#cause he eats slower and less and just wants to be nice and avoid his companions being left hungry

[lesiasmadness]

The best art motivation is the same as the fabula of good twilight zone episodes, aka coming up with a scenario that makes you think "would that be fucked up or what"

[atinydise]

Ateez reacting to their s/o holding their hands for the 1st time

❦ Genre: Fluff.

❦ Pairing: OT8.

❦ Word count: 3k3.

❦ Requested: Yes, thank you! 🦋

HONGJOONG

You were peacefully staring at the sky from your window. You've been staring at it since the departure. It was such a beautiful view that you wouldn't be bored it even with 11 hours of flight. "What are you staring at, love?" Asked Hongjoong, finally removing his earphones. 'Love'. You will never get used to him calling you this way. It never fails to make your heart beating faster than ever. "The view with the sunset is just so relaxing." You smiled. "Look at this with..." he struggled to untangle his earphone. The short imagination of him losing his AirPods for the 823rd time, got you smiling. "Song." He finally inserted it on your ear.

A soft and calm music started to play. All of your senses were comforted by these clear notes. "Sounds like a commercial music, right?" Giggled your boyfriend. "No... it's relaxing." You claimed. "I could fall asleep in 2 seconds because of it." "Then go ahead." He patted his shoulder, telling you to rest on it. Without hesitating, you put your head on. It was comfier than what you thought. Not something pointy and hard that could bother with your earrings or piercings. "Is it comfy?" Asked Hongjoong, a tiny bit worried. Too reassure him, you simply nodded and grabbed his forearm with your hand. Just to keep him close. Hongjoong wasn't used to you, showing this kind of attention in public. He was a bit taken a back, but finally only you mattered. The song was leading you in a soft and calm mindset. Your eyes were closing at every note and your entire body felt like a feather. Your boyfriend guessed that you were falling asleep because your hand was sliding on his forearm. 5 minutes later, your head almost fell from Hongjoong's shoulder. He quickly put it back in place, but it caused your hand to rest right in his free one. The warmness and the softness of his palm made you unconsciously held his hand. Tight. Hongjoong took his time to realize what was happening. Even if you were sleeping, he was hickey flustered. He was staring at your fingers, intertwined with his. Your boyfriend couldn't help but smile and blush. More when he tried to remove your grip, but you tightened it. "Cute." He whispered. Hongjoong and you were not really tactile and clingy persons, but when these moments happen, for the first time or rarely, both of you desire that it never stops. It was your moment only.

SEONGHWA

"I can't believe we are here already!" You stomped enthusiastically. Seonghwa was staring at you. You were so happy and cute. The way, you were holding your backpack straps made him melt instantly. "Disneyworld..." you sighed joyfully. "It's magic!" Seonghwa nodded, they really created a whole world and it felt unreal since he put a foot there. "Where do you want to start?" He asked, opening the map. "Space mountain!" You almost yelled, pointing at the localization pin. "Really? But we ate 2 hours ago?" He gulped, thinking at the amount of looping. "What a baby." You smirked. "Then what about... Peter Pan? Or Ratatouille?" "Okay I agree for the last one." He accepted. "Let's go!" You almost ran to the crowd, not wanting people to take your place in the queue. Seonghwa was looking at every details of the amusement park. All the shops had their own magical surfaces. He needs to come here with the members one time. They would go crazy for sure. "Fast Park Seonghwa!" You pouted. To tease you a little bit more, he started to walk slower. He deducted that it was working well because he spotted the vein on your forehead. "You are so slow!" You complained. Not thinking twice about your actions, you held his hand and led him to the attraction. The moment he felt your hand in his huge one, his stomach clenched. A thousand of butterflies were flying there. You were too focused on the board that you didn't saw the light blush on his face. But you secretly liked to hold his hand. It felt just right. "Bingo!" You pointed at the clock, "only 5 minutes of queueing." Seonghwa was barely listening to you. He was looking at your hands fitting perfectly in his. You had a moment of doubt, maybe he didn't like it and was too nice to tell you. You tried to detach your embrace slowly, but he tightened his grip on it. "Don't." He said seriously. "I like it." You smiled shyly at him. "It's the first time we are holding hands." He giggled. "A-Ah really?" You stuttered, a bit flustered. Seonghwa was about to reply when his phone buzzed in his pocket. You thought that he would let your hand free, but you were wrong. He struggled a bit to get it out of the pocket but no way he would use both of his hands. "Yeah Joong?" He rolled his eyes. "No. I told you I had a date today with Y/N. At Disneyworld." You glanced at him when you heard the word "date". Seonghwa saw your facial expression and winked cockily. You ignored what feels the most magical now; Disneyworld or a date with Seonghwa?

YUNHO

More and more you were moving forward in the queue, more you wanted to run away. Your friends advised you to go in a haunted house with Yunho, for your first date. At first, you didn't realize the situation. You only thought about a way to be close to him without being awkward. Yunho is scared of absolutely, nothing. He could play with a tarantula, then dance with a venomous snake without problem. So, a haunted house was nothing for him. But for you, it was another story. "Are you okay Y/N? You are shaking a bit." Asked Yunho thinking that you were already scared. "Even a lot." "I'm good!" You slapped his shoulder, puffing a bit. "It's just the anticipation." "Ok cool. I thought you had this kitschy idea to stay glued to me for the whole time. But I would probably be the one doing it." He laughed. "N-No. So, cliché." You laughed nervously, cursing at your friends in your mind. Not even 30 seconds later, the host led you inside. You were completely terrified. You couldn't even enjoy a single moment the proximity or the thought or having a romantic intercourse with Yunho. "Oh wow, that's well made." He pointed at the spider above you. You did your best to suppress the scream stuck in your throat. "W-Wait. You are working too fast." You tugged his shirt. "Are you scared?" He teased you. "We can go out if you-" "No." You shook your head. "Just stay close." You wrapped your arm around his. Yunho admitted that it was cute. Of course, he was aware of your plan when you invited him to the haunted house. You couldn't even walk next to a worm, without yelling. Suddenly and even Yunho shivered, a skeleton almost fell at your right. Your first reflex was to grab his hand and to hide behind his tall figure. Even though the situation wasn't the best, Yunho's heart flustered. Thanks to the darkness, you couldn't see the blush on his cheeks. His stomach clenched when your fingers placed right between his long ones. This action never had such an impact before. He was used to hold Atiny's hand during fansign. But it was nothing compared to this feeling. The rest of the way, you never let his hand go. Nor let 2 centimeters away from you. When finally, you exited the nightmare, the reality hit you. "Well done Y/N." Said Yunho. "F-For what? I've been a scared baby there." You faked to fix your clothes. "I thought you would jump on me right when we entered, but no. You had shown an amazing braveness." He giggled patting the back of your head. You grunted few words, too nervous and shy to admit your plan. "Give me your hand lady. Let's go inside again. I liked it." He smiled.

YEOSANG

["Y/N"] ["Bring ice cream."] Without hesitation you run to your kitchen and took a vanilla post in the refrigerator. You messily put your shoes and exited the college dorm. ["On my way!"] After 5 minutes of walking and avoiding bumping into every single person in the street, you arrived to Ateez' dorm. Right when you exited the elevator, you saw Wooyoung closing the door. "Wow. I want a best friend like you. In less than 15 minutes you there." Claimed Wooyoung. "How is he? Good or?" "A complete mess." He replied. You rolled your eyes, "I swear... I told him to stay away from this type of girl." "Good luck." Shrugged Wooyoung. "Wait, you are not going to comfort him?" "Why. I know that you are here." He patted your shoulder. "I'll watch a movie. See ya!" "Jung Wooyoung! I swear-" "Are you going to stay there the whole day, or you are going to enter and comfort me?" Asked Yeosang, who came out after hearing your voice in the hallway. "Be nice with me. I brought you a vanilla pot." You lifted your plastic bag. "Cool. Now I can be completely depressed and heartbroken." He whined. After that, you both sat on the couch, enjoying the calm for once. Yeosang explain that he prepared the best date for her and he even bought flowers. But she never shown up, nor replied to his texts. "You don't deserve her. I told you that already and a bunch of times." You ate another spoon of ice cream. "Are you going to eat all of this by yourself?" He slapped your hand, causing the spoon to fall. You rolled your eyes and faced him. "Yeosang, stop being sad for her. You are a real treasure and too bad for her, she lost someone really special." You grabbed both of his hands and rubbed it with your thumbs. "Even if you are a bit savage sometimes, you are such a good person." Yeosang's eyes couldn't leave the sight of your hands, holding, squeezing and rubbing his. "And she's stupid. You are probably the perfect boyfriend on this earth." You claimed. "I would be grateful to have a boyfriend like you." He raised his brow, by surprise. You instantly flickered his forehead. "Don't even think about it." He sneered, knowing that you would say something like that. "How do you feel?" You asked when you finally saw a smile on his face. Yeosang hesitated a second, but finally chose to take his sad facial expression back. "Hold my hand and tell me how amazing I am again. It might help." You rolled your eyes. "This guy... Anyway." You ordered and held his hands once again. Screw the compliment. That's what he really wanted.

SAN

You were waiting your boyfriend for 15 minutes already. He as late. Like always. But you never been mad about it. San was doing his best to spend some time with you despite having a heavy and full schedule. The last thing you could do, to just show him how grateful you are, is to be patient. "Y/N!" Shouted San, running to you. He was smiling widely and waving crazily. "Slow down, you are going to trip." You warned him when you judged he was close enough. "Sorry." He paused, catching his breath. "I'm late again." "It's okay babe." You pecked his cheek, making his heart jolt a tiny bit. "To apologize, you can choose everything you want us to do today." He said happily. Next thing he knew he was trying to walk for the first time with rollers. "Y/N, I can't do this!" He whined, holding the ramp on the wall. "Come on! I know that you can be really good at this." You encouraged your boyfriend. "How do you manage to stay still with this?!" "It's still my feet. I'm the only one controlling them." You smiled, turning around him. "Oh my god, help me." He sighed, trying to stop his legs to shake like a newborn. "Okay." You stopped at his left. "I'll help you." San gulped when you slid your hand over his forearm to gently hold his hand. He was still amazed by the softness of your palm that he didn't realize that the wall was getting far away every seconds. "I can't believe that we are holding hands." He finally said. You simply giggled, ignoring what to say. "I thought that I would need to do it first. I know how shy you are princess." "Stay focused Sanie." You replied, a smile glued on your face. "Your hand is so cute in mine. It's like it was meant to be there." "San." "I want this moment to pause forever." He claimed. "Babe." "I can’t believe!" He sang, using the same tone as Chen in Exo*. "And I can't believe, you made a whole round without falling." San finally looked around him. He was so focused on your hand that he completely forgot his main task. "I'm roller-skating!" He shouted victoriously. "I'm a grown man now." "Can the grown man detach his hand now that's he's a pro?" "Never."

MINGI

Mingi is shy. On the stage, he always looks fierce, confident and cool. But in reality, he is a cute and shy boy. It took him 20 minutes to ask you on a date. You spent your entire break from your old part time job, to listen to him, stuttering 2 words by minute. With respect, of course, you always kept your distance and understood that he was not into showing affection in public. Then you always 'stayed in your place' and be affectioned in private. But even not that much because he was still taken a back. Tonight, they all had a rough day and Seonghwa offered to walk an hour in the park below. You encouraged them, saying that it was a good idea. So here you are, leading the walk with your boyfriend. The rest of the members behind you, a bit like chaperones. Everyone could tell that this little walk was relaxing. One by one, they all found their smiles back. "Do you remember Bridgerton?" You asked. Mingi raised a brow, "the show that made you drool and fangirl about the dresses?" "Yeah!" You snapped. "The boys looks like our parents, checking that we don’t do anything wrong." You smirked. The tall boy looking behind him. The 7 other boys were minding their own business. "Not really. They totally don’t give a f about us." He sneered. "Ah really? So, it won't bother anyone if... I do something like." You removed your hand out of your pocket to held Mingi's one. As expected, he blushed and stuttered that they were just behind. "Come on...." You teased him, squeezing his hand. "We are dating for 3 months and you never held my hand. So, I do it." "Y/N!" He blushed even more. "Ooooouh Song Mingi!" Shouted the boys behind. Some of them were whistling, one by one. Few ones were clapping, and San Yunho were imitating the scene. Even though Mingi was cringing, it was not bad at all. "Song Mingi is a man now! He's holding a girl's hand." Shouted Wooyoung. All of their comment started to make you awkward too. But in a good way. Judging that you teased Mingi enough. You tried to untangle your fingers. "Finish what you started." Said Mingi, tightening his grip. "You put us in this situation, so you need to assume it too." A nervous laugh came out from your throat when he put both of your hands in his pocket. Of course, this move caused the other boys to start yelling behind both of you. But you could still live with it.

