#can’t believe they gave us the fireflies that’s SICK

[moonsavior]

Staple them into my brain

[grayandthyme]

we are not blood;

masterlist based on these headcanons! pairing: joel miller x firefly!f!reader synopsis: prior to reaching the hospital in Utah—you and joel run into other fireflies—desperate to protect ellie you are forced to jump into a ravine. after the scare, you settle down at a cabin, catching your breath. the experience claws at the both of you, until the dam breaks. warnings: pre-jackson. f!reader, firefly!reader; reader is optimistic. reader doesn't know about firefly true plan </3. maternal!reader. bonding over ellie. established relationship. fluff. canon deviation. implied intercourse. sexual themes.

word count 4.5k

˚ ୨୧ ⋆ ｡ ˚

“Why the fuck are they shootin’ at us?!” Joel’s voice is hoarse, thick with disbelief, each word dragged like paperweight behind his tongue.

The rhythm of your boots over shattered concrete echoes like gunfire in your ears. It feels like you’ve been running for hours. You haven’t stopped. You can’t.

“I don’t—” You stutter on your inhale, “I don’t fucking know, Joel!” The words crash out of you, splintered by panic and betrayal.

It had barely been half an hour since you crossed the threshold of the hospital—your supposed safe haven. You were expecting allies. Familiar faces. A place to rest, to breathe.

But instead, they opened fire.

Your people. Your fireflies.

Bullets ignored the bold insignia sewn into your shoulder—your shield, your symbol. The thing you bled for. The thing you believed in. And now it’s useless as your false god.

Your legs ache with every impact, your boots pounding against ruined streets. Keeping your hand steady against Ellie’s backpack, urging her forward, though she’s half-limping and half-dragging her feet. You don’t know if it’s the cold... or the fear... or the fucking ricocheting bullets against concrete.

Maybe it’s all of it.

Your breath comes in gasps now—angry, and grieving. Every inhale sharp, every exhale is a curse in your breath. Ribs feel as though they might split open at any moment.

“They’re your fuckin' people.” Joel growls, eyes darting between crumbled barricades and rooftops, searching for another muzzle flicker.

He almost says it like it's derogatory.

You don’t have an answer. Only a sickness in your stomach that feels a lot like disillusionment.

“I don’t know who they are anymore,” you whisper, but it comes out more like a strangled whine.

The hospital is looming behind. Cold. Steel taut bones and broken glass.

“We get inside,” Joel says, more to himself than anyone else, “We get behind a door, and we figure out the rest.”

You nod, heart pounding, throat thick.

But there’s a part of you that already knows— There is no figuring this out. Not really.

Because when the cause you gave your soul to raises a gun to your head, who are you supposed to be after that?

The Fireflies. Their silhouettes stalk the tunnel opening like animals, rifles raised, boots pounding without pause. Why won’t they stop?

Can’t they see? The patch still clings to your arm, damp with sweat and blood.

Your symbol, your belonging. You’ve worn it through firefights, winters, and starvation. You believed in it.

You believed in them.

Marlene knows you. She held your shoulder in Boston. Said you were one of the good ones. That you had a heart. She wouldn’t do this to you.

Right?…Right?

But no answer comes. Only the echo of militia, and the tightening in your chest.

The light fades as the tunnel swallows you whole, the sun behind you smothered by shadow. Your boots crunch over gravel and glass, the sharp smell of rust filling your lungs.

Ahead—the tunnel breaks open.

The collapsed earth sprawls before you, jagged and dark. A single train car dangles over the edge, torn apart like it was clawed through. No way across. No time to turn back.

“Shit—shit!” Ellie’s voice rises like a flare. Her sneakers skid to a stop, and she throws out her arms to balance. You reach for her instinctively, stepping in front of her, breath heaving.

Shield her. That’s all you know how to do anymore.

You don’t even need to check. He’s there.

Joel. Close, warm, and tense. His hand reaches out, not touching, but near. Always near. Like a promise he doesn’t say out loud.

You never had to look. You always knew.

“We gotta' jump,” Ellie breathes, wild-eyed, already inching closer to the edge.

“Don’t you fuckin’ dare.” Joel’s voice slices through the space between you, metal on metal. His fingers twitch in the air, like he’s already reaching to catch her.

“My backpack,” she says, voice strained with panic and purpose, “It’ll keep me afloat—”

You open your mouth to protest— But she’s gone.

A blur of denim and red.

Joel doesn’t hesitate.

You hear the grunt of his movement before your brain can even process the motion—his boots scrape, and he’s off the edge chasing after her.

And then there’s you.

For a heartbeat, you’re alone. The Fireflies behind you. The sinkhole in front.

The cause and the cost.

You take a step forward. And you jump.

The air rushes around you like wind through a hollow chest. The patch on your arm a bright and burning reminder.

Maybe of failure, of loss, of hope lost in translation. For the first time in a long time, you don’t care what it stands for.

Because down there, in that dark water, In that collapse of everything you thought you knew—the cause you stood for— They're waiting for you.And that’s the only light that matters.

The water hits like a freight train against carcass. All force, no mercy.

Cold consumes your skin instantly, biting through every layer of once-dry fabric, dragging you into silence so complete it swallows thoughts. For one terrifying second, you forget how to breathe.

Then— You’re yanked upward by the weight on your back, the backpack acting like a raft. Limbs flailing violently, the surface too far out of reach, lungs already screaming. in protest of the air and liquid mixture.

You break through the barrier with a gasp that tears your throat raw, arms splashing, eyes wide.

Searching for light, for air, for them.

Joel. Ellie. Joel. Ellie. The names churn through your mind like rotted gears grinding. Like that hamster in your head had started to do three-sixty's on the fucking wheel.

Where are they?

You twist in the current, just in time for your leg to slam against the jagged corpse of the train car half-submerged. A shock of pain flickers, and detonates up your thigh ripping a sound from your lips that’s more of a protested cry.

You drift for only a second, letting yourself float backward—barely tethered—because for a moment, the pain is too loud and the water is too goddamn cold.

Then you hear it— A splash. Not yours.

You twist, coughing, blinking droplets from your lashes.

Joel. His head breaks the surface, face grim and panicked, arms dragging someone—Ellie—through the water. Her limbs are limp. Too limp.

Your body kicks into gear without permission, even though your leg screams in protest. You doggy-paddle toward them with everything you have, gasping and spitting water, your voice rough:

"Joel—Joel?! is she—?"

He doesn’t answer.

He just grits his teeth and pulls her closer to shore. He doesn’t look at you. Doesn’t need to. You’re already beside him. You always are.

You help drag her up, out of the water and onto cracked cement. She’s still not moving. Joel’s hands are on her chest, pressing down, over and over, rhythm brutal, desperate. You kneel beside her, shaking, murmuring her name, fingers brushing the wet hair from her face—

“Ellie, come on. Come on, kid—”

Nothing.

Joel’s breathing uncivilized drumming, his knuckles white with pressure, his voice a growl:

“Don’t you fuckin’ do this. Don’t you dare.”

And then— A cough. A violent sputter. She jerks under his hands, water spilling from her mouth, eyes fluttering open in shock.

You feel your soul collapse with relief.

Joel pulls back, breathless. Your hands find his without thinking, gripping tightly. You don’t even realize it until he squeezes back, fingers taut around your palm.

A beat of silence. Ellie, blinking up at the sky. You and Joel, soaked and shaking, tethered by the sheer will to keep her alive.

You almost lost her. And in that split second, You almost lost each other.

"Fuck," you rasp, collapsing back against your soaked pack, the weight of it pressing into your spine. Painful. But, you don't bother moving.

Water carves icy trails down your back, your limbs too heavy, your breath rattling through your chest bellows.

But you’re not thinking about the cold. Not yet.

You’re already moving—on your hands and knees, sliding across the rough concrete toward her. Ellie. Her frame looks too small sprawled out like that, hair slicked to her cheeks.

Your hand finds her face first—gentle, trembling. Fingers brush her jaw, her hairline, checking for cuts, for bruising. You thumb the edge of her brow.

“Babygirl…” you whisper, a term that leaves your throat raw, unplanned. It was an accident.

It just spills out—tender and panicked, cracking at the edges. “Jesus, you scared the hell out of me…”

She coughs again, eyes fluttering, and your heart stirs with the relief. You lean over her, shielding her from the wind, and flickering sunlight that cuts like glass. Hand brushing her arms, shoulders, face—like you’re trying to reassure yourself she’s real.

Behind you, Joel has gone still.

He hasn’t let go of your hand yet—your fingers still faintly interlaced—but now his grip eases. When you finally glance back at him, his expression has shifted. Eyes momentarily flickering downward toward connection, and then back up.

Shit.

Something in his face—something old, buried, aching—flickers to life. And it stays aflame.

It’s not just the word. It’s how you said it. The way you cradled her like she was yours.Like she always had been.

Joel swallows hard, chest tight, eyes locked on you and the girl between you both. He doesn't speak, but he doesn't need to.

. . .

“This should do,” Joel mutters, voice tight, and strained as he shoves the weight of the wooden dresser against the door. The wood groans beneath his grip, but it holds.

You’d walked a ways—soaked, shivering, trailing exhaustion like a second skin—until you stumbled across the small bungalow tucked behind the tree line. Roof mostly intact. Windows cracked but not shattered. It was enough. It had to be.

Joel gives the place one last scan, then nods. You've already had your hand on Ellie.

“C’mon, kid,” you whisper, voice softer now, fingertips brushing over the tremble in her shoulder. She doesn’t flinch, but she’s close. Her body is wracked with chill, soaked through to the bone.

“You’ll freeze half to death if we don’t get these off of you.”

She doesn’t argue. Doesn’t joke. Just nods.

Joel watches from the corner of the room, jaw clenched, eyes heavy with something unreadable. He doesn’t try to follow. He knows his place in this moment. His comfort would come later—when she’s warm, and dry, and safe.

Though it looks as if he has a hard time holding himself back.

You guide her to the back bedroom—a space small, and stale but not ruined. Easing the door cracked behind you, the sound squeaky, and rotted.

You strip her coat off gently, fingers careful not to jostle her more than needed. She’s silent, letting you do what you need to. And then you kneel by the dresser, yanking open drawers with soft tugs, praying for something usable.

And something answers.

A few crumpled shirts. Sweatpants stiff with dust but dry. You hold them up like offerings, eyes catching hers.

“It's not the prettiest,” you say with a tired smile, brushing dust from the fabric. “But it’ll keep you warm ‘til we can get your stuff dry.”

You see the way her eyes soften, just a little.

You help her set the dry clothes beside the couch—a faded, soft thing that doesn’t look diseased, at least. You pat the cushions once, then twice. A thin cloud of dust wafting from the fabric.

“Once you change, try and get comfortable. Couch doesn’t seem too grimy.”

You stand, the muscles in your legs creaking in protest, and start toward the door—then pause.

You look back once, just for a second.

“Holler if you need me. I’ll be right down the hall.” Lip upturning into a small smile, fingers dancing at your side.

She’s watching you. And in her eyes is something new. Not trust. But not far from it.

You gather the rest of Ellie’s soaked clothing in your arms, careful not to disturb the bag she’s left by the couch.

Fingers brush the worn canvas—faded patches, loose threads, the quiet rattle of keepsakes tucked deep inside.

You don’t move it.

You know better than to take away someone’s home, especially when it fits in a single bag. Especially when it’s all they’ve got.

There’s a reverence in the way you pull the bedroom door closed behind you. You step back into the narrow hall, dim light flickering off cracked walls and sagging green wallpaper. Everything smells faintly of mildew and rot—but it’s shelter. It’s something.

The living room is filled with quiet reserve, despite the creak of the old couch cushions as Joel lowers himself with a grunt. He’s leaning forward, forearms resting on his knees, eyes cast toward the floorboards.

There’s a fire crackling behind that silence, but it’s muted. Not rage. Just weight. Maybe fear.

Finding the laundry room at the back of the bungalow. The door is barely on its hinges, and with a small push, it opens. Still, your eyes land on a stack of twisted metal hangers resting atop a rusted machine. You exhale and get to work—draping sleeves, wringing fabric, shaking out pant legs. A rhythm in the mundanity of it.

It almost feels like laundry. It almost feels like normal.

Joel observes from the other room, fingers tapping, stretching. It's kind of like he has no clue what to do with the pent-up adrenaline. Slowly calming down from the events, but unsettled with the pump in his veins.

You feel it when you glance back—just once, only for a moment. Just enough to meet his eyes, see the worry tucked behind lashes, and tired lids.

You look away first, folding a damp shirt over the hanger with more care than necessary. Your own clothes are still clinging to you, soaked through, heated skin pressing uncomfortably beneath the wetness.

You don’t say anything about it. Not yet.

The return to the living room is silent. Soft patter of wet boots against old wood. The only sound that follows you.

The space feels heavier now—like the room itself is holding its breath.

Joel's leaning forward now, hands clasped loosely between his knees, elbows resting on his thighs. The lines on his face look deeper in the low light. His eyes flick to you the second you enter.

He doesn’t look away.

You start peeling off your soaked flannel, slow and deliberate—partly from the stiffness of cold muscles, partly from the weight of his gaze. The fabric clings to your arms before it finally gives, falling limp in your hands. Quickly, you drape it across the back of a chair.

Beneath it, your tank top is drenched and clinging, translucent in places where the fabric stretches thin. Goosebumps rise across your arms and shoulders, skin chilled raw by the air.

You don’t have clothes to change into. You gave what you had found to Ellie. You’ll live. You’ve lived through worse.

But still—standing here, half-drenched, exposed under the dim sunlight peeking through rotted curtained windows—you feel that crackle again. That thing neither of you want to name.

If you tried, could you name it?

Joel swallows, jaw ticking.

You tell yourself to say something. Break the barrier. The quiet wall that looms between you both.

Sitting down across from him, just far enough to feel the space stretch taut between you. Like wire. Like it could snap with one wrong breath.

“She’s asleep,” you murmur, eyes trailing down to your still-damp cargos. “Or pretending to be.”

Joel nods once. Quiet.

“She’ll come back to herself,” you continue, a whisper of hope curling beneath the worry, “Kids do. Even after stuff like that."

I think.

But the words hang limp in the air, and you don’t know if you believe them.

Joel exhales slow, like it hurts.

“We shouldn’t’ve let her outta our sight,” he says, voice dry, like it’s scraped through gravel to get to you. “Should’ve known better.”

You close your eyes.

“You did everything you could,” you say. It’s not meant as comfort—it’s just truth. But that truth feels brittle tonight.

Maybe you're telling yourself the same thing.

Maybe this isn't just comfort for him.

There’s silence.

That same silence that’s been following you both since the water, since the cannibal’s cabin, since Ellie came back changed.

Quieter. Less kid. Like each slow step towards the hospital writes an ill-fated story.

You glance at Joel again, and this time he’s already looking at you.

He does that a lot, you think.

In the water. On the shore.

It was barely a moment. Just fingers latching in panic, tethered together as the current tried to rip you all apart.

But it stayed with you. Still clings like your damp clothes.

You shift slightly, arms wrapping around yourself—not from modesty, but from the cold.

Joel watches the movement, eyes flicking down for just a second before meeting yours again. And something passes through him, low and quiet, like smoke under a door. Not lust, maybe. But a certain type of heat.

“You’re freezing,” he mutters, rising slowly from the couch.

“I’m alright,” you lie, and a raise of your lips that follows doesn’t reach your eyes.

He crosses the room anyway, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch. His hands brush your shoulders as he drapes it over you, rough thumbs pausing just slightly against your skin, sinking to one knee to allow himself the ease of wrapping it against you.

“Ain’t right, you sittin’ there like that,” he says.

You glance down.

His face is so close now. Lit only by that dim, flickering light cascading from the window.

You can see the exhaustion in him. The fight. The longing.

Those beautiful brown eyes sparkle just like the day you met him.

Swirling dark and calming mocha.

“Joel—”

He cuts you off—not with words, but a look. A soft shake of the head. Like if he talks now, it’ll all fall apart.

And God, it shouldn’t feel like a love story. Not here. Not now. But it does. In the way he lingers. In the way you lean into the warmth of his hands.

In the way you let the pads of his thumb absentmindedly trace a circle pattern into the blanketed fabric across your forearm.

"They didn’t recognize me," you murmur, voice hoarse as the simmer behind your eyes finally starts to sting. You're still seated in the dining chair, shoulders hunched, arms folded in tight under the blanket. Like, if you kept yourself small enough, the guilt might not crush you.

"They saw me… and they shot anyway. I led us into that."

Joel's still on one knee in front of you, his hands hovering gently across the fabric like he wants to reach for you.

He doesn't rush. Just waits—watchful, steady, present.

You shake your head, fingers digging into the material of your pants. “I thought… I really thought... I thought it meant something. Me being a Firefly. Knowing Marlene. But none of it—” your voice wavers, and you swallow hard, “none of it meant shit.”

“They trusted me,” you whisper, barely holding back the tremor in your throat. “You trusted me. And I got us ambushed. Almost got her killed—and for what? A fucking patch on my jacket?”

Joel’s brows pull together, his voice low and certain: “You didn’t get us ambushed.”

You shake your head again, harsher now, trying to turn away, but he leans in closer. His hand dancing along the edge of the blanket, as if scared to come in contact with your bare skin.

“I was so damn sure. So sure I was doing the right thing,” you continue, voice almost pleading. “But it wasn’t just me I gambled on. It was you. And her. And if anything had happened—if I’d gotten either of you—”

Your voice cuts off, a shallow breath catching like chicken wire in your throat. “I’m a fucking danger to you both.”

Joel doesn’t let that sit. His hand drops to your knee, fingers squeezing—not harsh, but anchoring.

“No,” he says firmly. “You’re not a danger. You’re the reason we’ve made it this far.”

His voice softens, just slightly, but there’s an edge of emotion to it now—bare, real.

“You think I’d still be breathing if it weren’t for you? Think she would’ve made it without someone like you lookin’ out for her?” He shakes his head. “Hell, even when I ain’t strong enough, you are.”

You finally look at him, eyes glossed with guilt that still clings inside of you.

“You didn’t get us ambushed,” Joel echoes, quieter this time.

The silence that follows is thick—but different now. Not shame. Not guilt. Something warm, aching, and unspoken sitting in the air between you.

And slowly, like gravity pulling a tide, you let your fingers fall on top of his hand, nestled and rested on your knee.

It rests there a heartbeat too long—and that’s when you both feel it.

The weight of everything unsaid. The ache of everything lost. And the terrifying, beautiful thing that’s beginning to sprout in its place.

You don’t move at first. Just breathe. Just feel the heat of his hand against your cold pants. The roughness of his thumb grazing over your body like he’s memorizing the shape of your grief. Of your guilt. Of you

Then he looks up at you—and it’s the softest you’ve ever seen him.

Not gentle. Soft.

Like something exposed and breaking open under the surface.

His eyes flicker between yours, then down to your mouth, then back again.

He doesn’t ask. Neither do you.

You lean in at the same time. And when your lips finally meet, it isn’t careful.

It’s hungry. It’s years of isolation, anger, survival, and silence all crashing through in the press of his mouth to yours. The kind of kiss that’s not about sweet words or soft promises—it’s about presence. About, I’m still here. About fuck, we're still alive.

Your hands are in his hair before you realize it, threading through him like you’re afraid he’ll stop. His arms rise instinctively, hauling you off the chair and into his lap, like he needs you closer, like he can’t get enough. The blanket falls from your shoulders to the floor with a useless plop, but neither of you notice, or care for that matter.

Your teeth catch on his lower lip, and he exhales a low, guttural sound into your mouth. One of his hands slides up your back, gripping the damp fabric of your tank like it’s the only thing tethering him to the earth.

You break apart for only a second, just enough to breathe—and your forehead falls against his.

You’re still in his lap, still soaked, still trembling. Maybe not from the cold.

“Jesus,” he murmurs, voice gravel-thick, barely above a whisper. “Been tryin’ not to do that since Colorado."

You huff a short, raspy laugh, hand curled in the collar of his shirt. “Yeah?"

There’s another kiss—this one slower. Not less desperate, but deeper. Wordless.

It says everything neither of you have had the strength to admit.

That you’ve both lost too much. That there’s more to lose.

You drift back toward him like gravity—like a tide drawn home—settling into the worn floorboards with a gentle creak. One knee slides up beside his hip, then the other, and before you’ve fully registered it. You're straddling him.

It didn’t end with just one kiss. Of course it didn’t. How could it, when you’ve both been starving this long?

Your breath tangles with his again, and it’s messy now—less a kiss, more a clutch, a collision. Your hands weave into the salt-and-pepper waves at the back of his head, a soft tug.

Your voice breaks between the kisses, low and fragile. “…’m sorry.”

You don’t know which apology reaches his mouth first. Sorry for waiting this long. Sorry for being the one thing he swore he'd never trust. A Firefly. A Human. Sorry for the way your heart opened up without asking his permission. Sorry for how this all has to end.

Sorry for the moment you hand Ellie over and walk away. You go back to being strangers.

Joel’s brow creases beneath your touch, his breath ragged against your lips. You feel the hesitation in him—the fear—but also something older, deeper.

Want. Not just for this, but for you. The real you. Even if it hurts.

His fingers finally lift, skimming along your waist, over damp fabric and worn skin. His touch is reverent, like he’s memorizing something he’ll lose.

“No,” he mutters, hoarse. “Don’t say that.”

Your eyes meet his. You try not to crumble.

“I am sorry,” you whisper. “For what I am. What this has to be.”

Sometimes you talk like being a Firefly is the end of the world.

Sometimes it feels like it.

He goes back to Boston.

You go back to being part of something larger than yourself.

Right?

His hands frame your face now, thumbs ghosting over your cheeks, and for a second, there’s nothing but the rhythm of both your hearts.

“You ain’t what you think you are,” he murmurs, voice barely above a rasp. “You’ve saved her. More times than I can count. Hell, you’ve saved me.”

You laugh, soft and sad. “That doesn’t change how this ends.”

Joel presses his forehead to yours. “Then we don’t think about the end. Not right now.”

Another kiss. This one is slow. Measured.

Your fingers drift downward, tentative. They ghost over the worn leather at his belt. Nails scrape softly against the metal of the buckle—just enough to make him draw in a quiet breath through his teeth.

You don’t know what you’re doing.

Not really.

You don’t know if this ends here, or keeps going until you forget the weight of the world outside these peeling green walls.

You don’t know if this is something that blooms or burns.

You honestly don't know if you give a fuck.

But your hands keep moving.

His gaze doesn’t leave yours, even as one of his hands brushes against your hip, fingers flexing slightly like he’s giving you a last chance to back out. He doesn’t push. Doesn’t pull. Just waits.

“Tell me to stop,” you whisper, voice cracking under the weight of want. “And I will.” Nose gently grazing the top of his lip as you breathe him in.

Joel exhales, something heavy and cracked. His thumb drags slowly along the curve of your waist, thumb breaking the band of your pants.

“I ain’t gonna do that,” he says low, rough with the kind of hunger you’ve only ever recognized in the silence between grief, and longing. “Ain’t ever wanted to stop.”

The buckle slides out of leather with a click, clink, and a fumble.

The world outside fades into nothing—no Fireflies, no missions.

Just him. Just you. Two people who are desperately trying to find something that feels like living again.

It’s clumsy. Desperate. Fingers sliding under fabric. Mouths find skin like it holds even the semblance of answers. The shimmying down of your pants, and quickly retracing your steps to his hips.

The soft and slow sink onto his length. Nails scraping and digging against his forearms.

"Thas'it sweet girl…" His voice was like a honeyed drawl.

There are no words that could shape what this is.

Only soft gasps, rough hands and quiet, broken whines pressed into collarbones and curls.

''Joel—"

When it’s done, when your bodies are a tangle of limbs and breath and cooling sweat, you stay.

You don’t move.

You don't fight it.

Neither of you does. His hand finds yours again, fingers curling like he’s afraid you’ll get up and leave.

In the midst of all this ruin, love was the only thing you hadn’t yet learned to conquer. Perhaps you'll figure it out together.

authors note:

requests are open :) feel free to ask for anythin'

[slasherhaven]

Hi! Can I request slashers reactions to their s/o who love to kiss them? Doesn't matter what kind, soft kisses, pecks, full on makeout they always want to kiss them some way

The Slashers with a S/O who loves to kiss them:

Thomas Hewitt

Thomas loves your innocent kisses. Whenever you press a quick kiss to his lips, cheek, or forehead, Thomas just melts. It just feels so domestic and they just wipe away his insecurities. Here you are, giving him the most loving smiles and random sweet kisses. Not because he sought you out, not to get anything, just because you wanted too and enjoyed showing him love. He just adores your touches and kisses, and how willingly they come from you. He's so starved of gentle and affectionate touch.

Now that he gets to kiss you, he can't get enough. Kisses were a little difficult to navigate before he was comfortable enough to remove his mask around you. So, you had settled for sweet pecks to his mask or exposed temple. But then the mask came off and you kissed him properly for the first time with no obstruction between you both. Now that he had kissed you properly, had felt your soft lips against his, how could he ever go without them?

Michael Myers 

They catch him off guard nearly every time. Michael is normally able to predict most things, seeing most things coming, he's observant like that. These surprise him though. You'll just waltz over and steal kisses, pecking the cheek of his mask as if it was nothing. He isn't used to somebody behaving in such a way and that makes it more difficult for him to predict.

Sometimes just lets them slide. As he does with most things, he normally just treats them with a sense of neutrality, like they're nothing. He just shrugs it off and doesn't react more than a tilt of the head or a hard stare.

Other times grabs you and pulls you back. He might let them slide sometimes, letting you get on with whatever else you were doing. Other times he's making you gasp as he grabs your arm and tugs you back towards him. If you're going to start something, you better finish it.

Jason Voorhees

You would always kiss his mask. Just because Jason is constantly wearing his mask doesn't mean he's going to be spared from your kisses. You would constantly press kisses to the cheeks and forehead of his mask. Greeting him that way, bidding him goodnight or goodbye, randomly leaning up to give him a kiss just for the sake of it.

Once he becomes comfortable to remove his mask, he never tires of your kisses. Actually getting to feel your soft kisses against his skin is so much better than receiving them on his mask. And when you kiss his lips for the first time, he can barely believe it. He adores you and wants to spend a lifetime receiving your sweet little kisses.

Brahms Heelshire

Can’t get enough of your kisses! If you're offering up so many kisses so often, he's not going to reject you! He is needy for affection and attention, and he absolutely cherishes it when you give it to him. It doesn't matter how often you give him kisses, he will always come seeking out more.

He is always pulling you in for more. Sometimes he lets you get away with a quick peck, but not most of the time. Sometimes he'll just pull you back to give you another short kiss or playfully demand another peck before releasing you. Other times, he will have the mask off and pull you back into to give you a proper kiss.

Bo Sinclair 

Complains and rolls his eyes at the soft kisses. Every time you lean up to affectionately kiss his cheek, giving him a smile before getting on with whatever you were doing, Bo rolls his eyes.

Secretly gets a little concerned if you stop. Despite pretending to be above your sweet little kisses, Bo gets used to them. So, if you were to stop giving them to him, he would become concerned that something was wrong. Also, a part of him kinda likes the domestic feeling of it, it makes him smirk to himself.

Can always get behind a make out session though. Nearly never reacts a make out session, and never acts irritated by them. He just plasters a smirk over his face, pulling you onto his lap as he takes over the kiss.

Vincent Sinclair

Your kisses often made him blush. Ever since you started getting friendly, you would give a small kiss to the cheeks and forehead of his mask. And every time he would be thankful for the mask, hiding his blush from you. But he would never pull away from you, always letting you do it. Even when you started dating, you're random cute little kisses would still make him blush or get a little flustered.

They bring him comfort. Every time you lean up to give him a kiss, he feels his body relax. You can comfort him and reassure him with the smallest gestures. When you kiss him goodbye and hello, even if it's only been a few minutes since you last saw him, when you press a kiss to his forehead until seconds before he opens his eye in the morning. He just loves your affection, and loves kissing you in general.

Lester Sinclair 

Loves any of your kisses, they always make him smile. Whenever you kiss his cheek, he can't help but grin from ear to ear. He loves when you pepper his face with kisses, smiling and chuckling as you giggle along with him. He's always happy to accept your kisses, they always cheer him up and put him in a good mood.

You both make his brother's sick. The two of you can be so sappy together. You aren't going to stop giving Lester little kisses every now and again, even if his brothers are around, and he's never going to stop you. Every time you give Lester a peck to the cheek or the lips before parting ways, Bo rolls his eyes. Vincent doesn't mind it so much, he thinks it's sweet and is happy for his little brother.

Bubba Sawyer

Absolutely lives for your kisses. Whenever you would give him those sweet little kisses to his mask, even before you were dating, Bubba wasn't shy about how much he enjoyed them and would encourage them. Even though he sees the mask as an extension of himself, he likes to take it off so that he can feel your kisses against his actual skin. Wants them all the time, no matter where you are.

You earn a lot of eye rolls from other family members. You're just so affectionate and Bubba is so giddy about it, it makes Drayton sick. He had tried snapping at you both, scolding you for it, but it didn't change anything so he eventually gave up, just rolling his eyes whenever you were showing Bubba any affection. Nubbins and ChopTop don't mind so much, they like to tease you both for it but don't really mean any harm. But sometimes he becomes even too cute for them and they start rolling their eyes.

Billy Lenz 

Make out sessions are his favourite pass time. It doesn't have to be more than making out. Just being on the couch, tangled up in each other, sharing heated, messy kisses, it's the best way to spend his time. He could do it all day, every day. And whenever you give him a lingering peck, he's trying to pull you in and hold you still for more. Pouting when you giggle and pull away.

But he also loves your smaller, more innocent kisses. Just the little gestures of affection make him smile, they make him feel loved and seen. He will pout if you ever stop giving him these kisses. If you see him and don't give him a kiss, he will come and get one from you. You've spoiled him, you can't stop now!

Asa Emory (The Collector)

Acts pretty neutral to them most of the time. Asa doesn't normally react to them much, accepting the affection but not commenting or reacting to it. He doesn't try to make you feel like it bothers him, he's just not going to respond to them with a grin or anything. Sometimes he will let out a small hum of approval that makes you smile.

He does appreciate it, though. He prefers to have the affection than to not have it, at least from you anyway. Plus, it's a useful way to tell what sort of mood you're in. If the kisses are more often than usual, you are likely in a good mood. If you're being more reserved with your kisses, he knows something is wrong.

Jesse Cromeans (Chromeskull)

He thinks it's sweet. Jesse just thinks you're sweet. You're always leaning up to try to press a kiss to his cheeks, grabbing him by his shirt and trying to pull him down for a quick kiss. He's a tall man and you struggled sometimes. But he always leans down to allow you to do so, often returning them. Often catching you for a deeper kiss, enjoying leaving you breathless, and finding the smile on your face afterwards cute.

He certainly isn't going to stop you. He would never stop you from kissing him. Whether it's a simple kiss to his cheek or a heated make out session, Jesse welcomes it all. Why would he stop you from showing him affection? What would either of you get from that?

Otis Driftwood

Will roll his eyes but he's just being difficult. Otis likes to act above this sort of things, like he doesn't care for silly acts of affection like your little kisses, but he really doesn't mind at all. In fact, he likes it and you know it no matter how much he acts like it's annoying. He's never once stopped you from kissing his cheek or anything, so you know he welcomes it, he just likes to be difficult with people. Baby knows it as well and teases him about it.

Will pull you back with a smirk. Eventually, Otis decides that you've been teasing him enough. When you lean in to quickly kiss his cheek, a sweet smile on your lips, he grabs you and tugs you into his chest, smirking down at you. You know what that look means and heat rising to your cheeks before he meets you with a bruising kiss.

Baby Firefly

Lots of playful kisses. Baby loves your kisses, accepting each one, and giving you plenty in return. You're normally sweeter about it, smiling as you give her a innocent peck. But Baby usually prefers to surprise you with them and give you more intense kisses.

Teases you about it a little. She doesn't tease you in a mean way and she doesn't pretend like it's annoying or anything. She just likes to tease you about how affectionate you are and how much you must just love her. She's just playing around.

Yautja (Predator)

What a strange little gesture of affection...do it again. Obviously, kisses aren't very common among Yautjas. However, he quickly becomes a huge fan when you start giving them to him. He loves your cute little kisses and just thinks his little human is adorable.

He can't live without them now. When you came into his life, kisses were new, but now he can't imagine a life without them. Now he can barely go a day without a cute little kiss from his cute little mate!

[holylulusworld]

Rude awakening (6)

Summary: Steve is back to square one. 

Pairing: Alpha (Mobster) Steve Rogers x Omega!Reader

Warnings: angst, language, a/b/o, remorse, aggressive omega, the reader likes to slap assholes, true mates, scenting, love-struck Steve, there is a hint of fluff, pining sickness, almost feral alpha, depressive alpha (due to pining sickness), hopelessness, mentions of pups

<< Part 5

Rude masterlist

Divider by @firefly-graphics​

“Good morning, doll,” Steve singsongs. He stands in front of your door, smiling like he just won the lottery. “I got you breakfast. Best pancakes in Brooklyn and tea for you.”

“Pancakes, huh,” you snatch the bag out of his hands and slam the door in his face. “Thanks for the breakfast.”

“Y/N, why do you always act like this? I want to woo you, doll,” he knocks at your door again. “Omega, come on. Why can’t you be a little nicer to me? I’m trying here. I bared my neck to you.”

“Can you not leave me alone, Rogers,” you open the door to glare at Steve. “Now go back home. I got three appointments this morning and got no time to talk to you. People actually got to find a job to make money, you know.”

“Doll, just admit that I’m not the worst. It’s not a bad thing if you like a man like me,” he carefully approaches you. “I know you are used to having control over your life and taking care of yourself. I only want to take care of you and be a good alpha. I swear, I’m not some knothead wanting to chain you up, and turn you into an obedient omega only taking knot and having my pups.”

