spencer places his hand on your arm and begins to guide you to the other side of the room.

"There's no way I am going to be executed next week," Chester taunts, kneading his hands together. "Not after I kill three FBI agents. You saved my life by coming here." His venomous words ring in your ears.

Hotch's tone deepens, "Unfortunately for you, I am not a five-foot-one-hundred-pound girl."

Your pulse quickens at Hotch's threat, and your attention is rapt by his display of dominance. He begins to shed his jacket. You feel yourself flushing; attraction suddenly entangles you as if it were an invisible rope.

Now is the worst possible time to be feeling this. Calm down.

"All of your life, you've gone after victims who couldn't fight back," he fiercely says, "and the rest of the time you spent looking over your shoulder." You understand the intensity in his tone and sense a great deal of emotion behind his words.

He rips his tie from his collar, and your breathing hitches in the back of your throat. Hopefully, Spencer doesn't notice, and if he does, he chalks it up to the deadly situation you find yourself in.

"You were always worried about the knock on the door," Hotch doesn't back down, "Scared that somebody like me would be on the other side waiting to put you away."

Well, if you keep ripping your tie off like th--no. Not gonna go there right now. Focus on the pyshco-killer threatening to kill you.  

Now, Hotch intimidatingly points his finger directly at Hardwick.

If only I were on the receiving end of tha--no! Now. Is. Not. The. Time.

"At your core, you are a coward," Hotch fires.  

You have to do something. Hardwick is enraged, and Hotch has nothing left to lose.

Without even giving it a second thought, you blurt out, "Chester, do you want to know why you killed those women?"

"What?" The prisoner hisses.

Spencer speaks up, "Earlier, you said you wished you were different. We can tell you why you are...what you are."

He begins moving towards you, and out of the corner of your eye, you notice your boss carefully making equal strides. You motion for him to stop.

"You can tell me why I did what I did?"

"I think so," you nod, "Don't you, Dr. Reid?"

"I do. Your mother is bipolar. And almost certainly an undifferentiated schizophrenic. Your father suffered severe shell shock in the war, what we now refer to as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As far as I can tell, he remained clinically depressed the rest of his life."

"Exactly," you say, giving Spencer a chance to gather his thoughts after having thrown him under the bus.

"53% of all serial killers have some form of mental illness inherent to their families. Chester, in your case, both of your parents suffered from psychological disorders, which they essentially took out on each other as much as they beat you. So, violence sort of became a normal expression of love in your household," you say, eager to have some kind of breakthrough with him while subliminally directing Spencer's string of thoughts to follow yours.

Allowing Reid to pick up where you leave off, he takes charge of the conversation and explains how a portion of one's brain wants what it wants without conscience or judgment. A part of the brain that no doubt took over Hotch's reasoning powers moments ago, though you do not blame him.

"Earlier, you said your victims never had a chance. I think you know deep down that it was you that never really had a chance," he concludes. And with that victorious resolution, the guards unlock the door. Hotch storms out, and Reid follows behind.

"Is that true that I never had the chance?" Hardwick calls out after you both.

You stop in your tracks, "I don't know."

"Maybe," Spencer nudges you out the door.

++++

In the car, Hotch looks at you in the rearview mirror, "That was smart to get Hardwick to focus on himself long enough for the guards to come back."

You pat Spencer's shoulder, "I give all the credit to boy wonder and his beautiful statistic-filled brain. I'm sorry for all of the times I said you were running out of storage with all of that useless data."

"I find that I do some of my best work under intense terror," he declares, "Wait. Useless data? When did you say that?"

You pinch him softly and chuckle, "I'm kidding."

"I'm sorry," Hotch sighs.

You meet his gaze in the mirror once again, "For what?"

His chestnut eyes reveal pangs of remorse and guilt, but something tells you there's more to those feelings than what occurred at the prison.

"I antagonized the situation."

"No, you didn't," Spencer states.

"I certainly didn't help."

"Well, I can't argue with you there," you kid.

His piercing eyes suddenly twinkle, causing you to blush slightly. You quickly look down at your feet until your cheeks cool down.

Hotch sighs in defeat, "So Haley wants me to sign the divorce papers uncontested so that nobody wastes money on lawyers."

That statement is all too familiar to you. Yet again, your heart shatters for the Hotchners.

"You don't want to?" Spencer asks innocently.

He means well, but you know from experience that such a question only unleashes a tidal wave of painful emotions for the one fighting for his family.

"What I want, I'm not going to get," Hotch laments.

His eyes, once filled with depth, now distant and empty.

++++

Glancing up from your paperwork and into your supervisor's office, you take note of his gravity-drawn shoulders that carry the weight of the world on them. He repeatedly picks up a stack of papers and then drops them back down atop his desk, covering his face with his hands.

"What do you think is going on up there?" Derek asks, pointing his pen in the direction of the office.

"I might have an idea. I'm going to go take my report; anyone else's done?" They all hand you their paperwork for you to deliver to the boss.

You hesitate to knock on his door but apprehensively do so anyways.

He invites you in. Your heart sinks as you approach his desk, able to get a closer look at his beaten expression. You always knew he was hiding pain behind his tough exterior, but now he wears it on the surface, most likely unintentionally.

Placing the paperwork on his desk, you notice the heading on the papers he was gripping tightly.

SUPREME COURT STATE OF VIRGINIA: MARITAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

Hotch's eyes move slowly, laboriously, to look at you as if it takes a concentrated effort to do so.

"Heartache is a real thing," you sympathize with him, "In fact, Reid even told me that a broken heart can show up on medical scans. When a heart breaks, your body and brain need time to recuperate. There's no set amount of time or remedy that will heal you. Don't set your expectations of yourself too high, and surround yourself with the people who love you."

His chin trembles, and his eyes flutter as he blinks back tears.

You turn to leave the room but look over your shoulder one last time, "We are all here for you, Hotch."

Just as you are about to shut the door, you hear him call out to you, "Y/L/N!"

His stare reveals a vulnerability you have had yet to see in him.

"Call me Aaron."

Tag List 🏷

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[leossmoonn]

Belle of The Ball [Kol Mikaelson]

masterlist 

pairing - kol mikaelson x fem,gilbert!reader

type - fluff

note / request - “since your TO requests are open can i request a kol fic where the reader is a gilbert and is kinda shy and kol invites her to the mikaelson ball” enjoy!

summary -  the middle child of the mikaelson family takes interest in you and invites you to the mikaelson ball

warnings / includes - your jeremy’s twin, mild language, kissing, suggestive flirting, underage drinking (drink safely), mention of sex

————

*gif isn’t mine*

“I think Connor likes you,” your friend, Karina, nudged you. 

You looked over to the cute, brunette boy that was staring at you from across the hallway. “Yeah, right,” you muttered.

“I’m serious! Oh, look! He’s coming to ask you out!” Karina squealed. 

You looked away from your locker, straightening up as Connor was approaching you. He flashed you a charming smile. 

“I’m gonna go. Meet me by your car!” Karina smiled. 

“No! Rina!” You whisper-shouted. 

Your attention was turned to Connor as he stood in front of you. 

“Hey, Y/n,” he greeted. “Hey… Connor,” you smiled shyly. 

“I wanted to ask you a question,” he said, leaning against the lockers. 

“Y-Yeah, go ahead,” you nodded. He smiled at your nervousness, moving closer to you.

His scent filled your nostrils and you felt yourself going dizzy. You leaned against the lockers, hoping it would help you not trip and fall. 

“So, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me at Mystic Grill. We can get dinner then go back to my place and watch a movie,” Connor suggested. 

Your eyes widened. You were pleasantly surprised. You had liked Connor since school had started, which was a few months ago. You had been trying to get him to notice you, which was going horribly until now. You were way too shy to go up to say anything to him. You guessed that Karina had something to do with him asking you out. 

“Um, Earth to Y/n?” Connor asked, waving his hand in front of your face.

“Huh?” You blinked rapidly. You looked at him, getting even more embraced and shy when you realise you got lost in your own thoughts. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m just um… not really used to people asking me out, you know? I’ve never really been on a date before. My Aunt Jenna used to say that was okay since I’m only in junior year and stuff, but my brother has already had sex with Vicki Donovan and my sister is already on her second boyfriend. It’s kinda sad how un-loveable I am and-” 

You were cut off by Connor chuckling. You cussed yourself out in your head for being so awkward.

“I’m sorry, again. I ramble a lot, too,” you apologised. 

“It’s not worries. It’s really cute. You’re really cute. Anyways, what do you say? Come with me to Netflix and chill?” Connor asked. 

You smiled, opening your mouth to respond, but you were rudely interrupted. 

“She has plans Friday. Sorry, mate,” an all-too familiar Australian accent sounded behind you. 

You clenched your jaw and balled your fists. You turned your head, glaring. 

“Kol, go away,” you said through gritted teeth. 

“No can do, darling. Jeremy asked me to watch over you,” Kol smiled. 

“Uh, who’s this guy?” Connor asked. You turned back to him. “Oh, just a uh… family friend. Don’t mind him, he’s super annoying.”

“Actually, do mind me. I’m here to pick Y/n up. Elena wants you home, now,” Kol said. 

“Oh. Well, if you need to be home, go ahead,” Connor said. 

You sighed, “Yeah, um, I do. But it’s a yes to the date.”

Connor smiled widely. “Awesome! I’ll pick you up at 8.”

“Great! Can’t wait,” you smiled sweetly. 

Connor walked away, leaving you grinning from ear-to-ear. 

“You can do so much better, Y/n,” Kol said. 

You rolled your eyes, turning 180 to him. “Go away, Kol. I know for a fact that Jeremy and Elena didn’t tell you to watch over me.”

“Hm, true. That was just an excuse,” Kol smiled. 

“An excuse for what?” You asked. “Well, I needed and excuse to talk to you,” Kol shrugged. 

You sighed, going back to your locker and grabbing your textbooks. “About what?” You asked. 

“Well, I know my family hasn’t made it easy for any of you, so we are throwing a ball! My mother’s idea, really. We are allowed to bring dates and I’d like to bring you,” Kol explained. 

You started to feel all flustered. “Uh… Wh-Why?”

“Because I like you, Y/n. I think you’re cute, funny, and all the good parts of a woman. I’d like you to ditch that Connor-nobody and be my plus one!”

You slammed your locker shut, walking away from Kol. 

“Y/n, darling! You never answered me!” Kol exclaimed, trying to catch up with you. 

“Yeah, I did that on purpose,” you muttered, knowing he could hear you because of his vamp hearing. 

“You are so rude. I take it your parents didn’t teach you any manners? Not like they can teach you them now,” Kol joked. 

You scoffed, not believing what you were hearing. “Like you can talk. And plus, why would I want to go to the ball with a jerk like you?”

You waked out of the school, spotting Karina over at your car. 

“Y/n, wait!” Kol called out, reaching out to grab your wrist.

“What!” You exclaimed, turning to him. 

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean that, but I really do want you to accompany me to the ball,” Kol said, staring you right in the eyes. 

You stared at him for a few moments, your eyes flickering down to his lips. Once you noticed him smirk, you looked away, pulling your wrist away from his grip. 

“I appreciate the invitation, but I’m going out with Connor,” you mumbled. 

Kol sighed, “Fine. But if you reconsider, it’ll be at our house.”

“Thanks,” you said, looking up at him through your lashes. “I need to go, okay? My friend is waiting for me.”

“Alright. I hope you reconsider, Y/n. I’d be a shame if I didn’t have a date,” Kol said. 

“As if you can’t get anyone you want,” you rolled your eyes. 

“But I only want you,” Kol admitted. 

Butterflies fluttered in your stomach. As much as you wanted to stay and ask him if he really did want you, you knew you’d end up a blubbering mess. And you definitely didn’t want to be like that in front of a devastatingly handsome Original vampire. 

“I gotta go,” you murmured, turning away and stomping off to Karina. 

“Hey, who’s that?” Karina asked once you approached. 

“Oh um… An annoying friend of Jeremy,’s” you lied, running your fingers through your hair. 

“Hm, well he’s hot,” Karina bit her lip, looking at Kol who was still where you left him. 

You rolled your eyes and started to twiddle with your fingers. “No, he’s not.”

Karina narrowed her eyes at you, gasping in realisation. 

“What?” You asked, full of confusion. “You like him!” Karina grinned. 

You scoffed, “Hell no.” 

“Hell, yes! You’re doing that thing you do when you talk about a guy you like,” Karina giggled, pointing to your hands. 

You looked down and sighed, putting your arms to your sides. “I do that when I’m nervous.”

“Oh, yeah? Are you nervous about Mr. Hottie?” Karina wiggled her eyebrows.

“No. I’m nervous because Connor asked me out this Friday,” you explained. 

“Oh, my God! Babe, that’s awesome!” Karina squealed, jumping up and down, clapping while doing so.  

“Thanks, I know,” you smiled sheepishly. “Well, what day is it? Wednesday, right? We need to shop!” Karina exclaimed. 

“No, no! I'll just wear jeans and a cute top. There’s no need to shop,” you said. 

“Have you seen your closet? You only have one cute flora top and a pair of black baggy jeans. The rest of your closet are sweats and sweatshirts. You don’t even have any date-appropriate dresses!” Karina said. 

“Not true!” You protested weakly. 

“Mhm,” Karina said, pursing her lips. You rolled your eyes, knowing she was right. 

“Fine, but we are only going to buy one outfit. ONE,” you said, holding up your first finger. 

“I’ll take it! Wanna go now?” Karina asked. 

“Sure,” you nodded. “Yay! We can get lunch at the Grill, too,” Karina suggested, opening the passenger door of your car. 

“Alright,” you nodded, going over to the driver’s seat. 

You drove to the outlet mall, parking in front of the shop. Karina and you walked inside, Karina immediately pulling you to the jeans section. 

“God, I hate jeans,” you muttered. “Why?” Karina asked. 

“Because they’re tight and I have to jump to get them on,” you explained. 

“Well, that’s just because you have a nice ass,” Karina smiled.

You smiled, “Yeah, right.” “I’m serious! Your figure is to die for! I’m jealous, honestly,” Karina said in a sincere tone.

You chuckled, “Thanks, Rina.”

“Of course. Now, let’s see what jeans they have. Do you want black, dark wash, or light wash?” Karina asked. 

“Dark wash,” you answered. “High-waisted or low-waisted?” Karina asked. 

“(Your choice),” you said. 

Karina pulled out two pairs of jeans, handing them to you. “Now, for the shirts! Do you want a ruffled top, knot front, or button-up?” 

“Um, ruffled, I guess,” you said. “Alright… Well, I know you like plaid… So, what about this one?” Karina pulled out a black and white top that was cropped. It was long sleeved, the sleeves ruffled slightly. The bottom of the shirt was stretchy and the top had buttons. 

“Wow, this is really cute. Simple, too. I like it,” you smiled. 

“I knew you would! Now, go try it on,” Karina said, going over to the changing rooms.

You put on your cloths, buttoning up the top and turning around to the mirror. You raised your brows, surprised by how good you looked. 

“You done?” Karina called out from outside. 

“Yeah,” you said, going out of the dressing room.

“You look so pretty. Y/n. The jeans highlight your figure perfectly!” Karina exclaimed. 

“Yeah,” you smiled, “And the top isn’t as cropped as I thought it would be.”

“I am amazing at dressing you! Maybe I should become a professional dresser?” Karina said.

You chuckled, “You should. Well, I think I’ll get this. I’m not interested in shopping anymore and I’m hungry.”

“Alright, well, I have some things I want to try on. So, give me 15 minutes tops and get us a table at the Grill,” Karina said, holding up the clothes she found. 

“Sounds good,” you said. You went back behind the door and changed out of your clothes. You paid for your outfit, walking out and going to the Grill. 

You got yourself seated quickly. 

“Y/n, hey!” Matt exclaimed. “Oh, hey, blue eyes,” you grinned. 

“How have you been?” Matt asked. “Good! How about you?” You asked. 

“I’ve been good, thanks. How is Elena?” Matt asked.

You chuckled, “Elena is good. I’ll tell her you asked about her.”

“Alright, sounds good. So, I heard Connor Askren asked you out,” Matt said. 

“Oh, yeah,” you smiled happily. “Good for you. I have to warn you, though, be careful,” Matt said. 

“Be careful about what?” You asked. “Well, Connor has a reputation of asking girls out then bailing on them,” he explained. 

“Oh,” you frowned. “Well, he seemed really excited to ask me out.”

“I'm sure he was. I’m just saying. You’re like a little sister to me. I don’t want you getting hurt,” Matt explained. 

You smiled gratefully. “Thanks, big bro.”

“No problem. Anyways, are you here alone or is Karina with you?” He asked. 

“She’s with me. She’s at the clothing store. I just came from there, hence the bag,” you said, holding up your shopping bag. 

“Ah right. Let me guess, she wanted to try some stuff on and she let you go?” Matt asked. 

“Yep,” you laughed. “That’s what Caroline does. So, do you want to get started with a drink or anything?” Matt asked. 

“Yeah, sure. Can I get a Diet Coke, chicken tenders, and cheese fries?” You asked. 

“Coming right up. Do you know what Karina would want?” Matt asked. 

“She’ll probably want lemonade, a chicken wrap, and onion rings,” you said. 

“Alright. Be right back,” Matt smiled. 

You gave him a goodbye wave. You sighed once he left, looking at your shopping bag. You would be lying if you said you were’t worried about Connor. You hoped that he was different than what Matt told you. 

————

Friday came sooner than expected. You were currently at home and getting ready for your date. Karina had helped you with your makeup, putting eyeliner on you and letting you borrow her lipstick. You were strapping on your heels when Karina told you she was leaving. 

“Text me if you two kiss,” Karina winked. 

“Highly doubt we will, but noted,” you smiled. 

“Alright, I’m gonna go. You look amazing, Y/n. Have fun!” Karina hugged you before leaving.  “Thanks,” you giggled as you shut the door. 

You looked at your phone, seeing it was 7:57. You smiled nervously, grabbing your purse and waiting at the door. The 3 minutes passed by slowly. It was soon 8 and he wasn’t there yet. You shrugged it off, knowing that he would probably be there in a minute or two. But as you waited, 2 minutes passed, 5, 10, and 20. Each time you checked your phone, your hope in Connor disappeared and your fear of what Matt said becoming true increased. Once it reached 8:30, you realised that Connor wasn’t coming and he had in fact stood you up. 

You stomped off to your room, tears falling down your cheeks. 

“God! How stupid are you, Y/n? Thinking a guy like Connor would want to go out with you? A football player? A guy with one of the highest GPA’s? Fat chance,” you sobbed to yourself. 

You took off your heels and wiped your eyes with the back of your hand, smudging all the makeup that Karina had done. You took off your clothes, slipping into sweats and a tank top. You washed your face of all the makeup, going into your kitchen. You went to go and get some chocolate, but someone interrupted you.

“Don’t look so glum, Y/n. Connor is an ass.” You turned around sharply, surprised to see Rebekah there. 

“I… Rebekah, what are you doing here?” You asked rudely. 

“I’m here to give you your dress and get you ready for the ball!” Rebekah smiled. 

“I’m not going,” you mumbled, going back to getting your food. 

Rebekah sped to you, grabbing your wrist. “Yes, you are. I don’t like you very much. I don’t like any of your family, but Kol seems to have taken an interest in you. I have no idea why, but I just got my family back and want to make everyone happy.”

“Well, I don’t like Kol. So you can tell him to shove off,” you said. 

“Hm… No,” Rebekah grinned. “C’mon, you’re going to the ball whether you like it or not. Your sister and brother will also be there.”

“Another reason not to go,” you stated. 

“Oh, please! If you don’t go I am sure Kol will kill Elena and Jeremy,” Rebekah said. 

“No! I… I don’t want to. Kol doesn’t even like me. He just likes to piss off all my friends,” you said.

“Y/n, look at me,” Rebekah said. You looked at her dully.

“Kol likes you. Hell, I think he’s in love with you. All he talks about it you and quite frankly, it’s sickening, but a little heartwarming to see him care so much for someone. So, please, come to the ball. If you want to leave after a little bit, I’ll make sure you go without any issue. But just try it out,” Rebekah begged. 