WOOYOUNG

Even if you agreed to spend the night at the dorm Wooyoung still found the situation awkward. It's been 2 weeks that you were officially dating. Everything was perfect. You both had a real great harmony. Even the other members claimed that they were jealous of your chemistry. The only problem which was not a big deal but still bothers Wooyoung, was that you were not really the 'clingy type'. You barely touched each other. He respected that you needed to hold our hand sometimes or just give you a hug or a peck randomly. "What are you thinking about?" You asked sliding under the sheets. "You keep looking at the ceiling." Wooyoung hesitated a second to tell you what was bothering him. But he finally decided to not say anything and to not put you in a awkward situation. "Nothing, just tired." He yawned. "Let's sleep." You nodded and made sure both of you were well covered. "Good night Wooyoungie." "Night Y/N." You couldn’t see his face, but he was disappointed when you turned around, showing your back to him asking if he was asleep already. He finally cracked an eye when he felt your warmness just next to him. His heart started to rush. Wooyoung even though it would stop functioning when you grabbed his hand to held yours. You slowly rested your interlaced hands on your belly. Wooyoung was burning behind you. The dozen of mini him were dancing and shouting along in his head. When you started to rub your thumb over his skin, it completely drove him crazy. Wooyoung could felly your belly on his forearm. because of that, he wanted so bad to squeeze and hug you until you couldn't breathe anymore. "I know that you are awake." You whispered, giggling a bit. Just in case this moment would stop, he preferred to stay quiet. "I feel your heart bumping, jolting and clenching in your chest." You added. "I just... love this." He finally admitted. You simply stuck your body closer to him and snuggled gently against it. "This shit drives me crazy. You seem so tiny." "Just sleep." You giggled, enjoying his presence. "I can't sleep anymore! I feel like I'm going to explode." He replied, happily. "What did I do..." you sighed, smiling a little bit.

JONGHO

You just felt your friends. You spent the whole day looking for a dress. And not a casual dress. An amazing and fancy one. Just to go with your boyfriend at a gala. You needed to get along with everyone there or to be at least presentable. Jongho told you that you could wear anything you want, but your desire was to impress everyone there. Especially the CEO, so he could stop looking at you like a trash. Just when you got out of the café, you spotted a red-haired guy, in the same alley of you. You doubted a second, but you saw him holding an Ice americano. It was your boyfriend for sure. Without hesitating, your ran to his direction. When you were at 5 meters behind him, you walked slowly and quietly. You recognized the Chanel earrings you gave him and his Louis Vuitton sport bag. "He's so expensive." You thought. Not waiting anymore, you grabbed his free hand. Jongho had the instant reflex to step away and to brush the hand off. "Hello young man, are you single?" You winked at him. His face softened, when he saw your face. "No sorry. I'm taken and take care because she's crazy." "Hey!" You pouted. Jongho sneered, proud of his own joke. When finally, he realized. "Oh." Wondering why this sudden behavior and glanced where's he was looking at. "What?" "It's the first time that you are holding my hand." He blinked. "We do this all the time." "No. You don't get it. It's incredible." "What?" "Your hand is hold mine. It's the best thing ever." You raised a brow, "you are too much." “I’m usually the one holding yours but now!” “You-” "Do not move." He kept staring at it. People walking past to you, were giving you a weird look. Jongho was looking at your hands in awe. "She's holding my hand too! And the first time!" He said to a couple passing by. "Choi Jongho." You slapped his shoulder gently, completely embarrassed. "Let's go to Hongdae!" "Why suddenly?" You asked. "So, we can walk there!" "It's 1 hour far away from here!" "Yes. Exactly. That's the point." He smiled widely, already enjoying the idea.

*Exo - Tempo: it’s a song which had been praised by many (I do recommend to watch Ateez covering this because it’s a m a z i n g) and Chen’s lyrics intro (0:02) really had his impact.

[perriewinklenerdie]

Stuck with you (Ethan Ramsey x MC)

Open Heart, Ethan Ramsey x MC

A/N: Hello, hello, hello! How are we, guys? Alive and kicking? Getting enough sleep? Drinking water? (also tea, tea is awesome, 11/10). It’s been (again) a while since I’ve posted anything on here, huh. I’m working on another fic as we speak (summer theme cause summer is ending and I’m not ready for it), so we’ll see how it goes :D

AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26013712

Tag list: @paleweasels, @kittykatchoices, @valiantlychaoticbarbarian, @radlovedreamer , @usuallyamazinglyaverage, @strawberrwess @palestazure, @cordoniaqueensworld, @universallypizzataco, @princess-geek, @faithhasnowords, @mightyfangirlofthefandoms, @drakewalkerfantasy, @timmagicktoad, @laceandlula, @greywitchyshots, @llamasgrl, @gingerjane15, @bucket-harrington , @marywrites-things , @ethanplaysfavorites , @mfackenthal , @betelgeusebee , @simsvetements,  @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @buzz-bee-buzz, @owleyes374, @cora-nova, @aworldoffandoms, @l822, @cream-ray, @ughhhxjazzy, @silverlitskies, @justendlesssummerfeels, @togetherwearerapture, @desmaranj, @edgiestwinter, @friedherringclodthing, @daisy-ashton, @waytooattuned, @choicesgremlin , @lapisreviewsstuff, @the-soot-sprite, @writerapprentice, @chasingrobbie, @choicesobsessedd, @x-kyne-x, @thisperfectmemory, @drakewalker04, @rookie-ramsey, @jlynn12273, @thepinknymph @dr-brianna-casey-valentine, @a-i-n-a-a-s-h @justanotherrookie

Enjoy! <3

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

Claire noted with an overwhelming sense of relief that as the end of her shift approached, the intensity of the day decreased significantly. What used to be a fast-paced march in the early hours of the morning, was now a slower stroll. It was mostly due to the fact that all her patients were stable, and her pager miraculously wasn’t going off every five seconds like it tended to do almost every day of her life at Edenbrook.

Her contemplation was cut short when she felt insistent tugging on her white coat. She moved her eyes towards the source of the movement, being only half surprised when she saw a seven-year-old girl, smiling widely at her.

“Dr. Claire! The nurse came to take my blood, to see if it was good and she gave me a high-five.”

“I’m sure you were so brave.” a smile blossomed on her face as she kneeled down to be on the same eye level as her little patient.

“I was! Can I have a lollipop now? I didn’t even cry or anything, it was just like you said, barely a pinch and it was over.” The girl asked, thinking back to the conversation they had that morning. It wasn’t even something that Claire did only for this patient, not a one-time event.

It has become a sort of a legend among younger patients and nurses, that she always had a bunch of sweets in her pockets, giving them out to the kids on occasions. Mostly because of it, along with how good she was with young people, she was a liked doctor that was invited into all the tea parties and book readings organized by kids, with a bit of help from the nurses.

“As promised, here it is.” Her hand disappeared into the pocket and emerged with a pink and white lollipop in a colorful wrapper.

“Thanks, Dr. Claire! You’re the best.”

“Don’t run while eating it, we don’t want you to get hurt, okay?” she warned her before standing up. The girl was already running away, though, waving the candy in the air in excitement.

“Sure thing, doc, have a nice day!”

Claire shook her head in amusement, straightening the creases on her coat as she turned away to walk towards the ER. She was stopped short in her tracks, however, by the sight of an eyebrow raised so high up that it might as well have flown off his face altogether, accompanied by a curious gaze of Ethan Ramsey. His arms were folded across his chest, his posture meant to intimidate.

“You’re a doctor, Herondale. Giving away sweets in a hospital? That’s promoting diabetes.” He pointed out, waiting for her to explain her behavior. She imagined that a comment like that had the potential to make some interns cry; hell, even less resistant to pressure residents tended to avoid confrontation with him if they could help it. But Claire? Hell no.

“It’s a little reward for being brave. I can attest that it works, they are much more likely to go through their procedures- “

“- and not be scared. Good call, Rookie, even though I still think you’re spreading diabetes in the hospital.” Ethan smiled, breaking the act of trying to reprimand her. Instead, he took a small step towards her, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. Her eyes sparkled teasingly, holding his gaze in a tight lock with her own as she decreased the distance between them even more.

“The only diabetes you’re going to get is from me being so sweet.” Claire’s voice dropped to a gentle whisper the more she talked, then she slowly stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. The corners of his lips went up, forming a smile, partly concealed by her hair. Before anything else could be said or done, the sound of a phone ringing caused them to, albeit reluctantly, step away from each other slightly.

“As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I should get going. Us Herondales really do hate waiting, you know.” She grinned, beginning to walk away from him.

“Yeah, I think I do. I wish I could go with you.”

“I know you do, Ethan. Maybe next time? Actually, definitely next time; I don’t think my Mom will let you skip the next family lunch, no matter how much important work you have.” He laughed, shaking his head as he watched her retreating form.

“See you this evening?”

“You can count on it, Ramsey.”

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

It was slowly getting dark when he got home, and by the time he got round to cooking dinner, the sun has already set. He didn’t think much about the lack of contact with her; he knew how those family meetings went, so if he had to guess, Will most likely kidnapped her phone.

The ringing startled him a little, but still, nothing seemed wrong, hence why he walked towards the sound calmly. Claire’s name flashed on the screen, pulling a smile onto his face.

“Right on cue, Dr. Herondale. Dinner is almost ready, will you be home soon?” he asked, leaning against the back of the couch. There was a short moment of silence before she spoke, her voice just a little on edge.

“I don’t want you to freak out, but I got shot.”

“What?”

It was good that he had something to fall onto, because the initial reaction of his body caused his knees to go weak. He should have known that something wasn’t right, but never would he have thought that while she was supposed to be with her family, she would get hurt.

“It’s nothing, really, a clean in and out wound, I’m already having it treated.” Claire’s voice was steady, nothing indicating any unbearable pain, but then again, he didn’t know what exactly happened, so she might as well have been trying to calm him down.

“Where are you?” he asked, already running to the kitchen to turn the burners off, grabbing his car keys along the way.

“Edenbrook, but as I said-“

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He cut her off, walking out of the apartment in rush.

It’s funny how fluid the time is. The more one is anticipating something, the slower it goes by. Consequently, the more one is dreading something, the more it rushes forward. Ethan was experiencing something entirely different. The whole ride to the hospital felt like it lasted two eternities, and yet he couldn’t remember a thing from that time, like it happened in a split second.

His feet carried him forward, recklessly running through the maze of corridors, ignoring stares he was getting from his coworkers. Any logical thought has evaporated, leaving only blinding panic, unprompted by her way of speaking, but pushed forward by what she said.

Danny didn’t even question his disheveled state when he asked for the room number, knowing better than to stand in his way. His muscles screamed, more tired than after any other exercise, but the fear of the unknown was pushing him towards her. He opened the door, only to see Claire sitting on the bed, discomfort clear on her face. Not pain, not distress. Discomfort.

Because in front of her bed were two people, sitting in a pair of chairs. The room was filled with crying of a little boy, shaking in his mother’s arms. He was muttering something incoherently; Ethan wasn’t able to figure out what exactly the kid was saying. Meanwhile, Claire was trying her best to calm the boy down, her hands trembling in frustration that she was stuck in bed.

Ethan expected everything. Literally anything but this. Because how the hell could he have predicted that he would find Claire, shot and panicking because her nephew was crying. The woman sitting on the chair, Claire’s sister in law, Louise, made eye contact with him, her face twisted in a mixture of helplessness and horror, not communicating a lot to him about what had happened.