“Aw, and I was hoping you want to put as many pups as possible in my womb,” you coo. “You know, that’s all I dreamed about since I met you,” he huffs at your words. “All omegas only want to submit to a big and bulky alpha.”

He cups the back of your neck, taking you by surprise as his lips press against yours. “You drive me crazy, doll. I gave you everything, and even showed weakness in front of you but you give nothing in return. I know you feel it too, and that you like me.”

“No, I only like a man who’s not hiding a gun under his jacket. I want a guy who’ll not push me aside the moment his ex-girlfriend shows up. I did my homework too, Rogers,” he sneers as you refuse to call him Steve once again. “You left two other girlfriends for that woman. I won’t let you break my heart.”

“Peggy? This is about my ex-girlfriend?” Steve releases a shuddery breath. “Thank fuck,” he cradles your face in his hands to look you deep in the eyes. “Baby doll, she’s in the past. If you take a chance on me, you’ll be my future.” He kisses you again, slow and careful. “I’ll leave you alone now, omega. If you want to see me, you know where to find me…”

“Rogers, I—” he pulls away, making you whine as he turns to leave.

It takes anything in Steve to not turn around and look at you one last time. He clutches his hands to his side and walks along the hallways, hoping you will miss him when he stays away for a few weeks.

“You just left her there?” Bucky tries to calm his nerves. For weeks he tried to get you and Steve together only for his friend to give up. “You can’t just give up, Steve.”

“I did not give up, Buck. She needs to get the chance to miss me and my attention. Nothing worked, my friend. I bared my neck and believed she will allow me to—” shaking his head Steve sighs deeply. “Y/N will not let me in. She’s stubborn and I love that about her, but sometimes you must admit your defeat and move on.”

“So, you did give up,” Bucky concludes. “Steve, you are head over heels for that omega. Why do you want to give up now? She touched you and sniffed at your neck. That’s progress.”

“I thought so too, Buck. It’s just, she backed off again,” the blonde shrugs. “I’m not sure if she will ever let me in at all. It’s tiring. I tried anything. I know she’s a wild and feisty omega, but this is her being unreasonable, my friend.”

“Love is hard work.”

“She won’t let me love her, Bucky. Y/N wants to live her life on her own without an alpha. Maybe she’s right,” Steve hates to admit his alpha is slowly giving up on his dream to mate and claim you, “I’m not a good man. I guess her omega can feel it.”

“He won’t leave his bedroom, Nat,” Bucky stands in front of Steve’s bedroom, shaking his head. “He gave her time and space, but Y/N didn’t cave in. I tried to call her and ask her to come around. Natasha, I’m afraid Steve is close to going feral.”

“It’s pining sickness, Barnes,” Natasha brushes past her partner to enter Steve’s bedroom. “Jesus, Rogers, get a hold of yourself. Get out of the fucking bed. And what’s that dirty rug in your hands.”

“Out—” Steve snarls in the female alpha’s direction. He cradles the pair of panties he stole from you in his hands to press them to his nose. “I don’t want to see anyone.”

“You should be ashamed of yourself, alpha. An omega rejects you, and this is how you try to cope? Hell, go out there and find someone else.”

“I don’t want someone else, Romanoff,” he growls. “Can you all not leave me alone? I need a few days off. Bucky can take care of the upcoming deal.”

“That girl has your balls in a tight grip, huh,” Natasha muses. She watches Steve turn around to nuzzle his nose in your panties. “It’s not the end of the world, you know. Omegas are soft and vulnerable little creatures. They want attention or don’t want it at all. It’s all so confusing. Maybe you should go for a nice beta, or female alpha, or are you more into a male alpha.”

“Fuck’s sake, leave me alone,” Natasha takes a step back at the sound of Steve’s voice. His scent got thicker and she’s not in the mood to get her throat ripped out by a feral alpha.

“I’ll leave you to…well, whatever you are doing there with her dirty panties…”

“Open the door, Y/N. Here’s Bucky. I need your help with Steve. He won’t leave his bedroom. Y/N, he sniffs at your panties all the time. He doesn’t eat or sleep. All he does is whine and whimper your name. You caused this, so you’ll help me.”

“This is none of my business,” you growl behind your closed door. “I didn’t ask for his attention. He ran me over and since then, your fine friend won’t leave me alone.”

“Fine. It’s not your problem if Steve dies from pining sickness or goes feral only as you acted like a stubborn child. I was there when he ran you over. Everyone he knows gave him a piece of their mind. Steve is a stubborn, dangerous, and proud alpha, still, he kneeled for you and exposed his neck. Any other alpha would’ve given up on you and your stubborn ass a long time ago.”

“What the fuck do you want me to do?” you rip the door open to growl at Bucky. He backpaddles, not liking that your eyes begin to glow. “Get away from me.”

“You don’t look good,” he hastily says. “I mean, you are a pretty girl. It’s not your looks, but something is wrong with your eyes and scent.”

“I—” you consider his words. It’s true. From the day Steve left and never came back, you feel odd. You’re restless and jumpy. Any time someone walks along the hallways you pace in front of the door to wait for Steve to knock. “This is not your problem. I’m thankful that you helped me back then, though. Just don’t come back here.”

“If my friend dies, it’s all your fault. All I’m asking for is for you to come with me and talk to Steve. I promise he won’t hurt you.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Bucky,” you give him a sad smile. “You can’t keep your friend from breaking my heart. I won’t allow him to turn me into a piece of meat he can use whenever he feels the need to get off. Now go and don’t come back.”

“Did she agree to visit him?” Sam watches Bucky walk out of your apartment complex. The brunette slams the door shut. “I guess not. What now?”

“I’m running out of options and time,” Bucky runs one hand down his face. He glances at your windows, huffing as you watch the alphas talk. “Call Peggy. Maybe her presence will help Steve. If not, we reached the end of the rope.”

“My friend, we already have reached the end of the rope,” patting Bucky’s shoulder Sam gives his friend a sad smile. “We both know he only wants this omega. Peggy’s presence will only make things worse. We need to call Banner. Maybe he can help Steve.”

“Suppressants won’t work, you know that. He’s too—”

“I know, but we gotta try, right?” Sam lifts his head to look at your window. “Damn these two idiots. They are perfect for each other.”

“You didn’t bring me my lasagna,” Steve lifts his head when your voice and scent fill his senses. He believes his mind is playing games now. “Where are my promised food and my weekly flower delivery? I’m kinda used to having my apartment full of flowers.”

“Doll?” he looks at the ripped fabric in his hands. “No. You’re not here. She hates me and doesn’t want me to come back. I can’t go back. Omega doesn’t want me to woo her.”

“Hello, my food,” you stiffly stand in front of his king size bed, wondering if it was the right decision to come here and talk to an alpha who’s about to go feral. “Rogers, you owe me dinner. You promised me Italian food.”

“I’m so tired, doll,” he weakly replies, barely glancing at you. “My wallet is on the nightstand; take the money and buy the food you want.”

“Oh no, Sir,” you rip the blanket covering his shivering body off of him. “Get out of the bed. It’s six pm, and you are not a child nor sick. Do not make me regret I came all the way out here only to smell your stink. I want to have dinner and you’ll not reek like a dead rat while we eat lasagna.”

“I reek,” Steve slowly sits up to lift his arm. He sniffs at his armpit, retching. “I reek a little.”

“No Sir, you stink as if something died in your ass or under your bed,” you wrap your hand around his wrist to drag Steve out of the bed. “Come on, you need a shower. I won’t do all the work.”

Steve swings his legs out of the bed and tries to get up. His legs are about to give in, but he tries his best to slowly walk toward the bathroom. “You’re annoying and loud.”

“Same.”

“Why did you come here? I thought you wanted me dead and gone.”

“I never said I want you dead. Just out of my sight and life.”

“That’s pretty much the same, doll,” he mutters as you open the door to the bathroom and push Steve inside. “Hey!”

“Get in there and wash your ass, Rogers. I’ll order food and we will discuss my weekly flower delivery. I’m a picky omega.”

“I got that doll.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Steve. I still hate you.”

The moment Steve closes the door behind him you run toward the bed to sniff at his pillow and blanket. You purr low in your throat. Your omega sings in delight as you find one of his shirts and put it in your bag.

“Hurry up. I’m fucking starving.”

“I’d prefer to fuck you until you are so weak you need food,” Steve calls from inside the bathroom. “Y/N? You still with me?”

You’re too engrossed in stealing Steve’s clothes to answer. “Yep. Now shut up and get clean.” You steal a pair of boxers and one sock before leaving the bedroom to order food.

“How did you do it?” Bucky watches you waltz toward the dining room, barking orders at Steve who follows you like a lost puppy. The alpha still isn’t himself. He’s in pre-rut and still suffering from pining sickness. “Parker?”

“Sir, that’s for me to know and for you to find out,” Peter Parker, the youngest member of Steve’s organization flashes the elder alpha a smile. “Let’s say, no one ever asked the lady what she wants. I did.”

“What does she want, Parker? I bet she’s up to no good.”

“Mr. Barnes, with all due respect, you and Mr. Rogers are idiots. That woman over there got her heart broken. You can see it in her eyes if you take your time to talk to her. I’m not a threat. A beta like me doesn’t mean harm to her. She wants one thing from Mr. Rogers.”

“And what’s that?” cocking his head to the side Bucky furrows his brows. “Spill it, Parker. We don’t have time to waste.”

“I know, Sir,” Peter won’t give in so easily. “Still, I gave her my word to not tell anyone. I’m a man of my word, Mr. Barnes. Just give her a bit of time and have a little faith.”

“PARKER!”

“I can tell you one thing,” the young beta says as he turns to leave. “Ms. Y/L/N is a good person and a kind woman. She will not break Mr. Rogers' heart, nor does she want to harm him. He’s in safe hands…”

“In safe hands, huh?”

>> Part 7

Tags in reblog.

[couchpotatoaniki]

Our Fruitless Tree

As children, the three of you were inseparable. To show this, you planted a mulberry tree together--a symbol of your love and ever-lasting friendship that would withstand the test of time. But would it really?

Pairing: Servant!Hongjoong x Royal!Reader x Nobleman!Seonghwa Genre: Royal AU, Arranged marriage AU, Love triangle, heavy angst, fluff, childhood friends to lovers (?), Fantasy AU, Warnings: swearing, mentions of conception, blood, death (unknown terminal illness; tree), unrequited love, extremely poor story-telling, magic torture,  Word Count: 5.8k+

@atozfic​ IT MAY BE SHIT, BUT THIS ONE’S FOR YOU /g

A/N: the bridal bouquet in this is inspired by Princess Diana’s. I dunno, I just really liked it.

“Y/N! Come look over here!” Seonghwa yelled at you, hand waving in the air to beckon you over where Hongjoong and he stood. Even as children, the two were taller than you, as if their bodies had not cared you were of a higher status.

You were the only child of the Kingdom’s royal family, meaning that you had little in the way of friends. Especially when the future crown stuck to you, intimidating any future playmates. Luckily Seonghwa was the son of a family friend--a nobleman with immense power, who’s faithful lineage dated back to the creation of the kingdom.

Hongjoong was similar, the only difference being that he came from that of a servant family than of one of power, a debt made by his ancestors that had sold his life to serve the royal family. But being your servant had taught him from a young age that, unlike what everyone had tried to make you believe, you were pretty much a normal human with feelings, the weight of an entire empire on your shoulders from the day you were born.

“Coming!” you yelled back, hurriedly making your way towards your only two friends, the younger holding something behind his back while the older was practically bouncing with excitement. “What are you hiding from me?”

Grinning, Seonghwa’s hands pulled into sight, unfurling to show off the sapling in his hand. “It’s a mulberry tree! You love mulberries, don’t you?”

You believe that was the first time your heart skipped a beat--at the young age of 11--but you wouldn’t realise until a quite few years later, when life was much different, though the relationship between the three of you had not changed all that much.

That day was a precious memory, where the three of you had planted the young mulberry sapling in a secret garden that your father had built just for you, but you had opened it to Seonghwa and Hongjoong; a place where none of you had to bare the titles hovering over your heads.

Even the Earth was indiscriminate when it came to dirtying your clothes as you all kneeled to plant the young sapling easily becoming the most important thing in your friendship.

Had the three of you acting as if it was your shared child, arguing who would water the roots, talking to it as if it could respond.

As the years went on, life was much different than when you were all naïve children, but the care and love you had never weakened, even during the occasional arguments that burst between you all.

With age, Hongjoong’s untameable burnt-chocolate hair lightened to a gentle chestnut, long enough that he had to tie it back into a little bun. Seonghwa’s hair, on the other hand, had changed from a soft platinum to a dirty blonde, messy strands now pulled down into a neat style.

The two were lean. Both still taller than you, though Hongjoong was only a few inches from you.

The three of you truly believed you could withstand the test of time. That your relationship would never change no matter how long it had been.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” you whispered, hand clamped to the stone railing of your balcony. “It’s your last chance to back out, Seonghwa.”

You could hear chuckling beside you, deeper than what you used to hear as a kid, though you dared not to look at the boy--the man beside you. “You know very well I can’t do that, Y/N. Would rather it be me that’s marrying you than some officious fool who knows nothing of your happiness.”

Sighing, you leaned over, letting your necklace dangling slightly in the air from around your neck. “Doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your own happiness.”

You felt two colder hands wrap around your exposed arms, feeling nice against the humid summer night. Seonghwa’s chin rested down on your shoulder, as he looked on the same scene you were. Soft breaths against your skin had it erupting with goosebumps, and you prayed your friend had not noticed.

He did, but didn’t pay much heed to it--as per usual. If only he would put a little more though into the strange quirks you developed over time--developed around him and him only--maybe he would have realised that you loved him.

More than a friend.

Both of you were too lost in the moment to realise someone had entered your room. The final person to complete your trio. Hongjoong, dressed in his crisp cream and gold uniform, overlooked the scene of you two.

He didn’t know why his heart hurt so badly.

Clearing his throat certainly got your attention, ripping away from each other in fear that someone had caught you two a night before the wedding doing something you shouldn’t have. Was nothing like that, but people--especially those in the castle--tended to blow things out of proportion.

Upon seeing that it was only Hongjoong, you two had released a breath of relief. “For heaven’s sake, Hongjoong! You almost gave me a heart attack,” you said. Seonghwa had his eyes averted to the polished marble floor, unable to meet his friend’s, cheeks flushed.

You thought it was because of embarrassment that someone had caught the two of you so late at night.

It wasn’t.

“I think it would be best for you to return to your room, Seonghwa. Before someone actually does come looking for you. Don’t want someone to see you too,” Hongjoong laughed, now an expert at making a light-hearted aura around him with years of practice.

“Alright then. Good night,” the nobleman smiled, finally bringing his sight up to see his best friend, heart beating feverishly when he saw the gentle smile pulling at his lips. Couldn’t tell it wasn’t real, not even as he left the room.

Now it was just you and Hongjoong.

“Come, let’s take a walk.”

For as long as you could remember, the boy had been attentive to your needs (despite his occasional silly behaviour), long before he was told that it was his job. You’d like to think of it as his sixth sense; knowing how you were, what you needed, when you needed him.

Maybe that’s why he could tell that you had pre-wedding jitters, feeling so sick you barely had the life in you--skin looking more dreary than usual. You needed time away, even for a few minutes, to take a breather from all the commotion.

The two of you walked in silence in the sleeping halls, like two thieves in the night, careful not to wake anyone up.

Hongjoong was aware you liked Seonghwa, but he knew it was unrequited. Why, he could not his finger on. You were prefect, a person who deserved all the love in the world--in the universe.

You knew better than to ask where he was taking you; after all, you trusted him. And maybe because you also knew him well enough to know where he was taking you.

To the secret garden.

“She’s withstood all the storms and droughts the earth has threatened her with. No wonder her bark is so thick and her roots so tough.” His voice was tender as the tips of his fingers brushed against the rough bark, the trunk appearing darker under the absence of the sun. “Gotten so big, hasn’t she?”

As if his actions were a trigger, your hand reached out to stroke the mulberry tree too. “She has...” Tender look in your expression had his breath caught in his throat. Your eyes shifted to meet his, which were already gazing at you. “Do you think she’ll bare fruit this time?”

“The frost has long passed, so not this year, I believe.” Hongjoong couldn’t bare the instant hollow look in your eyes, saddened to his core until the light reignited in your irises--almost glowing in the dark like the fireflies surrounding them.

“But she will next year, right?”

“And she will bare the tastiest fruit. Better than those sold on the markets,” he reassured, though he had an inkling of suspicion that this fruit would not come any time soon. Not after all these years. But that spark in your eyes was the only thing he could not bare to extinguish, so he kept his lips pursed.

“I was reading up on the symbolism of the mulberry trees across cultures,” you said, moving to sit on the wooden swing that hung from one of the stronger branches; the rope had rose vines growing around it, which Hongjoong made sure to maintain so it was safe for you whenever you came. This was your favourite spot, after all.

He raised a brow, moving behind you as his hands rested on your back momentarily before pushing you slightly. “Is that so? Mind telling me?” He already knew from his extensive research to look after the tree, but there was no harm in hearing it again.

Excitedly, you let a wide grin play against your lips as he gradually pushed you higher and higher. “So, in Xiqen, it’s seen as a link between Heaven and Earth, and in Mika, it represents a support, nurturing and self-sacrifice.”

“Is that all?”

“Uh...yes.”

“Strange... I could’ve sworn there was some significance of the mulberry tree in Zepheth.” He began to slow down when he saw your back slump over slightly. Probably because he knew that it wasn’t a happy story.

“There is,” you mumbled, eyes downcast to the evergreen grass rather than meet his soft chocolate ones. “Just... it’s very sad.”

He held your hands in his larger ones, both of you loving the warmth it provided despite the slight heat of the night. “Not all stories are happy. Need to hear the sad ones too, to truly understand the picture.”

Words were a bit cryptic, even for him. Regardless, you had continued. “In Zepheth, there were these two lovers who were forbidden to wed, so they secretly arranged to meet under the mulberry tree. However, they were found out, and killed under the tree, staining the white berries red... It symbolises star-crossed lover and the final union of death.”

The air seemed to be still, despite the rustling of the leaves and chirping of the hidden crickets. Hongjoong kneeled down, pressing a hand onto your cheek to soothe even the slightest bit the grief in your face. “Good thing the other two have nice symbols. Cancels the bad things out.”

Chuckling slightly, you rested your own hand on his, nuzzling into his palm as your eyes shut. Stark contrast between your skins, yours being softer than silk while his were calloused and rough. But it felt nice against the supple flesh of your cheek.

You both thought so.

But with the moon so high and hair beginning to stick to your necks from the humidity and heat, you thought it best to return. “Escort me to my chambers? After all, it is a very big day tomorrow and we both have to rise early for the final preparations.”

As if he needed reminding of that. “Very well then.”

Your servant wasn’t happy with the proceedings--not when he knew that Seonghwa’s eyes did not meet the passion you had in yours, despite your many years of friendship. But he had to agree with him on one thing.

Seonghwa was the best and safest choice you (and the kingdom) had in this moment of time.

So Hongjoong didn’t protest when you walked down the isle in the most breath-taking attire, adorned with pearls and jewels, and a gorgeous bouquet of green and white; gardenias, lily of the valley, earl mountbatten roses, freesia, and ivy--and most importantly, white mulberries.

He didn’t challenge when the vows were spoken and Seonghwa promised to love you and only you forever.

He didn’t object when the Priestess gave the crowd one last chance to speak or forever hold their peace before the deal was sealed with a kiss.

Despite his gut and every other fibre in his being screaming at him otherwise.

Another two decades passed, and now strands of white hairs were peeking through, but unlike before, much had changed. You were now a parent of three--triplets, conceived within the first few tries.

Yunho, San, and Wooyoung. The mulberries of your eyes.

You suppose that’s when the rose-tint on your married life began to fade. Though he was extremely affectionate in the beginning, Seonghwa never touched you like that again after the birth of your children. Though the three kids never really noticed it much as it was all they had known, you could see it clearly.

How he would spend more and more time in his office. How he would climb in bed and talk about your day, but doing nothing more. It was if you two had reverted back to friends--that very thought breaking your heart when you had loved him so dearly.

Felt as if he looked at your feelings as if it were a trinket in a shop before putting it back, not finding it suitable enough for him.

But for Seonghwa, that wasn’t the case at all.

He tried--he really did--to love you.

By now, time had made him wise enough to know of your compassion for him and he begged himself to return your feelings. Spent many nights while you were asleep praying to the entities residing in the Heavens, crying on the hard floor of the palace’s temple until his arms grew sore and his legs went numb.

But he could not look at any other. Seonghwa could not stop his heart knocking against his chest, his cheeks pooling with heat, whenever he saw Hongjoong smile, or laugh, or do the most menial of tasks.

Could not stop the thoughts of him being by his side rather than you--and it killed him to think that, especially when you have been nothing but kind and loving to the both of them--never giving your personal servant too much work or being too stubborn in wanting your husband’s affection. Instead of pressing too much, you worked on the kids and kingdom.

You were kind, selfless.

Maybe Seonghwa should have let someone else marry you. Maybe they could love you back for all those times he couldn’t.

But he supposes that the best thing out of this marriage was his children. Despite Yunho’s hyperactivity, San’s clinginess, and Wooyoung’s mischievousness, he loved the three to the moon and back.

Helped you in raising them over the last two decades into great people.

It was the only thing he couldn’t bring himself to regret.

That, and how it had given him the excuse to be closer with Hongjoong too, the two of them learning how to look after the triplets (one already proved to be a handful, but three was a nightmare) while you were unwell or busy with other business.

There were times where he glanced at his childhood friend, playing games with the young kids or feeding them or changing them, and had completely forgotten about you. All that swirled in his head was if this is what it would look like if Hongjoong and he had a family together.

Then Seonghwa would snap out of it a spilt second later, cold shame eating away at the warmth in his chest because how could he ever think of such a thing about the mother of his kids?

Meanwhile, Hongjoong--your intelligent and faithful servant--had figured this out too. Figured out the reason why he felt so sick to his stomach when he saw you be so loving towards a man who doesn’t love you back, and why said man could not reciprocate your feelings.

If Seonghwa felt guilty, then Hongjoong felt a million times worse.

Felt as if he was the reason you were in so much pain--and he could tell you were, because he was the one you came running to in the beginning, when your husband kept his wall up around you and you became so frustrated and upset that you spilled waterfalls of salty tears onto his jacket, mumbling words of pain and heartbreak that stayed within the walls of the secret garden.

It stayed safe there, as Seonghwa no longer visited.

Not even you had visited less, despite being consumed with your children and the work of the kingdom. The tree was a sign of your love for each other, it was your very first child.

Hongjoong, too, had stayed. Continued to care for it, to keep it company on his breaks, to talk about his problems since he certainly could not tell you or Seonghwa. His own tears often landed on the roots of the tree, nurturing it with his pain.

Perhaps that’s why the tree had not bore any mulberries, from the saltiness of the water or the anguish it carried.

But he kept whispering the same thing to you whenever you asked, that the mulberries would definitely come, and they would be tastiest you would ever have. Better than those from the markets.

Five more years had passed and you grew ill. Hid it well, so well that no one except the royal physician knew of your condition. Not even Hongjoong knew, so you took that as an achievement. Rarely anything got by him, especially when it came to you.

Dr Yeosang had looked at you with dreary eyes, putting his equipment away which had signalled the end of your appointment. “Anything?” you inquired, coughing into a blood-stained napkin.

“I’m afraid there is still no diagnosis. None of the symptoms match up to any known illnesses and it appears that it is not spread by people since everyone else in the palace is as fit as a fiddle.”

Your smile was small as you chuckled. “Everyone except me, it seems,” you joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Yeosang simply sighed. “I believe it’s time. Tell your family before it gets even worse--which it has been doing since the first appointment. At least Hongjoong.”

“You know very well I can’t do that. We’re in the middle of a drought and there’s raids going on in the North--”

“Every kingdom faces those, and yours has already dealt with such situations in the past very well.”

You looked away, cheeks now starting to sink in from the lack of appetite. “I know,” you whispered, ”but I can’t bring myself to say it.”

He licked his lips in contemplation, understanding why you wouldn’t want to tell anyone. A monarch is as strong as the kingdom--any instability in the family will cause instability for the nation. And the same goes for a parent and their family.

“I suppose I can try to hide it a little longer... but a month is all I can do--from the rate your illness is progressing.”

Lips tightening in a thin line, you nodded. There was never going to be enough time. Would go greedy, wishing for a month, then another, then another. But your timer was non-negotiable.

So the first thing you did when you left the royal physicians was go see your sons. If there were anyone who needed your attention, they would be your boys.

Short on breath, you tried to travel swiftly through the hallways--bones, now weary with age and sickness, no longer moving the same way as you used to. As you made your way to the royal family’s private wing, you overheard wisps of conversation through a nearby door.

Slowing to a halt, you listened closer, recognising the voices but not seeming to put names to them--brain too muddled to think straight.

“--know.”

“You can’t do that, Seonghwa. Not to her.”

“I can’t force myself to stop caring about you, Hongjoong!”

Your heart stopped mid-beat.

“Keep your voice down!” There was a pause while the floorboards of Seonghwa’s private office creaked, most likely Hongjoong’s habit of pacing while he was thinking. “You need to. I care about you as a friend, but nothing more.”

“You think if I could, I would’ve done so already?” your husband’s voice was seething. “Heavens know how hard I have tried to love her, b-but I just can’t!”

“Well I can’t love you back, if that’s what you’re asking for.”

Another stretch of silence passed, and you could almost imagine the two glaring at each other as they normally did in a fight. “Because you love her. Am I correct?”

A soft sigh came from who you assumed was Hongjoong, quiet but still loud enough for your ears to capture (greatly timed to cover your own gasp at the revelation).

“I don’t know...”

“What do you mean by that?”

“...Nothing.”

“Hongjoong, you know you can tell me anything. Regardless of our positions before or after this conversation, we will always be friends.”

“This is better kept between me and the Heavens.” He sighed once more. “All you need to know is that we can’t be together because I don’t love you and I have my loyalty. End of discussion.”

Had it been anyone else, Seonghwa would’ve had them arrested for speaking that way to their king. But neither of you could ever so that to him. He was your rock, your old friend--his loyalty shining bright even after all these years of serving you.

Before Hongjoong could open the door, you had fled the scene, not wanted to be caught eavesdropping on such a private conversation--even if the topic had concerned you.

Just before entering the Princes’ linked chambers, you caught your breath, willing your pounding heart to stop beating so feverishly.

There was too much going on. Too much, and your brain can’t seem to wrap itself around it all.

“So that’s why,” you whispered, lacking breath in your lungs. “His heart belongs to another...” Then a fit of coughs burst once more and your hands scrambled to retrieve a fresh napkin tucked beneath your sleeve to catch the blood.

Upon hindsight, it was a bad idea to stop in front of your son’s private room, because your extreme coughing had caught his attention. Yunho’s confused eyes melted away to concern, especially after seeing the dark red liquid tainting the pure white cloth.

“Mother!”

His cry had attracted the attention of your other two sons, who swarmed around you as Yunho cradled his arms around you, guiding you to his bed.

San brushed the strands of hair that had escaped from your tight bun away from your face while Wooyoung rubbed your back in attempt to sooth your violent coughing. “What’s wrong, Mum?”

“We need to tell Papa!”

“We need Dr Yeosang--”

“He knows,” you tried to say, doing your breath to bring your breathing back to normal. “The doctor. He’s known... for a long time.”

“What do you mean ‘a long time’?” San asked, his hands clasped around yours, a desperate look in his eyes begging for an explanation. “What’s going on, Mama?”

Not right now. You were supposed to have a month extra. They weren’t supposed to find out so soon. “I...” you throat felt tight and dry, “I’m very unwell. The doctor doesn’t know what’s wrong because he’s never seen anything like it before.”

“Then we get a new doctor!” Yunho piped in, voice raised and slightly frantic. You really didn’t need them panicking.

“If Yeosang doesn’t know, then no one will.”

“What about Dad?” Wooyoung asked. “Does he know? Uncle Hongjoong has to know, right? Uncle Hongjoong always kn--”

“Neither of them know. We must keep it that way. So you need to pretend that I’m healthy and well for just one more month. That’s all I ask for. One month.”

You looked between all your children, trying to memorise their faces because Heavens know how long you have left.

As promised, the boys kept your secret for as long as they could--caring and tending to you as much as they could without arousing suspicion from Hongjoong or Seonghwa.

But before your month was up, you had collapsed just after a dinner--slipping in and out of consciousness while your old friend carried you up to Yeosang’s office, the rest of your family in tow, beyond worried.

Yeosang later explained, when you were fully awake, that whatever illness you had was growing at a much faster rate than he anticipated, and you had a few weeks at most.

Now, you were bedridden in your chambers, limbs too heavy and painful to move, lungs feeling like they were being pressed down from the gravity and it got harder and harder to keep your eyes open.

Not a day went by where your sons or husband visited you, and Hongjoong had rarely ever left your side. As strong as they all tried to be, their puffy crimson eyes and sniffling noses were all too obvious.

“Seonghwa? Hongjoong?” you said, voice faint and dry. “Could you go out... for a few minutes. I need to... talk to the boys.”

They exchanged glances, before following your quiet word. “What is it, Mama?” San said, crouched beside you as he held your hand once again.

Even as a man in his mid-twenties, your little baby still called you ‘Mama’ and refused to let go of his mother’s hand. Found you as the most comforting thing in the world.

“Remember... the mulberry tree? The one I showed you?”

“Yeah, Ma,” Wooyoung said leaning against the wall that faced you. Despite his playful and nonchalant nature, you knew he was the most emotional one out of the three. Which was why you were very concerned over his silence for the past few days until he finally spoke now.

“I want you three... to look after it once I’m gone.”

“You’re not going, Mother,” Yunho sniffled, tears in his eyes threatening to drop. He was the oldest (by a few minutes) and was still the most respectful. But even then, he was still a kind and soft-hearted boy, much like his brothers.

“But promise me... regardless. That you’ll look after her. And when she finally bares fruit...”

“It’ll be the tastiest fruit,” your sons recited in unison, eyes glossy with unshed tears, “better than any other on the markets.”

With the little strength you had left, you mustered a weak smile. “My good boys... You will become... fine kings one day. I have no doubt.” You let go of San’s hand, hand instantly being consumed by the cold from the lack of insulation and warm blood pumping through your veins. “Now... call in your Father and Uncle.”

And they did so, leaving the room to leave the three of you alone. “What is it, my dear?” Seonghwa caressed your cheek lovingly, but you both knew that it was more of a platonic gesture than a romantic one--more for you than it was for him.

“I know...about your love for Hongjoong.”

You could feel the tension in the air thicken to such a degree that you could slice it with the letter opener that resided on your bedside table. It was Hongjoong who spoke up. “Y/N, you need to know that we never--”

“Did anything... I know.” You look to him, that same weak smile plastering on your face. “Such a loyal friend. Never did deserve you, did I?”

He shook his head as he came down to hold your hand. “No--don’t say that. If anything, I didn’t deserve you as a friend.”

You chuckled softly, careful not to trigger another one of your coughing fits. “If I can’t say things like that... then neither can you. But I would like you both to do two final things for me.”

“Anything,” his voice was still strong, unwavering, but you knew Hongjoong long enough to see the stormy ocean behind his calm gaze, the turmoil he must be feeling right now from losing his closest and oldest friend.

“First thing is.. be happy,” you shifted your gaze over to your husband, “and you too. If you can’t with me... then at least with each other.”

For the first time, your servant let go of your hands, denying your request. “I can’t be happy without you.”

“Then learn to do so. After all, you have... the rest of your life.”

He couldn’t verbally agree to that, not when what he said was true. Not when his own heart lay in your possession--and would to until the day he passed as well. So Seonghwa took the painful step in asking what your second wish was.

You recalled the Zepheth’s symbol of your most beloved possession. Star-crossed lovers and the final union of death. Though the three of you were stuck in a sick triangle of unrequited love by the Heavens, it felt fitting for your story.

And perhaps, with your permanent presence, the fruit would finally grow.

“Bury me under the mulberry tree.”

Extra, alternative ending below If you’re not a fan of fantasy or torturous spirits or man-eating trees, just stop here.

Two young travellers searched around the ruins of a lost palace, greenery overflowing, filling every nook and cranny of the battered stone walls--a rather beautiful sight of Mother Nature reclaiming her lands.

“Where even are we, Mingi?” the shorter, more muscular one of the pair said, stumbling over vines and rubble as he followed the much taller man.

“Not where we’re meant to be, I think,” he quipped, looking at the architecture to find some clues of their whereabouts.

The other rolled his eyes. “This would’ve been a lot easier if you didn’t drop the map in the river.”

“Hey! In my defence, it was really windy and the rain made the ground slippery. Leave me alone, Jongho.”

“Not until you give me a damn map.”

Like the archaeology student he was, Mingi studied the tattered tapestry and engravings on the walls until it had hit him. “Holy mother of fresh, sweet hell.”

“What?”

Without answering his best friend’s question, the man too off running, as if he already knew the layout of the place. Jongho ran after him, screaming and almost tripping over the vegetation in the way of his heavy boots.

Once Mingi stopped, his friend held his knees, heaving to catch his breath. “What... the hell... was that for?”

Swivelling on his heel, the tall explorer had sparkles in his eyes. “This is it! The Lost Kingdom! The thing we’ve been looking for!”

Jongho’s head snapped up. “You mean you’ve been looking for? I was just dragged along by your antics as usual.” He narrowed his eyes when he finally saw where his friend took him. “A tree? You took me to see a goddamn TREE?!”

