#can hurt/comfort count as fuzzy if it makes your heart melt??? i say yes

[papurgaatika]

All The Quiet Nights You Bear

Pairing: din djarin x gn!reader

summary: Din Djarin is not warm, he does not drink hot drinks, or sit in steamy baths. But for you, he can try.

Tags: angst, din djarin my sweet boy,, bathing, yes this is just giving Din a bath, fluff, hurt/comfort but I'm hurting all of you and comforting him, mention on Din's mother, angst with a happy ending, tooth-rotting amounts of intimacy, non-sexual nudity, no use of Y/N and no description of reader

word count: 1.8k

A/N: Before I start! This is my first official fic that wasn’t a bullet-pointed list I keep in a locked notes app on my phone so I am begging y’all to please be gentle with me. I want to give a MASSIVE shout-out to @joelsdagger for not letting me off the hook and making sure I stick with this, literally would not have been able to do this without her. So the fic: basically I got in the shower one day and thought about Din just being soft, and thus this was born! Fair warning that I Will by Mitski was in heavy rotation while writing this. I literally love him like a real person and he makes my heart hurt and I want to take care of him, so I got self-indulgent. I also don't really know the star wars universe so this is me making shit up as I go!! Anyway!! Peace and love from me I hope y'all love it as much as I do!!

Din Djarin is cold. He slept under the thin sheet he kept in the bunk of the crest for years, his beskar was always cool to the touch, he took cold showers. The idea of warmth never put him at ease either. It seeps into him, clinging to his body under his armor, reminding him of his blaster right after setting it off. He wants to crawl out of his skin anytime he finds himself on a dry planet, sweltering under its suns. 

Din wasn’t used to just how quiet life ended up being on nevarro. Grogu was in school most days, there was relative peace in the area, yet he still found himself clinging to his old self. Never relaxed, always on edge like he was waiting for a fight to break out. You find yourself watching him more closely, recognizing his routines, wanting to put his mind at ease. But how could you? He still took cold showers, quick and precise about it. Never lingering to enjoy the feel of water on his skin, never stopping to relax.

He thinks that the last time he truly took a hot shower was before he took the creed, when his parents were still alive, when he was only Din Djarin the boy, not a mandalorian. It hurt him to think about it, to picture his mother. Her face had grown fuzzy in his memory after decades without her, but he could feel her. The way her eyes were always soft and warm, her voice like the gentle rain that lulled him to sleep when he was young. He missed her. He missed the way she used to hum while warming the water for his bath, the smile on her lips when he would run up to her. He had tried once, to take a warm shower, to try and remember the oils his mother used to use when he was young. It had ended in him slouched over in the bathroom, the steam almost too much, silent sobs tearing through him. So no, din djarin did not take hot showers. 

But you? You were warm. So warm he felt like he was melting every time he even thought about you. The way you kissed his fingers, the gentleness you have while holding Grogu, the look in your eyes when you lay with him. You were all warm showers. The steam that tumbles after you when you open the door lingers around you like it's trying to surround you, to crowd your senses, to be all over you. Everything that din wants to do to you. He would chase after you throughout the whole galaxy if it meant you would say his name, soft and sweet like he was being saved just by hearing it. 

You were the only warmth that he craved. The only heat he allowed himself to enjoy, to truly want. And so when you call him over to the bathroom, voice soft and gentle, he comes. He will always come to you. You smile when he enters the room and takes in the scene in front of him. The bathtub full of water, steam rising from above it. You, with an expression warm enough to rival the water, eyes locked on his. “Come here,” you whispered, taking his hand in yours. He was uncharacteristically slow to move towards you, but you stood there, hand still waiting for his. Your hand took his, your thumb tracing over the side of his fingers so soft he could barely feel it. “Din-” you whisper looking up at him, “let me take care of you, sweet boy” 

That was your boy. The one you were working so hard to melt, to make him soft around the corners. It was rare that he wore the armor anymore, his days usually spent at home with you and Grogu, the need to hide no longer necessary. You bring his knuckles to your lips as a silent promise to be gentle, to not let him break. “Is that okay?” you ask, hand still holding his. 

He nods, not trusting his voice nearly as much as he trusts you, and you smile. God that smile. Din Djarin would live in that smile if he could. The only smile he thinks will be in his mind like his mother’s. You reach for the hem of his shirt, not pulling at it yet, just letting your fingers rest on top of it waiting for any indication that he was okay with it coming off. You hear a small hum leave his throat and you help him take it off. This was a sight you would never tire of seeing. Tan and broad, his tummy soft under your fingers likely because of your cooking, and god was he beautiful. “Always so pretty to look at” Your fingers trail on his chest. You place a kiss over his heart, a gentle reminder that it was yours and that yours was his. 

You watched as he removed the rest of his clothes, admiring the vision that he was. Yours, yours, yours. You nudged him to the bath, waiting for him to get in. He didn't think he could do it. It was hot. It was like the ones his mother gave him. It was not like him. He was not soft or warm, he was cool and hardened from years of fighting. But it was like you. It was for you. And for you, he could do anything. He let out a soft hiss as his feet hit the water, the temperature still taking him by shock slightly.

“It's okay, just relax. I've got you” Your words pulled him from his thoughts, looking over at you with a tilt of his head.

 “You’re not getting in cyar’ika?” he sounds disappointed, almost like he wants to beg you to hold him, but you shake your head at him. 

“This isn’t for me din, just want to help you relax okay?” You move to sit on the stool you put behind the bath, grabbing the basket full of oils and shampoos and letting them fill both of your senses. You use a cup to grab some of the water and pour it over his curls, the strands dampening and sticking to the back of his neck. You take the time to press a soft kiss to his head, nose and lips wet with the water. You pop open the bottle of shampoo you had fought to find. Din rarely spoke of his life before the creed, but you knew enough to set out on a search for it. The aroma of the shampoo grew easier to smell when you poured it into your palm, sandalwood and something almost citrusy being massaged into his hair. Your nails rake over his scalp and press into his forehead where you know he gets headaches. A soft groan leaves his lips, his eyes fluttering shut. 

“Is this alright my moon?” you whisper, not wanting to disturb the peace that had settled into the room along the steam of the bath. 

“It’s perfect my sun,” he replies, words uncharacteristically soft for him. A small smile finds its way to your lips as you continue to massage the soap into his hair before rinsing it out, taking care to not get it in his eyes.

 “Scooch up, I'm gonna do your shoulders” You dip your toes into the water, legs resting against his thighs before grabbing the soap and a washcloth. 

“So pretty for me Din,” a kiss on his neck “always so perfect,” another one above his collarbone “don't know what I would do without you.” a third kiss on his shoulder, right above a scar he had gotten over the course of his career. You let the soap run down his back gently, watching the bubbles drip down and hit the water. You rub small circles into his skin with the washcloth, running water over it to rinse off the soap, before moving to his arms. Even before you had seen his arms, you had known that he was strong. Hunting bounties all day, fighting, piloting the crest, had led to his arms and hands being known for violence, for having blood on them. But not to you. To you they were the ones that draped across your body at night, the ones used to hold your son while you were out in the markets, they were warm and strong and perfect. They shielded you and protected you, and while you didn’t think you could do the same for him, you were willing to try. Your fingers trace patterns over the scars and freckles he has, goosebumps forming on his skin.  He is sitting in front of you in the bath, the water so hot at one point, that his skin is a little red. Your hands are in his hair taking time to wash it, to truly wash it. Your nails rake against his scalp as the shampoo lathers, before you rinse it out taking care to not get it in his eyes. You massage the conditioner into the ends of his hair, before leaning down to press kisses onto his shoulder. 

“Thank you for letting me do this for you my moon” you murmur resting your chin on his shoulder. He lets out a soft hum that you can feel as you’re pressed up behind him. “Thank you for doing it, my sun.” you can feel the water growing colder than you would like under the two of you, so you make quick work of rinsing the rest of the conditioner out of his hair, lightly curling a few strands around your finger as you finish. Neither of you wants to make a move to get out, the warmth of each other making the water’s temperature almost obsolete, but a sneeze betrays him getting a giggle from between your lips, and din swears it’s the sweetest sound he will ever hear. He can feel your lips curled into a smile as you let your forehead fall to rest on the back of his shoulder and shake your head. 

“Time to get out I think,” you say, reaching over to grab a towel for yourself before stepping out and pulling it around yourself. Din stands next, taking his towel from your hands and wrapping it around his waist before pulling you into him, a surprised “oof” leaving your mouth as he holds you against his chest. You blink up at him, eyes twinkling at just the sight of him and raise an eyebrow waiting for him to speak. 

“Thank you cyar’ika,” his words tremble slightly as he takes a deep breath “Really, this was amazing.. Thank you.” He presses a chaste kiss to the top of your head before letting one of his hands capture yours, interlocking your fingers together. “Anything for you my love” you whisper back before nodding softly to your shared bedroom “Come now, let’s just rest for the day.”

[fluffypotatey]

warm coat, for the october theme asks <3

thanks for the ask anon!!! <3

🧥: share a happy or fuzzy scene from your wip!

i have the perfect fuzzy, little scene i wanna share with y'all i hope you enjoy <33333 😽

ok the scene will be under the cut

-

“Don’t worry, Nickie,” Lucy laughs, but it sounds forced in his ears, “I know their feud isn’t my fault.”

“You know what I meant.”

Lucy goes silent again. Nick can hear the distant sound of a police siren and the scratch of tires out his window.

“I just want to help.”

Nick smiles at that. Lucy always seems to feel this need to help anyone she meets and loves. Hell, it’s what made them become friends in the first place. However, Nick started to notice how little Lucy did to take care of herself. How she ignores the stress piling around her and carries burdens too heavy for her to hold just so others can feel relieved of them.

“I know you do,” Nick replies, “but will getting involved help you?”

Lucy forces another laugh. 

“Nickels, wha–what are you talking about? I’m fine. Trust me.”

“I mean it, Lu.”

“Nick,” Lucy says, her voice feels softer and...something else that he can’t quite figure out, “you don’t have to worry about me.”

“That’s what friends are for, though. We worry for each other, we care about each other.” Nick can’t help but scratch the back of his head nervously. “I care about you, Lu. A–a lot and...and you wanting to help your family is great but...I worry what it might do to you.”

“You’re such a softie,” Lucy scoffs, and Nick does as well. 

“Takes one to know one, eh?”

This time, when Lucy laughs, it’s not forced. It’s real, loud, brash, and beautiful. Just the way Nick likes it.

“Thanks for letting me talk to you this late.”

“Anytime.”

They say their goodbyes. Lucy apologizes again for calling him so late, but Nick lets her know that he was never asleep to begin with, causing her to lecture him on having a better sleep schedule. Although, if Nick is honest with himself, he would ruin any sleep schedule he had just to listen to Lucy’s voice

-

gosh they're so precious 🤧

october-themed writeblr ask game

[duskholland]

The Box || Tom Holland

summary ↠ you feel a mysterious object in tom’s pocket... word count ↠ 4.2k. warnings ↠ mildly suggestive, but this is just some very easy domestic fluff :’) a/n ↠ this is a rewrite of a fic I wrote back in 2018! I sat down just to edit it, but I ended up adding 2.5k and changing most of it. lmao. it’s very cute though. very gentle. I was in a proper state after watching cherry, and working on this soothed my soul <3 hope you like it!

if you want to read the original version of this fic, you can find the link for it here <3

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

You wake up to an empty bed and immediately get the suspicion that something is amiss. The sheets are pulled down, the duvet crumpled, and the mattress cool. As you draw your tired fingers over the space beside you, a soft pout finds your lips.

Tom’s away so often that he rarely skips out on the opportunity to cuddle you in the morning, and if he does, he’s always attentive in the way he pulls the duvet to your chin and tucks you in. He knows you hate to be cold, so he’d never usually jump out of bed so recklessly, leaving behind his uncovered side and your leg sticking out the duvet.

Perplexed, you yawn as you sit up. A quick glance at your phone confirms that it’s still early, and you find your confusion about your boyfriend’s disappearance quickly turning into concern. With a furrow to your brow, you slowly get out of bed, groaning softly as your tired limbs stretch and click. There’s an ache between your legs that makes you bite your lip, memories of the night before flittering through your mind like polaroids. You see flashes of a rose-tinted Tom, kissing up your thighs, panting into your shoulder, moaning sweet words of praise against your lips. He’d made you dinner, then laid you down, and you’d felt like the only person in the world as he’d cupped your cheeks and shown how much he loved you.

After pulling on a pair of leggings and a jumper, you find your curious feet taking you off in the direction of the living room. You hear Tom before you see him—the sounds of socks dragging over plush carpet filling the air. He’s pacing, half-naked, thick arms crossed over his bare chest as a few fingers stroke his chin. He’s in a thick pair of fuzzy purple socks, and rounding off the ensemble are some simple grey sweats.

When your boyfriend reaches the other side of the living room, he pivots and starts to walk back towards you, gaze vacant and fixed on the floor. There’s a tenseness to his jaw that you haven’t seen in a while, the valley between his brows pronounced and deep. Stress is obvious in every single part of his person, and it makes you so concerned that you decide to shatter his reverie.

With a gentle clear of your throat, you step forwards.

“Tom?” you say, voice soft. Your eyes widen as he startles, head snapping up, loose brown curls springing through the air. “Baby, are you okay?”

He blinks at you for a few moments, seeming to shake off the daydream as his lips pull into an instinctive smile. When he meets your eyes, the nerves on Tom’s face start to melt. He gives you a tight nod as he walks towards you, folding into your outstretched arms and immediately burying his face in the crook of your neck.  

“I’m fine,” he vibrates, voice dark and husky like it always is in the morning. “Are you?”

You cup the back of his head with your palm, dragging your fingers through his curls in a way that soothes him. He’s so warm, his arms strong as they wind around your waist and hold you in a tight hug. Your heart beats a little faster at his question. He’s always been so attentive, even in times like these where it’s clear that he’s significantly worse off than you.

“I’m okay,” you respond. You press a soft kiss to his forehead, and he releases a quiet sound of approval, snuggling closer. “You weren’t there when I woke up.” You pause for a few moments, hesitating. “Is something wrong? Is this about last night?”

You know that Tom loves you. He shows you every single day that he adores you. He leaves your special mug out by the kettle, brings home your favourite snacks from the shops, does your dreaded household tasks unprompted. He looks after you when you’re ill, has all the names of your extended family memorised, and always does his best to coax a smile onto your face. His love for you is as obvious as the stars that twinkle in the sky.

Yet, he left you alone, and he’s stressed, and even as you’re voicing your concerns, you can feel him tug himself free from your embrace. It’s hard not to focus on the loosening of his arms and think about his odd behaviour from the last few days. Tom’s been on his phone more, acting scatter-brained and nervous. You don’t doubt his love, but with his life as hectic as it is, you worry about him.

“Last night?” Tom says. He pulls back, warm hands falling to your waist as he peers at you, shaking his head. “Darling.” He frowns. “Last night was amazing.” His lips pull into a slight smirk as he squeezes your hips, eyes glinting a shade darker. “I had fun. Didn’t you?”

You press a light kiss to his cheek, shifting both of your hands to cup his face. His skin is so soft beneath your fingertips. “I had a nice time,” you agree, pushing back the memories before you can get too lost in them. “You’ve been stressed recently,” you observe, treading gently. “You know you can talk to me, right? About anything.”

Tom closes his eyes, inhaling a quick breath. “Yeah... I know. I… Yeah. I’m fine.”

You play with a few strands of his hair, trying not to frown too much. “Are you sure?”

He pries open an eye, the honeyed hues of brown bringing you a sense of comfort. “I’m a little stressed at the moment. I have to do something today, and I… I’ve been thinking about it a lot, love… A lot.” He breaks into a breathless chuckle, swallowing nervously. “It’ll be fine. I know it will, but I… I can’t stop thinking about it.” Tom’s gaze shadows a little, and he swallows. “You do… You do love me, don’t you?”

“You have to know how much of a silly question that is.”

Tom bites at his lip as he sheepishly averts his gaze. “Yeah…” He’s sly as he gently pushes forwards to kiss your cheek. “‘Know you really loved me last night,” he rasps into your ear.

You roll your eyes, but you’re glad to see there’s some colour coming back to his cheeks. “What are you doing that’s got you so nervous?”

“Oh… Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

Tom looks a little perkier now as he glances at you. “Nothing,” he repeats. “Well, a secret,” he clarifies. “I can’t tell you yet.”

Immediately you pout. “But why?” you whine, pulling your hands away from his face. “You can’t say all that and then not tell me what you’re doing.”

“Yes, I can.” He grins as he steps back, only leaving you once he’s kissed your lips. He hesitates for a moment before adding, “I love you. So much, darling.”

“I know,” you respond, tilting your head to the side as you look at him curiously. “I love you too.”

“Good. Good…” Tom steps back, briefly glancing behind you to the living room wall. His eyes widen as he looks at the clock. “Fuck,” he mutters. “I need to go.”

Tom runs away before you have a chance to catch him, stumbling back into the bedroom as he mutters something about finding some clothes. You decide to leave him to it, a yawn reminding you of how early it still is. You wonder for a moment why he hadn’t mentioned he had an early call time last night, but he’s been so all over the place recently that it doesn’t surprise you.

As you wait for Tom to re-emerge, you walk over into the kitchen, flicking on the kettle. You can hear him whistling to himself through all the open doors, and the melody mixes with the sound of your teaspoon bumping against the ceramic of your mug. It’s your favourite one—Tom had brought it back from Paris for you.

You’ve just settled at the kitchen table when Tom bursts back into the room, properly clothed and considerably more at ease. His hair is a little wild, but he’s in a pair of jeans and a lilac hoodie, and he wears his smile with confidence.

“Did I tell you that you look gorgeous this morning, darling?” Tom murmurs. He springs across to you, grabbing his keys from the bowl on the counter as he goes. When he reaches you, he tightly cups your cheeks and presses a lingering kiss to your forehead. “Because you are, y’know? The most beautiful woman in the world.”

You chuckle as you sit back in your chair, cheeks aching from your dopey smile. “Thank you,” you respond. “You’re looking very handsome yourself.”

Tom pulls on his jacket and then reaches down, stealing your mug of tea and taking a long sip before you have time to warn him about how hot it still is. You watch as he splutters, cheeks burning red as he releases a yelp of pain.

“Fucking hell!” he yells, cursing a little more as he puts the mug back down. Tom sticks out his tongue, tenderly reaching up to poke at the tip as he winces. “Ow,” he whines, the word garbled around his open mouth. “It hurts.”

He looks very sweet standing there, and for a moment, you wonder how it’s possible to love someone so much. Your affections smother your chest, and you almost choke up as you’re briefly overcome with a sensation of utter adoration. It’s so intense that it almost hurts, but it aches in the most wonderful way.

You stand quickly and press a soft kiss to the tip of Tom’s tongue. He smiles and retracts it, chasing after your lips until he’s able to kiss you.

“It’s Harrison’s birthday party tonight,” Tom says as he steps back, shoving his phone into his pocket. “I’ll be back from set at 9, then we can go. Is that still okay?”

You nod. “Yeah,” you reply. “Have a good day doing whatever it is you’re doing.”

He smirks elusively, then presses a final peck to your cheek before turning towards the porch. “Bye!” Tom pauses in the doorway to look back and send you a few air kisses, and you pucker your lips and send a couple back. The front door closes with a gentle click, and your smile lingers on.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

You think about Tom’s behaviour all day, flipping between confusion and adoration as easily as the wind changes its mind. When 5pm rolls around, you find your way back home, and you spend a few hours milling around before you get ready for the event.

With your dress on and your bag slung over your shoulder, you wait in the porch for Tom to pull up, scrolling through your phone with a crease between your brows. Time is ticking, and with every second your boyfriend fails to show, the nearer you get to being late for the party.

When there’s a bright burst of light and the crunching of gravel, you glance up to see Tom’s headlights douse the driveway to your house. You’re surprised when he clambers from the car instead of jauntily honking the horn as he’s taken such an irritating liking to doing. You watch him mess around with his jeans before hurrying along the front path, pushing open the front door a moment later and startling when he sees you waiting.

“Oh!” he exclaims wide-eyed. His hand drifts down to rest over the left pocket of his jeans. “You’re here?”

You pull a face. “Yes? Hello to you too.”

Tom grunts as he moves forward to kiss you hastily, jumping back when you try to pull at his waist and bring him nearer. As you’re left baffled by his behaviour again, he seems to swallow down a lump in his throat.

“Hi,” he corrects, smiling nervously. “I, uh… I’m going to go and change.”

You wince. “We don’t have time,” you point out, reaching out to gently tug on his sleeve. You turn around, reaching back to pluck one of Tom’s stylish jackets from a peg. You offer it to him with a smile. “Try this,” you suggest. “We really need to go, though, Tom. Haz won’t let us live it down if we’re late to another one of his parties.”

Tom hesitates. You watch as he digs his hand into his left pocket, clucking his tongue. “I… Yeah. Okay. You’re right.” His eyes flutter back to the main body of your house, but his reluctance fades when you nod and peck him on the cheek. He easily pulls off his hoodie before replacing it with the jacket, the red of the smart coat complementing his black t-shirt.

“C’mon,” you urge. “Do you want me to drive?”

He begrudgingly follows you out of the house, locking up behind you both before slipping into the passenger seat. As you navigate the roads, Tom keeps you company, nurturing a constant dialogue as he chats to you. He avoids all of your questions about his day and his mysterious engagement, redirecting everything you say into a comment about you and your activities. It’s cute how much he cares, but you get a distinct feeling that he’s trying to distract you.

Harrison’s birthday party is being held in a bar in central London, and you find him easily amongst the throes of people. Tom’s holding onto your hand, standing back, quieter, as you pass over your gift to his best friend with a smile on your face.

“Happy birthday, Haz!” you exclaim, beaming at the man. Harrison kisses your cheek as he grins, cheeks flushed from the booze and warm atmosphere. When Tom is noticeably quiet beside you, you squeeze his hand and glance back at him, raising a brow.

“Oh,” Tom mutters, blinking a few times. “Sorry,” he adds. “Happy birthday, Harrison.”

Harrison rolls his eyes. “‘S alright, mate. You already passed on your congratulations earlier. Thanks, though.”

Your friend is pulled away by his sister a few moments later, leaving you with a confused furrow to your brow. You turn around to look at Tom, tilting your head to the side.

“Wait, when did you see Harrison?” you ask. “Weren’t you at work today?”

Tom reels you in by the hands, knocking his lips up against yours and disrupting your words. “Doesn’t matter,” he soothes, rolling his fingers gently across the sides of your face. “Let’s just have a good party, yeah?”

You melt into him with ease. “Okay,” you agree. His lips are warm and seductive as he kisses you again, deeper, harder, stronger.

Something is in the air. As a pair, you make a few rounds of the party, but somehow, you always end up huddled in a back corner together. As the alcohol flows and your friends around you get less and less observant, it happens more often. It isn’t long until Tom’s tugging you down onto a secluded armchair in the corner of the artsy bar. Your lips find home in his, slotting together as they always do.

As you shift in his lap, part of you feels guilty for blowing off Harrison’s birthday, but another part—a darker, hungrier part—demands you stay exactly where you are. You’re awfully comfortable with Tom’s hands on your hips and your legs spread over his thighs, content with the shadowy lighting leaving you secluded from the rest of them.

“Oh god,” Tom moans, speaking against your lips as he kisses you between laboured breaths. “Fuckin’ perfect woman, eh?”

You suck on his lower lip, smirking as you feel him whine. He discreetly grinds up into you, and you bite back a whimper. “Tom,” you whisper. You move your mouth to his ear, stroking your fingers through his curls as you brush your lips over his tender skin. “We shouldn’t do this here. We can’t go home just yet.”

He groans, head dropping down to your collarbones. When you expect him to agree and help you up, Tom instead seems to decide that his time would be better spent marking up your neck. Your pulse roars through your ears as he takes time licking and sucking and biting your skin, stretching from the base of your neck all the way up, up, up, soft lips suckling below your ear. By the time he reaches your face, you’re squirming, heat pounding in your body as desire replaces any wish to stay at the party.

“We should just go home,” Tom pants, lips red and inflamed. Your fingers drag over them until he uses his tongue to lick over the pad of your thumb. “I can’t take being here.” His voice drops down to a low grumble as he shifts in the chair, “‘m so hard, sweetheart.”

Wanting to feel for yourself, you shuffle up his lap, eyebrows furrowing together when instead of feeling his hardness, your knee knocks against something firm lodged where his pocket is. Confusion replaces lust as you tilt your head to the side. “Wait, what’s that?” you muse, unable to believe that his arousal has manifested itself in his jean pocket. Intrigued, you poke the object, pressing harder as your brows furrow.

Tom’s eyes widen. “O-Oh, no, that’s something else.” His hands go down to your waist as he tries to gently push you off his lap. “Just ignore it.”

But your curiosity has been piqued, and before you can stop yourself, you’ve reached up and dug your fingers into his tight jean pocket. It’s dim and dark in your secluded corner, and you find yourself squinting as you bring the small object closer. Too focused on your task to hear Tom’s noises of panic, you pull it up into the air. As the first dredges of realisation wash over you, you’ve got it half-open, and it’s too late to stop yourself.

There is a glistening engagement ring embedded inside the silky black box, glinting magnificently.

Your jaw drops.

A few moments pass in silence, the air between you being filled by the songs coming from the bar. Your thumb wanders absently over the edge of the jewel as you peer at it, heart throbbing in the back of your throat. Guilt twists into you, mixing with your excitement and your shock, and you look up at Tom, tears pooling in your eyes.

He’s looking at you, nerves written all over his face. His teeth are bared, and his eyes are wide with shock, every inch of him seized up and tense. When Tom sees your tearful expression, he blinks a few times, clearing his throat as he tenderly reaches up to cup your face in a hand.

“Darling…” he starts, voice softer than before. He drums his index finger over your temple as he manages a tense smile. “What’s going on up here?”

You open and shut your mouth a few times before finally finding the words.

“I’m sorry,” you manage, voice thick. “I…” You take a breath, looking away. Your mind starts to spin, suddenly kicking back to life as you recover yourself. “Wait… Why have you got this in your pocket? Did… Oh. Did you get this today?”