Then he turned towards Claire, his eyes running over her, searching for the wound or any additional injuries. Her calf was bandaged and resting on top of the covers, but other than that, she seemed fine. Her head moved slightly, signalizing that she was indeed okay, after which she nodded towards her nephew giving him a clue.

How the hell did an eight-year-old boy shoot his aunt?

Ethan ran a hand over his face, breathing in deeply. With no idea how to even begin the conversation, he looked at Louise. She sighed, then started explaining.

“Our genius uncle decided that Toby was old enough to try shooting an air gun. He tried to aim towards the target, but it fired early by accident.” She took a break to look at her son, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. “It just so happened that Claire was in the bullet’s way.”

“But I’m okay.” Claire rushed to reassure them, smiling softly at Toby. He started crying again, hiding his face in his mother’s sweater. Ethan sensed what she meant, walking over to the little boy and kneeling by his side.

“How are you doing, little man?” he asked, trying to test the waters before saying anything else. Toby didn’t respond, but he did turn his head to look at Ethan, his eyes red from crying.

“I- I hurt aunt Claire.” He muttered before another batch of tears gathered in his eyes. The older doctor extended his hand towards him, patting him on the shoulder comfortingly.

“I can assure you that your aunt is going to be okay. I saw her leg, it’s going to heal before you know it, yeah?” he caught Toby’s gaze, seeing him already feeling a bit better. “Let me tell you a secret. When she feels better, give her a big hug. It always works.”

“Hugs won’t always get you out of trouble, Ramsey.” The blonde doctor warned, grinning from ear to ear in a teasing manner. He schooled his features when he looked at her, then dropped the act and smirked, mischief spelled across his face as he took a step towards her.

“Ethan, no.” she warned him, her eyes growing wide. He took another step. “No.” She moved back into her bed, scooting away from him. Before she could give him another warning, he reached her and dug his fingers into her sides, tickling her mercilessly until she laughed. Claire tried to slap his hands away, to no avail, but the torture didn’t last long. Soon enough, he wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in his warm embrace.

“Am I forgiven?” his lips brushed against her ear as he muttered the question. She took a moment, keeping him on his toes, giggling when he leaned away to look at her in consternation.

“For now, you are. We’ll see later, Mister.”

Their little game seemed to do the trick; Toby calmed down, and by the time Louise took him home, he was smiling. The door closed behind them, leaving Ethan with Claire. Visiting hours were long over, but there was not a one person that came to kick him out, courtesy of them both being doctors. He remained seated in the chair next to her bed, holding onto her hand as they talked.

“Shouldn’t you go home and rest? You have a shift in the morning.” She muttered, tracing his knuckles with her thumb.

“No, I don’t. Naveen let me stay with you, make sure you don’t injure your leg further. No walking, no running, only being carried.” He grinned, leaning towards her a bit, dropping his voice to a low whisper. “I’m your very own, private taxi.”

She laughed, pulling him onto the bed by his hand. “Okay then, since you’re not going home, you’re sleeping with me.” his eyebrow shot up in a teasing manner, opening his mouth to protest, but she was faster than him. “Yes, you are forgiven, and no, I won’t take no for an answer, Ramsey. Get in here.”

Sighing heavily, he removed his shoes and sat next to her, mindful of her injured leg. He looked at the wound for a long moment, being stopped by Claire pulling him to lie down. “I’m never leaving you again when guns are involved.” He pressed his lips against her forehead, muttering the words quietly.

“Only when guns are involved?” she joked, embracing him a bit tighter. Rather than seeing, she felt him laugh.

“Okay, you just scored yourself a lifetime of being stuck with me. Is that what you wanted, Herondale?” their eyes met, sparkling with humor and love. Stretching herself to her best ability, she pressed a short, sweet kiss to his chin before falling back into his arms.

“Give me the ‘brave patient’ candy and it’s a deal”

They remained in that position for quite some time, conversing silently, his hand running up and down her leg in a soothing motion. A short while after he turned the lights off so they could get some rest, she gave him a more serious answer, her words muffled by the fabric of his shirt. “I’m perfectly fine with being stuck with you.”

[onegayastronaut]

Back To You (Erica Reyes x Reader)

Requested by anon:  Would you be willing to write for Erica Reyes? Maybe reader and Erica were sort of friends before she was turned and reader always had a crush on her. Now that Erica is confident she actually notices the signs and teases the reader about it but ultimately has feelings for her too? Obviously no worries if the idea or the character aren't up your alley, just figured I would take a chance. Thanks!

Words: 1777

Ever since you were assigned seat partners in third grade, you had the biggest crush on Erica. There was just something about her that always drew you to her, but you just never had the guts to tell her how you felt. Even though you were sure she wouldn’t react badly, you still weren’t sure how exactly she would react to the news of your crush on her.

However, you had other things on your mind in recent days. You haven’t seen Erica around school for the past couple of days, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Luckily for you, Scott was one of the worst liars you have ever met. Stiles was no better at hiding things, and after a threatening glare from you, both of these guys spilled the beans on werewolves and why Derek was always hanging around campus. All they asked was that you wouldn’t go poking around without one of them present, as they didn’t want you to be alone when there was something dangerous lurking around.

Now that you knew one of your closest friends was a werewolf, you couldn’t stop yourself from trying to know more about them. Everything from the origins to what every culture had to say about them, you tried to find out everything that you could. There came a point in your detective work where Allison finally dragged you to the side and gave you a book with all the necessary information.

“(Y/N), you can’t be going around asking people about werewolf history and mythology.”

“Well, how the hell else am I supposed to help one of my best friends? He’s going through what is possibly the biggest change of his life and I don’t know jack shit about how to help him.”

“Luckily for you, my family has generations worth of research on werewolves and how they operate. If you need anything, just text me and I’ll do my best to answer.”

-----

You were just getting things from your locker when you heard footsteps from down the hall. It was probably one of the girls from the cheer squad dressing up for her birthday, you thought. However, when you closed the door of your locker to see who it was, your jaw practically dropped to the floor. Logically, you knew it was Erica, but the way she was dressed and looked was completely different than what you saw a few days ago. Everything from her heels to the way she carried herself was different. If you had a crush on her before, it was nothing compared to the way you were feeling now that you saw her strutting down the hallway.

“You know, some sources say that if you drooled any more, there would be a pool on the floor.” Allison’s voice materialized from behind you, causing you to jump.

“Who said I was drooling? Erica just has a different look now, is all. She looks good.”

“Mhmm. And Scott just likes me as a friend right? (Y/N), if anyone bothered to look at your face just now when she walked by, they’d know how much you wanted her.”

“I don’t have feelings for her!”

“Oh, did I mention feelings? Now I know you have feelings for Erica, thanks for the additional information.”

“Oh my god, Allison. Some days I swear you are too much.” You hurried away with your face burning. How were you so easy to figure out?

When you arrived to your English classroom, you were out of breath and somewhat sweaty from your light jog over. Talking to Allison had nearly made you late to class, and your mom would kill you if she got another tardy call from the school. As you made your way to the desk, you saw Erica sitting next to you.

“Hey Erica, how are you doing? You look nice.”

“Didn’t I look nice before, (Y/N)?”

“Well, yes, I -- I didn’t mean it like that. All I meant was, uh, you look nice? I like this new look.” You tried to stop the word vomit from coming out, but it seemed like your mouth was, yet again, not planning to listen to your brain.

“I was just teasing you, (Y/N). I know what you meant.”

“Eyes and ears towards the front, ladies.” The substitute teacher was known to be an ass, and you were not planning on getting sent to the principal’s office today so you dutifully shut up.

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully, and it seemed you were able to get your thirst under control. However, it seemed your life would not know peace as you walked out of your last class of the day. Erica was waiting by the door, and when you walked out, she grabbed your arm. “Hey, hot stuff. Want to hang out now that school’s over?”

Even though Erica was only touching your arm, it felt like there was a fire spreading all over your body. Erica was cute before, but whatever happened to her in the days she was gone had made her hot as hell and you weren’t sure how to react to the situation. You decided to say something before things got any more awkward. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? There’s a lot of homework to do.”

“Don’t be boring, (Y/N). Let’s go out, have fun. Homework will still be there when we get back. Come on, I got something to show you.”

You followed Erica out of school towards a brand new sports car. “Where did you get that? Is that yours?”

“That’s right, this baby is all mine. Where did you want to go first?”

“I was thinking about getting a bite to eat before heading back to my house to finish up on homework.”

“Sounds good to me. I could eat like a wolf right now.”

Throughout the hours that you spent with Erica, you noticed a lot of small things that seemed to have changed about her. Apart from the obvious change in looks, it seemed like Erica was stronger, more confident in herself and her body.

“What are you looking at?” Erica’s voice distracted you from getting too lost in your thoughts.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking, you seem different from the last time I saw you last week. What’s going on? What happened?”

Erica went quiet as she ate her fries. “I was given a gift. And the gift is control over my own body in ways that I never knew was possible. I used to be weak, but not anymore. I’ll never go back to being a helpless little girl anymore.”

“I never thought you were weak.”

“There’s no reason to be unnecessarily nice, (Y/N). I’m much better than I’ve been before. Let’s go to your place now.”

As you were studying, you couldn’t help but glance over at Erica every once in a while. You’ve wanted to be with her for as long as you could remember, so now that she’s in your room with this newfound confidence about her, you couldn’t help but entertain all those fantasies about her again.

“You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“Staring at me. Careful, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were in love with me or something.”

-----

As the weeks went by, you would stare at Erica every time you were bored or drifting off in class. You couldn’t help looking as she was definitely the hottest girl in class, and it wasn’t like looking would get you in trouble. Allison would usually snort whenever she saw you or noticed how you were staring at Erica. Even though you told her that it would most likely turn out to be nothing, you couldn’t help but want to be with Erica and have her push you in an empty classroom and make you hers.

Sighing as you closed the door to your locker, you started when you saw Erica seem to pop out of nowhere. “What’s the matter, (Y/N)? Not happy to see me?”

“No, you just surprised me, is all.”

“Good, because you’ve been super quiet for the last couple of days. I was getting worried you were avoiding me or something.”

“I haven’t. I’ve just been thinking...about stuff.”

“Hopefully about me.” Erica winked at you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to meet her gaze. How did she know? Were you that obvious? The taller girl leaned in whispered, “Meet me in the chemistry classroom after this period. I want to tell you something.” You stared as she walked away, and you reluctantly walked the opposite direction to class.

The next hour could not have gone more slowly. It seemed as if the teacher was purposefully going slower than usual, and you practically ran out of the classroom the second the bell rang. You knew that there was no chemistry class for the next hour, so you tried to be as sneaky as possible letting yourself into the classroom. When you got in, Erica was already waiting for you. 

“There you are.” Erica came over to you and planted a kiss on you. “I know you’ve been wanting me to do that for a while.”

“How did -- how did, you know?” At this point, you didn’t care how much you stuttered. Erica had finally kissed you! Did that mean she liked you too?

“I would be a fool to not be able to tell that you had a thing for me. And to be honest, I think you’re extremely cute. We’d make a very good looking couple.” Erica’s hands traced your face. “And I’m not going to lie, I could smell how much you’ve wanted me for the last few weeks.”

“Smell? How could you possibly smell that?” Erica’s eyes brightened in response, and you finally knew what had caused all the changes in her. “You’re a werewolf too.”

“That was the other thing I wanted to tell you, though it seems you have some knowledge of the subject.” For the first time in weeks, it seemed as if Erica was a bit nervous. “I hope that doesn’t make you want me any less.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve wanted to be with you for as long as I can remember. It helps that you’re stronger and more confident now.”

“Does that mean you’re okay with missing your next class? Because I want to show you how much I’ve been holding back since I’ve changed.” Erica picked you up and placed you on the nearest lab counter. Hopefully, you wouldn’t make too much of a mess after Erica was done with you today.

[bigcat-hanson]

Down In Flames [Part Two] | Arin Hanson X Reader

After your apartment complex burned down, you had nowhere to go, but you would never put that burden onto anyone, especially not your friends. How long can you hide it?