Mingi got closer the enormous mulberry tree, gazing at it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. “Not just any tree. It’s the Queen Y/N’s tree!”

“Okay, let me get this straight,” Jongho sighed, feeling the rage burn within him like a furnace, “you took me to see a dead woman’s tree?”

“Yes, but--”

“WE ALMOST DIED, MINGI! TWICE!” He held up two fingers, expressing his point further. “AND ALL THAT FOR A GODDMAN TREE?!”

“The lore surrounding it was well worth the trip,” a voice said, the two boys’ head spinning to see a person dressed in old, fancy clothing, perched upon the swing--now completely covered with vines and moss. Both of them swore they hadn’t noticed them there. Yet, they brushed it off anyways, thinking that they just had silent movement.

“Who are you?” Mingi asked, head cocked to the side as he became familiar with the sight of them.

“The protector of this tree,” they replied. “Who are you?”

“Some travellers...sightseeing,” Jongho piped in, sceptical of this person who looked like they were in their twenties, just like them.

“You were talking about lore?” The older of the two inquired, already greatly invested in the whole place. “Are you familiar with it?”

“Why, I must be. After all, I look after her,” they said, lovingly stroking the trunk of the tree. “Would you like to hear it?”

“Yes, please!” Mingi sat down, like a child excited for story time despite knowing the book by-heart, while Jongho stayed stood up beside him.

“Well, once upon a time, there was a very strong and powerful Kingdom--”

“The Lost Kingdom!” the child-like man shot out, too giddy to hold back.

The person giggled, his antics reminding them of someone they used to know. “Yes, I believe that’s what you call it. Well, there were three children that lived here; one was of royalty, one of nobility, and the third was a servant--but they were the best of friends, despite their status.”

The muscular boy narrowed his eyes at the childish tone the person was using, not liking how it sounded--how it started to make him feel weary.

“They planted this tree,” they tapped the trunk with their hand, “right here, and nurtured it for as long as they could. As they grew older, the royal and nobleman got married and had children together, while the servant dedicated his life to helping them.”

Jongho sat down, feeling more dreary than normal, coughing a little, while Mingi did the same, not feeling so well either.

“They were all still close, regardless of personal disputes between them, but their love for each other began to weaken only once the tree remained barren of fruit. But they kept up hope, saying that it will the next year.”

The travellers had found it hard to breath, as if there was a pressure on their lungs, squeezing them flat.

“But then, the royal found out they were dying, so they asked to buried under the mulberry tree. In their mind, their body would give the tree the nutrients it needed to finally bare the mulberries they so desperately craved. But no fruit had bore, making the spirit of the royal restless.”

Jongho coughed violently, thick red liquid dribbling down his chin, looking over to Mingi who was hunched over in pain. "But... that’s a fruitless... mulberry tree.”

It appeared to be the wrong thing to say, as their brows furrowed, scowl pulling at their lips, the swing stopped swinging. “And who are you to say that?”

“Because I study... goddamn plants.”

Then it clicked in Mingi’s head--what was going on. “Jongho... shut up--” His chest squeezed harder, a yelp escaping his lips as he toppled to the side.

“Carrying on from that rude interruption,” the person glared at the younger of the two, who was now lying on his side, curled into the foetal position, “the nobleman and servant then died a while after, and were buried side-by-side with the royal.”

Overgrown roots of the tree began to soften, becoming more flexible like snakes as they began to slither their way to the two young boys.

“But even their bodies weren’t enough. So the royal’s spirit swore to use whatever they could to make the tree finally bare fruit.”

The roots wrapped around each boys ankle, spiralling up until it wrapped the two of them in a cocoon. And neither of them could do anything, too tired to yell or move around, succumbing to the sweet release of sleep.

Getting up off the swing, the person rested their forehead on the trunk of the tree.

“And it will be the tastiest fruit. Better than any other on the markets.”

A/N: If you didn’t get it, the tree not growing any fruit was a metaphor of unrequited love. I feel like I didn’t really explain that properly, but there you go.

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Wilfords Demands: Separated

Summary- 5.6k Curtis x You. Curtis lost the tournament and has been cast back to his original home, the tail end. You are now contained in Wilfords precious engine to see the crazy ramblings of Snowpiercers Leader. You also must find out Curtis’s fate and you believe you can find him, if you can just get beyond that door Wilford likes to disappear into. Dividers made by @firefly-graphics​

Warnings- Stressful situations, spitting, hitting, demeaning talk, threats, language. You also find out what happened with Curtis’s other children, its dark and upsetting. Proceed reading with caution. Thats as descriptive as Im going to get in that warning. 

Chapter 6 / Wilfords Demands Masterlist 

As you were dragged away, you could hear the cheers echoing off the steel walls. You could feel the overwhelming sensation of panic settling in your chest. It was all consuming as you started struggling against the man dragging you behind Claude, trying to pummel your fists against his padded chest and scratch at him. 

“Let me go! CURTIS!” you screamed, resorting to trying to bite at his hand wrapped around your upper arm. Claude scoffed seeing you give the guard a hard time and snapped over quickly, open palmed, she slapped your face to stun you. 

You panic turned to white hot rage at the woman, turning on her but the man tightened his grip, stopping all your movements. 

“For once in your miserable fucking life, will you stop it?! Jesus Christ you are not worth the effort Wilford puts in you. You don't even make a good whore.” She spit in your face before turning back to open the door to Wilford’s chambers once more, jerking her head to direct the guard to bring you in. “He will be back soon, make sure she doesn’t do something stupid can you? Just don't hurt her, Wilford will have both our heads if anything happens to the precious prize.” 

She sneered out the last words at you, You spat at her with a smug smile when it landed on her face. She screamed in disgust and wiped at her face with her sleeve. “Tail Ender Pig, you are all so disgusting.” continuing to mutter as she left the room, the guard released you, standing at the door and his eyes followed you as you were sure to put distance between the two of you. 

Wilford’s area was the same as before. More luxurious than the others, you went towards the engine, the furthest you could get from the guard when he barked out. “That's far enough.” 

Flipping him the bird, you moved to sit in a nearby chair, rubbing at your belly protectively. 

Right now the anger was the only thing controlling your fear. You had no idea what was going to happen to Jace, was Curtis even still alive. You couldn’t think like that, because you would lose it if Curtis was dead. 

He promised you that he would find a way, swore to you. 

But promises made were not always kept. You swiped at your face furiously to hide the tears, thinking about Curtis would have to come later, when it actually could sink in. For now Curtis was still alive, he would come for Jace, that was all that mattered. 

Time seemed to stretch, tension building when you heard the door shift open. The guard stepped aside and Wilford walked in, followed by Grey who was bloody, limping and spotting several cuts and bruises. 

I hope you feel every single one Curtis gave you, you hissed in your mind looking at him before turning away. 

“Well look at you sweetheart, told you we would be getting to know each other better.” His hand came to stroke your cheek and you jerked away, making him laugh. “Soon enough you will learn not to pull away.” Grey said while Wilford handed him some towels to clean himself up. 

“As promised, she is your prize. You just have to wait till after the birth.” 

You shifted in your seat, your hand still protective over your stomach to face Wilford, ignoring Grey for now. “Where is Curtis?” 

“Well she isn't going to be much longer till she spits out that spawn for you. I don't mind waiting.” Grey spoke over you, ignoring your question. 

“Weeks Grey, not long at all.” Wilford flipped to a calendar, and to your disgust you saw where he had appointments set up with the doctor. Your name, some others, you shuddered at it. 

“Is Curtis still alive?” You started again, but both men ignored you once again when you finally gave a scream, willing them to at least acknowledge you. 

Wilford blinked at you calmly while Grey scowled at you. “Curtis really didn't teach you any manners did he? Know what we are doing first.” 

You hitched your chin, refusing to back away from him in fear. 

“Curtis is no longer your concern Y/N.” Wilford started. “You won't be seeing him again.” 

Your eyes welled up at these words and your face pinched trying to process these. You can't break down right now. Jace needs you to keep it together. 

“Fine, but this child is my concern. I need to know what his future is going to be.” 

Wilford broke in a grin at this one, rubbing his hands together. “Of course, you spent all this effort supplying me with Curtis’s child. I have high hopes for this one.” 

Fuck you were going to be sick, listening to him. “I want to raise him, he is mine as you said.” 

Grey cocked a brow, his arms folding over his chest with a laugh, Wilford joining him. “Ah- no. This child is mine. I already have a name. Trust me, that whole Jace Tyler was cute and all, I heard all about why you wanted that name but no. Joseph Wilford the second will become my successor. Hopefully. Curtis was always my favorite.” 

You spared a look at Grey who’s features clouded slightly but then went back to victorious. “Well Curtis is washed out, past his prime now.” He pointed out and Wilford shrugged a bit. 

“Happens to all of us. Why I needed Y/N to get pregnant rather quickly, before the tournament. I'm still taking a risk, but such a pretty thing who's a survivor from the tail end. I like Joseph’s chances. So for now Dear, your stuff is being removed from Curtis’s quarters, being moved into Grey’s. For now though you will be staying with me. Grey, how about you go get cleaned up, celebrate your victory.” 

Grey gave one final swipe of his towel, smirking. “I think I will just do that.” Cold eyes swept over you, possessive now. “I will see you real soon.” Sure to run his fingers over you again and grasp your chin tightly when you tried to pull away, his touch hurt, bit into you as he dug fingernails into your skin to mark you. “Keep up that act, I like breaking women in.” 

Letting you go with a cruel laugh, he left the engine. Wilford seemed oblivious to your distress. “Come Dear, let me show you your cot. You need to rest. Most certainly, can't have you stressing the baby.” He tugged you to a stand, leading you to a corner near the engine humming and pushed you to sit. “See this is pretty good.” 

You couldn't help it anymore, everything you had hoped for had shattered in moments. You curled as much as you could away from Wilford rubbing your back and sobbed into your arm, mourning Jace’s father. 

Curtis first noticed the pain. It riddled him hotly with every sway of the train's movements. His fingers curled against rough fabric underneath him. When he tried to move pain seared through him everywhere making him grit his teeth and sink back into the hardness beneath him. “Don’t try to move mister, Mama said you needed to stay still.” came a young boy's voice near his ear and Curtis strained his neck to look next to him, nothing but shadows and more darkness filling his vision but then movement caught his attention. 

A boy, young by the looks of him but it was hard to tell without proper lighting. Big eyes stared at him though as the boy crawled closer to him. “Where am I kid?” Curtis grunted out as the boy lifted a gelatin block to his mouth and took a bite. 

“This the back of the train Mister.” He shoved the block at Curtis, setting it on his chest. “I will go get my Mama. You can have some if you're hungry.” The boy smiled and crawled away, dropping away from sight and scurrying off. Curtis curiously picked up the block and sniffed at it, wrinkling his nose at the smell and set it off to the side. With a groan he tried to sit up again, but gasped again in pain. “Fuck!” 

“Fuck is right.” A woman came into view, carrying a lantern with her to light up her way and sat at the edge of the bed. The little boy crawled in on the other side and grabbed at the gelatin block to bite into again, squeezing it a bit in his small hands, humming happily at his food. 

“Mama, I thought you said that's a bad word.” 

“It is Timmy, but he's allowed to say it. Go on now, shoo. Let me talk to this man.” she waved her hands at him and yet again the little boy, giggling this time climbed upwards into what looked like more bedding above Curtis. 

She watched him with a soft smile till the boy was gone, then turned her attention back to Curtis. “That's my baby Timmy and my name is Tonya.” 

Curtis frowned a bit at the name, then it clicked. “I remember you…” he grunted and Tonya smiled with a nod. 

“I remember you to, but back then you were still a youngin’. Barely 17, still young and hot headed. If you are back here, I’m assuming you're still hot headed?” Tonya chuckled as Curtis tried once more to sit up, and she pushed against his chest to press him back down. “Whoever did this to you did a number on you. Mostly your ribs and possibly your shoulder. You are gonna have to just stay put for a while.” 

Curtis worked his shoulders and she was correct, the pain in his collarbone and down his back was enough to make him see sparks. “Yup, I have to agree. And not hot headed… There was a tournament and… Fuck.” This time he surged up to a sit with a yell, holding onto steel grating above him, gasping. “I have to get out of here right away. They took her and I promised to keep her safe, keep our son safe.” 

Tonya shook her head confused. “Who? What are you talking about? You should lay back down.” 

Curtis stubbornly swung his feet over the edge of the bunk and moved to sit on the edge, looking around. More and more of it was familiar. In the years he had been up front, none of it had changed. Except there was less crowding then before. 

“Y/N, she's up at the front and in serious trouble. Fuck.” He swore again and pushed to a stand, bracing his hand against the framework and tried to make sense of where the door was. Tonya was right next to him, following along. 

“Wait, Y/N? She's up there still alive?” 

“Yes.” Curtis weaved among other people and Tonya tried making him stop. “She was in my care, Wilford… “ He came to a stop at a steel door, looking it over to see any way to open it. “Wanted her to get pregnant with my child. Once he has what he wants, he is just gonna throw her to monsters.” he hissed while pressing his hands against the door. 

“You are not getting that door open Curtis.” Tonya wedged her way next to him and made him turn around, being as week as he was at the moment. “You are telling me shes pregnant? Our Y/N is pregnant?” Her eyes glowered at him and he squared his shoulders slightly. 

“Yes, due anytime now. I told you, she was brought to me for a reason. It wasnt what either of us wanted but…” He turned back to the door and up towards the ceiling, looking for cameras or anything to get someone's attention. “... It turned into something more. And I need to get to her now.” His gaze turned intense looking at Tonya. Her hands were at her hips accusing but then her gaze softened a bit and she sighed. 

“There is no way out Curtis, don't you think we have tried? Its a box, a prison. This is hell on earth and you are now stuck in it with us.” 

Curtis could feel his breath quickening and his heart racing. 

He had to get out of here, he had to get to you. 

Time seemed to turn meaningless while you stayed with Wilford. He had the doctor monitor you daily, check constantly for the moments you went into labor. But you shut down, not talking or acknowledging the others around you unless you were forced into it. Wilford though didn't seem to notice. He talked all the time. Rambled joyfully about everything to do with the engine. Tinkering away at little things in it, tightening screws and bolts. Running inspections. “Dear this whole train keeps us alive. And it needs so much care and love.” He would sing softly as his hands stroked along the metal wall. “Just a gentle touch for our sweetheart here.” 

You would curl up your legs onto your cot, or try to, it was hard with your belly. He was fucking crazy the way he spoke to the engine. The constant hum of the engine and the spinning didn't help either, it made your head pound till you felt like you were also going to go a bit mad in the room with him. 

The nights though were the worst. The engine would seem louder without Wilford’s constant chatter. You would stretch on your cot across the room from Wilford, who slept in a large plush bed. It was hard, almost impossible to get comfortable and relax. It wasn't because the cot actually bothered you, you spent years either in a hard bunk or leaning against a wall in the tail end. 

Instead you were used to sleeping with Curtis. His body would be pressed in against yours, his arm wrapped around you to hold you close and your head would be cushioned on his chest or shoulder, or a hand draped over his stomach. He was warm and safe. That is what you missed. Your hands would rub your belly, sniffling to yourself. You refused to let yourself cry in front of Wilford. But in the night when your only company was the hum of the engine, you let yourself talk to Jace about Curtis. 

How much you missed his father, letting yourself mourn for him because it was the times you thought maybe he actually didn't make it. Those thoughts you cursed yourself, because he couldn’t be gone. He hadn't even gotten to meet his son. The nights were the hardest, the only time you didn't have to pretend to not exist and it would become overwhelming. When it became too much you would sing softly to your belly. 

Don't take my sunshine away. 

The only thing unusual about the engine was the door. Just a door near the spinning blue lights that made the engine come to life that you studied. It was better than going into a trance watching the blue orbs circle slowly. Wilford would once in a while disappear into the room and wouldn't come back out. Just a few times you leaned just right in your cot when he disappeared into the room, catching sight of computer monitors. That had to be how Wilford was watching all of you. 

That made you shiver, the idea Wilford watched you and Curtis doing everyday things. You didn't even want to think of what else he spied on. But more importantly if you could get in there, maybe you could find Curtis. Or see if he was still alive. 

One morning Wilford was cooking what you guessed was supposed to be breakfast. The smell of onions, potatoes and eggs was making your stomach roll viciously. Curtis had always made sure no eggs made it into the room. Wilford wasn't quite as considerate. You were just coming out of the bathroom, having rinsed your mouth out when the smell hit you all over again. Luckily nothing was left to come up. 

“Sweetheart, just think when I have Jr, I will have him ready to take over the engine.” Wilford said cheerfully, sliding eggs onto a plate with a sickening splatter. Your stomach did another roll, and you did your best not to gag. It didn't click with his Jr. spiel, since you never thought of your son as anything other than Jace Tyler. Wilford slid a plate on a small table near your cot for you. “Go ahead eat, I want Jr big and strong like his sire. Make his Poppa proud.” He turned away and you ignored the eggs, recalling his earlier statement. 

“Take over the engine?” 

Wilford made a show of cracking another egg into a bowl, holding up the shell. “Did you know these would be extinct if it wasn't for me? Something so simple… “ He studied it before tossing it into a nearby garbage bucket. “No more chickens. Or oranges like you have in that glass next to you. Fresh squeezed by the way. No more bread.” He picked up two slices of thick sliced bread. “Nor butter, because cows would be extinct.” He dropped them into a pan to crisp and sizzle. “Everything Y/N would be extinct, if it wasn't for our Snowpiercer.” he flipped his eggs and slid them onto his plate. 

You remained quiet, refusing the eggs, the toast and the juice he had set on the table, watching him. 

“But I won't last forever. I can fix this train, but there is no way to replace my body parts. So next best thing. Make the perfect replacement.” He went to his table and sat down. “Why I searched you out for Curtis. Women in the front, been ruined in less then twenty years we have been on this train.” He said disgusted as he started to eat, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth and chewing. The yellow burst of yolk on his lip certainly made you gag this time, covering your mouth while trying to turn away. 

“No, I needed someone smart enough to survive but also untouched.” His grin turned cool as his eyes raked over you. “You survived the tail end, were strong enough to survive the lockbox as well as stunning, how you came out of there a virgin I don't know. But it worked out for me. Perfect for Curtis. All his other children before, just weren't perfect enough.” Another forkful of runny eggs and toast. You were struggling trying to wrap your mind around what Wilford was saying. 

“W-what happened to the others?” You asked shakily, scared of the answer. 

“Ahh, they didn't work out. We tried, sometimes the babies wouldn't shut up, other times they got to a certain age and would struggle with the motor skills. There were a few who got sickly.” Wilford shrugged as he sopped at his plate with his bread and popped that into his mouth. You though, your arms circled around yourself protectively as the horror of what he was saying made your heart race. 

“You just- got rid of them?” 

“Of course, I can't keep them if they can’t be useful. That's when it clicked. Curtis, he was fine. He's everything I wanted, big, strong, smart. Until you came along, he thought logically. It's a flaw, his falling for you, made him weak. But nothing I can't overlook I suppose. So many other perfect qualities in a leader. It was the woman.” He carried his plate to the sink and approached you. You shrunk back on your cot and he cupped your face in delicate warm hands, hands that never did hard work. “I needed a strong woman to match. All the front end bitches I paired with him threw off weaklings. You Sweetheart are going to give me the perfect prodigy. I considered switching Curtis for Grey for a while, but ahh he is too volatile to throw me a good son. No, it had to be Curtis and You.” He brushed your cheek gently and then grasped your hair to yank you forward towards the plate of food. “Now eat this gift I give you, because I need that baby to come out healthy.” 

Claude entered the room, clipboard in hand with a smile. “Sir if you're all set, we are ready for the inspection in the greenhouse.” 

“Oh yes Claude, be right there.” He beamed as he pointed at your tray of food with a snap of his fingers. “I want this gone.” Turning he made his way to Claude, the two of them chatting as they left the room, leaving you all alone. 

Your heart raced and breathing came out in a rush. With a swipe of your hand, you pushed the plate and glass off the table to shatter against the floor in a mess, screaming in a shrill burst. Overwhelmed with what he informed you, you couldn't hold it all back anymore, your scream just got shriller and tense to bounce all around you from the steel walls. Your voice ended up giving out with a croak and you dropped your heads into your hands sobbing at the fate of your son. 

You can't let this happen, just can't. This isn't what you or Curtis wanted for Jace. Your head lifted and eyes were wildly looking around the room, trying to figure something out. Attacking Wilford would do nothing. You could possibly hold him at knife point, but it would only be a matter of time before you were captured again, and it would just be worse for you and Jace if you had managed to kill Wilford. No, it needed to be more permanent. Something that would overthrow the whole train. 

Your eyes fell to the door, the door with all the monitors and control panels. You needed to be in that room and that's when a plan started to form. 

Although Curtis couldn’t find a way out of the tail end didn’t mean he wasn’t busy. Curtis started to get to know more about the tailenders, those who were ready to fight for there freedom, those with special skills that could be used in a revolt, listen to the stories of the horrors they have had to do to survive. It became more then simply getting back to you, now it was about getting these people out of here as well. 

Curtis started timing the guards coming through, trying to figure out how to work the inspections and feeding times to his advantage. After all this time, they should be fairly slack, rituals loose purpose after a while. 

But he didnt see his opening. No matter how many times he timed the lengths the doors were open, how long they stayed, how hard the cart full of the blocks were to manuever. It was all so precise, the same everytime and there eyes were watchful, always willing to bash a tailender should they step out of line. 

There was just four counts when all the doors were open and Curtis could see down the length of the train. It just wasnt enough time to get through several train cars. Tonya was perched next to him, listening to him count under his breath. 

“Curtis, don’t. We’ve tried that. It just ends with them culling us.” She hurriedly whispered back to him. Once they left he turned to her. 

“Then what Tonya? Y/N might have had Jace and tossed to Grey. Who even knows what will happen to my son.” Some frustrated tears caught in his lashes and some managed to escape, making a track down his now sooty dirty face. He dropped his head into his hands and Tonya rubbed at his back, trying to be supportive even though she delivered the harsh reality. 

“I know Curtis…I’m sorry, I just don’t want you going on a suicide mission. Y/N needs you, so does that little boy you got coming.” 

Curtis took a ragged sigh and stared back up at the camera beeping above the door, flipping it off before pushing to a stand and disappearing out of sight to continue trying to figure out a way to get back to you. 

You waited, you could be patient. You learned a while ago when you first joined Curtis to watch, it was also the harsh lesson he taught you in the beginning. It was how you got to know him as the man you cared for today. You were quick to learn that Wilford wasn't predictable. He would go into the room at random times. Sometimes for hours, sometimes for a few minutes. 

No matter how much you looked around the engine from your perch on your cot, you couldn't see where there were any cameras in the engine room. But you were still wary. Thinking maybe he was trying to catch you doing something, spring out of that room with a gotcha. 

But you were smarter. No, you were patient. Storing it all away. 

The worst was when Grey would come around. He seemed to turn into Wilford’s pet, always coming in to chat with him or ask favors. Oftentimes he would sit across the table, staring intently at you with a sneer. His eyes roaming you up and down like he had a right to take you whenever. These times you would hitch your chin up and stare back at him. Refusing to give him the satisfaction that he won. 

Maybe he did win your body. But you refused outright to give him any satisfaction in that. It didn't matter though, for Grey you were just a prize. You didn't matter to him except what you could give him. 

“She must be due soon, right?” Grey drawled out, moving to a stand and approaching you. In your bid to defy him, you didn't move an inch to draw away from him. His hand fisted in your hair, twisting viciously to have you look up at him. “Excited right? I'm sure it gets a bit boring just sitting here on your cot, waiting for time to pass with that little bastard inside of you.” 

You work your mouth to draw out some spit, hocking it at him as best you can at the unnatural angle. It earned you a loud smack, whipping your head to the side. Not a word dropped from you in pain as you glared up at him. Grey leaned in closer, his hand wiping at his face and wiping his hand clean in your hair he still had fisted in his other hand. 

“Nasty little thing arn’t you? Treat Curtis like this? Or did you just drool all over his cock every chance you get?” His fingers bit into your cheeks as he pressed harshly against the hinge of your jaw, wrenching your mouth open. “Don't worry, soon this will be all you know.” He spat in your open mouth, making you heave and try to pull away from him as he lewdly groped his crotch, laughing at your distress. 

“Grey, leave her alone… you will have her soon enough.” Wilford finally interjected, beckoning Grey forward towards the room. “I got something to show you anyways, step in here.” 

Grey snickered at you before sauntering over, passing through the door and Wilford followed him in, closing themselves in. You grabbed at some of the bedding, bringing a corner of a blanket to your mouth to try to tear at the fabric. You just needed a little bit. 

Your teeth ripped into the cloth and stitches, wrenching at the fabric till you could feel it weakening. 

Another pull, another twist and you could feel the fabric starting to give. Your eyes darted back to the door. “Come on…” You whined out and then there was a distinctive rrrriiippp… 

Balling the small bit of fabric in your fist, you got up to approach the door. Careful you pressed your ear to it, trying to listen over the engines humming, but it was pointless. The whoosh whoosh whoosh of the spinning mechanisms made you sigh in exasperation. You didn't want to ruin your chance by not being prepared.

Pressing against the wall, you tried to think about what you knew. The door was pressured close to guarantee a seal. Your eyes roving up to the mechanism that worked the door. It also made it close slow. You could wait a good five seconds after they left the room to do what you wanted. You could pretend you were passing by to go to the bathroom, seeing the door was just beyond your main target. Stepping back a few steps, you paused. Eyes on the handle, waiting for them to walk back out, swing the door wide open. 

It felt like hours till the handle jiggled and sure enough it swung wide open with both men leaving, laughing about some shared joke between one another. You started counting just like the way your Grandpa showed you when you were a kid playing hide and seek in the apple orchard.

One Mississippi

 You stepped forward as if you had been striding from your cot, which neither of you bothered to give a glance. The door clicked into reverse. 

Two Mississippi

Your chest clenched seeing the door start to close, the two men were a step away from you now where you could pass between them and the door. 

Three Mississippi

In passing, you rolled the ball of fabric in your palm, your hand brushing against the inside of the door jam and nimbly shoved the ball into the hole that would seal the door shut. Continuing on past. 

Four Mississippi

You paused at the bathroom door, your hand giving a shiver of anxiety while listening before opening the bathroom door. Please don't latch, please don't latch…. 

Five Mississippi

The door shut, but there was no distinctive click the door handle locked. You glanced over your shoulder to see it looked sealed. You yanked on the bathroom handle and escaped into the bathroom, covering your mouth as a gasp of relief escaped you, tears brimming your eyes at knowing it worked. Now it was just hoping Wilford left before he found out what you had done. Sinking to the floor, you took several breaths to try to calm your racing heart. Tilting your head back and closing your eyes, your hands pressed against your belly, whispering. “Jace, we are gonna find your daddy and figure it out from there. Right kiddo… we got this. We are going to be okay.” 

After giving yourself your pep talk and you weren't feeling like Wilford was going to figure it out and bust through that door, you made your way back out to see Claude had joined Wilford and Grey. 

“Well I need to go do my inspections.” Wilford motioned towards to exit, Grey took a glance at you shuffling back to your cot. Coldly he looked you up and down, obviously checking you out. 

“Will be seeing you soon Y/N.” You didn't respond, looking away as you lowered down onto your cot. He left and Wilford reached out for a clipboard Claude was holding, scanning over several papers. “What's the numbers on the tailenders?” 

“High hundreds. We took a count this morning. Its getting overcrowded once again.” 

“Ahh, I know it was getting bad once more. Gonna have to do something about that.” Wilford sighed. “Just need to get creative about it.” You did your best to keep from retaliating. “And how's our special guest there?” 

This made you perk, curious as to who he would be talking about. “Oh settling in nicely, like he never left.” Claude retorted as the door opened, and you couldn't stop the flutter of hope. Maybe it was Curtis.. Could be Curtis they were talking about. The door slammed shut and you started to count. 

Wilford could stay away anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. As anxiously as you wanted to run to the door and go in the room of cameras, you couldn't do it too soon. Wilford would just rush back in and stop you. All this effort, lost. 

So you waited. Counting like before till you were sure it had been a good ten minutes. Easing off the cot, you approached the door and rested your hand to the door handle. 

God let this work. You screwed your eyes shut and started to ease back, the door moving just as easily as if it was properly unlocked. Not even a turn of the handle. Slipping inside and pulling out the fabric from the hollow spot in the door, you let it shut you in. 

Camera, so many grainy moving pictures, it made your head thump with the intake of information. You started moving from screen to screen, searching faces to try to find Curtis. No matter how many you looked through, searching the garden cars, over to the kitchen crew, entertainment cars full of kronole high individuals, none of them had Curtis. You made your way down the line, cars with animals, people making equipment, prison cars. Still no Curtis. You bit at your lip, your fingertips pressing against screens, like you were crossing off people. 

“Come on Curtis, I need you to show yourself.” You passed to the last row, people all from the tail end. You leaned in close, mentally crossing off sections till you stopped at the door. It was a flash of familiarity that brought you back to that screen. 

“Jace… I found your daddy.” Your voice broke in relief, seeing him studying the door and camera, scowling up at it. You remember that look, the one that he was frustrated with his situation. You had never been so relieved to see him looking pissed off. “Thank fucking god you are still alive Curtis.” You fell back to sink in an office chair. “Now how do I get you out?” 

[toomanyrobins]

a little birdie told me pt. 7

Summary: Y/N “Birdie” Parker left New York and her family three years ago in the middle of the night. Now, a call for help to her best friend brings her back into the fold of the Three Families and their “business”

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Parker!Reader

Content warning: physical abuse, miscarriage, cursing, mentions of forced marriage

Word Count: 2.3k

Notes: thank you to @firefly-graphics for the team cap divider! Makes my life much easier! 💛 

Series masterlist // next part

The next morning, Steve heard someone clearing their throat. He opened his eyes to see a familiar face standing at the foot of his bed with his arms crossed. “Peter, what the hell are you doing?”

“What the hell am I doing! What the hell are you doing? Why is my sister in your bed?”

Steve looked down and saw Y/N burrowed under the sheets. He knew she hadn’t been sleeping well and hated to wake her up. “Let’s go talk in the kitchen.” he put on the coffee maker before turning back to his fuming friend, “Birdie stayed over last night after I had to rush home because Jaime was sick. She stayed to help with him and we fell asleep.”

The tension started to leave Peter, “Oh, is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. Look, I get that you’re especially overprotective since Y/N came home but if she had woken up first and saw you, she would’ve been pissed. We are both adults and don’t deserve to be treated like criminals for what we decide to do.”

“You’re talking like something might happen.”

“Do you want to hear it?” Peter nodded, “Yes, I like your sister. She’s amazing and I enjoy every second I spend with her. I don’t care about her past and I hope she doesn’t care about mine. We both have made choices and we live with the consequences.”

“You like my sister...how long?”

“I don’t know. She used to just be your sister, the other half to the problematic duo that was her and Becca. Since she’s been back, something has changed.”

“Is this your savior complex?” Peter scoffed at the scandalized look on Steve’s face, “Don’t look like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Before I grew up, I was as strong as a limp noodle, and you and Bucky were always there to pull someone off of me. I just want to be sure you actually want Y/N because she’s Y/N and not because you think she needs saving."

“This isn't like you picking fights with guys double your size. I’m not doing this to hurt you, Parker. But whatever relationship I choose to have will be between us and I hope you can understand that. Because I won’t be the one to make her choose.”

“I hate you a little bit for this,” he ran a hand through his already unruly hair, “I kind of want to punch you.”

“Well Bucky punched Sam when he proposed to Becca. If I get that far, you can punch me.”

“Fine,” Peter took the cup of coffee Steve gave him. “So, when are you going to tell her?”

“I don’t know. Honestly, I’m scared she’ll say she’s not interested.”

“Well, I’d do it fast, before someone else notices how great she is.”

The duo decided to switch over to discussing some business, until they heard some noise coming from the baby monitor. Peter knew he should leave Y/N woke and made a quick escape. Steve walked back into his room, opened the curtains, and put a cup of coffee on the bedside table closest to Y/N. He peeled the blankets back and shook her softly. The only response he got was a grumble and her burying her face in the pillow. He decided to grab Jamie and let her slowly start to wake up. The baby at least was happy to see him that morning and kept saying dada over and over again. Steve brought Jamie into his room like he did every morning and put him on the bed next to Y/N. He immediately started to climb on top of her, wanting attention. “Sweetheart, you have to wake up. We have a visitor.”

“What?” The throaty morning voice that she spoke with sent shivers down Steve’s spine. She slowly sat up and kissed Jamie.

He handed her the mug. “A guy could get used to mornings like this: coffee, baby, and a pretty girl.”

Her face grew warm, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to crash so hard.”

“No need to apologize. We were all tired. Drink your coffee and I’ll drop you off on my way to the Ivory.” The trio moved slowly, enjoying the lazy morning. It hit Steve how comfortable and easy this morning was and that he wanted this to happen again. Their eyes connected in the mirror and she smiled at him. He spun around, “Would you be my date to the holiday party?”

“You want me to be your date?” Steve nodded and she bit her lip, “Yeah, I’d really like that, Stevie.”

He groaned, “What have I said about calling me that?”

“Follow through and I’ll stop.” He chuckled at her cheeky response and finished getting ready. They managed to get out the door on time and while she was bent over buckling Jamie in, she felt a sting on her ass. She whirled around, shock painted her face, “Did you just spank me?”

“You told me to follow through. I’m just doing what I’m told.” Steve walked to the driver’s side, leaving Y/N standing beside the car, a smile on her face.