Everything makes sense. His nerves all week, his pacing this morning. The fact he’d left suspiciously early and met up with Harrison without you. Tom’s conflict when you’d pushed him out the door instead of letting him enter your house and stash the little black box before leaving for the party.

“Yeah,” he admits, running a hand through his hair. His chest is rising and falling quickly, his jaw still tense. “What do you think? Do… Do you like it?”

You nod wordlessly before looking up at him, lower lip wobbling. “I ruined it,” you lament. You fall forward, groaning as you rest your forehead on Tom’s shoulder. He chuckles, dusting the top of your head with light kisses as he hums.

“You didn’t,” he assures you. “I’m just a twat and didn’t hide it properly.” He falls silent for a few moments, warm hands wandering your back. “Y/N, darling… You… You would want to get married though, yeah?” His voice is light and high-pitched and full of so much uncertainty it makes you bolt upright.

“Tom,” you say, voice soft. You balance the box between you and reach up to take his face in your hands, admiring his handsome features with your fingers. “I would love to marry you,” you whisper. You feel yourself well with emotions again, but you let them build. You don’t mind if he sees you vulnerable.  

Tom releases a deep breath, his own face twitching as relief ripples across his eyes in the form of light tears. He leans closer and kisses you very gently, his mouth soft and tender as if he’s savouring it. When Tom pulls away, he keeps his forehead pressed to yours, the tip of his nose cool against yours.

“I love you so much,” he says slowly. “Every day, I wake up beside you, and I wonder what I did right to deserve being loved by someone as wonderful as you. I hate being away from you, and I think about you all the time.” Tom cracks a soft smile, his voice quivering. With trembling fingers, he reaches between you both and picks the box from between you both.

You gasp softly as he pulls back, squeezing your hip softly before holding the box out in front of you. The diamonds sparkle, blurred by your tears.

“Y/N… I didn’t plan to do this tonight, and I know this is sudden, and I know you deserve a proposal a thousand times more romantic than… than at Harrison’s fucking party, but I can’t wait another moment.” He swallows as he pulls the ring from the bed of silk. Tom’s gaze is unwavering as he looks back to you, speaking passionately. “There’s nothing else I want in life apart from you. I promise that I will love you for the rest of my life, darling, if only you’ll let me. So…” Tom’s lips pull into a small smile. “Would you do me the honour of marrying me?”

The world stops, and everything fades until it’s just you and Tom and the ring held between you. Without hesitation, you nod your head, two stray tears dripping down your face.

“Tom… You could ask me to marry you anywhere, and I’d say the same thing.” Your heart pounds in your ears. “Yes. I would love to be your wife.”

Tom releases a strangled sound of relief, and you both look down as he hurries to push the ring down your finger. It’s cool against your skin, but before looking at it, you find yourself leaning in to kiss him. Both of you are smiling, and you think he’s crying too. His hand shakes as he holds yours, and when you pull away to admire the ring, Tom loops both arms around your waist.

“It’s so pretty,” you muse. You roll your thumb across the glittering gem. You feel so warm inside your chest. “Did you pick this out yourself?”

Tom makes a noise of disagreement. He cuddles in closer, burying his face in your neck and leaving a few soft kisses to your skin.

“Haz helped, and so did mum. Thought she’d have better ideas than him.” Tom pauses, and you feel him smirk against your neck. “I was right.”

Your heart softens a little at the revelation. “Do you think he’ll be upset that we’ve upstaged him at his party?”

Tom peels back from your neck, pressing his lips to your jaw as he chuckles. “Let’s...maybe not mention it tonight.”

You run your hand through his hair, eyes catching on the way the diamond cascades with shards of light. “Okay,” you agree. You lean closer to kiss the tip of his nose. “Are you sure you’re not mad I ruined this?”

Tom shakes his head. “Absolutely not, love. If anything, this just makes it more special.” He shoots you a toothy grin. “Don’t know what I’ll do with all the stuff I bought to use in the proposal, though.”

You smirk softly. “Well, who says you can’t do two proposals?” you say, intending for it to be a tease, only to widen your eyes when Tom’s entire face lights up. “Wait— babe, I was kidding, you don’t need to do another—”

“Shhh.” Tom cuts you off with a kiss. “Pretend that this conversation never happened.”  

“What, even the proposal—”

“No.” He’s grinning, eyes dancing with amusement. “You’re marrying me.”

Your lips twitch as you give him a slight nod. “Yeah. And you’re marrying me.” Tom kisses you again, and you fall back into his lap with ease. For a few moments, you make out with him, the temperature in your body rising until you remember what started off the conversation, an eternity ago. “Can we go home now, Tom?”

He’s a little slow to respond as he chases your lips, but the smile you share feels like dawn breaking for the first time.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “I’ll take you home, fiancé.”

And you like the sound of that. You really like the sound of that.

“Okay, fiancé.”

Judging by the unstoppable grin that finds Tom’s face as he hears you speak, you have a feeling that he likes the sound of it too.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

:’))) im going to be rewriting/reworking a few of my older fics! if there are any in particular you’d like to see refreshed, lmk? 

lmk what you thiiiiink !!! <3<3<3<3

masterlist + taglist through the link in my bio wahey :D

[whatifxwereyou]

The Oncoming Storm Part 14: Devil

Liu Kang x Reader and Kung Lao x Reader (gonna do both, two paths!)

A bit more plot stuff with a bit more fluff and just... Liu Kang. Yes. Thank you guys for reading~~ Next update is saturday. Not sure I can do double update, you will see why on Saturday!!! <3

Part 13 Part 15 Chapter Index

When you opened your eyes next, you were in utter darkness. For a brief second, you panicked that you’d lost your sight or were having a vision but then realized that wasn’t the case. Liu Kang’s arms were wrapped around you with the weight of sleep. You were not blind, but instead tucked under a blanket and buried against his bare chest. Apparently, you had fallen asleep next to each other, laid down, and tangled yourselves together. The blankets were pulled high and you were nearly completely covered. His chin rested against the top of your head and you could feel the calm, slow rising and falling of his chest.

This hadn’t been the first time you’d fallen asleep next to him, not by far, but it was the first time where you’d woken up and found that he was still there. You tugged on the blankets just enough to free your face, careful not to disturb him. You gasped at the cool air of the rest of your room. Liu Kang made everything warm, and you had no idea if it was because of his arcana or if it were just part of your attraction to him. You were grateful that the night had been colder. Liu remained dead asleep with his arms around you, though he shifted his head to the side so you could move a bit more freely.

There was nothing to do but to admire him in the silence of your room. You could see little beyond him and his arms, while slack, were firmly around you. From a glimpse at the window, you thought it was likely still the middle of the night. You were grateful for the moment of peace. Your heart had been so heavy over the past few days that it was a reprieve. The strength of his arms around you and the stillness of the hour were beautiful reminders that things would be okay.

You peered behind you carefully and caught a glimpse of the book and journal neatly resting on top of your desk. This hadn’t been you accidentally falling asleep together. He had, at some point, gotten up, put the books away, and then made the decision to crawl backinto your bed to hold you and rest. You couldn’t say you would have done any differently had the tables been turned, but it was comforting that he had thought to do it.

It still left you wondering what any of it meant, but you decided in that moment, that perhaps you didn’t need to know. Perhaps it would be best to live in the moment and what would be would be.

You decided to try and sleep again but as you closed your eyes, the darkness felt different. In your mind’s eye there stood a man, horned like a demon. His body shifted and changed from monstrous fiery beast and back to a cloaked man. He walked along a path through mountains so tall that they rose above the clouds that gathered about them like the sea. Trees sprouted along his path, growing at odd angles, as if they were gnarled by invisible hands. The creature walked along an ancient path and into a small cavern, hidden beyond a waterfall in the cliffside.

You tried to shake off the dream, but you couldn’t. It wasn’t a dream. You panicked. It was a vision! The creature turned to look you dead in the eye and suddenly your head was screaming in agony. You tried to close your eyes, to escape from the pain and his gaze that gnawed at you, eyes flashing from yellow to red- but there was no escape. You couldn’t control the vision in your head, couldn’t escape it. And the creature knew you were there. He grinned at you and drew closer, sickly hands reaching to grasp you.

Then, in a flash, he was far away, as if he had never looked upon you. He searched the cavern for others, as though what he did there were secret. Then he placed something within the bubbling waters at the center of the cavern. Your head ached again and you caught the hectic, rapid images of dead men in intricate robes. They were too fast to catch or understand.

You tried to scream as the world rushed suddenly around you. It felt as though you were falling from the top of that incredible mountain. When you finally stopped, you were barely aware of your body. Surrounding you was a bright turquoise lake, the water bubbled. It looked fake. Water couldn’t be that color. It was in a crater of some kind and then you knew without having to think further as though the knowledge had been granted to you. A caldera. That seemed right.

A shrine stood in the distance, a Buddhist shrine, you thought. You recognized Japanese kanji on pieces of paper hanging from the roof. The lake was steaming behind you, bubbling, and as you turned back to the shrine, the creature returned to your vision. He walked into the temple. The flowers that grew in pots on the stairs wilted as he passed them. You followed him beyond your will into the shrine. When he turned to face you, the air left your lungs and you struggled to breathe. Pain racked your body. The ringing of a dolorous bell shattered your thoughts and your body crashed into water.

It was blood red and the man stood over the water that drowned you, looking within as if not seeing you. His hand touched the surface and you tried to shut away the image to no avail.

You gasped and choked, and your eyes snapped open. You couldn’t breathe and there was something forceful and heavy pinning your arms and legs into place. It was Liu Kang, and his eyes were wide and full of fear. “Y/N! Y/N! Come back!” He was shaking you, trying to urge you awake. His open shirt was torn at his shoulder, dripping with ink and blood. You realized why you couldn’t breathe and choked on the ink bubbling in your throat. “Y/N?” He caught your eyes, desperately, hands moving to your cheeks at once. “Y/N, are you there?”

“Liu?” You felt the ink drip over your lips, but it choked you. Liu released his grasp on you and helped you move to the side. You coughed and ink poured past your lips and onto the floor. He rubbed your back and helped you clear it from your throat, urging you to breathe slower. Even so, you could feel his hands trembling. Either that or you were shaking so much that you were also shaking him.

He held you as you coughed, soothing you. After you wiped your lips, he helped you sit upright. “Breathe, Y/N.” He pushed your hair back, resting his hand again on your cheek. “Say something, please.” Your head was spinning. You tried to talk but the words didn’t come and you gasped for breath again. Panic. You were having a panic attack.

“I can’t.” You wheezed. Forcefully, but still somehow careful, Liu urged you into his arms, took your hands and then urged them both against his chest. His heart was hammering beneath your fingertips.

“Then breathe with me, Y/N.” His voice was desperate, begging you to try. You took a shaky breath in when he did and though it took a few times and his grip on you was so tight that you couldn’t move much on your own, you managed to finally breathe. The panic that had taken complete control of you melted away slowly.

You were still in your room.

Liu Kang held you, still counting breaths.

You hadn’t gone anywhere. You were safe.

It had been a vision. Nothing more. No one had seen you or taken you or hurt you.

You lifted your head up and Liu relaxed his grip. Then you wrapped your arms around him and buried yourself against his chest. You gripped at the back of his loose shirt and your body was racked with sobs. He held you tight, one arm around your middle, the other hand in your hair as he held you close. He pushed your hair back, examined your face, sighed in relief, and then allowed his hand to brush up and down your back to soothe you. “It’s okay.” He whispered, his voice no longer panicked or shaking.

You fought back the sobs and the tears and managed them away, catching your breath. Certain you could keep your composure you leaned away from his chest. Then you carefully grasped his right arm and marveled at the sleeve, torn, and stained with blood and ink. “It’s fine, Y/N.” He sensed your worry and assured you but it didn’t make you feel any better.

“I attacked you again.”

“You attacked something. Not me. It’s really fine. Just a scrape.” He assured you but he was just like you, diffusing your worry without actual proof. You tugged at the tear and tried to wipe the ink away to find the source of the blood. He grabbed your hand to stop you and pulled it to his chest. His other hand guided your cheek so you would stop staring at his shoulder. “I’m fine. I promise. Trust me.”

You nodded and tried your best not to worry but the guilt still ate you up inside. He wouldn’t lie to you. If he needed attention, he would ask for it. Liu wiped your face, presumably of ink, thumb following over your cheek bone, your jaw, and then beneath the curve of your lower lip.

“I’m sorry.” You managed to say, breath still shaky.

“Don’t be.” He rested his forehead against yours and let out a deep sigh. “We were sleeping and then you were…” He shook his head in disbelief. “Did you see something again?”

“Yeah.” You coughed and tried to relax but it felt impossible. He let go of your hand and rested it against your chest so he could feel your heart beating. You thought that checking your pulse at your throat was probably just as easy but found no reason to object.

“You’re breathing is still funny.”

“Yeah, I panicked. It’ll calm down.” You assured him. That was the last thing you needed, was him to worry about your breathing. “Everything’s still fuzzy.” The ringing in your ears returned and you hung your head and winced. It was painful to focus on what you’d seen and what had happened just before it. “…you stayed?” You weren’t sure why, of all the things that you could ask, that was what you wound up saying. Your thoughts were scattered, fragmented in ways that made it difficult to find clarity. Plus, your mouth seemed to have a way of betraying you lately.

“Yes. You were… at peace and I… then… you woke up and that ink arcana of yours? Well, it’s impressive to say the least.” He rotated his shoulder and you escaped his arms, much to his surprise. He seemed jolted by how quickly you’d done it. Honestly, you were surprised by how fast and steadily you could move too. You retrieved the first aid kit that Chen had sent with you on one of your many trips to the infirmary. “I’m fine, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry, Liu.” You didn’t listen to him that time. Even if it were just a scrape, you would take care of it. He’d spent so much of his time taking care of you, worrying about you, that you would return the favor whether he wanted it or not. You took a seat in front of him. Instead of arguing, he pulled his shirt off and draped it over the side of the bed so that you wouldn’t have to fight with the torn cloth to get to the wound. You cleaned up the ink and were grateful to find that he had been correct. It was just a scrape. You hadn’t thought he’d been lying but you also thought that hadn’t had time to see the true extent of the wound with all the chaos that had come with it. His skin was barely broken but it would likely bruise something fierce by morning. “I’m sorry.” You repeated, guilt dripping from every word.

“Don’t be.” Liu took your hand away from your task. “I’m fine. I’m more worried about you. Are you okay?” He gently tilted your chin from side to side, searching your neck and face for damage. You couldn’t help but smile even if it faltered quickly. He then urged his hand over your side, where he knew you were wounded. “Is that…?” He tugged at the shirt.

“I’m okay, I think. Just freaked out.” You took his hand and held it between both of yours. Liu breathed a sigh of relief. You sat together like that, you holding his hand close to your chest, his other hand resting on your knee.

“What did you see?”

“I… it’s hard to explain. It’s like… something in my head is all jumbled up afterward. Like someone took all my thoughts and shook them up. Nothing makes sense. There was… a man… I think it was a man, at least.”

“The same dark man?”

“No, I’m not even really sure that he was a man. He was also a monster. He was... hiding something, I think? Two things. I saw flashes of faces and… heard this sad… I think it was a bell or a chime. The… the second place was definitely in Japan. I saw writing in a temple there. It’s… god it’s so fuzzy.” You held your head and Liu pushed your hair back.

“A man but also a monster? What kind of monster?”

“I… he had horns? And sometimes his body was… like magma. I’d… I’d use the word demon. Does that seem silly?”

“Nothing seems silly to me anymore.” Liu turned to the mess of ink on your sheets and blankets then leaned his head back with a heavy sigh. “We should talk to Raiden.”

“It’s the middle of the night. We’ll disturb him again.”

“I know. We should though, shouldn’t we?”

“Time won’t change what I saw. It never did. I…” You furrowed your brow. “I think we should wait until morning. I’m exhausted. I don’t think I can walk there.”

“Okay.” You were surprised that he’d agreed with you since the last time you had a vision, he had nearly dragged you to the infirmary. This time he had been far easier to convince. You imagine this had been exhausting for him too. “You’re right. There’s no need to panic anyone. It doesn’t seem like a warning of imminent danger. We can tell him in the morning.” You had caused a fuss last time for nothing. Raiden had sent you away. You still hadn’t met with him to properly go over what you’d seen before, so urgency seemed like a wasted effort.

“Thank you.” You gave him a tired smile. He looked uneasy still, not taking his eyes away from you, as if afraid that you would disappear if he did. “This is a mess.” You touched your sheets. It could have been worse, all things considered. Still, it would be difficult to sleep with ink everywhere.

“Easily fixed, Y/N. Don’t worry.” He urged you to stand up and then helped you take a seat in the desk chair. Then he gathered the blankets and sheets off your bed, balled them up and tossed them to the side on the floor. He didn’t let you help even when you tried to get up. In fact, he’d urged you to sit back down, placed his hands on the arms of the chair, had given you a stern look, and then set back about his task. “We’ll deal with those later.”

You didn’t argue with him. He left the room and you took the opportunity to get changed. You were drenched in ink and sweat. One of the dressing gowns would do for the rest of the night. You wiped your face clean on the discarded sheets. Liu returned seconds later, and you took the sheets from him and set about making the bed. He watched you but when you turned back to catch his gaze, he moved instead to help you finish tucking them in. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed and took your hand, urging you to join him.

You sat in exhausted silence for a long while. You shivered. Your body kept going from hot to cold and you hated it. A fever, most likely. This was all too familiar, so similar to how you had been as a child. It made you feel helpless. But Liu had been right. You weren’t a kid anymore. You had spent years working to become strong. You could handle this.

“Thank you, Liu.” You turned to him and he bowed his head politely, slipping his shirt back on over his shoulders though it looked uncomfortably crusted over with ink.

“I’m glad that I was here.” He clasped his hands together and rested his elbows against his knees. “Do you think that you’ll be able to rest after that?”

“I… honestly? I could pass out right now. I’m beat. But also, I’m afraid to sleep.” This was the second time that you’d had a vision in a handful of days and both had happened when you had been barely on the brink of sleep.

“I can’t rightly blame you. I imagine rest is the most important thing for you to do to recover. Whatever shadow comes with this gift, Y/N, it weighs on you. Even now you are pale and breathing funny.” You nodded. There was no arguing with the truth.

“I know. It’s hard. I slip from sleep to… terrifying vision so quickly, it’s… jolting.” You furrowed your brow. “You need rest too, Liu. I beat you up again.”

“You tried to beat me up.” He offed you a nudge of his elbow and you smiled. “I’m fine.” He ran his fingers through his messy hair, lost in a war in his head that you could only guess at. “I should probably go.”

“I…” You hesitated and you caught his smile and turned your gaze. You meant to say that he probably should have, that you were afraid to be alone, that you had stolen enough of his time that night, but none of those came out. Just a stuttering mess of nothing. “Well…” You drifted off. You didn’t want him to leave. He’d been there to protect you both times now. What would have happened if he hadn’tbeen there to wake you up? The ink had almost drowned you! Besides, it had been a huge comfort to be held after it had happened. Even if it made things complicated, his arms were strong and comforting. You longed for them to be around you again. You felt very selfish to think so fondly of it. Even the stifling warmth that you’d woken up to under the covers had been absolutely wonderful.

“I could stay.” He averted his eyes but the smile he tried to hide was hilariously obvious. You wound up doing the same and turned your gaze. “Then I can make sure you get to Raiden first thing in the morning.”

“Are you sure? Don’t you want to rest in the peace and comfort of your own bed? Not covered in ink? Knowing that I can’t possibly attack you when you’re that far away?” You offered him a way out. He was worried about you, that was clear, but he didn’t need to lose sleep over you. He pulled his shirt off and draped it over the back of your desk chair with a lazy throw.

“There. Not covered so much in ink anymore. I’ll sleep like this.”

You nodded but looked anywhere but at him because looking at him had consequences. Guilt. Attraction. Admiration. In all honesty, you were so exhausted that you didn’t have the energy for that conflict. If Liu Kang wanted to wrap his big strong arms around you and hold you while you slept, half naked, then you were going to let him do it, damnit. You wouldn’t fight it. Not right now. Besides, you wanted to be held. Even as you came to terms with that very silly urge, you could see the man with the horns like a demon, his eyes flashing and burning into you.

What did any of it mean? You held your head in your hands and rested your elbows on your knees. Liu pushed your hair away from your face, watching you with those dark concerned eyes. He looked as exhausted as you felt. God, he was bruised all to hell. Your eyes lingered on the darkness on his stomach. It was all because of you. Why couldn’t your arcana have helped you that much when you’d tried to summon it against Kung Lao that afternoon? Kung Lao had earned a bruise or two. Liu Kang hadn’t. You laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Liu laid next to you and did the same, shoulder brushing just against yours. It felt suddenly very funny to fall asleep purposely next to him and you laughed in disbelief. It also felt pretty nice.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing feels real.” You turned to find him watching you already. He picked up your hand at your side and laced his fingers with yours, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“It’ll be okay.”

“Yeah.” You weren’t sure that was true, but there was no point in being morose.

You let go of his hand, rolled away from him onto the side that wasn’t pained and stared out into your room. Your floor was stained with ink. From there you could just see the outline of the flower that Kung Lao had given you in front of the books that Liu had put away. You closed your eyes and felt Liu shifting behind you. His arms then slipped around your middle and tugged you closer to him, so that your back was pressed against his chest. His hands were warm and comforting, settling against you once he’d pulled the new blankets around you.

Your stomach was twisted into knots again for a thousand different reasons. Liu’s lips rested against your shoulder, his breath warming your skin. You got goosebumps; you couldn’t help it. His hand rested flat against your stomach, the other beneath you. “Please promise me that you’ll wake me if you need me.” He turned to whisper in your ear.

“I will.” You managed to fight against every instinct in your body so you could reply. His lips lingered close to your ear, his messy hair tickling at the side of your neck and sending shivers down your spine. He lingered before allowing his lips to plant a soft kiss on your shoulder.

“Good.” He leaned back and rested his head against your pillows and you laid, staring ahead of you for some time. Your stomach was too twisted into knots for sleep and your nerves were completely shot. But Liu Kang’s soft, soothing breathing as he drifted to sleep gave you some peace. His grip went slack on you but his arms remained around you. You fought sleep for some time, afraid of what vision would await you. More visions didn’t come, but sleep did.

[dramaticsnakes]

A drowsy morning

I wrote all of this today and I don’t know if it is any good but have some shameless moceit fluff with a hint of hurt/comfort anyway.

Ship: Moceit

Word count: 1918

TW: A bit of self-deprecation, but otherwise nothing I can think of. Let me know if I missed anything.

Summary: After a night of rushed and significant confessions, Patton wakes up in the morning with a certain fractionally fiendish fibber by his side.

Patton woke up groggily, feeling uncommonly safe. There was something warm and heavy around his waist, holding him close. His heart beat a little faster each passing moment, and his cheeks were so incredibly warm.

His heart skipped a beat, once he remembered exactly who it was, that was holding him close. When he remembered why. He inhaled and turned his head slightly. Janus was lying right next to Patton, his eyes closed and his breathing soothing. The scaled half of his face was pressed against the mattress, and his expression was so much calmer than anything Patton had ever seen. It was a mesmerizing and beautiful sight. He wore a soft yellow pyjama, that exposed some of the scales on his neck. He wasn’t wearing a hat, and his hair was uncharacteristically messy. He was still wearing his gloves, and Patton wondered if they were uncomfortable to wear when he was asleep.

Patton remembered the night before. It was a fuzzy mess of confessions, apologies and gentle touches. He remembered the soft touch of Janus’ lips. Surprisingly calm and undemanding at first, until Patton clearly and passionately reciprocated. Patton felt his heart flutter and his entire body growing lighter at the thought. Every part of himself doubted that it had been real. That it hadn’t just been a vivid daydream, or the product of staying in his room for too long. Yet, right there next to him, the proof was sleeping soundly.

At least, Patton thought he was sleeping.

“Good morning, my darling.” Janus cooed. His tone was drowsy and intimate, and the words alone were enough to make Patton melt. My darling.

Patton had been too caught up in his daydreaming to notice, that Janus had opened his eyes. They were attentive enough, for Patton to momentarily doubt, they had ever been closed in the first place. “G-good morning.” Patton said, unable to hide his genuine smile. He didn’t want to anyway. “I didn’t know you were awake.”

“I’ve been awake for a long time.” Janus said, his expression turning more contemplative. Then he smirked, “Not that I was watching you or anything, but it would appear you were watching me.”

Janus had the ability to make every single word he said sound like they held an incredible significance. Maybe Patton’s own feelings affected that perception. “I-I’m sorry. I-“

Janus laughed, and it was a wholly pleasant sound. Like music you couldn’t help but sing along to. “After everything that happened last night…” Janus whispered, moving a little closer. Patton felt Janus’ warm breath, brushing the side of his cheek. It made him shiver, but not in an unpleasant way. “You really think that would be an issue to me?”

If Patton wasn’t already blushing, he certainly was now. “I… I guess not.”

The arms around Patton’s waist became increasingly obvious to Patton, as Janus’ grip only seemed to tighten. Patton remembered the night before, and how one half of Janus had been so much colder than the other. Patton remembered how Janus had tensed up when Patton pointed it out, until Patton mumbled into the embrace how he thought it was kind of nice. He did. It was new. Just like every part of Janus, Patton discovered each moment they spent together. Janus wasn’t cold anymore. “Cat got your tongue?” Janus asked.

“No. A snake did.” Patton said without thinking.

Janus looked surprised for a moment, and Patton could’ve sworn he saw a shade of pink on the human side of Janus’ face. His breathing was shaky, as he smiled. “Did it now?”

Patton paused as he looked at the clock. “I should get up…” he said, his voice silent and sheepish.

Janus paused, as his grip loosened slightly. “Do you want to?”

Patton looked at Janus who was staring at him intently. Patton couldn’t quite read the expression, but the way Janus said it was so matter-of-factly. As if it was the simplest question in the world. “I should get up and make some breakfast for the others before they wake up.”

“That wasn’t what I asked. Do you want to get up?” Janus tried again.

Patton stared at Janus’ mismatched eyes, the curve of his lips and the pretty scales paving his cheek like clouds in the sky on a comfortable summer day, and a part of him concluded that no. He didn’t want to. “Not really.”

Janus’ grip tightened once again, and Patton felt protected. As if he could stay in that position forever. “Then don’t.” Janus said, simply.