Word count: 1,313

     “Hey, (Y/N), you up for lunch?”

     The voice behind you snapped you out of your thoughts, causing you to jump a bit out of your seat. You turned around to see who had posed the question to you, only to be greeted by Arin’s concerned expression.

     “You ok?”

     “Uh, yea, sorry. I, um, I was just zoning out a bit,” you lied, desperately hoping he wouldn’t suspect anything further than that. 

     “Sounds about right. So, do you wanna go to lunch? Jory and I were thinking of grabbing some sushi.” Thank god, he didn’t seem to notice. It took just about every ounce of energy you had to contain the newfound urge to cry until you passed out.

     “Sure, yea. Let me just, um, let me just grab my stuff real quick, just a sec,” you stuttered out, quickly shutting off your computer screen and fishing your wallet and car keys out of the drawer of your desk before following Arin out to the parking lot, where Jory had been waiting for the both of you in his car. You were willing to take any distraction that came your way, and getting lunch seemed like a pretty good one.

     Then Jory drove past the apartments.

     He slowed a bit as you went by, but somehow everything seemed to go much slower than they already were. Every detail of the scene hit you like a truck. The swarms of aid cars, news vans, fire trucks, and police cars surrounding the building, or at least what was left of it. Even though the flames were out, smoke still poured out from the charred remains of what you once called your home. There was no going back there. You swallowed hard, trying to keep your composure.

     “Holy Jesus fuck, what happened there?” Arin exclaimed, leaning towards the scene as you passed. 

     “It’s all over the news, man. They think someone burned it down on purpose. I think like, 6 or 7 people were killed, too. It’s messed up,” Jory replied. The lump in your throat felt like it grew bigger and bigger the more you were faced with your inevitable future. 

     “God, that sucks ass. Hopefully the rest of them’ll be able to find places to stay.” Arin’s comment just about broke you. Had you not been sitting in the back seat, they both would’ve caught the few tears that managed to escape your eyes. You wiped them away as quickly as possible in a desperate attempt to mask your emotions.

     The sushi place that Jory chose was almost packed, with one table clearly open. As the boys decided amongst themselves whether they wanted to sit down or take out, you tried to focus your attention on the menu. As you scanned over every item listed, you realized that none of it sounded appealing. You were almost nauseated by the thought of eating just about anything right now. 

     The more you stared at the board, the less sounds you registered around you. Everything became muffled, as if you were staring at the rest of the world from the inside of a glass jar. You saw flames in the chalk writing, smelled the smoke as if you were standing right in the middle of it. The sound of the sirens rang through your ears and-

     Jory clapped his hand on your shoulder, shaking you a bit. For a split second, you had completely forgotten where you were.

“Are you ok? You look really distracted.”

     “Uh, yea. Yea, I’m fine. I just remembered the last time I had sushi wasn’t exactly a fun experience.”

     “Oh, crap. I remember that. This probably wasn’t the best idea for lunch then.”

     “No, you’re fine. I’ll just, um, I’ll just get something else later. No big deal.”