Your heart fluttered once you heard Kol might be in love with you. If you were completely honest, you had a little crush on Kol. How couldn’t you? He was charming, handsome, and even nice to you. You never pursued the crush because one, you were too shy for that. And two, you knew your family would kill you. But you knew Rebekah would just kidnap you and take you there, even if you said no again, so you deciding to say yes. 

“Fine, I’ll go. But don’t expect me to have fun,” you mumbled. 

Rebekah took her hand off your wrist, smiling widely. “Great! Let’s go and get you ready, we’re late.”

You nodded and went back to your room. Rebekah sat you down and did your makeup. Giving you a fox eye look with a red lip. She then got out your dress, to which you gasped at.  Your dress was a long red ballgown. The top of the dress had jewels all over, the skirt then puffing out like Cinderella’s. The sleeves of the dress were made to go across your shoulders, letting the top of your breasts and your collar bone show. 

“Wow I… Wow,” you gasped. 

“Amazing, right? You’ll be the belle of the ball! You’ll even outshine Elena, who’s dress is disappointingly gorgeous,” Rebekah smiled. 

“Thank you,” you smiled. 

“Of course! Now go put it on, I’ll help you with the back,” Rebekah said handing it to you. 

You took it gently, going to your bathroom to get changed. You came out, letting Rebekah tighten the dress for you. You then slipped on your black heels that you were wearing earlier, and took a look at you reflection. 

“Wow, I actually look like a princess,” you smiled.

“That you do,” Rebekah smiled. “Now let’s go. Our ride is waiting.”

You nodded, lifting up the bottom of your dress so you could walk. You and Rebekah walked out to the limo, going over to the Mikaelson house. 

“Hey, Rebekah?” You asked. “Yes?” She answered. 

“Why are you being so nice to me? Besides making Kol happy,” you asked. 

Rebekah sighed. “Well, I think you’re good for my brother. You make him more bearable to be around. Kinder, warmer. A lot less murderous. I know you like him, too. I can see the way you look at him when you think no one is paying attention. He’s head over heels for you and I think you could be the same for him after tonight.”

“Good to know,” you smiled. 

“Mhm. But don’t tell anyone I ever complimented you or helped you out tonight. I don’t need your friends thinking I have a good side,” Rebekah said. 

You chuckled. “Alright, deal.”

You two arrived at Rebekah’s house, stepping out of the limo. Rebekah and you waked to the doors, opening them. As you stepped into the ballroom, all eyes went on you. Your entrance elicited gasps from everyone. You smiled shyly, your smile faltering once Elena, Damon, and Jeremy approached you. Rebekah left you to deal with your family.

“What the hell are you doing here!” Elena exclaimed. 

“Having fun, El,” you answered. 

“No, you need to go home now,” Damon said. 

You shook your head. “No. Connor stood me up and Kol invited me to this thing, so I decided to take the opportunity.”

Elena’s angry face fell as she heard what Connor did. “Connor stood you up? That jerk!”

“It's okay. I’d rather be here and in this dress than with him and drunk,” you admitted. 

“Need me to beat him up for you?” Jeremy asked. “I’m good baby bro, but thanks. Uh…. have you guys seen Kol?” You asked. 

“Nope,” Elena said. “And I wouldn’t advise looking for him. He might kill you,” Damon frowned. 

“No, I won’t! Like she said, I invited her here,” Kol said from behind them. 

Damon turned, a grimace on his face. “Why?”

“Because I am in love with her,” Kol smiled, his eyes meeting you’s.

Your blood ran cold and you looked down, holding the skirt of your dress tightly. 

“I’d like to dance with her, if that’s alright,” Kol said.

“No way,” Jeremy said. “You put a hand on her-”

“Jer, it’s okay,” you said. “I’ll shout if I’m in trouble. Please, just go.”

Elena sighed, “Fine. I have to go and see Esther anyways. Do not hurt her.” Elena warned Kol. 

“I never would dream of it,” Kol smiled. 

The three left, leaving you and Kol at the entrance. Kol approached you, you putting your head down again. 

“You look ravishing, Y/n. If we were alone, I’d rip that dress off of you,” Kol said, looking over your figure. 

“Thanks,” you chuckled shyly. 

Kol put his hand on your chin gently, lifting your face up to meet his. “Don’t be so shy, Y/n. And don’t self-doubt yourself, either. I know that asshole Connor stood you up, but you are still the most beautiful, kind girl ever. He doesn’t deserve you anyways.”

“And you do?” You challenged. 

Kol chuckled. “No, but I’m hoping you think differently.” He then offered you his hand. “Dance with me?”

“Sure,” you nodded, taking his hand hesitantly. 

Butterflies threatened to rip out of you as you touched his hand. Goosebumps rushed up your arm as you grasped his hand. Kol walked you two to the ballroom floor. You put your free hand on his shoulder, him putting his free hand on your waist. You two swayed for a few moments until you broke the silence. 

“So, um… How did you know Connor stood me up?” You asked. 

“I had Rebekah spying on you,” Kol admitted. 

“Wow, not creepy at all,” you muttered. “I wanted to be ready for if he stood you up, so Rebekah could then go and get you ready,” Kol explained. 

“Makes sense,” you said. 

Kol smiled at you, not being able to keep his eyes off of you. You kept adverting your gaze. Too nervous to actually look at him or more than 5 seconds. 

“You’re very cute when you’re tense,” Kol complimented.  “Thanks. Not a lot of people think that,” you chuckled. “Well, those people are out of their minds then,” Kol said.

“Why do you like me?” You asked suddenly, looking at him. You had been wandering this all night, waiting until you were here with him to ask. 

Kol smiled. “Well, you’re different. You’re not aggressive like your brother, or so moral like Elena. You’re quiet and calm. You think through things rather than be impulsive, which seems to be how everyone is around here. Your eyes are so beautiful, I get lost in them. When I see you smile, it makes my dead heart come alive. And when you do that hair-twirl thing, it’s so adorable. You’re also extraordinarily stunning, which is a big plus.”

Your heart skipped beats as he told you his reasons for liking you. As you looked at him and watched him pour his heart out, your liking for him grew. You subconsciously moved closer to him, too. Your body doing its own thing. 

“Wow,” you breathed out. “You really um… Thought about this.”

“Well, you are all I think about. Besides who’s head I want to rip off,” Kol smirked. 

“Gross,” you grimaced. “I’m kidding! But I’m serious about you. I’ve never liked someone as much as you, Y/n. I hope that I can prove that I’m a good choice for you,” Kol said. 

“Well, you’re proving it now,” you admitted. 

Kol grinned, “Fantastic.”

You two swayed in silence again. As the music got slower and slower, and the lights got lower and lower, you two moved dancing positions naturally. You were quite scared to move closer to him. You were already so close, practically hugging. But your bodies were like magnets, pulling each other close. So tried to go with everything and relax. 

Both of your arms went around his neck and both of his hands wrapped around your waist and went to the small of your back. You two scooted in until your head was on his shoulder. You closed your eyes and breathed in his scent nonchalantly, enjoying his cologne. Kol nuzzled his cheek onto the side of your head, him also breathing in the scent of your shampoo. 

You two danced for a while before Kol got an idea.

“Do you want to get out of here and go to the balcony?” Kol asked. 

“You’re not gonna kill me, are you?” You joked. 

“No promise,” Kol winked cheekily. You giggled, “Alright. Let’s go.” Kol nodded and kept his grip on your hand, walking you to the balcony. On the way, you took two glasses of champagne. You handed him one as you stepped out on the terrace. You put your elbows on the railing, sipping the champagne. 

“So, why’d you bring me out here?” You asked. 

“To gaze at the stars,” Kol answered simply, walking next to you. 

“Hm,” you hummed, looking up at the night sky. “Did you ever stargaze back before you all were vampires?”

“Yes, all the time. It was one of my favourite things to do,” Kol said. 

“That sounds nice,” you said. “It was,” Kol said. 

“Do you ever miss being a witch?” You asked. Kol sighed, taking a sip of champagne. “Sometimes. But I love being immortal.” You smiled, “Makes sense. If I were a vampire, I’d be the same.”

Kol turned to you, “I can turn you.”

You shook your head, “No. I like being human. Being a vampire seems to complicated. Plus, I want kids.”

“Hm. Sounds nice having your little perfect, human life. I miss that,” Kol said. 

“You were never human, though,” you smiled, turning to him. “Yes, but I was once mortal,” Kol said. 

“True,” you nodded, taking a sip of your champagne. “Hey, um… I want to thank you for inviting me. I know I said I didn’t want to go, but I’m really glad I did. I’m having a really good time.”

“Of course. I knew you would. I know you’re not the girly-girl type, but every girl deserves to experience to dress up for a ball,” Kol said. 

“I agree,” you nodded. “And I’m also glad that you are warming up to me a little bit. You’re not so much of a blubbering mess anymore,” Kol smirked. 

You chuckled, “Yeah, I take a little to warm up to new people.”

“Well, I’m glad I’m that person you’ve warmed up to,” Kol said, stepping closer to you. He put his hand on your’s, looking at you flirtatiously.

You grinned at the moves he was making, deciding to make a move of your own. 

You leaned into him, your eyes boring into his the whole time. You were standing toe-to-toe to him, your mouth parted as his eyes glowed dark brown. He smirked at you, his hand leaving your’s and settling on your waist. You wanted to move closer, but your skirt was so puffed out it restricted you from doing so. Kol noticed your slight frustration with your dress, setting his glass down, and putting his other hand on your waist, pulling you impossibly closer.

“Kol, my dress is too big,” you chuckled. 

“Not too big for me to do this,” Kol grinned, leaning his head down. 

Before you knew it, he was kissing you. Your eyes widened as his lips met your’s. A few moments passed before he pulled away, confused and scared. 

“I’m sorry, I must have read the room wrong. I-” Kol started to apologise, but you put your hand on the back of his head and pulled him in again. 

This time Kol was surprised. He didn’t waste any time in kissing you back, though. Your lips moved together in perfect synchronisation. It was like his lips were made for your’s as they fit in-between your’s like puzzle pieces. Both your fingers entangled themselves in his hair, pulling slightly as he pulled you impossibly closer. Your stomach did a million of flips as his tongue swiped your bottom lip. You opened your mouth slowly, Kol’s tongue slipping in gently. As your tongue’s fought, Kol’s hands went to your skirt, finding your legs under them. He put his hands under your thighs, lifting you up with ease. 

You pulled away, breathing heavily. Kol’s eyes opened, going down to your lips and smiling as your lipstick was smudged. Your chest heaved up and down as you stared into his eyes. 

“I just wanted to um… To tell you that i-if you were planning on having um, sex. I’m not ready. This um… This was my first kiss, too. Sorry if you were expecting to get lucky tonight,” you confessed, blushing profusely. 

Kol smiled at you, setting you down. “It’s alright, love. I wasn’t expecting anything from you tonight. I hope your first kiss was good.”

“It was really good,” you giggled. 

“Good. Now, do you want to continue to make out? Or we could go back out and dance,” Kol suggested. 

“Um… can we dance again?” You asked, going back to your shy nature. 

“Of course we can, darling,” Kol smiled, holding his hand out for you to take. 

He led you to the ballroom. You two danced for a couple hours until you started to get tired. Kol drove you back home and you went into your house, Kol kissing you goodbye. You closed the door, smiling widely and squealing to yourself. 

Your phone rang and you answered it immediately, seeing it was Karina. 

“Hey! How did your date go?” She asked. 

“Um…” you sighed, the feeling of Kol’s lips on your’s still there. You smiled again, fidgeting with your fingers.

“It was good. Really, really good.”

————

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[secretsofthedarkestkind-arch]

Elena starter for @storieswrittcn​ (this may or may not have gotten away from me, Remember you said you like novella. I also took part of the ramble part one but altered it also)

We are outsiders Living inside a broken world We are outsiders And I know sometimes it can hurt But it gets better yeah we'll make it through We'll stay golden when we're black and blue We are outsiders But we're not hiding anymore This is who we really are

It had been fifteen years since she’d seen either of her brothers face to face. Fifteen years since Lee had spoken to the eldest. Fifteen years since she had thought of Mystic Falls, thought of all the ghosts that lurked within the town's shadows. Lee Salvatore had made it a habit to push anything regarding her brothers, that town, or their past to the deepest recesses of her mind. She had built life after life without them, embracing the warped gift of eternity. She hadn’t truly looked back after she’d transitioned. Finally able to become who she really was without the suffocating opinions of the church, her community, or her family.

It wasn’t an easy journey. Slow in it’s progression. Lee’s aunt had always told her she was a soul gifted before it’s proper time; her sexuality, the way she was born, her passion and skill when it came to art, her desire to see the world. None of it fit in the 1800’s. But as times changed pieces of Lee started to belong. Each change brought new opportunities, allowing Lee to start to put herself together. 

She was still an outsider, still judged--but what else would you expect living in a broken world? What didn’t fit into the neat little boxes of people’s minds, what didn’t fit the societal norm, was still given so much hate. The only difference was now there were those who fought for equality, unafraid to use their voices to promote change. Those people gave Lee hope, gave her strength. Finding those people throughout the last 145 years had shaped her.

Lee Salvatore was still an outsider, but she was also so much more. She was an artist, one with more alias’ than she could count on both hands. She was a college graduate, several degrees tucked away in a safe. She was a traveler, passports filled with stamps and a mind filled with memories she had never imagined to have. But most of all, Lee was finally able to look in the mirror and accept the person she saw; the youngest Salvatore was who she truly was. She held no more self hate. No more whispers of ghosts past haunted her. She was an outsider, but she wasn’t hiding who she really was anymore.

While Lee had taken the road of self discovery, her brothers’ hadn’t. They’d been living in a siblings quarrel, at least Damon was. Stefan suffered at every turn at their brothers hand whenever they fell into each other's orbit or Damon specifically sought him out. Lee was drugged into it whenever Damon crossed too many lines, risking their exposure to the world. 

Stefan had called her no more than seven hours ago asking for her help. There was a trail of bodies leading straight to town, ‘animal attacks’ that couldn’t be explained were catching the eye of news outlets. She hadn’t even known Stefan was back in Mystic Falls. When Lee asked him why he couldn’t just leave, he explained there was something holding him in Mystic Falls that didn’t allow him to--something that could finally give him a sense of belonging--and refused to believe the attacks were Damon. All he wanted was for Lee to be there with him, help keep the spotlight off their kind. The vampire might loathe her brothers, wanting nothing more for them to be miserable, but she wasn’t going to allow Damon to out them. 

Which is why Lee was driving down the main strip on her motorcycle. The town was busy; teens scattered across the storefronts trying to enjoy their last hours of summer vacation. She came to a stop at one of the only stoplights in town, rolling her shoulders dreading whatever was to come when she reached the boarding house. The youngest Salvatore felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand, a shiver going down her spine, every nerve ending coming to life in a way she hadn’t experienced in years. Lee let her head turn to the right, following the pull of whatever was happening.

‘What…” The lithe form of a brunette teen who was walking beside another girl was at the center of her focus. “Turn around.” Lee knew the brunette couldn’t hear her words. Her plea was answered as she turned, eyes almost searching. Those eyes, that’s what did it. “Who are you?” A horn from behind her snapped Lee out of her trance, for a nanosecond the two locked eyes. The vampire’s eyes hidden behind her aviators. The next Lee was pulling off, possibly faster than she should have been. Now she had the true answer of why Stefan refused to leave. 

----

Lee placed a few notebooks, her sketchbook, and a few pens into her satchel--the one she’d had since she was a teen; a gift from her aunt she’d never been able to part with. She glanced up at the ceiling hearing Stefan’s footsteps on the roof. A sigh left her lips, why had she agreed to this? She was roughly 160 years old and able to enroll herself in a Small Town America High School. It was ridiculous; a complete stalker move. There had to be other ways for Stefan to get to know this girl, if that’s even what he was truly hoping to do. For how Stef had explained the situation, Lee could tell he was only doing this because of Katherine.

Subconsciously her thumb started to play with the band of her daylight ring. She was thankful for the chance of life Katherine Pierce had given her but there was so much Lee wished was different. Shaking her head to break out of her thoughts she moved toward her closet to get dressed. Lee scanned through her options, To be me or be who society thinks I should be? It was a debate she hadn’t had in a long time. To make this work she couldn’t disturb the waters between her and her brothers too much. A short laugh left her lips, that was a joke. The three couldn’t be in the same room without starting something. As it was right now, it was just two of them. With that thought in mind Lee grabbed an outfit that would be her. 

Guys white wash skinny jeans that weren’t too tight to show her tuck, a grey and white hooded baseball tee that had a pocket on the left chest, her grey vans, and her black leather jacket she’s had since the 90’s. She finished the look with a black watch. One more look in the mirror and she was pocketing her phone with one hand and slipped her satchel over her shoulder with the other.

She knew Stefan would already be off. His stalker-like tendencies being on overdrive since the ‘animal attack’ last night after Lee had arrived. She ignored Zack who was in his office and headed to the garage, she wasn’t going to run to the school. There wasn’t anything wrong with arriving in style.

-------

Stefan met her in the parking lot. Lee took her helmet off and ran her fingers through her hair, glancing at her brother, her own sunglasses covering her eyes. “Why do you always insist on dressing like that?” He asked, judgement clear in his voice. 

“This is me Stefan. You know that. Let it go. You asked for my help so take me as I am or I get on this bike and leave.” She told him. Lee wasn’t going to put up with his judgement. The world had given her enough of that. Plus her brother had already had his fair share of giving her judgement when they were younger. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Lee stated, “This is definitely traveling into creeper status.” Stefan didn’t answer, just turned to walk through the crowd of students covering the lawn reconnecting after a summer away. She moved into step beside him, she knew they stood out; leather jackets, both well built and confident in their strides, the aurora of not giving a fuck rolling off them both. 

They finally found their way to the admissions office, standing shoulder to shoulder. Stefan handed over the file that was supposed to hold all they needed but Lee knew was missing more than a few things. She wondered which of the two would compel the woman. Stefan could but where all he drank was Bambi and Co blood who knew how long it would last. Lee sighs, she’s ready to make the move when something behind them stops her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, her nerves firing up again, and she felt that pull to turn around. She also could feel a warm buzz in the air, a witch.

“Hold up. Who’s this?” The first female says, the witch.

The secretary’s voice brings her back to what’s in front of her, saying exactly what she knew was coming. “Your records are incomplete. You’re both missing immunization records and we do insist on transcripts.” Lee glances at Stefan out of the corner of her eye. The last transcripts she had were college one's back in the 1980’s. She hadn’t done high school since the late 70’s and that was only to get into Yale. Their art programs the top in the country. 

Thoughts of the past make her miss her chance, Stefan is taking his sunglasses off, “Please look again,” Lee adjusts her satchel hoping Stefan can do this right. “I’m sure everything you need for both of us is there.” Lee chews the inside of her lower lip, her free hand moving to remove her sunglasses just in case. 

The secretary looks back down, “Well you’re right.” Lee tucks her sunglasses into the collar of her shirt as the woman looks back up at her brother. “So it is.” Stefan-1, Humanity-0.

“Thank you,” Stefan, ever the polite one, says. As they turn to go, Lee glances over at her brother’s schedule. Seems they have all but one class together--Lee has art and Stefan a creative writing course. That works.

“You’re welcome,’ The secretary says, her eyes landing on the two teens in the hall. “Ahh! Miss Bennett, Miss Gilbert I’m glad you’re here. Do you think you could show our two newest students around?” She stands up from behind her desk to walk around to the siblings. “This is Lee and Stefan Salvatore. I think they both have a few classes with you both.” Lee takes in who she now know as a Bennett witch, why the magic felt warm. She gives the teen a charming smile before the pull is to much, her head being forced to turn to the brunette beside her. The vampire takes her in, all she can see is someone new. Lee doesn’t see Katherine when she looks at her. “Hi,” The charming smile turning into a much softer one. “I’m Lee.” She offers her hand to the girl.

[ramblerogue]

16, 22, 28, 32, 48 and 50!!

YEESSS THANK YOU SO MUCH FRENCHY!!!! UR TOO KIND TO SEND IN QUESTIONS!! :3c

16. has the most scars?