“I have to-“ Patton said.

“No, you don’t.” Janus said, “They can cook their own breakfast. They don’t even really need to eat. We’re metaphysical human beings.”

“Bu-“

“Patton, there is no harm in staying a bit longer.” Janus said, and hearing him say Patton’s name so casually, was incredibly addicting, “You are allowed to practice a little selfishness. I thought we established that.” After a few moments of silence, he shrugged and added, “Besides. You keep me warm.”

Patton looked at Janus, lips parted. “You’re so beautiful.” He breathed.

Janus inhaled sharply, though Patton couldn’t tell if it was surprise or something else. He avoided eye contact, which was unlike the previous parts of their conversation. “So are you.”

Patton looked at Janus’ face as he was looking away. There was something restrained about it, but the blush was no longer subtle. Patton���s eyes fell upon the lips once again and he remembered how they had felt the night before. He remembered all of the fuzzy feelings inside of him, as a homely bitter taste reached the edge of his tongue. He was hit with an overwhelming urge. “May I… May I kiss you again?” Patton whispered, as if he didn’t want Janus to hear.

Janus turned to Patton again, eyes darting to Patton’s lips. He let go of Patton for a moment, leaving the warmth in Patton’s stomach twisting around, as if it was missing an outlet. Then, Janus used his free hand to trace Patton’s chin and cheeks. “Yes.” he replied.

And Patton obliged. He closed the space between them, and the kiss was gentle and drowsy. Janus tasted differently in the morning, but it wasn’t unpleasant at all. It reminded Patton of the birds singing, and a cup of freshly brewed cinnamon tea. He could feel Janus’ heart near his own, beating in a steady and comforting rhythm. Janus’ hand was still placed lightly on Patton’s cheek, making it easy to pull away if he wanted to, but so much more appealing to stay. Patton was the one who pulled away, because he initiated the kiss and felt like it was his job to end it too. Janus’ lips were still parted. He opened his eyes and looked at Patton with a reflective fondness. Patton broke the silent and tender moment with some words he’d been afraid to say. “What does this mean?”

Janus’ eyes didn’t leave Patton’s. “What does what mean?”

Patton licked his lips and gestured between Janus and himself. “This.”

Janus’ expression became deeper. Darker. There was a hint of melancholy and awe in his eyes. Then he sighed deeply. “I don’t know.” The words sounded so truthful and certain, that it almost caught Patton off guard.

“So… We like each other.” Patton said, “Romantically, I mean.”

Janus let out a soft and dry chuckle, that made Patton’s heart flutter once again. “That’s true.”

“And that’s gonna… Snake a while to get used to?” Patton tried.

Janus smiled fondly, “Ah yes… I am terrified, but I couldn’t froget it if I tried.”

Patton giggled as Janus humoured his puns. “And the others… They’re not… Roman is…” Patton trailed off. What was he supposed to say? There was still tension everywhere he went. He was being ignored. Rightfully so. He would cook in the morning, leave it on the kitchen counter, and it would disappear throughout the day as soon as he left. No one was okay, and Patton didn’t have a single clue what to do about it. “They wouldn’t accept this uhm…”

“Relationship?” Janus finished, and while the word was noncommittal and unspecific, Patton couldn’t help but blush at it.

“Right.” Patton said.

Janus looked like he was deeply contemplating the situation, staring at the ceiling. Patton hesitantly reached for the other’s hand under the covers, and the touch was absentmindedly accepted. The gloved hand was silky and nice to the touch, though Patton couldn’t help but wonder what the skin underneath would feel like. “Well…” Janus started, “We could do the whole… Secret thing.”

“What do you mean?” Patton asked.

“You know, stolen glances, sneaking into each other’s room in the dead of night, intimate whispers and discreet touches.” Janus said. Each word sounded like it was being recited from a script, “Secrets and lies until the tension dies down.”

Patton listened to each word attentively and felt as if a string was pulling at his insides. He breathed. “I don’t think I want to lie. It’s not… Well it’s…”

Janus hummed, “Not quite your style, is it?”

“I wouldn’t be any good at it.” Patton admitted.

“Because you’ve never lied in the past?” Janus asked. The words came out differently than everything else he’d said. As if they had been building up inside him, waiting for the right moment to escape. “Never had a single fake smile painted upon those lips of yours?”

Patton felt his heart sink. “Well… I…”

Janus sighed, and looked Patton in the eyes with something akin to concern. “I apologize. It wasn’t meant to sound aggressive. It’s just… It’s so easy to see. Feel. Every single time. It gets… Tiring.”

“I’m sorry.” Patton said, but Janus didn’t seem happy with the response.

“Don’t apologize to me for that. There are many things worth apologizing for, but hiding your feelings isn’t one of them. You’re only hurting yourself with it, and frankly it is you who deserves to hear the apology.”

Patton felt confused for a moment and looked down at his and Janus’ joined hands. Then he looked at the ceiling. “I’m sorry Patton.”

Janus snorted quietly, “What are you sorry for?”

Patton continued. “I’m sorry for… Pretending to be happy… When I wasn’t. I should’ve listened to you, Patton. Let you feel what you needed to feel instead of repressing it. Feelings aren’t bad and repressing doesn’t do anyone any good.”

There was something else hidden in the apology that wasn’t directed at Patton, but rather a much more harmful mistake. “Good.” Janus said, silently. “Now all you have to do is make an honest effort to do better. Prove to yourself that you mean it.”

“I will.” Patton whispered determinedly. After a few moments of silence, Janus switched hands, letting his previously free hand rest in Patton’s, and placed his other in Patton’s hair. He stroked it gently. Patton felt safe. Calm. For a few minutes, Patton forgot about the tension, resting in the air everywhere he went. All he could think about was Janus and how he was right beside him. How they were together in every sense of the word.

“I really care about you, Patton.” Janus said. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t admitted before, but hearing it again proved just how sincere it was. “It scares me, and I am not sure how these feelings work, but I want to feel them anyway. I don’t know what you’ve done to me.”

Patton giggled, and squeezed Janus’ hand gently. “That makes two of us.”

[icollectyoursins]

Kitsune!Kakyoin nsfw

Anon asked for “ I can only think of Kitsune Kakyoin-... Oooh, spicy for Kakyoin.”

Yesss. Little bit of trickery, little bit of cute fluffy tails? We love that. Writing this game me so much serotonin. It also took a lot of words and time, so I hope you enjoy.

I learned a lot about kitsunes while writing this, but the things that come into play are tails and human forms/magic/”paranormal abilities.” From what I’ve read, they only have 9 tails if they’re over 1,000. They gain 1 tail after 100 years which is around the same time that they get their ✨magic✨. Though there are some sources that say they get their abilities after 50, I’m going with the typical 100. That being said, Kakyoin has 2 tails, making him 200ish. The more you know!

Also, I am aware his name is Noriaki, but I’m used to the sub anime where last names come first, so that’s how I wrote it. Also, everyone called him Kakyoin and that’s what I’m used to.

Your family had always warned you about the trickster who lived in the woods by your town. Your friends, however, thought it would be funny to try and mess with said trickster spirit which, after a mess of rituals and a little bit of drinking on your friend’s side, you got lost. Suddenly, you find yourself face to face with a rather handsome trickster, who is willing to help, for a price.

Have a character, but no idea? Prompt list here!

Looking for more? Master post here!

WARNINGS: “dream” sex, light stalking, grandma’s talking about things that live in the woods that can probably kill you, deals with things you probably shouldn’t make deals with, sexy deals, claws, making out, marking/hickies, nipple play, cunnilingus, fingering, marking with teeth, knotting, breeding, creampie.

Word Count: 3121

     The soft ground littered with leaves and branches crunches beneath your feet. The air was starting to cool as the night approached. Damn it. Where the hell were your friends? You had come out here for a little fun, maybe some spooky stories, maybe a round of truth or dare, but things got a little out of hand and suddenly, you were being dared to walk through the woods in the middle of the night to try to find the so-called trickster spirit, the Kitsune.

     None of your friends believed in it, but you did. A few years ago, you saw him standing at the edge of the forest, deep violet eyes staring into your soul as you walked by him. His red hair curled around his face, framing it. He was wearing a long green coat with matching pants, two long tails swishing behind him. The contrast of his red fur on the green of the forest was beautiful. You wanted to go to him then, touch his face and hold him. Thank god your friends stopped you, nudging out of your fantasy. But then came the dreams.

     Dreams of him crawling into your bed oh, so sweetly, curling himself around you and kissing every mark on your body. Dreams of him rolling you over, trailing his lips across your shoulder, down your sternum, down your stomach until he met with your sweet honey pot, already wet and waiting for him. He'd fill you until you thought you were going to burst. Over and over again, he’d mark you skin lightly, claws digging into your flesh. He was always gentle with you, careful, but there was something in his eyes that read dangerous. He would always reassure you, regardless of that stare.

     Such sweet dreams he gave you and yet you were afraid. You had overheard your grandmother talking about what the trickster would do if he caught you. You would be his slave. Just a little puppet for him to capture more people with. You would never feel his touch again. The body would ache and burn, screaming in pain until he gave you even the smallest of caresses, then he would leave again. The pain would be worse than before until finally, when he never came back, you would die of natural causes or kill yourself. He seduces his victims, gives them a taste of what they want, then leaves them in the woods, searching for him until they died. You would never go into the woods again.

     Until now. Here you were, completing some kind of stupid prophecy, hoping you wouldn't see him again. You would just turn around, find your friends again and that would be the end of it. Though, you couldn't deny the little tingle; that tiny sliver of hope that he would show up. That he would smile and take you into his arms, vowing to never leave you. Ugh, you needed to get laid. This was just your horniness talking. Right?

     You rested against a tree, catching your breath. You had been walking for longer than you anticipated. What did they even dare you with, anyway? A walk in the woods seemed kind of lame.

     */CRACK/*

     A loud snap over your shoulder made you turn around quickly. Your eyes scanned the tree line for anything dangerous. There was nothing, but that didn’t start your heart from pounding. If anything, it made it worse. Maybe a walk in the woods wasn’t lame after all. You checked your phone. It was almost dead and your friends made no effort to make sure you were okay.

     Unbeknownst to you, there was something there. Well, someone. A certain trickster who had been waiting for this day since he saw you. His name was Kakyoin Noriaki, not that you would know that, but he would tell you eventually. He knew about every “dream” you had about him, knew every inch of your body, every freckle. But, late night visits weren’t enough for him anymore. He wanted you to be his. Actually his, not just a feast for when he felt lonely.

     Everything was ready for you. He had gotten your favourite teas, coffees, drinks. The decor was suited to your tastes and colours. All he was missing was you. There were many days leading up to this where he would sit in his bed, imagining your weight next to him and your warmth. It all made him feel so lonely, yet so... satisfied. How could you say no to this?

     Of course, the final decision would be up to you but he wasn’t going to make it easy. Charm would do most of the work gaining your trust, but some magic wouldn’t hurt, right? 

     You strode around the forest, completely unaware of what he has set up. After all, it was his idea to dare you to go for a walk through your fear. Mimicking your friend’s voice was easy and everyone else was inebriated enough to agree. All he had to do was wait for you to get a little closer to his den and he’d reveal himself to you.

     You continued to walk aimlessly, hoping you would be able to find your way back by sheer luck. The light was starting to fade and it was getting colder. You swore, if your friends didn’t find you before you froze to death it would be the last time they ever-

     A small log cabin that you are fairly sure had never been there before broke you from your thoughts. A plume of smoke billowed from the chimney. Please, let who ever lived here be nice enough to let you in. You approached the door, tentatively knocking on it. There was shuffling on the other side, then it was opened. The person was tall, slender with red hair framing their face...

     You couldn’t believe your eyes. It was him! Really him! So many emotions flooded your senses. Should you run or go in? Would baring the cold be safer than a night with your sweet trickster? Does he know about the dreams? No, he couldn’t!

     “Is everything alright?” His voice rang through your ears pleasantly. 

     “Yeah, yeah uh... I’m fine,” you stuttered, taking in a breath to calm yourself.

     “Would you like to come in? It’s freezing out there.” His smooth voice had you weak. You nodded your head, carefully walking in. The smell of the house made you dizzy in the best way possible. A sweet, rich fragrance filled your nose, your favourite scent, actually. You didn’t notice, but he was watching your reactions, making sure you liked everything he had done for you. He found himself staring at you too long, entranced by your beauty. “Would you like a blanket or something to warm you up? A drink, perhaps?”

     You turned around, holding your arms to keep you warm. “Yes, please, thank you.” He smiled at you, walking to what you assume was the bedroom, returning with a large, fuzzy blanket which he then wrapped around you. Then, he went to work preparing you some hot chocolate.

     “My name is Kakyoin Noriaki, thought most call me Kakyoin,” he says next to your shoulder, handing you the mug. You’re lead to a very comfortable couch that you just melted into. You weren’t even aware of Kakyoin wrapping the blanket around you more as he sat next to you or the way he leaned in a little too close to you. 

     “I’m (Y/N),” you said, taking a small sip of the hot chocolate. You looked around the room. It wasn’t very big. Kitchen in one corner, living room in another, bathroom, bedroom. The basics. All of the decor matched with what your idea of your dream house was. Cozy. Maybe you should ask where he got everything from.

     “Why are you here?” He asked. “I don’t usually get visitors, pardon my suspicion. Did something happen? Are you lost?”

     “Yeah, uh,” you thought for a minute, trying to word this in a way that wouldn’t be offensive. “My friends thought it would be funny to dare me to walk into the woods.”

     His face scrunched up in false confusion, not that you noticed. “Why would they do that?”

     “I’m uh... afraid of them.”

     Kakyoin was quiet for a minute. That’s not what he wanted to hear, though he sort of understood why. He didn’t want you to be afraid, he wanted you to be safe. With him. No one else. Just him. “Why?”

     “It’s a... long story.” He hummed in response, not wanting to push you further despite knowing why you were so afraid. After a few minutes of warming up, he spoke up again, as gently as he could be.

     “May I... touch you?” You shot him a shocked look. What did he mean touch you? “Your hair looks so soft.”

     “Oh, um, sure. I guess?” Just your hair, that was fine, right? He hasn’t given you a reason to not trust him and you couldn’t deny that those dreams you had made you want him in the most carnal way possible. His fingers delicately brushed through your hair in a way that was almost soothing to you. You sighed, relaxing into his touch. His heart skipped a beat. You were so close.

     “(Y/N)... I know where your friends are.” You turned to look at him, surprised. “I can lead you to them, but... I have a request.” Kakyoin took the mug from your hands and then grabbed your hands softly, looking you in the eyes. “Stay with me. For one night. Stay here for one night and then you can leave.”

     You go to protest, but are stopped. “I know how much you dream about me, (Y/N) and I will admit that I often dream about you in the same way. Don’t try to deny it. Look at me, please.” You did, staring into his soft blue/violet eyes, finding yourself drawn into them, enraptured by their beauty. The next words he says are slow and soothing. “I do not wish to hurt you or hold you against your will. I only want one night. You may leave when you wish.” If you wish, he thought.

     Your body moves on it’s own, leaning into him, faces getting closer and closer until finally, you were able to touch his lips. Or, you would have, if he hadn’t lifted a clawed finger to your mouth, holding you there. You had half a mind to question if you had noticed claws before, but didn’t really care. As much as he wanted to kiss you, he needed your words; your permission. He slid his hand to your cheek, cupping it sweetly.

     “I want to hear you say yes, (Y/N),” he whispers, low and soft. He hadn’t even realized that he’d dropped his magic keeping his form relatively human. Red ears peek out from his hair and his tails unfurled from under his green top. It was hard for him to hold back a low growl as you leaned into his touch, cheeks growing hot. So, so close.

     “Yes,” you said dreamily. “Yeah, I’ll stay with you, Kakyoin.” He let out a needy sigh. Finally, yes. Instantly, he pulled you into an aggressive kiss, teeth biting at your lower lip, then smothering you. You slowly lied down as he crawled over you. You noticed his ears then, reaching a hand up to touch them. They flicked at the feeling, but soon he was leaning into your hand, breathing heavily; needy.

     His eyes locked with yours, then he dove in for a kiss, easily slipping his tongue into your mouth, exploring the new area. You moaned, lightly sucking on the smooth appendage. Sharp claws dug into the cushions to keep from harming you. Your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer until his body was pressed against yours. Still caught up in the kiss, he ground his hips into you relishing in the way you moan around his tongue. 

     Kakyoin breaks the kiss, moving towards your neck and marking you with deep purple marks down your neck. You arch up into him, crying out. The feel of his lips on your pulse drives your lust into over drive, matching his thrusts with your clothed sex. He growls, sharp canines grazing where your shoulder meets your neck.

     “I need you,” his voice is strained, clearly holding back. 

     You kiss his cheek then whisper: “Then, take me, Kakyoin.”

     That was his tipping point. In an instant, his claws were ripping your clothes starting with the top and under garment. He discards the torn cloth, replacing it with his hands, moulding over your mounts, squeezing and pinching your nipples. You could feel him getting harder, as if he wasn’t already hard enough. You were shocked that there was more to it, but it was not entirely unwelcome. You’re drawn out of your fantasizing when his tongue flicked your nipple, then his warm mouth wrapping around it. 

     “Ah!~” You clawed your hands through his hair which he seemed to like because his sucking became more enthusiastic. You tit was thoroughly bruised when he was finished, pulling off with a loud pop before moving onto the next one. Meanwhile, one of his hands was moving towards your lower half, nimbly tearing a line down, then tossing that away, breaking away from your breast for a moment then returning again.

     Kakyoin’s fingers dipped into your already soaked labia, feeling their way up and down your sweet entrance. You rocked your hips into them, encouraging him to do more. He pulled his lips away from your nipple again, making eye contact with you while making his way down to your folds. His eyes rolled back into his head as his tongue flicked out to taste your slick. He had waited so long for this, having only his memories of pleasing you to keep him sated, but now he finally had you. And he was going to milk you for every drop you had.

     Lips wrapped around your clit as his finger teased your entrance, just barely entering you. He alternated between sucking your clit and leaving long, hard licks along your whole slit. Eyes flicked to yours again as he delved his tongue into you, relishing the way you keened, hips jerking up, wanting him to go deeper. Had he been in a different mood, he would have denied you that, but all he wanted was to devour you. 

     Over and over again, he dove his tongue into you adding his fingers which gently dipped into you. You could feel your orgasm growing closer, movements becoming less and less controlled. Kakyoin watched with adoration as your face grew more red contorting with pleasure. Your voice was gradually getting higher in pitch until you finally let out a high cry with your release hips lifting off the couch as you gushed onto his face and cushions. 

     He came up with, surprisingly, an even hungrier stare than before. Something feral flickered in him as he threw off his clothes, jumping back onto your body, attacking your neck more with his teeth. You couldn’t help arching into him again as he dug his canines into your shoulder, marking you. His member pulsed between your legs. You reached a hand down to stroke making him gasp and groan. He couldn’t wait anymore.

     Without moving his head, the tip of his cock caught your entrance. He waited until you had taken a breath to prepare yourself, then crashed his pelvis into yours, filling you in one thrust. The feeling left your breathless, mouth hanging slack with ecstasy. 

     “I missed this,” he thought aloud, not even noticing he’d said anything. You did though and you were confused.

     “What?” You said groggily. 

     “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” With that he started to get into a rhythm which made you forget everything, just completely head over heels with lust. You voice started climbing again, getting higher with each time his tip his the furthest part of your cunt. Kakyoin’s lips continued to attack your neck, being sure to leave dark marks that would last for weeks. He grunted with each hard thrust. 

     You couldn’t do anything other than hold on while he brought you closer to your second release. There was something growing at the base of his cock, pushing against your entrance. He growled in your ear: “~nnn gonna knot you. Aaahmmm~ need to breed you.”

     Knot? Uh, what? You screamed as he pressed the bulb into your pussy slowly. The protrusion made your orgasm wash over you quicker than anticipated making you gush over his cock again. He leaned back, watching your face, checking in to make sure you were okay. When it became too much for you, he pulled back, letting you breathe, then trying again. He got further in this time, then pulled back. 

     The process repeated until you were sufficiently stretched open for him. With one final sweet kiss on your forehead, he pushed his entire knot inside you. Even with all the prep, nothing prepared you for the full feeling he left. He gave a few small, desperate thrusts and then came, loose, spilling his seed inside you leaving you feeling hot, warm and utterly used. 

     The world around you was fuzzy as he kissed your face, slowly bringing you back to consciousness. His knot was still inside you, feeling larger than before. Kakyoin wrapped his arms around you, then pulled you up with him so you were sitting on his lap. He rubbed your back, soothing you. Every minute movement either one of you made pushed his bulge around making you whimper. 

     “Do you want to leave, (Y/N)?” He asked, knowing full well that his mark, pooling with his magic, would confuse your mind into staying with him more than having you feel better than ever before. Like he said, if you really didn’t want to stay, the magic couldn’t stop you from leaving, but it would act as more of a nudge towards his desired outcome.

     “Uunhh~ No, I’ll stayyyaaahh!~” His hips gently gyrated into you a few more times causing you to brokenly scream. 

     “Good, I’m glad.” He kissed your temple, silently pleased with himself. Kakyoin felt you slowly falling to sleep on his chest. You could take all the time to rest now, he had all the time in the world to make sure you were full of his pups if this session hadn’t worked. He chuckled quietly to himself. The dreams of you swelling with his offspring would finally be real. His cock twitched again. Hopefully you would be ready for more rounds after you woke up from this one. He was nowhere near done tonight.

[metaphorical-love-for-a-car]

Same Snake, Different Skin--Wilford Warfstache x Reader x Darkiplier

Summary: To many, a broken mirror is an ill omen. It supposedly symbolizes bad luck. Seven years of torment, or so they say. Little do they know, that a broken mirror could also be someone's saving grace. Those broken shards of glass could be the only thing keeping a soul from eternal damnation.

Warnings; language, death, the usual stuff we see in Markiplier videos

Word Count; 5.4k (yep, it’s a doozie)

Notes; PLEASE READ! Ok, so, I mentioned the other day that I was gonna post a WKM/AHWM series on AO3, and I am. This post includes the first 3 chapters. Click here to read it on AO3 (link will also be at the bottom)

     "Will, please try to enjoy yourself tonight." You glanced at your husband from the corner of your eye. He stood by your side, posture perfect as always, nearly expressionless. As if he felt your gaze, he placed a hand on the small of your back.

     "Ah, that's something I'll only be able to accomplish if you're around, my dear." Even after several years of marriage, he could still make you go weak in the knees. The door to the mansion finally opened. The man, whom you assumed was the butler, greeted you both warmly and motioned you both inside. "After you." The three of you stepped into the foyer.

     "Welcome to Markiplier Manor." You felt William stiffen. In an attempt to comfort him, you wrapped an arm around his waist. He melted into your touch, pulling you closer. "Your invitations, please." William pulled two envelopes out of his coat pocket. One was addressed to you; (Y/F/N), the district attorney. The other was addressed to Colonel William Barnum. The butler smiled brightly as he took the invitations. He wished you luck at the poker table. "The other guests are right this way. I will bring your drinks forthwith," he said with a wink.

     "I'm going to have a look around. I can see Damien through there. Go have fun," William murmured in your ear. You knew how much it hurt him to be in this place, after all this time, but you also knew how much more it hurt his heart to have not seen his friends in years. You grabbed his hand and gave it a quick squeeze before flashing him a sad smile.

     "Alright, but don't get in too much trouble without me." William chuckled.

     "Wouldn't dream of it, my dear."

     You were thrilled to have another poker night. It was a common occurrence when you were all in college, but they sort of fizzled out once you got into your adult lives. Damien smiled and waved you over when you caught his eye. He wrapped you in an embrace, squeezing a laugh out of you. "Well, long time no see, old friend! How's the new office?" You shrugged.

     "It'll take some getting used to, but I'm looking forward to the start of a new chapter in my life." You glanced around. "Where's Celine?" You had been friends with the mayor and his sister for as long as you could remember. The three of you practically grew up together. Everyone always joked that you were their long lost sibling. Damien was even the one who introduced you to William, and Celine was your maid of honor when you got married. She returned the favor when she got married to Mark. However, it wasn't long after their wedding that she cut contact with you. You were hurt, to say the least, but you still cared for her and wished her well.

     Damien sucked in a breath. He rubbed the back of his neck. "She's, uh, not coming tonight." Your brows knitted together, but Damien spoke again before you could voice your confusion. "Mark and Celine got divorced about a year and a half ago," he said quietly. You were taken aback. They seemed like such a cute couple. Damien glanced over your shoulder for a second. He smiled when his gaze returned to you. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up when I see you at the table-- as long as you don't rob me blind again." He clapped your shoulder and disappeared down a hall.

     Being left to your own devices, you aimlessly wandered through the manor. It had been ages since you were last here, but not much had changed. You were brought back to your senses when Mark gave his grand entrance and champagne flutes were passed around. Taking a sip of the bubbly drink, you knew this would be a very interesting night.

     It was a well-known fact that you weren't the best at holding your alcohol. Two or three drinks were enough to take you out, but you were having so much fun that it was nearly impossible to stop yourself from having more. It didn't help that the butler kept refilling your glass every time you turned around. You woke the next morning with your head throbbing, and you desperately wanted to throw the alarm clock out of the window. A sudden moment of panic settled in. A vague memory of William trying to fight someone resurfaced. Glancing around, there was no evidence of his presence ever being in your room. You got ready as quickly as your energy-drained body allowed. Damien turned away from his spot near the banister when he heard your door open. "Have you seen William this morning?"

     "I figured you would be worried. He's downstairs, passed out on the couch last night." You nodded, shoulders relaxing. A teasing smile flashed across Damien's face as he nudged you with his elbow. "How is our little monster this morning? Haven't seen you go that wild since our days in university." You pinched the bridge of your nose. It was too early in the morning for this.

     "Well, I'm glad somebody remembers." Damien's laugh filled the air. You narrowed your eyes at him for a moment. "Did you do a keg stand last night?" His face reddened, and he stumbled over his words. It was your turn to laugh. "Look at you, Mr. Mayor! After I find William, I expect a full list of all the embarrassing things you did last night." Damien snorted, shaking his head.

     "Yes, I suppose we'll have to catch you up. I'll see you at breakfast."