     “Alright. We’ll stop wherever on the way out of here so you can grab something that doesn’t make you sick.” Was that even possible?

~~~~~~

     Time seemed to have no meaning anymore. It had somehow been both the shortest and longest four days of your life. Everything blended together in a haze of exhaustion, anxiety, and the back pain that came from sleeping in your car. Nobody knew that at this point, you were technically homeless, and you weren’t about to let it slip to any of them. Finding a new place to live was hard enough without people constantly interrupting your work to ask questions.

     The soft light of your computer screen reflected off of your dull eyes as you fought to keep awake long enough to finish editing the last sixty seconds of the video you were working on. Your arms and eyelids felt heavier and heavier as the seconds ticked by. The most excruciating minute of your life was finally over after what felt like half an hour. 

     “Ready to head out?” Arin stood next to your desk, jacket slung over his shoulder. Fuck. The promise you had made him earlier that morning completely slipped your mind. His car battery had died before he came into work, and when Vernon said that he could only bring him to work and not take him home at the end of the day, you blindly offered to help. Pre-coffee decisions weren’t exactly your strong suit.

     “Yea, uh… let me just save this, then we can head out.” The closer you got to your car, you realized just how compromising the inside probably looked. Given it was after dark, you were banking on him not being able to see the makeshift bed in your back seat.

     “Thanks for driving me, by the way. First thing tomorrow, I’m getting a new battery,” Arin stated. You looked at him and gave him a half smile before walking around to the driver’s side door, mentally crossing your fingers.

     “Okay, where to?” You clicked your seatbelt and started the engine as Arin rattled off his address. Thankfully, you had a pretty good idea of where he lived. You didn’t want to use up any more of your phone’s battery power than you needed to. 

     The ride was filled with conversation, mostly about the most ridiculous food combinations that both of you had ever heard of. It was nice to get completely lost in a conversation with someone, even if the topic was a little ridiculous. 

     “And here we are,” Arin announced as you pulled into his driveway. Your foot pressed down on the brakes, and the car was put in park to let him get out and say his goodbyes for the night. “I’ll probably be in late tomorrow because of the whole battery thing, so let Tucker know I’m sorry if I delay any recordings or anything.”

     “Will do. Good luck with that. Anyways, um, goodnight, Arin.”

     “See you tomorrow, (Y/N). Get home safe, ok?” With those words, he smiled, shut the car door, and disappeared into his house.

     Maybe it was the thought of having to sleep in your cold car another night, or the fact that he said ‘home’, as if you had one anymore, but the wall that you forced yourself to build finally came crashing down. The second he was out of sight, all of your emotions hit you at once, and you started crying. Waves of tears poured down your face and into your hands and lap. Sobs  overcame you. You couldn’t breathe. Every bad feeling that you were trying to avoid was suddenly engulfing you in misery. You couldn’t drive like this. All you could do now was take a few minutes to let it out, and hope that you would calm down enough to drive away soon.

     It took several minutes of attempting about a thousand different breathing techniques before you could even remotely see anything clearly. Shaky hands reached up and wiped the tears out of your eyes, and you attempted to get your bearings. There was a knock at your window.

     Shit. 

[kaemulti]

(this is for the like five people who liked my post about me writing this 😤✊🏾and i have an AO3 account but i don’t want my kpop fan life and my non kpop fan life to clash right now so hopefully i can post the chapters for this fic here. i hope i’m doing this right, i literally got tumblr like a month or two ago so pls be nice 💀💀)

DEADLY DANCE:

—————————-

Story Summary: Korra Kuruk is an eighteen year old agent of The Air Temple Agency that has been tasked with bringing a rival company’s top teen agent to justice for her crimes. Korra, code name Water Tribe, must figure out what the true identity of the elusive Metal Bender is and what heinous acts her villainous agency is currently planning. How will Korra handle finding out her target is the one person she least expected and what will she do when that same person needs saving?

Deadly Dance : Chapter One : Little Miss Perfect

Kuvira shut her eyes tightly, taking a deep breath through her nose until it filled every inch of her lungs. She slowly let it out once she couldn’t take in any more oxygen and opened her eyes with new determination, deep breath centering her thoughts and calming any nerves that might be lingering. She could feel the whole room’s eyes on her, whole class practically on the edge of their seats as they watched her prepare for the final part of the combination. Kuvira smirked, an evil, sly smirk that would have easily given away her true personality if any of her peers were actually that observant. Fortunately, they were all far to enthralled with her movement, eyes widening as she extended her arms and raised her head. A beat, and she was off, turning and waltzing like she was floating through the air as the music rose in volume. She could feel the sweat running down the sides if her face, causing her skin to itch, but she couldn’t care less, she was electric right now, practically on fire as she completed all the steps without a hitch. Her face never broke from the innocent and vulnerable look of the character she was playing. Her limbs were long and free, passion practically seeping from every pore as the combination came to a close. She ended the fouetté sequence flawlessly, face refusing to show how increasingly uncomfortable her pointe shoes became pain an afterthought to the captivating performance she was seconds away from nailing. With one last turn, she took her ending position, chest slowly rising and falling as the music faded away to silence.

“Absolutely fantastic as always, Kuvira! Everyone please give her a round of applause.” The teacher said enthusiastically, smile wide as she praised her best student.

Kuvira smiled softly as she bowed for the applause from the class. The praise was cut short as the third period bell had rang, meaning they had spent their five minute time period for changing back into their normal clothes watching Kuvira complete the combination.

“Oh, spirits! That’s the bell, sorry I kept you everyone! Hurry and change, those of you headed to lunch should be fine but I’ll write slips for anyone who is going to a class period! Hurry, hurry! Great work today!” The teacher said as her students scrambled around the room.

Kuvira quickly dropped to the floor, hastily taking off her pointe shoes and shoving them into her dance bag. She jogged to the dressing room and begun to change, ripping off her constricting tights and deciding to exchange her bra for her leotard to save time. She finished pulling her skirt on and adjusted her turtle neck, haphazardly slipping on her sneakers as she rushed out of the door.

Luckily for her, the lunch room was only a couple doors down, unluckily for her however, she didn’t pack a lunch and waiting in the line is known to take half of their lunch period. She pushed passed some students in the hallway, raising the tone of her voice to give half hearted apologies as she did so, not that they knew that of course. When she finally made it to the lunch room she scanned the area for the table with her friends, smiling once she caught sight of them.

Being at this school was her least favorite thing ever so the fact she had actually found a couple people that cared enough to talk to her had been a blessing.

“Nice job today, Kuvira!”

“You totally owned that combo! I wish I could dance like that!”

“You should be proud of yourself.”

The praises weren’t new to her so Kuvira simply offered a smile and a couple thank you’s as she reached the table.

“Well if it isn’t the swan princess herself.” Wing teased as she sat down.

“Haha, very funny, Wing. I told you not to call me that when we’re not in practice, especially because we aren’t even doing that ballet this year.” Kuvira said light heartedly as she pulled out her makeup compact.

“My apologies, Great Uniter.” He said with a bow and smirk. The Avatar ballet had been widely requested by everyone in the dance department and Kuvira was beyond happy when she got picked to play the avatar’s ultimate rival, The Great Uniter.

“How was class?” Baatar asked shyly, barely making eye contact with her as he did so.

“It was fine, my feet are killing me but ballet is my second favorite dance class so I don’t mind.” She replied sweetly as she put on her eyeliner.

“I’ll never understand how you can do that so flawlessly, are you just perfect or something?” Wei asked as he practically inhaled one of his spring rolls.

“I wouldn’t say “perfect”, just skilled.” She lied, adding a sharp tail to the liner. She was playing a character right now and, sadly, acting cocky wasn’t in the script.

“I just don’t get how she got here so fast!” Korra panted, placing her backpack on the floor as she slumped on the table. She had gotten lost in the sea of people all trying to get to lunch on time from dance and had to race to avoid the hall monitor.

“Maybe you’re slower than you thought.” Mako joked, offering her part of his sandwich like he always does. He loved Korra to death but that girl was so frantic she basically forgot her lunch three times a week.

“Must you bully me after I almost got trampled in the hallway, again?! I’m hurting.” She pouted, taking her half of the sandwich from him and eating most of it in one go.

“Maybe if you actually started telling Mrs. Xiao when you have five minutes left of class you’d be here on time.” Asami smirked, not even looking up from her chemistry homework to tease the panting girl.

“I would have but she was too busy watching Kuvira prance around the room.” Korra said with her mouth full, rolling her eyes as she thought of the older dancer flawlessly completing that day’s combination.

“I’ll never understand why she gets under your skin so bad, Kor, she’s literally an angel. Honestly, I don’t even think she’d hurt a fly if she had the chance. Besides, you guys are rivals in the ballet, not real life.” Bolin said, blowing on his noodles to cool them down before sucking them up violently.

“And I don’t see why you don’t, just look at her! Being the center of attention every chance she gets.” Korra pouted, gesturing to the girl doing her makeup in her small hand held mirror a couple tables down.

“Are you gonna leave your hair like that the whole day?” Huan asked Kuvira, face contouring to a grimace.

“Shoot, (spirits, she wishes she could’ve cursed) I didnt even notice, thanks, Huan.” She said, placing the compact down so she could dig through her bag for a brush. She always forgot to take her hair out of her ballet bun and Huan, being the guy who was absolutely incapable of staying out of other people’s fashion choices, never let her forget. Kuvira still remembers how she had to force a smile and act like she didn’t want to bust his jaw that one time he said she looked like a snob when her hair was up.

He was right of course, but it still annoyed her.

Kuvira pulled out the brush she was looking for and set it on the table as she started removing the bobby pins from her hair. She smiled a bit to herself as she got the last one out, her favorite part was next, letting her hair down as she felt everyone watch.

She let the bun unravel as she gracefully shook her head, long, dark waves cascading down her back, almost reaching her butt. Honestly, she needed a trim, she’d have to remind Unalaq to make time in her schedule to get one.

Kuvira picked up the brush and ran it through her hair just enough to make it look neat but not enough to brush out the waves. She could feel several eyes on her, both male and female, as she did so. Kuvira wasn’t oblivious, despite how she acted as her character, she knew she was way above average in looks and she liked the eyes on her, craved them even. She opened her eyes and smiled as she caught Baatar looking at her.

Kuvira liked catching him watching her the most because she knew he’d never have a chance with her, no matter how much he wanted one.

“Looks like the line is shorter now, I’m gonna go grab lunch.” She said sweetly, quickly whipping her head around to eye how many people were still waiting in the line. She was fast enough to identify ten sets, five more than last time, of eyes on her before they frantically looked away as she searched for eye contact. She stood up and flipped her hair, strutting to the lunch line with an innocent smile.

“Ok, but it’s not her fault she’s gorgeous, Korra, that’s hardly a reason to hate her.” Bolin said, back at their table, pulling Korra out of her daze as she watched the older girl strut to the lunch line.

“I never said I hated her, she just...bugs me...” Korra replied, crossing her arms with a huff. Ever since the first day Kuvira had transferred to their school something about her seemed too good to be true, leaving a nasty taste in Korra’s mouth when interacting with the older girl.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush on her, Kor.” Asami said, finally looking up from her, now finished, homework to quirk her brow at the pouty girl.

“Wha-no. No! I do not have a crush on little miss perfect, sprits!” Korra said, annoyance clear in her voice as she furrowed her brow at her friend’s accusatory tone.

“Whatever you say, you should really just ask her to the formal in two months.” Mako said before he drank from his water bottle.

“I will not! I don’t even like her like that. Tui and La you guys are impossible!” Korra said, standing up from her seat and heading to the lunch line—because she was hungry! Not so she could stand next to Kuvira, she had more dignity than that thank you very much.

“Hey, Kuvira! How are you today?” Ms. Li, one of the lunch ladies said sweetly.

“I am great, Yuyan, thank you for asking. How about yourself?” Kuvira replied politely. That was one thing Unalaq could never shake from her, her manners for people less fortunate than she was. She had spent a lot of time talking to the school staff when she first got this assignment, she would tell her bosses it’s so she could find her target quicker but that was all a lie. To most, she might be considered to be on the wrong side of history, even if she thought that was nonsense, but that didn’t mean she was soulless. She only wanted the best for these people, why would she be cold if she didn’t have to be?

“Well, I could be better, these kids really don’t know how to say a simple please and thank you. It, um, it gets to you sometimes, you know? But, hey, I guess it could always be worse. Thank you so much for ask—Oh! That reminds me, me and a couple of the other lunch ladies made this for you, since you are such a big help around here.” Ms. Li said, reaching behind her to grab a small chocolate cupcake before handing it to Kuvira.

“Thank you so much, it looks delicious.” Kuvira said, accepting the sweet treat and placing it on her tray with the rest of her food.

“Of course! Anything for our favorite student. Congratulations on getting the part of The Great Uniter by the way, we look forward to seeing you shine!” Ms. Li smiled.

Kuvira smiled brightly as she punched in her lunch number, swiping her school card quickly. She appreciated the praise and she new she deserved it, but too much of it could make her uncomfortable. She said one more thank you to Ms. Li and headed back to her table.

As she was walking however, she almost ran right into someone who was clearly not watching where they were going. If she had been anyone else, her tray would’ve went flying, along with the items on it, and there’d be a huge mess, luckily she wasn’t anyone else. She was Kuvira, member of the Metal clan, the most highly trained spy organization in the world, and she’d be damned if she let her special cupcake get squashed. She easily spun around the person, gracefully hoping one of the railings to catch her airborne tray, every single item she had purchased returning to their places. Well, all except her juice box, which was still airborne, about to land on the ground behind her. She whipped her head back around and made a move to catch it but instead saw her onstage rival, The Avatar, played by Korra Kuruk, hopping the same railing to catch the juice box before it hit the ground, her own lunch items fully intact on her own tray despite the vigorous movement.

“I am so sorry about that! Here, wouldn’t want you to lose this.” Korra said apologetically as she held out the juice box to a wide eyed Kuvira.

As soon as they made eye contact Korra seemed to have picked up on what had actually happened, her own eyes going wide as Kuvira snatched the juice box from her hands.