Okay, I had to go back and double check this one cause I realized I have an affinity for giving characters scars hSKHGSKGH:S (whoops! I love combat/left-overs of combat as a narrative tool!) BUT... I believe the OC who has the most scars is Arizona! She's a wandering cowboy in an apocalyptic wasteland, so she's accumulated many scars over the years! Lots of minuscule and extreme origins alike, I imagine, as it's just a rough life and she runs into trouble whether she likes it or not. (Knife fights with bandits, bites from coyotes, nicks from barb wire, burns from dropping the campfire coffee). Arizona also knows that she is big and can take a hit, so it's second nature for her to be a shield from danger if she's traveling with others. (Tho special shoutout to Aubrey who has Died, and come back because of her Undying Pact. She has the potential to get hurt A LOT but she won't keep scars because she regenerates to a crazy degree.)

22. would be the best to get a beer with?

Tiller!! It's her instinct to just be best friends with everybody, so she'd be very welcoming and nice to grab a beer with. She'd listen to you whine about your day, or gossip, or ask your life story, or ramble on about hers, or try to make you laugh! (I also wanna give an honorable mention to Nox, if you wanna grab a beer and THEN get into shenanigans. Nox needs a specific vibe to get along with a stranger but if the vibes are good, they're GOOD!! However, she can't get this superlative cause she would NOT pay for drinks lmao)

28. is the most competitive?

For silly things? Nox. For more serious things? Mayday. Nox would want to do stupid dares at parties, and gets upset if she doesn't win at Mafia. Mayday gets angry if she's not Good At Stuff, and so she tries really hard all the time HHGSKGSDG. It gets under her skin if she loses a fight, or if someone knows more about a subject she thought she was the most proficient in.

32. is the most likely to be a twitch streamer?

I wanna say Tiller because she's so personable, and she talks to herself anyway so I think a twitch chat would be a good outlet for her. She'd play a lot of narrative based games and agonize over making the right choice cause she'd want all the characters to be happy lmao! I can also see her dragging her friends on stream to guest star, even if "guest starring" is them walking around in the background of her camera. If we're counting NPCs, I'm also gonna say Russell. They would hyperfixate and stay up super late doing 100% completion-runs of games. They would also abuse glitches all the time, but only the funny ones.

48. do you consider the most sterotypical/classic example of their class?

Hmmm!! That'd have to be Nox! It's probably the curse of "Baby's First DnD Character", but she's your Very Typical Rogue. And sue me! I still really like rogues!! I made a campaign where like all the NPCs are rogues lmfao! But anyway yeah, she's got it all: chaotic neutral, edgy backstory, bastard with a heart of gold, loves sneaking and stealing anything not nailed down. Oh well! It's was fun for me!! I think the only atypical thing about her is that she's a dragonborn, so you have this very tall and shiny lizard that supposedly has great stealth lol!

50. is or was your favorite to play in combat?

OGGHHHH I'm so torn on this... I think I'm gonna go with Tiller! (I know I also picked her for the fav roleplay, WHATEVER I LIKE HER A LOT!!) But druids are so flexible!!! I feel like I keep finding new stuff to do! Like I usually do have support spells and things prepped because I don't want my party to DIE... but I also love the capability of just doing batshit things in the middle of combat. And the fact that you can change around your prepped spells is sooooo nice, and makes druids feel like a wildcard. Like they can play support or do major damage!! (I can't wait until Tiller isn't nerfed anymore so I can go all out!) Also, special shoutout to my sci-fi paladin, Eva! One time I one-hit killed a boss because I crit on some attack that had like 2 smites stacked on it KGLSHDGLSDG so THAT was really fun as well!!

[petri808]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Inukag Royalty Au

A few months passed by comfortably and Kagome felt settled into her new role. She felt so much happier than she’d been in a long time, enough to rarely think about what brought her there in first place. Being a Lady in Waiting came with responsibilities, but Rin never felt like work. If anything, Kagome treated her like her own daughter or thought of her as the little sister she never had. Maybe even a bit too comfortable... If she wasn’t with Rin, she was with Inuyasha. They talked a lot and a crush had developed. She could tell he liked her too, but they both knew it wouldn’t work because he believed she was just a servant, and he was already spoken for. So, Kagome did her best to push away those sadder feelings and focus on the positives. She was in a safe environment, happy, and living freer than ever. It wasn’t worth stressing over.

“Where’s Rin?” Inuyasha asked Kagome when he found her sitting in the garden alone at mid-morning.

“Oh, hello Inuyasha.” Kagome looked up from her book. “This morning Rin decided to go with her mother to the neighboring city for shopping. They told me I didn’t need to accompany them, kind of like a mother, daughter fun day, I assume.”

“So that means you’re free right now?”

“I guess you could say that,” she chuckled. “They’ll probably be back around dinner time.”

“In that case, would you like to join me for a horseback ride? You haven’t had a lot of chances to see the surrounding areas, right?”

“No, I haven’t. But I guess Buyo wouldn’t mind getting out of the stable either. He hasn’t been worked much lately since I’d arrived.”

“Then it’s settled.” Inuyasha held out a hand to help her to her feet. “We can grab some lunch from the market before heading out.”

Within the hour, the pair were on horseback trotting along the road that led away from the castle city. There were a few areas close by that Inuyasha thought Kagome would enjoy seeing. For him it was days like this when he could forget that he was a Prince and just enjoy life. The woman had truly brought out a new side of him and it wasn’t going unnoticed, but so far, the palaces gossip mill didn’t dare to make it publicly known. It had steadily grown harder and harder to remember life before Kagome’s arrival and Inuyasha didn’t want to think about the day he’d have to leave her behind for some Princess he didn’t even know. Ugh! Before Kagome, he’d accepted his fate subserviently to his fathers will, but now, the frustration grew like a weed in his heart. He’d rather die alone at home, in the castle with Kagome around then be married in an unfamiliar kingdom on a loveless throne.

“Where’s Miroku?” Kagome asked after some time. “Isn’t he supposed to be with you when you leave the castle?”

“Yeah…” Inuyasha smirked with a glint in his eye. “But I ditched him. He’s probably still looking for me,” he laughed. “Wouldn’t want a third wheel when I’m with you.”

The comment brought a blush to Kagome’s cheeks as the man’s tone hinted more than an innocent rambling. “Oh…” she ducked her head in embarrassment. “It is nicer without anyone else around. So, um, where are we going?”

“There’s a pond,” Inuyasha pointed in a general direction. “It’s not much farther, with a small waterfall where we can relax and eat our lunch.”

“That does sound really nice! I’ve never seen a waterfall before,” she sheepishly admitted.

“Wow… you really haven’t seen much, have you?”

“Let’s just say I was… sheltered for most of my life.”

“Because you’re a girl?”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t let me go anywhere by myself.”

“I see. So, after they passed away you decided to do the opposite?”

“I know it’s odd for a woman to travel alone, but I didn’t have anyone to turn to and I just… needed to get away.”

Inuyasha leaned back a little in his saddle using his legs to steady himself. “I can completely understand that. Everyone wondered why I used to be so irritable before Rin came along. She gave me a reason to stick around, but I really don’t enjoy being a prince.”

“You don’t?” Kagome spoke slowly to hide the tremble in her tone. It was nice to hear someone else unhappy with that kind of life.

He shook his head. “So many rules and traditions to follow. Everyone thinks our life is easy but the pressures… and being told what to do, being watched constantly— I hate it and then the whole arrangement—… never mind.” His ears folded back as he glanced skyward. “What I wouldn’t give to be free from all of it.” He turned to look at her. “Like you— oi, did I say something wrong?” Inuyasha questioned when he saw the moisture filling Kagome eyes.

“No, no,” she shook her head and smiled. “I get it. Freedom to choose how we’ll live our lives is just, such a wonderful thing.”

Ever have a sense of connection while time stood still? Just for moment as the pair trotted side by side, their eyes holding a gaze like the world could fall away at any moment, but it wouldn’t be noticed. Inuyasha didn’t know how, and despite coming from such different worlds this woman… he knew she spoke the truth. She was feeling the same longing emotions as he was, the same which had driven her to leave home. What a strength to possess in standing up to traditions! Inuyasha let out a held breath. Kagome truly was one of those once in a lifetime meeting, he’ll never find again. If only…

Inuyasha snapped out of the daydream when he realized they’d reached their destination. “F-follow me, it’s right through this tree line.”

He led them through a thicket of trees with the sounds of moving water guiding him towards the source. This hidden gem was easy to miss from the road, but it made for a perfect hideaway. Inuyasha would sometimes slip away from the castle and go there whenever he was upset. Not even Miroku knew about it and the prince wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. They tethered the horses near the water on a patch of grass, before finding a flat rock outcropping to sit down. Inuyasha then laid out a blanket he’d brought, and Kagome unpacked a travel basket of food.

“This really is a beautiful place,” Kagome commented. “Thank you for showing it to me.”

“You’re welcome. I’m just glad you like it.”

Kagome stretched out her legs and held herself up with her arms behind her relaxing and listening to the sounds around her. The pond was maybe four or five horse lengths from one side to the other, with a short waterfall that fed the pond, but it had no visible outlet. Perhaps it was connected to an underground stream that came out elsewhere. Not that she cared about such details. What mattered was the serenity of the area, so calming, soothing, the gentle rumbles of the waterfall, the birds in the trees, even the frogs croaking, or water bugs buzzing around in a strangely harmonious cacophony. As they ate their lunch amidst this entertainment, she couldn’t help but think about coming back here again.

“I bet Rin would love this place,” Kagome sighed in contentment.

“She probably would, if I was willing to share it with anyone else.”

She turned her head and was about to respond when she realized what Inuyasha was insinuating. “Oh… so no one else knows about this place?”

Inuyasha shook his head no. “Just me and you. Only special people allowed,” he smiled.

As she adjusted her body to sit up, Kagome’s voice quieted with hopeful undertones. “You think… I’m special?”

“Kagome, look at the effect you’ve had on my entire family. Rin loves you. My parents think you’re great, even Kagura likes you and that says a lot. It’s pretty clear that you’re a very special person.”

“Ah, I see,” Kagome breathed out a sigh mixed with relief as well as disappointment. “Everyone has been very nice to me, and I’m blessed to have been so accepted.”

Inuyasha didn’t respond immediately and when Kagome glanced up to look at him, she noticed he was staring at the water with a serious, almost pained expression. His brows were slightly furrowed, and jaw tightened. Should she say something? Maybe he was thinking and wouldn’t want to be interrupted. Minutes ticked by, but the prince kept his eyes trained on the water. So, Kagome pulled her knees up and rested her arms on them to wait, letting the scenery pull her back into a daydream.

It frustrated Inuyasha that he kept having to reign in his emotions like this. He wanted to just tell her the truth, not cover it up with truthful lies. His family did love her, just not in the way he was beginning to. She was special to him, but it would be wrong to lead her on when there was no hope of developing anything more. He’d do anything to make her happy and feel special every single day for the rest of her life. Finally, after several awkward minutes, he spoke up. “Someone like you deserves the world Kagome, and if I could give it to you, I would.”

The comment made Kagome’s heart melt, for she knew those words were coming from his own. Now she understood the turmoil lying just below the surface but appreciated Inuyasha trying to keep things platonic for both their sakes. She smiled softly as she fidgeted with her fingers. “I know you would, Inuyasha, and I’d do the same for you if I could. These past few months have made me happier than any other time in my life, but even if this is all I get, I’ll still cherish the memories.”

Inuyasha let out a drawn-out exhale, his head hung, and ears drooped. “And I still wish things could be different. Fate sucks sometimes.”

Kagome surprised him by reaching over and placing her hand over his. “Let’s focus on the good stuff while we can.” She genuinely smiled although behind it there was a hint of sadness to it. “At least we got to meet each other, and we get to enjoy moments like this one. That’s something no one can ever take away from us.”

He flipped his hand over and took hold of hers, giving it a small squeeze. “I don’t know how you do it,” Inuyasha chuckled quietly. “But I know you’re right. For you, I’ll hold out hope that things will work out the way they’re supposed to.” And he meant it. Anything to keep a smile on Kagome’s face.

Once Inuyasha noticed the sun had moved halfway towards the horizon, they decided it was time to head back to the palace. The pair trotted out of the tree line but pushed the horses into a light gallop after making it back to the main road. It was fun, albeit disruptive to Kagome’s hair as it came undone and flowed behind her. Inuyasha had to hold back his admiration because she simply looked breathtaking like that. They slowed down as they neared the castle gate and he instantly saw a very annoyed Miroku standing next to his horse waiting for them.

“Where the hell have you been!” Miroku flailed his hands at the prince. “Are you trying to get me in trouble?!”

Refusing to acknowledge the man’s tirade, Inuyasha just rolled his eyes. “What’s the big deal. Did my dad come looking for me or something?”

“No—”

Inuyasha cut him off. “Then where’s the fire? What’s got you so damn riled up?”

“Because it was only a matter of time. And what are you doing with Ms. Tanaka?” Miroku questioned with an accusatory tone.

“Look, she hasn’t seen much more than the castle, so I took her out riding. Nothing wrong with that, so don’t be projecting your sick perverted mind on me,” Inuyasha growled back. “Now are you done grilling me cause we’d like to be on our way.”

“One more thing.” Miroku moved closer so he could keep his voice low. “A visiting King from a small kingdom will be here by dinner time, so your father may call on you to greet the guest.”

“What king?”

“Naraku, from the Komorigumo kingdom.”

“The creepy one?”

“Yeah, that one. He’s supposedly just passing through for the night on his way to the coastal port city and stopped out of respect.”

“I never did trust that guy.”

“Neither does your father, so that’s why he’ll probably ask you to greet him and keep an eye on him.”

“Alright… thanks,” Inuyasha mumbled. “Now if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Miroku then winked at Kagome. “Ma’am.”

“Mr. Hoshii,” she nodded her head.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Inuyasha grumped and drove his horse forward. “We should get inside.”

“Okay,” Kagome responded and followed along.

After putting away their horses, the pair parted ways. Kagome went straight to her room to freshen up before Rin arrived home and Inuyasha went looking for his father. He wanted to find out if there was more to this visit than Miroku had known about, because King Naraku had a sullen and untrustworthy reputation. It was customary for visiting guests to stay in the palace, but Inuyasha wondered if they should increase the guards or put them on alert for mischief. He found the Inutaisho in his war room, but after several questions, Naraku’s visit appeared to be for a benign reason, just like Miroku stated. But he still didn’t trust the man.

“Fine,” Inutaisho acquiesced. “I’m not increasing the guards but have them instructed to watch for anything suspicious or unusual and to notify you immediately if they come across something.”

“Thanks, I’ll make sure it’s done. Oh, will Naraku be at dinner?”

“Yes.”

“Make sure he’s on the opposite side of the table from Ms. Tanaka. Wouldn’t want him making her uncomfortable.”

“Inuyasha, I still think you’re being paranoid.”

“Better paranoid and be wrong, then miss something and bad things happen.”

Inutaisho laughed. “I guess I can’t fault that logic too much. See you at dinner son.”

With Miroku’s help, the palace guards and staff were put on notice under the guise of simply being on the alert with such a high-profile guest at the palace. When King Naraku arrived shortly before dinner, Inuyasha merely watched from the dining room doorway as his father and brother greeted the fellow king. His concern was intercepting Rin and Kagome as they arrived for dinner to make sure they avoided contact.

“Uncle Inu!” Rin bounced up and hugged him.

He picked her up, holding her with one arm. “Did you have fun shopping?”

“Yeah! I got some pretty new dresses!”

“That’s awesome,” Inuyasha smiled. “And good evening Ms. Tanaka.”

“Good evening, your highness.”

“Due to a guest, the normal seating has been slightly rearranged,” he gestured for her to follow him. “I’ll show you both to your seats.”

“That’s kind of you,” Kagome smiled and did as she was told.

As the trio walked through the dining room. Inuyasha kept his side gaze trained on Naraku to see how he would react to an unfamiliar face. The man was already seated next to his father and brother chatting, but clearly aware of their entrance. For just a brief second Inuyasha swore Naraku was staring hard at Kagome but caught himself quickly once he saw Inuyasha looking in his direction and pretended not to notice Kagome at all. ‘Weird,’ Inuyasha thought to himself. With human curiosity it’s normal to react to a new face, but not to ignore, especially a pretty one like Naraku had just done. He knew he couldn’t say anything out loud about it, so he just stayed observant.

The rest of dinner went without incident until the Inutaisho invited Naraku to join he and Sesshomaru in another room for more official business. Inuyasha watched carefully as the three men left the room, but just outside of the door and his hearing, he saw Naraku stop his personal guard and whisper something in the man’s ear. The guard then glanced back at the dining table where the rest of them were still seated, and yet again he could have sworn the men were looking at Kagome!

Inuyasha leaned over and whispered to Kagome. “Once you put Rin to bed, stay in your room and keep the door locked.”

“Is something wrong?” She whispered back. “Is it because of who you and Miroku was talking about earlier?”

“Yeah. I’m probably just being paranoid, but he just gives me really bad vibes.”

“O-Okay. Sure, I’ll just stay in my room reading.”

“Good.”

The following morning, Inuyasha woke up early to watch Naraku and his entourage leave. According to Miroku, no incidents were noticed, so he could breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps he had been a little paranoid… that is until his father mentioned something. Naraku had asked the Inutaisho about Kagome before leaving. Inuyasha’s father assured his son that it was just an innocent question since Rin had a different attendant the last time the foreign king had visited. Innocent or not, why would Naraku care about a servant? Inuyasha chalked it up to the fact Kagome was a beautiful woman, so it must have just gained that kings attention. But since nothing more came from it, he filed it away in the back of his mind for future reference.

[bangtanreadingcorner]

the blind date • kim namjoon

PLOT ─ hoseok sets you up on a blind date with his best friend, namjoon, and it all goes up hill from there.

GENRE ─ college!au

WORDS ─ 6.3k

You attention is drawn to the entrance of the cafe as it opens yet again, your eyes searching for a man fitting the description your friend had given you. Although, right now, you weren’t exactly in the best mood. You didn't want to go on this blind date in the first place, but it was a lot better than trying your hand at it yourself on the internet and potentially getting yourself murdered.

You sighed when you looked the guy over, no way was it that scrawny kid with glasses - although Hoseok did say his friend wears glasses from time to time, according to him his best friend was rather large in form. It's ten minutes past when he should have been here, you see as you clicked the power button on your phone. You heard the bell of the cafe chime but you don't bother looking up, busy unlocking your phone and sending Hoseok a message to tell him that his best friend didn't show up.

Before you could press send, however, someone called your name softly, and it was a little contrasting with his deep voice. You lift your head, eyes scanning over the - admittedly very handsome - man and he ticked all of the mental boxes to the description Hoseok gave you on his friend. He was wearing a light blue polo neck and a pair of denim jeans. What was strange was that he had one arm tucked behind his back while his other was stuffed with books.

You raised an unimpressed brow, handsomeness did not excuse his tardiness. "Namjoon, I assume?"

He nodded, a sheepish grin slipped onto his face, revealing the most adorable pair of dimples. "Guilty as charged. Y/N, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." You nodded back to him, crossing your arms over your chest. "So, is there any particular reason you're late, or are you one of those who thinks it makes you more attractive?"

"What? No!" His eyes widened and you would have found it amusing or maybe even cute. If he wasn't almost twenty minutes late to your blind date. Speaking of, you are never letting Hoseok talk you into anything ever again.

"It's not like that. I just, I got you these." The hand behind his back came out and there was a small bouquet of lilies and lavenders. You felt something inside of you go very gooey like, because those are your favorite flowers. "And I know it might seem old fashioned but Hoseok mentioned that you like flowers and that these are your favorites, so I went by the flower shop three blocks from here but the queue was longer than I expected and then they had to make the bouquet because they didn't have any in this specific arrangement and I am really, really sorry that I'm late."

You stated at him, opened mouthed and a little in shock at the ramble of words that passed his lips so quickly and nervously.

"Well," You cleared your throat. "As far as excuses go, I have to say, that's the best one I've ever heard." When he still remained standing, looking at you unsurely, you gave a small smile. "This date isn't really going to go anywhere if you don't sit down."