      The search for your husband began. You went down the grand staircase and followed various corridors. The mental map you had of the place had grown fuzzy, and you couldn't quite remember what part of the manor you were in. You stumbled into the lounge with a huff. This was nowhere near where you needed to be. You walked around the couch and froze. Mark was laying on the ground. His eyes were open, and his skin was a sickly hue. You couldn't bring yourself to believe the obvious. "Mark?" Your voice was hardly above a whisper. You knelt beside him, grabbing his wrist. No pulse. Mark was dead. As if on cue, lightning struck. A man you had just met the night before-- Abe, the detective-- waltzed into the room, exclaiming about the odd weather. He stopped in his tracks at the sight before him.

     "My God, there's been a murder!" Lightning struck once more. Soon after, the butler and chef filed in. Both men shouted about the crime scene. Powerful lightning stuck when the word 'murder' was uttered, causing you to flinch every time. Abe's focus zeroed in on you. The detective grabbed you by the collar, yanking you to your feet. "What the hell happened here?" he snarled. You opened and closed your mouth. Words couldn't be found to explain the situation. Your mind was still wrapping around the fact that your friend was laying on the floor dead. "In case you haven't been paying attention, there's been a bit of a killing, and you're my prime suspect. So, you better get to explaining the what, when, where, and why you happen to be here, upon this man's death!"

     "I don't know what happened! I just found him like this." Your voice cracked, and you felt the familiar sting of tears filling your eyes. Abe narrowed his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak again, but the butler interrupted. He brought up the fact that the body was ice cold. Mark had been long gone by the time any of you had stumbled upon his body. The detective grumbled under his breath before finally releasing you.

     "Alright, you're off the hook... for now." Abe suggested that the two of you should team up, working together to solve the murder. You reluctantly agreed. Two minds were better than one, and you wanted to get to the bottom of this. You helped Abe string caution tape around the area, making a point to avoid looking at the body. You then sat on the couch and held your head in your hands. You regretted ever begging William to leave home and have a weekend out. Your head snapped up at the sound of someone approaching. Damien looked around the small group gathered in the lounge, confusion etched into his features. The butler hesitantly explained what had occurred.

     "A murder? Who?" Everyone held their breath for a moment, avoiding the mayor's gaze. He looked over at you and realized how disheveled you were. "Who is it, (Y/N)?" All eyes were on you, now. You chewed on the inside of your cheek, not wanting to give in to the gravity of the situation.

     "Damien, it's..." you sighed, finally looking him in the eye, "it's Mark." He took a step back, shocked by your answer.

     "Mark... killed? Who would do such a thing?"

     "That's what me and my partner are trying to figure out." Abe motioned between you and himself. He glanced between everyone in the room. "I believe the killer is right here, amongst us... in this very house. For now, we're all stuck here. While me and my partner investigate, the rest of you need to return to your rooms, hunker down, and pray to God you're not next to be murdered." Lightning flashed outside the windows. Everyone in the room slowly dispersed. Before Damien left, you grabbed his wrist.

     "Check on William for me." The mayor patted your hand but couldn't bring himself to look you in the eye.

     "Yes, there are... important matters I need to discuss with the Colonel."

~*~*~

    You were crouched beside the detective, intently listening as he explained how the body temperature gives an estimated time of death. Abe came to the conclusion that Mark was killed around 1:30 in the morning. You tried to focus as he went into further detail about taking the temperature of a corpse and how it's best to do it rectally, but the muffled shouts coming from a nearby room held your attention. "Why don't I go poke around, look for some clues?" The detective seemed a little surprised at your suggestion. He quickly regained his composure.

    "Oh, yeah, good idea, partner. You go see if you can find more about the narrative. I've got a few more tests I need to run on the body."

    You crept closer to the room the voices were coming from. You were almost positive the ones inside were Damien and William. To confirm your suspicions, you cracked the door open. You could barely see Damien standing in the middle of the room.

    "...I am taking his matter very seriously."

    "Don't give me that horse-shit! I know you hated him, but goddamn it! He reached out to you."

    "Oh, what do you want from me?"

    "I want you to care!"

    “Just because I'm not weeping like a child doesn't mean that I don't care." You frowned. It had been a long time since you had heard either of them this upset and angry, especially at each other.

    "Come talk to me when you pull your head out of your ass." You hardly had time to pull yourself out of your thoughts when Damien came barreling out of the room. He stopped inches away from colliding with you. His brows knitted together.

    "Damien, what hap-"

    "Excuse me," he huffed. The mayor brushed past you and disappeared down the hall. Confused, you stepped into the room. William sat in an old, wicker chair towards the back of the room. His face was turned away from you, but you could see he was pinching the bridge of his nose. You made your way towards him. He sighed before raising his voice.

    "Damien, I don't-- oh." His voice softened upon realizing it was only you. William looked you up and down, seeing right through the front you were holding. He immediately jumped up from his seat and wrapped you in his arms. You practically melted in his embrace. Tears started to pool in your eyes. You tried to fight them back, sniffling, but they slid down your cheeks anyways. William shifted to hold your face in his hands. He gently wiped the tears away with his thumb. You gave him a watery smile.

    "Sorry for getting so emotional all of a sudden." William scoffed, pulling you back into a bear hug.

    "Nonsense! There is nothing to apologize for, my dear." He was quiet for a moment. You could pretty much see the gears in his mind turning. "This has been an emotional day... for everyone." Even though he didn't explicitly say it, you knew this was his way of admitting that he was upset about Mark too. You pulled him closer, leaning your forehead against his. His mustache quirked as a smirk formed on his lips. You narrowed your eyes, wondering what mischief the man was up to now. "Do you think that 'detective' can find the killer? Honestly, if he were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week." You couldn't help the laugh that bubbled in your chest. William's face brightened at your response. "There's my favorite smile!" He peppered your face with light kisses, causing you to laugh even more.

    "Alright, enough!" you exclaimed in between laughs. "To answer your question, no, I don't think he can do it on his own. That's why I'm helping him." William stepped back. Confusion etched into his features.

    "You're really helping him?" He rolled his eyes when you nodded. "Come on, (Y/N)! We all know how Mark died!" When you crossed your arms, waiting for him to explain, William launched into a long and dramatic recount of how he believed Mark died. He waved his arms around and gave a probably offensive impression of Mark. William believed that he caused his own demise, drinking too much and stumbling down the staircase. "...and that's what happened. Probably, anyway. If you need to corroborate this story with anyone else, go ahead and investigate the entire house." You'd be lying if you said you weren't a little hurt. You didn't understand why he was suddenly shutting you out, just because you were working with the detective.

    "Will..." He stepped back and sat in the wicker chair, turning his face away from you.

    "Go on, I'll be here when you're done," he sighed. You were about to say something else, but the butler called your name from the doorway. You hesitated before following him.

    The meeting with the butler was largely underwhelming, and the chef wasn't much help either. All you learned from your chat was that Mark had hired Abe to do a background check on his staff. You were making your way out of the kitchen when you spotted Damien pacing outside. Thinking back on his argument with William, you decided to check on him. The sound of the door opening caught Damien's attention. He quickly made his way over, apologizing for the argument you overheard. "I know I'm supposed to be a leader in this scenario, but I can't help but feel lost. I don't have any answers, and I... just want to be alone." You put a hand on his shoulder.

    "Damien, no one is expecting you to have all the answers or be the perfect leader, especially not right now. You just lost one of your childhood friends. It's completely normal to feel lost. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You can't help anyone if you don't take care of yourself first." A smile quirked the corners of his lips.

    "Thanks, little monster. Don't know what I'd do without you." He patted your hand, and the smile was gone almost as quick as it came. "I'm going to go walk the grounds, see if I can process all of this. Send the Colonel my way next time you see him. We need to talk."

    Mark was gone. No, not in a metaphorical sense where his soul had left for a better place. His body was gone. Poof. Vanished. Nowhere to be found. Yep, this day just couldn't get any worse. You were pacing through the lounge, trying to keep yourself from dissolving into hysteria. You had passed the point of 'freaking out' and didn't know whether you wanted to curl into a ball and cry for hours or launch yourself into the void. It didn't help that the detective started discussing the possibility of the corpse reanimating with the butler and chef. When an arm draped across your shoulders right as lightning flashed, you nearly screamed. "Bully! Quite a storm out there. What are you doing in here, huddled in fear?" William gave your shoulders a squeeze. A goofy smile was plastered on his face.

    "We have a zombie problem!" the chef exclaimed.

    "Ah, homo necrosis, the most dangerous game," William said with a dramatic flourish. He looked over at you and winked. You pursed your lips. Whenever you were upset, he always cracked jokes to try to make you smile-- even in serious situations, such as this. Needless to say, you weren't really in the mood for it. William cleared his throat at your lack of response. "Well, I'm off to the grounds to see if I can catch a whiff of the old bag of bones." He left the room, laughing at his own joke.

    Abe thought it would be best if the two of you stayed close for the remainder of the investigation. After all, you never know who you can trust. The two of you discussed possible motives while picking for clues in Mark's room. The place looked as if it had been ransacked. You stepped carefully, not wanting to mess with anything that could be considered evidence. A table in the corner of the room caught your eye. There were several framed photographs scattered about. They were all pictures of the gang; you, William, Damien, Mark, and Celine. One, in particular, caught your eye. The front glass was shattered, and the picture inside was only of William. "Weird..."

    "Did you find a clue?"

    "I don't know. Take a look at this picture-" you were interrupted by William waltzing into the room.

    "Say, detective, I need to borrow your friend here." Abe raised a brow, glancing between the two of you. Assuming it was spousal issues, he quickly assured you that he could continue the investigation on his own. "Bully! Take a walk with me." William linked his arm with yours, ushering you outside. "A breath of fresh air will do you good. You've been on edge since the body disappeared." You ran a hand through your hair.

    "Yeah, it's... been a long day." William stopped walking. He watched you intently, while you glanced around the pool area.

    "Is that all?" You bit your lip, not wanting to sound conspiratorial. He sat down at the water's edge, motioning for you to do the same. "You don't have to be afraid to talk to me. You know that."

    "I'm just worried. What if Abe's right? What if one of us really is the murderer?" You flinched at the sudden flash of lightning. "I mean, how far into the investigation will they let us go until trying to stop us?" William took both of your hands in his. There was an intensity in his eyes you weren't sure you had ever seen before.

    "At our wedding, when I vowed to never leave your side, I meant it. I will not allow any harm to come to you." You pulled one of your hands free and held out your little finger.

    "Pinky promise?" William smiled, wrapping his finger around yours. He pulled your hand closer and pressed a kiss to your knuckles.

    "Pinky promise." Questions about the shattered picture frame pushed their way into your mind, but you did your best to quell them. Out of all of the chaos that had occurred, you were given a moment of peace. You were sure that more dismay would soon peer over the horizon. But this was the eye of the hurricane. For now, it was all quiet, and you wanted nothing more than to enjoy this moment with your husband.

~*~*~

    The manor originally belonged to the Barnum family. It was where William grew up. His parents were wealthy, providing everything their son could ever desire. There were many wild parties hosted here when you were all younger. William was proud of his heritage, but he didn't let his family define who he was. Despite the fortune of his parents, he was incredibly humble and a hard worker. That was one of the things you loved about him. However, his world shifted when his parents passed. William had just returned from deployment when the news arrived. Old scandals his parents were involved in resurfaced. Everything he thought he knew about his family was a lie. That was when Mark entered the scene. He was just starting to make a reputation for himself in the acting world and used his newfound wealth to purchase the Barnum Manor. Mark's time in the mansion inflated his ego, or so you assumed. He never let William hear the end of it. The once happy home that you all had great memories in began to feel stuffy. Something about it changed, and it made you uneasy. The heavy atmosphere that seemingly moved into the manor with Mark only amplified, and it made your time here suffocating. It was having effects on everyone.

    You were snapped out of your thoughts when William suggested you further investigate the staff. He then ran off to explore the old golf course, resembling a child running to unwrap gifts on Christmas morning. A sad smile crossed your features. The manor was no longer the childhood home he remembered.

    "Have you seen the Colonel?" You jumped when Damien appeared behind you. You groaned, placing a hand to your forehead.

    "Damn it! He just left. Sorry, Damien, I completely forgot to tell him that you were looking for him." The mayor waved you off.

    "No matter, would you accompany me? There is something I'd like to discuss with you." The two of you walked across the patio. Damien voiced his concerns about the innocence of the detective. While anything is possible, you didn't really believe he was a suspect. He shared too much personal information, and you didn't pin him to be the master manipulator type. Damien nodded, halfway agreeing. He froze for a moment. His eyes widened. "Mayhaps our counting skills aren't as good as we assumed them to be." A knot formed in the pit of your stomach.

    "You think..." you trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

    "It's possible, that in the shadows of this manor, unseen to any of us, lay hidden... a murderer." Lightning danced across the sky. Almost simultaneously, a gunshot sounded from inside. You and Damien wasted no time, running into the manor. The darkness that consumed the manor was suffocating you once more, and it had apparently infiltrated the minds of those inside. William and Abe were having a standoff. The two men had their gun sights trained on the other. Both were shouting profanities. Damien tried to diffuse the situation, but the tension only escalated.

    "This psycho tried to shoot me!"

    "That's a bald-faced lie!" William went on to explain that he was merely doing some target practice when the detective approached. They continued to argue, waving their guns in each other's faces.

    "Please, put the guns down before somebody else gets hurt!" you tried to reason. William glanced in your direction, while Abe paid you no mind.

    "No, he knew I was onto him, so he tried to wack me off before I could finger him... as the murderer!" You held your breath, unsure of what to do. They were going to rip each other's throats out if someone didn't intervene. Damien was standing beside you, too shocked to do anything. You started to step forward, but he grabbed your wrist.

    "Don't, you'll get hurt," the mayor pleaded.

    "What would you rather happen, Damien? They kill each other?"

    "I won't be called a murderer in my own home!" William snarled at the detective. The front door swung open with enough force to startle everyone.

    "Stop!" You blinked, hardly able to believe the sight. It was Celine, of all people. "What are you doing?" Abe put down his weapon. William kept a tight grip on his gun but slightly lowered his defenses.

    "Celine?"

    "What are you doing here?"

    "Hold on, who the hell is 'Celine' and how do you know her?" Abe looked between you and William. Everyone ignored his question.

    "Madam, I'm afraid you came at a very inopportune time." The butler wrung his hands, not wanting to be the one to tell her. The chef, however, had no empathy.

    "Yeah, Mark's fuckin' dead!" That's when everyone jumped into the conversation. All of you blurted out that he had been murdered and his body was missing. Someone mentioned the zombie theory again, much to your dismay. The group moved to sit around the poker table, where everyone could lay out all the evidence that had been gathered so far. You tried your best to focus, but your mind was too foggy. It was hard to keep track of anything they were saying. You didn't snap out of your stupor until you realized that Celine was pointing at you.

    "You've been awfully quiet through all of this..." Everyone sitting around the table jumped on the bandwagon, questioning your innocence as if you had anything to do with the murder. You were confused. She didn't seriously think you were the killer, right? William took your hand in his and glared at the others. It was almost as if he dared them to speak against you again. Celine glanced at your joined hands before closing her eyes, taking a breath. "But I know I can trust you. I sense that you have a far greater part to play in all of this. (Y/N), will you help me find an answer."

    "Of course." Abe's jaw dropped.

    "Are you serious? No, there's no way I'm going to let you drag my partner off to their very likely death!" he shouted, slamming his hands on the table. The butler and chef both agreed.

    "Guys, it's ok. Celine's been like a sister to me for as long as I can remember. If she says it's safe, then I believe her." Celine smiled at you, and William nodded.

    "They're right, you know. Celine can be trusted. There's no reason anyone should doubt her." The woman in question suggested that the group could wait outside if they were that uncomfortable. Abe reluctantly agreed. Celine stood from her seat and nodded for you to follow. The two of you were climbing the staircase when Damien approached. He kept calling out to Celine, begging her to stop. He believed she was not in the right headspace to be dealing with the occult, not that she should be dealing with it in the first place... Taking a deep breath, Celine faced her brother.

    "There's more to this world than you could ever hope to imagine. I've just had my eyes opened to a small portion of it." She turned on her heel and left without saying another word. Damien's shoulders slumped. He wished you both luck before retreating back down the stairs. When you finally managed to catch up with Celine, she had already finished setting up whatever ritual she had planned. A large tapestry with odd symbols sewn into it was draped across the table. There were also candles and a crystal ball delicately placed in the center. Celine instructed you to sit in the chair across from her. She laid tarot cards in between each of the candles. Once more, your mind felt muddled. You could hardly keep your eyes open. Celine leaned forward, carefully watching your every movement. "Don't fight it. Trust the process, and find the answers." Dark spots flooded your vision, and soon everything faded to black.

    You were having flashbacks, but they were... different. You knew they were your memories. You just couldn't help but feel as if you were seeing them through someone else's eyes. Then something strange occurred. You were standing near the garden, the chef and Abe by your side. Everything was hazy. You couldn't clearly see the face of the newcomer approaching. His laugh was warbled, nearly sounding inhuman. It made you feel sick. "Employers come and go! Some die, some don't." The scenery around you lurched. It felt as if you were falling through the floor. You couldn't stay here any longer. You couldn't breathe. You couldn't see. You needed to get out.

    You startled in your seat, gasping for air. Celine was obviously annoyed. She leaned forward, her eyes boring holes into your head. "What happened? Why did you stop?" she yelled. You blinked up at her. You were still recovering from whatever dimension she had flung you into. "Well, did you see something or someone?"

    "Shovel," you blurted. Celine raised a brow at you. You covered your face with your hands, worried that you were about to vomit. "Grumpy man. Garden." The witch scoffed.

    "That doesn't answer anything! You need to go back, now!" She slammed her hands on the table, emphasizing her point. You flinched at the tone in her voice. Abe swung the door open, marching into the room with Damien.

    "What the shit is this?" If she wasn't angry before, she was now. Celine yelled for them to leave. She claimed that the two of you weren't done. Damien looked down at your disoriented form. Concern flashed across his features, then his face darkened.

    "Celine, I think this is quite enough. Look at (Y/N)! They can barely hold their head up!" Celine slammed her hands on the table once more, raising her voice even louder than before.

    "It's enough when I say it's enough!" Damien shot Abe a look. The detective nodded and helped you to your feet. He walked you into the hall, asking you a million questions. You shook your head. The last thing you wanted to do was relive that hellhole. Abe sighed, pulling a small notebook and a pen out of his jacket pocket. You quickly scribbled a drawing of what you saw-- a man with a shovel. The detective furrowed his brows. He called in the chef and butler, quizzing them on what it could possibly mean. You leaned against the wall and listened to their conversation. You were still determined on helping the investigation, and your vertigo was beginning to fade.

    Damien and Celine rejoined the group as Abe and the chef began arguing about whether or not George the groundskeeper could be a suspect. Damien had enough and finally snapped. "This is getting us nowhere. The two of you just go outside, and talk to this George, and be done with it!" Abe spluttered for a moment.

    "Hold on a second, you're not coming with us?" The mayor twisted his cane in his hands, a nervous habit of his. He glanced between you and his sister.

    "I need to stay here to help Celine and (Y/N), whom, may I point out, is clearly in no condition to be going on a manhunt." Celine whirled on her brother, quickly reprimanding him. She claimed that she did need anyone's help and especially not his. Damien's jaw dropped, and he looked to you. You pushed away from your spot on the wall and squared your shoulders.

    "Damien, I appreciate your concern. I really do... but I'm an adult. I know my capabilities, and I'm going to help finish this investigation." Damien's jaw slackened. You could tell that he was hurt. He threw his hands in the air.

    "Our friend is dead!" Everyone cast their eyes downward. A heavy silence hung in the air. Damien sighed. "I'm sorry. I just... need answers to all of this. I already lost one friend today." His voice was low, almost on the verge of falling apart. "I don't want to lose another."

    "Fine, but I have to stay here," Celine conceded. Damien turned his attention to you. The pain in his eyes made you want to stay, but you couldn't.

    "I'm sorry. I have to help them." He nodded, slowly turning away from you. He and Celine walked down the hall, back into the small room. Your heart ached, but you knew this was what needed to be done. Abe snapped you out of your daze, saying it was time to go. Before leaving the manor, you turned to the butler. "Have you seen William?" He gave you a reassuring smile.

    "He appeared tired and went back to your room. If you'd like, I could let him know you inquired." You nodded, and the butler disappeared around the corner.

~*~*~*~*~

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@blitchen​

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@phire23​

[eddiesfaerie]

okay like... sackler anxiously confessing his feelings for reader (maybe they're besties?). with kiss prompts 1, 2, 22. and from the misc prompts "i see you. i know you feel so invisible all the time, but you're not. not to me." sorry its vague lol feel free to feel it out however you like. (i'm still feeling THINGS for baby sackler today lmao)

omg my baby hello<3 no i love this, thank you so much for sending. i kinda made this super long by accident so i ended it kinda abruptly so sorry if the ending SUCKS. i really hope you like it 🥺

1.6k words: angst, hurt/comfort, season 1 Sackler, shitty friends (1) small kisses littered across the other’s face, (2) a small, fleeting kiss - which is immediately followed by a passionate, hungry kiss, (22) a kiss that is leading to more, but is interrupted by a third party.

Another night of watching your friends go out as you sat on your couch, your phone overheating in your hand, burning your skin. You drop it, flinging it across the couch.

You didn’t even want to go out. You liked your alone time. You craved it, needed it to recharge from being around so many people all the time. You liked your friends, you loved them but…

But they’re different from you. Which is fine. Different is good, different is necessary.

You were upset because it was another night of being ignored, forgotten. No invitation whatsoever to go out with them. It’s not like you would have said yes, you probably would have declined.

It was the absence of the offer, again and again, that stung, that drove that knife deeper into your back. Sometimes you were so sick of them. Sometimes you hated them, sometimes you wish you had different friends. But everyone felt that way sometimes.

Adam was the only one of your friends that was straight edge. When your friends started ignoring you months ago, you called him. You got close really fast, faster than you were expecting but you weren’t complaining. You found comfort in each other, found comfort in the fact that you both sort of resented your friends in similar ways and preferred staying inside on Saturday nights.

He was the only person you allowed yourself to talk shit with, you were not one for talking about people behind their backs but with Adam… with Adam it almost felt like it didn’t count.

So you called him.

Your phone had cooled down, no longer holding those burning images, videos of your friends having the time of their life without you. Fuckers.

You asked if you could come over. He said sure. You locked your door behind you and walked up a flight of stairs, knocking on Adam’s door. You forgot sometimes that he lived right above you. You tried not to think about how you could hear too clearly every time he had a girl over, the way the floor would creak with the added weight on his bed, the stomping of feet, the muffled cries of pleasure. Your heart sank to the depths of your stomach and you cringed as he opened the door.

“Hey, kid.” He knew something was wrong with the way your lip trembled, the way your eyes were rubbed red.

“Hey.” You shoved passed him and into his apartment, plopping yourself down on his floor, in front of his stacks of movies, quickly trying to pick one out before he asked any questions. You were also trying to ignore the way he was shirtless, only wearing those weird jeans, the ones with the fade you hated so much. He was shirtless all the time, you don’t know why tonight it was serving as a distraction, irritating you in different places.

“Wanna watch something?” You asked, willing your voice not to tremble as you spoke. He noticed it anyways. 

“Sure, sure yeah pick anything. I’ll make popcorn.” Adam left you alone in the living room to pick something while you tried to fucking compose yourself. Deep breath after deep breath, quickly wiping your eyes with the back of your hand. No wonder he called you kid, you were being so stupidly childish.

Adam came back into the living room just as you were pushing the CD into the disc player, quickly jumping on his yellow couch, folding in on yourself, hugging your knees to your chest. He silently placed the bowl of popcorn in between the two of you, his eyes glancing at you every now and then, wondering to himself if he should ask or just leave it be. When he could tell you weren’t paying attention to the movie, one that you had already watched together a dozen times, he decided to say something.

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong or are you just waste a perfectly good viewing of our favourite movie, hmm?” Adam ignored the way his heart flipped the fuck out when he said ‘our’. There was really no ‘our’, though. You were just friends, you were just friends, you were just friends.

You hugged your knees tighter to your chest, hiding your face behind them and inhaling deeply, praying the tears away.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Your words were muffled by your legs, it came out completely unintelligible.

“Kid, I can’t fucking hear you.” Adam said, trying not to laugh. He let his hand rest on the back of your neck, letting his thumb glide along the skin, trying to comfort you. He could feel the goosebumps he was leaving behind in his wake. You sighed loudly, throwing your head back against the back of the couch, caging Adam’s hand to your neck. You liked it there. Liked how big it was, how it wrapped all the way around your neck too easily.

“I just… I’m so... ugh.” You were getting frustrated with yourself. 

It felt so dumb to be so upset over something you didn’t even care that much about, and it felt even more dumb trying to explain it to Adam who you knew felt the same way about his friends. His hand squeezed the back of your neck softly, Adam swears he heard a low whimper but he brushed that thought away, that wasn’t important right now, not when he could see more tears filling your eyes.

“Hey, hey I’m here, kid. I’m listening.” You nodded your head, hearing him but tears started falling down your cheeks. So fucking embarrassing, you thought to yourself. Adam whispered your name and you swore it melted you further, so you leaned into him a bit, unfolding your legs and turning to face him better. His breath hitched in his throat at the sudden closeness. You had opened up more than he was expecting you to.

“I just hate them sometimes.” You said quietly, obviously embarrassed. You knew you didn’t have to explain it in depth to him, you knew he knew what you were talking about, who you were talking about. Adam nodded his head, letting his hand run along the expanse of your neck, petting your hair gently. It was so distracting. More tears slipped down your cheeks and Adam, unthinking, let his hand move to brush along your cheek, holding it as his thumb wiped your tears away.

Your skin was warm, burning underneath his palm and he fought with his instincts. He knew he was a shitty person, he knew that he’s done shitty things to a lot of girls. Girls that deserved better. But you… you didn’t even compare, he couldn’t even begin to explain that. He treated you differently, even you knew that. He was nicer to you, sweeter to you. Maybe it was because you guys were such good friends. But Adam knew differently.