A week later, Y/N walked into Steve’s apartment, garment bag draped over her arm, make up and hair already done. They had agreed that she would come over to help with Jamie and they would finish getting ready together. All of them would be spending the night in rooms at the Ivory since this party was known to get rowdy. She was glad to see that their overnight bags were packed for the night and she put hers down as she called out for him. “I’m in the bedroom!” She found him standing in the center of the room in just his trousers and unbuttoned dress shirt. He had a look of deep concentration, his tongue peaking out between his lips as he struggled with his shirt. Y/N laid her dress on the bed before Steve threw his hands up, “Can you help me with these damned cufflinks?”

She laughed at his struggle, laying her things on his bed and taking his sleeve in her hands. “I can’t believe you still are wearing these things.” They had been a gag gift from her their first Christmas after he became her guard. She had bought him Tweety Bird cufflinks and told him that he would always have a little birdie with him even if she ran away from him. She switched arms, “How did you get anything done before me, Rogers?”

Steve looked down at her, “I’m not quite sure, Birdie.” She stepped closer to him and started doing up the buttons of his shirt like it was a common practice between them. He held his breath, worried that the intimate moment would end if he made any quick movements. When she reached the top, she smoothed his collar down, her fingertips grazing his neck. She put her hands on his chest and smiled up at him, “There. Now I’m sure you’re capable of tucking your own shirt in. Yes?”

He simply nodded, worried at what pitch his voice would come out. Y/N grabbed her dress and walked into the en-suite bathroom to change. Steve took a deep breath, his skin burning where her fingers had brushed. He walked into his closet, trying to decide on which tie to wear. His decision making was interrupted by his name being called again, “Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Could you zip me up? I can’t get it.” Steve cursed up his breath, this girl was going to be the death of him. He walked into the bathroom and got the first look at the dress Y/N had been hiding from him. She spun around, letting the skirt swirl, “Worth the wait?”

“You look gorgeous.” Y/N blushed at his compliment and turned around so that he could zip her up. He purposefully took his time, dragging his finger along her back even after he reached the top of the zipper. When he reached the base of her neck, he left a lingering kiss where his hand stopped and walked out without another word.  She let forehead come to rest against the cool countertop as she tried to get her hormones under control. The two of them had been playing this cat-and-mouse game for too long and it was leaving the both of them incredibly sexually frustrated.

Y/N had picked Steve’s tie to match her dress, ignoring his smirk when she chose it. He put everything in the car and the trio drove over to the Ivory. Steve’s hand found its way to rest on her thigh as she sang along loudly to the Christmas music on the radio. They handed the keys to the valet and made their way up to their adjoining rooms. Steve and Y/N quickly dressed Jamie up in his little suit that was too almost too cute to handle. She pulled on her heels and straightened his tie before they made their way down to the ballroom and marveled at the expert work that had been done. Tony and Pepper had decided on a White Christmas theme and the decorations were done to recreate the final scene of the movie. Giant trees were in every corner of the room and garland was strung across the room. An orchestra in the corner was playing music and everyone was in their finest outfits. They greeted their families and everyone was passing around well-wishes. They were complimented on what a striking pair they made and She tried to hide how flustered she was by Steve’s hand coming around to her waist and pull her closer.

Suddenly, Y/N heard her name being called. She spun around and groaned when she realized it was Alice Jones calling for her. That bitch had made her life hell in high school and the last thing she wanted to do was make small talk with her gang of women. She threw her shoulders back, plastered a fake smile and made her way over. Alice greeted her with a kiss of both cheeks, making Y/N roll her eyes internally. All of the women greeted her like they were old friends.

It did not take long for each woman to be trying to up the other of how great their lives were. Thousands of dollars worth of jewelry was flashed as they bragged about their husbands and fiances. Suddenly all of the women were looking past Y/N and fixing their appearances. She looked over her shoulder, confused, and realized that Steve was coming their way. He nodded quickly at the women before turning to Y/N, “Could you take Jamie for me? I need to discuss some things and his cuteness is a distraction.”

“Of course. Give me my little man,” she made grabby hands and Steve handed the baby over, who was all too happy to be with her. He babbled away as he played with her necklace.

The blonde gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, “Thank you for this. I shouldn’t be too long.”

When Y/N turned back to the group, they were all looking at her like she had grown another head. She laughed awkwardly as they bombarded her with questions. She tried to answer them gracefully and without giving away any actual information. No one but she and Steve were entitled to know what they were to each other and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn’t even sure where they stood. They had become incredibly close since she had been back, even more than before and it seemed that they were both waiting for something to push them over the edge and it never seemed to come.

She let her eyes roam over the ballroom. Indy and Peter were off to one side looking like they were discussing something serious as she tried to get him to put down his drink. George and Tony were off to the side speaking with the latter’s old friend, Colonel Rhodes. She watched Steve shake a man’s hand and then walk over to the bar and start talking to Bucky. Alice placed a hand on Y/N’s bare arm, drawing her attention back, “Well we are so glad to see that you’ve finally settled down,” The group of women tittered away, “I mean I remember in high school how all over the place you were. A nightmare! You’ll have to tell us how little old you managed to snag Steve Rogers.”

Y/N smiled at Alice, “Well I suppose I was a bit all over the place. Not all of us can spend so much of our time in one place on our knees. If you ladies will excuse me.” She quickly made her escape and headed towards the bar. Y/N’s attention was drawn away by Steve and Bucky, who quickly traded her a drink for Jamie when he saw the stormy expression on her face. “What a loathsome bitch.” Steve snickered at the disdain in her voice and looked over to see that the group of women was watching them. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, partially shielding her from their gaze. He was sure it looked like he was whispering dirty secrets to her and it wouldn’t take much for him to start. They had been swirling through his head all night. “You’re an amazing woman. Don’t let them get to you.” Her grip slowly relaxed on the champagne flute and Steve nodded as he ran his fingers along her spine, “Good girl.” Y/N tried to hide the fact that the praise from him had any affect on her, but he knew her and noticed the slight shiver that ran down her back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@founding-fuck-bois

@animegirlgeeky

@inlovewiththefictionalcharacters

@directorsnarrative

@marvelofwitch

[unprofessional-bard]

Chapter 8 - Truth or Dare

Losing My Religion Series Masterlist

Unprofessional Bard's Masterlist

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Pairing: Joel Miller x Female!Reader/OC

Warnings: A lot of angst and when i say angst...

Summary: The reader is stuck to the hospital bed, healing considerably slow. Her feelings and emotions are scattered all over the place and things are harder without her lover by her side.

Word Count: 2.575

Author's Note: Hey y'all!! I'm terribly sorry this took so long but I was really busy with moving and everything, I honestly had no angst in me to write this chapter bc I'm just so happy that I moved here, but the past few days were a lil exhausting so I finished this while resting... I didn't wanna update with this short ass chapter but I have to update y'all so I separated the chapter into two, I hope y'all still have interest in Losing My Religion, I love you and thank you all for being patient with me! 🥺🥺

Enjoy!

"Be careful!"

The ice under your feet was inches thick, it didn't seem like it'd break, but you didn't trust that: "It's alright, I got this."

The girl didn't wail or scream for help, she anxiously waited for your approach. You held out your hand for her: "Grab my hand, I'm gonna get you across, it's gonna be okay." The girl hesitated but grabbed your hand anyway: "Don't worry, you're not gonna get in trouble, I'm gonna make sure of that."

"Alright, okay," The girl shook her head and followed you with careful steps. Everything was going fine until you reached halfway, when the ice under her feet cracked, making your ears perk up. You snapped your head back to meet her frightened eyes: "Uh..."

"Felicity!" You shouted across the frozen river, catching her attention. With all your strength, you grabbed the kid's coat by the neck.

"Woah, what are you doing?" She grabbed your arm, alerted by your action as the ice cracked more underneath your feet. You pulled her coat's zipper down a little.

"Watch yourself-" You said, grabbed the back of her coat with your other hand, then launched her across the river to where Felicity was; the ice under your feet crushing altogether a second later, swallowing you whole.

Your body reacted to the cold in a panicked way, naturally, but you remembered your training and swam up immediately, calming yourself down. You gasped loudly as soon as your head was out of the water, Felicity calling for you: "You alright?!"

You were too cold to speak, so as your breathing calmed down you gave her a thumbs up instead. Your cold-shock response was better this time as you hadn't swallowed any water, so you spread your arms and started kicking at the water with your feet as soon as you raised them. You calmly but quickly pushed yourself out of the water and onto the ice.

"(Y/N)?!" You heard her shout over to you a couple of times as you breathed, but each time she did, her voice got closer and closer, although she was still on the ground away from you.

"(Y/N)?"

----

"(Y/N)?" You felt a hand on your shoulder, shaking you gently. "Come on Dolly, wake up..."

It was Ellie. You wanted to open your eyes, tell her or move a limb to let her know that ou were awake, but you just couldn't. What the hell?

After a few more seconds, you managed to sigh loudly through your nose: "I think she's waking up, Katherine."

After what felt like an eternity, you woke up in a different room where Ellie, Maria and Tommy were by your side. There were bandages wrapped all over you: Your head, shoulder, chest area, your knee and the same ankle you fractured months ago. One of your eyelids was lower than the other.

"You look like a mummy," Ellie chuckled softly as you examined yourself. You nodded but didn't speak, your throat hurt terribly.

"Could you give us a minute?" Tommy cleared his throat as you gained better consciousness with each passing second. You watched the girls leave the room and Tommy pull his chair to your side: "How're you feelin'?"

"Like shit," You whispered and sighed. "At least it doesn't hurt too bad- for now, anyway."

"Yeah, Katherine and Daisy are taking care of you just fine..." Tommy put his hand on yours and gave it a light squeeze. "You're gonna be okay, but it's gonna take some time."

"No shit," You smiled bitterly.

"Joel wants to see you," Tommy pursed his lips, pulling his hand away. "He's been worried sick- Ellie says she saw him leavin' the house with bloodshot eyes..."

Your heart broke at his comment and your face scrunched up, feeling terribly nauseous with this new information: "Is he here?"

"He's outside the room," Tommy spoke and got up. "Look, I know I don't get to have a say in this but... He'd never do anything to hurt you- especially on purpose. He loves you."

Your eyes teared up and breath got stuck in your throat as he turned around and left, then you distantly heard something he said to Joel and waited for the long awaited confrontation between you and your lover.

----

Joel immediately got up from the chair he was sitting on right before Tommy came out of your room, looked at his brother intently: "She needs some time, but she'll come around."

Tommy patted Joel on the shoulder after his comment and walked away from him, leaving you two be. He took a deep breath and slowly, almost gently, got in the room, closing the door behind him: "Hey..."

"Hey," You whispered. The lack of emotion and the abundance of red and purple bruises on your face crushed Joel.

"Did Ellie ever tell you how we met?"

Joel was surprised at the question: "No, she didn't."

You chuckled, which at first helped him relax a little, but you coughed afterwards and Joel was back to worrying. He sat down on Tommy's previous spot silently as you leaned back on your pillow and spoke: "There was a student gone missing from the QZ... We tracked her down to this lake but it was frozen and she was standing right in the middle of all that ice. I went over to her but the ice decided to crack then. I got her out but I fell-" Joel's expression broke your heart furthermore. "I had training of course and it wasn't my first time falling into icy water... That's how we met- and began getting along, I guess."

Joel nodded and smiled softly, face riddled with pain, tiredness, fear and relief all at the same time; you turned your head towards him and asked: "Is there anything else I should know, Joel?"

He knew damn well what that meant, even though he'd never seen this side to you. It reminded him of his ex-wife for a brief moment, before speaking: "Yeah... actually there is one more thing, but if I'm honest?"

"Hm?"

"... I don't got the stomach to tell you."

"Why not?" You were genuinely stressed out and confused now. What could be worse than what you two just went through?

"I've realised now that ah-" Joel looked away, a hand brushing past his watch in the process. "I kept it from you for too long... I- I should've told you earlier-"

"Told her what earlier?" The younger Miller suddenly appeared by the doorway, leaning on it. Joel gave Tommy a grave look, the one he gave him when he told his younger brother how he had saved Ellie - it made Tommy immediately understand what was going on, his face going slightly pale.

Joel suddenly got up and as he made his way over to where his brother was, you called out for him with your weak voice: "Joel?!"

He gave you one last look, before looking down and walking past Tommy. Were those tears in his eyes-?

"What the hell is going on, Tommy?" You sighed, exasperated.

Tommy stared at you for a while, not knowing what to say, then slowly closed the door: "It ain't gonna be pretty, (Y/N), but if you ain't too tired, let's talk huh?"

Your muscles tensed at his words, but despite how bad you wanted to rest you were dying with curiosity to know exactly what the hell happened that made the brothers' tails go between their legs. Tommy pulled a chair to your left and sat down. He was also tense, he didn't sit like he usually does - like the Texan he was. He gulped, searched for the right words, then sighed and began: "I thought Joel would've told you this, but it seems not."

"For fuck sake, Tommy," You sighed, then a wheeze and a cough followed. "Just spit it out."

"'Kay, okay... The reason why Joel never really told you what happened on his journey with Ellie after they dropped you off here- it's ugly. Joel's ashamed, I guess he didn't want you to think badly of him-"

"But he told you?"

"Yes." Tommy crossed his arms. "What did he tell you exactly - about their journey I mean?"

"He said the Fireflies stopped looking for a cure - that there were a bunch of immune people and that they ran a couple of tests with Ellie and then let them go... I didn't really believe it. At first I did, I think- I trusted his word and didn't really wanna push it, but then I thought: If there were a bunch of other immune people, surely someone would've made the vaccine over the course of the twenty something years we went through - or at least the last two... but here we are."

Tommy nodded: "The reason for that is because Ellie's the only one."

"I figured that much."

"They were going to make a vaccine too, but when Joel found out it'd cost Ellie's life to make one... He uh-" Tommy took a deep breath, he was struggling to put the words together: "He didn't let them kill her."

You just stared, processing it all. You blinked a couple of times, then spoke: "He didn't let them make a vaccine."

"Remember what I told you- about Sarah?" Tommy's tone came off shaky.

You nodded and he continued: "I guess I was right... He came to care a great deal about Ellie apparently. Probably felt like he was with Sarah again while travelling with her, so..."

You didn't know how to feel - the only two solid thoughts in your mind clashed agaisnt one another in a great battle:

I can't believe he was selfish enough to rob humanity of it's only chance at survival.

Versus,

I understand. I probably would've done the same thing if I were him. Probably.

"Does Ellie know?" You breathed, feeling a little dizzy.

"No."

You gulped and looked down, guilt washing over you like a tidal wave: "Have you... I mean, is the doctor-"

"He's dead," Tommy murmured. "We don't know if there's anyone else out there who could make a vaccine out of her."

You were actually struggling to breathe at this point, looking around in a panicked state: "You need to tell Ellie."

"No, (Y/N)," Tommy spoke in a clear and strict tone. You were about to argue, but he added: "It's not our place to tell her... Joel asked for this, he is gonna be the one to tell her."

You were breathing through your mouth with a grave and distressed look on your face, staring at Tommy: "Please, (Y/N). She can't know."

You knew that was the end of conversation, so you laid down and tried to calm your breathing, closing your eyes and interrupting Tommy when he tried to ask if you needed help: "Just leave, Tommy."

You didn't see it, but he nodded and got up, letting you fall into a long sleep.

----

You had a lot of visitors for five long days, but neither of the Miller Brothers paid you a visit in that period of time. Well, Tommy showed up briefly with Maria from time to time but you weren't upset with him and it took him three days to understand, after reassuring him.

Ellie visited the most: Twice a day - once before patrol (usually in the morning) and once after. When she didn't have any chores, she'd visit you at night as well. You mostly talked about the other kids in town she was friends with, she'd treat you like a journal and vent or rant to you, which you really valued and appreciated ever since you found out about what Joel had done.

One morning she had asked about you and Joel, after a long time of not asking.

"So..." Her arms were crossed while she sat by your bed, her guitar against the desk on the other side of the room. "You and Joel... Have you guys figured things out yet?"

"He hasn't visited me in four days," You groaned, mood going down almost instantly when you remembered how he left you with Tommy five days ago. "I don't want him to... I want to talk to him when my healing processes, but it doesn't."

"How do you mean?" Ellie gave you a quizzical look.

"Katherine said some of the wounds she pointed out would turn some other colour and that a few things I'm feeling around my body would go away by this time, but they haven't. It's been almost a week and I'm not healing."

"You were beaten up pretty badly, (Y/N)," Ellie tried to look for an explanation to relax you. "Katherine did say it'd take some time."

You remained quiet for a moment, looked down, then spoke: "Five more days and you'll see what I'm talking about."

Ellie was confused and didn't know what to say, so you continued: "I've had bruises worse than this," You pointed at your half swollen eye. "Even they healed quicker than this."

There was an awkward silence, the realisation of Joel not visiting you a hard punch in the gut. As much as you weren't ready to confront him with your exhausted state, you still loved him and you wondered about his wellbeing. You felt like a five year old child crossing her arms and pouting while stomping her foot aggressively on the ground when she's denied a lollipop. You wanted to cry like the said child and hammer your fists against Joel's chest without hurting him. You wanted to do so many things, confronting and forgiving your lover being the first and foremost, but you just weren't ready. You weren't ready and you were frustrated and angry - traumatised and stressed and depressed, you wanted at least one of these to ease up a little but most importantly you didn't want to be on pain relievers anymore. You were asleep most of the day and didn't want to talk to anyone at the times where you weren't, except for Ellie really.

You closed your eyes and sighed, tears forcing their way out of your closed eyelids and dropping on the sheets: "Els?"

"I'm here," Ellie replied equally quietly.

"Will you sing me to sleep, darling?" You requested, voice cracking a little as you laid down, eyes still closed.

"Of course mom," She murmured and grabbed her guitar. After settling down in her seat and thinking of what to play for a while, she started strumming her guitar:

"When does it get quiet?

Time was supposed to extinguish the desire

But the embers won't snuff out

Haunted by your smiles

The mask keeps getting heavier

One step forward, two steps back

There's a noose round my neck and the further I get

It's harder and harder to breathe

Can I find a way to cut the rope?

I've been waiting for dawn

But the light is all gone

Don't know if I'm already blind

Can I leave it all behind?"

...

Joel watched and listened through the doorway as Ellie sang to your sleeping form, not being aware of the small confrontation which was going to take place in a few hours. A sad expression was present on his daughter's face, bringing tears to his eyes as he, once again, walked away from the two of the three people he loved the most.

[wonwhomps]

Warming You Up

➻ Warnings: Language // Mentions of blood // Scientific, criminology and medical inaccuracies

➻ Words: 10.1k

➻ Genre: Angst // Romance // Humor 

➻ Pairings: Jeon Wonwoo x Female Reader

➻ Summary: Heart is freezing. Arm is bleeding. You yearn for warmth. He needs to heal.  Are you each other’s cure? You need to hold on.

She looked pretty.

She's beautiful.

Woah, what's her diet?

It's nothing new hearing whispers about how intimidating you look, how good you look, and how perfect you are. Little did they know, behind this face is a person longing for a warm embrace. You craved for love and even if you know it won't work, you're doing everything to make it last. You're cold inside and you badly wanted to make it warm, sacrificing everything you worked hard for.

Wearing a red turtleneck partnered with black jeans, a black 3-inch heels, and a black dress coat that protects you from the cold wind, you made your way to the place where your recent relationship started—the park.

It's illuminated with fairy lights stringed at every tree branches, fireflies are also flying around the place making it seem more magical than it already is, but you know more than that. This is not a magical moment every kid dreamed of. This is about facing the reality that you keep on denying for about 2 months now.

You held the strap of your black shoulder bag tightly and inhaled sharply as the silhouette of your boyfriend approaches you. You stood still until he reaches you.

You could see his breath vapor as he sighed in front of you. It's cold.

Before he could even open his mouth to say something, you held his hands and started sobbing. "S-stay, please."

He clicked his tongue. "So it's true, you're going to give everything just to make your boyfriend stay. You must be out of your mind," said your boyfriend before he harshly tugged his hands back out of your hold.

You felt your heart freeze. No.

You tried to think of other things to say to make him stay even just for another day. You don't want to feel cold again. Being with him helped you feel a glimpse of the one you craved—warmth. It's not enough to make you feel completely warm but you had no other choice.

Cold wind is gushing by making you shiver more than you already are. Your heart is shouting and begging to feel warmth. It's slowly starting to make your legs weak causing you to place your hand on his arm for support but he thinks otherwise. He jerked your hand off of his arm making you stumble and fall on the cold ground.

"We're done here. I only dated you for sex anyway and you didn't even give me a taste. How could you ask me for staying when you couldn't even give me what I want."

You shake your head. "N-no, don't leave me. I--", you held your chest tightly hoping it would help ease the ache it gives. "U-use m-me..."

He looked over you with disgust. "You need help," is what he said before he left you shivering and hurt on the cold floor.

Thump.

Your heart is slowly killing you. You didn't understand how weak you are every time this things happen. You felt small and you hate it. It seems like you've ran out of tears, you wanted to cry but you can't.

Fireflies are flying over your head. You tried reaching one, letting your hand stay mid-air. Thoughts filled in your mind like if you have died earlier, none of this would have happened and that you won't feel any more pain. If only you didn't wish for another life you could've been by your mother's side right now. But you wished. You lived. You hurt. You're cold. "I-i am cold," you said trying to hug yourself to warm your freezing body. You looked up in the sky and there you saw the first snow fall of the year. You didn't even bother standing up, you gave up.

You're running out of breath until you felt a pair of arms wrapping you with a warm cloth that you think belongs to the person in front of you. You heard them sigh. "Miss, are you here because you want to suffer hypothermia? It's freezing out here what were you thinking?" You looked up to see a handsome man maybe around the same age as you, but what caught you off-guard is how close your faces are. You looked away out of embarrassment. You heard him clear his throat. "Let me take you to the nearest hospital, you look awful."

Surprised, you looked back at him and saw him staring at you raising an eye brow. That's the first time you ever heard someone say you're awful. You didn't feel insulted at all.

He stood up, dusting off the snow on his pants before offering his hand to help you stand up. However, you just looked on his hand because you can't even move your hands at this point. "What? You can't stand?," he said. You shook your head slowly. He huffed before kneeling down. He placed his arm around your back and hoisted you up so that he can place another arm around your knee before completely lifting you up. You automatically encircled your arms around his shoulders for support.

You heard him mutter a curse. "Looks can definitely kill," he said before heading to the hospital which happens to be just around the corner. He tried starting a conversation with you but you feel light-headed and it seems like for every second passing by, you're slowly losing your consciousness.

He felt your head fall on his chest and he lets out a sigh of relief when he reached the hospital just in time. Nurses motioned him to place you on the bed and they started checking your vitals. They gave you IV fluids to replenish the amount of water your body had lost.

"The patient worked herself up. She needs to be given IV fluids because she's dehydrated. I suggest to stay by her side for a moment because this kid right here has Trypanophobia."

He looked at the doctor. "How did you know she's afraid of injections?"

"Y/n's always here for the same reason," the doctor pats his shoulder before leaving.

He went to the nurses' desk and told them he would be back. He went out to find a convenience store to buy some food. While waiting in line to pay, he remembered seeing you getting busted by your boyfriend, he thought. How could a man like him leave a lady like her? What a jerk. He was back to reality when someone tapped his shoulder.

"Uhm... H-hi! Could we take a picture?"

He raised an eye brow before saying, "Uh, no sorry." After that, he paid what he bought and went straight back to the hospital. He waved a hand to the nurses before entering your room just to see you staring right at him.

"I thought you have Trypanophobia? Did you panic when you saw the needles?," he asked while you still stare directly at him.

"Yeah, I did. I shouted... Ah!," you said sarcastically. You heard him snickered then you realized this man beside you is a complete stranger but it doesn't feel awkward at all. Clearing your throat, "What's your name?," you asked.

He sat on the stool beside your bed and showed you a paper bag full of edible foods. "I figured you wouldn't want to eat hospital food. Here you go, Y/n! Eat the sandwich first while it's still warm.

Hearing your name, you looked at him confused. You raised an eye brow, indirectly asking the question to how did he know your name, which he immediately caught and proudly answered, "I just know," with a smirk curving in his lips. "Eat it up, you look indecent and a living dead," he said while unwrapping the sandwich before handing it over to you.

You took it and slowly munch on it. You feel uncomfortable since he's just staring at you while you're trying to feed yourself with a sandwich. "You eat like a hamster. You're now a zombie hamster," he said while trying his best not to laugh in which you returned with a deadly glare. He stopped laughing and motioned you to continue eating. "By the way, you owe me. I ditched my friends tonight because I pity seeing you freezing to death outside. I am a very helpful person that's why and being handsome just adds up to it," he said.

He saw you rolled your eyes and that made him smile. "You're too full of yourself, you didn't even answer my question earlier. I'll only believe you know everything if you give me a valid answer." He tilted his head while looking at you.

"I know it. It's written in my blood."

Silence filled the room. Only the sound of the AC is heard and you just stared at him, totally confused. "You're joking, right?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, probably."

He accompanied you for an hour until he has to bid farewell and call it a night. You did not know he already left since you were sound asleep and he didn't want to wake you up from your rest so he left silently, leaving a piece of note on the bedside cabinet.

I hope we meet again zombie hamster.                                         , Wonwoo                                         The next morning, you were discharged and you paid your hospital bills. A nurse handed you your things that are placed on the cabinet including a piece of paper that you just tossed inside your shoulder bag.

"Y/n, I hope you never come back here. It's not that we don't want to see you, but knowing that you're here only means that you're sick and you need medication. Start thinking about yourself for once and set aside the unnecessary things. Don't let your heart control you, fight it."

You flashed a small smile and nodded at Dr. Yoon. He is right, I should think about myself for once but am I not taking care of myself since I only did these things to help my freezing heart? Before leaving you gave them a smile and waved your hand to them. You hailed a cab and gave them your address. You just want to take a bath and lay down on your bed all day wearing your favorite pajamas, watching Netflix while eating bananas.

Wonwoo woke up from a deep sleep while catching his breath. He looked over at his blanket feeling something wet.

"Shit!"

It happened again, he thought. Rushing to his bathroom, he carefully folded his bloody long sleeves revealing a written statement with his blood on his arm. He muttered a curse from the pain while reading it. He positioned his affected arm at the sink and slowly cleans it, wincing from the pain.

He washed his face afterwards and faced the mirror. He attempted to steady his breathing but he failed. He quickly went back to his bedroom, discarding the stained blanket on the laundry and grabbing his notebook and a pen.

'xxxx cafe'

It has been 3 weeks since his first encounter with you, 2 months since his blood wrote your name and a month since he discovered you were somewhat related to his life. In his notebook, a list of the things his blood wrote on his arm was noted. From your name down to the places you might go, he don't know the real reason behind those places but when he found you at the park, it gave him a hint that these are the places you will fall or experience pains.

It's snowing heavily but you still have to go outside to meet your client and talk about the designs they want for their house. You prepared your things and wore a white formal sweater partnered with denim jeans and black boots ending just below your knees. You took a bite on your sandwich and grabbed your dress jacket before leaving.

You arrived at the cafe your client suggested and started to look for them. You received a text message that they will arrive a bit late because of traffic so you sat on the corner of the cafe while scanning their menu.

You felt a presence in front of you and before looking up a glass of water was splashed right on your face.

"Fuck you! So you're the one my husband will meet today even if it's snowing real hard. Stop being a bitch and how dare you seduce a married man!?"

You were running out of breath as you look into the woman's eyes. You felt your chest tightened. You don't know what is she talking about. You didn't seduce anyone, you are here to meet a client not a married man. The woman didn't get satisfied with just splashing you a glass of water. She went near you and grabbed your hair, forcing you to look up. "M-ma'am, you're hurting me. Please, stop." You tried removing her hand but she grabbed it even tighter making you cry in pain.

She kept yelling about how fucked up you are seducing his husband and being a desperate woman who just wants to be fucked. The customers inside the cafe just stared at you in disgust, believing all the lies this woman is saying.

"No wonder she looked rich and pretty, she must have been seducing every rich man to make her way up."

Hearing all those whispers, your heart started clenching and a tint of coldness once again sparked. You didn't know where to focus, to your heart or to her hand grabbing your hair. The cafe's door opened and a man entered making his way to your direction.

"He is probably the husband."

They were right. The man took off his wife's hand off of you and gave you an apologetic smile for causing you trouble. Your heart is beating faster than normal and makes it even harder to breathe. You tried asking for help but they didn't even bother asking you what's wrong.

They are so quick to judge.

You started feeling light-headed and you could feel your heart slowly freezing. You whispered a curse. Holding your chest tightly, you tried to stand up but your legs suddenly became weak causing you to fall on the wooden floor. Customers looked over you, some gasped and looked surprised but some didn't bother looking at all. You tugged your jacket in your body hoping it would help make your heart feel warmth but it didn't. You once again called out for help, but no one even budge. If my heart will completely freeze I wish to hug my soulmate even if it's our first and last, you thought.

Wonwoo was caught up in a company meeting. He was anxious the whole time that he didn't even understand a thing. He checked his wrist watch and a sigh of relief escaped his lips because there's only 2 minutes left before the meeting is adjourned.

He didn't even bother removing his glasses as he made his way to the cafe he saw earlier on his arm. It was just a walking distance from their building. He didn't know why but he felt like running, so he did.

He reached the cafe while catching his breath. He saw something weird, customers were all looking to the left corner of the cafe and whispering some things. Looking at where the rest was eyeing, he recognized it was you. He ran quickly to you and hugged your trembling body on the floor. He hears your muffled sobs as you try to ease the pain your heart is giving you.

"Shh... Y/n, it's okay. I'm here now. Shh..." he said trying to calm you down.

He placed his head above yours and tightly hugged you as you still tremble. You were freezing, he was sure of that.

Before he came you could feel it. Your heart was almost fully frozen. It aches so bad you can't even cry and what hurts more is that the people around you didn't even bother helping you. But when he came, you were confused. Why does it feel warm? Where is this warmth coming from? His embrace made you calm and helped you even out your breathing. He continued hugging you until he felt your body relaxing. He made you face him. "Let's get you out of here," he said and you just nodded in response.

Wonwoo decided to bring you to his house after he noticed that your clothes are wet. You were already shivering from the cold so wearing wet clothes will just worsen it. He motioned you to sit down on the sofa while he grabs one of his shirts to replace your  wet sweater. You explored your eyes around his living area and you could say that he's a very clean person and he's got the nice choice of set of furniture and designs in his home. You saw a frame with him on it and the woman beside him is his mother, you assumed and capsule caught your attention. It was placed on the coffee table beside the frame. You were about to get it but you heard him clear his throat that made you startle.

"H-here you go. The bathroom's over there," he said trying his best not to look at you, pointing his finger to where the bathroom is located. You get the shirt from his hand and followed the direction of his finger pointing to his bathroom.

Entering the bathroom, you gaped when you faced the mirror. "That's why he wasn't looking at me," you whispered while looking at yourself. Due to the water that was thrown at you, your bra was showing through your wet sweater. You quickly changed your sweater to his gray shirt that ends on your thighs, making it looked like you were wearing a short dress shirt.

Wonwoo prepared two cups of coffee while you change your clothes. He couldn't help but blush when he saw you at the living room earlier. "Fuck you," he whispered for himself. He didn't know he was already pouring the hot water on the wrong direction until you guided his hand on the cup and said, "Cup's over here." And that time Wonwoo swore time has stopped. He was startled by your sudden appearance.

You sat on the chair and placed your elbows at the table while you admire his back. You saw him stir the coffee before placing it in front of you and sat opposite you. You clutch the mug to feel the warmth of the coffee.

"I wanted to ask you if you're alright, but I already have an answer to that. So, do you want to talk it out?," he cleared his throat and sipped on his coffee.

"It's weird. I actually thought it's the end for me earlier," you sighed. "I'm there to meet a client but an enraged woman confronted me instead." You looked into his eyes.

"It's been a while, Wonwoo."

He almost choked on his coffee when you said his name. "I thought you wouldn't see the note I left at the hospital. Glad to meet you again," he gave you a small smile.

The room was silent until you said something. "Could I tell you something? I haven't told anyone of this and I feel comfortable with you, that's why."

Wonwoo nodded, "I'm all ears."

You didn't want to continue at first but you eventually started talking. "I... I have a freezing heart. Whenever I feel weak and defeated, I could feel it's slowly beginning to freeze. I have suffered from it ever since the day my mother died and lately, I figured having a companion helps it feel warm enough to stop it from completely freezing," you placed your hand on your chest, "But earlier it was thawed and I feel warm," you looked down. You were confused and tried to figure out what happened earlier but you can't.

"The reason why I always look for a lover is because I want to survive. I couldn't live the life I wanted because of this heart. I didn't ask for having too many relationships, but it's the only way I would live."

Wonwoo just stared at you while listening to your words. So that's why he saw you at the park that night, you were completely shivering. If he arrived behind time, it would've been too late. Speaking of time, Wonwoo realized that it's already past their noon break. He asked you if you wanted to go home so he would hail a cab. "Could I stay for awhile?," you asked which made him stilled. Wonwoo nodded and made his way to the front door. "There are snacks in the cupboard!," is what he said before closing the door.

You stood up and washed the mugs before heading back to the living room. There are 2 more doors near the bathroom and you assumed are his room and a guest room. You sat down and leaned back on the sofa and pondered for a bit. "Sooner or later I have to find him again. Miracles like this won't always happen," you said to yourself while holding your chest.

You have slept on the sofa for an hour and when you looked at the clock it's already 4 o'clock. You remembered Wonwoo mentioned there are snacks in the cupboard, so you went and started searching for food. You also checked his fridge and found ingredients for soup. You're not the best at cooking, but you still want to make him food as a way to say thank you for letting you rest in his place.

When Wonwoo entered the house, his stomach rumbles from the aroma of your dish. "You didn't have to, you know," he said approaching you before sitting on the island chair. You scooped a soup and placed it on a bowl before giving it to him, "I wanted to cook for you to say thanks." He gladly accepted it and silently started eating it. "Why aren't you eating?"