"Yeah, okay, right." He mumbled to himself, holding the flowers out to you. You took it with a grin, and couldn't help but smell them. You don't think you've ever gotten flowers from one of your exes. Not even on Valentine's day. This was a nice, refresh change, especially given your love for flowers. He placed the mountain of five books on the table, hands fiddling with them to have an outlet for his nerves. You couldn't help the smile that spread on your lips.

"What can I get you today?" A waitress asked as she stepped up to you, handing menu's to the both of you.

"Chocolate milkshake for me, thanks." You told her, and you looked at Namjoon.

"I'll have a iced coffee, please." Namjoon smiled at her and you could see the girl swooning a bit. Not that you blamed her, those dimples are killer. Still, this is your date, so you cleared your throat lightly.

"Right," The girl snapped out of it, cheeks reddening a bit at being caught. "Anything to eat?"

"Uh, I'm not really hungry right now." You look at your date. "You want anything?"

"I, um, I'm," He stammered a bit. "Yeah. Actually. Would that be okay? Some people say it's awkward when you eat on a date but the other person isn't, but I've been studying all morning because I was really nervous and I forgot to eat, so it just sort of caught up to me now."

You smiled, not being able to help yourself, his rambles are cute. "Not awkward at all. Knock yourself out."

"Thanks." Namjoon smiled gratefully at you and your stomach flipped, cheeks heating up. He turned back to the waitress and placed his order. Then he turned back to you. "Sorry, I know this isn't exactly an ideal date. I was late and showed up with a bunch of my books."

"Yeah, but you're cute and you had a really good reason for being late, so I don't mind." You smile widened when you saw the tips of his ears turning red. "Plus, you didn't make a comment about my choice of drink, a definite plus for you."

Namjoon frowned, "What's wrong with it?"

"Oh, nothing for me, but so many guys has said to me that it's not healthy and I need to be careful of to many sweet things because I can get fat." You rolled your eyes.

"That's . . . stupid."

"Yeah, tell me about it." You snorted. Not really wanting to delve any further into your other dates in front of this beautiful man, you changed the topic. "So, Hoseok tells me you want to be a Marine Biologist."

"Yeah," Namjoon nodded, his eyes lighting up at the thought. "I mean, I like all kinds of creatures and animals, but I've always loved Marine life."

"That's so cool." You couldn't help but gush, excitement coming easy for you due to your love of the ocean or just anything to do with the outdoors, really. "Do you want to work out on the ocean or in aquarium?"

"Well, I'm not really sure yet. Right now getting my degree is my number one priority." He gave a little chuckle as the waitress comes along with your drinks.

"I hear you, man, I mean, I know most people think that we dance students don't put a lot of work in, but they really don't know shit." You took a sip of your milkshake before you could say something really mean. Like what you think of those judging pricks.

"I get it, I really do. I've known Hoseok since high school, and I know how many hours he puts into getting choreography just right and perfect. You guys have your struggles just like we do."

"Exactly!" You couldn't help but exclaim, feeling like something was lifted from your chest because, finally, someone else gets it. "And you should hear my parents. They do not approve, like, at all. Always telling me how dancing isn't going to be enough for me to live on and I should have gone into law, so I could take over their business and ugh, it's just so frustrating."

"Sorry." He gave you an apologetic look.

"Why?" You gave smile a little smile. "It's not your fault. Anyways, what about your parents?"

"They approve of my choice, supporting me all the way and in anyway they can. But I can tell they sometimes worry that it's to much for me. Maintaining a scholarship is not easy." Namjoon told you, rubbing his neck as he spoke.

"Wow, they must be so proud of you." You stated at him in awe, respect towards him forming inside.

"I'd like to think they are." Namjoon smiled, eyes lighting up when the waitress arrived with his food. He looked at you, "You can have half, if you'd like?"

"No, thanks." You denied, looking at the large burger and fries. "I might steal some of your fries, though."

He pushed his plate closer with a smile. "Feel free."

The rest of the date went by a lot quicker than either of you would have liked. Before you knew it, you two were standing outside the cafe, bill split in two, and ready to go your separate ways.

"I really enjoyed this." You said, smiling up at him, because wow, he is tall. You also wanted to prolong this for a few more seconds.

"Yeah, me too." He was smiling, too, and you hoped it was because he liked this date as much as you did.

You two stood there for a while, just looking at each other, smiles slowly fading, nerves rising between you. Until you both spoke at once.

"Do you maybe want to go out again?"

"Would it be okay to ask for your number?"

You two burst out into laughter, and even when you calmed down, you smiled so hard, your cheeks hurt. "I'd love to go out with you again."

"You can have my number." Namjoon nodded with a happy smile, those dimples were really making you weak. "On one condition." He added.

You raised a brow, "And what's that?"

"You have to give me yours, too."

You laughed, head thrown back as a giddy feeing spread through you. You looked back at him, stomach fluttering. "Deal."

* * *

"So, how was it?"

"Did you get laid?"

You looked at your two friends, head moving from one to the other, who pounced on you the moment you set foot in the dancing studio. You gave them a look of disbelief.

"Okay, first of all, no, Jimin, I didn't get laid. Second of all, isn't Namjoon your roommate and best friend, Hoseok? And third of all, Jesus Christ, you two are nosey."

Hoseok pouted, "Yeah but he wouldn't say anything other than that it went well."

"It did go well." You confirmed, smiling as a warm feeling spread through your chest as you thought of Namjoon. You guys have been texting all weekend and this morning he sent you a heart eyes emoji at the end of his good morning text. That was good, right?

"Come on, I want details. I was the one who set you up, I deserve details." Hoseok whined.

"Nope." You sing-songed with a grin.

Jimin was pouting as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm not telling you about any of my dates ever again."

You smirk, "Does that mean you've finally done something about your gigantic crush on Jungkook?"

"No, and I'm not going to until he's eighteen." Jimin repeats for what seems like the hundredth time.

"And then you're going to jump his bones." Hoseok said with a wide smile.

"A whole two years more of celibacy. Well, technically a year and a few months. You know, I'm really starting to respect you for holding out that long." You noted matter of factly, then you smirked. "Poor Jungkook isn't going to know what hit him."

"Why would you even think that?" Jimin whined, cheek going a hilarious shade of red.

"Because one, we've seen him before. And two, we've seen how you look at him." You reminded Jimin. Jungkook has come to see a few times at the studio and you and Hoseok never let him forget it.

Jimin narrowed his eyes at you, "He's like, four years younger than you."

"Three years." You corrected with a concealed smirk, loving how you were getting underneath Jimin's skin. "And age is just a number." Hoseok sniggers next to you.

"Yeah," Jimin grumbled. "I'll remind you of that when they lock you up for going after someone who's still underage."

"Nah, I got someone else in mind." You told Jimin honestly, just now he stresses himself into a stroke because of your teasing.

Hoseok perked up at this, "Is this someone maybe named Namjoon?"

You rolled your eyes, but let out a resigned sigh. These two weren't gonna let up until you told them. "Yes, as matter of fact, the someone is named Namjoon. You happy?"

"Not yet." Hoseok shook his head, curious smile on his face. "What did you do?"

"We both went to the cafe you said, although he was twenty minutes late at first because he brought me flowers and the queue at the flower shop was long, and I ordered a chocolate milkshake and he ordered an iced coffee with a large burger and fries. We talked and figured that if we can have this much fun in a cafe, we might as well do it again. The end." You walked past Jimin and Hoseok, who were both gaping at you. The followed after you, both with excited looks on their faces.

Hoseok was practically jumping with excitement, "Does this mean you're going out again?"

"Yeah, this Saturday." You nodded, heading towards the equipment room, where everything from students' bags to mats and old mirrors were stored.

"Where are you going?" Jimin asked, evidently just as excited as Hoseok about this.

"Dinner and a movie." You said, feeling a lot more excited by something so simple than you normally did.

"That's so cliché. And cute." Jimin grinned.

"Thanks." You grinned, knowing that he didn't mean anything by it.

"You know, I have this big urge to rub both your noses in the fact that this is actually working." Hoseok commented.

"How's that?" You asked, bending your upper body to the floor and stretching your hands to your feet.

"Because neither of you thought the blind date would go anywhere." His voice was a little smug.

"It hasn't gone anywhere yet. This is literally just our second date." You rolled your eyes. "But we have been texting all weekend and he sent me a good morning text."

Jimin gasped, "That's so cute, I want someone to do that for me."

"Don't worry, Jimin, we'll get Namjoon to house train Jungkook." Hoseok quipped just as you switched to the other leg.

Laughter burst out of you before you could stop it, and a glance at Jimin's once again bright red face only made you laugh harder.

* * *

It was deadly silent between you and Namjoon as you walked out of the cinema. Finally you couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry but," You started, laughing a little. "That was one of the worst romantic comedies I have ever seen."

"Oh thank God," He breathed in relief. "I thought it was just me."

"Nope, that was such bullshit. She chose her childhood bully? Okay, I can see the appeal of someone becoming a better person, but really? She'd have been better off with the post boy that gave her advice."

"I know right." Namjoon grinned, moving his hands a little as he spoke. "I'm surprised she didn't need years of therapy after everything he did to her."

You snort, humming in agreement. "Especially that humiliation by dumping ice cream on her head. You know what, I think he needs therapy too. That was such a waste of perfectly good ice cream. What on earth did his mother teach him?"

"I feel worse for the best friends though. You could see that they really liked each other, but never did anything because the two main characters had the whole rivalry thing going on. Which turned out to be some really backwards courting." He said with a light frown.

You nodded, "Yeah it was kind of shitty that they left that opened ended, but I get it. That might just be the most realistic part of the movie."

“A sequel about them might be nice.” Namjoon said and you nodded.

You looked down at his hand, wondering it was to soon to hold it. Then you decided to just go for it. No one ever got anywhere by being scared anyways. So, you took his hand, holding your breath until he moved his hand a little to lace your fingers together. You looked up at him, returning the shy smile he gave you.

Your stomach was feeling fluttery and your heart beat just a fit faster than normal.

"Hey, do you want ice cream? All that ice cream in the movie has given me a craving."

Namjoon nodded, "Sure. I think there's an ice cream shop in the food court."

You two walked to the food court, chattering about this and that, entwined hands swinging lightly between you.

* * *

"So, how do you feel about the aquarium?" Namjoon asked when you two were eating lunch that next Tuesday. It is the first time you two has seen each other since your movie date the previous Saturday.

"Uh..."

His smile dimmed a little, "It's okay if you don't like it, I was just asking."

"No, no, it's not that." You were quick to assure him.

"Y/N, it's really okay. I was just asking." Namjoon placed a hand on yours, squeezing to assure you.

"It's not that. Seriously. I just - and you're not allowed to laugh at me, okay? - but I haven't been to an aquarium since I was like a really tiny kid. And I don't really know much except the obvious." You were the one to ramble for once.

"Okay, that's not a problem. I know enough for both of us." Namjoon smiled brightly at you. "So, do you want to go on Saturday? With me?"

"Can we do it on Friday, instead? Jimin has been on my ass because I haven't been out with him and Taehyung in weeks."

"Yeah, sure." Namjoon nodded, still smiling, but looking a little unsure. "So, how did you and Jimin become friends? I think Hobi's mention him before, he dances with you guys, right?"

“Yup.” You nodded, smiling at the memory of meeting Jimin. “We met at the beginning of the year. See, I was put in school by my over enthusiastic parents a year early, so I graduated a year early. Most people in my classes are a year older than me, and when Jimin came in this year, it turned out that we were the same age and we kind of bonded over that. And with Jimin comes Taehyung, they're like a package deal. Just don't ever ask them if they're a thing because I made that mistake once and never again."

"So, are they?" Namjoon frowned. "A thing, I mean."

"Nope, but they are platonic soulmates and there is a whole discussion about it that you are welcome to enter with them as long as I'm not anywhere near." You told him. "And Jimin is in love with this high school junior who is really shy but really cute, and Taehyung has a lot of girlfriends. Not in the more than one at a time kind, more like a new one each time you see him. Anytime someone asks him about it, all he says is that he’s a very passionate person, but he never hurts them, so I mind my own business."

"Sounds nice." He commented.

"It is and they are." You grinned as an idea suddenly hit you. "Do you want to meet them?"

"What?"

"Yeah, like meet my friends. You can bring Hoseok and your other friends too."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. It'll be fun." You clapped your hands in excitement.

"Okay."

* * *

"I can not, for the life of me, understand why either of you are so interested in my love life." You deadpanned, shaking your head at Hoseok and Jimin - the three of you laying down on the dance floor, sweaty and breathless.

"Because Namjoon won't tell me anything." Hoseok whined, passing the water bottle to Jimin.

"And I'm tragically single, so I have to live through you." Jimin added before gulping down water.

You sighed, "What do you want to know?"

"I heard that you two ate lunch together yesterday, is it true?" Hoseok asked, wide smile on his face.

You frowned at him, "How do you- you know what? Nevermind, I don't want to know. Yes, it's true. And he asked me out again." By the time you were finished talking, your smile matched Hoseok's.

"Nice," Jimin handed the bottle to Hoseok, who handed it to you. "Where's he taking you?"

"The aquarium." You answered dutifully, gulping down some of the water.

Hoseok tensed next to you, sitting up right, you and Jimin following suit. "Uh, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, don't get me wrong, or anything but Namjoon can get a little overexcited when near anything with marine life."

"I don't understand what you mean." You frowned, a little confused.

"Well, he's a genius. Like, literally. He remembers nearly anything he reads and he reads a lot about marine biology. And he will most likely talk your ears off about anything he sees." Hoseok said, biting his lip. "Most people don't like it, or they find it rude because he talks to much. It's why his last girlfriend broke up with him, she said he talks more about it than her."

"Isn't that's kind of the point of going on dates? To get to know someone and decide from there if you like them and want to know more." You asked, shrugging a little.

"Yeah," Hoseok smiled widely, clearly relieved. "Yeah, it is."

Jimin looked at you with a smirk, "Does this mean you like him already?"

"Oh, piss off." You groaned as Jimin and Hoseok burst out laughing.

* * *

"Are you sure this is okay?" Namjoon asked as the two of you stood in line to buy your tickets to enter the aquarium the next Saturday. He was wearing a loose grey v-neck with a pair of black skinny jeans and more than once had your attention been drawn down to his long legs ever since he showed up in front of your dorm room. He had enveloped you in a tight hug, the moment you opened the door and didn't let go until your phone dinged, signaling your Uber arrived. You liked it very much.

The question made you look at him with a light frown, "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Most people wouldn't really think of an aquarium as a date location." Namjoon said, looking a little put off by that fact.

"You bring all the girl's here then?" You teased, wanting him to relax a little, but all it did was make him tense up even more.

"No. Well, I guess, but not in the way you think. I mean, I did take my last girlfriend out to one but that was just to show her what I'm passionate about. I just," He stumbled over his words, not sure how to phrase it. "It's not something I use to get girls. It usually scares them off, as a matter of fact."

"So, you're trying to scare me off, huh?" You couldn't help your dry tone, mostly teasing but a smidgen of worry climbed into your heart.

His eyes widened, panicking a little. "No, no, that's not what I'm trying to do."

"Really?" You asked, an unexpected surge of hope going through you.

"Yeah, really. Look, I like you. And I just thought that I need you to know this side of me before I can like you even more and you end up getting scared off by it." Namjoon told you and to stared at him, stunned.

Then you smiled and blurted, "I like you too."

"Good, that's really good." He sighed in relief.

"Also, if I didn't want to come, I wouldn't have. Nobody can make me do anything I don't want to." You tell him, smiling when his shoulders finally relaxed.

You two buy your entrance tickets and go inside and just like Hoseok said, Namjoon starts talking your ear off about most of the marine animals you come across, but instead of feeling annoyed or irritated, you just feel an enormous amount of fondness. Which was a little surprising. And every time he turns to look at you, that sparkle in his eyes, your hearts speeds up a little and your stomach flip-flops pleasantly.

"So, why dancing?" Namjoon asked out of the blue, when you guys made your way to the outdoors food court at lunch time.

You looked at him in surprise, this was the first time that he's said something that wasn't marine related. Not that you minded. He has a really soothing voice, very nice to listen too. You took a deep breath, "Ever since I was little, I've loved to dance. I just, I would hear a beat and my body would move with it. I decided pretty young on that I want to spend my whole life doing this. My parents always hoped that I would grow out of it, they never approved because it's not a proper career. We had a big fight when I left last year and I haven't spoken to them ever since. But it's my passion, it's what I love. I have hope though, that one day they'll accept it. They haven't cut me off yet and they are still paying my tuition, so I guess they don't completely hate me."

"That's rough." He said sympathetically as you two walked to a food truck. The conversation between you comes to a halt while you order and wait for your food. When you're seated at a picnic table, across from each other, Namjoon says, "You know, they're your parents, they could never hate you."

"Okay, yeah, maybe not hate." You agreed with a nod. "But they’re definitely disappointed."

"I don't know why though. I can't talk about your dancing, because I've never seen you dance, although Hoseok is always full of praises and awe, but you as a person, I do know. Kind of. And you are one of the best people I've ever met and they should be proud of who they raised."

"Thanks, Namjoon, that's really sweet and I wish it was that simple, but unfortunately it's not." You smile at him, a little sad.

"Why can't it be?" He asked, and you can tell he's a little confused.

"My family, uh, how to phrase this without sounding arrogant?" You give a humorless chuckle, deciding to just say it. "They're rich. Really rich. My parents owns one of the biggest law firms in the country and I am an only child. I was supposed to take the reins over from them, but I've never wanted to do that and if they haven't forgiven me by now, I don't think they're gonna do it anytime soon."

Namjoon's expression falls a little during your explanation, but you don't notice, keeping our eyes down cast on your meal.

"I don't know what to say." He admitted, voice soft and gentle. "I do hope it gets better though."

"Thanks." You look up from your food to smile at him. "Sorry, this isn't exactly second date conversation material."

He raises a brow, "Oh yeah, and what exactly does the dating manual say when is the right time to talk about what?"

You can tell by his tone that he's teasing and it works because a smile breaks through on the corners of your lips. "Fair enough."

After that, you notice that Namjoon has become more subdued. It gets a little better once you're back inside the aquarium and he's telling you all sorts of facts about sharks and stingrays, but some of the shine of the sparkle in his eyes has definitely dimmed. It isn't until he has walked you all the way up to your dorm that you ask him about it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Namjoon gives you a smile and you see right through. It terrifies you a little, how much you know of him after just two dates. "I just don't think we should see each other again."

Your stomach drops, so does your entire face. It feels like someone knocked the wind from you.

"Why?" Your voice is surprisingly steady, not showing any of what you are feeling.

"Hoseok must have not told you, but I'm not like you. I don't come from money. My parents works hard to make ends meet and to take care of my siblings. I am here on a scholarship and I have a shitty job at an ice cream parlor. We don't fit, Y/N."

You look at him like he's grown a second head, "Who the fuck even cares about that stuff?"

"Your parents do, remember." He says, giving you a pointed look and reminding you of your conversation earlier that day.

"I don't care!" You voice raises a little and you take a breath to calm down. "It's my life and I get to choose and I choose you."

Before he can go on any further, you stand on your tiptoes and pull him down by the neck to kiss him. He doesn't hesitate to kiss back and you melt against him when he wraps his arms around you. He pulls away first, both of you are breathless and you feel like you might float away if it wasn't for his hold on you.

He whispers your name and you just know that you're going to fall in love with him. If you haven't started too already.

* * *

The next day it was the big day. Okay, maybe it's not that big of a deal, but it's been a while since you've introduced someone to your friends and strangely you don't remember ever being this nervous about it.

"It's going to be fine." You mutter to yourself, looking in the mirror one last time before grabbing your jacket and leaving your dorm. You all but skip down the stairs and then quickly make your way to the nearest bar where you, Jimin and Taehyung usually hung out. It wasn't to far the dorms and it wasn't expensive either - the perfect place for broke students to hang out. You smile widely when you see Namjoon waiting for you outside, like the gentleman that he is. He hasn't noticed you yet and you decide to look him over. Maroon button up, tucked into a pair of dark grey form fitting jeans with a pair of sneakers. As you neared him, you let out a wolf whistle.