Before either of them could say anything, the pieces finally falling into place and their initial shock quickly flipping to furry, the fire alarm went off, blaring loudly in everyone’s ears and causing several people, excluding Korra and Kuvira of course, to flinch in their seats. They had been trained better than to get startled by a sudden noise.

“Ok, ok, everyone please grab your phones, and I mean only your phones, and exit the building!” One of the lunch monitors said, ushering kids out of the back entrance so they could head to the field.

Both girls glared at each other, breath heavy in a rage as they did so, before going their separate ways to their respective tables. Kuvira grabbed her phone and followed Baatar out of the lunch room, not bothering to look back at Korra. Nobody at her table asked questions, not having been paying attention to Kuvira when she left the table.

Korra however, returned to a table full of wide eyes and slacked jaws, her friends having watched the whole ordeal after Korra bailed at the mention of a crush.

“That was some ninja shit, Korra! Wh- How- When! When did you even learn how to do that?!” Wu asked, most likely coming off of his hall monitor shift to eat lunch with them moments before the alarm sounded.

“Movies. Come on, we need to get outside.” She said, anger clouding her eyes and lowering her voice. Nobody asked any more questions and, even if they wanted to, Korra was already walking away, one foot out of the door

One thing’s for sure, Korra now had more reason than ever to hate Kuvira.

Kuvira was undoubtably the Metal Clan Protegé that Korra was tasked with arresting for crimes against the environment and the less fortunate.

[faefictions]

Lonely People | Ch 2

Pairing: Harrison Osterfield x reader

Word Count: 3,377

Playlist link on my master list!!

“HURRY UP SIERRA, WE WANT TO GO!” Jace yelled from the front door. Y/n was sitting on the couch, scrolling through social media. She had mentioned that Tom might show up that night, which caused Sierra to obsess over her appearance more than usual. 

She appeared in the doorway of her room, just in sight of the two roommates. 

“Do I look amazing yet Jace?”

“Yes, of course you do. Can we go now?”

“The correct answer was no, dipshit, so shut your mouth and let me finish or I’ll start moving slower.”

He let out a loud sigh as he watched her disappear to her bathroom again. He plopped down on the couch next to y/n, his weight forcing her to lean his way. 

“You are the least patient person I know, how are you ok with this?”

“She likes the kid, just give her a break.”

“I’ve given her a break for the last 2 hours. I’ve hit my limit, Peach.”

She tensed a little hearing him call her that again. He started calling her that a few weeks after they met. She never knew why he had chosen it, but she liked nicknames so she never complained. The last time she had heard him call her that was the night he confessed his feelings though. Hearing it again brought back the memories. 

“Y/n, I need to talk to you.”

“What is it Butthead?” She smiled as she used the nickname she had given him, a lot less endearing than the one he had for her. 

“I’m being serious.”

“Ok, fine, what’s up?” 

They were in their kitchen, Sierra had just gone out for the night, making some excuse about going out to dinner with someone she never named. Y/n sat down on the counter, across the room from Jace. He was subconsciously placing himself as far away from her as he could. His nerves were getting the best of him. 

“Well, uhm, Sierra told me if I didn’t talk to you tonight she would kill me, or she would talk to you herself, but I-I don’t, uh, I don’t really…”

“Jace you’re killing me, please, just spit it out,” she giggled a little, the last time he would hear that for a while. 

“I like you, Peach. L-like a lot.”

“You ok?” his question pulled her mind back to the present. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, no I’m fine. Just zoned out for a second.”

“Ok, well, while you zone back in, I’m going to go grab Sierra and literally carry her out the front door.”

“Jace, give her 2 minutes. I promise she’ll be ready,” she laughed at how irritated he was. It was nice to have some sense of normalcy between them again. 

“Fine, but if I have to wait a second longer than that, I might die.”

“I’ll make sure the funeral starts on time.”

The both laughed at her reply, before falling into a comfortable silence. She continued to scroll through instagram, while Jace sat and picked at some loose strings on their couch. 

“Ok, I’m ready,” Sierra announced, her shoes clicking on the floor as she entered the living room. 

“Finally,” Jace groaned, making his roommates giggle as they headed out the door. 

When parties were too far for the trio to walk to, they would usually take turns being designated drivers. Occasionally they would call an Uber so they could all drink, but tonight, y/n wasn’t so lucky. It was her turn to drive, which meant no drinking for her.

When they got to the house, Sierra ran off, commanding her friends to text her if they saw Tom. 

Jace followed y/n into the first room of the house, grabbing himself a drink and sitting on a couch next to her. 

“Hey, uh, I wanted to say, I’m….I’m really glad we’re talking again,” he struggled to get out, trying his best to not make eye contact. 

“Me too.”

“You know, I… I never wanted you to feel pressured…”

“Jace, shut up.”

“Seriously though.”

“I know, I just… I don’t really want to talk about it. If you’re ok with that.”

“Yeah…I’m gonna go get another drink. I’ll see you later.”

He got up off of the couch, a half full cup in his hand. She knew he could have spent another 10 minutes drinking it, he just needed an excuse to get out of the situation. He needed an excuse to get away from her. Again. 

And the guilt hit her like a truck just as it had the first time. 

“What do you mean you like me?”

“Like, I have a crush on you. God, it sound so dumb like that. But I’ve liked you for months now and Si has been bugging me to tell you, I just…”

“Jace stop.”

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything, I just figured…”

“Jace, fucking stop,” she burst out. He stopped talking and his face turned white, he knew that he had made a mistake. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, I just….”

“No, it’s fine, I get it.”

“Jace, I’m sorry, I just… don’t really do the whole relationship thing,” she muttered, her gaze unable to meet his. She could feel the tears brimming her eyes, and although she knew his were in the same state, she couldn’t bring herself to see him. 

“Oh, ok, yeah, I get it, honestly. I didn’t want to tell you anyway. Sierra just wouldn’t shut up about it.”

She could sense his heart breaking, but trying to mend it would only make it worse, so she kept quiet, no matter how much she wanted to apologize and hug him. 

“Well I had plans tonight too, so I’m going to head out.”

As he headed for the door, she finally looked up at him. He was no longer looking at her, but the single tear was still visible on his cheek. Her heart felt too heavy for her to move, and it kept her from calling after him. 

About an hour into the party, y/n was losing her mind with boredom. She hadn’t seen either of her roommates, and although she saw plenty of familiar faces, she wasn’t really in the mood to socialize with any of them. 

She finally got off of the couch where Jace had left her and made her way to the back yard. She knew her roommates well enough to know that if they were partying, they would be inside socializing and dancing. But since she knew one of them would be flirting and the other would be sulking, they were both going to be outside. 

Sure enough, they were both outside in an area with a diverse array of patio furniture and torn up couches. Y/n was a little surprised to see Sierra and Jace together. Sierra was sitting incredibly close to Tom on one of the couches, her back to Jace and Harrison who seemed to be getting along very well. 

As y/n approached, she could tell that Jace hadn’t been drinking much. She was pretty sure the drink in his lap was the same one from their earlier conversation. Sierra on the other hand was well over the line of tipsy. 

“Hey, y/n! I was just about to come looking for you babe!” Sierra exclaimed a little too loudly when she saw her approaching. 

“Oh yeah? And why’s that? Looks like you’re having a great time right here.”

Sierra excused herself from the couch, pulling y/n a few feet away, out of earshot of the boys. 

“What did you say to Jace?”

“Oh come on.”

“No, you come on, I see him sulking. Now what did you do?”

Y/n scoffed, sighing before she replied. “I asked him not to talk about the ‘incident’. I thought it would make it easier, but I guess we’re not on the same page.”

“Ugghhhhhhh, why can’t you guys just get along for like two minutes? That would really make living with both of you a lot easier.”

“How about, instead of worrying about us, just go back over to Tom and have a good night. “

“You have to fix this at some point.”

“And tonight is not that point, ok?”

The stress and guilt of the situation was starting to peek through her facade, so Sierra dropped the subject and hugged her friend, before leaving her to go back to sit next to Tom. 

Y/n had the urge to go back inside. It seemed like the lesser of 2 evils. She could either go inside and be alone and bored, or stay and have to choose between sitting by the overly flirtatious pair, or sit with Harrison and her sulking roommate. 

Before she could turn to leave, Harrison called her name, ruining her plan of leaving. She made her way over to stand behind him and Jace on the couch. 

“Thanks for the invite. As terrible of a sight as that is,” he said, motioning to the couple, “I’m hoping this means he’ll shut up about her for five minutes.”

“That’s some wishful thinking. I give you a 15% chance of that happening.”

“You want a drink?” Harrison asked, pointing towards the house. 

“No, I’m driving tonight.”

“Well want to come help me fight through the crowd?”

“Sure.”

Harrison asked Jace if he wanted to tag along, but of course he denied.

She followed Harrison into the house, pushing her way through the sweaty bodies so she could keep up with him. 

While he searched for a cup and something to pour, he told her about his day. He complained about something that had happened in class before they had been assigned as partners, then told her about something that had happened inside the coffee shop he had stopped at on the way home. She tried her best to pay attention, but she couldn’t seem to listen. Her brain was dwelling on Jace’s expression when she joined them and when they left without him. She knew she had hurt him, but she didn’t think it was fair that he acted like a child about it for so long. She felt bad for not liking him back, the guilt was eating her alive, but she didn’t deserve to receive the glares out of the corner of his eyes when she was around. She knew it was just out of pain, but she was getting sick of it. 

“You ok?” Harrison asked, looking at her with a bit of concern. 

“Yeah, sorry, I just got distracted.”

“This is probably none of my business but did you and your roommate have a fight or something? You both seem a little miserable,” he commented, giving her a sympathetic smile. 

“Sierra seems completely fine,” she joked, hoping to avoid the topic. The whole situation with Jace was enough drama, she didn’t want to suck anyone else into it. 

“I think we both know what I meant,” he laughed. She took a second to consider telling him, but ultimately decided against it. He was right, it wasn’t his business. 

“It’s a long story, don’t worry about it,” she excused him, quickly turning on her heel to make her way back out to the couches. Harrison grabbed his cup and pushed past a few people to catch up with her. 

They both sat back down on the couch where Jace was staring off into space. She could see that he still hadn’t touched his drink. 

“So how do you two know each other?” he questioned, finally moving his gaze to the two. 

Harrison explained that they were assigned as partners and that she was the one who had invited him and Tom that night. Jace’s expression showed nothing but confusion.

“You’re taking a photography class?”

“Uh, yeah,” she replied, really wishing that she had a drink in that moment. 

She loved her roommates, no one could question that. She made meals for them whenever she got the chance and she would go all out for birthdays and holidays. She always did her best to show them how much their friendship meant, but she made a point to never tell them much about herself. 

They didn’t know her family, where she was from, her aspirations, her fears, or anything that even came close to the personal category. She had mentioned once that her major was in the art’s department, but they had been drunk at a party, so no one seemed to pick that up. 

Her roommates definitely noticed that she was weird about that information, but they loved her personality and they didn’t want to lose a friendship just over the fact that she didn’t want to talk about herself. 

Harrison, however, thought it was insane that her roommate didn’t know about her major. 

“How did you not know that? Don’t you two live together?”

“Yeah, I guess it just never came up,” she replied shyly, hoping to drop the topic soon. 

“You never thought to ask each other what your majors are before you decided to live together?”

“I know Jace’s major.”

“Really?” Jace asked, surprised that she had paid enough attention. He wasn’t as conservative as she was in giving out personal information, but he knew for a fact that his major was never a topic of discussion between them. 

“Yeah, you’re a film major.”

“How did you know that?”

“What kind of roommate doesn’t know the other’s major?” she joked. 

“It’s not my fault that you’re little Miss guarded.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Jace went back to talking to Harrison while y/n sat quietly beside them. Nights where she was the designated driver were never fun for her. She always ended up babysitting the others somehow. She had once literally dragged Sierra into the car after she had blacked out. But that night was a little less miserable. By all means, it should have been worse. The passive aggressive nature of her relationship with Jace was bad enough, but watching Sierra being overly flirtatious made her feel sick. Despite this, she found herself in a good mood as the night went on. 

Harrison was quite charming, and she laughed at quite a few of his jokes. Most people she hung around were very demanding with needy personalities, which made being around them exhausting, but Harrison was the opposite. He could talk and tell stories and ask questions for hours. She found it refreshing. 

As midnight rolled around, Sierra had fallen asleep on Tom who had joined in on the conversation between the 3 on the couch. Jace made some complaint about it getting late. He had a morning class the next day that he needed to get sleep for, and as much as she wanted to force him to stay as payback for the previous night, y/n told him she would meet him out by the car. She watched him say goodbye to Harrison before he made his way through the dwindling crowd inside. 

“Si,” y/n called over to her friend, throwing a pillow to hit her in the chest. Once it hit her, she jumped and yelped. 

“What the hell, y/n?” she asked drowsily. 

“Jace wants to go. You ready?”

She answered with a loud groan. 

“I’m taking that as a yes. Come on, he’s out front.”

As she watched Sierra slowly make her way off of the chair, she turned to Harrison. 

“How are you guys getting home?”

“We’re going to call an Uber.”

“If you wanna save some money you can ride with us.”

Harrison agreed that sounded like a good idea.

Tom’s arms remained around Sierra, guiding her through the crowd so she didn’t fall, although he wasn’t much steadier than her. 

When they finally exited through the front door, y/n searched the yard for Jace. He was standing on the sidewalk with a cigarette between his fingers. Y/n let out a loud sigh, turning to Harrison. 

“Do me a favor and keep the drunk idiots over here for a second?”

“Yeah, sure,” he agreed a bit reluctantly. 

She nervously made her way over to Jace, not exactly sure what she was going to say. 

He had quit smoking 6 months prior. It was a bad habit that was really affecting his health, so the girls helped him quit. But here he was, staring off into the distance with a cigarette between his lips yet again. 

Y/n approached him from behind, quietly and carefully considering her words. 

“You’re smoking again?”

He barely made an effort to look at her out of the corner of his eye, grunting an affirmative response. 

“I thought you kicked the habit.”

“Well, shit happens. Why would you care anyway?”

“Because I care about you not dying.”

“Have a funny way of showing it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She was trying to keep her voice down, suddenly very aware of how close Tom, Harrison, and Sierra were. 