"I already ate a little and I was just waiting for you so I could say that I'm going home," you said before drinking a water. Wonwoo quickly finished his soup, "Let me take you home."

You just nodded in response. It wasn't that far for you to take a cab home but Wonwoo insisted to ride a cab since it was snowing hard. Inside the cab, you just stare at the window and watched the snow fall. Wonwoo, however, was lost in thought.

Earlier at their office, his arm started bleeding again so he immediately went to the comfort room and looked at it to read the written words, but there's nothing being written. It just bled for no reason. His heart was beating fast and he didn't know what was happening. Normally, his arm would bleed because something is being written related about you, but there was none. He yelped in pain when water touched his arm.

"We're here."

Wonwoo looked over you and saw you unbuckling your seatbelt. He raised an eye brow. "I said we have arrived," you said to him before taking your wallet to pay the cab. Wonwoo got his wallet quickly and paid it before you. You were about to contest but he cut you off.

"Go inside now, don't forget to wear warm clothes," he pat your head, "We'll meet again, Y/n."

You didn't know why but your cheeks have flushed red when he pat your head. You thought it's maybe because of the cold.

Before going back home, Wonwoo dropped by a pharmacy and bought medicine. He felt like he's losing so much blood just from today's events. He would still figure out the reason behind his bleeding earlier. "There's nothing written, it's just bleeding," he whispered to himself.

You laid in bed and just stare at your ceiling. Holding your chest, how you wish you would always get lucky for having a warm heart instead of freezing one. A sigh escaped your lips before closing your eyes and dozing off to sleep.

You feel at ease when you didn't experience any signs of your illness for almost a week. Things were running smoothly and you're genuinely happy to yourself. Walking down the road, you stopped by a bakery and bought different types of pastries. You spared your day-off to pay a visit at the hospital because it's already been a month and every time you came here over and over again for the same reason, you became close with almost everyone working there.

You entered the building and you head straight to the reception area where you saw Dr. Lee signing some papers. The nurses noticed you and immediately gave you a smile and a wave that caught Dr. Yoon's attention. "Good morning. Good morning, Dr. Yoon!," you said with a grin while you placed the pastries on the reception table. "It's Jeonghan for you, you're here not as our patient anyway," said Dr. Yoon while his eyes formed a smile when he saw the foods you bought.

"Guys, get some! I dropped by the bakery before going here. It must've been a bit surprising seeing me visit with no intentions of getting medical help," you laughed.

The nurses and Dr. Yoon looked over you. "We're proud, don't worry," Dr. Yoon smiled. "How's your heart? Still freezing?"

Remembering how it didn't give any signs of possible freezing for almost a week, you placed your hand on your chest. "I actually didn't experience anything for a week now. I think it's back to normal... I really hope so," you answered.

Dr. Yoon nodded before stuffing his mouth with bagels. "Dr. Yoon, the patient on room 217 has woken up," you heard the nurse. Dr. Yoon immediately swallowed his food before turning over you.

"Ah, right! Your friend is here, the one who brought you here a month ago. He suffered from mild concussion, but he was treated already. Do you want to tag along? I was about to check up on him anyway."

Your eyes widened when he mentioned Wonwoo. You have already formulated questions in your head on the way to his room, but Dr. Yoon advised you to avoid asking him questions since he's still resting.

You saw a cold press head bandage around his head when you followed behind Dr. Yoon. He was already awake and you saw him looking straight at you, not even bothering to look at his doctor, and you didn't know why your heart has suddenly beat fast. You just stand at one corner of the room while Dr. Yoon checked his vitals. "You're all good now, Wonwoo. You just have to rest for another hour and you're good to go," said Dr. Yoon before going over you and pats your shoulder. "I'll leave you two now."

You suddenly panicked when you saw Dr. Yoon leave the room.

"You're just going to stand there?"

Your head immediately went to look over Wonwoo who was already raising his brow. "I, uhm, I visited them today and Jeonghan happened to tell me that you're here. That's why I'm now here," you didn't even know why you're suddenly explaining to him.

"So you were already on the first name basis with Dr. Yoon, huh."

You heard him muttered something. "What was that?," you asked while walking towards the stool to take a seat beside his bed.

"Nothing," he shrugged.

You stared at him for a moment before asking a question. You couldn't help it. "What happened to you?" Wonwoo looked at you before sighing.

"I slipped on the bathroom floor," he honestly said.

You wanted to laugh but it would just make you childish. You also felt worried for him because if you didn't, you wouldn't even bother going here on the first place.

"That sucks."

Wonwoo raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, it does." He tried to leave the bed and you quickly held his arm to stop him but he when you touched his left arm, he winced in pain. You were surprised so you immediately removed your hand and you saw a bandage covering his arm with red stains visibly seen. Blood. You tried to touch it again but Wonwoo stopped you.

"It's fine. I'm fine," you heard his heavy breaths in between.

You wanted to know the reason behind it but you remembered to not ask him too many questions. Maybe next time, you thought. You stayed silent for 5 minutes, waiting for him to even out his breath. You were so close to yawning but you heard him talk.

"Y/n, let's talk," is what he said while looking at the ceiling. Remembering that he was supposed to be resting, you said, "You need to rest though. I'll wait for you here, it's my free day anyway." Wonwoo looked at your eyes.

"No, it's okay. Talking to you helps me rest completely."

You felt your heart beats fast and your cheeks suddenly warms. You avoided his gaze at first before clearing a lump on your throat. "Uhm, okay. How are you... I mean, how are you last week? We haven't meet after you sent me home and it's been a week. Did you miss me?," you jokingly asked.

Wonwoo just stared at you and you suddenly felt anxious. Is there something on my face, you thought. "Don't ask me two questions at the same time," is what he said. You raised your eyebrows, "But you always ask me two questions at once," you silently said.

"I have been confused... until now," he said. You leaned over his bed railing and placed your hand under your chin for support. "Me too."

He is still looking at you  then you suddenly saw him leaning forward. You closed your eyes when you felt his lips on your forehead. You slowly opened your eyes when you didn't feel his lips anymore and saw him looking on the other side, his cheeks slightly stained with pink.

"I missed you, I guess."

Thump.

You forgot to move for a moment. Wonwoo closed his eyes trying to avoid your stare.

"Remember when you told me something about your heart? I... I have something similar," you heard him say while his eyes are still closed. "It's my blood. It has been my concern for almost half a year now. My arm would suddenly bleed at every unexpected situations including earlier. When I woke up, my arm was bleeding so much I ran quickly towards my bathroom but I slipped. Luckily, I have my friends over for the night. That's why I happened to be lying here on this bed, instead of my cold tiles."

"I thought I already figured it out, but it turns out I'm nowhere near of solving its cause and origin. That's why I was so confused for the past week," you see him sighed before slowly opening his eyes.

You have no idea that he was also suffering from something. You even thought that maybe you're not the only one who's also suffering from something unexplainable. "I wonder if we would survive," you whispered.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

You also opened up how it's already been a week but your heart is still completely fine and warm. "I don't know why, but I just took it for granted. I'm also starting to think that maybe my time will already come that's why they're already making me live like a normal person," you said.

"We just need to hold on, I guess."

You inhaled a deep breath before slowly nodding your head. You didn't expect to fall asleep on your arms until you heard a knock on the door. You also saw Wonwoo who lazily opened his eyes while trying to remove his head bandage. He probably fell asleep too, you thought.

"Patient 217 or should I say Wonwoo, you can now go home. Your bills were already paid," said Dr. Yoon. "I see both of you had a very long chat, it's already 4 o'clock in the afternoon," Dr. Yoon smirked.

You tried to help him stand up but he declined. You just rolled your eyes. "He clearly needs help, but he rejected it. What a man!," you said to yourself.

When you reached the lobby, Wonwoo grabbed your arm.

"Give me your number, it's not  like we're strangers to each other."

You scoffed but you still gave it anyway.

He offered to take you to a fast-food restaurant because he's starving and not because you haven't eaten yet. "I know a place, let's grab a food," you were about to decline but...

"It's not for you, I'm hungry." You have no other choice but to follow him.

Wonwoo went to the counter to buy food while you wait to your table. You let your eyes explore the place and you felt anxious seeing almost every customer are couples. You cleared your throat when you saw Wonwoo approaching your table with two burgers and drinks placed on the tray.

"You didn't have to. I wasn't hungry-," you lied.

"Who told you it's for you? These are mine."

Your eyes widened in embarrassment so you looked elsewhere.

"I'm just kidding. Eat up, I know you're also hungry."

You didn't listen to him at first but you intestines think otherwise. You chat for a moment until you both emptied out your drinks and it was then time to bid goodbye. His address is on the other direction so you both walked the opposite ways. You find it helpful how both of you are just blocks away and of course, the snow is falling lightly today that's why you didn't need to ride a cab home. You were almost near your home when you heard your phone ring.

Unknown:

                     'I'm one call away or should I say block away. Don't forget to wear warm clothes.'

                     'We'll meet again, beautiful.'

Your lips formed a smile and you could feel your cheeks burn before entering your house.

To Wonwoo:

                     'Looking forward to that. :)'

It was a busy day in his work. Wonwoo was occupied for a week due to some minor problems to their company and to his luck, his team was slightly involved. That's why he was only going home to sleep then leave for work on the next day.

To beautiful hamster:                         I want to quit, Y/n. :(

Even though his schedule was packed, he didn't forget to send you a message at least once a day. He has no other reasons, he just wants to talk to you even through chat.

From beautiful hamster:                        You're a loser then.                        Don't be such a baby!

Wonwoo laughed when he read your message. He placed his phone back on his desk before making another letter of pardon for his friend, which is also his workmate. Wonwoo looked over his schedule before typing and he momentarily stopped after seeing that he'll be having an open schedule for tomorrow. He'll finally have some free time, he thought.

After finishing his task, he went out to get himself a coffee from the cafe near their building. While waiting in line, he remembered the day he saw you here at this cafe and he absentmindedly touched his arm. To think that not even a single drop of blood was found on his arm, he felt relieved but also scared. He placed his order and again waited for his order to be served.

"Wonwoo."

He went back to the counter to get his order after hearing his name. He was about to get a coffee stirrer when he heard the cashier say something.

"A-are you perhaps the boyfriend of the lady who cheated with a m-married man...?"

Wonwoo's jaw clenched as he get the stirrer. He looked coldly at the cashier. "She did not cheat with anybody," he said before turning around.

Holding his coffee tightly, he looked back at the lady over the counter.

"She did not cheat. Stop spreading rumors. I am her boyfriend."

While going back to his office, Wonwoo didn't know why he said he was your boyfriend to the lady working at the cafe. "It was out of instinct, I guess," he shrugged.

Wonwoo just sat on his swivel chair, while looking at your contact in his phone. He clicked it and typed something.

To beautiful hamster:                      'Do you want to have a dinner with me tomorrow?'

He deleted it and once again typed something.

To beautiful hamster:                      'Are you free tomorrow night? Let's get dinner together.'

Deleted it.

Wonwoo sighed and leaned his back on his chair. He has a large window on his left that's why he has an overview of the outside world and he could see that the sun was almost setting. He touched his arm and murmured something.

'I think you're already fine, Y/n.'

"Ouch!"

You accidentally bit your tongue while watching your favorite Netflix series. "I hope it's not bleeding," you tried to feel if something tastes like metal, but there's nothing. "It's fine," you exhaled.

Your officemate recommended you something to watch and you gladly accepted it because you have nothing else to watch at the moment and by watching 3 episodes already, you could say that this is not a happy series. You almost cried watching the characters break up and separated ways, but you reminded yourself that it's just a video, nothing personal.

You heard your phone ring and when you opened it, you saw Wonwoo's message.

From Wonwoo:                  Jgh. What are you doing?

He always send you messages like this and it kind of feels like you were his attendance checker. A loud bang from the episode you are watching caught your attention and you forgot to reply to his message. It was such a heart breaking episode. You curled into a ball on your sofa, fighting the urge to cry. You actually felt like you were the lead character, experiencing a heartbreak from the one she truly loved. You didn't want to fight your tears anymore, so they quickly escaped your eyes and a sob followed.

Wonwoo was just lying on his bed, waiting for your reply. It has already been twenty minutes since he sent you one and normally, you would quickly reply back. That's something he noticed from you.

"Maybe she's already asleep...?"

He closed his eyes to rest for a moment when he felt something drip on his arm. He quickly opened his eyes and he was shocked when he saw how much blood was already dripping from his arm. Remembering how you haven't sent a reply yet, Wonwoo immediately grabbed a towel to wrap on his arm and run quickly to his door.

When he was outside he ran fast towards your address, not caring about the passersby’s reaction to his bleeding arm. It almost felt like ages before he arrived and he immediately opened your door and there he saw you standing surprised with red puffy eyes.

You couldn't believe your eyes when you saw Wonwoo standing in front of your door. Your puffy eyes grew even bigger when you noticed his bleeding arm. Blood was already dripping on the floor.

"Wonwoo... Your arm--"

Wonwoo strode over you and wrapped his right arm around your body to hug you tight.

You could hear his heavy breaths. Did he run all the way here?, you thought. You didn't know why he's here. Is he alright. What happened to his arm?

You tried to remove his right arm on you to check up on him. When you did, you saw him looking directly on your eyes. 'His stare could kill,' you said to yourself. You panicked again when you saw that his bleeding wouldn't stop. "Wonwoo, your arm. It's bleeding!," you silently shouted. Wonwoo looked on his arm too and harshly tied a towel to slowly stop the bleeding. You winced when you saw how tight it was.

"Are you alright?," he asked while staring at your puffy eyes.

"I think we need to visit the hospita--"

"Answer me," your body froze when you heard how intimidating he sound.

Wonwoo sighed, "You didn't answer my message. I thought something happened to you. Y/n, I was so worried!"

You felt small. He raised his voice on you, but it was because he was worried.

Should I be scared or feel touched?

"I'm fine, Wonwoo. I was watching... Something sad, that's why... I think I cried," you avoided to look on him because you felt embarrassed crying over a damn drama.

"Shouldn't you be worried about that, right now? If you don't, I am... worried about your arm," you added.

Wonwoo caressed your cheek with his right hand. "I'm glad you're fine. I'm sorry I raised my voice, I promise I would never do it again." You felt your heart beats fast again. What is this feeling, there's no way...

"Let me just get my med kit, let's clean your arm," you said to atleast be far away for him just for a minute because if you don't, your heart might explode and you suddenly vomit butterflies.

You guided him to your sofa and you sat in front of him. You carefully wiped the remaining blood on his arm and he just stared at you while doing that. "I thought mine was already worse, but yours are even more dangerous. You know you'll probably lose so much blood and that's not good," you sighed. "I hope we find our cure, so we won't suffer anymore."

"But you're the cause and cure," Wonwoo said to himself.

A week before this day, Wonwoo was so busy with work and not a single day he saw blood coming out of his arm. He genuinely liked it and hoped it won't ever bleed again. And he remembered how you said your heart didn't feel like freezing for a week as well. Things started to connect themselves in front of Wonwoo. You were happy.

His bleeding and your heart were connected to your emotions. You were happy, that's why your heart was normal. That's why he wasn't bleeding. He made all efforts on trying to make you smile or feel happy for the days he couldn't visit you through messages. He sent you jokes and that, he has never done before.

If he was right, you could finally live a life the way you wanted it to be and he could finally feel great after all the situations that have happened right before his own eyes.

He didn't believe it at first but something's wrong with him. He's not in his usual self. He's like a fool for love. "Am I inlove?," he asked himself.

You're almost done patching up his arm when you heard him clear his throat.

"Are you free tomorrow?"

You looked up to meet his eyes. There they go again, flying in my stomach. "Uhm... I have time at noon," you shyly said. You saw him hide his smile and slowly nodded at you.

Is he asking me out...?

You're done with his arm and you tried to offer him coffee or something to drink but he refused. He also said he was going now that's why you accompanied him to your door.

"Uh... I'll text you the address. See you tomorrow, Y/n," Wonwoo said while scratching his neck. You nodded and replied a silent 'okay.'

As if something magical passed by in front of you, Wonwoo slowly leaned in.

Is he going to k-kiss me...??

You saw him position his head and your lips are almost an inch away from touching each other.

But he stopped halfway. He quickly looked the other way and muttered something.

"I...uh... I'll go now. Bye!"

Your cheeks flushed red and it was a good thing he was already walking away. "What's with him? What's with me? Why did I feel annoyed that he didn't continue---", you mentally cursed yourself before going back in.

You couldn't sleep. You were just thinking about what to wear for your lunch with Wonwoo.

And you deeply regret not sleeping because your eye bags are evident below your eyes. You shrugged all the thoughts away as you went in your bathroom to take a bath. You just wear casual clothes since it'll be just a friendly date and you still have to go to work in the morning.

Wonwoo is also restless. He already reserved a table for two at the formal restaurant just around the corner. He even think of buying you flowers but it's a bit cheesy for him. He texted you the address earlier at six in the morning. He's not excited at all.

You just sat on your chair and waited for the hours to pass by quickly so that it's already noon break. You looked at the mirror and checked if you're still looking fine and you released a sigh of relief when you saw that you still looked... good, even though you look absolutely great.

"Guys, it's lunch time! Wonwoo, you coming with us? We're trying out the newly opened samgyup resto bar."

Wonwoo shook his head. "I have somewhere else to go, maybe next time."

He quickly get his things and directly went to the restaurant he reserved two seats from. When he arrived, he sat down your table and thanked himself for reserving earlier because it was already packed up with customers.

"Now all I have to do is wait," Wonwoo smiled.

You left your office and started walking towards the direction of the restaurant Wonwoo said. While walking, a thought suddenly flashed in your mind.

What if this is a date, you would just make things harder for him because you're not normal. You would eventually leave him behind.

Considering your thought, you slowed down your walk and started thinking more about the situation.

"Will I just make it hard for him? He's already suffering from something."

You thought that it might be better if he wouldn't end up with you.

You were happy now. You were happy that you met Wonwoo. You had someone to lean on and you finally felt what it feels like to have a friend. You don't have anything to do now, your family is already up there.

Should I follow them?

You squinted your eyes and stopped walking because you were dazzled by the sun. As if on cue, you felt something sharp punctured in your abdomen and a man muttered a curse before running away quickly.

You coughed. Passersby started to gather around you, some are panicking and some immediately called for help. You touched it and slowly looked on it. There you saw a blade, stabbed deeply on your side. Your hands and lips were trembling and your breathing suddenly constrict.

Someone call an ambulance!

Oh my, help!

You then collapsed on the floor and people around you were startled. Your eyes suddenly felt heavy and the last thing you saw was a man caressing your cheeks and constantly saying something.

It feels weird. I didn't feel sad at all. I feel...

Happy.

Wonwoo was already feeling anxious while he still waits for you. He looked at his watch and his eyes widened when he saw that it's already one o'clock in the afternoon. Did she lie to me?, he thought. He was also constantly looking on his arm for any signs of bleeding because if there is, that means you're in trouble. He definitely hoped that there's nothing wrong and that you're absolutely fine.

He waited for your message too but his phone wasn't even ringing.

He felt restless so he stood up and left the restaurant. While he was walking, he saw a large crowd on the way.

"What's the commotion about?"

He then heard a woman shouted for help.

"Someone!! Help her!! She's stabbed!"

He walked over to look and maybe do something to help but his body suddenly froze. He can't move. His heart fell down. His jaw and fists clenched. His breathing rapidly increased as he approached your almost lifeless body on the ground.

"Y/n! Hey! Y/n!!!" he caressed your cheeks, "Stay with me, hey... Don't fucking close your eyes! Y/n, look at me. Y/n!!!," he shouted when he saw you closing your eyes.

"Someone call a fucking ambulance! Why are you just fucking looking?!"

Wonwoo looked over your punctured wound. "Shit! Y/n, stay with me."

"I need you!"  

The ambulance came and you were immediately brought to the hospital in the emergency room. They didn't let Wonwoo in so he was left at the lobby waiting. He pulled his hair out of anger. His white dress shirt was now stained with red liquid--your blood. He squatted near the emergency door and put his head on his knees. A nurse approached him and informed him that they will perform emergency surgery on you since the blade had damaged several parts of your tissues so it needs to be sutured back and its little particles also penetrated it and they should be removed immediately.  He just looked up to the nurse and couldn't even bother saying anything.

"Why didn't it bleed? I would've come sooner."

Wonwoo started blaming himself but it would only be useless right now since it already happened. A male nurse also approached him and told him that the cops are waiting for him at the lobby. He immediately stood up and strode his way at the lobby.

"Are you related to Miss Y/l/n?," a cop asked.

"Y-yeah."

"The suspect has already been arrested and is on the interrogation room at our headquarters right now.  He is charged of GBH. We're deeply sorry for what happened to her."

Wonwoo's jaw and fists clenched out of anger. "Charge of bodily harm? That means 5 years in prison?," Wonwoo scoffed. "You know better than this, officer."

The cops slightly bowed to him before leaving.

He was about to go back to hallway of the emergency room when he saw Jeonghan who is tightly holding someone, who seems like another doctor, on his collar. He slowly walked towards them and he was shocked. Jeonghan punched the other doctor causing him to fall on the ground.

"You almost killed her, you motherfucker! How could you be so dumb and act on your own?! I'm the senior here!"

Jeonghan noticed Wonwoo so he calmed himself before facing him. "Wonwoo--"

Wonwoo's ears are already turning red--he was fuming. "What the fuck happened in there?"

"Wonwoo, calm down--"

He grabbed Dr. Yoon's collar. "Don't tell me what to do. What happened in there, Jeonghan?"

Jeonghan pushed Wonwoo's hands away from him and he readjusted his collar. "The junior messed it up," he sighed. "We were already going smoothly as planned until he fucked it up. This shit made her bleeding worse when he pulled the blade out and that shouldn't have happened if he listened to us. She almost lost so much blood..."

"Take mine. Does she need blood? Take mine," Wonwoo sobbed. "Take my fucking blood. I-" Wonwoo let his body fall on the ground as he cried.

Jeonghan sat in front of him and helped him calm down. "She'll be fine. She's fine. Y/n's the strongest person I know."

Jeonghan stayed by Wonwoo's side until he's calmed down but the sudden opening of the emergency door startled the both of them.

"Doctor Park has requested you to join in again. Y/n has ventricular fibrillation and they'll immediately perform cardioversion and cpr in between. It hasn't been too fatal to implant ICD," a nurse said. Jeonghan immediately went to wear his surgical gown and wash his hands and arms with PVP-I before going back to the ER.

Wonwoo didn't know what to do. He just hoped for the best because at the end of the day, he knows you'll still open those precious green eyes of yours.

Wonwoo looked at the opening door and there he saw you, lying on the bed with IV fluids attached on your hand. He tried to reach you but Jeonghan caught his hands and made him sit down. He gave Wonwoo a bread before sitting next to him. "She's under influence of anesthesia. She'll probably wake up for about an hour so I suggest you to take a rest first. Go out and inhale fresh air, you need it." Jeonghan said before standing up and going to his office.

Wonwoo looked at his watch.

6 o'clock in the evening.

"She struggled that long," he sighed before going out to get some fresh air.

Wonwoo went to the park where he first had an interaction with you. It has already been 5 weeks, yet he still wasn't able to say what he wanted to say to you a few weeks ago. I'm a sucker, he thought. He sat down by a bench near the tallest tree at the park. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Mister..." A kid stood in front of Wonwoo and was extending his small arm, holding a single alstroemeria. Wonwoo tilted his head to the side and asked, "Is this for me?"

The kid shook his head but he still urged him to get it and immediately ran away skipping after Wonwoo get the flower on his hand. "Huh, it's not even the season of flowers," he asked. Wonwoo stared at the flower before looking at his watch. It was already quarter to seven so he decided to head back and visit you on your room.

When he entered the room, your eyes were still closed. You looked calm and heavenly, he thought. He sat down beside your bed and placed the flower on the table. He sighed before holding your left hand. He just pressed it on his cheeks, not saying anything, just feeling your warmth. "You owe me another one. I don't cry in front of others but you made me do it," he silently laughed at himself. He looked at the flower, "A kid gave me a flower. I'm not sure what kind of flower it is though and it's not even the time for flowers to bloom."

He stared at your face for a moment before planting a kiss on your forehead. He heard a knock on the door. "Wear this. Blood's still on your shirt," Jeonghan said.

"You finally found your cure, didn't you? Confusion's finally over. I'm happy for you, man."

Wonwoo looked at Jeonghan before giving him a small smile. "I did. But I don't think I am her cure. I'll let her go to her cure because that's how much I--," Wonwoo stopped talking when he heard you groan. Jeonghan crosses his arms together before flashing a smirk.

"Good evening, princess. How are you?," asked Jeonghan.

You slowly opened your eyes and the first thing you saw was Wonwoo's worried look. "I feel crap. I think I saw heaven for a bit," you said and clearly Wonwoo wasn't happy about that. "They pushed me back though. Said it wasn't my time yet," you said while Jeonghan's checking your vitals.

"Estimated 3 days before you could finally go home. For now, rest completely so that, he winked at Wonwoo's direction, could finally calm his nerves down," Jeonghan said before leaving the room.

You sighed.

"Hey, I'm sorry for making you worried."

Wonwoo gave you the cold stare. "Don't say sorry, it's not your fault. Although, you were kind of dumb but still not your fault." You placed your hand on his cheek before saying something.

"I actually thought I would never see you again and I was... slightly happy about that," you said that made Wonwoo confused.

"I didn't want to add up to your life's concerns. You're already dealing with something and you still have a dream to achieve while I don't. I don't have any reasons left to regret dying earlier, you know," you shrugged. "Ouch!," Wonwoo flicked your forehead. "What was that for?"

"You seriously won't regret leaving me behind? After all the things I did for you?"

You laughed at his expression. "I was kidding. You're no fun at all! I still want to meet the person that will completely heal my heart, you know. Wonder what it feels like to be embraced by him."

"It will probably feel cold at all, not warm," he murmured.

"I heard you." Wonwoo looked at you. "I intentionally murmured it loudly."

You were about to tease him a bit more when he smashed a flower on your forehead. "You really liked violence, huh!" You hold the stem of the flower and you immediately recognized its kind. You dramatically looked over Wonwoo and he returned a questioning look. "What?"

You pouted and faked a sob. "I--" Wonwoo worriedly look at you, "Hey, what's wrong? First time receiving a flower?"

"You're friend-zoning me," you sob. "All this time, I thought you that you liked me too. I was a fool," you invested in some of your acting skills. Wonwoo gaped at what he heard. "What did you say?"

"What did I say? I didn't say anything. Omg, I love this flower. Thank you, friend." you said emphasizing the word friend. Wonwoo is clearly not enjoying this so he threatened you by leaning in over you. "I heard it right. You said you like me. Now, stop this little game of yours or else," he said.

You weren't afraid of this threat so you leaned in as well. "Or else what?" Your eyes widened when he quickly pecked your lips.

Thump.

"Here's your food-- I guess I'll come back later," Jeonghan said before closing the door.

Wonwoo smirked at you. "You asked for it."

You dramatically touched your lips as you looked away from him. "I can't believe this is happening." You quickly looked back at him. "Tell me I'm not dreaming," you light slapped his cheek. "You're really here. You really pecked my lips. Woah..."

Wonwoo laughed at you. "Yes, this is real. Go back to sleep and take a rest so that I could finally take you for lunch, dinner or even breakfast when you're completely healed," he ruffled your hair.

"Good night, Wonwoo. Sweet dreams," you smiled at him before closing your eyes. Wonwoo turned off the lights of your room and left to take a rest too.

'I am totally a fool for love,' he thought.

The day finally came where Wonwoo could finally take you to the restaurant for a date and you swear, this is the only date both of you had after almost 2 months of being discharged at the hospital. He made it clear, though. 'From now on, you're my girlfriend and I am yours.' That was 2 months ago after he fetched you at the hospital. He stayed by your side even if you don't need help with cleaning your stitches. He almost lived at your house too but you didn't care because you love him.

He also told you that the reason of his bleeding is you. Of course you felt bad but he told you, 'you don't have to because I already have the cure.' You remembered you asked what and he answered, "It's not what, it's who and it's you, my love." Butterflies were dancing in your stomach back then. Although every day with him always made you feel butterflies at your stomach, you still won't get used to it.

"Y/n, I told you every thing you wear is perfect. You look beautiful on whatever you wear," Wonwoo said trying to convince you to finally settle for something to wear because he's already hungry.

"Alright, alright. How do I look?"

Wonwoo licked his lips, "Perfect."

You rolled your eyes before giving him a peck. "Let's go, you must be starving."

When you arrived, you didn't know Wonwoo would rent the whole restaurant just for the both of you. "Wonwoo... this is too much. I--"

Wonwoo placed his hands on your waist, "Did you not like it, hmm?"

You held his hands and placed it on top of your chest while you placed your head on his chest. Wonwoo just looked at you, eyes beaming with joy.

"I love it."

"Thank you for being my cure, Wonwoo," you looked up to him, tears trying to escape your eyes. He held the back of your head and leaned in for a passionate kiss.

"I love you," you said in between his kisses.

Wonwoo placed his forehead on yours.

"I will love you with all my heart, with all my blood. Always."

                                               Warming you up

                                               by wonwhomps

A/n: How are you? How am I? First of all, I thank you, yes you! For reading my works. I wouldn't be motivated to write if it wasn't for you. I thank myself as well, for always making plots that eventually urged me to spare half of my time writing every day. It's hard to write when school is on going but I can manage. Writing is my escape, I guess. Sorry for the grammatical errors found in the story, I'll proof-read my stories when I have an open schedule. I hope you were somehow moved by this story. It's my first ever 10k words story tbh. I'll end my note by shamelessly promoting my other fanfictions found here. Also, I'll post some of my works at Wattpad and it would be truly helpful if you come visit it there. Thank you! xx

Story trailer

Masterlist

Medical terms used above:

Disclaimer: This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, emergency treatment or formal first-aid training. Don't use this information to diagnose or develop a treatment plan for a health problem or disease without consulting a qualified health care provider. If you're in a life-threatening or emergency medical situation, seek medical assistance immediately.

▸Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) - is a device placed under your skin. It also contains a computer that tracks your heart rate and rhythm.  If your heart beats way too fast or is very out of rhythm, the ICD sends out a shock to get it back into rhythm ▸Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) - is an emergency procedure that combines chest compressions often with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest.

▸Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) - also known as iodopovidone, is an antiseptic used for skin disinfection before and after surgery. It may be used both to disinfect the hands of healthcare providers and the skin of the person they are caring for. It may also be used for minor wounds.

▸Hypothermia -  is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature.

▸Trypanophobia -  is an extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles.

Others:

▸Grievous Bodily Harm (GDR) - is a term used in English criminal law to describe the severest forms of assault. It refers to two offences that are respectively created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.

▸Alstroemeria - is the flower most representative of friendship, so you will find it in many friendship bouquets. This flower also symbolizes good fortune and prosperity, so it offers double meaning.

[borealis-strange]

Chapter 4: Poppy Garden

Summary:

Franco and Regina get their stuff stolen by fairies. The only way to get them back is by facing an iron golem.

Notes: 

This is having a lot more success than expected and I'm really happy about it!

Tag-list:  @freesiafields @bambirexwrites @whitequeen-ofwillowgreen @vaeya @sirenlovesqueen @moreofthatqueen @eileen-crys​

If someone wants to be added or removed from the tag-list just tell me :}

We left The Silver two days after the andal incident, and we planned to go to Gold Pine, a little detour from our original plan, but it would do us good.

Unfortunately, night fell on the way, and Franco and I had to camp in the woods. I didn't have a bad time, quite the contrary, Franco taught me a few new movements with the sword, sang more chivalric songs, and best of all, we slept under the stars.

But our luck ran out overnight.

The first rays of sunlight started to wake me up and I stretched out a bit. Franco was still snoring slightly, then I'll wake him up.

I got out of the sleeping bag and rolled it up, but it was not where I had left it when looking for my backpack. I looked around the bushes and tree branches but it wasn't there.

Where was it? By better examining our camp; my backpack and my armor, and sword were nowhere to be found, and Franco's things were also missing.

Oh gods. Oh gods. This was not good at all.

— Franco — I called him waving his arm slightly — Franco wake up —

Franco grunted slightly and turned with his back to me.

—Let me sleep, will you,— he said hoarsely.

— Franco — I waved his arm again — Someone stole our things —

— What? —

— The backpacks are not here, nor my armor —

Franco sat up with difficulty.

— What do you mean by “someone stole our things”? — He asked angrily.

— Well, they robbed us — I said agitated — I looked everywhere for our stuff but they are not there —

Franco got up with difficulty from his sleeping bag.

— What are you waiting for? We have to look for them — He said as he walked away into the forest.

I quickly put the sleeping bags away and went after him.

We walked in the forest, searching in every corner, every bush, and under every stone. We had been told that there were hardly any thieves here, that it was rare for you to be mugged. Either they lied to us or we were very unlucky.

How could they rob us without us noticing? We slept with things next to us and I was a fairly light sleeper. Especially the armor, that thing sounds quite a bit if you try to move it.

In the distance, I saw something colorful that moved with difficulty. At first, I thought it was a firefly, but I saw that it was a fairy when I analyzed it.

It was carrying our backpacks!

— Look — I caught Franco's attention — It's our stuff —

Franco gestured for me to go after the fairy.

I tried to approach the fairy silently. I tried to hide as much as possible but somehow the fairy seemed to notice my presence, it stopped for a second, analyzing the surroundings of him and then flying away at full speed.

Without much thought, I ran after the fairy, crossing logs, stones, and all kinds of obstacles without noticing where the fairy was taking me. The only thing that mattered to me was not losing sight of her.