His head, along with a few others who were loitering outside the bar, turned to you and you watched as a smile lit up his face. You stopped in front of him, grinning, "You look hot."

"Thank you." He ducked his head, smile turning sheepish as his ears burned. You barely resisted the urge to coo at him. "You look very pretty. I mean, beautiful."

"Thank you." You returned the sentiment with a light chuckle. "Come on, let's go inside before Taehyung comes out here." You smiled at him, taking his hand, warmth making your heart beat spread up a bit when he laced your fingers and squeezed your hand.

Inside, you were tackled into a hug. You let go of Namjoon's hand to hug back, laughing at your hyper friend. "Nice to see you, too, Tae."

"I missed you, it's been a while." He said, pulling away from you and stepping right in front of Namjoon. You resisted the urge to facepalm because while they are almost the same height, Namjoon is like twice Taehyung's size. "You hurt her, I hurt you."

"I'll let you." Namjoon said, expression unwavering as he didn't brake Taehyung's stare.

Finally, Taehyung grinned. "In that case, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Taehyung."

Namjoon cracked a smile and relaxed, "I'm Namjoon."

"Oh, I know." Taehyung quipped with a smirk. "I heard all about you from Jimin, who heard all about you from our dearest Y/N here."

"Shut up, Tae." You groaned, cheeks burning, grabbing Namjoon's hand and looking around the bar, sighing in relief as you spotted Jimin and Hoseok, pulling Namjoon along with you.

"So, you talk about me?" Namjoon asked, a slight smirk on his lips.

Ignoring your burning cheeks, you gave him a deadpan look. "I like you. Is it really that much of a surprise to you that I talk to my friends about you?"

"No," He shook his head. "I do it too."

"Then why is Hoseok always complaining that you never tell him anything?" You retorted with a raised eyebrow.

He snorted, "Because I don't tell him. I love him, don't get me wrong, but he knows you and he is terrible at keeping things to himself."

"Y/N! Namjoon!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

"Speak of the angel..." You sing-songed. "Hey Hoseok."

"Hey." He was grinning, like always, and fixed his gaze on Namjoon. "The guys are already here. I mean, my friends is your friends, so I just joined everyone together."

Next to you, Namjoon looked highly amused. "How many drinks have you had already?"

"Not much." He said and that's when you saw it. The flushed cheeks plus the drink in his hands. "I just got a few shots from some of my other friends from other facilities."

"Uh-huh." Namjoon nodded disbelievingly.

You arrive at the table, Jimin standing to give you a hug as Taehyung sat down next to a girl. You smiled at her, "You must be Hye-ji."

She frowned at you, "No, I'm Yeona."

“Oh, I'm sorry.” You grinned apologetically, elbowing Jimin, who was snickering next to you. You lowered your voice to a whisper as you glared at him, "I thought the latest one was Hye-ji."

"It was, they split two days ago because she hates cats." Jimin was still snickering, so you elbowed him again.

"Jesus Christ." You muttered and glared at a smirking Taehyung.

Shaking it off, you looked at the four new faces at the table, who must have been Namjoon's friends. You smiled at them, waving. "Hi, I'm Y/N."

Namjoon took a step forward. "Well, these are my friends, Jin, Yoongi, Jackson, Mark and you already know Hoseok."

"Nice to meet all of you." You said, hoping that they'd like you.

Two hours later, it certainly seemed like your friends getting along perfectly – the alcohol was definitely helping. You and Namjoon were sitting next to each other, holding hands. You were giggling, well on your way to tipsy, as Jimin, who sat on your other side, told the story of how you and Taehyung got stuck in an elevator together a few weeks ago. It was just before you met Namjoon.

"It's wasn't my fault." Taehyung pouted.

"Rightttt." You drawled. "Because it was me who wanted to see what happened when you press every single button at once, even the emergency one."

"What can I say, I'm curious by nature." He smiled and you scoffed.

"I should have taken the stairs with Jimin." You said, leaning against Namjoon as the rest of them laughed.

"Why didn't Jimin take the elevator?" Namjoon asked, his hot breath hitting your ear and neck. A shiver climbed up your spine and you cleared your throat, suddenly feeling hot all over.

"He's afraid of elevators." You answered, turning to Namjoon and noticed how the space between you wasn't much.

"Why?" He asked, wetting his lips with his tongue. You're eyes followed the motion.

"I don't know," You answered distractedly, leaning closer and closer. "He didn't want to talk about it when I asked."

Namjoon's lips were just in your reach, when suddenly icy cold went down your back.

You reared back from Namjoon with a loud yelped, "Jesus, fuck. Park Jimin, I'm going to kill you."

You pulled your shirt away from your back, shaking out the ice cubes he poured down your back. You could hear the laughed from the rest of the table and if it happened to someone else, you might have found it funny too.

Jimin, the idiot, was smirking at you. "I thought you might want to cool off a bit."

"Oh, fuck off." You scowled, grabbing one of the stray ice cubes and launching it at his forehead.

Later that night, Namjoon was walking you back to your dorm, both of you a little tipsy, but not drunk. Your hands were joint and swinging between you as you walked, the cool night air heaven against your warm skin.

"So, that went well, don't you think?" You grinned at him, completely giddy.

"Yeah, very well." He agreed, smile matching yours.

You hummed happily, mind bringing up something you’ve been thinking about earlier that day while you worked on some projects while doing laundry in-between. "Have you ever been ice-skating? I was thinking that we could go for our next date."

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He blurted suddenly and you stopped in your tracks, turning to him with wide eyes. It took you a second to decide.

"Yes." You nodded, no hesitation in your tone as you leaned forward to do what you've been wanting to do all evening. You kissed him, and he kissed back, long and deep.

"I could get used to that." You murmured when you pulled apart, out of breath, heart thumping wildly in your chest.

"Me too." He said, both of you smiling widely.

You realized that for the first time in a long while, you weren't just happy or content with life, you were euphoric. And it was all thanks to this man in front of you.

“So, ice-skating?” You asked, still holding hands with your new boyfriend. Boyfriend. It made you want to squeal out loud.

“We could try.” Namjoon nodded, grin matching yours.

You two start walking again, sometimes chattering, sometimes silent, but always happy to be around each other. You look up at the night sky.

The stars was gleaming above, you knew, even though you couldn’t see them because of the city lights. Just like you knew your and Namjoon’s relationship could only get better from here.

the end.

[beauregardlionett]

this poem is my confessional (loving you isn’t a sin)

AO3 Link

A/N: big shout out to my man @sadwizardvibes for the inspiration AND for writing me a fucking song to go with this piece thanks for fueling my beauyasha brainrot man <3

If she was honest with herself, giving Beau that poem had been entirely an impulse decision. Yasha had told Jester she would work on it—which she did—and that she would find a special moment for it. But most of the moments she shared with Beau were special to her, so that didn’t exactly narrow things down. She cherished every conversation and tried her hardest to keep Beau safe. Especially after the events at the chantry, Yasha appreciated every moment she got with Beau.

So, she had handed the paper over and prayed she didn’t embarrass herself.

Beau had seemed flustered, touched, and Yasha had wanted nothing more than to kiss her then and there. But she had held back, because she wanted Beau to at least read the poem before anything else happened.

And then all of that insanity with Vess and Molly—no, Lucien—had happened, and Yasha found herself grateful nothing else had transpired between her and Beau. She hated to think the memory of their potential first kiss might have been marred by the events following.

Regardless, they were underway toward Aeor; the snowy landscapes were taxing, endless, and a little boring. Supposedly it was a good thing they had encountered none of the foretold beasts, but Yasha harbored a lot of pent up frustration and nerves. It would be nice to have something to take that out on.

At the end of their second day, Caleb set up his tower. He ushered them all inside to a haven of warmth and stained glass they were becoming steadily more familiar with. Dagon seemed understandably impressed with the magical structure and grateful for the guest room he was directed to.

Usually they would gather up for dinner together, but there seemed to be a silent, unanimous decision that exhaustion took precedence. They retired to their various rooms with yawns and quiet ‘good nights’, safe for the time being. Yasha lay on her back on the cot in the room with the floral mural. She traced an absent gaze over the patterns, identifying flowers in her head and hoping it would lull her anxious mind to sleep.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Molly—Lucien—and what they would do when they caught up to him. Yasha couldn’t stop thinking about Beau, about the poem she carefully tucked away to read later. Yasha couldn’t help but remember of Zualla as she stared at the flowers on her wall.

There was a knock at her door.

Pushing to her feet after a moment, Yasha walked to her door to poke her head out. She was confused about who might be at her door at this hour until her eyes found Beau fidgeting on the other side of the threshold.

“Hi,” Beau mumbled, hands behind her back.

“Hi,” Yasha breathed back, opening the door a little wider. “Are you okay? It’s late.”

“Yeah,” Beau said, voice pitching up a little at the end in a tell Yasha quickly realized meant she was nervous. “Yeah, I just uh…”

Yasha raised an eyebrow at Beau’s nerves, unused to a Beau who floundered. She realized in the second before Beau pulled the piece of parchment out from behind her back what this was about. The Aasimar flushed pink and her eyes flicked to the ground, embarrassed.

“This was…really beautiful, Yasha,” Beau mumbled, fingers fiddling with the edges of the paper. “But I uh…I noticed this.”

Yasha chanced a look up, Beau extending the paper and pointing to a tiny note scrawled in the bottom corner. She had forgotten about that.

In her messy, cramped handwriting, Yasha had scrawled the word harp? She had been considering turning her poem into a song, because it was always easier for her to express things through music. Plus, she knew that Beau enjoyed her music, so why wouldn’t she put it to chords? But Yasha ended up pushing the idea aside. It was one thing for Beau to like Yasha’s wordless performances, and a whole other for Yasha to direct poetry with music toward the woman of her affection.

“It was…just an idea,” Yasha said with a half-hearted dismissive gesture.

“Would you play it for me?”

Yasha felt her cheeks grow warmer, more red than pink now. But before she could give it too much thought, the Aasimar felt herself nodding. She stood aside and let Beau into her room, leading the monk back into the chamber painted with flowers.

Beau sat cross-legged on the floor across from Yasha as the Aasimar tuned her harp. She took a little longer with the task than strictly necessary, just so she could freak out in silence.

Of course, she had prepared chords for this, because she had run with the idea. But Yasha shied away from it, losing her courage. Music was something that had helped Yasha heal, a meditation in her own way. It brought her peace and offered her an outlet for emotions she didn’t quite know how to express. So, to have Beau sitting before her, eyes trained solely on Yasha, was intense and nerve-wracking.

If Yasha had learned anything, though, it was that she could trust Beau. The monk had been looking out for her, and for the entire group, since day one. Before Beau had trusted any of them, she had still been looking out for them. It was something Yasha admired about Beau—her capacity to care and to love despite everything she had been through. Beau inspired Yasha to keep fighting.

The least she could do was play this for her.

She didn’t need the parchment back. Yasha had spent hours pouring over the words and the chords to make sure it sounded perfect.

Oh, oh Beau, I’m grateful for you.

You waited while I wandered,

While everyone was wondering

If I’d ever come back, you stayed true.

Her voice faltered slightly at the start, uncertain and underused, but she persisted. Beau’s eyes on her simultaneously made her nervous and strengthened her resolve.

Oh, oh Beau, you mean so much to me,

I’ve lost so many people,

I cannot fathom losing

The woman who has loved so fearlessly.

Yasha rarely sang. She used to sing for Zualla in those quiet stolen moments years ago. When they were out in the fields alone, walking or hunting or just existing to stare at the stars. She sang once for Molly, both of them a little past tipsy after a good night for the circus. He had told her she possessed a voice fit for performances, but Yasha had waved him off.

Her voice was sweet, higher than her speaking voice because she sang from her nose and her head. It threw most people for a loop, but Beau merely sat there and stared. Her blue eyes were wide with awe, lips slightly parted. If Yasha didn’t know Beau couldn’t be charmed, she would almost think the monk under a spell.

And I’ve ambled and trekked over miles and miles,

Every step lead me straight back to you.

You gave me the space to learn where I belong

And I’ll tell you right now, it’s the truth.

It was almost like nothing else existed. Yasha’s fingertips buzzed against the taut strings of the harp, her voice vibrated in her chest, and Beau’s eyes stayed fixated on Yasha’s face. This was all that mattered right now, and Yasha couldn’t think of what existed before this, or what might exist after.

Oh, oh Beau, the one I’m thinking of,

I want to hold your hand and

Stand quietly beside you.

I want to confess, you’re my love.

The last strum of her harp faded into silence, and Yasha reveled in the peace vibrating through her veins. She had rarely known stillness like this before discovering music.

Beau sniffed, and Yasha twitched as she startled, eyes snapping up to Beau’s face. The monk still stared at her, eyes wide and watering.

No one’s ever written me a poem before. Yasha remembered the soft-spoken admission as a tear tumbled down Beau’s cheek. She guessed without asking that no one ever sung for Beau before, either.

“Yasha…” Beau breathed. “That was incredible. Your voice…”

The Aasimar ducked her head, not even trying to suppress the smile pulling at her lips. Beau’s awe was so genuine, Yasha barely knew how to face it head on.

“I didn’t know if you would…y’know want to hear it like that. Or if you would just rather read it,” Yasha rambled, running her fingers with absent focus up and down one string on her harp. “So…yeah, I mean, it’s a song, too. But it was originally a poem. For you.”

“Yeah,” Beau’s voice cracked. “I don’t—Yasha, that was…incredible. You’re incredible. You wrote that? For me?”

“Of course,” Yasha said, looking up again with a small frown. The note of disbelief in Beau’s voice upset her. Why wouldn’t she write a poem for Beau?

“Thank you,” Beau said, her voice overflowing with an emotion Yasha could empathize with, but couldn’t name.

“I am glad you liked it,” Yasha said as she set her harp aside. She didn’t know where to go from here. Jester had said Beau was waiting for Yasha to make the first move, and this…was this enough? It felt weird to question that kind of thing because Yasha had been married before. Theoretically, she should know how to do this. But then again, everything she and Zualla had done had been in secret. Yasha never learned how to express affection for someone openly.

And knowing what she did about Beau, Yasha figured that the monk had no better clue in any of this than she did.

“Maybe uhm…” Yasha started, but stopped. She didn’t want to mess this up. “Maybe after we finish this job…we could, y’know…get dinner? Just us?”

Watching a slow smile spread and pull at Beau’s lips was like watching a sunrise. It began slowly, a little hesitantly, colors bleeding into and washing away the darkness of Beau’s uncertainty. It was a gentle harbinger that lasted a lifetime in no time at all. Then, between one blink and the next, the sun. Beau grinned with wild abandon, lips pulled wide to reveal her teeth, and eyes scrunching at the corners with the force of it. Yasha’s heart went giddy in her chest at the mere sight of Beau’s joy.

“I’d like that,” Beau whispered. There was the same quiet, awed excitement in her voice from when she first received Yasha’s poem.

Yasha’s cheeks hurt from how hard she was smiling. “It’s a date.”

[cutegirlmayra]

May I request cute Tails and Amy friendship? You can choose which version just them being cute friends? Maybe they defend each other when someone tries to mess with them? Love your writing

Watch 18:19 of Pajama Blogs - Prompt Requests - Ep 1 for juicy first thoughts on this prompts! (I may divert away from it, but we’ll see :3c)

Thank you so much! I try hard to stay pumped with energy so that I can give you all reading material during these trying times, lol. So let’s hope and press our hands together in a prayer that I’ll entertain, satisfy, and bring joyful feels to everyone through my prompts and fanfiction updates :Db

Prompt:

“Still working on that observatory, eh, Tails?”

As Tails was about to hammer in on his half-finished ‘dome-effect’ he wanted for his upper-level room, he blinked a moment at the familiar voice and excitedly looked down.

“Amy!”

“The one and only.” She winked, grinning widely.

He had managed to get half the curve of the wall done, a dark, steel grey for it’s base color as it held a half-finished walled hole where the large glass would be for viewing the stars. He would insert a self-made telescope between there, and design a way to bring the view as though a holographic light performance right into his ‘black room’ when he wanted to personally ‘sit among the stars’.

“Permission to come aboard, captain?” Amy joked, placing a hand on the ladder and saluting him.

Tails’s twin namesakes wagged in joy, smiling and closing his eyes as he nodded, “Permission always granted! B-but be careful of the rickety-”

“Ah!” the ladder seemed to tilt as a piece of metal began to bend.

“Amy!” he was about to fly down but she summoned her hammer, wedging it into the place where the metal was bending.

“Phew~” she sighed out in relief, having some sweat trickle down the side of her face before climbing up again.

She removed her hammer and used it to place the metal back into the proper alignment again. “You might have given me permission, but did you consult your ship on that decision?”

The two laughed.

“Sorry about that. Everything is still a work in progress, and honestly, it’s kinda revolutionary if this actually works.” Tails scratched behind his head, then explained how new this technology and optical illusion trick really was.

“Yeah,... kinda amazing, Tails.” Amy admired the work already done to give Tails a space to mediate and enjoy the nature of wonderful night sky above him. “I remember when I first met you, that the dark used to be such a scary thing for ya.” She kid, looking to him kindly but nudging him with a tease.

He blushed slightly, looking away, “Well... then you and Sonic showed me how beautiful it was! A-an-and besides that, I’m too old for a night light.” he tried to seem so mature... but that pout made it obvious he just didn’t want to be looked down upon.

“Right. So a big sky-show isn’t the same thing?” She looked over to see he had already marked a place with some cushions, a reading-outlet to the side of the wall imbedded in with a shelf for the books, and a big fuzzy blanket. The tape read: Second Bed.

It all made her smile, “What a lovely little R&R space...” she lowered her eyes, wondering if he still got lonely like she did... and this was his way of coping.

He lived far away from the city, and although Amy lived down a winding road, she would visit the city often enough for groceries and other fun shopping sprees.

What did boys do to occupy their time?

“Heh, I wouldn’t say a 3D projected model of a precisely positioned magnifying glass and hyperized telescope make for a sky-light.” he tried to defend himself, and it was rather cute to Amy.

“Well, I bet Sonic’ll love to bunk here more often.”

The tone suddenly shifted as Amy and Tails both looked down, away from the other.

“Have you... heard from him lately?” Amy asked, almost worried that she already knew the answer to that question.

“No.” Tails sighed out, before dramatically leaning back and letting his head fall back on his shoulders, “Not since Eggman last showed up.”

“Yeah... he’s been rushing off more and more lately on some daring-dos that apparently don’t require any of us to come along...”

There was a quiet somberness...

“Yeahhhh...” Tails once again leaned properly back in place and dipped his head, scratching it softly...

He seemed friend-sick... and as Amy observed him more, he even looked starved for conversation.

“Hmph!” She puffed up the side of her cheek, “Well, we’ll have to give him the ol’silent treatment when he gets back this time too! Serve him right for all those times he’s left us behind on all the fun!” Amy rambled off, but Tails perked up a bit, looking over to her with a slight turn of his lowered head.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah! Just you wait! He’ll come back ready to tell us all his cool stunts on his new latest adventure, and we’ll be just chatting it up about your awesome star project!” She posed with her arm out and her hand upon her muscle, as though Rosy the Riveter. “That means we should wrap this little project of love up and really see what it’s made of!”

“Y-you mean it?” Tails looked thrilled by her offer. “I-I mean, if it’s not too much trouble... I could use your hammer for a few things.” He looked down at the metal that had bent out of place. “You’re strong arm means I could patch the rest of this in one hammer hit! It’ll remain sturdy if you’re strength! Ah...! Sorry!” he looked back over and saw Amy frowning embarrassedly, pushing her fingers together. He wagged his arms out to the side of her, apologetically. “I forgot... how you sometimes take the praise for your strength a little...” he felt awkward now, seeing her begin her usual spiel.

“But I’m... elegant... A-and lady-like when I do it... right?” She looked over to him as though pleading for his approval.