“I see you. I know you feel invisible all the time, but you’re not... Not to me.” His voice is so hushed, so soft. You had never heard him speak like that before, never felt him so softly. His voice was warm and fuzzy around you, you could drown in him. You kind of wanted to. You leaned into his touch, absentmindedly pressing your lips to his palm, chaste little kisses, thanking him silently.

Adam hesitated. You saw the way in which he twitched forward towards you. You kissed his palm again, telling him it was okay. He leaned in more, letting his lips brush against your cheek for a few moments before pressing a real kiss to your hot, flustered skin. Your eyes close as you let his lips, those rose petal, plush lips, trail kisses all along your face. He kissed your cheeks, your tears, your eyes, eyebrows, forehead. Everywhere you let him until the only place left untouched was your lips.

Cautiously, he pressed his lips to the corner of your mouth, then the other one, tantalizingly slow. You whimper, you couldn’t have imagined holding it in. His eyes meet yours for a fleeting moment, you give the slightest of nods before his lips press into yours, granting you the softest of kisses.

He pulls away from you, afraid he had over stepped even though you seemed to have nodded for him to continue. He barely meets your eyes again before yours are closing, hands grabbing his neck, pulling him back to your mouth. He groans against your lips, he groans your name and you swear it never sounded so good. You melt into him, letting his hands hold you, grope you wherever he wants. His tongue glides into your mouth, his jaw working on your mouth to consume you, you feel whole with his mouth on you like this. He makes you feel okay.

Adam begins to lean over you, pressing your back lower on the couch but he grabs your leg, dragging you down the couch in one swift movement so he can hover over you. You yelp and giggle at his strength as he manhandles you down the couch, his body laying in between your parted thighs. You feel something growing with arousal, pressing into your harshly as he grinds his hips into yours, his mouth never leaving yours for a moment.

“Adam.” You moan softly into his mouth, hips grinding up into his, your hands exploring the bare expanse of his wide back. He moans when you sink your nails into him. He sits up abruptly, pushing his hair out of his face, his cheeks and chest flushed pink. He looks down at you, your disheveled appearance matching his own. He hooks his fingers in the waistband of your pants, searching your eyes for an answer.

“This okay?” You nod your head quickly, bottom lip pulled tightly between your teeth.

“Yeah-”

The unlocking of the front door sends Adam’s head twisting and your body scrambling to not be sitting in such a compromising position. His roommate walks in, a knowing smirk stretching across his face as he watches the two of you return to normal sitting positions. It sends a chill down your spine, butterflies erupting in your stomach.

“Could’ve just put a sock on the door, Sackler.” Adam rolls his eyes, not saying anything to his roommate as he walks through the living room, into the kitchen and then into his room, shutting the door behind him loudly.

A/N i wanna write more for sackler so badly hngngnng

[gettin-a-lil-hanse]

You Found Me - Chapter 2

Genre: Fluff, Angst (?)

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2.5k

Summary: In a world where hybrids are much like pets, they are also treated much like animals. Thankfully, some people also see the humanity in these creatures.

Tags: Kitty Hybrid! Wooyoung, Found Hybrid, Abandonment, Caring For a Kitten

Warnings: Mentions of mistreatment

Wooyoung gradually became more comfortable in Hongjoong’s presence. He deemed Hongjoong safe for now, but he still wasn’t sure about the other one. He let Hongjoong wash him up and dry him off — he quite enjoyed the feeling of Hongjoong’s fingers in his hair and he was so gentle with him. He pretended not to notice the looks of pity on Hongjoong’s face when he saw any blemish or bruise on his skin.

By the time Hongjoong finished and Wooyong was dressed in the slightly oversized clothes they lent him, he felt much lighter. His hair and ears were fluffy, a nice brown color, and they could see his beautiful tanned skin now that he wasn’t covered in layers of dirt and God knows what else. His tail curled around his thigh as he followed Hongjoong back into the living room where Seonghwa was waiting with a bowl of steaming chicken and rice on the counter. 

“I warmed up some food for you, let me grab a glass of water for you. Go ahead and take a seat at the table and I’ll bring it to you.”

Seonghwa offered a smile, one that looked much kinder to Wooyoung than the one strained one from before. With a nod, he showed himself over to the table and sat in a chair, pulling his legs up to sit with them crossed underneath him. He watched as Seonghwa moved around him, noting how careful he was to try not to come off as intimidating. He wasn’t sure though if he should find it endearing or see it as a red flag. However, his attention was immediately seized by the scent of the food placed in front of him and it was as if his entire surroundings melted away. The moment that Seonghwa pulled back from setting the bowl and utensils down in front of him, Wooyooung went to town. Hongjoong wondered when the last time he had eaten was and pulled Seonghwa away with him to give him privacy.

“Hongjoong?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t get so attached.”

“I’m not!”

Seonghwa didn’t look convinced, his brow shooting up and a hum rising from his throat. Hongjoong scoffed and shook his head, walking away to grab extra blankets and pillows.

“I’m not getting attached, I am simply helping someone in need. There is no shame in that. You should try being nice sometimes, it works wonders.”

With a subtle smack to Hongjoong’s ass (and a quiet hiss in response), Seonghwa followed to help gathering the bedding. Gotta make sure that the little man doesn’t fall over trying to carry everything himself, he jokingly thought to himself. As the couple walked back with blankets and pillows in hand, Wooyoung had just finished licking the bowl clean, the glass which was previously filled to the brim with water empty, and his tail up behind him for maybe the first time since he’d been there. 

Seonghwa didn’t miss the smile that made its way onto Hongjoong’s face.

“All done, Wooyoung?”

Wooyoung nodded and Hongjoong took the dishes from in front of him and carried them to the kitchen. 

“Wooyoung? That’s a nice name. Wooyoung, will you be staying for breakfast tomorrow morning? I would hate for you to disappear while we’re asleep and leave without a meal at the very least.”

Wooyoung was taken aback by the sudden question, having not heard him say more than a couple of words through their whole interactions. And if he was being honest, he really hadn’t thought about anything passed that night. How long was he planning to stay there? How long was he allowed to stay there? Where would he even go?

“I’ll stay… I know it might be a bit much to ask, but do you think you could help me find somewhere to go? A shelter, something… I will be out of your hair as quickly as I possibly can.”

“Don’t worry, we can help you. Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping tonight, okay? I wanna make sure you’re comfortable.”

Seonghwa held out his hand, waiting with a kind smile for Wooyoung to take it (or for him to simply get up and follow him — he wasn’t really expecting the hybrid to be so comfortable with him yet). With a quick once over from Wooyoung, he took the hand that was offered to him and stood from his chair, following Seonghwa to the living room where they were met with a couch covered in a sheet and blanket along with pillows. To Wooyoung, it looked cozier than what he was used to and a major improvement from sleeping out on the streets. He thought he could cry at that moment.

In fact, he did start crying. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as Seonghwa released his hand, guiding him to sit. When he saw the tears, he kneeled in front of the hybrid.

“Oh, please don’t cry! Do you need anything? Just tell me, okay?”

At the mention of crying, Hongjoong rushed into the living room and joined his boyfriend on the floor. 

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Was Hwa mean to you?”

Wooyoung chuckled and shook his head, which prompted Seonghwa to smack Hongjoong’s thigh. Wooyoung smiled (‘Holy shit, he’s smiling!’ Seonghwa thought to himself) and wiped his eyes. 

“You two are just so kind to me. It’s- I’m just not used to this much kindness.”

Hongjoong could feel his heart shatter into pieces and Seonghwa placed a hand over his chest gently. 

“We did the bare minimum for you, what have you been through? My poor baby…”

Hongjoong mumbled the last part, but it didn’t go unnoticed by Wooyoung. He felt a wave of overwhelming warmth in his chest and tears blurred his vision once more. It only broke their hearts more.

“Can I hug you? Are you alright with that?”

Hongjoong asked, a gentle hand patting Wooyoung’s knee from his spot on the ground. When he saw a nod, he wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the hybrid, a hand going up to pet his head softly. 

“We won’t hurt you, okay? How about you stay with us for a couple of days, hmm? That way we can make sure that you’re taken care of. Tomorrow we can go get you checked up, make sure you’re all good and we can get you some comfortable clothes that fit you. Let us take care of you, just for a little bit.”

Hongjoong spoke in a pleading voice, embracing him just a bit tighter. Seonghwa had to admit, he shared the sentiment. 

Wooyoung couldn’t muster up the energy to speak through his tears, so he only nodded. How could he say no to an offer like this? Hongjoong pulled away and smiled at him, bringing his hands up to wipe away his tears. 

“No more crying tonight. You need to get some rest. I’ll leave a glass of cold water on the table for you, just in case your head starts to hurt. We’ll leave our room door open so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to wake us okay?”

Wooyoung nodded, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Hongjoong left to get the glass of water and Seonghwa helped the hybrid lay down under the blanket, adjusting his pillow. The two made sure he was okay before shutting off the lights (making sure to leave the low kitchen light on just in case) and heading off to their room. They stayed quiet as they got themselves ready for bed and there was a slight tension between them. They laid down together, Seonghwa bringing his arms around Hongjoong to hold him close. 

“You’re already too attached.”

Hongjoong sighed and closed his eyes. 

“I can’t help it.”

——————

Wooyoung slept better than he had in a very long time. He didn’t have to worry about if someone would find him and try to hurt him while he was sleeping, or if he would be able to eat that day or find somewhere safe tomorrow. He was able to just…

Wake up. 

He woke up to the smell of something really good. His stomach ached in hunger, and he peered over the back of the couch to see Seonghwa standing over the stove. Right, he said they would have breakfast. Wooyoung stretched, his tail standing up and his ears flattening as he did so. Sitting up straight, he remembered the glass of water and drank it quickly, his head feeling fuzzy from the amount of crying he’d done the night before. His throat burned with how fast he drank it, his throat extremely dry. He stood from the couch and carefully approached the kitchen. 

“S-Seonghwa…?” He called out quietly, not wanting to scare the man as he approached. 

Seonghwa turned his head and smiled when he saw him. He had to admit, he looked absolutely adorable with his disheveled hair and the sleepy look in his eyes. He was holding his glass with both hands and his lips were wet. Seonghwa cooed internally. 

“Good morning, Wooyoung. Did you want some more water?”

Wooyoung nodded and held the glass up shyly, blinking at him. Seonghwa lowered the fire on the stove and took the glass from him, chuckling at his shyness as he filled it with more water. He almost missed the growl from his stomach. 

“Breakfast will be done soon. Don’t be afraid to ask for anything okay? Even something as small as a glass of water.”

He passed the glass back to him and ran a hand over his head gently before turning back to the stove to finish cooking.

Wooyoung shied and shuffled back to the couch, drinking his water much slower. Not long after, a sleepy Hongjoong emerged from the room, an oversized t-shirt — one of Hwa’s for sure — and a pair of basketball shorts adorning his small frame. Wooyoung stayed quiet as he watched the smaller man shuffle up behind Seonghwa and wrap his arms around his waist, face buried into his spine. The sight made him feel… warm? It was an endearing sigh — no doubt about that. But he also felt a tinge of something he couldn’t quite place. Loneliness? Longing? There was a passing thought that he tried to push to the back of his mind: He remembered the feeling of Hongjoong embracing him the night before and for a moment he wanted to be in his arms again. He had never felt such genuine warmth, never felt so safe. His heart arched as he wondered if he would ever feel that again.

He must have been staring for quite some time because the attention was suddenly on him when Hongjoong made his way over to the back of the couch where his head was resting on his arms. 

“Good morning, Wooyoung. Did you sleep okay?”

Wooyoung only nodded, eyes cast somewhere other than directly at Hongjoong. He noticed his shyness — a stark contrast to when they had first brought him home. 

“Are you still tired? You’re so quiet this morning.”

Wooyoung nodded again, closing his eyes when he felt a hand pass over his hair. He leaned into his touch, making Hongjoong smile fondly. 

“After breakfast, you can take a nap, and then we can go out okay? We’ll try to get as much done today as we can so we can relax inside tomorrow. There are a lot of things we’d like to learn about you, so we have a lot of questions. Those can wait though.” 

Wooyoung wasn’t paying him any attention. All he was focused on was the feeling of his hand petting him, almost putting him back to sleep on the spot. Low purrs made Hongjoong pause for just a moment, but he soon resumed when he realized that Wooyoung was purring because of him. The realization made a warmth spread through his chest and he watched as Wooyoung slipped further and further down, ears relaxing against his head. Hongjoong lost his train of thought, focusing on the calm look on the kitten hybrid’s face until Seonghwa called out for both of them.

“Hey, breakfast is ready. I’ll make your plates, you two go sit at the table.”

Hongjoong nodded and moved his hand down to caress Wooyoung’s cheek, to which he leaned into gratefully. 

“Come on, Wooyoung. Wake up, baby.”

Wooyoung wondered if Hongjoong knew how that pet name made him feel. Even if he didn’t know, it sure did make his eyes flutter open. It was such a pretty sight to Hongjoong. 

The two eventually made their way to the table, Hongjoong almost having to drag Wooyoung away from the couch. Seonghwa brought their plates to the table, setting everything down before going back to the kitchen to grab a pitcher of ice water and glasses. By the time he had gotten back to the table, Wooyoung had already eaten a considerable amount of the eggs and pancakes from his plate, the bacon and sausage already devoured. 

“Slow down, sweetheart, you don’t wanna eat too fast okay? You’ll make your tummy hurt. There’s more food left in the kitchen anyway.”

Seonghwa set everything down and ran a hand over Wooyoung’s head gently, sitting beside him. Wooyoung’s head lowered, more so to hide his embarrassment than from shame, but he nodded nonetheless and slowed down finishing the food in his mouth before taking another forkful. 

The rest of the breakfast was quiet with both Seonghwa and Hongjoong stealing glances at the hybrid as he ate. Once everyone was finished eating — and Seonghwa had gotten more food for Wooyoung — Seonghwa got to work cleaning. Hongjoong stayed with Wooyoung, agreeing to let him nap for a bit before taking him to the vet. The hybrid made himself comfortable on Hongjoong’s lap, his face nuzzled into the warmth of his thigh while his hand carded through his hair. He tries to remember the last time he had been so comfortable — if ever — but his thoughts were muddled by sleep overtaking him. Never has he slept so peacefully.

“You think we could adopt him?”

“Hongjoong.”

“Seriously, Hwa, look at him. How could you not want to keep this cutie?”

“We didn’t get him from a store or a shelter — we found him on the streets. We agreed to help and take care of him for a little while, but don’t get your hopes up. You told him that he is free to go at any time, we can’t just keep him.”

Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows, keeping his focus on the sleeping form below.

“But we can’t just let him go out on his own again.”

“If he wants to stay, I am more than happy to have him here, but he needs to make that decision for himself.”

Seonghwa sighed, watching the two from his spot in the small dining room, cleaning the table. 

“Give him some time, love. Let him adjust and settle before springing this on him so suddenly okay? I… I don’t feel comfortable just letting him go either, but he’s not ours to keep.”

“Yet.”

“Hongjoong, he’s not property.”

“You’re not property either, but you’re still mine to keep, aren’t you?’

Seonghwa eyed him before rolling his eyes and grumbling to himself as he finished his cleaning.

[chaseatinydream]

first kiss || j.wy (atz)

➵ pairing: reader x jung wooyoung (ateez)

➵ word count: 3148

➵ genre: convenience store date; confession; fluff

➵ synopsis: wooyoung just wanted cup ramen at 12:05am with a dash of seasoning “you”.

>>>

You’re startled out of sleep by the ringing of your phone.

For a moment, you’re tempted to reach for the accursed device and hurl it at the wall, but rational thought catches you before you can do so… that phone was expensive. Sitting up groggily, you push back the messy hair falling into your eyes and glare at your alarm clock. You feel like you’ve barely slept since the night before.

And with good reason, because it’s only freaking 12:03 AM in the bloody morning.

Your phone rings again and you scowl at it, willing it to somehow magically shut up so you don’t have to get up from under the warm covers of your bed, but alas, you don’t have any telekinetic powers and are required to crawl over to it like a poor, ordinary human being.

Flipping your phone around, you almost screech in agony as the unholy brightness of the screen seems to sear your eyes and you chuck it to the side. You barely got a glimpse of the Caller ID, but a mere glance at those first few letters is enough for you to know who it is.

Only one person is close enough (and also stupid) to call you in the middle of the night without fear of violent retribution the next day.

Grumbling to yourself, one hand fumbles for the device and you press it to your ear, burying your face into the plush pillows. You want to go back to sleep.

“What is it, Wooyoung?”

Wooyoung’s voice is much too cheerful for a Tuesday night, but its energy is infectious, as much as you hate to admit it. You don’t need to, he knows it already, that the longer he keeps you on the phone, the higher his chances are of you acquising to his often ridiculous requests. Knowing Wooyoung, it’s probably going to the nearest convenience store to buy ice cream in the middle of winter.

“Hey! How’s my favourite best friend in the whole world doing, Chin Hae?”

Honestly, you sometimes wonder if Wooyoung is a vampire. He never seems to sleep, living and thriving purely off a diet of caffeine and energy drinks and perhaps human blood. Maybe you should start wearing garlic the next time you see him.

“I dunno, but I’m pretty sure San is at home cuddling with Shiber in his sleep.” You reply with a completely deadpan voice, not at all amused at being woken up so early at night. Early at night? Or is it the morning? Late at night? Why are you even thinking about this?

“Aww, you know that you’re my best friend.” You can practically hear the pout on his face over the phone and let out a massive snort, rolling over on your bed to stare at the ceiling, internally letting out a massive sigh.

Best friend. A goddamn best friend is all you are to him. Stupid Jung Wooyoung and his stupid pretty eyes, stupid pretty face, stupid pretty everything. The two of you had met a couple of years back when you’d first started college, seated next to each other on the first day of school. Upon glancing upon his face, you had nearly choked. Knife like jawline, near flawless skin, adorably big eyes behind rounded minimalist glasses, you had momentarily wondered what a model was doing in your school. He could pull off silver hair without looking like an eighty year old man, for god’s sake.

Next to you, no less. You didn’t like how he was making you look like a pig just by existing.

That had already been enough for you to instinctively dislike him, so when the professor had asked for all of you to introduce yourselves to each other, you had intended to give him some silly, standoffish answer and never speak to him again. You knew it was petty, yes, but who had given him the right to look so good?

No one. That’s who.

But to your absolute shock, the young man had simply grabbed your hand and pumped it up and down enthusiastically, seemingly overflowing with too much energy to contain.

“You look like my new best friend!”

And everything had sort of… gone downhill from there.

Being Wooyoung’s best friend is somehow simultaneously one of the most beautiful and terrible things you’ve ever had to experience. He’s unbelievably kind, unlike what you had expected from such a pretty face, and possibly one of the most perfect beings to walk the surface of this earth. That’s the good part. You sometimes still can’t believe you’re friends.

The bad part is that you’re in love with him.

It’s no surprise, honestly. Who in this school isn’t in love with Jung Wooyoung? What you hate is that there are so many prettier, sweeter, nicer girls who all want a chance with your best friend, and you find yourself constantly grinding your teeth as they pass you love letters and chocolates with perfectly manicured hands, fighting the urge to throw them in the trash right before their eyes. You wish you could be half as bold as they are, but every time you so much as muster the courage to open your mouth to confess, Wooyoung’s breathless grin stops all brain activity and it just… somehow hasn’t happened for the last three months.

Swift and decisive, that’s you alright.

You scream into your pillow.

Best friend. Oooooh, you hate the sound of those words like it’s the screeching of the devil itself.

“Uhh, Chin Hae? You alright there?” Wooyoung’s voice suddenly drops in tone, a little more concerned and you’re tempted to chuck your phone out of the window while screaming obscenities to the heavens. He’s really not helping with this whole barely buried crush on him. In fact, you’re not sure how he hasn’t noticed. You’re pretty sure San already has.

But the phone. The phone is expensive.

You try your best to force a smile back on your face even though he can’t see it, raising the phone back to your ear. “I’m fine, Wooyoung. And don’t think I’ve forgotten that you woke me up. Why exactly did you call me again?”

There’s a brief pause at the other end of the line.

“Do you wanna go and grab some cup ramen?”

You actually lift the phone away from your ear to stare at the screen, as if Wooyoung would be able to see your incredulous face somehow. “Wooyoung, it’s 12.03 in the morning.”

“12:05, actually.” Wooyoung pipes up unhelpfully in a hopeful voice and you groan, rolling out of bed as you search for something appropriate to wear in this ungodly temperature, hoping that your fingers and toes won’t freeze off in the meantime. Shivering and dancing around once your feet touch what feels like an ice block under your feet, the cool marble of your bedroom floor chills you to the very bone.

“Ah, cold, cold, cold!” You yelp, scooting over to the wardrobe as fast as you can, fingers rifling through your selection of puffy coats before they still momentarily on a furry collar. You glance down at your current outfit, a lumpy, knitted sweater and fuzzy socks with reindeer print on them. Maybe you should wear something that looks better in front of Wooyoung?

“Chin Hae? Hurry up, it’s cold out here!” Wooyoung exclaims into your ear, pulling you out of your thoughts. Sighing, you shake you head as you imagine your best friend with an adorable pout on his stupid perfect face, pulling out the thickest black coat you have, one that Wooyoung gave to you a couple of months ago. Then something strikes you.

“You’re there already? Without knowing whether I’d be coming? In this weather?” You say almost incredulously as you shrug on the coat, adjusting the sleeves to fit better around your arms, the phone wedged in the space between your cheek and shoulder.

“Well, I knew you’d come!” Wooyoung says proudly, voice filled with so much surety that you’re tempted to cry for a moment. Maybe it’s just your infatuation, but everything he’s said lately has caused butterflies to flutter in your chest. You both love and hate the feeling at the same time, but it’s not like you’ve had much control over it. “I’m such an amazing friend-”

“Are you stupid?” You grumble, slipping down the hallway and grabbing your boots from the door side. Wooyoung gasps dramatically over the phone at your words.

“How dare you? I am hurt, you know. Are you questioning my mental capabilities?”

“Every single day.” You retort dryly, opening the door only to get hit by a blast of cold air right in the face. Holy shit it’s so cold you’re going to turn into an ice popsicle before you leave the house and maybe you should just go back to that warm, comfy bed-

Wooyoung’s laugh and perky voice comes over the speaker, echoing in your ears. “I’m waiting for you! Be there or be square!”

Before you can protest that he’s absolutely off his rocker for thinking that anyone in their right mind would leave the comfort of their home in this near hellish weather, the call ends and you’re left staring at your phone in wide eyed shock. His contact photo blinks back innocently at you, cheerful, bubbly smile on full display with his arms thrown around your shoulders, the two of you splattered with bright green and red paint after finishing your art project a year ago.

“I’d take being a square any day.” You mumble, then you smack yourself in the head and groan when you feel your heart melting. You’re not supposed to be this whipped for him, damnit! But you can’t find it in yourself to get angry at him in the least.

“You’re lucky I love you.” You hiss vehemently at your phone. And as you stalk towards the convenience store with murder in your eyes, you can’t help but feel like you really need to get over this stupid crush on Wooyoung before he makes you do something stupid.

When you do reach the midnight convenience store, it’s open and you step inside, glad to be free from the bite of the icy winds. It’s absolutely freezing out there, how Wooyoung can come out with the most ridiculous of plans is something you love about him, but will probably never understand.

Standing in the aisle, you wave at the lone cashier at the counter, he’s playing a game on his phone but returns your greeting, and your eyes scan the rows of snacks and bottled drinks in search of your best friend.

“You made it!”

A frightened squeak leaves your lips as you startle at the noise. Then you see Wooyoung sitting at the table near the glass wall with five cups of ramen before him, an endearing shit eating grin on his face.

You smack him in the shoulder hard as you slide into the seat next to him, grabbing your own cup from him with a pout. Wooyoung chuckles in amusement, rubbing at his arm in mock pain.

“I can’t believe you made me come all the way here for cup ramen in the middle of the night.” You tell him with a scowl on your face as you open up the lid. Steam creeps over your numb fingers and warms them up, and you grab your chopsticks to eat your ramen as fast as possible.

After that trek through all that snow, you’re ravenous.

“Hey, don’t eat so fast or-”

Shoveling the piping hot ramen into your mouth, you nearly choke on the first bite as the noodles scald your tongue. Coughing, you set the cup and chopsticks down and you can hear Wooyoung laughing hysterically at your side, his high pitched laughter bouncing off the walls of the empty store.

“Stop-” You cough again and hit Wooyoung on the arm in embarrassment. God, you should have never left the safety of your house. “Stop laughing at me!”

“Alright, alright.” He stifles his chuckles, passing you an uncapped bottle of iced coffee. Grumbling about betrayal and false friendships, you snatch it from him and down what’s left, his warm hands coming up to rub your back soothingly.

“You’re wearing those socks I bought you last Christmas. You swore you threw them out the second you unwrapped them.” Wooyoung remarks with a teasing grin and you growl at him, slapping a hand over his mouth.

“You saw nothing.” You whisper menacingly into his ear, Wooyoung’s eyes glinting with amusement as his gaze meet yours. Your heart stutters for a second.

Then he sticks out his tongue to brush your palm.

“Ew!” You yelp and yank your arm back from his face, only to find him howling with mirth. Scowling, you plop back in your seat and grumble under your breath, picking up your chopsticks.

For the next hour or so, you and Wooyoung eat cup ramen side by side and watch the snowflakes outside fall gently to the ground, covering your footprints from earlier in a blanket of soft, powdery white. Wooyoung speeds his way through the first two cups of ramen before finally slowing down on the third one, his lips adorably red and swollen from the spicy taste. The two of you talk about nothing and everything, merely enjoying the company of each other.

When the two of you step out of the convenience shop and start on the road home, the snow has stopped for the most part aside from a few stray snowflakes here and there, but it’s still freezing cold. You raise your hands to your mouth to blow on them and rub them together, shaking your head in exasperation.

“I still can’t believe you ate five whole cups on your own, Wooyoung.”

“You know me, babe.” He winks impishly at you, but then his gaze softens a little as he looks at you with a fond smile. You watch the snowflakes land in his soft grey hair and for a moment, he looks so ethereal that he really just steals your breath away.

“Don’t call me that.” You bop him on the nose and he jumps, taking your hands into his.

“You’re freezing!” He comments with a pout, puffing out hot little breaths over your fingers. You try to wipe the warm, content smile off your face before he can see it, fixing your face into a scowl.