The fairy was faster than I believed. It moved nimbly through the trees and seemed to know the forest pretty well.

The fairy ended up guiding me to a garden, rather a field full of poppies of all colors; red, orange, white, and even purple. The ideal place for a fairy to hide. I looked around, the fairy was nowhere to be found. I had lost sight of her.

I cursed and continued my search.

I walked looking where I stepped, I did not want to step on a fairy by accident. I looked at all the details, there must be something out of place.

After a few minutes, Franco came to my side.

— Did you lose sight of her? — He asked.

— Something like that — I admitted — It must be here. She is hiding from us —

Franco didn't say anything else and he started looking with me.

We lasted a few minutes like this, looking at the ground until Franco caught my attention and indicated a spot on the grass with one hand. Our backpacks were hidden with grass and flowers, and on top of these was a little fairy. We approached in silence.

— Give us back our things! — I demanded the little fairy. 

The fairy flew with our things until she was at our eye level.

— What things? — The fairy feigned innocence.

— Our backpacks with all our things — I said raising my voice and pointing to the backpacks.

— Oh! Those things — the fairy sang maliciously.

This thing was wearing out my patience, I had to fight the urge to crush it with one hand. I couldn't do it, I was going to end up cursed by the other fairies.

— Let's go Regina — Franco took me by the arm - It's not worth it. —

— Oh, and what is this little Ender chest? — Said the fairy while he held Franco's chest. — I wonder what is inside —

Franco rummaged inside his jacket and confirmed that it was his Ender chest.

— Give me that back! — Franco roared — They are personal things —

— I will not return anything, I found it — replied the fairy — Although ... you could do me a small favor in exchange for your things —

— What do you want? — I asked in disgust.

The prairie fairies had a bad reputation for being treacherous. She wouldn't give us an easy mission, she would probably give us a mission to die and keep our things.

— Oh, nothing special. Let's say that an iron golem has been attacking our small village, several fairies have disappeared because of that and we cannot face it alone — Said the fairy feigning innocence, although it seemed that his story was true.

— An iron golem?! — I screamed perplexed. The fairy must be crazy if she wanted us to get rid of it. I never believed that she would give us a mission of that caliber.

— Yes! A very big one — The fairy exclaimed as if that would help us something.

—We can't fight that — I said in a low voice just for Franco to listen.

Franco agreed with me in silence

The golems were at least six feet tall and with great resistance, let alone their strength. I was just a knight in training and I don't think Franco can fight against that.

— Then I guess you don't want your things back. Now I will have a new armor of ... —

— Alright, alright! — Franco interrupted. — We will do it —

I saw how the fairy had a more malicious smile than before.

— Excellent! — The fairy said with joy as he flapped his wings even more.

The fairy said nothing more. Did we have to go or ...?

— Won't you give us a clue? — I said after a few seconds of silence

— Oh right! I almost forgot. — The fairy flew away from her until we lost sight of her.

Franco and I looked at each other somewhat confused. After a minute the fairy came back with another backpack, I assumed she stole it from someone else, and she gave it to us.

— Here comes everything you need; potions, food, water, and a small map that will indicate where the golem is — The fairy informed

Indeed, everything the fairy said was in there, in addition to a few ropes. The potions were: instant healing, strength, and speed. Although no knife or somethingTheeven though came to defend us, or protect us in that case.

— Can't you return my armor and sword, please? — I tried to convince her.

— No — The fairy smirked before leaving.

How did she expect us to face an iron golem alone? In itself it was a very difficult task with armor and sword, now it was practically impossible. We were going to die.

— What will we do now? — I asked Franco worried.

— Use our head — Franco replied pointing to my head.

We took out the map and began to analyze it, before embarking on our terrible adventure. This area was called "Poppy Garden". Apparently, the golem's lair was to the north, in a cavern or in an underground hole (I couldn't figure out what it was). It didn't seem to be a long trip if only a couple of hours walking.

With little hope, we set out on our journey.

At least the forest was pretty, full of flowers, mushrooms, and the beautiful autumn leaves of the trees.

I stopped at some points to just appreciate the beauty for a few seconds but Franco seemed to be in a hurry. I didn't blame him, he also wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

— If I'm honest, I'm very tempted to leave our things with those silly fairies — Franco commented annoyed after walking for a few minutes.

— I feel you but they took my Ender pearl — I lamented.

— And my old armor. — Franco sighed

— Do you think they give us something? Besides our things — I asked with a little hope.

— Honestly, I doubt it. Hopefully and they will give us a copper coin —

— That’d be enough for half a loaf of bread, it is something I suppose — 

_____________________

We decided to camp, to rest a little before our great battle, and to eat something. We were a bit tired, rather Franco was tired, and we couldn't fight in those conditions.

I arranged the sleeping bags to have a place to sit and rummaged through my backpack for the great food we were promised. There wasn't too much, a bit of spoiled fruit, stale bread, dried meat, and an egg that surprisingly hasn't been broken. The eggs and meat seemed good enough not to make us sick.

Fortunately, there was also a frying pan and a wooden spoon in the backpack.

I started a small fire and started cooking.

When I thought it was ready, I removed it from the fire. Having no plates, we both had to eat from the frying pan.

I tried the food, it was decent, better than I expected but still, it seemed that the eggs were a bit stale. Franco didn't complain, although he didn't look very happy with the food, plus he couldn't do much since it was the least bad thing there was. When we get to Gold Pine we will buy more food.

Franco talked about his adventures, such as the time that with only his trusty sword and armor he managed to defeat an army of 20 men that time when he fought with Conterstine, the king of Obsidian, or the time he fell in love with a princess, which I did not believe in the least. The truth, despite the fact that sometimes his stories sounded exaggerated, I liked listening to them, more than anything because of the way he narrated them, with exaggerated hand movements and giving great epicity to the scenes.

— What if we do something else? — I asked excitedly.

— Do what? — Franco questioned.

— You could teach me to dance Pagan party — I suggested with a big smile.

Franco gave a little laugh.

— I don’t think so. There is no music and it is also more fun when there are more than two people. It will be in another chance —

More silence.

— Could you tell me another story? — I ventured to ask.

Let's see if this time he tells me something new.

— What kind of story do you want? — Franco asked.

— I don't know ... a story about your last adventure — I said with a smile.

— No — Franco said coldly.

— Why not? — I questioned.

— Because I say so. —

— Come on Franco — I begged —  I think I'm old enough to listen to it —

Franco sighed heavily.

— If I tell you something about it, will you stop bothering with it? - Franco said with some annoyance.

I nodded excitedly.

— Okay — I got a little closer to him — It was the fall of Farfania —

I waited for him to say something else but apparently, he had already finished his fantastic story.

— And? — I inquired.

— What do you mean “And”? That's all — Franco said a little angry.

— You said you were going to tell me the story — I said disappointed.

—I said I was just going to tell you something, — he snapped.

— And can you tell me about your mark? — I tried.

— I already told you it was the Netherite Knight — Franco said with disgust.

Yes, but I wanted to know more details. I'm sure it was an epic adventure or what if Franco fought the knight bravely to save the Empire. What if he was the one who defeated the Netherite knight! Well, it was the kings who defeated the knight but there is a possibility that Franco helped them.

I preferred not to continue insisting, I did not want to put Franco in a worse mood than he already was.

Maybe Joanna could help us? She was a fairy, from the forest, but a fairy. I looked in my backpack for the little notebook she had given me. It was not there. It was with my other things.

— We'd better move on — Franco told me — I don't want to wait until it's the night to attack that thing. —

I nodded and started putting the things away, put out the fire, and followed Franco.

The map wasn't very accurate, to say the least, and it also didn't give any clue as to where the golem might be. We spent a few minutes circling the area in search of ... anything really.

Franco stopped and started to look around frantically. He indicated me with a gesture to follow him silently. We walked a couple of meters until Franco hid in a fallen log and I went behind him.

I peeked out carefully because I hadn't even seen the golem.

We watched the golem from the shadows. He had a human form but with longer arms. It had details in gold and red stone. His eyes were red and seemed to glow. He also had a red sphere on his chest, I assumed it was the magic that gave him energy.

— And what will we do against that thing? — I asked in a low voice.

Franco put his hand on his chin while he thought. I imitated him.

— We cannot attack directly, I cannot fight and you alone can’t do it — Franco reasoned—We need to dismantle it in some way or damage it -

— We also need to save the fairies — I reminded Franco.

— We also need to do that — Franco noted — One of us could distract him while another takes care of the fairies —

— I distract him! — I exclaimed

— No, I will distract him — Franco arranged

— Not to offend you Franco, but I am faster and more agile — I said in a low voice.

— I know but if that thing catches you it will hurt you —

I rolled my eyes. I appreciated his concern but he was in more danger than I was.

— It will hurt you too — I replied

Franco looked at me surprised.

— It does not matter. So, you'd better hurry up when saving the fairies if you don't want something to happen to me —

— But… —

— No buts Regina - Franco interrupted. — I will distract him and as soon as he moves away, you go in and look for the fairies. Okay? —

No, I did not agree. Franco was putting himself in danger for me, I couldn't accept that.

— Stay calmed, I'll be fine — He tried to reassure me, but by the tone of his voice he did not quite believe it either.

I didn't say anything, I just nodded slowly.

— Perfect — he sighed heavily — Be careful —

— Have this — She said while he gave her the backpack — You will need it more than me—

Franco gave me a comforting smile and I returned it to him.

Franco came out of our hiding spot and approached where the golem was. He threw a rock at it, that hit it right on the head. The golem turned to see him but he did nothing. Franco threw another stone at his head. The golem's eyes shone even brighter and he began to approach Franco with slow, heavy steps.

Franco tried to run away from him and the golem went after him.

I ran quickly until I reached the entrance to his lair. I opened the metal door and walked in

The lair was… much more elaborate than I had expected. The walls were high made of stone and the only source of light was the glowstone embedded in the walls. There was no difference in how I could locate each aisle. It was a complete maze in here.

I ran through the corridors looking for a door. There didn't seem to be any unless they were hidden with magic. I was probably just running around the same three corridors.

Why would a golem have a bunker? Also, what did he need fairies for? Nor is it that they are very strong. Was he going to use them to illuminate? No, that's very silly. Their magic? Most likely, strange though.

The golem might work for someone, but what did that that someone wanted. Kidnapping fairies for fun? Or ... get fairy dust.

I don't know how long I ran through the hallways, maybe a few minutes.

I finally found a door. I opened it and went inside.

The fairies were in a large metal cage. They were flitting all over the place, trying to move the cage to drop it

— Shhh — I indicated to the fairies — I have come to help you but I need you to be calm — I said in a low voice.

The fairies calmed down and sat down. There must have been at least twenty locked up.

The cage had a large lock. I had no clasp that I could use to force it.

— Do you know where the key is? — I asked the fairies.

— The golem has it — One of them answered in a small voice.

Magnificent! This was going from bad to worse.

— Don't you know if there is ... a weapon or something in this place?— I asked the fairies. This could be our only salvation.

— We know it has a bow and arrows in one of the rooms — One of the fairies answered in a low voice.

— Why would a golem have a bow and arrows? — I thought aloud.

— We think it's from its boss - The fairies said in unison.

— Its boss? —

— Yes! A black skeleton with white eyes always comes along. We do not know why, but he is always giving instructions to the golem and he always takes one of us when he comes — Said one of them with a trembling voice.

A wither skeleton? I thought they were not welcome here. I had heard it was because of a problem that occurred when Auredin was built. I think it was a battle over territorial issues or that they didn't want an alliance with the Empire. Something like that, I did not remember well.

— Well ... I'm going to look for that and I'll come to save you as soon as I can — I promised the fairies before leaving.

— Good luck! — The fairies screamed when he was at the door.

Fortunately, it didn't take me long to find the room they said. It was small with a bed and without any kind of lighting. I quickly found the bow and leather quiver with a few arrows.

I went back through the infinite corridors until I found the exit, this time faster, fortunately.

The forest had changed since I had entered the bunker, there were several damaged trees, and some collapsed. I hope Franco is well.

I stood waiting for a clue of where Franco could be, or the golem in this case.

In the distance, a tree fell to the ground. I ran as fast as I could towards the source of the noise.

I managed to see the golem in the distance, who was grabbing the trees and shaking them before knocking them down in a crash.

I took the longest way around him and he didn't see me, hoping to see Franco.

I managed to locate Franco, he was hiding behind a fallen log.

I approached carefully and lay down next to him. He didn't seem to have any damage besides a couple of scratches on his face. I breathed in relief.

— Until you finally decided to appear — Franco said with annoyance when I reached his side — We have to go now —

— We can't, I haven't rescued the fairies yet — I told Franco nervously.

— What?! — Franco exclaimed in a low voice — We have to go now. That thing wants to kill me — He said roughly. — We are with only two regeneration potions and nothing else —

— We need a key that the golem has — I said agitatedly.

Franco massaged his temples in frustration.

— Don't worry, I have this bow — I said as I showed it to him.

I got up from hiding. The golem was still distracted trying to throw down trees, he was looking for us. I closed one eye to aim better. I tried to tighten the rope without much success. The arrow shot to the ground a few meters away.

— Give me that — Franco said as he snatched the bow from me — You don't even know how to use that thing —

— Well, you never taught me to use it — I reproached him

Franco ignored what I said and began to count the arrows in a low voice.

— Fifteen arrows and the bow has Power II. Hopefully, that’ll be enough —

— What will you do? — Asked

— You — he said as he pointed at me — You're going to go with him and you'll attract him to me. I will try to hit the source of his power —

No. No. No. That was a terrible idea. Franco couldn't see in one eye, he wasn't fit to fight. He didn't want something to happen to him. I couldn't let it happen again, not with him.

— Easy, everything will be fine — He put a hand on my shoulder to try to comfort me.

—No… we can't — I stammered. Franco looked at me confused. — We have to do something else —

At first, I thought this would be easy but it wasn't. That thing could kill us easily.

— What if we better go back? — I sobbed. Franco smiled at me compassionately.

— I may be old but I can still fight — he said sweetly — Besides, I am not going to abandon that old armor —

I let out a little laugh.

— We'd better do this — Franco said confidently.

I nodded slowly but there was no other way. I came out of hiding and approached carefully.

— Hey! — I yelled at the golem.

He stopped throwing down trees and slowly turned his head towards me. My heart was pounding against my chest, this was a very bad idea.

The golem approached me and began to observe me curiously. I had to get away but my legs just weren't reacting.

An arrow hit him right in the eye.

— What do you think you're doing? — I heard Franco yell — Get out of the way! —

As if a bucket of cold water had dropped, I woke up. I ran in the opposite direction from him. The golem was slower than I expected but that didn't mean that he was close to me.

The golem lunged one of his arms at me and I fell to the ground. The golem ended up hitting a tree. I covered my face with my arms to avoid being hit by pieces of wood.

I looked up and saw how the golem was regaining his composure. In the distance, I saw how Franco began to shoot arrows without much success.

— But you have to hit him! — I yelled at Franco.

— It's what I’m trying! — He yelled back at me.

The golem saw me on the ground and slowly approached me again. I crawled on the ground running from the golem until I hit a tree. The golem approached me with some curiosity. Before he could do anything to me, an arrow hit him right in the head, bouncing off with a metallic sound.

The golem turned its head slowly towards Franco. Franco prepared another arrow and hit him in the head again.

The golem's eyes glowed even brighter in anger and he seemed to let out a slight growl.

The golem moved away from me and began to slowly approach Franco. Franco as he could try to hit him with more arrows but the golem was too close. He managed to hit it on the chest but it wasn't enough, the golem was still working.

In a lucid moment, I got up off the ground and lunged at the golem, not to knock him down but to climb on top of it and distract it. As best I could, I grabbed onto him and climbed onto his shoulders.

The golem jerked sharply and I tried to cling to his body as closely as possible. Franco regained his composure and tried to hit the golem again but he was moving too much.

The golem knocked me to the ground roughly. I fell on some branches and a severe headache began to form. My head was spinning and for a moment I didn't know where I was.

The golem was slowly approaching me and I was doing my best to back away. This was my end. I couldn't even say goodbye to Franco, or to my uncle. I closed my eyes waiting for my end but nothing happened.

I opened my eyes in fear and saw how an arrow hit him right in the center of his power source, just above the previous one. I smiled a little. The golem tried to get his hands closer to the arrow but he started to fail, his legs stopped reacting and he started to wobble until he stopped moving.

The golem's body fell to the ground in a great crash. We both got closer. The golem's eyes stopped glowing. The power source was pulling in bright red liquid, it looked like blood.

— Are you alright? — Franco came quickly to my side.

I felt a strong burning in my right arm, it had a cut, about four inches, fortunately, it was not very deep. Franco saw the wound and grimaced.

— Have this — He said while giving me one of the healing potions — Hopefully that will be enough —

I opened the bottle and the floral smell made me slightly dizzy. I drank it quickly, it tasted horrible like rotten fruit but it was what we had. I will never get used to the taste of these things.

I felt the heat rise up my arm and my skin begin to heal. I looked away, I had never dared to see the healing process with a potion, they said it was disgusting.

Franco had gotten even closer to the golem, perhaps to analyze it.

I never believed that Franco was capable of fighting, well ... I knew that he had done it at some point but since he always complained of constant pain I never believed that he would see him in action. I know it was just a couple of arrows but that did not take away my impression.

— Do you think that with that he will no longer attack the fairies? — I asked.

— I don’t know. I hope so. If not the fairies are going to curse us —

I got up from the ground and shook the dirt from my dress, and pulled out a couple of branches and leaves that had been left in my hair.

I walked over to Franco's side, we still needed to save the fairies. The key was embedded in the golem's chest, just above the power source. With some effort, I managed to remove it.

I quickly returned to the bunker and went through the corridors until I found the room where the fairies were

I opened the cage and the fairies immediately flew towards the exit. I went behind them until I met Franco who continued to admire the golem.

I was tempted to stay a little longer in the bunker to explore. There must be many more secrets in there. I didn't, mostly because I was still unprotected and you never know that you might find yourself in an evil lair.

I noticed that in Franco's hand he was carrying a completely red sphere.

— What is that for? — I asked.

— It is our proof that we defeated the golem. You know how fussy fairies are — Franco said with some disgust.

We walked quietly back to the Poppy Garden.

— I have to say that whoever wants to have built that thing did a good job — Franco commented.

— Excuse? — I asked amused.

— It's a very well-made golem. Its power source is made of red stone and something else that I don't know what it is — Franco continued — It's impressive, in its own way. Besides that I hadn't seen one of those things for years —

— I thought they were just legends — I commented.

— I thought so too. The kings supposedly dismantled all of them and with the metal, they created all those modern inventions. I am impressed that there was still one and in such good condition —

__________________

We arrived at the Poppy Garden when the sun was about to set.

For whatever reason, there were tables with white tablecloths decorated with colorful flower arrangements. In addition, there were some makeshift lamps with tall tree branches and various luminous mushrooms. There were arches made of branches, decorated with pieces of cloth and dried flowers.

All the fairies were sitting at the tables, they looked anxious as they flapped their wings, it seemed they were expecting a great feast.

At the back was a small table, for two people, I assumed it was ours. The fairy leader was waiting for us with a big, eager smile.

Everything was in absolute silence, which made it scarier. It even seemed that fairies want to eat us.

— We already saved the fairies — I said harshly to the leader.

— Yes, but it won't do any good if the golem is still loose there — The fairy said mockingly.

I looked at the fairy suspiciously and she just smirked at me. I took the sphere out of the backpack.

— Here's the proof that we got rid of the monster — I raised my voice to get everyone's attention as I hit the table with the sphere — It's the golem's power source. Now give us our things —

The leader carefully analyzed the sphere. All the little fairies came closer to see better.

— It's true — The leader announced and all the fairies gasped — They are heroes! —

Screams of excitement were heard from all sides. Fairies flew everywhere, hugging each other.

— In gratitude, we will give you a gold coin — She said as he handed me the coin — A banquet before your departure and an enchanted book —

— An enchanted book? — I asked puzzled.

— Yes. One of your choice — The leader replied with a genuine smile.

There were too many books that would be perfect for my sword. But what could it be? Mending I? Sharpnedd II?

— Could it be... Fire aspect? — I decided.

— Of course! — The fairy said, this time with a genuine smile.

The leader snapped her fingers and a fairy brought the book with difficulty.

I passed it on to Franco so he could see if it was legitimate. He nodded his head approvingly.

— Well. We will start our great banquet! — The leader yelled and even more screams were heard

The fairies guided us, rather pushed us, to the back tables to sit down. We settled. The fairies put flower crowns on us and Franco immediately took it off. I preferred to stay with it, it was quite cute and smelled quite good.

Shortly afterward some fairies arrived carrying a tray with different cuts of meat, sausages, roasted corn and chili peppers, and baked potatoes; a real feast. While they went to each fairy to serve the food, other fairies served us hot tea with milk, which I greatly appreciated.

It's been years since I'd had a meal this elegant, and in fact, it was quite difficult to have such a meal these days.

We ate while some fairies gave little shows. Some sang and others said little poems. Apparently, it was some kind of tradition among the fairies.

After dinner, the fairies formed a small band with which they began to play various popular songs.

— Do you want to dance? — I asked Franco. He just watched me — Come on, it will be fun 

— I think this time I’ll pass —

— Please Franco — I begged him.

— No — he said coldly. — And DO NOT insist —

I didn't want to dance along with the fairies, to tell the truth, they still scared me a little. After a few seconds of thinking about it, I got up from my seat and went to accompany the fairies.

It wasn't as bad as I thought, fairies flitted around me as I spun around and tried to dance to the music. It wasn't very good but it was quite fun.

It was quite magical.

I don't know what time the celebration ended, probably after midnight because of how cold it started to get. At the end of everything, the fairies saved everything with their magic and went to the poppies to sleep.

I approached Franco, who was already preparing his sleeping bag.

—And what will we do now? — I asked in a low voice so as not to wake anyone up.

— Sleep — Franco answered. — Tomorrow we will have a short trip but it is still important to rest —

— Where will we sleep? —

— Here, where else? — Franco answered as if it were very obvious.

I looked around me. Franco chose the ideal place, where there were no poppies but still he did not want to sleep among the fairies. I didn't say anything else, mostly because I was also tired, I took out the sleeping bag and settled down.

I couldn't complain, it was nice to sleep under the stars. I fell asleep hoping that tomorrow would be a quiet day, without having to fight with weird things.

[x-ia-n]

━ sun&moon.

➞ including: kei tsukishima, gn!reader

overview: in which ❛your hearts are connected under the same sky.❜ ↦ sun&moon by nct127

word count: 4.3k

➼ haikyuu masterlist

↳ main masterlist

↦ fluff, tsuki is sometimes uncharacteristically soft, alcohol consumption [legal age!], timeskip

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

he always found it cute how deep your blush would get whenever he called you his star. even more so when he would refer to you as his sun. 

granted, you aren’t dating. just friends, best friends. best friends who knew each other since high school and kept in touch despite both your hectic schedules as university students. as you watch the snow gently falling through a window, you’re taken back to the memories, bitter and sweet, that come along with winter.

you start to remember your first heartbreak...

it didn’t take long for him to realize what was happening, as you barely held a smile when you walked in the gym. he saw the first signs of pain and disappointment flash through your eyes. he and yamaguchi excused themselves and walked you out the door, and you bursted into tears.

he let you cling onto him as you blabbered on about how the person you were dating dumped you out of nowhere; the freckled boy gently rubbing circles on your back. you went on for a few minutes, explaining everything to your two best friends. yamaguchi went back inside to get you some water when you finally calmed down. you lifted your head from the blond’s chest, sniffling slightly.

tsukishima is awkward when it comes to feelings in general, but that didn’t stop him from trying to comfort you after your break up. he draped his volleyball jacket over you, shielding your reddened and puffy face from others. tilting his head, he says, “you look like an idiot crying over someone who clearly doesn’t appreciate you.”

yamaguchi peered out the gym building doors to see you stare up at the blond like he hung the moon in the sky. he knew what you feel for tsukishima, and he made you aware that he was aware. he slowly closed the gym doors, trying not to make any noise, and politely asked yachi and the managers-in-training to subtly guard the door.

the freckled teen has been your biggest supporter from day one, and he’ll be damned if anything ruined this moment for you.

he found it cute how you would hide behind your hand whenever you’d try to reassure them both that you’re fine.

...and the first time you saw him shatter.

the whistle blew, and the cheer of the crowd nearly left you deaf. the crowd wasn’t cheering for them, though. karasuno lost an important game, and you saw the faces of the team, all looked so heartbroken. you couldn’t blame them, they worked so hard and-

if there’s one thing you take pride in, is knowing what either of your best friends are feeling. yamaguchi has tears in his eyes while tsukishima… his face is void of emotion, but you can see the pain and guilt flickering in his eyes. you can feel it in your gut that he’s blaming himself. 

you ran down the flight of stairs just in time to see the team exit into the main lobby. you glanced at your green haired friend first, who then nodded at you, telling you he was alright. you turned to tsukishima, and promptly held out a hand. he paused, his golden-brown eyes swept across your face then to your outstretched hand. you swear you could hear the gears turning in his head as he weighed his options. 

the blond gingerly took your hand in his and let you drag him somewhere secluded, somewhere you’re both positive no one would come across by accident. “it’s not your fault.” you said, slightly squeezing his hand. he was looking anywhere but you.

he sputtered out, “if i had blocked it properly then-” 

“you managed to slow it down, which gave karasuno a fighting chance. kei,” his eyes snapped up to meet yours, an unreadable expression graced his features. it was so uncommon for either of you to use each other’s birth names despite being so close. 

“kei, it’s not your fault.” your voice softened, and he felt his walls break. tears glistened his eyes, which he hastily blinked away. you slowly took off his glasses, hooked them at the collar of your shirt, and placed your free hand on the back of his neck. he dropped his head on the crook of your neck, and took a deep breath. 

one of the things he appreciated at that moment is how you never mentioned the tears you felt hit your skin, or the broken sobs you heard escape his lips. you didn’t even mention how he trembled in your arms as he let out his frustration, anger, guilt, pain—  his everything. you held him together as he slowly fell apart. “i’m sorry” he muttered.

you let out a chuckle. “if you’re apologizing for displaying emotions, i’m taking out your kneecaps.” 

you beamed a bright smile up at him as he pulled away. he let you clean his face with a handkerchief, and place his glasses back on his face for him. tsukishima ruffled your hair, and led you both back to the bus where the rest of the team were waiting for the both of you.

he found it cute how you tried extra hard to cheer him and yamaguchi up. that, and how you never pulled your hand away from his.

your mind drifted to the time you first felt your heart skip a beat because of him.

two of you were stupid and young, and you somehow managed to convince tsukishima to go on a little trip with you. it was spontaneous, and unfortunately, yamaguchi was sick, but he made you promise to buy everything that reminded you of him; not that he needed to, you were planning to do just that. you three have your licenses, but you decided to use tsukishima’s car as it was more spacious, leaving both of you a lot of room to lay back and sleep. 

you both didn’t have plans on where to go, your recklessness speaking to him that you both ‘should let fate decide where the road will take you’. 

the road led you to a small village, celebrating a local festival. you remember being so excited that you dragged him to every historical building, every booth that peaked your interest. a narrow stone path at the edge of the village led to a small flower field on a small cliff, one you took great pleasure in being. 

he picked a dainty, yellow flower and placed it in your ear. “there,” he whispers, and your breath catches in your throat. your heart is pounding in your ears as you silently prayed to any and every divine being that the moonlight is dim enough for the blush in your cheeks to go unnoticed. after what seems like both seconds and hours, he says the only thing that could ruin the moment.

“now the bees will go after you.”

you huffed out, hitting him in the arm as you hear him laugh. “i can’t believe you.” 

his laughter died down as he spots a firefly come towards you. he saw how your entire face brightened up as you watched the insect carefully, completely mesmerised as more flew around you. “hey, what do you think of me calling you ‘hotaru’ instead of ‘kei’?” 

“i would leave your ass here, and you can either walk home, or hitchhike.” tsukishima grumbles, but there was absolutely no malice or harshness in his voice; a tone he subconsciously reserves for you. he felt his heart stop at the sound of your laughter in his ears. 

“you wouldn’t dare, tsukishima kei.”

of course he wouldn’t leave one of his best friends, you both could say that in confidence, but something stirring in his chest tells him that there’s more than that reason.

the sound of fireworks interrupted both your thoughts, and it was then you’d realize you were staring at him for way too long. you turned your gaze to the firework display that the small village was putting on, but you ended up staring at the features of the blond next to you, who was too preoccupied with watching the show.

you took in every detail of his face, watching the contrast between the moonlight forming shadows on his face and the brief flashes of color illuminating and possibly even making some of his defining features pop out.

as the last of the fireworks died down, he grabbed your hand and let you back to the festival grounds where he bought you your favorite street food. he handed it to you while munching on his own, clearly showing you that he’s eating. you both picked out little trinkets for yourselves and yamaguchi, buying only a few; not wanting to  spend most of your money. a little firefly charm caught your eye, but decided against buying it.

hours later, you find yourself waking up in the passenger seat, the sunlight hitting your eyes not too harshly. you turned to the driver’s seat to see the blond groggily open his eyes. he reached out to grab his glasses from the dashboard and turned on the ignition. “let’s go home.” he says, before pulling out of the parking space. 

the ride was peaceful, you were singing your lungs out to the songs playing; the most you heard from tsukishima is him humming along. he stops by a food truck park on the road and tells you to grab a table while he parks the car. 

you sat at one of the many empty tables, pulling out your phone. it was seven in the morning on a sunday, normally, both of you would be well asleep at yamaguchi’s place on a normal day.

he jogged to the table and asked you for your order in a fashion a server would. you laughed at the obnoxious voice he made, and told him to get you whatever is cheap.

as he ordered at one of the trucks, you find yourself staring at him again. how royally fucked you are for falling for your best friend. he came back with a tray of two orders of pancakes, both drizzled in syrup with strawberries at the side and two glasses of juice. 

"don't think about paying me back." he says before you could even open your mouth, giving you a pointed look. there was no point in arguing with a tsukishima kei so early in the morning; you learned how stubborn he could be in one morning during your first year.

you ate breakfast, talking about the festival you both attended the night before, and caught up on each other's lives. it never did occur to either of you that this is the first time you hung out together without the presence of other people, yamaguchi included.

on the way back, you felt yourself succumb to sleep, your head leaning against the passenger side window. tsukishima kept stealing glances at you, and he will take this secret about what he feels for you to the grave; rather choosing to settle as friends than lose you forever. 

he found you gorgeous in the moonlight, but even more so in the sunlight.

you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket. pulling it out, you see text messages from a certain green-haired friend of yours asking where you were. quickly typing a response, a smile tugging at your lips. it's been more than half a year since you saw tsukishima and yamaguchi, your conflicting schedules made it already hard to talk to each other, and sprinkle in the fact they're both in miyagi and you in tokyo.

you could still hear the fight you had during the first year you left miyagi.

"aren't you tired of this?" he asked.

you scoffed, your grip tightening around your phone. "i'm not the one picking a fight every call."

"you didn't have to leave miyagi. there's universities here that offer your course and-"

groaning, you argued. "there are better opportunities for me here in tokyo. it's not like i'm in another country, tsuki."

this particular fight went on for an hour, maybe two? you can't remember anymore. it was the same argument, over and over again. you know that your friend has major trust issues, and being one of the only people he can open up to, led him to be extremely attached and you fear that you leaving may result in some form of fear of abandonment. 

you didn't care anymore at this point. you're tired, stressed, and overall not in the mindset to speak to someone, especially someone who just picked fights with you since the start of the academic year. 

"just stop." you said, the other person on the other end of the line did, mostly because he has never heard that tone from you before.

you sighed, "i know, okay? you have to understand why i chose this, though… you know what? i'm tired, i'll just go to sleep. good night."

you hung up before he could get a word in. you hated fighting with him.

tsukishima stared at the phone in his hand, the realization that he may have fucked up whatever relationship you had. he didn't call you or message you back, but it's not because of pride. he knows if you're ready to talk, you will, but that didn't stop him from staring at his screen the entire time while waiting for you to reach out. he prayed that he didn't lose you just like that.

he didn't sleep a wink that night.

the train was nearing your stop, and a familiar sight out the window brought you back to a fond memory.

"star, hand that to me." tsukishima said, holding out his palm, looking at you expectantly. 

you were nearing graduation, and so you're helping him pack his stuff to move to an apartment that's closer to his university. you stuttered, "star?" 

he blinked slowly, as if he's processing what he just said, but nodded, "yeah, star. or would you rather have me call you ‘sun’?"

you handed him what he was asking for, a grin plastered on your face. "uh, where did that come from?" you asked, genuinely curious about his new nickname for you.

the blond shrugged, turning away from you, silently hoping you won’t see how red his face is. "only fair since you call me 'tsuki'. and i'd rather have you call me 'tsuki' than 'hotaru', which is by the way, an incorrect way-"

he was cut off by you asking a question he never expected from you.

"can i give you a hug?"

you sounded so shy about it as well. he swears he almost feels his heart burst out of his chest. seeing him nod, you launched yourself to him, arms around his torso and your face buried in his back. 

what a shame you both couldn't see how red the other is.

like a scene from a movie, the moment was interrupted as akiteru knocked on the door, briefly asking if both of you needed help. you detached yourself and politely told the older tsukishima that both of you were fine, and that you'd call him if you ever need help.

as you faced him, the blond practically shoved a little jewelry bag in your hands, telling you to open it. you've always had a knack for accessories, so you excitedly open the bag to see a familiar firefly charm.

"is this-"

"the one at the festival? yeah." he rubbed the back of his neck. "i saw you staring at it, so i thought why not give it to you as a reminder of the festival and a graduation gift."

oh, your poor heart didn't know how to function. 

tsukishima saw your reaction, and you didn't have to worry about any feelings you can't express. for the first time since you met, he was the one to initiate a hug. you felt his arms wrap around your torso, and you melted into his embrace. 

he smelt like home. he felt like home.