“O-O-of course, you are! I-I even remember Sonic saying something about it! Your hammer is super cute and only adds to your-! Uhh... c-charms!” Tails bundled his fists up and started shaking them profusely around, not sure how to convince her a ‘giant hammer’ was somehow ‘girlish’ but he did his best. “And besides, I don’t care what anyone else says, Amy! You’re super useful thanks to your strength! Just like I am with my brains.”

He was so determined to succeed in cheering her up that Amy couldn’t bear to disappoint him.

She took in a deep breath and got over herself, straightening up. “Yeah... well, I have to be strong, to look after and protect you and the others.” She ruffled up his hair and he laughed lightly, slightly moving away from her touch as a brother would to his older sister.

“I’m sorry that you’re sensitive to that.” He admitted, “You really are super cool when you hit a robot miles away!”

She flinched.

“I-I-I meant that in a good way!” he shook his hands out again, “Honest!”

Amy just laughed, “I can cook too, you know. Why don’t we finish building this thing and then I’ll make us something good to eat. We can turn it off with some smores and maybe crackers or something too later tonight!” Amy’s usual optimism was restored and Tails immediately caught on to it’s wave.

“Woah! You mean it! T-that could take all day...” His ears lowered just slightly.

“Pfft!” Amy turned with a proud look upon her face, placing one hand to her hip as she sat off the edge with him and then slammed her hand to the top of his head again, making him flatten slightly as he was sitting slightly on his knees. He looked uncomfortable, like her force had made him do an unwilling ‘split’ sort of with his knees being parted and he looked as though in strained pain. “Think nothing of it, Tails! As you said before, my hammer strikes are good on one blow! We’ll have this done in no time, so..? Can I stay the night?”

He continued to flinch and twitch in the pain, “S-sur-sure, I-I-I don’t mind... mmm...” he had a small tear forming at the right of his eye.

A few hours passed as the two worked hard, and finally, the dome was done and the telescope he had already completed for the room was successfully moved up to the upper-room... with a lot of back-strain and power from the two working together. Tails had to really test his twin-propelling tails’s weight limit on how fast they could twirl to lift something, and Amy’s powerful arms and back were put to their ultimate test as well!

But somehow, the two worked great together, though bickered and taunted the other at times...

“You can fly higher than that, Tails!”, “D-don’t act like I’m the only one lifting my weight here!”, “AH! What is that supposed to mean!? I’m as light as a feather! And this is... nothing... compared... to what I can lift!”, “Then push harder!”, “You fly harder!”, They both ‘ggrr’d and finally got the massive telescope up that ladder...

When everything was set up, Amy put on a movie for Tails to rest and started cooking up some dinner. She wanted to leave room for the late-night snacks, and coming back in, noticed Tails wasn’t watching the television.

“Huh?” She looked up the ladder to the room and smiled, seeing the computer light on as he must have been programming the telescope and other functions. “He works so hard... he must be excited to show it off to Sonic.” she felt a slight bit of envy. She sighed, “Not like girls and guys can have that strong of a bond... botherhood and sisterhoods are really exclusive, huh?” she frowned, not liking the idea that she could never be as close to Sonic or Tails as the other was with them.

She called down Tails though, and they had a nice dinner together, complimenting their success as Tails hoped it would all work, but Amy told him not to worry.

“You’re incredibly good at designing these technological masterpieces, Tails.” Amy scolded him for about to open his mouth to answer with food in it, and seeing her hand raised and her eyes closed while one opened slightly, he chewed and swallowed before continuing.

“W-well, that doesn’t mean that their isn’t going to be some error on my part involved...”

“I’m sure Sonic will love it. I know I’m excited to see it.” She picked up his finished plate, going to wash them and as she removed her apron...

“Sonic? I was building this for us to view it together, tonight.”

Her face shot up, touched.

Her heart seemed to rise up as though being elevated to a status it thought unattainable.

“R-really?” She always had felt a distance between the boys, and found it just seemed easier and less forced when interacting with Cream... but Cream was still so young too. She loved picking flowers! Don’t get her wrong! She had just gotten really, really good at making flower crowns for so... long...

She placed her apron that she had borrowed from him down, planning to wash it if needs be as well, but turned back to Tails.

He didn’t seem to notice how much that meant to her, already wiping his hands on his white fluff like he would if he was greased up in oil or gunk stains from working on his pet-projects like the X-Tornado and this Observatory. She puffed up her cheek, “I still need to teach you proper manners, huh?” she whispered under her breath, but smiled and touched her heart.

He was already racing up the ladder, and she immediately went into mother mode.

“Ah! Tails! D-don’t move so fast after eating!” she reached a hand up but he called down to her.

“Bring up the treats! I think it’s loaded all the settings in by now! ... Yeah! Yeah it has!”

His excited voice sprang her into an excitement, “W-well, hold on! I’m coming!” It was like he just called out that the fireworks were gonna start...

She rushed through the cleaning and threw the plates into the dishwater, a little rougher than she usually would like to and washed herself up before charging up the ladder. “Don’t let it start without me!”

“Hurry!” Tails called, and she immediately started to leap passed rings on the ladder to just reach out and jump pass a few steps.

“I’m here!” her quills looked a mess as she clung to the edge of the room, Tails rushing over and helping her up as she huffed and puffed in her strain to get there in time.

“Haha, and you tell me not to rush.” He teased her back.

“Hmph.” she blew up her bottom bang of the three quills on her forehead and then smiled to him, cheekily, “If I get stomach cramps, I’m blaming you!”

“Over here!” He laughed a moment at her response but was too excited to show her what he had set up.

“Ah... Tails...” Amy felt so important and loved then, seeing he had taken the large fuzzy blanket and got in it, opening a space for her to join him.

“S-sorry, is this too... um... close?” He squinted an eye, lowering his arm that was gesturing for her to intimately cuddle up within it and watch the show together.

She shook her head, holding back tears and hoping to not confuse him. “Absolutely! I-I mean, it’s perfect! Don’t change a thing!” she crawled down and got into the blanket, taking the other side as she felt Tails bouncing in his seat.

“Okay, good. Three... two... one... Ehem,” he cleared his throat, like a child about to press ‘liftoff’ on a rocket. “Computer! Activate Spatial Definity Mock 5 Advanced Overhead Project 3.2.7.”

Amy blinked her eyes rapidly at such a long line...

“What? You couldn’t have called it, Sky-light?” she teased again, “For nightlight?”

“Quit it...” He nudged her lightly, embarrassed she kept teasing him on that one. “It sounds cooler this way... and it reminds me how long it took to set up the program and make it run right. I haven’t tested this final version yet, so SDM5AOP 3.2.7 is a perfect name for-!”

“O-okay, as long as it makes sense to you.” she decided not to question it.

The whirling of a computer was heard and the two waited anxiously for the results...

“It has to take a second to go through all it’s processing. Lots of... kinda like doors to hurdle through and collect data for.” He explained.

“...Do you... wish Sonic were here instead of me?” she looked away from him for a moment. “I mean... not that you would have a preference b-b-but...” she thought this was a bad, killing the mood he had tried to set up and wish she didn’t say anything. “Nevermind.”

“No, I think you’ll appreciate it more than he will.”

She felt that ranking skyrocket again, as though her tiny significance in life was suddenly bumped up again to a higher sphere of importance in this little fox boy’s life.

“W-... What makes you say that?” she was trying so hard to hide the sparkles in her eyes, but her quivering voice gave away how happy she was to hear that. No, not happy, overjoyed to know she was considered such a special friend to him.

“You actually helped me complete it!” He spread his arms out as the first little light formed in the blackened room.

“Ah!” Amy saw it first, marveling as it faded and then grew brighter and brighter to show the actual dimensions of the star that was currently in the sky, or at least, the radiance of it.

She marveled as he continued to talk, not noticing multiple other little constellations starting to form over his literal head and scattered all throughout the room. Accurate and pronounced, their distance was a miniature diorama of the actual space of the universe...

“I knew you’d want to see it... I’m sure he would too, but Sonic would rather be in the stars then just viewing them... though he does all the time. Heh, I guess you’ll be able to brag about how you were the first to see it! I-if it works or not... It’s still a longshot, s-so... don’t get your hopes up too hig-”

His face was yanked towards the direction of the star, then Amy started shaking his arm. “Ah-AH-AHHHH!!!” she freaked out as a very distinct cosmic entity was defined in the space.

“AH-! AHHH!! IT ACTUALLY WORKS!” Tails flipped out as they both cried out-

“EARTH!”

Then, one after another...

 “The Milky Way!”, “It’s the galaxy from Chris’s world... and look! Here’s our constellations!”, “Ohhh! It’s our solar system! Ahhh! It’s so bright!”

“...Do you think Cosmos seeds found good land to grow on?”

The two suddenly stopped gawking...

Amy couldn’t even look to him, and him the same.

Instead, she scooted closer to him in the blanket, felt his tails solemnly wrap around her for support and comfort, and placed her arm to his opposite shoulder to pull him into the gap of her neck.

He laid his head on her shoulder, tearing up.

“Is... is that why you made all of this?” Amy’s heart tugged on her vocal chords, making them choke slightly.

“...Yeah.” he admitted. “If this was Sonic, I don’t think he’d be willing to talk about it... not like you.” he looked down a moment.

“No, don’t look down.” Amy’s voice plucked up an octave. “Look at your amazing work, Tails. Look at how vast... how beautiful the universe is... I’m sure you’ll see evidence of Cosmo’s seed blooming all over the place. You know why?”

She ducked her gaze down slightly, moving her head to make sure she didn’t obstruct his view.

He smiled lightly through his tears.

“Because life never quits, that’s why!” She pulled him into a half-hug and continued to snuggle up in the blanket. “Hehe, because Cosmo would want you to look at these stars and know that she’s everywhere. Smiling just as brightly as any of these ol’stars and wishing you the best forever!”

She felt his shoulders bounce a little...

She knew Sonic would have done an alright job if he were here too, but...

She was so glad...

Holding him and tucking him in better into the blanket...

That she was the one he shared this whole project with.

That she was the one... who could dry his tears tonight.

-Author: And now I cry, wow, hands slapped together in a prayer really did wonders for myself in this prompt, how about you? lolol To those of you who actually did the gesture and wished me the best, this one’s for you.

[simplybakugou]

I absolutely LOVE your drunk Bakugou scenarios and I was hoping you’d do another one??? Only if you have time and want to of course!

A/N: Drunk!bakugou and dad!bakugou are probably my favorite scenarios to write about so of course I loved writing this. Thanks for requesting and I hope you enjoy :)

Pairing: drunk!bakugou x female!reader

Warnings: swearing; alcohol

Word Count: 1499

✐posted 03.04.2020✐

The bar was unusually louder than most nights. Maybe it was because half of Bakugou’s agency was at the bar to celebrate Bakugou’s achievements, specifically for taking down a major villain that had been terrorizing the country for months.

Bakugou’s manager, Yamato, raised his glass to the middle of the table. “You know, when he’s not being a pain in my ass, he’s kicking ass in the streets and I couldn’t have asked for a better hero to represent. To Bakugou Katsuki; to Ground Zero!”

“You asshole,” Bakugou muttered loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.

A round of laughter erupted from the table as everyone clinked their glasses with a, “Cheers!”

Bakugou slammed his empty shot glass onto the table, reaching towards the center of the table to grab another.

Yamato eyed Bakugou. “Hey, don’t get too drunk, I don’t want to give Y/N a hard time with having to deal with you.”

Bakugou scoffed, downing his second shot. “I never give Y/N a hard time when I’m fucked up.”

Yamato raised a brow at him. “Are you sure? Do you even know how fucked up you get when you’re drunk?”

“Please, how bad can I be?”

***

In the history of drunkards, Bakugou takes the cake for getting the most drunk in the shortest amount of time. Bakugou pulled out his phone from his pocket, fumbling it in his hand and nearly dropping it on the floor. He had gotten a text and he broke out into a grin seeing a notification near your contact.

Make sure you get someone to drive you back. Let me know if you need me to pick you up.

“Let me guess, Y/N texted you?” Yamato asked with a laugh.

Bakugou rolled his eyes at him, putting his head down on the table. “My fucking head is killing me.”

Haru, one of the secretaries at the agency, clapped his hand onto Bakugou shoulder. “Oh, come on. You’re one of the top heroes and you’re telling me some alcohol is the one thing that’ll take you down.”

Bakugou let out a groan, causing Yamato and Haru laugh. Yamato sighed. “I might head back early. I should drop this fool off at home so Y/N doesn’t have to come all the way here.”

“Yeah, also the last thing we need is a bunch of news outlets covering stories about ‘Pro hero Ground Zero found drunk out of his mind’ or some bullshit like that,” Haru huffed.

Yamato got up, putting an arm around Bakugou’s shoulders and pulling him up with his support. “Come on, big guy.”

Bakugou groaned once more and Yamato waved his colleagues good-bye as he escorted Bakugou outside. He open the back seat door, seating Bakugou down inside. Bakugou naturally laid down on the seat and was immediately knocked out. Yamato chuckled at the sight, getting himself into the driver’s seat.

As Yamato begun driving, Bakugou let out random murmurs in the back. “Y/N.”

Yamato sighed. “Even in his sleep he’s thinking about her.”

Bakugou slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the headlights of the other cars blinding him. He rubbed his eyes, slowly sitting up. “Where the fuck am I?”

“You really don’t remember? We were having a team dinner and you drank too much, as usual, so I’m taking you home,” Yamato said, looking at Bakugou through the rear view mirror.

“I’m going home?” Bakugou asked. He suddenly leaned forward. “That means I get to see Y/N, right?”

Yamato laughed. “Yes, you’ll see Y/N.”

“Fuck yes,” Bakugou muttered, causing another laugh to erupt from Yamato.

A few minutes later, Yamato pulled into your driveway and Bakugou immediately opened the car door. Yamato got out as well, rushing to Bakugou’s side to make sure he didn’t fall. “Woah, I know you’re excited to see your wife but take it easy.”

“This is my house,” Bakugou muttered with a gasp.

“Yeah, no shit,” Yamato said with a shake of his head.

Yamato helped Bakugou up the driveway and the porch to your house. He rang the doorbell, waiting a minute until you groggily opened the door.

You rubbed your eyes, greeting Yamato with a smile. “Yamato, what’re you doing here so late?” You asked, momentarily forgetting about your husband’s whereabouts.

“Just came by to drop off some luggage.” Yamato stepped aside to reveal Bakugou barely able to hold up his own weight. It took Bakugou a second to realize you were standing right in front of him. When he did realize, he threw his arms around you.

“Y/N!”

You nearly fell backwards from Bakugou’s sudden affection. Yamato pulled Bakugou up to make sure he didn’t tackle you to the floor.

“This dumbass,” Yamato mumbled. “Y/N, feel free to call me if you need help bringing this idiot upstairs.”

“Thank you so much, Yamato. I’m so sorry that he causes you so much trouble.” You gently sat Bakugou on the sofa next to you.

“Don’t worry about it. He’s the reason I get a paycheck so it’s my job to take care of him.” Yamato smiled at you before waving good-bye. You closed the door and locked it as Yamato drove away, turning to your drunk husband.

“What am I going to do with you, Katsu?” You shook your head, kneeling down in front of him. Being used to how disorderly Bakugou can be when he’s drunk, you knew the first thing you had to do was take his shirt off to make sure he doesn’t puke on himself. You held the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the side. He groaned and mumbled incoherently under his breath as you proceeded to take his shoes off. As you were taking his pants off, your hands resting on his belt buckle, Bakugou grabbed your wrist. He pulled you towards him, causing you to fall next to him on the sofa.

“Lady, I don’t know who you are, but you’ve got some nerve stripping a married man down,” Bakugou huffed.

You sighed. Here he goes again. “Katsuki, it’s me, your wife. I’m just trying to get you ready for bed.”

Bakugou scoffs, pointing his finger at you as he continued to slur his words. “I know that’s just some bullshit for saying that you want to fuck me.”

You sighed once more, getting up to grab him a glass of water and praying that this would help sober him up just a little. As you went to the kitchen, Bakugou continued his rambling. “I know you people. You people just like to fucking take advantage of pro heroes in hopes that you’ll get some fucking money and—“

Bakugou was cut off by you bringing the glass of water to his lips, tilting his head back to make sure he drank the water. Bakugou drank the whole glass, wiping his lips and gasped. “Y/N! Where’d that other bitch go?”

You shrugged. “I’m not sure Katsuki, but you’re home now.”

Bakugou held your hands in his. “Y/N, you know I love you more than my own life and anyone else in this whole world. And you have to believe me when I say that that bitch took advantage of me while I was drunk and she fucking stripped me!”

You feigned a gasp, cupping Bakugou’s face in your hands. “What? Are you alright, Katsu?”

Bakugou nodded, wrapping his arms around you. His head was against you chest as he squeezed you tight. “I’m glad you’re here though. I really missed you.”

You smiled as Bakugou hiccuped. Although taking care of Bakugou when he’s drunk is usually a hassle and can be a lot of work, he always was even more loving and caring than his usual sober self. You kissed his head. “I love you.”

“I love you more,” Bakugou muttered, rubbing his head. “Your boobs feel so great today.”

“Way to ruin the moment.”

Bakugou laughed, looking up at you. “I’m sleepy.”

You held his hands in yours, pulling him up and supporting his weight against your body. Luckily your quirk helped assist in half carrying your husband up the stairs and into your bedroom without any trouble. You laid your husband into bed, putting the blanket over his body. Going back downstairs to grab him another glass of water, Bakugou grabbed your wrist, refraining you from leaving.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just getting you another glass of water.”

Bakugou shook his head. “Don’t leave; what if that bitch comes back again and pretends to be you and takes advantage of me.”

You chuckled. “She won’t come back, Katsu, just go to sleep.”

Bakugou shook his head once more adamantly. He patted the space next to him. “Bed. Now.”

You rolled your eyes humorously, crawling under the covers beside him and he wrapped his arms around your body. “Do you feel safe now?”

Bakugou hummed. “I always feel safe when you’re next to me.”

[undercoverclover]

No Matter Where

Part 4

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Yuchan x original character

Warnings? None here

Part 1 2 3

*BUZZ BUZZ*

Oh! I forgot to check Yuchan's phone!

I pull it out of my pocket and try to get comfy.

I had one  newly missed call and 1 text. 

I hate snooping through his phone. But it could be him. I unlock it. What if it's his girlfriend or something? Oh god, what if it is and I see something I don't want to?! Ew… ugh I hate life. I have to check the text at least. 

Luckily it's from him:

Yc: Liliana, hey! Practice is impossible to get out of before you head to the club. Would you, I mean. By chance bring it by here? Not having it, is kind of a big deal to my members. I'd really appreciate it and so would they. 

Oh boy…

Um. Oh boy.

Me: I, uh. I can? I think? Just pray I can get away from the girls without them coming with or else it will be the most embarrassing night of my life. 

Me: Sorry for replying late, I was being a human Barbie doll. XP

Now to devise a plan to get them to let me go. If they go with it, it'll end up one of two ways. 1) They're going to push me and I'll be so embarrassed I'll wanna crawl in a hole. Or 2) they will be so speechless that they won't know how to speak. 

*BUZZ BUZZ* 

Yc: Haha okay. So that means you are dressed up. Be careful if you are in heels, the sidewalks are a bit cracked. 

We ended the conversation with where to go so I could meet him and return his phone. Plus, I had finally figured out a plan… I think? I hope. I start messing with the hair tie that was on my wrist, which normally I only do when I'm super anxious. Then I looked down and groaned..

"Ugh!"

"What's your deal?" Anya asks, eyeing me. 

"I hate being dressed up." I say, not lying. Technically. 

"Oh shut it and have fun. At least I gave you one thing. And that's only cuz Anya made me!" Ria said, crossing her arms. 

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." I say, shrugging her off.  Thank god she didn't notice me messing with my wrist, she'd know that wasn't the only thing up then.

"We're here!" Ria calls to us excitedly as the car slows to a stop. 

"I'll pay I guess." I say, hoping they'll let me.

"Okay." They say in unison. 

"Save me a spot in line while I do?" I ask pulling my wallet out of my bag.

"Yeah sure." Anya says and opens the door. 

Once they're out, I turn to the driver. 