“Of course I am, who do you think dragged me out at 12:03 in the morning to eat cup ramen?” You shake your head in exasperation as you glance at the head of silvery grey hair before you, his head rising to give you a mischievous grin.

“Alright...” He drags the word out playfully, his cheeks flush from the cold. “Where else do you want me to warm you up?”

You point to your cheeks. The sides of your face feel near frozen. “Here.”

Wooyoung ducks to the side, blowing warm air on each cold cheek. They turn red upon contact with his breath, whether it’s from the cold or embarrassment, you hope he never finds out. “Where else?”

You point to your ears. You can’t see them for yourself, but Wooyoung has always told you that they flush pink in the cold winter air. Wooyoung grins and blows on each too, and warm blood rushes there in response to his touch. “And?”

You point to your nose. “It’s cold here.”

Wooyoung’s face leans forward to meet yours and your eyes slide shut. His breath ghosts over your nose, tickling you just a little, and you can feel his lips brush against your skin ever so gently before he pulls away.

“Where else?” He hums, squeezing your hands lightly in his. There’s a distinctively teasing smile playing on his lips. You touch your own in response.

“Here.” You point at your lips. They get cold fast, and in the winter they always get chapped, which you absolutely hate-

Wooyoung’s mouth dips down to meet yours.

You don’t register it for a moment, the taste of spicy ramen lingering on your lips as you ponder the flavour. It’s faint, not quite as strong as earlier, and you mumble against his lips. “You really ate too much ramen, Wooyoung, even your mouth tastes spicy now-”

Then you freeze.

Your eyes fly open in shock at what has just happened, a sharp intake of breath passing your lips. Wooyoung looks temporarily confused for a moment, before he too, realises what he’s just done.

The two of you spring apart, both turning red as tomatoes. You gape at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, your brain short circuiting as if you’ve walked straight into a power generator.

“You kissed-”

“I kissed-”

The two of you fall into utter silence for a moment, merely staring at each other in shock. Wooyoung’s face is as red as a cherry, a rosy red blush spreading across his cheeks and down his neck, mouth sputtering out nonsensical words of its own accord. “You... I... if... kiss... become...girlfriend?”

You shriek and bolt down the path at the last word.

Your short circuited brain can’t take any more.

Wooyoung sighs as he watches you go, shaking his head under his breath. Yes, he has feelings for you. Yes, he has been crushing on you for the last six months. Yes, he has asked you out tonight to enjoy your company because he loved seeing you like that, face bare and hair thrown into a messy bun, completely and utterly real.

But he never intended on kissing you out of the blue!

“I... I just need to apologize to her tomorrow and tell her it was all a mistake.” Wooyoung runs a hand through his hair, teeth worrying his bottom lip anxiously. What if you’re too awkward to look him in the eye after this? He smacks himself in the forehead with a groan.

He’s such an idiot.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of crunching snow and blinks in confusion, raising his head. The second he does, soft, warm lips press against his too, moving so gently he feels all the air leave his lungs in one gasp.

Then all too fast, you pull away and Wooyoung only blinks at you owlishly in shock.

“Your lips were cold too!” You shout in his ears, face burning bright crimson with embarrassment. “See you tomorrow, Wooyoung!”

And then you’re running off again at top speed, nearly slipping on the snowy road and his heart leaps into his chest in a panic. But you catch your balance, slipping and sliding, before disappearing around the corner of the street.

His tongue darts out, sliding across his lips in wonderment.

His first kiss tastes like spicy ramen, iced coffee and best of all...

You.

[bluespiderlilies]

Pillars x Modern reader? Please if it alright with you

hi!! i was going to say no tbh bc my rules say only two charas max but,, i'll let it slide i guess lmao 

modern! pillars x reader!hcs: 

himejima gyoumei:

okay so like,, in a modern au i like to imagine that gyoumei would be a sculptor hehe (yes, i know, not v original).

and you a painter!! 

and like,, the two of you are secret admirers of one another 

like he would often see you at the art gallery he frequents just staring at his sculptures & just,,, looking at them w pure awe?

 which he finds so heartwarming & makes him super motivated & happy in what he does!! 

and at art auctions when he buys your paintings? you feel like fainting from happiness bc the guy you admire so much BUYS YOUR PAINTINGS?!?! 

so then one day the two of you just,, bumped into each other coincidentally while at the art gallery the two of you go to often

the two of you chat comfortably before asking for one another's numbers & discuss about a potential coffee date!! 

and so, after that & a couple more dates, the two of you became official!!

iguro obanai:

hmm i feel like snek boi would be a tattoo artist 

you a florist (FUCK i hate my unoriginal ideas) 

your shops are right beside each other's haha

you sometimes talked but it was only about small awkward things like the weather BYE

but then one day you got locked out of your shop oops

so you,, sort of stayed w/ obanai in his shop until the person you called to help came

 which he didn't mind at all btw

surprisingly, the two of you got along really well? not to mention you guys liked a lot of the same things & had similar hobbies??

 from then on the two of you were kinda Whipped™™™™™ for each other lmaoo,, you often went to each other's shops when you guys didn't have any customers/had a slow day 

so then you decided to confess and!! he accepted your feelings & said he felt the same way!! (screams) & ever since then the two of you began to date uwu

rengoku kyoujurou:

okay so kyoujurou in the kimetsu academy au is a history teacher, right? 

and you are the english teacher!! 

honestly the entire school love the two of you so much

 and they even ship the two of you super hard\ but!! the thing is? the two of you are already dating, haha~ the students just don't know that yet

so it's hella amusing when the two of you witness them trying to set the two of you up with one another 

so you and kyoujurou had a mutual agreement to just act innocent and go along w what they do (which the students totally fall for)

until one day you accidentally let it slip (whoops) 

"hi guys, sorry for being late, kyoujurou won't be here today 'cause he's sick and i had to take care of him for a bit—oops did i just spill everything?"

 from then on the entire school knew the two of you were dating (and thank god, bc now you guys could be affectionate in public lmaoooo)

tokitou muichirou:

muichirou would be like that quiet, asocial first year *wheeze*

& like...there's tons of rumors of him being rude n closed off to others that try to be friends w him

n you're like!! haha!! fuck those rumors i want to be friends w him!! (plus he's cute wink wink) 

so, you try to approach him by sitting in front of his desk during lunch, or talk to him front time to time in your close (surprise!! the two of you are in the same class) 

he ignores you tbh & even tries to push you away,,, but you're super persistent (in an annoyingly,, cute way?) 

but like one day, you're absent from class two days in a row, and he's like,, fuck?? is it my fault??? did i do something to them?? is (name) not here bc of me?? i miss (name) surprisingly a lot and idk why???

and like for the two days he feels like he's fuckin hallucinating or some shit bc he always turns his head to the direction he expects you to be, or like hears your voice even if you're not there? 

but then you came after those two days, and he immediately comes up to you and questions you as to why you were absent 

you just laugh and smile, telling him that you were sick (& tease him too) which he gets really flustered at and even blushes bc he missed you a lot bye 

so then he confesses to you, and tells you that even if it was two days, it felt like forever and he just really missed you and wanted you to be by his side?? and you found that hella cute (also bc of his blushing face) so like uh,, ever since then the two of you started to date

tomioka giyuu:

kimetsu academy au where he's the gym teacher (duh it's canon) & ur the assistant nurse of tamayo uwu

you often supervise whenever giyuu has a class bc you know how rough he can be,, so you're just there in case anything happens

 cue the students being in love w you bc you're the literal opposite of giyuu

cue the students lowkey shipping the two of you too (& the two of you are HELLA oblivious about about, too) 

you like to chat w him sometimes, even if you're the one who's doing most of the talking

despite his rough nature you actually find him really cute and like??? attractive 

and giyuu?? is naturally attracted to you too?? but then one day a student fight breaks out and while giyuu tries to stop it he ends up getting injured

so you, of course, treat him the best you can—tending to the bruises on his face & the cuts on his arms & legs,, and like your touch is so fucking good and gentle and like??? bitch is about to melt too

he ends up telling you that he likes you,, and you're shocked bc omg?? the guy i like just confessed & asked me out (btw u said yes haha)

uzui tengen:

aight so spy!au where he is sent to spy on you bc you're under suspicion working under an illegal organization (wait this counts as a modern au right? yeah anyways,,) 

he moves in to the apartment right across from you as your new "neighbor" 

he also works as the cashier at the bakery you work at too!!

 bc of that, naturally, the two of you got close

you thought he was v attractive and funny lmao,, you especially found his "flamboyant" catch phrase hella endearing too 

and tengen was like: fUCK NO I CANT FALL IN LOVE W YOU YOU'RE MY MISSION!! 

yeah right lmao bc he did end up falling in love w you. so he even asked you out (which ofc you said yes?? like bro tengen is literally the person of you're dreams) 

but he reminded himself that he still had a mission to do, so he used it the fact that the two of you were dating to his advantage to find more about you (aka snooping) 

you didn't really mind that + the fact that he asked lots of questions about you

but once he found out that you were completely clear, he was?? highkey happy and relieved, so he could date you comfortably without being paranoid lmao

kanroji mitsuri:

idol! mitsuri and manager! reader au hehe 

honestly you have been w mitsuri ever since she debuted

you watched her grow as both a singer and as a person—you saw all the sides of her personality, habits, flaws, etc; which honestly? made you fall in love w her 

however, you kept your feelings a secret bc you didn't want anybody to find out plus ruin mitsuri's reputation?

like okay you get fired but you don't want to hurt mitsuri or the years of hard work to be destroyed 

but it's so fuckin hard you know? bc she's super affectionate w you, and you're over here trying to keep your feelings in? 

so eventually you just,,, confess to her—all the feelings you had pent up just finally spill out

unexpectedly?? she says she feels the same way?? but she's been in love w you ever since she first laid eyes on you?? 

so lmao you keep your relationship a secret, even from the agency you work at lmao 

despite the hardships that you guys often face, you get through them together and the two of you couldn't be anymore happier w one another??

kochou shinobu: 

roommates au in which the two of you are college students 

shinobu a pharmacology major & you in toxicology!!

bc of you living together and even sharing some classes, the two of you spend a lot of time w each other 

you guys have plenty of study dates too haha 

and cute stuff like night outs or movies nights!!! 

honestly the more time you spend w her, the more time you?? fall in love shinobu. like. head over heels for her. 

and shinobu's like??? I FEEL REALLY NICE AND FUZZY AROUND YOU (in her brain, though) 

so the two of you end up confessing at the same time during movie night bc the movie reminded the two of you of each other a lot?? uh?? 

when the two of you realize what you said two each other, the two of you laugh it off and just? begin dating 

nothing really changes tbh!! just more affection, dates, spending time w each other, and being more intimate ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

shinazugawa sanemi:

bodyguard au :D in which sanemi is your newly appointed bodyguard and you're a millionaire that needs to be protected 

honestly he thought you'd be snobby as fuck considering that's how rich people usually are in his eyes

 but?? you're really freakin chill and cool?? not like he'd admit that aloud lmaoo

you like to tease him a lot bc he's so uptight w you, but apologize & give him ohagi (which he really fuckin loves?? Uh??)

you always try to convince him to play video games w you lmaoo esp mario kart (he declines though *eyeroll emoji*)

since he's almost always serious around you, when you find him tending to your dogs and being so soft around them you're like?? fuck?? my heart?? 

so basically the two of u dumbasses have feelings for each other but are oblivious + don't want to confess,,, like the more time you spend w one another the more you fall in love?

and he absolutely just,, loves it when you visit orphanages and help w the kids and the way you treat them is so sweet? 

yeah. he's so in love. 

but it wasn't until you ended up in a life-threatening situation that he actually confessed to you—which, as serious as the moment was, you cracked a joke and accepted his feelings.

[sweetiepie08]

All I Ask of You (Chap 4)

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance fic

Deet x Rian

She walked into his life when all seemed lost. He accepted her when the other surface dwellers didn’t. She was gentle. He was brave. Their first impressions dwelt in their minds and their feelings grew as their journey wore on. They supported each other, comforted each other, and gave each other strength. Together, they were a light in the darkness.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2.  Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. 

[-] 

Standing hand in hand at Stone-in-the-Wood, they watched the Crucible until the last blue flame died out. Rian’s question lingered in their minds. “Will they come?” She knew his faith in their fellow gelfling was tested time after time on their journey. Would they believe him? Would they help him? Would they see the truth? He'd been let down so many times, it was no wonder there was still doubt.

“I think so,” she assured him, placing her other hand on his. “Brea and Gurjin and the rest will, at least. And they may bring others.” She offered him a smile, a genuine one. It was a relief to see Brea safe and the rest of their friends away from harm.

He returned her smile, but it faded into his exhausted expression. “We'd better get ready, then.”

His hand slipped out of hers as he began walking off toward one of the buildings. It left an impression, just like his touch always did, as if her skin wanted to savor the sensation. Even now, she could feel him in her memory. His weight in her arms as she carried him through the breath of Thra, the hand he laid on her back after their crash to make sure she was alright, her arms wrapped around him as he carried her out of the cave's mouth… He had a way of making her feel protected and safe with only the touch of his hands, and the feeling always lingered.

His acts of gallantry didn't end there. She watched him slip back into the soldier as they journeyed through the caves of Grot. He led her, sword in hand, ready to face any danger they may encounter. He insisted on entering her house first, just in case there were any arathim inside. When a darkened nurloc attacked, he drew the creature to himself so she could escape.

She understood the impulse to protect well. After all, she’d done the same for him. When the Hunter infiltrated the Circle of the Suns, she instinctively jumped in front of Rian, not thinking of her own safety or how to defend herself. Her only thought was that she didn't want to see him harmed again.

She followed him to a large stone building behind them Maudra’s home. They found the door padlocked. Rian disappeared into the Maudra’s home for a brief moment and returned with the key.

“What is this?” Deet asked.

“The Armory,” Rian answered, unlocking the door. “The Stonewood have a saying. ‘The hand that wields the blade cannot help the fall into their feet, but there are times when the blade is necessary.’ So, we're always prepared.” He swung the doors open, revealing the stores of Stonewood weapons. Armor hung on the walls. Spears, axes, and swords rested in their stands. “Traditionally, when a Stonewood warrior's battle is over, they melt their blade down in the Crucible. The metal is then forged into new blades when they are needed again.”

“Excuse me but…” She glanced towards the courtyard, “those blades didn’t look melted to me.”

“Yes, the Crucible stopped working after the Arathim Wars. I imagine the glaive had something to do with that. Perhaps Thra knew we would need them again before long.”

They stepped in and looked around. The empty space on the shelves and walls gave some clue as to what exactly happened to the Stonewood Warriors.

“It seems your clan got your message, after all,” Deet said, noting an empty axe-shaped space on the wall surrounded by a layer of dust.

“Yes,” he murmured, gently leaning the glaive against a wall. “If I hadn't seen more Maudra Fara in the flames, I'd be fearing the worst.”

Together, they spent the rest of the afternoon taking inventory and counting supplies. Once that was finished, Rian took up the duel glaive again. He held it up to the light and ran his fingers carefully along the edge. He didn’t seem satisfied with what he found.

“For a legendary sword, this thing could stand to be a lot sharper,” he quipped, taking a fresh whetstone off the shelf. “I think we've done about all we can here, at least until we see who shows up.”  He took the keys and started out. “Come on. I think I've got a surprise.”

“What's that?”

He cast her smirk over his shoulder “How would you like to sleep with a roof over your head for a change?”

They walked away from the armory and he led her to a house not far from the village square. It was a charming home carved into the trunk of a tree. There was a little path lined with rocks leading up to it. Colored glass bobbles and a bird feeder hung from the lower branches. It looked dark, especially in the twilight of the setting suns, but she could so easily imagine it lit up with candles and a warm fire.

“I this your house?” she asked as Rian reached into a knot on the side of the tree and pulled out a spare key.

“It is now, I guess,” he said. “This was my grandmother's house. I spent my summers here as a childling. She passed away a few unumn before all this chaos started. It passed to my father and now…” He unlocked the door without another word and they went inside.

It was dark and very still. She could see the fireplace, some soft chairs, a sofa and a rug on the floor. It looked cozy and lived in. It looked like a home and it made her heart ache for her own. “It's lovely.”

“Thank you. This is probably my favorite place in Thra, to be honest.” He looked around with a gentle fondness in his eyes. “Some of my happiest memories are here.”

“Those summers you talked about? When your father would visit? Camping and fizzgig hunting?”

A smile spread on his lips. “Yes exactly. It'll be nice to spend at least one more night here. Whatever happens tomorrow…” The warmth in his face quickly faded to dread. That happened to him so easily and it made her heart hurt every time.

She put her hand on his shoulder as if she could transfer some of her warmth to him. “Let's try to make it fun, then.”

“Fun?” he said as if he didn't know the meaning of the word.

“Yes, let's pretend we're just two gelfling spending a quiet night together. Tomorrow is just an ordinary day.”

He looked amused for a moment but that, too, faded quickly. “As tempting as that is, I've had enough comforting lies for one lifetime.”

“It's not a lie. It's a game,” she said, putting some playfulness into her voice.

“The way a childling plays house?”

“Yes, that's it. We'll pretend we live a peaceful life here and we're just enjoying our evening the way we usually would.”

“Alright.” A genuine grin broke like daylight on his face. “But if we're going to play, we'll need characters.”

“She beamed at him. Now he was catching on. “Good idea. I'll be Miss Hollerbat and I'm an herbalist.”

“I'm Mr. Nebrie, the cobbler.

“Alright,” she laughed. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Nebrie.”

“Enchanted, Miss Hollerbat.” He stepped forward and kissed her hand.

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “You have a lovely home, Mr. Nebrie.”

“Thank you Miss Hollerbat. I'm so glad you could visit.” His eyes drifted to the kitchen. “Let's just hope there's food in it.”

“I'll start a fire while you look.”

“Sounds good.” He flashed her a smile as he headed toward the kitchen. “Please make yourself at home.”

“For that, we might need to move this place quite far underground,” she quipped, looking for flint stones.

“Whatever makes you comfortable,” he said, laughter in his voice.

The sound made her heart swell. “And of course we'll need a few dozen nurloc.”

“Nurloc might be hard to come by,” he retorted, keeping up his playful tone, “but you can trip over a few hundred fizzgig at any given moment.”

Rian managed to scrape together enough food for a stew, although he did have to check other people’s gardens and hope a few vegetables wouldn't be missed. He also found a bottle of Spriton berry wine for them to share. Once supper was ready, they sat together by the fire to eat. When they finished, they sipped their wine as the fire crackled and they continue to their game.

“So how was your day, Mr. Nebrie,” Deet asked, taking a sip from her glass.

“Well, let’s see,” Rian mused. “I woke up, had breakfast, tripped over about a hundred fizzgig…”

“You said that about the fizzgig, already,” she pointed out, giggling.

“You don't understand they're usually everywhere. Just a truly ridiculous amount of fizzgig wherever you look.” He put down his glass so he could gesture more freely. Deet laughed as he became more animated. “A lot of people keep them as pets, but my father always said ‘why bother when there are going to be at least three barking at your door any moment?’”

“Didn't you say you hunted fizzgig as a childling?”

“Yes but we never kept them,” he explained smiling at the memory. “We just gave them some belly rubs and some berries for their troubles and let them go.”

“Oh, that's sweet.” She could so easily imagine tiny Rian playing gently with the fuzzy creatures.

“Actually, when I was a childling, we had this neighbor. Orla was her name. She was the sweetest little old lady and she kept about five fizzgig at a time. They were the gentlest, most docile creatures you ever saw.                They left every living thing in Thra alone except my father.” A nostalgic twinkle came to his eye as he spoke. “My mother and I could always tell when he was almost home because all five would start yapping at once. I don't know what he did to earn their ire, but they never let it go. Those fizzgig and Maudra Fara were the only creatures in Thra who could irritate my father on purpose and get away with it.”

“Maudra Fara?”

He chuckled. “Yes, I'm fairly certain teasing my father to his face was a favorite hobby of hers.” A shadow passed over his face. “I imagine she’ll miss that.”

“Perhaps she can tease you instead,” Deet suggested, hoping to lighten his mood.

He shook his head. “I don't think it will have the same appeal. A lot of my friends tease me all the time, but no one messed with my father.” His smile faded as he looked away from her. He went quiet for a moment. His eyes fogged over as he lost himself in thought.

Deet reached out to him. “Rian?”

He looked up and flashed her a forced smile. “I'm fine.” He let out a deep breath and continued their game. “So Miss Hollerbat, how are you enjoying Stone-in-the-Wood so far?” he asked, taking another sip from his wine glass.

“Oh, it's been wonderful,” she answered, feeling the warmth in her chest. “There's so many beautiful plants and animals that I've never seen before. And I've met the sweetest gelfling… maybe not here, exactly, but near here. He is a Stonewood, though. He’s great friend. He really helped me feel welcome on the surface, like I'm not so strange after all.”

“I'm sorry Miss Hollerbat, but that's impossible,” he interjected firmly.

“Excuse me?”

“I happen to know the sweetest gelfling in Thra is a Grotton named Deet.” The way he looked at her made her heart beat wildly. “She's the kindest soul I've ever met. She's really been a great friend, too. I don't know if I'd have made it this far without her. I just hope that, with everything that lies ahead, I can keep her safe.”

She reached out and put her hand on his, her heart racing all the while. “I know my friend Rian is very brave. I've seen him put himself between his friends in danger many times before. And he does it because he has so much love in his heart. Whatever happens tomorrow, I'll know he fought his hardest to protect everyone. It's too big a job for one gelfling to take on alone, but he tries anyway. I just hope he knows he's not alone and he'll always be my kind, brave friend.”

“Deet always knows the best things to say,” he choked out. She could hear tears behind his voice. He took her other hand, looking at her with glistening eyes. “What should he and say to her to tell her how much she's helped him?”

“He doesn't have to say anything. It's what friends do.”

“What do you think Deet would like Rian to say to her?” He asked, leaning closer.

“Well,” she paused to collect her thoughts and attempt to stop her head from spinning. “I imagine it made her feel really good whenever he told her he didn't think she was weird. After so many gelfling made her feel like she didn't belong, it was nice to hear out loud that someone accepted her.”

He flashed a mischievous grin. “I’ll bet Rian would like to know the names of these gelflings so he can have a little talk with them about how wonderful deed is and tell them they are idiots for not seeing it.”

“Deet would probably say it's alright because he's already made her feel safe and accepted and…” She searched her mind for something to add, but she’d lost herself in the sparkling blue of his eyes. “…and he gives great hugs.”

“I'll have to tell her she should try hugging Gurjin sometime to compare,” he laughed. “And I should tell her that just being around her has made everything that happened more bearable.”

“I'll have to tell him that just being around him makes her happy.”

“And I'll tell her she makes the world seem more beautiful even when times are hard.”

“And I'll tell him he makes the surface feel more like home.”

“And I’ll-” He stopped himself short and seem to deflate. “No…” he muttered to himself. “That's too much to ask.”

“What?”

He let go of her hand and stood up, leaving the ghost of his touch behind. “It's just… I've lost so many gelfling I love on this journey…” He leaned on the mantle watched the fireplace as the logs burned and crackled. He went quiet for a long time, seeming to struggle with something in his mind. Finally he whispered her name. “Deet, I would accept one more comforting lie if only you say it.”

“What is it?”

“Could… could you say you love me?” He looked at her and his eyes broke her heart. “You don't have to meet it. It can just be part of our game. But just hearing the words…”

“I can't,” she whispered.

He nodded and turned back to the fire. “I understand.”

She stood up, her heart pounding, and put her hand on his shoulder. “I can't because that is not a lie.”

“Deet..” He turned to her and gently laid his hands on her face, looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time. “It's not a lie from me either.”

He kissed her and she stumbled backward a few steps. Her heart felt like it could burst. She could hardly believe what was happening. She threw her arms around him and kissed him back.

“Deet,” he whispered, drawing back for a breath. “Promise me we're not pretending anymore. Promise me that all you say is true.”

“It's true,” she said breathlessly. “I promise. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They stumbled backward together onto the sofa. She held onto him tight, like he was a dream that would disappear in the morning. He said he loved her and she felt it in her heart that this was true, but she also knew the wine and the pressure of the night could have played with their minds. If not for that, would she have taken her first bold step? Would he have answered her confession with one of his own? Is there any point in wondering now that they were together?

At some point, they lost their balance and came crashing to the floor, bringing the cushions down with them. She was so light with joy, she could do nothing but laugh. When she looked over, she saw him laughing too. She loved everything about his laugh, from the sound, to the sparkle in his eye, to the wrinkle in his nose. She could see why Mira would be cross with him if he stopped forever.

But then his laughter died and she followed his eyes to something glimmering on the floor.

It was a bracelet made from iridescent blue beads. Carefully, he picked it up and ran his fingers gently along the stones, staring at it with a haunted look in his eye.

“What is that?” Deet asked.

“This is Mira’s” he answered, his voice barely above a whisper. “She was looking for this. She thought it’d fallen off on the landstrider ride back to the castle.”

Deet reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Mira would always be a shadow over Rian’s life. She knew that he never fully be over her. She didn't expect him to, not after losing her so horribly.

Rian let out a breath and his haunted eyes turned to her. “I- I'm sorry… this doesn't… I still meant everything I said.”

“You miss her,” she said, matter-of-fact. It was the truth. It was how he felt. There was no need to deny it.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered.

“What for?”

“I love you, I do, but…”

“But you're still grieving her,” she finished for him. “You lost someone you loved. You're allowed to miss her.”

He shook his head like he didn’t deserve her words. “You're too kind. I mean it. You're too understanding. You deserve someone who can give you all their heart.”

His words struck her like a bolt and she could feel her heart begin to sink. “Oh…” Maybe we were still just pretending after all.

He saw the sadness on her face and jumped up in a panic. “Not that I don't. I mean… I just… it's complicated.”

“I know…”

He gently took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. “I love you,” he promised, his sincerity clear in his voice. “I want you to know that wasn't a lie. I don't want to waste what this night could be.”

“Do you truly want to go on?” she asked, keeping her hands in her lap. “Is that what you really feel in your heart?”

He looked away and she watched him struggle in his heart. After a moment, he shut his eyes and shook his head. “I'm just not ready,” he said, letting his hands slide from her shoulders, “not yet.”