“tsuki? i think i like ‘sun’ more.” your voice was gentle, and muffled as your face was against his chest.

he found it cute how despite being friends for so long, you still ask him if he's comfortable with skinship. he's learning, don't worry.

you found yourself, standing on the sidewalk, taking in how different miyagi seemed to look. you gave a cab driver tsukishima's address, as he's the one that hosts you whenever you visit. you entered the building and went up the stairs to his floor. you knew where the spare key is, so you don't have to worry about having to call yamaguchi to let you in. the apartment sounded empty, only the creak of the front door was heard as it echoed against the walls. 

you locked the door behind you as you took off your shoes, leaving them at a shoe shelf you made for the tall blond. despite living in tokyo, you basically live in his guest room, seeing how you already have clothes in the closets. you set your bags in the room and settled down on the couch as you sent a text message to yamaguchi.

you fiddled with the charm in your bracelet as you read his text. 

'your loverboy and i are on the way back to the apartment.' it says.

—

tsukishima prided himself in reading people, and he could read his friend walking beside him. it is painfully obvious that he's hiding something.

"don't tell me you proposed to yachi without telling me." he said in a teasing manner, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he glanced at yamaguchi. the poor guy almost tripped on his two feet. “tsukki! no, i haven’t. and if i did, you’d be the first one to know.”

they continued to walk down the familiar path leading to tsukishima’s apartment, their arms carrying bags of groceries.

“tsuki!” he heard from behind; he braced himself before you launched yourself on his back. he hooked his arms under your legs and continued to walk while giving you a piggyback ride. tsukishima could see your face in his peripheral vision as you propped your head on top of his shoulder. 

“i bought strawberries.” you said, your breath colliding with the cold winter air produced fog. that fogged up his glasses. you noticed and started laughing, slightly blowing cool air on his glasses to lessen the fogging. he could smell faint traces of hot chocolate in your breath.

he continued carrying you to his apartment complex, where he set you down upon arriving. you tugged at his sleeve, dragging him up the stairs and taking the spare key from where it’s hidden. you went on and on about how you’re going to make the best strawberry shortcake he’s ever had, that you gained favors from people you met at university to help you in making a recipe.

you took over his kitchen that day, only letting him do simple tasks like sifting the ingredients, or preheating the oven. you beamed as you presented the final product to him, gently holding the plate between your hands. tsukishima saw how your eyes sparkled underneath the kitchen lights.

you also took over his heart, unknowingly holding it in your hands.

he found it cute how you get excited about the small things in life. 

“tsuki!” his eyes widened as he saw you standing in his living room, your smile as bright as he’d always remember. the blond didn’t even think twice and set the bags on the floor before enveloping you in a tight hug. he felt another person’s warmth, knowing full well you pulled in yamaguchi into the hug.

you released them from your hug as you said, “i can’t believe it’s been so long.” 

“that’s because of your busy schedule.” the freckled man flicked your forehead. you felt his piercing gaze at you, and he hasn’t even said a word.

“well, sunshine, when did you get here? why didn’t you call either of us to pick you up?” he nagged, but all you could feel was your heart stuttering in your chest at the nickname he rarely used for you. 

you babbled on about when you got here and why you didn’t tell him (he gave yamaguchi a look after hearing that he knew you were coming) as you made yourself feel at home. and you are home.

yamaguchi will never tell anyone how you looked at the blond with stars in your eyes, or how tsukishima looked at you like you are the light of his life.

the two men aided you in making your shortcake, with them doing the more tiresome tasks. the comfort of each other's presence in tsukishima's small kitchen is enough for all three of you.

you decided to watch a movie while waiting for the cake to cool down. the younger male excused himself as his phone started to ring in the middle of the first half, leaving you and the blond in the living room. he peeked back in a few minutes later, informing you both that his girlfriend needs to get picked up.

you felt your heart race as you continued to watch the movie, the literal love of your life just within arms reach. he looped his arm around your shoulder, your breath stuttering. tsukishima then retracted his arm, now holding the bowl of popcorn. "why're you red, star?" he asked in a teasing manner.

as you struggle to give a response, the middle blocker is internally beating himself up. he chickened out on actually putting his arm around you. to ease the tension, he suggested, "i'll go get the karaoke machine."

your eyes shined as you nodded, offering to clean up as he set up the machine. you grabbed two bottles of beer from his fridge, handing him one. you settled back on the couch as you twisted off the bottle cap. 

one bottle became two, then three, and you lost count as you both drunkenly sang to cheesy love songs. one caught your eye in particular, and you almost kneeled down trying to convince the blond.

"please~ come on, tsuki! kei, please!" you dramatically begged, shaking him back and forth. you peered up at him with the biggest, saddest eyes you could muster, and pouted. "i won't even take a video! it'll be our little secret." you promised, raising three fingers with your right hand and placing your left on your chest.

he clicked his tongue at you. "i'm only doing this because you're cute."

neither of you could tell if the red in both your faces is because of the alcohol or because of the blood that flushed your cheeks. you broke eye contact first, clearing your throat. grinning at him, you punched in the code, hearing the starting notes of the song 'because i am with you'. 

he grumbled in annoyance, but the look in his eyes showed he isn't bothered by singing in your presence in the slightest. when he starts singing, tsukishima is staring intently at you, eyes drifting everywhere from your eyes, your lips, your nose. you couldn't help but feel that he's actually serenading you. 

every time the chorus comes on, he stares deep into your eyes, as if trying to tell you something. he uses his other hand to cup your cheek as he sings the final lines.

"i really love you for the rest of my life," his voice lowers at the last three words as the instrumental slowly fades. "be with me." 

his golden eyes drifted to your lips. "stop me if i'm reading this wrong."

you didn't, and tsukishima gladly took that as an invitation. he sets down the microphone before he leans down and presses his lips against yours briefly before pulling away. he saw that there wasn't any sign of protest in your expression, and kissed you once more, both your eyes closing.

your hands rested around his nape, pulling him impossibly closer to you. his free hand is placed on the side of your hip, the one cupping your jaw pulling you into him.

pulling away for breath, you open your eyes to see his own fixated on you.

he paused for a moment. “you are actually the sky to my moon— no, the sky, the stars, and the sun to my moon. i’d be incredibly lucky if you loved me half as much as i love you.” 

time stops for you. the one you have loved— the one you'd always love, just told you he feels the same way. tears made their way to your eyes as you asked him a simple question. “since when?”

he chuckled, “since that little festival we went to.”

“so you’re telling me,” you started, rising from the couch and standing in front of him. “we fell for each other at the same time?”

tsukishima blinked. 

gears were turning in his head at rapid speeds as his tipsy brain tries to process what you just told him. “you… feel the same way?” he asks in shock, his voice soft. the expression on his features showed you that he wasn’t expecting this in the slightest.

before you could ramble on what you do love about him, he stands on his feet and engulfs you in a hug, slightly picking you up. when he sets you down, the sparkles in his eyes are undeniably bright.

“i can’t believe it. sunshine, all this time? i mean, i didn’t want to tell you because i didn’t want to ruin our friendship and—”

you shut him up with a peck, and he malfunctions then and there. 

you ask, “what does this make us?”

he tilts his head. “well, now we’re basically in a relationship, but we’ll take it one step at a time. whatever pace you’re comfortable with.”

when his moon rises, your sun rises as well under the same sky. 

x-ia-n © 2020 | all content and its rights belong to me. do not modify or repost. general taglist: @mooniepotchi​​ | please fill out this form to be added to the taglist!

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Home Sweet Home: Kill ‘Em

Summary- 3.1k Andy Barber x You. You and Andy almost have it all, married and with a jointed family consisting of Andy’s teenage son Jacob, as well as your two younger children John and Cassidy. Looking to add another member, your family is in need of a bigger house, a forever home. You find just the place, 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville Long Island.   

Home Sweet Home

Written for @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho​ Spooky Scary Stories challenge. Divider by @firefly-graphics​

Warnings- Fighting, child endangerment, violence. 

A/N- I chose Amityville Horror for the challenge because its one of my favorite Spook Stories growing up. When reading you will find a lot of similarities to the 2005 Movie, some of the scenarios and dialogue are specifically from that film. Other parts of it are from the book itself. The family name was changed for my own personal reasons. Happy Haunting!  🎃

A/N 2- Thank you Everyone who stuck with me through this and have made comments about the story! You all are the very best, and I appreciate all of you. 

Chapter 4 / Masterlist 

The next morning you woke up groggy and looked over to see Andy’s side was untouched. “That idiot must have stayed in the basement.” you say with a groan, and move to sit up, rubbing your face. Grabbing a robe you slip it on, and head out of the bedroom. You peek in on Cassidy as you pass her room, and see John is in with her. Together they are sitting on her bed playing together and you step into the room. John looks up when he hears you and clears his throat. “Are you and Andy still fighting?” 

“Oh baby, I don't know. But it will be okay, I promise.” You tilt your head to kiss the top of his head and Cassidy squirms a bit. 

“Is Andy mad at us? Jody says he is.” She looked miserable at you, since she loved Andy like he was her father, and didn't want him upset with her. You reach to hug her and smile. 

“Andy loves you very much, I know he does. He isn't mad at you. He's just being a grumpy bear lately.” you wink and that seems to ease the kids. “I'm going to go downstairs and make breakfast, come down when you're ready.” 

Leaving them to play, you run into a sleepy Jacob headed to the bathroom. 

“Hey Jake.” You pause him and he rubs his eyes to look at you. “You okay?” 

“Yea, Y/N. I'm gonna go see Sammy later to see how she is doing.” He smiles weakly and you approach him and give him a hug. 

“I bet she will really like that. Also bring her a little something. Maybe flowers or a teddy bear. Us girls like to know we're being thought of.” you suggested while unknowingly lifting your hand to your ear lobe, rolling Andy's diamonds before smiling. “I'm gonna go risk seeing how your dad is, wish me luck.” 

Jacob snorted before going into the bathroom. “You are gonna need it.” 

Downstairs you went into the kitchen to see Andy sitting there, just staring at the wall. You worry your lip before deciding to take a chance, and moving a chair to sit next to him. 

“Andy can we talk?” You reach to take one of his hands in yours and he pulls it away without looking at you. 

Great, he's still pissed off, you thought while pulling your hand back. “Somethings not right Andy.” 

His eyes dart to you from the corner of his eyes. “What do you mean, something isn't right?” 

“Something with this house, it's not okay. It hasn't been in a while. I think… I think we should leave, sell this place and move.” You finally confess the thought that has been on your mind for a while now. Andy’s head whips around to look you up and down, and you could see the way they were red rimmed like he was once more sick. “God Andy, you look terrible, are you okay?” 

“Fine, never better. You can't just run away from your problems Y/N.” He bit out, and you recoiled a bit at the harshness of his tone. 

“Please, Andy. Lets just go. You're not well, and you haven’t been since we moved in.” You are blinking back tears now, worried for Andy and it was hurting to see him like this. Gone was the man you married, and everyday he was turning colder to you, to Jacob and the kids.

His head whipped around again, his eyes roving along the wall. “Y/N, you hear that? Someone is whispering.” You shake your head confused, and Andy whispers under his breath. “Catch ‘em…” His hands come down hard on the table and you jump, flinching away from him. “Gotta find that noise, these houses are big big projects Y/N, we can't just walk away from.” His hand snakes out and grabs yours, squeezing painfully, and you jerk it back from his hold with a cry. He sneers at you. “When did you get so fucking stupid Y/N?” 

Your mouth gapes open, and wipe away the tears. “W-What?” 

“We have everything in this house Y/N, every fucking god damn penny for Christs sake. I don’t even have a proper place to work and get the fuck away from all of you cause of this house.” 

“I don’t care about the money Andy!” you protest and he pushes away from the table, and goes to turn on the stove to put his hands over the flames. 

“I don't care about the money Andy.” He mimics you. “My money Y/N, mine. I made all the sacrifices for you to have this fucking house.”

You are fisting your hands together trying not to scream at him. “Andy we are losing each other here, don't you see? Turn off the stove and talk to me.” 

He jerked the stove knob off and twisted to face you. “YOU WANTED THIS GOD FORSAKEN HOUSE Y/N, NOW YOU GOT IT.” He snarled out, thumping his fist against the counter, and you jumped, hiding your face in your hands. All three of the kids had at some point come downstairs and were standing in the doorway witnessing it. Andy’s eyes roved over them with a look of disgust, then back at you, and he shook his head. “You all are so fucking pathetic. Home sweet home.” He went down in the basement, and Jacob went past the kids and shut the door, tempted to throw the lock to keep his father shut down there. 

“Y/N, are you okay?” Jacob sympathetically comes over and takes Andy's seat. You lift your head and wipe at the tears. 

“Yea, yea I’m okay. Jake, I think I'm going to take John and Cassidy to my moms for a little bit. I just can't keep doing this right now. It’s killing me, it’s killing me he's become this person who I don't know. I have had news I was going to tell him last night, and I don't dare now.” you hung your head and Jacob leaned forward, taking your hand in his. 

“What kind of news?” he tilted his head in question, and you lifted your head to look at him, giving a little sad smile. 

“We’re pregnant, I was going to tell him before we went to bed, but with everything going on.” You wandered off, and Jacob gave a smile. 

“Y/N, that's great news. Dad will be happy, I just know it.” his hand gave him a squeeze in reassurance. 

“I don't think he will be.” You sigh and let go of his hands, wiping your face. “If you want me to drop you off at Laurie’s, I will.” 

Jacob looks back at the basement door and gives a nod. “I think it's for the best right now. Besides, it's been a while since I have spent time at Mom’s.” 

Downstairs Andy paces back and forth, now the figure that has been tormenting him is following, no longer hiding. It slides up his back and clings like a second skin, whispering repeatedly in his ear. 

Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em.  

Andy repeats it to himself, his mind sinking further into madness. “Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em.” His head snaps up the stairs, and he sees the glowing red eyes, and the form takes shape at the basement door. It's forked tongue sticking out, while hissing his name. “Andy, Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em.” 

Andy smirked, advancing up the stairs. Each step alternating. Catch, Kill, Catch, Kill. He shoved open the door to see the kitchen was empty. Going into the entrance, he paused at the steps, listening. Your voice is distinct while talking to the kids. 

“Just your clothes and sleeping toys, everything else stays.” you said, and Andy starts up the stairs, pausing as he sees John packing in his room, and then Cassidy is in her room gathering her stuffed horses off the bed. Finally he ends up in the master bedroom, seeing you frantically gathering clothing from the dresser. 

“Running away I see, typical.” Andy spat out, his tone filled with venom and disgust towards you. 

“Don’t Andy, we're going to my mothers for a few days, Jacob said he wants to go stay with Laurie. We all need a break from each other.” you are so matter of fact about it while folding your shirts. Andy doesn't even pause as he stalks forward and when you turn around to go back to the dresser, he is right there blocking your path and he backhands you to sprawl against the floor. 

You yelp in shock, and he's on you with his hands wrapped around your throat, squeezing till you start struggling, pounding on his arms to get him to let go. He’s shaking you hard enough so your head bounces off the floor. “You were going to run away and not come back bitch, think you can get away from me? I OWN your fucking ass.” he snarled in your face, spit flying from his anger, and you can just see black dots. From somewhere you hear John screaming Jacob’s name, and it all starts to fade out. “Don't worry, I will take care of the kids.” 

Dropping your body, you roll away coughing and gagging while Andy pushes up and goes to look for the kids, who both had run to Jacob’s room. Jacob is squatting next to them, listening to what was going on, when he caught sight of Andy stalking down the hallway. Cassidy looked as well and screamed. 

“Jody! Jody is on his back!” Cassidy for the first time looks at Andy and Jody in fear. Jacob couldn't believe what he was seeing. Just over Andy's shoulder was something following him, looming over him with a grotesque face, fangs bared which Andy also was baring his teeth at the children, glowing red eyes flared and both Andy and Jody shouted at the same time. “Catch em, Kill em!” 

“Run guys, get out of the house!” Jacob pushed the kids towards the stairs, and they started racing down. Jacob felt Andy’s hand grab the nape of his neck and drag him back to slam him forward once more. Sending Jacob flying forward and colliding with the other two children, all three landing in a heap at the bottom. 

He scrambles up, trying to get John and Cassidy on their feet when Andy is about to start down, but you moments earlier had gained strength to get moving. Racing forward, you grab the back of his shirt around whatever the horror is that is clinging to his back and yanks backwards to try and stop him. 

“Andy! Stop! Those are your kids!” you scream, and he whips around, grabbing your arm to wrench it viciously, and slams you into the wall. 

“No no no. Those little ones are not my fucking responsibility. But I will be sure to take care of them once I get my hands on their necks.” He grinned coldly, the creature clinging to him hissed again. “Catch em, Kill em.” 

You sobbed as he fists a hand to hit you with and you sob out. “Andy, fuck Andy don't. I’m pregnant. With your child. Don’t hurt me.” Below you can hear the door open and the only thing you can think of is at least the kids escaped, because from the look in Andy’s eyes, you weren't going to. 

But they cleared a bit, he blinked in surprise. “You are what?” His hand loosened from the first about to pummel you.  

Taking a shuddering breath, you say again. “Pregnant, we're pregnant Andy. You are going to have another child.” Hoping beyond anything that it would be enough for him to break out of whatever the demon spawn grasp. It finally clicked for you that it must be Jody. The thing your daughter had been conversing with. Jody screamed in rage, and Andy turned cold again, his and once more locking into a fist. You heaved a shove at his chest to break loose while he seemed confused, and started to half run, half stumble down the steps. Andy's heavy footfalls are not far behind, and you try to get out the door, but it slammed shut on you. Twisting to get away from Andy, you race into the living room where Jacob is prying open a window. 

“Y/N! Hurry!” He reaches in and grabs your arm, helping hauling you out. Andy grabs your leg, and you kick out with the other one, catching him in the face. You felt the crunch of bone where his nose gave way, but he let go enough for Jacob to continue pulling you towards the car. 

He too is stumbling out the window, and when you look over your shoulder, you put on a burst of speed down the driveway, and both of you dive into the front seats. Your hands shaking, you grab the keys from the visor and try to get the car to start. 

“Hurry! Y/N, he's coming.” Jacob yells, and you cry out. 

“I'm trying! Oh god, Andy STOP!” In the backseat John and Cassidy are screaming in fear and you get the car in drive, slamming on the gas pedal while you are screaming at your husband. The sudden surge forward happened to catch Andy, sprawling him across the hood, and then shooting him forward to land in a heap. You slam on the break and stare at him, your mind whirring so fast you cant believe your saying what's coming out of your mouth. 

“Jacob, there is rope in the trunk, get it. We have to get him out of here.” 

“Y/N, are you crazy?! Dad was just about to kill us!” Jacob shakes his head in a no and you pop the trunk. 

“It's the house Jacob, it's not your dad's fault. We have to hurry before he wakes back up though.” You urge and are going out your door to check on Andy, and Jacob hesitates, and then follows, grabbing the rope out of the trunk and racing back. 

You roll Andy to his stomach and yank your unconscious husband's hands behind his back and once Jacob comes over, you tie them as quickly as you can. Beneath you Andy starts groaning, and he’s saying something. But it's slurred, and you get up to grab his shoulders. “Come on, let's get him in the trunk.” 

It felt like it took forever, Andy was so heavy and you both struggled getting him around the car. When you start to push him into the trunk, you see a shadow figure lurking just at the edge of the house, still chanting “Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em.” 

With a heave, you shove Andy in, and he twists, wild eyed. “Y/N, Y/N, Baby, just fucking kill me, I’m not going to stop. It's trying to take me again.” You look down at him, and shake your head, your tears streaming down your face. 

“I’m getting you out of here Andy.” Slamming the trunk shut while Andy starts screaming your name. Ignoring the thing lurking along the shadow of the house, you get back in the car and whip it around, 112 Ocean Avenue House in your rear view. 

You drive, as fast as possible away from the town. Once you feel you are far enough away, you go to a hospital and get the whole family into the emergency room, including a half out of it Andy. “Please, please I need help. My husband was hit by a car.” You try to stumble Andy in, but he collapses, weakened from the whole ordeal. 

There is a noise, it's annoying Andy as he starts to come back. It was a buzzing in his ear and a steady beep. He can tell he's not in his bed, this mattress was much too hard. His thoughts race all before he gets the energy to pry his eyelids apart. Trying to remember what happened. It was hazy, he remembered being in the basement, his mind heavy with the liquor and rage at his family, at you. You were leaving the house and him. After that he didn't want to remember, it was a sickening drive to choke the life out of you, the kids, and Jacob too. 

Andy eventually blinks his eyes open, and the first thing he sees is you sitting by his bed, holding his hand. “Y/N?” he says hoarsely, and you nod, squeezing his hand with a smile. 

“Hey Andy, I’m right here.” you say and he lifts his hand to cup your face, tracing your bruises gently as his eyes well up. 

“Oh babygirl, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” He drops his hand and you shift from your seat to sit on his bed and cup his face, now the tears were soaking in his beard and you could see he was remembering everything that happened, what he was almost made to do. 

“Andy, hush baby hush. I knew that wasn’t you.” You ease down, your head on his chest, and he buries his face on the top of your head, still crying unable to help himself. He could have lost all of you, in seconds. He fought it, tried to. But that thing, Jody was stronger then he was, and shame filled him that he would have killed all of you. Uncontrolled sobs wracked his body harshly, harsher than that cough ever done to him. He clung to you for a few minutes till the overwhelming emotions backed off, and he eased his hold. 

You shift a bit to sit back up and take his hand in yours. “Andy we got out, all of us. You're in the worst shape, Jacob and the kids are all perfectly safe. We never have to go back to that place.” 

Andy shook his head, fear filling him at any of you returning. “God fuck no. None of us are ever going back to that house. Destroy it. Tear it down.” 

You nod, your fingers tracing his hand and you smiled. “Hey, I have some good news. Something to make today a bit better.” You take his hand and press it against your belly. “You're gonna be a daddy again.” 

His fingers flexed slightly, and he moved to sit up with a shudder. “Oh fuck, I didn’t hurt you there did I?” His other hand cupped your face and you shook your head. 

“No, actually when I told you, you snapped out of the control. How I knew it wasn't you. You did your best to stop it.” your hand rubbed over his pressed against your stomach. “I'm going to go get the doctor, let them look you over.” You kissed his forehead and moved off the bed, leaving the room. Andy eased back against the pillows. You were sure he was fine before you closed the door all the way, heading towards the nurses station. On the way, you had to pass the room that had the children in it, and as you were passing it, you distinctly heard Cassidy’s voice chant. “Jody, we can play Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em later, right now I want to watch Blue’s Clues.” 

Your throat closed up, and when you eased the door open, there was Cassidy sitting in the middle of the bed sipping on her juice box. 

“Hi Mommy, Jody’s back to play!”

[animegenork]

Sorry to interrupt regularly scheduled ignoring my random, but I wanted to put these somewhere, so I figured I’d put him here on my blog!

Basically, I wrote these short drabbles for each LI from @andromeda-six some number of months ago (I have no idea what time is anymore, but I think this was in July), around the time when Episode 4 was still blowing my mind. I did it as a sort of comfort thing and to do something nice for some friends, but I actually kinda liked them? So I figured I’d share, if that’s okay... If not you can just unfollow me like a bunch of people have been doing LMAO

All below the cut! :D

For my fellow Damon stans

If Calderon Hadn’t Cockblocked in the DLC 

"Yeah..." he says. "Stunning." 

 I realize he's not talking about the fireflies anymore as I turn my head to see him staring at me. My body starts to hum with the attention he's giving me; of course, he's looked at me before, but something about this is... different. 

 "Traveler," he murmurs, his voice quieter than I've ever heard it. He's not one to be quiet, I realize. It's either silence or full volume with this one. 

 My breath stops in my throat as his hand lightly touches my chin, as he has many times before. As he leans closer, I feel the logical part of my brain trying to push me away. He's bad news, it says. You shouldn't get involved. 

Screw logic. 

 His lips touch mine, and I feel something inside me melt. It's like he's some sort of poison, tearing me apart from the inside out. But somehow, that's good in this case. I decide I like poisons named Damon. 

Briefly, he pulls away, searching my eyes for any signs of protest, though I can't imagine ANYONE'S ever protested a kiss from him. Except maybe Calderon. 

"Was that stunning?" I nearly choke out, and the smirk that creeps up his face makes the stupid joke worth it. 

 "In a way," he replies, leaning in to kiss me again. 

I should volunteer to do the laundry more often.

------

For the Bash-ers (wait no that sounded wrong WHAT I MEANT WAS--)

Stars

Bash is waiting for me outside my room. He's in the process of hanging up one of his outrageous doodles, but he smiles despite being caught in action. "Sleep well?" 

"Ehhh," I reply, though my nonchalance is definitely offset by the dark circles under my eyes. It's hard to sleep when you have the weight of a galaxy resting on your shoulders. 

He studies my face for a moment before grinning. "Alright, come on." 

Grabbing my hand, he drags me through the hallway to the loading bay, until I can see the stars out the window, like I did the first day I woke up on the Six. A smile lifts the corners of my lips. The stars, as always, bring some sense of comfort to me. Looking at them, it's like there's nothing that could bother me.

I smile up at Bash. "Thanks, Bash."

"Oh, come on." I look up at him quizzically, and he wraps his arms around me, lifts me off the ground, and spins me around. "SMILE WIDER!" he practically screams, and I laugh at how weird he's being about something as simple as a smile. But that's Bash, I suppose. That's just the way he is.

He stops spinning me and looks up at me with his gleaming green eye and glinting yellow one. This time, my smile is more genuine. "Thank you." 

Setting me down gently, he kisses me on the forehead, which surprises me and delights me all at once. "Anytime, Traveler."

It takes all my willpower not to melt to the floor in a puddle as I blush myself silly.

------

Now Juuuuuuune (baby boy)

Hold My Hand

At first, I was just determined to meet June's lizard. Then, I find him in one of the storage closets, frowning at the wall as if it had just insulted him. "June?"

He doesn't answer, not at first. Then, slowly, he turns, and from the haunted look in his eye, I can tell he was just in a dark place. That wasn't this closet, that is.

"Traveler," he says hoarsely. He steps out of the closet and closes the door behind him, leaning heavily against it. "What's up?"

I can't possibly ask him about his lizard right now. "I, uh... just wanted to say hi."

June manages a weak grin. "Hi."

"Hi." We're silent then, and I see that something is still weighing on him. So I do something a bit drastic.

I hold out my hand. "Hold my hand, June."

"What?" He shoots me a questioning look, but, seeing the look on my face, he obliges and gives me his hand. Unsurprisingly, it's a bit calloused and rough, and a part of me just wants to hold it there and pretend time isn't passing around us.

But no, this isn't about me. This is about June. He's hurting, and I want him to feel better. It's not right for such a sweet man to be hurting this much.

I lift his hand to my lips and kiss his palm gently. Then, I close his fingers over his own hand and look up at him. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here, June."

A light blush is spreading across his cheeks, but his weak smile softens as he murmurs, "Thanks, Traveler."

He wraps his arms around me in a hug, and I embrace him back. Sometimes, we all need to remember that we're not alone in this fucked-up universe.

------

For Cal-ers? (Was that funny? No? Okay I thought so)

Lynch the Cal-y Cat

Pushing Calderon's buttons shouldn't have been as amusing as it was, and yet, it continued to amuse me. Perhaps Damon and Aya were rubbing off on me too much, or perhaps a part of me had always been this mischievous.

I wasn't quite sure what possessed me to do it, but I acquired a pair of cat ears, yellow, like his hair, and I was trying to sneak them onto his head without his noticing. As I tiptoe up behind him, I realize with a sudden clarity that there is no one else around, and so, he is that much more likely to hear me coming. Dammit.

And indeed, he turns around before I succeed, a scowl upon his face. I have a split second lead on him, so I slip the cat ears on his head before he can protest. 

"What the hell?" he grumbles, rolling his eyes up, as if he can see the top of his head by doing so.

I start laughing uncontrollably, doubling over and practically not breathing anymore. He watches me enjoy his annoyance with a dark expression on his face. Even if he's pissed, the sight of him with kitty ears is priceless.

After a few moments, his face softens into a more neutral expression. I glance up at him, still shaking with the force of my laughter, and ask, "Cat got your tongue?" I bite my lip before I start rolling on the floor.

"You're smiling."

What? "Huh?"

Calderon looks away, as if saying something like this was a nuisance. "You're not moping around anymore. It's good to see you out and about."

Had he been WORRIED about me? Well, that was all sorts of embarrassing. "Uh, yeah, um, thanks, I guess...?"

He gives me a curt nod and continues down the hallway. "Oh, and Traveler?" I turn and raise my eyebrows at him. There's mischief gleaming in his eyes, and I'm not sure what to think about it.

"Be prepared for my payback." And then he leaves.

Oh, man. Why does that make me smile wider than I was about the cat ears?

------

Now for Aya <3

So About That Pole...

It's weird to consistently think of a sorta-sexy pole dance a friend of yours did just for fun, right? Right.

But I was undoubtedly thinking about that pole dance all the time, and I knew I wouldn't be able to look Aya in the eye until I'd had some semblance of a normal conversation with her again.

So when she surprises me at my room, I think perhaps karma or something is out to get me.

"Traveler! So Bash and I are planning this latest prank-" she begins, and then she sees that a blush is spreading over my face. "Are you sick? Should I take you to Ryona?" She puts her hand on my forehead, and I can't believe I haven't completely lost my shit yet.

That pole dance is on fucking repeat.

"You were saying?" I grit out, ignoring my clammy hands.

Aya cocks an eyebrow. "Oh no, you're not getting out that easily." She leans forward and rests her forehead against mine, and I stare, wide-eyed, into her eyes. Such proximity is really not good for my heart, considering how much I've been thinking about her.

Finally, she narrows her eyes. "Wait. What are you thinking about?" I don't answer, and she starts to grin. "Don't tell me after that dance, you've fallen for me?"

I blush.

She laughs, lacing her fingers with mine. "I'm flattered, Traveler. I'm sorry I didn't prepare you for that." With a kind smile, she winks at me. "But hey, lemme know if you want a repeat show."

Of course, my language skills return at that moment. "I just like that you were having so much fun."

Aya's eyes glitter with some emotion I can't read, and she leans in and whispers: 

"Good. Because I have fun when I'm with you." 

It's a miracle I don't drop dead on the spot.

------

Ryona, darling heart

Kiss to Make It Better?

I walk around the infirmary, marveling at all the plants Ryona has placed around the room. They really do give the room a homey touch, much better than I assume most infirmaries must look. At least, my perception of them has been anything but this.

Behind me, the door opens, and I turn to find Ryona, eyebrows raised. "Traveler? What's wrong?"

Now was my chance. I hold up my finger. "I got a bad cut."

Silence.

Ryona starts to chuckle, and I grin awkwardly as she comes over and inspects the cut. "How did this happen?"

"I was practicing with the knife Damon gave me--"

"Say no more."

Okay, good, cuz there was no way I'd admit to Ryona that I kinda-sorta did it on purpose.

But of course, she somehow knew anyway. "You didn't do this to yourself on purpose, did you?" She looks up from the cut to my face, raising a stern eyebrow and pursing her lips. I swallow. How is she so good at that?

So I tell the truth. "I wanted to see you." Wait, shit, I didn't mean to be so blunt about it--

Her chuckle returns as she begins wrapping a bandage around the cut. I watch her nimble fingers work, fascinated by how efficient they are when I can barely do any similar activity without messing up at least once. Which is why I thought it would be believable that I hadn't done this on purpose.

When she's done, Ryona smiles at me. "Need anything else?"

It's childish, but surely she won't mind...? "Maybe a kiss will make it better?"

Ryona's blue skin flickers a bit as a reddish tinge spreads across her cheeks. Nevertheless, she lightly kisses my bandaged finger, and I grin triumphantly. "Does it feel better now?" she asks tightly, as if she's trying not to melt in a puddle like my heart already has.

"Yes. Thanks, Ry," I whisper, leaning forward and resting my forehead against hers. We smile at each other. At my side, my finger tingles.

------

And now we have reached Vexx-point! (Was... was that a pun? I don’t know...)

Don’t Worry, I’ll Save You

It's hard to watch someone you love suffer, even if that someone broke your heart not too long ago.

Maybe it was pointless for me to keep my hopes up when it came to Vexx, but I knew, from the moment he told me he hadn't cared, that something was up. Even if it had been all an act, I knew that what we had was something, and it certainly wasn't nothing.

So as I sit here, watching him sleep fitfully in the room where we're keeping him prisoner, I can't help but wonder what that manic look in his eye is all about. What did Zovack do to him? How can I fix it?

Suddenly, Vexx's face crumples into a forlorn expression, and I can't just sit by him anymore. I scoot over to him and put his head in my lap, stroking his red hair. Then, a thought occurs to me, and I take out my music box and open it, letting its lullaby soothe Vexx, even in the midst of his nightmares.

I can't help myself; I lean down and gently kiss his forehead, knowing he won't remember it when he wakes up. "Don't worry, Vexx. I'll save you. I promise."

Though he can't hear me, his lips turn up slightly in a smile, and I have a feeling his bad dreams have shifted to something better.

It's up to me to make that a reality for him.

-------

Wow I forgot how short that last one was, I’m a bit embarrassed ;w;

But anyway, if you read these, thank you for the taking the time! <3

[nero-belladonna]

Here’s my Nuts and Dolts playlist because it is 2 in the morning and I’m scared for the final episode of V8.