"Excuse me. Sorry. Could you take me to this address? I'll pay for this ride when we get there." I say and at first I thought he'd protest, but eventually agreed. 

"Awesome! When I say go. Go fast. Okay?" 

I open the car door and the girls look at me. 

"Guys! I'll be back as soon as I drop his phone off and get mine back! I'll be safe!" I say closing the door and telling the driver to go quickly. 

We took off and I looked out the window to see the girls trying to protest me. 

"Well that worked better than expected!" I said laughing so hard at myself. 

I pulled out his phone from my pocket. 

Me: I'm on my way. I managed to escape them XD 

Yc: Is that a good thing or bad? They are already blowing up your phone. 

Me: Don't answer them! I'm only a few minutes out. I'll call them when I get there. Sorry! 

Yc: Okay, I'll see you soon. :D 

Why am I so giddy? I'm so excited and I shouldn't be! I'm only going to exchange phones for crying out loud!!

Yuchan

I bit my lip and smile as I hit send on the message. 

"Looks like I'm finally getting my phone back hyung." I say, chuckling.

"Oh yeah? Finally? From the one who stole it?" Donghun says giving me hell for the 800th time. 

"Oh knock it off hyung! You know she didn't steal it.  She's not even used it to call or message anyone but me.She didn't mean to." I say, rolling my eyes at the eldest of our group. 

 I really don't think Liliana would do that. She didn't seem like that type. She probably didn't even know who or what I was. 

"Earth to Chan!" Bk says, smacking me lightly on the shoulder. 

"Oh huh?" I shook my head and stared at him. 

"You good?" He asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reply.

"Still thinking about that girl you can't get your mind off of?" He says smirking, loud enough for the others to hear. 

"Ah! Hyung! I don't think of her like that!" I could feel my ears getting red.

 That's the last time I try to talk to Byeongkwan about a girl. It's totally not what I need tonight. Not while she's on her way over here. Even if it is to bring me back my phone.

"You'll be just fine Chan. She was cute. Don't be dumb." Donghun says as he comes up and ruffles my sweaty hair. 

"Ugh, why did I do that?" He says as he stares at his now -not his sweat- sweaty hand. Sehyoon and I started laughing so hard at that point. My nerves were exploding, I needed the outlet.

"Okay back to work you 4. Come on, let's go." Jun called to us to get off the floor. 

"I'd like to finish this before 2 a.m. AGAIN." He says trying to be dramatic but being overly so. 

"Oh calm yourself, Umbridge." Donghun says sarcastically making all of us burst out laughing even more as we got up to finish our late night practice. 

Liliana

The driver pulled up outside of a dance studio. I paid him, plus I gave him an extra tip since he was acting as my getaway driver then I thanked him and got out. He drove away as I stood there looking at the place. It was late, about 10:30 p.m. I'd hoped he was still here.

I grabbed his phone out of my bag and called him. It rang and there was no answer. I did again. Same thing.

"Great, he's probably already gone." I say to myself. You always ruin everything Liliana. 

"No. Now stop Lili. You won't start this." 

Maybe he is still here and practicing. Good lord I look dumb too. Just shut up and go get your phone back, smart one. 

I head to the door and pray it opens. Once I put my hand on the door handle and pull? It opens! 

YES! Thank god! Oh shi- it opened. Now I have to go in. 

Okay, I got this. I took a step in and looked around. It was dark. I could see but it wasn't well. 

The walls were decorated with little drawings. I'd never seen so many. I walk up to them to look at them and get caught up in the designs of the faces and water photoshoots. It was all so beautiful!

*Buzz Buzz Buzz*

I almost screamed. The phone buzzing scared me so bad.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hello. Wait are you here? I thought I heard someone when the music paused." He said.

"I. Um. I am." I reply nervously.

"Oh! Okay, one second." I heard him answer from inside the room I was closest to.

Then the door opened and he stepped out. I immediately realized I hated what Ria put me in. He was wearing sweatpants, a sleeveless shirt that was way too big for him and Nike sneakers. He looked comfy and amazing. I was uncomfortable. Lord, pray for me.

He saw me, smiled that amazing smile and walked over to see what I was looking at.

"Hey!" He said enthusiastically.

"Hey. You realize it's almost 11 p.m. what are you still doing at, what was it, practice? This late?" I couldn't help but smile at him. My heart skipped and the amount of butterflies in my stomach were unreal.

He laughed.

"We, uh, we practice pretty late usually. Actually our schedule is all over the place. Sometimes it can be 2 a.m. before we're done."

"Oh wow! That's insane! I couldn't imagine that." I say, genuinely shocked.

"Yeah it gets hectic occasionally." He smiles. Ugh, be still my heart.

"Oh, before I forget. Here's your phone Yuchan." I say and hand it to him.

"Oh thanks! Follow me," he says walking towards the door he just came from.

"I'll have to go grab yours from the top of my practice bag. I don't know why I didn't bring it with me." He said shaking his head and laughing under his breath.

He opened the door and I followed him in. It was so much brighter in here and there were others. The guys from the coffee shop, too.

Man the girls would flip right now.

"Wow!" I said a little too loud, as I looked around. Yuchan stops and looks around at me. The others too.

"Sorry! Sorry. I've never been in a studio before." I say nervously twisting the hair tie on my wrist.

"Ooohhh, that's okay. Take a look around while I grab the phone." Yuchan smiled.

"Thanks! I may!" I say as I start walking around just looking at the set up of the place.

The mirrors are so huge! This is so cool. Then my eyes land on myself.

Ugh, god I look awful. I think and turn towards the radio equipment.

"I don't think so." Yuchan said coming up behind me and handing me my phone. I look up and he's smiling.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" I said hiding my face in my hands.

"You did." He smiled brighter and I blushed.

My face was probably beet red now, like it got when I was embarrassed.

"Oh god." I say under my hands on my face.

"Don't be embarrassed it's okay, I don't think you look awful. I think quite the opposite actually." Yup, now I'm definitely blushing.

"Thank you, Yuchan. But even with my shoe choice?" I say holding my foot out a bit so he can clearly see my black and white high-top converse.

He laughed his high pitched laugh and his eyes smiled too.

I really love his laugh. God I hope I actually thought that one.

"Yes, even your converse look good with your dress."

"Why thank you sir." I laugh and curtsey like Alice to the Red Queen.

*Buzz Buzz Buzz*

"Ugh, I think I liked your phone better. It was quieter." I say looking down at Anya's number, "I'm probably in trouble." I say and grimace slightly.

I answer and hold the phone away from my ear since I know what's coming.

"LILIANA MAY! YOU ARE IN FOR IT WHEN I GET THERE!" I stare at the phone bewildered. I could hear Ria just as loud in the background. Yelling at me. Chan looked just as shocked as I did. He motioned that he was going to go and talk to the other guys while I talked to her, or attempted. What did she mean? And then I realized I forgot to turn off my location.

They got worried. I should have messaged them as soon as I got here.

"Anya, I'm fine. Stay at the club. I'll be back soon." I say trying to get the words between the angry rambling.

"We're already on our way you ass!" Yup. I am in trouble.

"Okay we'll just breathe. I'm fine. I'll see you when you get here I guess." I hung up before I could get yelled at more.

I play with my hair tie and walk up to the 5 men towering over me.

They're so much taller up close…

"Liliana, this is Jun, Sehyoon, Byeongkwan and Donghun. Guys this is my phone thief, Liliana." He said smiling and retaining a laugh.

"Hey! Th- tha- that's not fair! It was completely an accident! Your head knocking into mine mixed up my brain cells!" I was appalled he introduced me like that! But I couldn't help laughing when he did. Breathe Lili.

"Anyway! I'm sorry to interrupt your guys practice. I'm just going to go wait outside. My friends are apparently on their way to get me." I say looking down and just trying to avoid eye contact.

"What why?" Someone pipes up. I don't look up though. I tried to think of a better reason then I ditched my friends.

"I, uh. Um… I kinda sorta dropped them off and told the driver to go before they could realize what was happening."

That got a laugh out of them. The one Ria liked, Byeongkwan, was laughing and clapping his hands. Anya's eye catcher, Donghun, was covering his mouth silently laughing. The other 2 I hadn't fully paid attention to in the coffee shop that day, Jun and Sehyoon, were holding their stomachs almost rolling on the floor. Overall, Yuchan was just grinning. He knew the plan, even though the outcome was different.

Donghun finally caught some air, "So you mean to say that you ditched your friends to come meet Chan?" He still had a half smirk on his face. He was teasing me!

But did I? I mean I was returning his phone. I guess I kind of did. Shoot me...

"Well, I-, just believe me when they get here you'll know why I did it that way." I said my face was unbelievably red now. I could feel it.

"Now look hyung, you're making her blush, leave her be. She did bring the phone back like Yuchan said." Jun said, smiling but serious. They all smiled and Sehyoon just shook his head.

He must be the quiet one. I knew someone like that too.

"Well, as much as you want to avoid the confrontation that was coming from that phone earlier, in front of us, you're not going outside alone at 11 o'clock at night." Yuchan said with a very serious look on his face.

I don't know whether to blush or be agitated that he's trying to tell me what I can and can't do.

"It may be 11 but I can handle myself. And you heard Anya on the phone, maybe Ria too. It's not something I'd like anyone to see." I said firmly.

"No." Yuchan said, crossing his arms.

"Yuch-" I started.

"Chan's right Liliana. You're not going out by yourself. You can sit and wait. Practice isn't over so you can watch us." Sehyoon said, shocking me into shutting up.

I just nodded.

"Thank you hyung." Yuchan said, nodding at him. Sehyoon nodded back.

"Okay on that note, let's finish practicing." Byeongkwan said as he got up off the floor.

Yuchan walked me over to a seat and told me I could sit there. I took my jacket off and sat down, then proceeded to cover up my legs with it.

"What is it?" I ask, shyly. He was standing there, kind of just staring at me. I looked down to make sure I didn't have anything on me. Nothing that I saw…

"Nothing. Nothing, you just look pretty in it, is all." He said and added, "Okay I've gotta get to work. Don't judge me too harshly." He smiled and went to get in the center of the studio.

So they're a dance group? They must be pretty good to be working here. I wonder what music they dance to. Just then the music starts and it sounds so amazing!

~Turn me up so they can hear this. Louder!~

I was intrigued. The way they began to move! So in sync. The way they moved was so mesmerizing, I couldn't look away.

The song ended and I'm not going to lie. I was sad.

I was speechless.

"I think we broke her." Byeongkwan laughed, looking over and seeing my astonished expression.

"What? No! I mean yes! That was amazing! I've never seen anything like that before." Okay, don't get over excited Lili.

Then I heard my friends…. Oh fudge.

[trudy-shams]

What we become - part 6

6 months later ------------ You checked out your reflection in the mirror for the 12th time, every 10 minutes in the span of 2 hours. Steve was late today. No!  You were NOT nervous, you just wanted to look presentable. You were a reflection of the place you worked for and you loved Asgard so it was not totally absurd you wanted to make sure you were looking good.

"The blonde boy isn't here yet, please stop wasting time in front of the mirror and take those drinks to table #6" Clint grumbled.

Him sitting in your section 5 times a week and leaving cute notes (and some hefty tips) did not go unnoticed by anyone. And no one was subtle about it. From Loki to Thor to Clint to Gamora, everyone teased you endlessly.

"Seriously, I don't know what is holding you, or him, back. Just go out on a date already" Gamora said while tipping her head towards the door.

And in walked Steve, in all his smedium t-shirt and khaki pants glory.

His eyes immediately found yours and his face split into a big grin as he made his way to a table.

Sometimes you wonder how you didn't see until now how handsome he was, but you know for a fact that your perception of beauty changes as you get to know them better. Sometimes their personality makes them more appealing while other times it's the exact opposite.

You couldn't stop the smile that spread on your lips.

You neared Steve's table "You are late today"

Steve dopey smiled back "I got stuck at an event my father organized but I slipped away as soon as I could and then there was the usual traffic"

"I have told you so many times, we have another branch of Asgard near where you live, you don't have to make the hour long drive just for some beers" You smirked.

The first time you got to know how far he lives, you were slightly confused as to why he would drive all the way. He just shrugged and smiled, saying he liked the ambience of this place better. You didn't really believe him but didn't push him either.

Now? Now you kinda knew why he drove so far. It would be stupid to pretend otherwise but you couldn't pass an opportunity to tease him.

"And I have told you, I really like the ambience " Steve was not the shy fella who couldn't meet your eyes anymore. It took a while but he slowly lost his inhibitions around you.

And you? Well, your perspective of him changed the very day he saved your life. You were so grateful to him.

But as you got to know him better, you felt a lot more for him than just thankfulness.

"So your usual then?" You took out your notepad.

"No, not today. I am already late, maybe I will take a to-go bag for some snacks. Enough for two people" Steve had this look on his face.

You were disappointed and you hoped it wasn't obvious on your face.

"Oh sure, I will bring it up right now" You internally cringed at the high pitch of your voice.

"Oh no, no rush, take your time. I know your shift doesn't end for another 30 minutes" Steve was full on smiling now.

It took a moment for you to realize what he meant and you bit your lip to keep from smiling.

"Well that's very presumptuous of you Mr. Rogers. I might have better things to do then go out on a d.., accompany you to whatever secret cult meeting you drive an hour for" Steve laughed out loud before pressing his hands to his chest.

"The Perseids Meteor shower is supposed to peak today and the sky is clear enough for a good view. It might be something fun to watch "Steve lost steam by the time he finished his sentence seeing your stern expression " it's Friday night so I thought you wouldn't have classes tomorrow and work. The best time to view is after midnight and If you are not comfortable, I understand"

You did your best to keep your laughter in at Steve's rambling but maintained your serious demeanor "We will have a few hours to kill then, do you want to watch a movie"

"I totally... what?" Steve was giving you his signature puppy dog eyes.

You finally dropped the act and grinned "I have been begging Nakia for days but she claims that no astronomical event can keep her from her beauty sleep. I am so glad you asked. It would be so much fun. We can take some drinks too. We can stop by my place and grab a picnic mat. Do we need chairs? Blan..."

"Ok doll breath" the nickname just slipped out but Steve decided to act calm"I have everything ready. We can just pack some food and we are good to go"

You did a tiny jump. "I can't wait" --------------- 12 Months later

"See, both Mr. Darcy and Lizzi are seeing things through their own corrupt lenses" you supplied hazily

The warm weather and shining sun had almost put you to sleep.

Then there was Steve's warmth that radiated from where you were leaning against him. His cologne, his soothing voice as he hummed a tune now and then and the comfort of knowing he  was there with you.

Steve and you were sitting in your favorite park. You, with your books and Steve with his sketch pad, as had become the norm for Sundays. Steve always asked you what you were reading and you always asked him what he was drawing.

Steve would show you his sketch if you would give him a summary of the book you were reading and answer his questions. You borrowed a few books from Mr. Stark's library every time you went home.

There was something about reading a physical book that you loved.

You had grabbed your all time favorite this morning while stepping out to Steve's bike.

"Usually people assume that one character had pride while the other had prejudiced views but I feel that they both had pride and their own prejudices. For instance, Lizzy knows what Mr. Darcy is saying about her family is true and on occasions, she has pointed out the same to her mother and sisters, even her father, but she is wounded when Mr. Darcy states the same. Her mind sees Mr. Darcy is a spoiled rich man with no compassion or heart" you went on, now glancing at Steve "but we should always remember, never judge a book by it's cover... or initial few pages" you stuck your tongue out at your own silliness.

Steve had this wistful smile on his face "Yeah, sometimes the first few pages cannot tell you the full story"

"That's why I read all books that I begin till the end" you all but whispered to Steve seeing how close he had come to you.

"I am so happy that you do" Steve whispered back. Just one inch, that's all you needed.

And then Steve's phone went off.

You both jerked away.

Steve took the call while you hid behind your book for the rest of the day. ---------------- 18 Months Later

"You will call me as soon as you reach" you repeated for the 5th time.

"I will, first things" Steve promised.

Steve had been enrolled in a 1 year MBA from a university in another country, as per his father's wishes. Apparently, it was a rite of passage all children in his father's circle had to go through. You were told by Nat that James, or Bucky as she called him, had been there too.

Like that was supposed to make you feel better.

Not that you could ask Steve to stay. You weren't officially dating.

You didn't know what was holding Steve or you back. Well, you knew what was holding you back. You didn't know what you would do if Steve rejected you.

You were sure he had feelings for you but you still felt that there was a wall between you two and you had solid reasons.

You had never, not once, met any of Steve's friends. Not even as a friend.

He always came to you, the area where you lived. Never the other way around.

He hadn't added you in any social media accounts he had.

There was a small part of you, which was growing everyday, that believed he was embarrassed to be seen with you. Not that Steve ever made you feel like that when you were together.

But then there was this glaring fact that he never asked you out on a proper date. It was always a plan to 'hang out'.

And that he hadn't even kissed you yet.

And now he was leaving for 12 months.

"I will miss you" Steve looked at you with such a rueful smile that you had to look away.

"Well, I will be right here. Literally, I will wait for you right here, at the airport gate, with a bunch of welcome home balloons and a six pack of your favorite. Who knows, maybe I can convince Ms.Hella to start an airport outlet and I will meet you inside, waiting with your regular order as soon as you land" you tried to lighten the mood.

"I will touch down at the airport every weekend then" Steve smiled which did not reach his eyes.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Mr. Rogers" You turned to him and smiled, having reached the security check.

Steve was hugging you the next second. Arms squeezing you tight while he murmured in your ear " I will miss you sweetheart, So much."

You took a deep breath to hold your tears in "I will miss you too".

You stood like that for a moment. You pretended not to notice the way Steve smelled your hair and planted a lingering kiss on your hair.

You both reluctantly parted.

"I will see you soon stranger" you whispered and started stepping back.

You had to let him go before you did something stupid. But ultimately, Steve beat you to it.

He grabbed your arm as you were about to turn away, jerked you forward, and planted his lips on yours.

There was nothing soft about the kiss. It was bruising. It was months of pent up frustration, attraction and tension all coming to the fore.

One of his hands was tangled in your hair while the other was like a steel band around your waist. You didn't know when your hands ended up crushing the t -shirt material around his chest. It was all tongue and teeth and desperation.

When you both came up for air, Steve looked absolutely wrecked.

He held you close and pressed 6 more quick kisses on your lips.

I *kiss* will *kiss* miss *kiss* you *kiss* so *kiss* much *kiss*

With that, he loosened his grip on your waist and hair and stepped back. Hair out of place and cheeks flushed crimson.

He let out a deep exhale and turned around, speed walking through security, not looking back once.

While you stood there, rooted to the spot for a few minutes, trying to catch your breath and quell the butterflies in your stomach, wondering what the hell just happened.

[artificialqueens]

Hyacinth (Shalaska) - Freyja

A/N: hello!!!!!!!! remember when I said I wasn’t ready to let wild flower go? Yeah. This is that. You can read this without much confusion if you haven’t read WF, especially if you’re like me and just want fun times with jealousy, but there’s a few spoilers in here, just fyi. I have at least one other spin off in the works - stay posted for more. I also want to thank @aqcitrus for writing the actual, you know, smut scene in here. They’re a real one and also a complete talent. Thank you to Frey for betaing on her first day off 💖 

I hope y'all enjoy!!

Summary: Sharon won’t stop flirting with Willam. Alaska can’t quite keep her jealousy under control. Sharon thinks this is very amusing - and, just a little bit hot. Fluff & smut. 4k.

🌸

Alaska adores their family dinners.

It’s something that had started the week they got Sharon back, when everyone had functioned as a single unit with Sharon as the very annoyed, very grumpy epicenter. They’d actually been eating dinner together for the first time, instead of everyone grabbing something from the stewpot throughout the night, and they’d had so much fun laughing and talking, that the behavior had stuck even after Sharon’s burns were long healed.

The dinners make Alaska feel warm, happy - with everyone gathered around and laughing at jokes that she makes, or listening to ideas she suggests, they soothe her still persistent urge to belong. She loves the proud, pleased gleam in Sharon’s eyes that appears whenever they first sit down together, loves to cuddle her by the fire and listen to Alyssa’s rambling with her eyes half-shut.