“You don't have to be ready.”

His eyes fell on the bracelet once again. “What if we don't get another chance?”

She slipped her hand into his. “What if we do?”

A shy smile broke through. He pushed back her hair and kissed her temple. “One day,” he promised in her ear.

They spent the rest of the evening curled up next to each other, watching the fire crackle and finishing the bottle of wine. It was comfortable and cozy. She felt at home here, not necessarily in Stone-in-the-Wood, but in his arms. He held her close and she nestled into him. Occasionally they stole a light kiss on the hand or cheek.

There was an understanding between them. They loved each other, that much was true, but Rian needed more time. After everything he'd been through, that was to be expected. But he promised her one day, and he was not sort of gelfling to make empty promises. One day his grief will fade into remembrance, the turmoil will pass, and they will be together in every way to gefling in love can.

When sleep began to hover over them, they cleaned up and went to bed. Rian invited her to share his. Neither of them wanted to be alone. This night was particularly treacherous and their bodies provided the warmth and comfort they both craved. They didn't make love that night, but now Deet longed for the day they would. She was confident that promised day would come. With him, she was sure it would be wonderful. And to think, not long ago, the idea of kissing him it seemed impossible.

Deet woke in the night to see Rian sleeping soundly next to her. She smiled. She liked seeing him like this, calm and peaceful. One day, she promised in her heart, you won't have to live your life on the run. You'll be safe and free of fear. And you'll be happy.

She reached out to brush his bangs off with his face, but she saw thin, purple line glow in the dark. She drew back her hand and the glow moved with it. It was her. The glow was inside her veins.

Before she could think on this further, Rian shifted. His eyes fluttered open. “Deet,” he said, his voice heavy with sleep. “What time is it?”

“Go back to sleep,” she whispered. “The suns haven't risen yet.”

“You need to sleep too,” he muttered. “We'll need all our strength tomorrow.”

“Of course, I was just about to.”

A lazy smile spread on his lips. He left her kiss on her nose and drifted back off.

She rolled over and settled back down into her pillow, keeping her hands tucked close to her body. Sleep took her as she hid her worry away in the back of her mind.

The next morning, she woke to the sunlight pouring in from the window. She could feel his arm around her waist, holding her, protecting her. She looked down at her own hands. She didn't see a purple glow from the night before, but she could still feel something stirring deep inside her.

“Are you awake?” he asked.

She rolled over to face him. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes.” He smiled at her, brighter than all three suns. But his face took on the look of a soldier as he remembered what this morning meant. “We should get going. There's a lot to do.”

What if we don't? She thought. What if we stayed here and time stopped? And this moment could last forever?

She nodded. His arm slipped from her waist and he got out of bed, taking the warmth of his body with him.

But throughout the day, just like always, everything about him, the touch of his hands, the warmth of his smile, the sweetness of his kiss… lingered.  

[justreadingfics]

Looking For a Heartbeat (16/?)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Reader

Series Summary: You and Bucky used to be in a relationship. Feelings were hurt, you left. It’s been two years and you’re back. You both will handle the reunion well, won’t you?

Chapter Summary: A new path.    

Word Count: 4,5k

Warnings for this chapter: floof (WHAT?), pregnancy stuff.  

 A/N: @suz-123 is my angel and I love her. I think we deserve to breathe in some floof for a second, after 15 chapters of pure angst, don’t we. Enjoy it  and let me know what you all think, please.  Links are ruining posts, you can find the masterlist link on my description.

 “Will you want to know?”

“Know what?” Your brows knit at Nat, who stands by the examination bed with Wanda at her side.

“The sex of the baby, of course.”  She rolls her eyes as Wanda giggles. 

“Oh, I’m not sure, to be honest…”

“I’m dying to know.” Wanda smiles, “But it’s your call, of course.”

You smile back at her and wonder if Bucky would want to know… Your conversation with him happened the day before and you didn’t feel right to let him know then about the ultrasound scheduled for today.  You didn’t want to overwhelm him when he seemed so lost… so unsure…

“Do you know this medical team Tony hired?” Wanda asks, taking you out of your trail of thoughts.

“Ahm, yeah, I went through a first appointment with one of the doctors already to tell my and the baby’s medical history. They’re experts, the best of the best, Tony said,” You add fondly. With the secret gone, you feel more comfortable with doing the prenatal care and everything else at the Tower’s med bay, the most advanced medical place you could ask for. Tony jumped with happiness when you asked him about doctors.  He hired a whole new team with expertise in both obstetrics and genetics, considering the fatherhood of the baby. 

You still don’t know if you’re raising the kid at the Tower, but you’re damn sure if you don’t watch it, this child would be spoiled to rotten by those uncles and aunts.

“Did you call Bucky?” Nat asks, trying to act with nonchalance about the question.

You’re about to answer, when you see Wanda’s face lighting up. “She didn’t have to.” She beams.

Squinting your eyes at her, you don’t have time to ask for an explanation when you hear a soft knock on the door, catching the attention of the three of you. Your heart races when you see his face peeking through the door, which is a tad open.

Bucky.

“Hey... May I come in?” The timid ask is directed at you as his head is tilted slightly down and his eyes are looking up at you through his lashes.

“Yes, of course.” It slips from under your breath easily as you try to keep the smile on your face from getting too big. He's there, which makes your chest melt, but you don't know on what terms yet.

Placing his hands on his back pockets, he approaches you as his shoulders pull together and his lips tighten in a thin line. You notice he’s trying to make himself small, looking almost apologetic, as if he didn’t really feel like he has the right to being there. All you want is to scream how much you want him there with you, but you hold yourself back, to first understand what his presence means.

“Barnes,” Natasha calls as he gets to the other side of your bed, facing your friends.

It’s only then Bucky seems to notice there’s more people in the room, lifting his gaze, up till now fixed on you, to Nat and Wanda both stare at him with little smirks on their lips.

“Oh, hey…” He blinks, seeming lost for a moment.

“Hey… Well, now that you’re not alone,” Wanda claps her hands, “We can wait outside, right, Nat?” She aims a pointed look at your other friend.

“What? Come on, Y/N said we may be able to see the sex today. I wanna check whether this baby is a traitor or not.”

“Ok, bye. We’ll talk to you guys later.” Wanda ignores her protests completely while she pulls a very unhappy Nat by the hand.

You can’t help but chuckle and when you look at Bucky you catch him doing the same. For a moment, you two stay like this, gazing at each other, with silent smiles curling the lips of the two of you. You’re the one to let the smile drop first, being shortly followed by him, the unresolved questions rushing into your mind and lingering between you two.

“Hey-”

You two start talking in unison but, once again, someone at the door catches your attention.

“Hello, hello.” Doctor Nadine, the one you had talked previously barges in, eyes focused down on her tablet while she walks inside the examination room, “I see momma is already here, very good, “ When she lifts her gaze to your direction, her eyes lay on Bucky, “Oh, and the baby daddy?” She raises her eyebrow. The medical team is aware of the fatherhood of the baby, but her surprised expression shows she wasn’t expecting to find him there, an assumption she made because you told her yourself the baby’s father wasn’t around.

You turn a questioning look at Bucky, only to find expectancy through his gaze on you.

“Yes,” The answer comes from the lips of both of you together.

He lets out a breathy smile as your heart leaps in your chest. He’s there. He’s really there.

He stands beside you, straightening his posture and giving Doctor Nadine his full attention as she professionally resumes the procedures for the ultrasound, giving some explanations as she does so. She reaches for the ultrasound transducer to spread the gel on your stomach and you watch his eyes navigating to the spot. The first time he sees your growing belly. The instant and new interest coloring his gaze makes you swallow down the intense feelings bubbling in your chest.

“Ok, let’s take a look at our little bear down here, ha, there it is,” The doc says, gently moving the transducer in circles as the image, that now seems more and more like a baby, appears on the screen, gaining your attention.

A wide grin spreads twists your lips. You’ve done this a number of times already, but you never cease to marvel at the feeling and the sight of having a life growing inside you. The sound of a sharp inhale makes you look at its direction. Bucky. Your smile gets even bigger as tears start to gather in the corner of your eyes. His gaze is transfixed on the screen and his lips part slightly.

That’s when the sound of accelerated heartbeat reverberates around the room.

“Oh,” the strangled noise slips from Bucky as his eyes widen. 

You’ve been hearing the wonderful sound regularly, but this time, with Bucky there – completely astonished and in awe- it seems like it’s the first time all over again. You let out a watery laugh, aiming your gaze to the screen where your baby keeps moving around and changing position in your belly, like they’re putting on a show to you. You pity the fact you don’t get to feel them much, yet.  

“It’s something isn’t it?” The doctor says.

“Yes, yes it is.” Bucky whispers and you glance and smile at each other for an immeasurable moment. 

You’re not sure you can quite comprehend how you’re feeling right now. Seeing your baby so healthy on the screen, listening to their heartbeat and having Bucky, the father of your child, the love of your life right next to you. All the fear you’ve been  feeling of doing this alone starts to shrink…

He’s there.

The doctor continues with the examination, she explains that everything seems alright and progressing as expected, despite the recent accident, which incites a sigh of relief to come out of your lungs.

“Ok…” The doctor concentrates, moving the transducer over your belly, “The little bear seems very excited in showing off to us... if they only stopped…” She narrows her eyes at the screen making you two follow the direction of her gaze, “Ha-ha, there it is.” She stops moving and focus at one spot, “Oh, I’ve never asked that, do you guys want to know the sex? Because I’ve just got the answer.”

“Oh, I guess I’d rather wait?” You turn to Bucky, “What about you?”

His glossy eyes widened for a moment, and as he looks down at you he seems taken aback, like he’s surprised to be included in the decision.

“I- ahm, I-I think I’d like to know, but, ahm I-I understand if this is something you don’t want…” He stammers, brushing the back of his neck and you feel your gut clenching at how lost he might still be feeling about the whole situation and his part on it.

“Would you keep a secret?” You lift an eyebrow at him.

“Of course.”

“Is it ok if you only tell him?’ You ask Doctor Nadine who seems somewhat amused by the scene.

“Of course,” She smiles, “We can go to the office next door and seize the opportunity to schedule a date for a screening of the Super daddy. There’s a lot we need to talk about.” She states, referring to the serum on his system, and proceeds to clean the gel up from your belly.

Bucky nods at her, but a crease appears on his forehead when he stares down at you, “Are you sure? I don’t wanna impose-”

“That’s not what you’re doing, Bucky.” You assure, “You’re the father, you’re not imposing. You have as many rights as I have when it comes to our baby.”

His whole face seems to light up when you say “our baby” and you can’t ignore how fuzzy and warm your chest become at hearing the same words.

“Ok, let’s go, dad”, Doctor Nadine claps her hands and walks towards the adjacent room, which Bucky quickly follows with a huge grin plastered on his lips.  

You chuckle, pulling down your top. You step up from the bed to go to the bathroom, your bladder trying to murder you as usual. Despite you preferring to wait, you can’t help but to feel anxious at the thought that Bucky would right now be finding out whether the baby is a boy or a girl. As you think about it, you understand why he chose to know, why it seemed so important to him.

That’s the first thing he’s taking part about the baby. The one thing he would know ahead of you, after months of staying in the shadows. You understand it’s not about a competition, but it’s more of a way for him to form a bond with the baby that would be only his and now you feel kind of glad you didn’t want to know. You smile. You’re happy that he can have this.

After you wash your hands you open the bathroom door at the same time Bucky is coming out of the Doctor’s office and into the examination room. He has a picture of the ultrasound in one hand as he uses the other to wipe the tears falling from his red rimmed eyes.

When he spots you, he lets out a sob that is soon followed by a wide and watery smile.

 “Don’t tell me.” You point a warning finger at him as your heart rushes inside you.

A breathy laugh escapes his lungs, “I promise.” He places the hand with the picture over his chest and raises the other one with two fingers up in a promising sign.

“Don’t tell anyone, by the way, not even Steve… Or Nat.” You tilt your head as you walk towards him.

“I won’t.” The sentiment he pours on his gaze as you approach him would be disconcerting if it wasn’t so damn craved, “Nat might use some kind of torture on me, though,” He mocks.

“She definitely will.” You wiggle your brows and you both laugh quietly.  

A comfortable silence, one that you haven’t felt in years in his presence, settles. You could get used to that, to having that kind of peace around Bucky.

“Ahm,” He clears his throat as something seems to come up to him, “Doctor Nadine asked you to get in,”  He points  back towards the office’s door, “She has some exams to schedule with you.”

“Oh, yeah, right,” You reach for your bag on the hanger next to you and move to get into the office. 

“Y/N?”

You turn back to him.

“Do you wanna go grab a cup of coffee or something after?” He asks shyly, before biting the corner of his lower lip.

“Yeah.” You nod right away and you see him taking in a deep breath, “Sure, just… wait for me.” You beam, before ushering yourself into the office.

~~~

As you both wait for your orders, sitting in front of each other at a table by one of the Pastry Shop’s windows- that cute one you’ve been avoiding for so long but decided that today would be the day to give in- you ramble about every little detail of what being pregnant has been so far. Bucky only interrupts you to ask for more details. He seems drawn to every little story about morning sickness and weird cravings you’ve had till this day.

You’re more than pleased to satisfy every curiosity he might have. In fact, it feels so damn good to finally being able to talk to him about your baby as the air seems lighter and lighter between you two; it feels like you’re finally getting that peace you’ve been longing for.

Only when the waitress approaches the table with your orders on a tray, you manage to stop talking as your lips curl in an anticipating grin. 

“Here it is darlings, lemon pie and coffee for the gentleman,” She places Bucky’s order in front of him, “And, chocolate lava cake and cocoa for the lady, ugh, I’m jealous.” She winks at you and you laugh at her, “Enjoy,” she smiles, before sauntering away.

While you gawk at the world of chocolate in front of you, you’re unaware of how the blue of Bucky’s eyes hold a longing gaze and he’s unable to focus on anything else around him but you. You definitely don’t catch the sweetness of the longing on his  eyes giving place to a sharp melancholy. 

“Mmmm,” you moan, stare fastened on your cake. You lick your lips, grabbing your fork, ready to dig in.    

“I’m sorry.”

The hushed words come unannounced as your hand stops midair.

You swallow down and slowly lay your fork by the plate again, your gaze following the move. You’re not sure if you’re ready to give up on the easiness you’ve been experiencing so far… but thinking there’s where the relationship of the two of you would go right away would be nothing but naïve of your part. You know there’s still much that needs to be said…to be thought of.   

The air falls heavy on your shoulders.

“What for?” You whisper, finally lifting your gaze to him, meeting his pained and pleading eyes.

He bites his lips and lets out a humorless laugh while shaking his head, “Where to start?” His expression goes serious again, “Maybe for lashing out on you when you called me that night.” He adds in a low voice.  

“No.” You frown, moving your head in a dismissive way, “No, Bucky… I could’ve handled it better.”

“You had just found out.” He states firmly, “I can only imagine how you were feeling and you called me right away… I was nothing but rude.” He looks down and you can see him running his tongue over the inside of his cheeks, “I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t know, Bucky.”   You try to argue.  The sorrow on his face being almost too  much for you to take.

“Yeah, but it had been a while since we last talked and the first time you called me in the middle of the night I’m a sucker.” He scoffs at himself, “I’m sorry, please.”

The plea on his voice makes you understand how important it is for him that you accept his apology and, for him, you do, “Ok. But I’m sorry, too.” You nod.

“And then for waiting days until I get to you after I found out,” he swiftly adds.  

“It’s ok, really. I know it wasn’t easy for you to find out that way.”

“It’s just…” He fidgets with his finger over the table, “I-I got so scared… All I thought about was the many ways I could fuck this up.” He looks up at you.

Your lips close in a taut line as your heart clenches. You know how hard it can be for him… with his past, the self-doubts and self-loathing. You recognize them damn well. You wish you would’ve been a better support for him, but all you managed was to reinforce that darkness in him. You still know that. 

A faint and cold touch finds your hand over the table and your eyes drop to see his metal hand covering yours, “I’m sorry for running away from you. From us.”

You skip a breath at the words and at the sentiment in his voice. When your gaze finds his face again, he’s staring closely at your joined hands, the tenseness of his jaw evident.  

“Bucky…” you breathe; pulling your hand to your lap, as his shuts in a fist and remains there where you left it.

“Anna told me,” he says, without looking at you.

Your eyes round up for a second, “Told you what?”

“That she knew,” he worries his upper lip between his teeth, before looking up at you, “That she went to talk to you before, what she said to you…” He gulps down, “Before your accident.”

Your lips part as you hold his gaze. You didn’t expect her to tell him. You’re not even sure if you wanted him to know about that. You know it would lead to some kind of drama, that people might relate the accident with what happened before and… The look on Bucky’s face. His eyes gleam with regret, his jaw is tight with restrained anger. That’s exactly what you were trying to avoid.

“Bucky, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not her fault.” You rest your forearms on the table, leaning closer to him,  “I don’t blame her, not at all. I should’ve known better than to drive when I-” You sigh, letting your head drop for a moment, before focusing on him again, “I don’t think it’s wise to keep searching for people to blame. What happened, happened and that’s it. We need to move forward.”

“She didn’t have the right, and she knew about your pregnancy since Steve’s birthday party. She invented this trip…”  His face scrunches up as he looks to the other side.

You see he’s angry, but it’s not just it. The curve on his lips, the threat of tears in his eyes… he’s also sad, hurt. The regret comes out of his pores as his fist clenches over the table. God, how you wanted to hold him and tell him everything’s fine, but… would it be the truth?

“Are you two, ahm…” You falter, you’re not sure how to ask the question or even if you should ask it all.

He looks down, before grabbing his cup of coffee to take a sip of it, “I’m not sure. I don’t know where we stand anymore,” He puts the cup down and glances at you, understanding the nature of your half made question, “I can’t see her or talk to her right now… I don’t know if it will ever change.”

“Bucky…” You say softly, “I think you should talk to her… really listen to her, if not right now, soon. I know it’s not my place to say this and…” You sigh, “But she’s been there for you for so long and she… she really loves you, I can see that.”

The frown on his forehead grows deeper at you.

“I think you should see things from her point of view for a minute. That’s what I did.” You continue, trying to explain where you’re coming from, “She caught herself in the middle of a pretty messy situation… Maybe she acted, well…” You twist your lips, using a second to think of the right thing to say, “I mean, she may have made some mistakes, but I don’t think she’s the only one to blame here, you know that, right?” Your voice is soft, hoping he doesn’t take it as you’re chastising him, which you’re not, you just wish him to see the bigger picture.

The line between his eyebrows is deep as he his eyelids droop and he absentmindedly starts playing with the cup of coffee in front of him. You see he’s processing… absorbing your words, before he speaks again, not looking back at you right away, “Yeah… I know what you mean, I dragged her into the mess.” He keeps circling his finger around the ceramic of his cup of coffee “I made her believe I could love her like-” He swallows down the word and glances up at you.  

“It’s not your fault either, Bucky. Not entirely, at least.” You’re quick to say and shrug, “We’re all grown up here. We all may be a little fucked up.” A small frown tugs at the corner of your lips, “But we’re adults and responsible for our decisions, Anna inclusive. It doesn’t mean we have to be punished by our mistakes for the rest of our lives.”

He nods slowly, “You’re right, but…” He presses his lips together, “I don’t know… I know I have to talk to her eventually, but not right now…” He shakes his head, nibbling at his lower lip.

“Ok... alright,” You sooth, “Whatever you feel like it’s the right thing for you.” 

Once again he nods, and keeps silent, focusing on his hands on the table as he inattentively pick at his nails. You know it’s weird for him to talk about Anna with you, and, if you’re honest, it is definitely weird for you, too. But you’re so tired of unsaid words, untouched subjects. You want a new path for you, for the both of you.

You grab your up till now forgotten cocoa and bring it to your mouth, taking a deliberately long taste of the drink which is getting colder by the minute. Despite the air becoming thicker, it doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Considering you two haven’t really spoken without ending up in a fight or any other kind of distress for the two of you since you came back, now it feels like you two are truly beginning to find a pace to work things out or at least to share your feelings honestly. This is why you take courage to continue. There’s something you two still need to settle.

“Bucky,” you call and his gaze meets yours, “Listen.” You clear your throat, “I’m so happy you’re in this with me, with the baby.” You curl your lips in a smile, which he mirrors, before your expression falls serious and steady again, “But we’re inevitably gonna be in each other’s life if we wanna do it right.” You lick your lips, before asking the question that’s been pricking at the back of your skull, “Are you sure you can handle that? I mean…  being around? You wanted distance before…” You can’t help the small quiver of your voice.

“I don’t think this is what I want anymore.” He sighs and, for the second time that day, he reaches for your hand over the table.  “I don’t think this is what I ever really wanted.” His words are barely a whisper and he slowly raises his gaze from your linked hands to your face.    

This time, you don’t let go and brings your other hand on top of his, trying to ignore your heart racing stubbornly inside your chest to say what you want and need to say, eyes bored into his, “You know…I’ve never felt anything as deep, as strong and so fantastically breathtaking as how I’m feeling about this baby.” You breathe, as tears tug at the corners of your eyes.  

Softness shimmers on his eyes at your words, “I-I… it’s the same for me.” A beautiful smile spreads across his face.

“And it’s only getting started, Bucky.” You lean closer, drawing little slow circles on the back of his hand with your thumb as you tighten your hold, “I really think we should focus on understanding how we’re feeling about our baby, on preparing ourselves to love this child, to take care of them, and hopefully don’t screw them up too much.” You let out a breathy, watery smile, before focusing on what you want to say again,  “That’s all we should think about right now, on getting stronger, individually and as parents. For our baby.”

His eyes shut for a moment and he breathes in, before his gaze fixed on your hands again.  

“I wanna do it right.” You continue, leaning your head so your eyes would search for his. You need him to understand. “I don’t want us to hurt each other anymore, I wouldn’t bear this… that’s why I think we should leave what happened, what didn’t work out, behind. We didn’t work out as a couple, Bucky…” You gently say, with no trace of bitterness of accusation, “But maybe we still have a chance as… co-parents or whatever?” Sniffing, a watery small chuckle leaves your lungs.

Your breath sticks in your lungs as you wait for him to answer. You don’t let the hold on his hand loosen, as if he would slip through your fingers if you let him. You want him  to stay.  You need him to stay. You thought you could do it alone, but the taste of having him there with you proved you wrong. You need him.   

His lips are slightly parted as his eyes roam over every little corner of your face, studying you, taking you in. When he seems satisfied with whatever he finds, his lips close and form a small smirk, “You’re changed.” He observes, “I’ve noticed it yesterday already. You’re so… self-possessed, serene.” 

You chuckle, dropping your head for a moment, before looking up at him with a shy smile on your lips, “Don’t tell my therapist  that, she’ll definitely want a raise.” 

He laughs quietly, and when he lets go of your hands it’s not with hatred, nor regret, nor anything like that. “I  agree with you. You’re right.” He nods, “ Everything for our little - ugh,” His metal hand flies to cover his mouth as his eyes round at the almost slip, “Baby. Our little baby,” He adds, cringing.  

“James Buchanan Barnes.” You scoff, eyeing him warily.  

“I’m sorry,” He raises his hands, “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

“You better.” You point a finger at him, “Or Nat torturing you would be the least of your concerns.”

As you share a laugh, you exchange a silent look laced with hope and...peace. You know it won’t be easy. Not at all. But you two can do this and that’s exactly what you say.

“We can do this, Bucky.”

“Yes. Yes, we can.”

~~~

 Chapter 17 coming soon. 

[roseyserpents]

Existing in Remembrance

Summary: Sweet Peas other half had been ripped away from him and he struggles with living with the overwhelming memories

Word count: 2,081

Warnings: death, grieving, cursing, tiny mention of sex

A/N: this has been sitting in my drafts for a while and just finished it. Sorry.

Posted: February 27, 2020 11:29 PM CT

That morning it was hard to get out of bed. That wasn't the only thing, though. It was hard to wake up. To open his eyes. To breathe. To exist. Everything hurt as he lied staring at the ceiling. His bed felt empty and cold with only him in it, void of extra warmth and a pair of arms wrapped around him. It was quiet without the sound of gentle snoring or early morning chatter, the only sound instead his shaky breaths. It was atleast an hour before he could find the motivation to get out of bed. Another hour later he was walking out his door in black suit, getting lost in his thoughts until he's standing outside the funeral home. It takes everything in him to walk inside and walk in that room without crying. He was the first one there, sitting in the back corner of the dimly lit walls with his head in his hands.

"Come on Pea!" You smile, taking his hand and pulling him after you.

"We already had milkshakes today." He sighed in protest though you still took him inside Pops and ordered.

"Since when do you say no to more milkshakes?" You ask, unable to hold back a laugh.

He could hear your laugh echo through the building but it's gone before he can salvage the sound. Maybe it was just in his head, but it didn't matter.

Five minutes later Toni, Fangs, Jughead, and Betty arrived, five minutes after that Veronica, Kevin, Archie, and Cheryl.

"Hey Pea." Fangs said, pulling his friend into a hug. He falls against him, tightly gripping Fangs. He couldn't help but wish it was you holding him.

You are not allowed to go out anymore." Sweet Pea says after you'd come home with cuts and bruises.

"I'm fine." You assured him as you turned your head with your chin and cleans your cuts. "It was a small fight that I won."

"But now you're hurt." He says. "I'm supposed to stop you from getting hurt."

"I can handle myself." You say, standing up and so does Sweet Pea. "I'm not a delicate princess."

"You're my princess." He smiles, wrapping his arms around you. You roll your eyes but copy his smile, pulling him into a strong hug.

"You okay?" Toni asks, seeing her friend standing still with a distant look in his eyes. She knew he was getting lost in his thoughts and memories again like he had been the past week, having to hold back her own tears. "She loved you, Sweet Pea. She still does."

He nods and presses his lips into a line, scrunching his face together as to make sure no tears slip out. "Thanks Topaz." He mumbles. She squeezes his arm before walking towards Cheryl.

"I love you." You say, still staring up at the stars in the back of the truck you both lied on.

"What?" Sweet Pea quickly looks away from the stars and watches you, examining your side profile.

"I love you." You repeat, finally turning to look at him. A smile was on your face as you saw the look of excitement and love on his face.