“I think you know exactly what it’s supposed to fucking mean. I’ll meet you guys at the car,” he stomped on the butt of his cigarette and stormed off in the direction of her vehicle. 

Y/n stood defeated in the spot where Jace had left her. She wished she could blame his temper on alcohol, but she knew he had barely had enough to give him a buzz. As she was processing the event, she heard Sierra behind her. 

“I told you you need to fix it,” she mumbled. 

“I’m working on it,” y/n grumbled in frustration, turning to look at her. 

“Well it doesn’t seem like it.”

“I really don’t need this from both of you.”

Y/n turned on her heel and started to walk in the same direction and fashion Jace had just a minute prior. 

Jace was already in the back of the car. Tom and Sierra joined him, her head rested comfortably on his shoulder for the entire duration of the ride. 

Harrison sat in the front seat, trying not to awkwardly laugh at the uncomfortable situation which had resulted in a heavy silence in the car. The only noise present was the hum of the motor and the occasional direction he would give y/n so she could find her way to his apartment.

When she dropped them off, Harrison thanked her for the ride and gave her a sympathetic smile, which she did her best not to roll her eyes at. 

Tom kissed Sierra on the cheek, asking her if their plans to see each other the next day were still valid. She nodded her head, kissing his cheek as well before he shut the door. 

The silence carried out until they got back to their apartment. As soon as y/n had put the car in park, Jace was out, slamming the door in the process. He stormed off toward their building. 

“Guess I’m walking you in,” y/n sighed, eyeing the drunk girl in the back. 

As they walked towards the building, y/n couldn’t help but smile at Sierra. She was giggling and blushing down at her phone, the name Tom present at the top of the screen. 

“So I heard him ask if he’s gonna see you tomorrow. You guys going on a date?”

“Yeah,” she beamed.

“I’m glad you’re so happy. But let him know if he breaks your heart, I’ll chop his balls off.”

“I will,” Sierra rolled her eyes and laughed. 

It took another ten minutes to get Sierra up the stairs and into bed. Y/n helped her take her shoes off and even tucked her in. She was exhausted by the time she had made it to her own mattress. 

She plugged in her phone, checking the time before she went to the bathroom to wash off her makeup. It was 1 am, and she didn’t have the energy to take a proper shower. But then again, when did she ever have the energy?

When her face was washed and she was in something comfortable enough to sleep in, she collapsed into her bed. 

Thoughts about the night kept her stirring and wide awake. After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she finally grabbed her phone off of her nightstand and scrolled to the conversation she had labeled as “model boi”.

“Hey, sorry about all the drama tonight. Hope you and Tom still had a good time.”

(Pls comment/ask/message me any thoughts you have on the chapter! I am still overly excited about you guys reading this!!)

Tags: 

@embrace-themagic​ @fanficparker​ @baconlover001​ @chloe-geoghegan1​ @chonisberonica​ @heartbeats-wildly​ @saturn-aka-six​  @ghostofdrfluke​ @calum-hoodwinked-me​ @peterplanet​ @mischiefmanaged49​ @bucky-newtlock​ @johnsambrosemcclaren​ @r3ader​ @lizzyosterfield​ @nicotine-sunshine820​ @hrryhllnd​ @itsjusttor​ @ciannemar83​ @emistrash​

[tsipasce]

Same Difference ch.14

AO3 | FFN

Overhaul rose from his seat, walking behind his desk to retrieve some keys, noticing Nanami was still seated.

“When I said ‘let’s be quick about it’ I thought it was implied that we’d both get up and leave. You can finish pouting when we get back.” She looked up at him, annoyed. He’d usually return the irritation, but realized he preferred this infinitely more than seeing her upset.

“You never miss a beat, huh? Let’s roll, bird brain.” She said in a huff, now marching towards the door.

“If anyone else spoke to me that way they’d be dead by now.”

“Well I’m not just anybody, now am I?” she responded, equal parts confident and oblivious.

“… No. You’re not.” He paused, unsure how to process the thought. Or was it a feeling? Shaking it off, he continued, “The car is this way.”

“R-right. Right behind you.” She stammered; grateful he was in front of her as she tried not to think too much about his response.

They continued through the base until arriving at the garage as she spotted a familiar, blacked-out car. They hopped in and began the drive to her place, Nanami glad to be seated in the front this time. It was silent except for the hum of the engine as Nanami stared out the window, becoming lost in thought. She’d decided to tell her work she’d be taking a last-minute vacation and to tell Hitomi she’d be too busy at work to make their date. Before she had time to wonder just how much more lying she’d have to do, they arrived. Exiting the car in silence, Overhaul followed close behind as they made their way up to her apartment. As she was getting her keys out of her purse, he moved in front of her, putting his hand out for them. He took a cautionary glance inside before letting her know it was ok to enter.

“You’ve got 10 minutes,” he warned.

“Bu—”

“10. Minutes.”

“Saying it slower is not going to make me mo-- ”

“9 minutes.”

“Uuggghhhhhh” She groaned dramatically, but briskly walked back to start packing. It was especially difficult considering Nanami was a notorious over-packer. Without fail, she brought enough outfits for a fashion show and packed underwear as though she’d shit her pants every day. Better safe than underwear-less~

“2 minutes.”

“Ok, your counting down is NOT helping.” She yelled to the other room as she finished packing, emerging from her room in a huff. Plopping the bags on the ground, she stood triumphantly, waiting for his response as his brows began to furrow.

“That is… not the correct amount of bags for two weeks away.”

“What are you the bag police?”

“You know that’s not a thing. Take half of the bags you have and let’s go. The more time we waste here, the more likely we are to run into them, again.”

“Fine.” She abandoned what could have easily been twenty pounds in luggage, hefting the others towards the door. “Wow, you’re not even going to help me?”

“No. You shouldn’t have packed so much if you weren’t able to carry it by yourself. Consider it your strength training.” 

Groaning yet again, Nanami was reconsidering if it would really be so bad to be abducted by a different and possibly more polite yakuza.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The ride back was as uneventful as the first before the grumbling of Nanami’s stomach cut through the silence. She hadn’t been able to eat all day, having abandoned her plans for brunch with Hitomi earlier and spending the better part of the afternoon packing for an involuntary vacation. Her eyes widened in embarrassment as she became determined to keep them glued to the window. Through her periphery, Overhaul turned towards her as they had pulled up to a red light.

“Where should we stop?”

“What?”

“I haven’t eaten today, give me suggestions on where to go.”

Is he… trying to be,-- dare I say it—nice? Nanami thought both surprised and intrigued. Not wanting to waste the golden opportunity, she tried her best to play along,” Well, SudohBucks is pretty good.”

“SudohBucks? A frappuccino does not count as dinner.”

“Um, they don’t just serve coffee—they’ve got pastries and some pretty solid paninis.” His eyes narrowed as though he wasn’t fully convinced, “If you don’t like it we can always stop somewhere else, there’s plenty of other places nearby. So whadya say?”

“I’d say what the hell is a panini?”

“You don’t know what a—oh my gosh, well it’s a toasted sandwich—usually on Italian bread—but really you can put anything on it. They’re warm, flavorful, and packed all neat so the ingredients don’t spill all over the place.”

“They’re ‘neat’? Hmm...”

“Of course that’s what you got from my illustrious description...”

“You’ve convinced me.”

Finding the nearest store with a drive-thru, Nanami ordered for them, earning a hum of approval when she correctly guessed he’d like the chicken artichoke. Salty people enjoy salty things, who would’ve guessed. She thought before reaching into the bag for her sandwich.

“Don’t you dare eat in this car.”

“Eat in the—just who do you think I am?”

“Dr. Watanabe; you’ve got hands steady enough to suture a grape but will undoubtedly still find a way to spill panini all over my car.”

 “Ok, firstly, it’s impressive how you can insult and compliment me at the same time. Secondly, thank you, but also kiss my ass. And lastly, I’m not some savage that would try eating in a car—the food smell just seeps into the leather. I’m simply checking if they got the order right.”

“… Close it as soon as you’re done.” He relented, rolling his eyes, eager to ignore the smug look on his passenger’s face.

Nanami 1, Overhaul 0 ~.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

They drove past the spot where her car was parked, only to find it empty. “Where the hell is my car?”

“It’s trackable, we had to burn it.” He replied simply.

Her eyes shot wide as she turned to him, seriously considering fighting him then and there.

“That was a joke.”

“Stick to your day job.”

Ignoring her, they pulled into the garage, her car now there and the sun almost ready to set. Getting her bags from the trunk, he took the heaviest one before she could grab it. Too tired to fuss, she accepted the help as they made the long trek to… Where exactly am I going to stay, anyway… She hadn’t thought of it specifically before, only defaulting to the cell she was sure he’d made when he first tried to abduct her, except slightly more hospitable. Realistically, she knew it wouldn’t be a cell, but still hadn’t an inkling as to where they were going, the path they took ceasing to be familiar a couple turns ago. Just as she was about to ask, they came upon a set of stairs that resembled those at the main entrance, but she could tell they were different, the steps having much less wear on them. He paused a moment in front of her, but she couldn’t see his face to tell what he was thinking. After an audible exhale, he continued up the steps, opening the door at the top of the passage with a code he didn’t bother to hide this time.

The light was blinding as her eyes tried to adjust to the change. Blinking hard, she was now able to see a traditional home with minimalist, modern décor. It was cleaner than most operating rooms she’d seen and just as sterile. She would have assumed it was a model home no one had lived in before if not for the pair of familiar shoes in the doorway. Examining the room, she could tell they were in the kitchen and the secret passageway they came from had been in a large cabinet. On the island was a singular vase that had been repaired using kintsugi while the counters were clear, save for a kettle and tea bowl. Before she could look further, a glass door closed them into the space.

“Hold your breath.”

“Wha—” Just then a mist was blasted from all sides. She was about to panic, but she saw him standing there, relaxed as though this happened regularly. The mist stopped and the door opened once again as he casually took off his shoes and waltzed out the pseudo-cabinet. Finally connecting the dots, it hit her. “Is this…  is this your house?”

“Yes, now take off your shoes or I’ll leave you in the silo.”

“You don’t have guests over often, do you?”

He turned to her, his finger hovering threateningly over what she assumed was the button to lock the cabinet door.

“Ok, ok. Just gimme a second.” She hurriedly took them off, placing them neatly next to his, the sight causing her heartbeat to quicken. She’d never stayed in a man’s house before, and the thought made her nervous. Don’t make it weird. Don’t make it weird. Don’t make it weird. She thought to herself, hoping to regain objectivity. Just lab partners being bros, staying in the same house for a couple weeks to avoid being kidnapped for a bounty. No big deal. As she continued her inner monologue, she glanced up to see he was close, a confused look on what she could see of his face.

“What is it?”

“You didn’t hear a word I said.”

“That I did not.”

Sighing he began walking out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Willing herself to move and not wanting to be stuck in the mini decontamination silo, she sheepishly followed, setting the food down on the kitchen counter. At the second-to-last door near the end of the hallway, he stopped, opening it and turning on the lights.

“This will be your room.” He said plainly, gently placing her bags on a bench near the closet.

Among the questions now racing through her head, a singular one stood out. “Ok, not to sound ungrateful, but why can’t I stay in a guest room in the main base? I mean I highly doubt having anybody in your house is pleasant for you.”

He paused thoughtfully before responding, “The distance from here to the main base is much farther than you think; the passageways run for miles. If there was an attack, you might be dead before I could reach you. Here, you’re a room away. Having anybody else in my house does repulse me… but as you said earlier, you don’t fall into the category of ‘just anybody.” They were looking at each other fully now, Nanami swallowing harshly at his last statement coupled with the fact that she was now alone with him, in his house. Before her heart could race any faster, he quickly continued, breaking the now too-intense eye contact, “You’re an ally. Strategically, being near makes the most sense as your offensive capabilities alone won’t be enough to fend off the reinforcements they’ll send. At any rate, I have a meeting to attend.”

She felt a small pang of disappointment at his response but was both unwilling and unprepared to address it. “Oh, I see. Makes total sense!”  She said through a half-hearted, awkward laugh, “Very logical. Well, I’ll just settle in and uh look through some paperwork of my own. I’ll see you later then, partner!” Facepalming inwardly, she quickly took her bags, turning away from him to place her things on the bed. She kept her back turned, now very invested in unpacking.

After a couple seconds she could still feel him in the doorway and cautioned a glance over her shoulder to see what he was doing. She saw him attempt to begin a sentence but stopped, a conflicted look in his features as he turned away, leaving her alone with her thoughts. This is gonna be a long week.

[hobiorbit]

familiar connections (m.)

pairing: kim taehyung x hybrid!reader warnings: hybrid au, breeding kink, dirty talk, (farmer tae- not a warning just kinda important to the plot) summary: in which living on a farm proposes new ideas and desires to you. A/N: this one is a lot shorter than my usual fics. i wrote this in less than a day, sort of as an apology for not being able to post for so long. i hope everyone enjoys (:

You absolutely loved life on a farm. From spending time with your owner to dozing on the farmhouse porch, you adored the life you were given. Originally, Taehyung had bought you per his father’s request to keep pests such as mice away from the house and the barn. However, you proved to be a less than effective method- your feline instincts didn’t seem to translate, and you preferred staying away from the rodents. Taehyung didn’t seem to mind.

Early mornings were usually filled with a nice breakfast while watching the rising sun accompanied with scampering behind Taehyung as he went on his way to feed the various animals.

Your favorites had always been the cows, enjoying how their big eyes would look at you innocently. Often, you would sneak in extra snacks for the spotted animals, trying to act inconspicuous even though Taehyung knew what you were doing.

“Here, kitty kitt kitty.” You heard the melodic voice of your owner project from the first floor of the house, causing you to whine and drag yourself from the inviting softness of your duvet.

It took you a bit to make it all the way down the stairs, footsteps far heavier and slower than they usually were. Taehyung took notice at the time it took you, as well as your newfound affinity for sleeping in. You hadn’t woken up for breakfast this morning, making Taehyung become worried as he ended up making you a small sandwich to carry along in case you got hungry later.

“Good morning, sweet girl. Did you stay up late last night?” Taehyung asked you, voice full of admiration as he reached out to pet along the base of your perked ears. A small purr rumbled deep in your chest as you leaned into the touch, making his heart beat just a tad faster. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t found himself growing more fond of you as each day passed by. It was getting harder to ignore, especially as you continued to get more and more comfortable with him.

“I went to bed after dinner! Promise.” You pouted, wanting him to know that you strictly adhered to your schedule. It wasn’t like Taehyung really enforced anything- routine was good for anyone, and you didn’t seem to have any qualms. Usually, you’d even stay up a couple hours after dinner, whether you spent the free time in your room or with the man.