Alaska adores their family dinners. She just doesn’t love the ones where Sharon and Willam sit next to each other.

She’s made the mistake of sitting with Detox tonight, in the hopes of continuing their conversation about the dresses they’d seen in town earlier. Even as Detox discusses it, though, Alaska finds her attention drifting towards Sharon and Willam more often than not, Detox’s voice fading almost entirely into the background.

They’re not doing much, just giggling together like a pair of idiots, but Alaska hasn’t quite been able to brush away the jealous possessiveness that springs up whenever Sharon does so much as smile too softly at the other woman, Willam’s wistful retelling of their affair wedged in her mind like a bullet stuck between her ribs.

“I’m no one’s bitch, Willam,” Sharon is saying, laughter in her voice. “You can get your own bowl. Second bowl, I should say.”

“That was mean,” Willam says, surprised, lips quirked into a half smile. Alaska resents the way her eyes never leave Sharon’s. “For that, you have to get me some.”

“Nice try.”

“What if I told you I’d owe you one?”

Sharon’s smirk curls in the way that means she’s terribly amused, and Alaska’s agitation makes her tap her toes a little. She tells herself she’s being ridiculous, and she tries to turn her attention back to Detox, more than willing to distract herself from Willam’s coy smile and Sharon’s glittering eyes.

She falls back into Detox’s rant about bustles with only a little difficulty, making sure her eyes are on Detox’s expressive gestures rather than Willam’s subtle ones. Off of the way Willam had touched Sharon’s arm with that expression on her face–

Again: she’s being ridiculous.

She manages to listen to Detox for around two minutes before Willam’s voice grabs her attention again, a little louder, now that Sharon’s making her way towards the pot of stew. Evidently, she’s given into Willam’s pleas. Alaska has to push down the jealousy that immediately starts bubbling at the idea.

“Hate to see you leave,” Willam says, her crooked smile firmly in place as she watches Sharon bend over the stew, “love to watch you go.”

“Miss this ass, Willam?” Sharon calls back, filling Willam’s bowl without so much as a glance behind her. Alaska’s heart does a little jab in her chest.

“Every goddamn day,” Willam says. “Miss mine?”

“You wish.”

Alaska doesn’t think her blood pressure has ever been this high, up to and including when she’d shot Solomon in the span of less than a second.

“Shar,” Alaska calls, and miraculously, her voice doesn’t shake. She can only wish that shooting someone would solve her problems right now. “Ready for bed?”

“I don’t know,” Sharon says, and she straightens up, turning back to look at Willam. She raises an eyebrow. “Is Willam?”

“Only if you’re in it,” Willam says, and Alaska suddenly stands, possessive anger making her a little jumpy. Irritation flashes hot in her chest at Willam’s cocky smirk, and she starts speaking before she can really think about what’s coming out of her mouth.

“She’s not going to be,” she snaps. “Sorry, you’re out of luck.”

Willam raises her eyebrows at her, smile falling, her mouth parted with surprise. Alaska bristles as Sharon speaks from behind her, her voice soft with confusion.

“Lasky, what–”

“Forget it,” Alaska says sharply, a little embarrassed by her outburst, but too angry to do anything other than run away. “I’m going to bed.” And with that, she starts towards their tent without a glance behind her, eager to get away from Willam and her flirting and her stupid affair with Sharon.

She looks back only when she’s reached their tent, half expecting to see Sharon only a few paces behind her. She jolts a little when she turns to find nothing. Sharon is still by the campfire with the rest of the women, her lips twisted in thought. Alaska rolls her lips between her teeth as Sharon walks over to hand Willam her bowl, the two exchanging small shrugs and laughing slightly, Sharon’s brow drawn together in a sort of goofy confusion.

Alaska is on the edge of committing her second murder.

She rips the tent flap open with more force than necessary, and she ducks inside, jealous anger and hurt granting her the strength to kick her boots off so hard they go flying to the other side of the tent, hitting the canvas with sharp taps and making it waver with the impact.

She stands by the entrance in her stockings, glaring at the canvas, crossing her arms over her chest and resisting the urge to march down to the fire pit and drag Sharon back with her. She can only imagine what she and Willam are saying to one another, and it has her gritting her teeth.

It’s probably better that she wait for Sharon. Better than starting a fight in the middle of the fire pit.

She’ll be here soon, anyway - if she knows what’s good for her.

Alaska sits down in their mess of blankets, anger still itching under her skin, and she waits, picking at her nails to pass the time and watching the light outside turn from a warm orange to a grey blue to pale moonlight, listening to the distant laughter by the fire slowly trickling away. It’s only around half an hour, but Alaska can feel herself getting more upset with every minute, images of Willam and Sharon in various stages of intimacy flashing through her mind relentlessly.

Alaska lies down, glaring at the tent’s ceiling. She clenches her hands into fists, and she tries to tell herself that she’s being ridiculous. It doesn’t help. She’s just starting to wonder if she should go back to the fire pit to see what’s going on when she suddenly hears Sharon’s voice growing louder as she approaches the tent.

Alaska relaxes, letting out a breath of relief. Sharon is coming - Alaska can just-

“You can’t say you haven’t missed this.”

Willam.

Alaska immediately tenses again, irritated beyond belief and a little betrayed. What the hell is Sharon doing with Willam? Inviting her to fucking sleep with them?

Alaska would rather eat glass.

“I can say whatever I want,” Sharon says, and Alaska can hear the smirk in her voice. She clenches her fists harder.

“I used to be able to make you say anything if I tried hard enough,” Willam says, and Alaska’s breath gets caught in her chest. Judging by the brief silence on Sharon’s end, she’s not the only one. The idea that Willam is able to take Sharon off guard has her sitting up, her anger once again making her restless with the lack of an outlet.

“You certainly had your job with Raja for a reason,” Sharon eventually says, and that smirk is still coloring her words. Alaska huffs, disbelieving. What the fuck.

She listens as they come up in front of the tent and stop, the smell of cigarettes wafting in as Sharon stomps hers out. “True,” Willam says. “You sure you don’t wanna invite me in?”

Alaska bites back her own immediate ‘yes’, crossing her arms over her chest for lack of anything to do, her fingernails digging into her palms as she continues to squeeze her fists.

“I’m pretty sure,” Sharon sighs, and Willam laughs, the sound of it grating on Alaska’s ears. God, if she would just shut up–

“Your loss,” Willam says, cheeky, and Sharon snorts.

“I’ll cry into my pillow,” she says drily. “Night, Wills.”

“Night, Shar,” Willam says, and Alaska rolls her eyes at the nicknames, jealousy threatening to burst out of her at any moment, an absurd possessiveness curling itself around ‘Shar’. That’s Alaska’s - Willam can stick to “Shaz” or whatever else comes out of Jinkx’s mouth.

Alaska makes sure she’s standing when Sharon ducks into the tent, the crisp night air and cigarette smoke coming in with her. Alaska wants to melt at the familiar smell, wants to lie down and curl herself around Sharon like she would normally, but Willam’s ‘you can’t say you haven’t missed this’ has her anger snapping back quickly.

“Took you long enough,” Alaska says, crossing her arms again, and Sharon blinks at her tone.

“Jesus,” she says, tugging her gloves off as she gives Alaska a strange look. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Obviously,” Alaska says, and Sharon frowns.

“What’s with this attitude?” she asks, taking her hat off and tossing it onto one of the crates. “Did I do something?”

“Did you do something,” Alaska repeats, her voice flat with incredulity. “Yeah, you fucking did something.”

Sharon’s eyes widen, and she takes a step forward, looking concerned. Guilt can already be seen in the set of her mouth, and Alaska thinks she has to know that what she was doing with Willam was wrong.

“What did I do?”

“Please,” Alaska snorts derisively.

Sharon makes a frustrated sound. “Alaska, I can’t fix it if I don’t even know what you’re angry about.”

Irritation pops in Alaska’s chest sharply. “What do you think I’m angry about, Sharon?” she snaps. “Think about it!”

Sharon’s gaze drifts off to the side as she thinks, her brow still furrowed in confusion. “Was it something Willam s– oh.” Sharon cuts herself off with a sudden huff of realization, and Alaska waits for her to fall to her knees, begging for her forgiveness.

Instead, Sharon looks at her like she’s trying to hold back a smile. “Did you get jealous, Lasky?”

Alaska feels a blush rush to her face before she can even try to stop it, bristling. “She was flirting with you, Sharon. And you were flirting back.”

Sharon shrugs, trying and failing to keep the corners of her mouth from curving up. “We do it all the time, Lask,” she says. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Then stop doing it,” Alaska shoots back. “You’re mine.”

Sharon’s eyebrows raise, and her smile turns into a smirk, a new expression flickering across her face too quickly for Alaska to read. “Oh, am I?” she asks, and possessiveness flares up in Alaska’s chest.

“Of course you are,” she snaps. “Obviously.”

“Is it really so obvious, though?” Sharon asks, rolling her eyes up like she’s thinking. Questioning. She even taps her chin for good measure. “I don’t know, doll.”

On some level, Alaska knows she’s being teased. This doesn’t stop her anger from sparking in her stomach, and she takes a step forward, arching an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” she asks, and Sharon shakes her head.

“I’m just not sure,” she says. “I think you might just have to show me.”

Oh.

Realization clicks in Alaska’s mind, and it doesn’t take long for her to warm to the game, the urge to do something about the jealousy licking at her heart nearly overwhelming. “Fine,” she says, and she takes another step forwards, so that Sharon is pinned against one of the tent posts.

The smirk on Sharon’s face is infuriating, and Alaska is determined to wipe it away. She closes the gap between them and kisses Sharon roughly, teeth pulling at her bottom lip until she lets out a little whine. Alaska kisses down her face, nipping at her jaw and pushing Sharon’s hair away from her neck so she can suck at the pale skin hard enough to leave a dark, angry mark. Sharon is short of breath already, and Alaska makes another mark, pulling back to admire her work.

Willam won’t be able to ignore them - they’re red now, but Alaska knows they’ll turn purple and stand out against Sharon’s complexion. Everyone else in the camp will know who made them, and the thought makes her smile to herself.

“That all you got, doll?” Sharon teases, but it’s a little more breathless than before. Alaska kisses her again, breathing in the smell of cigarettes on Sharon’s skin, and takes the liberty of unbuttoning Sharon’s shirt until it’s hanging open. She slides a hand up Sharon’s warm sternum, then moves sideways to grasp her breast and squeeze it lightly, thumb circling over her nipple.

Sharon moans, trying in vain to flip their positions, but Alaska grabs her wrists just in time.

“I don’t think so,” she murmurs, pulling Sharon down and away from the tent post. She overshoots it a little, and the two of them end up falling on top of the mess of blankets on the ground, Sharon’s wrists still stuck in Alaska’s grasp. Alaska hesitates, unfamiliar with being on top, and Sharon locks eyes with her.

“C’mon, baby,” she breathes, her voice a little more high-pitched than it usually is, “I thought you wanted to show me who I belong to?”

It’s enough to spur Alaska into pinning Sharon’s hands over her head, her free hand tracing down Sharon’s naked chest. Her shirt has fallen open completely, her torso bared for Alaska and Alaska alone. She ducks her head down to swirl her tongue over Sharon’s nipple and hears a soft gasp that motivates her to continue.

When she’s sure that Sharon won’t move her hands from above her head, she lets her wrists go and uses her newly freed hand to unbuckle Sharon’s thick leather belt. The button of her trousers is next, and then Sharon is lifting her hips so that Alaska can slide them down her legs and toss them in the direction of her bedroll.

Sharon is wet, wet enough that there’s a small patch on her underwear that’s darker than the rest. She spreads her legs shamelessly, and Alaska admires her for a moment. She feels a flicker of pride at the sight, knowing that she’s the one who made Sharon this wet. Not Willam, not anyone else - just Alaska.

“You’re beautiful,” she whispers, and the hint of a blush appears on Sharon’s cheeks. Her fingers press against the wet spot on Sharon’s underwear and she caresses it lightly, making her hips buck up in frustration. Alaska feels no shame in drawing it out for Sharon, feeling just the slightest bit vengeful as she teases her lover for longer than is probably necessary.

“Just - touch me–” Sharon chokes out desperately, squirming beneath Alaska. She’s never acted like this before, never let Alaska completely take the lead and drive her crazy the way she drives Alaska crazy most nights. There’s something beautifully intimate in her submission, and Alaska’s heart swells.

She takes mercy on Sharon and draws her soaking underwear down her legs, settling between her thighs. Sharon’s fingers immediately tangle in her hair, pushing her forward, and Alaska bites back a smile at how needy the motion is. Alaska closes the distance, licking her slowly, and Sharon gasps.

“‘Laska….” The soft moan of her name awakens something in Alaska, and she licks Sharon again before speaking, her own arousal making her voice a little breathless.

“Louder.”

Sharon shudders, and there’s a flash of recognition on her face as she realizes Alaska’s aim. Alaska remains motionless between Sharon’s legs, waiting for an answer. If Sharon wants fulfillment, she has to do what Alaska wants.

“A- Alaska,” she moans, louder this time. Alaska rewards it, tongue working against her, slow and teasing, and Sharon’s fingers tighten in her hair. Sharon whimpers as Alaska changes the pace at random, never quite keeping one tempo for too long. It’s a far cry from the first time she was between Sharon’s legs - now she knows exactly what Sharon likes and what will drive her to the edge. The thought has satisfaction blossoming in her stomach, adding to the heat of everything.

Her arms wrap around Sharon’s strong thighs, pulling her closer as her tongue laps at her wetness, and Sharon’s back arches like a strung bow. She’s close, hips stuttering against Alaska’s mouth, and Alaska smirks as she pulls away. Sharon lets out a broken whine.

“Louder,” Alaska says again. She’s breathing heavily. “Let her hear you.”

It’s clear from the look on Sharon’s face that it’s the last thing she wants to do, and Alaska can’t blame her - Willam will, no doubt, tease her mercilessly for it. Alaska also can’t quite bring herself to care. She flutters her tongue over Sharon’s clitoris for a brief moment, and Sharon’s moan goes up a pitch.

“Alaska…” Her breath catches in the back of her throat. Alaska knows she’s close. “Alaska…” Alaska redoubles her efforts, showering Sharon with affection and pleasure. Sharon’s thighs close around Alaska’s head, trapping her exactly where she wants to be.

“Let her hear you, baby,” Alaska repeats, the words muffled against Sharon’s thigh. “You’re mine.”

“Alaska!”

It’s a long, desperate cry, and Alaska wouldn’t be surprised if it echoes across the entire camp, Sharon convulsing with pleasure. Alaska licks her gently through her release, grinning when the vice of Sharon’s thighs finally releases her with a little twitch. She pulls herself up to kiss her, fingertips dancing over her bare skin, and Sharon greets her eagerly. It’s sweeter than their previous kisses, Sharon completely spent and Alaska too smug to be anything other than happy, and Alaska collapses next to her when they part, still grinning from ear to ear.

Sharon laughs softly, flushed and sweaty. “I almost didn’t think you had it in you,” she says, teasing, and Alaska gives a gentle swat to her shoulder.

“I’ve got a lot in me that you don’t know about,” she tells her, and Sharon chokes on a laugh.

“Yeah?”

Alaska frowns. “What– oh my god! I hate you!” A laugh bursts out of her without her permission, warmth creeping across her cheeks as she swats at Sharon again.

“I would hope not,” Sharon says, a goofy smile on her face as she shifts a little closer. “That would give five minutes ago a whole new context.”

Alaska’s stomach dips. “Was I too rough?” she asks worriedly, looking into Sharon’s eyes for any sign of upset. “Was I–”

“No,” Sharon interrupts, laughing a little. “No, doll, you were perfect. Maybe a little cruel at the end there, but I might have been asking for it.”

“‘Might have’?” Alaska repeats. She sits up to look at Sharon properly, raising an eyebrow. “Do the words ‘show me’ ring a bell for you?”

Sharon flattens her lips into a thin line, biting back what Alaska knows is a shit-eating grin. “Possibly,” she says, and Alaska rolls her eyes.

“You literally asked for it,” she says.

“Fine,” Sharon relents. “I asked for it. It was worth it, though.”

“I’m glad you had so much fun,” Alaska says drily.

“Me too,” Sharon says, smug.

“I hate you,” Alaska says, but she can’t quite keep a straight face. Sharon grins.

“Please, you love me.”

“That, too,” Alaska says. “Worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Sure.”

“I’m serious,” Alaska says, as seriously as she can manage, which is not very much. A cool breeze blows through the tent, coming in through the flap that Sharon hadn’t tied properly, and Alaska shivers. “Jesus, it’s cold.”

She lies back down, searching for a suitable blanket to pull over the both of them. Sharon laughs. “It’s not that bad, Lasky.”

“It is.”

“I’m the one lying in the nude, here.”

“You have a shirt on,” Alaska says teasingly, pausing in her search to poke Sharon in the stomach. Sharon slaps her hand away.

“Barely,” she snorts, motioning to how it’s completely fallen open. She then shimmies it off, tossing it in the vague direction of her coat with a pleased smirk. “There. Fully nude.”

“You’re an idiot,” Alaska tells her. She doesn’t hesitate to take Sharon in, however, transfixed by the expanse of pale skin before her. Sharon smirks.

“You don’t seem too upset,” she says, and she plucks at Alaska’s shirt. “This should come off.”

“So you want me to suffer too?” Alaska laughs, but she raises her hands to the buttons anyway. “I’m cold already!”

“That’s why we have body heat,” Sharon says, snuggling closer and making the process of taking her shirt off much harder. Alaska can’t quite bring herself to push her away, however. “And a lot of fucking blankets.”

Alaska hums in response, flinging her shirt at the set of drawers and starting on her pants, rolling them down towards her ankles and kicking them off. Sharon props herself up on her elbows as she watches, a sinful sort of smile curling its way across her face.

“Sex,” she adds, eyes raking over Alaska hungrily, “sex warms you up, too.”

Alaska laughs, but heat is beginning to pool in her belly, the sight of Sharon laid out next to her like some goddess a little too much to handle. She ignores it, however, in favor of her heavy eyelids, and she shakes her head, smiling at Sharon’s pout.

“It’s late,” she says, turning back to the blankets and willing the butterflies to stop fluttering around in her stomach. “And I think everyone’s going to have enough to talk about tomorrow.”

Sharon’s resulting groan makes her giggle, and when she turns to pull her chosen blanket over them, Sharon’s lying down again, her hands covering her face. “Definitely a good mood killer,” she says, her voice muffled, and Alaska laughs.

“Maybe you should think twice before you start mentioning Willam’s ass,” she says, and Sharon scoffs.

“Willam’s ass is hardly worth this,” she says, and Alaska yanks the blanket over them, lying down and snuggling into Sharon, perhaps a little more vigorously than she would have before Willam had been brought up. The twinge of jealousy is small, however, so she finds it easy to lapse into a comfortable silence, closing her eyes and just listening to Sharon’s steady breathing, relishing in the way their legs intertwine so perfectly.

They lie like that for a while, Alaska drifting further and further into sleep, contentment a comforting weight in her chest. She’s so far from the domestic life she’d been raised for, sleeping in a tent in the mountains with a woman wanted by all 48 states, but she doesn’t think she’s ever felt more at home. The strange domesticity she has with Sharon is special, and her heart swells at just the thought of it - this is hers. Theirs.

“You really don’t have anything to worry about,” Sharon whispers suddenly, sounding sleepy. “With Willam, I mean.”

Alaska lets out a breath, tracing vague patterns onto Sharon’s ribs. “I know. I think I know,” she amends, when Sharon makes a skeptical sound. “You just haven’t told me your side about you and Willam, and when she told hers, it just seemed like… well. I’m prone to jealousy.”

“I’ll tell you soon,” Sharon murmurs, burying her face into Alaska’s collarbone. “And I can’t say I’m complaining about the jealousy.”

“I can’t believe you would take advantage of me like that.”

“Well,” Sharon sighs. “That’s me. Deal with it.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Not really.”

“You’re lucky I love you.”

She can feel Sharon’s smile against her skin, and the feeling making her toes curl.

“I love you too.”