"I love you." He smiles, leaning closer to you and pressing his lips against yours. "I love you so much, Y/n Y/l/n."

"Aw you're such a Sweetie." You giggle as he hovered over you.

"I hate you."

"You love me,"

You sit up on your elbows to meet him in the middle, your lips fitting together perfectly before parting and rejoining. A warm tingle was spreading through you from a source in your chest, like how you felt when you first kissed but ten times more intense. You knew he felt it too, the warmth seeming to radiate off of him in waves. He moved so you were above him before sitting up so you straddled his lap. His lips trailed down to your neck, your hands combing through his hair.

"Sweet Pea," you breathe after his teeth grazed your neck causing your breath to hitch in your throat. He pulled away as quick as he'd started, a partially embarrassed.

"I'm sorry I just-"

You cut his apology off with a kiss softer than before. "It's okay."

The two of you were just that; just the two of you. You had all your firsts together, first relationship, first breakup, first kiss, first I love you, first hook up. You explored this new world of being teenagers and being a boyfriend or girlfriend together, and ever step seemed easy with him by your side. Despite your obviously differing personalities, yours greetings and smiles while his was "don't talk to me, I bite", you fit together like a two puzzle pieces from separate puzzles that didn't go with the rest but were perfect for each other.

But then one day you disappeared. At first he just thought you were off doing your own thing, then thought you were blowing him off; that he said something wrong. After a week of nobody seeing or hearing a single thing from you, the missing persons report was filed. You weren't really known as Y/n around the school anymore, more as the girl who went missing last week. The days went on and Sweet Pea tore himself up over it. Maybe you ran away because of him because you thought you were moving too fast. Maybe you never really loved him, it was just an act until you could get away. Maybe you were hurt somewhere and--

"Sweet Pea, you in there?" Fangs asked causing him to physically jump up out of his head.

"Yeah, just... Thinking." He answers, running a hand through his hair.

"She'll come back dude." He gives Sweet Pea a sympathetic pat on the back before walking to his seat.

"Sweet Pea, can you join me in the office please." Weatherbee asks after walking into the classroom. Sweet Pea rolls his eyes but does so, the principal closing the door to his office once they get there.

"Sweet Pea, you might want to take a seat. The news I'm about to tell you is... Shaking." Weatherbee says.

"I can take it." He says through his teeth.

The man in front of him frowns and sits at his desk, his hands folded in front of him. "Well, I got a call from the sheriff's office about an open case."

"She's home?" Sweet Pea asks knowing immediately which case it was, his entire body language changing, "where is she, can I see her?"

"Miss. Y/l/n was found, yes, but she... She wasn't alive. I'm sorry."

"No, no you're lying."

"Sweet Pea, I understand this will be a hard time for you," Weatherbee starts but is cut off by Sweet Pea running out of the room and to the parking lot, a mess of emotions that seemed to be drowning him, pulling him further and further into the depths of his spiraling mind with stops along the way of memories and thoughts of you. Of his girl. His girl that wasn't really his girl anymore because how could you be his girl if you were gone?

"Sweet Pea?" He heard you say.

"Y/n?" He looked up with excitement shining in his dull eyes but they went back to the previously seen empty look after seeing it was just Betty. "Oh. Hey."

"I'm going to go talk to Toni." Betty excuses herself. Sweet Pea silently wished that she'd taken Jughead with her, not wanting the burden laid upon him of pouring out his feelings to someone else because that's all everyone keeps fucking asking.

"Jones, I swear to God if you ask me how I'm doing I'm going to throw you into a wall." Sweet Pea says, not meeting his eye instead looking at his own hands that had held yours so many times in the past.

"I like to think I'm not that cliche." Jughead says quietly. "Thinking about her?"

"I can't stop thinking about her." He replies in a quiet voice, still scared of opening up to anyone; he opened up to you, not them. "Every little thing about her is just... I miss her."

"We all do, man." Jughead tries to comfort him but didn't quite know how to get through the thick cloud that was thoughts of the girl he'd loved and lost.

"I was thinking um... About when I found out." Sweet Pea continues, "I just remember thinking that I didn't even get to say bye, or tell her I loved her. I don't even... Don't even know why she was out of town."

It was silent for a while between them until Jughead let him be alone which he obviously wanted.

Everything just hurt. His head hurt, his stomach hurt, the memories hurt. He wanted to escape from his body and go to some far away land that was just him and the pictures of you he'd put together in his head. He had so many more things to say to you. So many more things he wanted to do with you. So many conversations you'd yet to have. He wanted you to help him with his pain like you'd done with him times before, but could you really help if you were the cause of the gnawing, aching feeling deep within him?

People kept telling him over and over time would be the cure to his hurt, but they couldn't be more undeniably wrong. As each day went on, he longed for you more and more, he kept seeing whispers of you in the hallway, like the memorial in front of your locker filled with cards and flowers from people you didn't really know. There were scattered pictures of you there, your heart-melting smile looking straight at him, and there was pictures of the two of you on your common dates to Pops. He saw you in the newly put up colourful posters pasted to the walls about going to the guidance counselor to "help guide you through your grieving"; He saw you in couples walking down the hallway just the way you used to; And he saw you in your seat next to him in fifth period despite it's emptiness that served as a cold reminder.

Everyone asked him how he was and every time he gave them a one worded answer varying of "good" "okay" "fine" "great". He didn't want to share the memories he had of you that only the two of you knew about, like how the earth around you seemed to stop it's rotation around the sun and instead rotated around you that night when you first said you loved him. You loved him, and of course he knew that, but it was so damn hard to keep remembering that because when he thought of you it wasn't a warm fuzzy feeling anymore, it was pain and sorrow and regret. He loved you, so fucking much it hurt; then again, that hurt was probably longing for the other half of his heart. It was rare for someone to find their person. The One with a capital "O". And that's what you were for him and him for you. With you gone it felt like half of him had just disappeared into a phantom, like he was walking around slowly disappearing into the air around him and no one seemed to realize as the days went on he sunk deeper into this place where his body didn't exist in the present, instead getting stuck in the past following after his mind.

Everyday in his trailer he passed the black velvet box on his table. Sometimes he just sat and stared at it, gently popping it open and turning the ring inside between his fingers. It was a promise ring, something that binded the two of you until you were old enough to get married and carry out the rest of your days together because you'd found the One. He was going to give it to you the day you disappeared, sitting in the truck he'd slide it on to your finger and you'd smile and kiss him saying how much he meant to you and he'd look up to meet your eyes but then this dream world would merge with the real one and you'd be gone; disintegrated into thin air leaving him alone to keep you with him as a mere collection of memories.

[crowbarstodd]

Course Of Nature (2)

Chapter Summary: LadyNoir are real best friends, and Marinette and Robin are back at each others throats Rating: G Word Count: 2160 Pairing: Daminette

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four

You can do it!”

 “I really don’t think I can,” Marinette whined, sprawling over Chat’s lap lackadaisically, digging her elbow into his thigh and knocking his arm with hers by accident. 

He didn’t seem bothered, simply grabbing the handful of hair she had thrust in his hand and began braiding, making sure to stroke through her blue locks gently.

 She pressed her cheek against his leg, enjoying the way his whole body seemed to thrum as he chuckled at her expense. “Yes you can,” he insisted, ever faithful. “You’re Ladybug!”

“Not without this mask I’m not.”

 She winced at the resulting flick of his fingers against her exposed ear, pinching at his knee in retaliation. 

She smiled a little when he laughed, closing her eyes and basking in the moonlight. 

 He’d seemed lighter as of late; happier, and she was sure his new patrol partner had something to do with it.

 Under all his jokes and smart remarks, Chat was a bundle of affection and insecurities, eager to be unfolded. She hadn’t spent much with Nightwing at all, but she was grateful to him because her Chaton was flourishing under his tutelage. Now if only she could say the same about her partner.

“I can hear you thinking.”

“Don’t eavesdrop then.”

 Another ear flick, this time returned with a lazy backhanded swipe toward Chat’s general head area, missing completely. 

“I’m serious m’lady, you look... Not happy.”

Marinette shifted so that she was staring straight into Chat’s vibrant, green eyes. “Robin’s such a hard-ass.” 

Chat snickered, assumedly at her choice of wording and not at her distress. Hopefully. “I guess he hasn’t been tweeting you right, huh.”

Definitely laughing at her distress then. “He’s so annoying! I’m too loud, too slow, too small, and my costume is too obnoxious apparently!” 

Chat’s eyes softened, hands tugging lightly at the end of her new braid in his own brand of comfort. A little reminder of his presence. I’m here. I’m on your side. She heard his unsaid words loud and clear. “You’re not taking him to heart are you?” 

The lack of respect hurt her feelings, sure, but she had long since been exposed to bullies of all kinds, and it was frighteningly easy for her to simply let his words enter one ear and exit the other a moment after. “No, Chat.” 

“You’d tell me if he upset you seriously though, right?”

 “Of course I would,” Marinette admitted. There wasn’t much she could hold back from her partner.

 “I know he’s not ideal—“

 “For real.”

 “But,” Chat continued as if he hadn’t heart Marinette’s remark. “I think he can be better. I mean the way Nightwing talks about him... I think he’s just not the trusting type.” 

“I’m not sure how much I can handle, Chat,” Marinette admitted. It was hard for her to say out loud that she needed help as Ladybug. Marinette was a mess, but Ladybug had the world on her shoulders, and still kept them straight. Or at least, she was supposed to.

 “Don’t lose yourself to him,” Chat warned, “I know you, Bug, and I know that no matter how much you struggle you won’t quit. But this isn’t something you can keep pushing through. If Robin keeps pushing you, we’ll just have to switch patrol buddies.”

 Marinette almost sat up in shock. Chat admired Nightwing above anything, she would rather eat her shoe than make Chat lose such a valuable supporter. “No way!” She protested, heated. 

 Chat pushed her back down with a finger on her temple. “Relax, Bugaboo, it’s just a precaution. Besides, we’re a team, okay? There’s not a lot I wouldn’t do to help my partner.”

 Marinette could’ve cried right then, heart truly warmed by her partner’s words... But Chat always had something to say.

 Shoving her off his lap, he climbed onto hers, yanking her hand and dropping it on his blonde crown. “It’s my turn now,” he said with a cat-like grin. “Last night Nightwing taught me how to do an elbow-strike!”

Marinette snorted, petting Chat’s hair softly as he spoke, letting each word wash over her like a fuzzy blanket, providing comfort.

--—--—--—--—--—--—--

“You’re late.”

 “Actually, I’m Robin.”

 Marinette huffed out a frustrated grunt, blowing stray strands of blue hair away from her face. “Last week you lectured me about the importance of time management.”

 “Yes, and I’m pleased to know you remembered.”

 “Robin.”

 “You need to work on your interrogation voice. It’s hardly convincing.”

 Marinette’s eyes narrowed, patience growing incredibly thin. “Robin.”

 Mrrow

 A silence settled between the two of them. Robin had his typical spicy poker face, though Marinette could easily spot lines of tension on his face. 

 She heard a meow, she was sure of it, but there was no way...

 Mew.

 Oh my god.

“Robin are you hiding a cat?” Marinette couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice. It was just so difficult to believe that the stone-hearted demon would actually do something like that.

 Reluctantly, Robin lifted the side of his closed, black cowl. There was a flash of yellow, indicating a different material used for the inside of the cloak, and Marinette forced herself the push away the urge to ask. Instead, she watched as the inky black made way to display a slightly damp, light brown cat. 

 Marinette melted at the sight. “A kitten!” She squealed.

 “Don’t be foolish,” Robin snapped, “he’s fully grown.” 

 “All cats are kittens, Rob,” Marinette informed him flippantly, holding the lovely thing gently in her arms. “You’re a baby aren’t you?” She cooed, absolutely delighted when it blinked up at her with large, brown eyes and yawned.

 Robin frowned, but let her, sinking back into the shadows where he was more comfortable.

 “I used to have a pet cat,” she told him, unsure why she was suddenly sharing a piece of herself with someone she hardly knew and hardly liked. “When I was six it got run over. I wanted to bury him, but my family didn’t have a backyard, so we had to let him go. I didn’t stop crying for weeks.”

 Robin’s admission came after an extended silence, and was completely unexpected. “My grandfather ordered me to kill a kitten once. It was a white angora, barely three weeks old.”

 Marinette felt bile climb her throat at the confession, suddenly lightheaded. What kind of monster would force a child to do something like that? What kind of childhood had Robin endured?

Any further contemplation escaped her mind when Marinette felt his arms wrap around her. His moves were stiff and rushed as if he hadn’t wanted to do them in the first place, and she’d been so stunned she hadn’t even 

 “Huh?”

 Robin cleared his throat, awkwardly adjusting his mask. “Nightwing told me it was customary to exchange physical affirmations in the form of hugs when people exchanged secrets. Is that not the same in Paris?” 

 Bubbles of laughter floated from her tummy and spilled out between her lips like a waterfall. “Yes,” she decides to say, still giggling between words. “It’s the same in Paris, Nightwing was right.” 

 Robin tutted and crossed his arms, but under the faint glow of early morning sun, assisted by throbbing night-life lights, Marinette could see him glow just a smidge. 

 Their small respite (dare she say, bonding moment), was interrupted by a muffled shriek, only a few meters away. 

 They jumped into action instantly. Robin grabbed the cat from Marinette’s grip, tucking it somewhere inside his coat, leaping off the building, and into the street shortly after her. 

 “Stop!” Marinette ordered, standing before a masked robber, holding a kitchen knife before his young victims. The kids looked to be barely in their pre-teens, scrawny and small; naturally easy targets. The robber was built like someone who had once been extraordinarily athletic, but in recent years, had only worked out sparingly. Still, he was much larger than her, and from his growls, she could tell he was also much angrier.

 The robber didn’t have much choice other than to stop when a black blur landed on his shoulders, yanking his entire body backward and onto the ground. The children shrieked, and Ladybug acted instinctively, leaving Robin with the perpetrator, grabbing a child in each arm, and swinging away from the sight.

 They were young boys, and upon closer examination, she recognised one to be her classmate, Alix Kubdel’s younger cousin, Oliver. At least she knew where to drop them off, seeing as they were shaking too much to respond to her properly, and the other young boy was on the verge of tears.

 “Don’t worry about it,” she said, keeping her voice soft and soothing. “Nothing bad’s gonna happen to you while I’m patrolling okay? I’m gonna drop you both off at Oliver’s house, is that alright?”

Oliver squeaked, hiding his face behind his hands. “You know me?”

“Sure do, Ollie-boy, I saved you from some loose zoo-animals once didn’t I?”

His friend looked up at her with awed eyes, no longer trembling. “Woah,” he whispered.

Marinette wasn’t heartless enough to drop them off at the doorstep, instead waiting by them until Oliver’s mom’s answered the door, and wrapped both boys up in large hugs, promising to call Matthew’s parents for her. She made a mental note to try and remember Matthew’s name, just as she did with each citizen she met as Ladybug. 

When she returned to the crime scene, Robin was standing above the robber’s unmasked body, tying his arms behind his back.

Robin didn’t look at her, though she knew he heard her land beside him. “I’ve called the cops,” she informed him.

“Tt.” Great, he was pissy again.

“What is it?”

Robin made a sound from the back of his throat that sounded like a mix between a grunt and growl. “You put yourself in unnecessary danger. You should never jump right in front of the attacker, and to jump into danger and just stop? You hadn’t even disarmed him. What if he had other weapons? Or he threw his knife?”

“He wasn’t going to,” Marinette replied, brows raising at the bitter edge to Robin’s voice. “He was holding a kitchen knife, this was probably his first gig. I was safe.”

Robin turned to face her fully, mouth set in a deep frown, shoulders raised in clear anger. “Safe? How could you know that? There’s no guarantee of safety in our line of work, you must be naive to even think so.”

Marinette took a step closer, blood beginning to boil. “Thank you for your concern, Robin, but I think I’m qualified enough to assess a situation. I wasn’t in any danger.”

Robin strode forward, poking Marinette hard on the chest as he spoke. “You are blind to the privilege your miraculous grants. Wake up and realise that there are cities, countries, continents that are outside the reach of your little fix-it spell. You don’t understand danger because with your magic, you’ve never truly felt it.”

His words felt like a slap in the face. How could he say she didn’t understand danger when at least four times a week she had to combat a psychological terrorist and his creations? Because he had no powers he understood more than her? No, that wasn’t right and she knew it.

“I don’t think you get to decide what I know about danger for me!” She shoved him back and hissed under her breath when he barely moved. Her heart was beginning to beat erratically, pumping righteous fury in the place of blood with every second that passed.

“If you understood then you wouldn’t have left in the middle of an arrest!”

“It’s not an arrest if you’re not an officer, idiot! Besides, civilians are the priority and you were scaring them!” Their foreheads grazed with how close they were standing, practically screaming at each other’s faces. She had half a mind to lose control and deck him where he stood, but her ever-present concern of being akumatised reminded her of potential consequences if she completely submitted to her feelings. 

“Excuse me?”

Marinette leaped away from Robin, suddenly realising the lack of distance between them. Officer Roger Raincomprix stood at the end of the alley, a silver pair of handcuffs clutched in his grip, as he scanned the two of them with quizzical eyes. “I’m here to make an arrest,” he explained. 

Robin nodded, pointing at the man on the ground with his chin. “Take him.” And with those final words, he edged back into the shadows and disappeared from Marinette’s view, probably to sulk.

It was two steps forward one step back with him. Not even an hour ago she was beginning to enjoy his presence, but now she was back to ripping hair from her head out of frustration.  

She aimed a scowl at the direction he ran off in, feeling confused and angry all at once.

End Notes: :DDD lol so this ending is less than ideal but dont kill me pls. They have to learn how to understand each other first and it’s gonna be  slow process, especially when both Damian and Marinette are so hard headed, and they have such different views on Heroship. Writing best friend Chat was so fun though so I really hope y’all like him and how I portrayed LadyNoir’s friendship.

I’m so excited for the next update when we’ll finally be Marinette outside of her costume ahhhhhh. 

Tag List: @just-rant-and-write-fic-idea @kceedraws @mystery-5-5 @2sunchild2 @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @treebrosha @mooshoon @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @aarushi-03 @ladylb @crazylittlemunchkin

Feel free to leave me a message or ask if you want to be tagged/untagged <3

[mythiica]

Mini Scenarios - The Warlords Seeing Their Children for the First Time

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: All warlords

Genre: Fluff, Micro fics! Mini scenes!

Warnings: None

Intended Gender Audience: Female Audience

Word Count: 1587 words total

Other comments: got an idea for one guy and i was like i need this for everyone

Nobunaga...

...tucks his hand under his small head and lifts him up slightly as to see him in the light. He does not know what to say at first because he is awestruck by this newborn. Despite just being born, Nobunaga can see that he has the same type of nose as you to. The baby cries loudly and swings its arms around, so Nobunaga offers him a finger – the child immediately wraps its small hand around Nobunaga’s digit.

          His eyes shine with endearment and he brings the child close to his chest before bowing his head. With his head pressed to the child’s Nobunaga whispers, “You, my son, will have the world.” Nobunaga drops his hand and laces his fingers with yours. “Both of you will have the world,” he promises with a soft smile.

Hideyoshi…

...paces back and forth outside your room, waiting for news from the maids. His brows are furrowed tightly together as hundreds of thoughts rack his mind. Everything stops when he hears faint cries. He drops his worried expression and rushes to the doors, but hesitates to open them.

         A maid opens the door instead – she had seen his shadow outside. She waves for him to enter, and the moment he does, Hideyoshi sees you holding a small bundle. Sweat mattes your hair to your forehead, but Hideyoshi only sees your radiating beauty. He falls to his knees, and his arm sweeps around your shoulders. “She is just as beautiful as you are..” he mumbles before kissing your temple.

         “You think so?”

         He nods quickly. “I know so.”

Masamune...

...doesn’t really know what to expect when someone fetches him from the main hall. The other warlords give him an encouraging smile before he leaves and heads to your room. You look up as he enters and then extend a hand to invite him to sit next to you. He runs a hand through his hair before crossing his legs.

         She coos softly, big eyes looking at her father. Masamune holds his breath as he brushes a finger over her soft cheek, too scared to apply more pressure. She reaches up and paws at the air, trying to grab onto him.

         You prompt Masamune to hold her, and he accepts her carefully. “Are you sure-”

         “Of course, Masamune,” you giggle.

         He can’t believe how warm she is despite being so small. “Little lass…” he mumbles.

Ieyasu…

...had demanded to stay in the room with you through the delivery. If you were not holding his hand, Ieyasu would have barked orders at all the maids throughout the entire process. However, he focuses his attention on you, doing his best to comfort you and guide you.

         He is the first to hold your son – Ieyasu brushes his thumb over the baby’s blonde hair, his green eyes glowing with adoration. Ieyasu clears his throat and offers you the bundle, but you simply lean against the warlord with a smile. “I want to watch you two.”

         Ieyasu blushes slightly and nods. He looks down at his child and bites his lip. “I hope he is as kind as you are,” he whispers.

         A smile tugs at the corners of your lips. “And I hope he is as brave as you are, Ieyasu.”

Mitsuhide…

...is away when he received the news. He drops everything he is doing and leaves the camp quickly, rushing to you as fast as possible. With the castle in sight, Mitsuhide slings himself off of the horse and runs up the stairs and through the hallways. He nearly misses your room, but he stops dead in his tracks when he hears soft singing.

         Mitsuhide opens the door slowly and slips inside. You turn around and break into a grin when you see him. He crosses the room in a few strides, and his arms wrap around you, bring you into his chest. Inhaling slowly, he can feel your heart beating… and small heart as well. When he leans back slightly, Mitsuhide’s eyes land on his tiny daughter.

         “Baby mouse…” he whispers.

         “You already have a nickname for her?”

         He smirks and gives you a soft kiss. “Of course. Now I have… my little mouse and my baby mouse.”

Mitsunari…

…is at a loss for words when you offer him your small child. His lip trembles slightly and he pushes his glasses up. “H-How do I hold her?” Mitsunari tried to think back to all the books he had read about parenting, but in the moment, everything had fled from his mind.

         You giggle and smile. “Like you would a book, Mitsunari. Hold her head, here–”

         As you place your daughter in his hands, you support her head until Mitsunari cradles her gently.

         “She’s… so small… are you sure there isn’t another one?”

         “Mitsunari!”

         He breaks into a bright grin and shakes his head. “She is perfect.”

         When the child opens her eyes, Mitsunari marvels at the fact that they are the same shade of purple as his. His heart melts and he nestles against you.

Kenshin…

...can be heard from the other side of the wall, shouting at the maids, demanding to know your condition. He finally convinces the women to let him inside, and after seeing you holding your baby in your arms, Kenshin goes completely silent. He closes the distance between the two of you in moments, but he stops directly in front of you. “Why… why isn’t she making any noise?”

         “She is sleeping,” you explain. “Would you like to hold her?”

         Kenshin reaches out, but stops himself, as he did a few moments ago. “Won’t I break her?”

         You laugh quietly. “Not at all. Here.”

         Your daughter nuzzles against the fuzzy collar of Kenshin’s sleeve. He is completely silent as to not wake her, but then he looks up at you with big eyes. “I would die for her.” His voice cuts through the silence with a degree of seriousness that hits you.

         “Kenshin-”

         “I would die for both of you.”

         You tuck your arm around him and lean your head against his neck. “I know you would.”

Shingen...

...cannot stop smiling as he holds his daughter close to his broad chest. He peckers soft kisses to her head, making her giggle. Shingen then turns to you and kisses you repeatedly until you catch his jaw with your hand. “Shingen, please!” you laugh.

         “Can I not worship my angels?”

         You blush sheepishly, and he gives you a quick kiss on your cheek.

         Shingen brushes his hand over her head, petting her hair down slightly. He then begins to rock her back and forth gently. She closes her eyes and falls asleep rather quickly. “An angel indeed,” he murmurs. “Look how good she is!”

         “Wait until the middle of the night when she wakes up screaming–”

         “Ah, it will just give me more opportunities to spend time with her,” Shingen replies without hesitation.

         Your heart melts at his dedication and you begrudgingly give him a kiss.

Sasuke…

...never would have imagined that you would give birth to his son in Sengoku Japan. Sasuke runs his fingers through your hair before pushing his glasses up his nose. “How old do you think he can be when I start to teach him how to be a ninja–?”

         You turn your head slowly and look at him. “How is never?”

         Sasuke laughs nervously and shakes his head. “I’m.. joking…”

         Nodding, you take your son back and rock him back and forth. Sasuke kisses your neck and watches the two of you with a loving gaze. He pulls the corner of the blanket over the child’s face and puts his hand underneath yours to support him as well. “I can feel his heart.”

         “He’s going to be strong, just like you Sasuke.”

         “No,” he replies.

         You are confused. “No?”

         “He’s going to be strong like you.”

Yukimura…

...looks at his son with wide eyes.

         “Are you sure that’s mine?”

         You roll your eyes. “Yes, Yuki.”

         “And it…” he swallows, “came out of you?”

         “Yes, Yuki,” you giggle. “Come here and hold your son. And don’t call him a ‘that’.”

         Yukimura scrambles up from his spot and pads over to you. He holds his arms out awkwardly and waits for you to place the child down. “W-What do I do now?”

         You help him bring the baby towards his chest. “Hold him. Just like this!”

         The warlord looks at the sleeping child and bursts into a smile. “This is easy!” He leans forward slightly, resting his forehead against yours.

Kennyo…

...watches you from the other side of the room.

         “Kennyo, won’t you come here?” you ask softly, extending your hand toward him.

         But he shakes his head.

         “What’s wrong?”

         “I’ll scare her…”

         You shake your head and nearly laugh. “Scare her? Enough of that – come meet your daughter.”

         He exhales and walks over. However, when you offer your child to him, Kennyo panics. “Y-You’re much better at this than me… I’ll only hurt her.”

         Despite his protests, you tuck her into his arms and show him how to hold the child. She looks up at Kennyo with big eyes before reaching upwards. Her coos are playful and curious, so you push Kennyo’s elbows upwards, as to help him.

         He lifts her slowly, bringing her closer to his face. Instead of fussing, as Kennyo had expected, she laughs and tries to grab his hair. Kennyo tries to contain his smile, but it captures his lips and he marvels at the child.