Song list:

Space Girl:

“Girl, are you a cancer? ‘Cause you make me cry, when we kiss or dance in the sky. We're dancing in the sky”

Femmebot:

“I feel the sparks between us, electric shock. Hot-wired, if you mess it up” “You make me lose control, it's automatic”

Would You Be So Kind:

“I have a question, it might seem strange” “Oh would you be so kind as to fall in love with me? You see, I’m trying”

Still into You:

“It’s not a walk in the park to love each other, but when our fingers interlock, can’t deny, can’t deny you’re worth it” “Let em’ wonder how we got this far, cause I don’t really need to wonder at all”

This is Gospel:

“The gnashing teeth and criminal tongues, conspire against the odds. But they haven’t seen the rest of us yet” “Cause these words are knives that often leave scars”

I’d Be Your Wife:

“I’ve looked around, and you’re the one that I want” “It started with a feeling then you had me dreaming. Now you never leave my side”

Boom Clap:

“You’re picture perfect blue, sunbathing under the moon. Stars shining as your bones illuminate” “We’re going under cast the spell, just say the word. I feel your love”

I Really Like You:

“I’m running out of time, going out of my mind. I need to tell you something” “I feel like I could fly with the boy on the moon”

She:

“Am I allowed, to look at her like that? Could it be wrong? When she’s just so nice to look at” “And she, means everything to me”

Tell Her You Love Her:

“Don’t be just everything she wants, be everything she needs” “Give her a reason, reason to love all you do”

Fireflies:

“You would not believe your eyes, if 10 million fireflies lit up the world as I felt asleep” “I’d like to make myself believe, that planet earth turns, slowly”

Everything Has Changed:

“And all I’ve seen, since 18 hours ago, is green eyes, freckles and your smile in the back of my mind making me feel like” “Cause all I know is we said ‘hello’ and your eyes looking like coming home”

Sk8er Boi:

“He wanted her, she never tell. Secretly she wanted him as well” “We are in love, haven’t you heard? How we rock each other’s world”

It’s Nice To Have A Friend:

“Lost my gloves, you gave me one. ‘Wanna hang out?’ Yeah sounds fun” “Something gave you the nerve, to touch my hand”

Sad Song:

“You, and I. We’re like fireworks and symphonies exploding in the sky” “Without you, I’m just a sad song”

We fell in love in October:

“You look so pretty and I love this view. We fell in love in October, that’s why, I love fall” “Don’t bother looking down, we’re not going that way”

Not Gonna Get Us:

“Starting from here, let's make a promise. You and me, let's just be honest. We're gonna run, nothing can stop us. Even the night that falls all around us” “Nothing can stop this, not now, I love you”

Sofia:

“I think we could do it if we tried. If only to say you're mine” “You know I'll do anything you ask me to. But oh my God, I think I'm in love with you”

Two is better than one:

“You came into my life and I thought, hey, you know this could be something” “Cause when I close my eyes and drift away, I think of you and everything's okay”

Sick of losing soulmates:

“What the hell would I be, without you? Brave face talk so lightly, hide the truth” “I won’t take no for an answer”

Girls Like Girls:

“Tell the neighbors I'm not sorry if I'm breaking walls down. Building your girl's second story, ripping all your floors out” “We will be everything that we'd ever need. Don't tell me, tell me what I feel”

You Belong With Me:

“Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time” “And you've got a smile that can light up this whole town”

In The Name Of Love:

“If I told you this was only gonna hurt? If I warned you that the fire's gonna burn? Would you walk in? Would you let me do it first? Do it all in the name of love” “When there's madness, when there's poison in your head. When the sadness leaves you broken in your bed, I will hold you in the depths of your despair”

The Moon Song:

“Time's we're swallowed up in space we're here a million miles away” “There's no thing I'd keep from you”

(There’s more songs but I’ll add them later)

[padfootagain]

Girl Crush (XXVI)

Chapter 26: Poppy Dream

Here we go with a new chapter!! I hope you like it!! Not gonna lie… there's a tid bit of angst in that one… I hope you don't hate me too much by the end of it though (better hope so cause it will get worse…)

I am also coming close to the end now… I reckon that I have… 5, maybe 6 chapters left, something like that. Thank you to all of you who have stayed throughout the whole thing!

WARNING for mentions of soft drugs in this chapter (Harry took mushrooms when he wrote fine line, apparently, and I used this idea here, but there is no mention of addiction or anything shocking. He’s just being an idiot, as usual.)

Word Count: 3745

Living with Gareth was great.

Lots of cuddles, and him being sweet and stealing kisses. He cooked almost every day, and you had a nice system of chores that kept both of you equally busy with the nasty tasks to do. It was smooth, and easy. It felt safe.

A little boring, you had to admit. It wasn't... exciting. You were happy to find him home when you walked inside the apartment you shared, but you didn't want to just rush to him either.  You weren't eager to leave work to join him. Why not though? He was great...

After almost two months of living together, you would have expected to be more ecstatic at the idea of living with him. You blamed the fact that you had spent so many years living on your own, and it felt strange to share your daily life with someone now. You knew that it wasn't the only reason though.

But overall, you were happy, and it was nice to have him around. Your only real problem with your new home was that Harry didn't drop by unannounced anymore. He used to do it all the time before. If you were free for an evening and he knew so? You were certain that he would be on your doorstep with some take-out and a bottle of wine before 9pm.

You understood, of course. He was coming to spend time with you, not both you and Gareth, and things were different now that you didn't live alone anymore. You also reckoned that it would be a little like intruding, from his end. It didn't change the fact that you missed those evenings with him like crazy.

Which was why you were now standing on his doorstep, a bag full of Chinese food in your hand right after you had knocked a couple of times. He opened the door, looking dishevelled and wrapped in comfy clothes that made you want to snuggle into his side and stay there, tugged into his chest, for the rest of the night...

…or maybe forever.

"Y/N?" he asked with a frown, and a little bit of panic shining in his green eyes. "You're alright? What are you doing here?"

You shrugged in response.

"I'm fine. Just thought I'd drop by."

"Did you and Gareth have a fight?"

"No. I'm fine. I just wanted to spend some time with you. I brought Chinese!"

"Oh... huh..."

"H? Who is it?

Before you could process what was happening, a woman was appearing in the doorway. She was wearing one of Harry's jumpers. You noticed that it wasn't one of those you used when you came to his house though. It seemed like a new TPWK sweater.

"Hi..." she faked a smile, coming closer and placing a hand on Harry's arm, as if to show who he belonged to. "Sorry, you are...?"

You finally shook yourself, and offered her your open hand and a bright smile.

"Hi! I'm Y/N. I'm Harry's friend. Sorry to interrupt, I didn't know he had company, and I was passing by, so I thought I'd drop by. But... you're clearly occupied so... I'll leave you to it. Behave, huh?" You added jokingly, waving your finger at Harry.

"I see... I'm Gloria," she shook your hand, but her smile was toxic to say the least. "A friend... I see... you often drop by?"

"I wouldn't say often but..." you offered her another smile, and cleared the air before any misconception could be settled, and Harry would get to argue with his new girlfriend because of a quid pro quo. "Since I've moved in with my boyfriend a couple of months ago, I and Harry haven't spent much time together, so..."

Gloria seemed to immediately relax, and her next smile was earnest.

"Oh, I see! You want to come in then? I'd love to know more about you! I'm sure you can tell me so many stories about H!"

But Harry gave you the smallest shake of his head, and you got the message loud and clear.

"No, no, no! I'm not gonna intrude. Let's plan a dinner or something like that instead! That will be much better. Good night then, lovebirds!"

"Good night, Y/N! It was nice meeting you!"

You gave the couple a little wave, and turned to walk back to your car, when Harry's voice stopped you in your tracks.

"Y/N?"

You turned around, unable to resist his call.

He seemed a little out of breath, you noticed. A little sad too. Maybe even a little disappointed or tortured. As if he tried to resist the urge to do something.

You couldn't know that he was resisting his urge to send Gloria away, and close the distance between you and him in a rush and kiss you under the lamppost before his house. He wondered what you tasted like... he wondered so more and more often these days, and his longing for you seemed more and more difficult to control.

He did resist though. Instead, he looked at you with desperate eyes.

"Still renovating your shop on Sunday?"

You offered him a smile, but he could have sworn it wasn't an earnest one. He could read sadness in your eyes as they shone under the yellowish streetlights.

"Sure! If you can spare the time."

"For you? Always."

"Well then... I guess... see you on Sunday!"

He nodded, unable to look away.

"See you on Sunday."

I love you was on the tip of his tongue once more, but he bit his cheek instead, until the pain made the words disappear.

You climbed in your car, aware of Harry's presence still on his doorstep. You drove off without a look back at him. You knew he was looking at you as you drove down the street, and you didn't find in you the strength to see him like this: walking further from his door and into the street so he could keep on looking at your car, in his old black jumper and his hair held into a tiny bump on the top of his head with one of the elastic bands you had forgotten long ago in his bathroom, his arms crossed before his chest,  until you disappeared for good around the corner.

A couple of streets away though, you pulled over, and threw your food in a bin. You felt sick now, instead of hungry.

You climbed back into your car, resting your hands on the wheel and your head against the back of your seat. Up above, stars glimmered above L.A, undying fireflies that came back to haunt the same pieces of the sky every night. The nearby lamppost shed yellow hues in your vehicle, bathing your hands in the electric light.

It could have been a nice night, you reckoned. If only...

You didn't react when your phone let out a whistling sound. You didn't need to check the screen to know it was Harry. He would be asking something along the lines of:

Hey! Let me know when you're home, please? It's quite late already. Just want to make sure you're home safe. See you Sunday. H x

 Because he was the kind of idiot who always signed his texts, and you were the kind of moron who secretly found it cute although you acted like it was annoying. And he was the kind of idiot who always worried about you when you drove at night, even if it wasn't that late yet. He just... always asked for you to reassure him that you were safe. And he was the kind of idiot who played it cool and blamed your lack of skills behind a wheel to hide the fact that he simply was always worried about you. And you were the kind of moron who still believed his lies about it.

And he was the kind of idiot who tried to forget his love for you in the arms of someone else. And you were the kind of moron who chose to push away the real reason for why you were on the verge of tears now as you sat motionless in your car, in the empty Californian street at 9pm. It was easier to blame it on how tired you were these days, than admit that your life was not getting in the direction you wanted it to go, and that every day you wished you wouldn't walk even further away from what you truly wanted...

... or rather whom.

"Wait! What do you mean you're at the HOSPITAL?!"

"Can you like… not shout?"

You took a couple of very deep breaths, trying to calm down, but so far doing a terrible job at it.

"Mitch, can you please tell me again where you are and why? Please?" you asked in a lower voice, although your voice was everything but calm.

"We're at the ER, Harry bit off his tongue."

"HOW…?!"

You took another deep breath, noticing the people in the grocery store looking at you.

"How on Earth did he bit his tongue hard enough for you to need to go to the ER?" you asked, your voice shaky.

"We were high. He jumped off the window."

"High?"

"Yeah… mushrooms."

You heaved a tired sigh, burying your face in your hand. You knew that Harry had been 'experimenting' - as he liked to call it – while writing his new album. He said it helped him get out of his own head, relieve the pressure. You reckoned that as long as he was taking drugs because he wanted to escape reality, or as long as he didn't get a sense of need for it, then it was quite unharmful.

At least, you thought so.

"Could you come and pick us up? Sarah's not answering her phone, and I can't drive."

"How did you get there?"

"I called an ambulance. He was bleeding like crazy!"

"Are you high too?"

"A little. Less than him though. Still, can't drive."

"I'm coming. Don't move."

"Thank you, Y/N!"

"Don't thank me yet, I'm about to kick both of your arses!"

You hung up the phone before Mitch could add anything, and hurried to set back the few items you had gathered in your bag before you rushed to your car.

You sent a text to Gareth warning him about the incident and telling him that you couldn't get the groceries and were driving to the hospital instead, before you turned on the engines and drove out of the parking lot.

Your phone rang a few minutes later, and you talked on speaker with your boyfriend.

"Hey! I just got your text… is everybody alright?"

"Hmmm… I don't know for sure, I'm going to the hospital now."

"Do you need me to come too?"

"No, don't bother. You're busy working. I'll handle it."

"I hope it's nothing too serious. How did he manage to hurt his tongue so badly?"

"I'll tell you later. I've got to kick his butt first."

"Go easy on him. The poor guy…"

"You're right, it must hurt a lot," you calmed down instantly, and now instead of anger, you wanted to reach the hospital as fast as possible out of worry.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Call me if you need anything."

"Thank you. See you tonight."

"Love you!"

"Love you too."

Soon enough you were rushing inside the hospital, looking for your two friends. And you found them with ease, as they were waiting for you, sitting on hospital chairs with Harry's head resting on Mitch's shoulder.

The guitarist gave you a little wave and a relieved smile.

"Thank God you're here…"

"Are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah… him… He needs a nap."

As if on cue, Harry seemed to finally notice that you were here, and he shot you a toothy grin.

"Y/N! I 'appy 'o 'ee you!" he mumbled, unable to articulate his words properly.

"They numbed his tongue," Mitch explained. "And he's still high."

"Is it serious?" you asked with worry in your voice as you bent down to examine Harry's face.

"Nah… he'll be fine. Got it all patched up. He'll be fine in a few days. He did lose a bit of his tongue though!"

You smacked Harry's arm, and he frowned, looking at you with angry eyes and an adorable pout while he rubbed his arm.

"Wha' was 'at for?"

"What was that for? You lost a piece of your tongue, you moron!"

"Don' call me 'at…" his pout grew sadder, an effect of the drugs, really, he was always sleepy and all cuddly when he was drunk or high.

"I was so worried about you!"

A smirk slowly formed on his lips.

"You 'ere 'orried abou' me?"

"Of course, I was worried! I still am! And I'm gonna kick your butt for being so stupid!"

"I 'ave a pre'y bu'…" he smirked.

"Yes, well, your pretty butt is gonna be in trouble! Now come on, let's get you home."

You dropped Mitch at the studio first, where he would wait for Sarah to take him home. You helped Harry in his house next, making sure he wouldn't fall, as his head was still cloudy. He was slowly doing better though, and his words became clearer by the minute, although his painful tongue still made him wince when he hit his tongue against his teeth.

"'ank you for picking me up," he said, falling on his bed.

"I'm gonna get you some water, okay?"

You helped him out of his jumper, as he seemed tangled in his sleeves before heading downstairs and coming back with a glass of cold water.

"'ank you," he breathed in a baby voice, holding the glass in both his hands as he rested his back against the headboard.

You shook your head looking at him. You had to admit that he looked adorable like this, a little lost maybe. Soft and fragile and you could read through his body language that he longed for some cuddles.

And you thought about crawling in bed by his side, to let him rest his hedd against your shoulder, but then you remembered that he wasn't single either anymore. So, you reached for your phone instead.

"You want me to call Gloria for you? What's her number?"

"Who?"

"Gloria. You're girlfriend?"

He huffed, shaking his head.

"She ain' my girlfriend. I don' see her anymore."

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

He shrugged, his pout back on his face.

"I didn' like her 'at much."

"I see…"

"I don' wan' 'o be alone," he admitted in a whisper, resting his head against the headboard, his glass still in his hands resting on his stomach, while he stared at you with pleading eyes that truly meant to say please, stay.

You heaved a sigh, taking off your shoes and climbing in the bed by his side. He gave you a grin in response.

"Alright… but just a few minutes. Then, I have to go home."

"Bu' I'm hur'…"

"Because you were being a moron. Next time, don't count on me to come pick you up at the hospital because you broke a limb because you were high!"

He stared at you with one of these intense glances he threw at you every time he listened to you really intently, and it was always a bit too much for you to handle.

"I don' like i' when you're mad a' me…" he whispered truthfully, a sad expression on his face now.

You heaved a sigh, defeated already. You took away his empty glass, placing it on the bedside table on your side of the bed, and opened your arms for him. He didn't need you to speak out loud to rush into your embrace, burying his face into your neck.

"I'm not mad," you reassured him. "I just… I don't like it when you're hurt. It makes me all worried."

He hummed, nodding.

"I'm always worried abou' you 'oo you know?"

"I know."

"I ge' real worried when you don' call for more 'an a day," he went on, rambling, and you were certain that he wouldn't have said any of these words out loud, had he been sobber. "I make all 'ese scenarios in my head… and I miss you."

"Well, I'm here now."

He snuggled closer to you, nodding his head. His arms were around you now, holding you against him as if he were afraid you'd change your mind and walk away at any second now.

"I'm always worried abou' you. I really need you, you know?"

He rubbed his cheek in your neck, and you were certain that your heart was about to implode.

"I like i' when you hold me," he went on. "Feels warm. Feels safe. Feels really safe in your arms."

You dropped a kiss in his hair, and you could have sworn he had shivered at the contact.

"You are safe. You're safe with me, Harry."

"Don' leave me. Ever."

"I'm not gonna leave you, Harry."

He heaved a content sigh, before breathing in deeply your scent, your perfume and your shampoo intertwined to better blur his senses. When he spoke again, it was barely a whisper, and you weren't sure what he meant, but it sounded like something dangerous.

"God… I write too many songs abou' you, Y/N. I'm so sorry. I really 'ried bu' I can' help i'… Ain' my fault if you're always there."

Put a price on emotion

I'm looking for something to buy

 Harry pulled at his lower lip while he listened to the latest version of his song. He had started writing it a while ago, but he could feel now that it was almost done.

His tongue was almost healed, and he could speak as normal again. He thought back about the way it felt to be safely held in your embrace…

 You've got my devotion

But man, I can hate you sometimes

 He wondered if you would remember that these words were yours. That night on New Year's Eve. You and him alone in his mother's garden, under the frozen winter sky. He could never shake off these words of yours. He wasn't sure of what you meant by them at the time, and yet he felt like they echoed in his heart with an uncomfortable accuracy.

He too hated you sometimes for the way he loved you so ardently, so stubbornly. At the end of the day though, it wasn't your fault at all, and he couldn't change his feelings either.

 We'll get the drinks in

And I'll get to thinking of her

 He had broken up with Gloria, although he reckoned that they had never really been together to begin with. He had just seen her over the course of three weeks, it was hardly anything meaningful to him. And he was ashamed to admit it, but he had indeed drunk a little too much a couple of nights just to think of you instead.

 We'll be a fine line

 Maybe it could be what you'd remain. Somewhere in between friends and lovers, and it was almost fine for him, really. It had been fine for a long time, at least. He could shake off the feeling of missing you, and he had grown skilled at forgetting about Gareth and the way he got to kiss you and share your bed.

But then he would see you face to face, and it was getting harder every day to resist the temptation to just spill it all out and hold you close.

And when he saw you with Gareth, it still hurt just as much to know that he lived everything Harry desired so brightly.

For how much longer could he go on like this? Years? Months? He didn't know, and was afraid to find out the answer.

 Test of my patience

There's things that we'll never know

 And yet despite everything he felt and how painful it was to live like this, he still preferred this situation to the events that would unfold if he spoke the truth.

Because he knew you better than you knew yourself sometimes, and you were loyal to a fault. And you were kind and too selfless for your own good. And if he told you the truth, you would walk away. He had given the various possibilities a lot of thoughts, and over the dozens of scenarios he had run into his head, his conclusion seemed to always fall back onto you leaving him for good. Because you could never choose him feeling like you would be cheating on your boyfriend. He knew perfectly well that you would never do anything of the kind to your boyfriend. If you were to ever leave him, it would be to make you both happier, not just for yourself. And for now, Harry was pretty sure that it wasn't the case.

So, even if he managed, by some miracle, to make you doubt your feelings for Gareth and consider trying something with him, Harry knew that your sense of loyalty would push you back into Gareth's arms. Guilt would torture you too much. And then Harry would lose you for good.

No need to try, then. The game was lost already. It was almost as if your possible feelings for him - and he was far from certain that you had any - barely mattered. There was just no scenario where Harry won.

What a stupid heart he had for giving itself to you...

 Spreading you open

Is the only way of knowing you

 If only he had realized all this before you met Gareth...

Why did it have to hurt so much to belong to someone else? Why did it have to mean that we'd be at their mercy? Why did we have to be so damn fragile in front of the ones that mattered most to us?

Would you recognize them if he sang your words? Would you remember that evening with him? He still dreamt about it from time to time...

Would you realize it then? How much of you he carried with him all the time?

He reckoned that you wouldn't.

 We'll be a fine line

We'll be alright

 He let his head fall back, his face turned to the ceiling as he let out a deep, painful sigh and closed his weary eyes.

Would the two of you ever be alright?

***********************************************

Taglist :  @ponycake27 @horsesreign @xinyourdreamsx @jbluevelvet@notkeppeki @daynigt-dreamer-stuff @fudgeflyss @stuckupstucky@snek-shit @suchatinyinfinity@i-padfootblack-things  @buckybsarmy @heyohheyitsgabi@jigsawlover10 @emyyjemyy @addictedtofictionalcharacters @staringmoony@madamrogers @cronias13​ @stylesfics-xx @mellamolayla @mariaenchanted

[letaintedserpentine]

ZADR WEEK: Awkward Beginnings

“Irkens do not take… partnerships lightly, Dib-stink.” “A witness.” Gaz repeated, although devoid of emotion. “You’re asking me to witness in your alien wedding.”

i took the prompt awkwardness and turned it into some sort of marriage au because why not. yo guys i took self-indulgent to the max! WARNINGS FOR MEGA FLUFF!!!! thanks to @poor-ciceros-voring-again for hosting, much love :D full fic below: or in AO3

Fatal Attraction

--------

‘We no longer need any of your incessant reports, Zim. Now be a good Irken and face your exile with dignity.’

The words flashed on the monitor, stark and unyielding, whenever he tried to communicate with the Massive.

It had been for several Earth years, and some point, he’d stopped bothering.

It was clear that the armada no longer needed him.

No need for Zim to bring Earth to its knees and to the glory of Irk.

There was barely any more reason to keep fighting, and yet-

He wouldn’t give up his rivalry with Dib for anything.

So he fought.

Concocted little schemes. When they were once that aimed to take control of the planet, they shifted- aiming to keep Dib’s attention on him, petty pranks just to get the human cursing at him, to once again try to get their blood pumping, adrenaline pushing at them to bring the other down.

When their fights began to turn to more sparring than maiming, and banter began to feel more playful than hurtful, it should’ve been unsurprising for Dib to ask, “Are we even still… enemies?”

And yet Zim still found himself reeling, never once had asked it to himself. But that couldn’t be right.

If they weren’t enemies anymore, what were they?

Zim feared not only the answer, but the potential end to their charade- Dib has been his rival for so long that he couldn’t imagine being without him anymore.

Maybe sensing his reluctance to answer, Dib had been quick to follow his inquiry. “Do you think you could ever just trust me, Zim?”

Zim physically recoiled. Irkens do not trust, not when it was a show of weakness. “You speak of incompetence, Dib-thing.”

Dib gave him a look that he didn’t understand, but whatever it was, he didn’t like it. “You haven’t been an enemy for a long time, Zim. Do you think you can see me as more than that? Something else?”

Zim lightly clutched the ends of his uniform, suddenly hating how he never stopped using it. His voice came up too quiet. “Like what?”

“Maybe someone you think you’d like to see everyday, someone you could depend on, in certain circumstances?”

Zim blinked, and perked up. That was more like loyalty, wasn’t it? Irkens understood that.

“Partners?” Zim tried out the word on his tongue. An old Irken legend sprung to mind, although… that couldn’t be what Dib was asking. He turned to Dib with almost a sneer in his eyes. “Irkens do not take… partnerships lightly, Dib-stink.”

Dib ignored the small pang in his chest that reminded him that they hadn’t had a real argument in a long time. “How different could it be?” He tossed his hand. “Enlighten me.”

The concept itself thrilled Zim. Allegiance to anyone other than the Tallests were once considered an insult, and now, something far worse.

“We value loyalty above all else.”

He wasn’t ashamed to still have Irk as a part of him.

It was who Zim was. “We have a ceremony for it, for you would be swearing to put my life before yours.” He faced Dib as he said this, watching any trace of rejection. “And I will do the same.”

Zim straightened, and his eyes shone brilliantly. “We would serve anyone as second only, never first.” Which was why one of the old Tallest had banned it, criminalizing the act as a betrayal to the empire. And Zim, who had no longer had any love for the empire, was more than appealed to it.

But it still stood that Dib wouldn’t be one to understand the significance of it.

Dib had been quiet all through it all. After it was clear that Zim wasn’t to expound further, Dib asked, “Do you think it could be like that with us?”

Zim raised an eyelid, then gave no response- keeping his thoughts to himself.

It was only after an ironic turn of events- where Zim had to team up with Dib to drive off an aspiring alien invader- Earth was Zim’s planet, after all, that Zim thought to raise up the question once again.

The battle, the confrontations, even the minuscule threat of their mutual enemy, all faded out of Zim’s mind as he stared at Dib.

Dib stood there in all his glory, basking in their victory, the rays of the rescinding sun all but made his eyes a shade of gold. Tall and dependable, Zim could hardly explain his sudden appreciation, the taste of the win sweeter when shared between them, and how all their experience blended in his mind until he began to hope for a future of more of this, more of them-

Zim began to think that maybe a partnership with Dib wasn’t the worst idea.

“You’re considering it?” Dib said, skeptical to the very end, even when happiness glowed around him like a furnace.

“No,” Zim said. “I’ve already decided. The answer is yes, Dib.” And while feigning impassiveness, Zim felt like he choked on his own tongue, his chest warming all the same as Dib gave him one of those grins- the ones that said, we’ve won.

Dib cleared his throat, suppressing any more eagerness, “How do we do this?”

“A witness.” Gaz repeated, although devoid of emotion. “You’re asking me to witness in your alien wedding.”

“Partnership,” Dib emphasized, for what seemed like the third time. His ears brightened in the tell-tale signs of a blush, although he would never admit how Gaz’s words muddled up some suppressed emotions in him. “It just means that as an Irken he would be allowing himself to maybe sorta trust me, even he would tell me not to use those words exactly. Depend on me, instead of just him.”

“Uh huh,” Gaz tapped her nails on her handheld console. “And if this means you could never trust and depend on anyone else?”

Dib frowned. “I don’t think that’s what it means?” He bit the inside of his cheek for a moment. “I don’t think there’s anything that would make him give up Gir, so that’s not an issue. I think it’s more of… allowing himself to allow me to become a part of his life, officially. To be at his side.”

“In sickness and health?”

“Ha, ha. Laugh it up.” Dib grumbled.

“Who says I’m joking?” She turned over the facts in her head, crossing her arms. “This just seems… fishy. Dib, even if there’s no trick here, do you think you’re prepared for it? It seems awfully… intimate.” Her normally stilted voice had a hint of concern there.

Dib forced a cough. “Gaz, it’s just-”

“Deny anything again and I will break your toes.”

Dib shut up.

“How?” She asked.

“What?”

She looked at him as if he was being deliberately dense. “How did you guys went from fighting to doing your lame partnership?”

Dib knew that despite her tough exterior, she was genuinely curious. “He… understands me in the level that other people can’t.”

She hummed, gesturing at him to proceed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever connected to anyone else. And I just wanted for him to know that, alright? He’s the one that suggested the Irken thing. I just thought… if that’s what it took to have Zim… really, truly, at my side… No hesitation there. I’ll do it.” He proclaimed, his confidence pushing through the small wobble of his voice in the middle.

“Maybe I could lead him to a different path, or we could take off Earth together.” He couldn’t help but fantasize, a tad star-struck at the many possibilities. “We could be good together.”

“And that’s all you want.” Gaz noted. “Companionship. That’s all. ” Dib could hear the question there. “You’ll go into this binding thing and make Zim think you guys are now fully destined to only be partners.”

Dib sighed, as his resolve began to blur. “Gaz, I only asked if you would-”

She cut him off with a glare. “I’m not going to stop you or tell you it’s a horrible idea. But this is a big deal for him too, right? You two should suck it up, talk it out, and go into it with all the same intentions.”

Dib’s tongue felt dry in his mouth. “He’d been pretty clear what he wanted.”

“Have you?”

Dib did not reply.

“Think about everything he told you about this binding thing, Dib. Then decide.” She pressed open on her console, no longer looking at him. “Then I’ll tell you if I’ll bear witness, or something.”

An unfamiliar soundtrack began to play as Gaz turned her back to him, but Dib had his mind already considering her tip.

The summer air was warm in their faces, with the rays of the setting sun giving the meadow a golden glow. Fireflies skittered all around them, aiming to outdo the stars once they show.

Dib kept fidgeting in his suit.

Gaz wasn’t blind. “You got me dressed up for this, you better not have second thoughts,” she mumbled, her own way of reassurance.

Her normally spiked hair was smoothed out, looking a bit softer, but not in the least hiding her intensity. Dib had no doubt she would not be opposed to throwing down a gauntlet when provoked, even when wearing a dress.

Dib shook his head at her concern, but she needn’t have worried.

The second that he saw Zim approach them, he knew he couldn’t turn back- not now, not ever.

A floor length dress replaced Zim’s usual uniform, with a gradient of his usual red darkening to black at the bottom. Black flowing sleeves gave Zim a sense of fragility, his arms foregoing the gloves entirely.

When those pink beady eyes landed on his, Dib couldn’t look away, his breath almost leaving him.

Zim looked flustered, a picture of hope in his eyes, tinged with some hesitance as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.

For a while, they were quite content to just watch each other, as if nothing else mattered but the two of them- until Gaz faked a cough.

Zim blinked, and he turned away. “Gaz,” he greeted her, “Would you be the witness to our union?”

“Why else would I be here?”

“Formality,” Zim replied, just as Dib mildly jabbed her sister at the side.

She shot him a glare. “Yeah, sure, I’m witnessing.”

“Excellent!” Zim shouted in his usual bravado, although with the undertone of nerves. The two focused on the alien again.

“Dib-human.” Zim began without any malice, “I have seen you at your lowest. I have triumphed against you and with you, and I concede you are taller in height. Will you accept me?”

“I take you as mine.” Dib replied, almost fumbling at his cue. He knew the words but… it felt different, when it was finally time for him to hear it.

It was his turn, now. “Zim,” Dib began, reciting the words by memory if not by heart, “I have seen you at your lowest. I have triumphed with you and against you, and I recognize that you are beneath my height.” The last part felt unnecessary to him but clearly meant something to Zim, since the Irken all but straightened up, fully accepting himself even if society deems him worth not. “Will you accept me?”

“I take you as mine.” Zim replied.

If Dib were asked at that moment if magic existed, he would’ve said yes. No investigations needed. Magic was there in the way that the world seemed to be a lot brighter, with the fireflies that danced around them, and in the connection that started from Dib’s heart, to whatever Zim had that’s equivalent.

“Oh, is it my cue?” Gaz droned, but Dib could’ve sworn that there was some underlying affection there.

Gaz brought out an ornate knife, and lightly pricked the two’s palms, lightly grumbling at the danger and idiocy of tradition picking the palm to draw blood.

A dark red bloomed in Dib’s, and light pink in Zim’s.

She urged the two to get on with it. “May this not be the last time you will bleed for each other,” Gaz didn’t feel the need to hide the fact that she was reading it on paper, “And may your bond last longer than you enemies. May one not fall in battle without the other, for that is the greatest pain of all.”

Zim took initiative and clutched Dib’s bloody palm with his own, taking a few seconds before being able to once again meet his eyes. “I pledge myself to you, Dib.”

Dib tightened his grip. “I pledge myself to you, Zim.”

Zim couldn’t disguise the joy in his eyes.

“It is done.” Gaz interrupted them by pulling on a small party popper, then handing off a party horn to Gir. The robot took to it immediately, blowing unrestrained loud notes. Gaz reached for a glass of wine.

Zim laughed, but it wasn’t a cackle.

His genuine laugh was something that Dib would sear into memory, but he wasn’t done yet. “Zim?”

Dib’s voice easily captured Zim’s attention, who turned to him with a smile. “Yes, Dib-mine?”

“I have something to ask.” Dib, carefully, but knowingly, lowered himself into one knee. He looked up to Zim.

In one record breaking swoop, Dib found out exactly how Zim’s emotions could turn 180 in an instant.

Zim kicked him as much as he was able to, in that dress. Dib didn’t know why he was annoyed, but knew it was cultural differences. Anyone else would’ve figured out what he was trying to do.

“Hear me out!” Dib said, affixing himself slowly into the same position, watching Zim’s movements.

“You aren’t to bow to me! We are partners, I expect you to not act like a service drone, because we aren’t!”

Gaz leaned towards Gir, and faux whispered, fully knowing she would be heard. “Not the most awkward wedding I’ve seen.”

The two ignored her, still locked in their standstill.

“Zim, cultural misunderstanding.” Dib pleaded with his eyes. “Listen to me, alright?”

And while Zim gave no affirmative and had his eyes in a glare, he did not move any more threateningly.

“I don’t think I would ever meet anyone else as driven as you are. You, who make me feel like… I’m enough, that I matter, and…” The redness has tinted his ears, “Zim, you could destroy me in every single way and I’d be okay with it.”

“I trust you more than you could ever know, and I… I lo…” Dib swallowed, and brought out a ring. “Will you become more than my partner?”

Zim took a sharp inhale, not even aware when he’d begun to hold his breath. “And that would entail…?”

“It means I could do this.” Dib lightly kissed the knuckles of Zim’s hand, to which he caught his breath. “It means… I would choose you above anyone else,” he said, mirroring what Zim had once told him about Irken partnerships. “Put my life before yours. It means I choose to never leave you, in sickness and health. But most importantly, it means that you’ll allow yourself to love me as I do you. And I do. I really do. I love you, Zim.”

There was another reason Irk had partnerships banned, one that defied all logic and rendered all other emotions underneath it, and Zim never really thought he would be able to have it.

“Zim, do you accept?” Dib didn’t think he could be more nervous in his life.

A smile graced Zim’s lips. “I do.”