Taehyung pouted at that, assuming that you’d spent much longer sleeping than you usually did. You’d never exhibited such behavior, and he made a mental note to call the vet when you were eating your lunch.

“That’s okay, kitty. Let’s go feed those hungry animals.” He said, ready to get a start on his day. You smiled at the proposition, happy to see all of the animals you were affectionate towards.

-

“Is she okay?” You asked Taehyung worriedly as he knelt beside a cow who had taken to laying on the ground. Her belly was bulging outward, a sign of her pregnancy. Taehyung smiled warmly at you from his spot, smoothing a hand over the cow’s belly.

“She might not feel like it, but she’s perfectly okay. I’d expect her to give birth to her babies within the next week or so.” His words caused you to perk up in interest, hopping over to him and the cow and kneeling down next to him, hovering over the cow’s body. Your eyes sparkled with amazement, petting the cow’s belly.

“Can I stay here with her?” You asked, and Taehyung couldn’t find a reason to argue. He loved seeing you take interest in anything he loved, and he taught you how to make sure animals were comfortable to avoid any harmful interactions, so he saw no reason to deny your request.

“Sure, sweetheart. I’m going to go feed the chickens and get started on lunch, just make sure you’re back in time to eat.” Taehyung told you and you nodded excitedly. For the remainder of your time outside, you sat next to the cow, cooing at the large animal and patting her tummy in comforting circles.

“Did you have fun with the mama?” Taehyung asked as you made your way inside the farm house as you nodded in agreement. 

“It was super fun!” You said cheerfully, thanking him as he handed you a plate of food on your way to the small dining table. It was next to a patio, the sun shining through the glass and illuminating everything beautifully. Taehyung took his usual spot right across from you, smiling thoughtfully.

“What’s got you so interested in her?” Taehyung asked curiously. Due to living on a farm his entire life, things like animals giving birth was a walk in the park. It always made him happy, but he’d long since grown used to such occasions.

You seemed to grow flustered at his question, shaking your head. “I-it’s just cool, you know?” You improvised, Taehyung’s sly smile telling you he didn’t believe your words. However, he let it be, opting to introduce a new topic of conversation.

-

You woke up the next morning feeling even worse than the day before. You’d politely denied Taehyung when he asked you if you’d wanted to come down for breakfast for a second day in a row, feeling your heart break a bit when you heard him dejectedly respond.

“It’s feeding time, kitty.” Taehyung had come into your room instead of yelling from downstairs, partly out of concern and party out of desire to see your face. You pouted from the bed of blankets you’d made for yourself, snuggling farther into them as you tried to wear off the fatigue that gnawed at you.

“Ah.. ‘M just so tired, TaeTae…” You trailed off sadly as Taehyung pursed his lips. He used a large hand to pet the top of your head, leaving it there for slightly longer than usual before pulling back. “Alright, get some rest, sweetheart. I have some breakfast waiting downstairs, remember to eat.” And with that he was out your bedroom, on his way to complete his daily duties.

Being left alone to your own thoughts, you thought back to the cow and Taehyung. You liked Taehyung.

A lot.

Before Taehyung, you lived your life in a shelter. A shelter with nice food and people, but a shelter nonetheless. You’d always hoped that whenever you got adopted, you would like your owner. But now, as you sat in your bed, you wondered if you liked Taehyung more than hybrids were supposed to like their owners.

You loved his scent, especially when he’d pull you close and hug you. It would stick to you, making you feel happy. You enjoyed the way he spoke to you, the fondness of his voice accompanied with the sweet nicknames he gave you caused your heart to melt.

And when he spoke to you about the cow, and how she was having her babies soon, you suddenly became very aware of your own desires. Being Taehyung’s mate, being as close to him spiritually and physically as possible. When you came to terms with it on your own you felt as your face grew hot, causing you to hide it in your hands and whine into them.

“Kitty, are you alright?” Taehyung called from down the hallway. In your fit of feelings, you hadn’t even heard him get back- how long were you thinking about him?

“O-oh, yeah…” You said in surprise. Taehyung wore the same frown he wore earlier, and instead of standing idle next to your door he opted to come inside, sitting at the edge of your bed next to you.

“What’s going on, sweets? Why don’t you talk to me?” He asked in concern, causing you to frown in embarrassment. How could you tell him how you felt? You didn’t want to, but you also didn’t want to see him so sad!

“I can’t…!” You all but cried, shoving your hands into your face again out of pure embarrassment. Taehyung cooed at you, gently prying your hands from your face.

“You can tell me anything, sweetheart. I hope you know that.” You wanted to scream and tell him that this was the one thing you couldn’t tell him, but your tongue seemed to dry up inside of your mouth. Taehyung continued to look at you expectantly, silently letting you know that he wouldn’t let up until he was given some sort of answer.

“U-um, remember the cow mama?” You asked quietly, opting to twiddle your fingers together instead of looking the man in the eye. Taehyung agreed slowly, wondering what a cow had to do with your sudden change in behavior.

“The thing is,” You paused, taking a sharp intake of air. “I want babies too!” You sniffed, tear springing into your eyes at the vulnerable confession. If Taehyung was shocked or disgusted, he didn’t show it. Instead he leaned forward, pressing his lips to the skin of your forehead.

“Y/N, that’s completely normal. You’re a hybrid, a kitty hybrid at that- it’s natural for you to want babies. That’s not something you should be ashamed or embarrassed of.” Taehyung told you definitively, tone confident. It alleviated some of the doubt you felt, happy that Taehyung didn’t find you weird for your desires.

“But…” You started, looking at him with wide eyes. “But what?” He asked, encouraging you to continue. “It it normal for kitties to want babies with their owners?” You asked, bottom lip jutting out to convey that you felt dejected and sad.

Taehyung’s eyes widened at your words, temporarily hesitating as he tried to comprehend what you told him. “You want babies… With me?” He asked breathlessly, red painting his cheeks as a sign of his own flustered state. You nodded quickly and silently, not trusting your voice.

“Kitty, you like me like that?” Taehyung asked again, to which you nodded once more. He tilted his head to the side, not satisfied. “I want to hear you say it.” He requested.

“I like you. I want your kittens.” You said in the calmest voice you could muster, despite the embarrassment as well as excitedness beginning to churn in the depths of your body, causing your temperature to flare up dramatically. Taehyung hummed, smiling at you before leaning in and pressing a kiss to your lips.

“I like you too, kitty. But mama cow is going into labor soon, and you don’t want to miss that, right?” Taehyung teased you, and even though you were mainly concerned with how his lips felt on yours, you still found yourself able to nod in agreement.

-

You spent the rest of your day by the cow’s side, encouraging her as Taehyung guided her through her labor, petting her every time she let out a groan of pain. After what seemed like forever a baby calf was brought into the world, Taehyung running a gloved hand over it as the cow moved to lick at it.

“Good girl, I’m so proud!” Taehyung spoke to the animal who was paying him little attention when her baby was right in front of her. You cheered quietly to not disturb the newborn or its mother.

“I can’t wait for my kittens.” You said dreamily, watching the cow and her calf happily. Taehyung tried to ignore the feeling in his heart and his gut at hearing you speak those words. If this is what you wanted, he would make you a mother.

-

You woke with a start, skin flaming and body lit with need. Everything was hot and your groin was cramping uncomfortably, leaving you calling out for your owner. He came as soon as he heard your voice, hair mussed and only clad in a pair of pajama bottoms. You moaned aloud, back arching as you were greeted with the sight of him.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” Taehyung asked worriedly, clambering over to you as you continued to yowl in need and pain. “M-My heaaaat,” You whined, legs spreading wide as you kicked your blanket off of your clammy body.

Taehyung made a face of realisation as he continued to hesitate. “Should I call a doctor? What do I do?” He asked innocently, and you wanted to yell at him. Instead, you pushed him onto his back, grinding on him through his pajama pants. He was already half hard, and the sudden movement caused him to moan.

“Taehyungie,” You whined. “Can I?” You asked, signalling what you wanted with another roll of your hips against him. He nodded feverishly. “Yes, baby, yes you can.” He assured you, and you immediately got to work pulling his pants down just enough to let his cock free, bending over his body and licking at his cock.

His hips immediately jutted upward, a throaty groan escaping his lips. You continued your assault on him until he was fully hard, pulling your pajama shorts off and aligning him with your own entrance, sinking down in one swift movement.

You both moaned aloud, you enjoying how nicely he filled you up and him enjoying how tight you felt around him. Immediately, you got to work, lifting yourself up and down, chasing the release you needed so bad.

“So good, sweetheart. So good for me,” Taehyung moaned, lifting one hand to grab at your hip while he used the other to rub at your clit. You keened at this, sinking down on his cock and grinding onto him.

“Please, Taetae,” You whined, still grinding against him. Taehyung seemed to understand what you were getting at, flipping you over so you were on your back as he began to drill himself into you at an unforgiving pace.

Your back arched and your legs spread as wide as they comfortably could, giving your owner all the room he needed. You continued to whine and moan, enjoying his rough assault on your pussy.

“Fuck,” Taehyung moaned aloud, staring you into your glassy eyes. “So, so good. Want me to put a baby in you, sweetheart? Wanna be fat with kittens?” Taehyung asked you, playing into your own fantasy that he found himself sharing.

You nodded, tongue lolling out of your mouth as you tried to focus on anything but the feeling of his cock slipping in and out of you. “I do, I do Taetae- Ah, please put kittens in me, breed me please Taehyungie.” You moaned incoherently, the walls of your pussy beginning to spasm around his cock, signifying your upcoming release.

“Gonna come for me, sweetheart?” Taehyung asked you, leaning over your body to get closer to your face as you whined in agreement. He swiftly captured your lips in his own, sharing a heated kiss before he broke it. “Come for me, kitten. Cream on my cock and I’ll give you kittens.” He bargained.

This is what did it for you, crying out as you came around him, whimpering while he continued to deliver harsh thrusts to your cunt. Soon, his thrusts became less calculated and faster, chasing his own release. He rubbed harshly at your clit, trying to get you to come once more.

“I’m coming, gonna come in this sweet pussy. You want that, right?” Taehyung asked you, panting heavily. “Yes, yes, yes! Want you to come in me Taetae!” You cried, wrapping your hands around his neck and pulling him down into a kiss once more. Soon after he released inside of you, thick ropes of come painting your insides and you began to spasm around him once more.

Taehyung stayed like that for a while, lips locked with yours and delivering shallow thrusts inside of you every now and then, allowing both of you to calm down.

“You did so well, sweetheart.” Taehyung told you sweetly, causing you to smile at him. He brushed a stray lock of hair behind your ear, kissing at your jawline.

“Thank you, Taetae.” You said, sleep clouding your mind as you nuzzled your nose into his neck to inhale the scent you loved to much. Taehyung chuckled in response, grabbing your abandoned blanket and covering both of your bodies with it.

“Sleep while you can, sweet girl. We have kittens to make.” Taehyung said teasingly, feeling you smile against the skin of his neck before your breathing slowed, signifying you’d finally fallen asleep.

Taehyung sat there for a while, your body being cradled in his arms as he found himself thinking fondly of your future. A future you two would share together.

[the-tragic-hero-and-you]

Let’s make a secret

A/N: I’m just being an idiot. Let me have this. Anyways, a little Actor!Mark x Y/N for those of you who like rats. Angst and drunken seduction in this chapter. Also, Ethan get's fired for being an idiot butler.

Story: You and Mark use to be fast friend, but these days you barely talk to him anymore. Now with the Divorce approaching, Damien is worried for his dear friend and sends you to Markiplier Manor to keep him company. Mark doesn’t want to talk about life, preferring to just drink his troubled away with you. . .

The elections went well for Damien. Not only did he get the vast majority of the minority votes, but from others as well. It seemed to be quite a land slide of a victory for him, and you were proud to see how far he had come since the two of you met back in University. It was just him and another candidate now. If things go well, it looks like Damien will have another term to keep his Mayor title.

There was still a few months though, so you had to be at the top of your game to make sure he claims this victory as well. It’s what friends do. Sure, there was the controversy still going around since the last election, about how the two of you were using Damien to climb up in the ranks by giving him ‘special offers’. So many speculations arose, drugs, illegal trafficking, seduction. But no matter how ‘damnable’ the evidence was, It all fell flat and proven false in the end. Now people are just saying you both are secretly a couple. Granted, Damien is a handsome bastard. You can’t help but stare at him sometimes and smile. But he wasn’t your type. You and Damien preferred that the two of you stayed as fast friends til the end of your days, no matter what trials come before you. Nothing would shattered the bond you have.

It was another Sunday.

Or was it a Tuesday?

Doesn’t matter.

You were in your office, shuffling through some paper work when there was a light tapping on your door. listing your head up you noticed Damien peeking his head in. wit ha smile, you motioned him to come in, setting the papers to the side and giving him your full attention. You immediately knew something was wrong due to the look on his face, his gaze to the ground and his footing slower than usual. Damien was never forward when there was an incident that he had to address you about.

“Sorry, old friend. I certainly hope I’m not interrupting anything too critical towards your work.”

You shook your head, reassuring him that  whatever was on his mind was far more important. This seemed to relive him by a small portion as he forced a smile and approached your desk.

“Good, good. That’s good to hear. Uhh, look, the reason I’m asking, and the reason why I’m here is because. . . Well . . .I need to ask a favor of you. It’s important.”

He had your attention before. But with that tone and those words? All your plans for the rest of the day can wait. you leaned forward form your seat a little, resting your hands on your desk as you waited for Damien to continue. He didn’t say anything at first, his gaze off to the side as the man went through his thoughts, possibly rethinking what he was going to request of you. Eventually he shook his head, returning his attention towards you and finally spoke.

“It’s Mark.” He muttered, now nervously fiddling with his cane in hand. “He’s going through a rather rough patch right now. I’d love to go see him, but. . .I’m not sure if I’m the right person he wants to see right now. I figured that maybe a familiar face and trouble maker might lighten up his spirits right now.”

Ah yes, Mark. How on earth could you forget such an egotistical man? You did appreciate the actor coming to Damien’s defense about the whole ‘Sex scandal’ incident. Possibly had enough of people spreading rumors about his childhood friend. Nice to know there was still some decency in him ever since he became a big shot actor.

Honestly, you were on the fence about this. But is was Damien asking for this huge favor. The man was far too kind. No matter how big the asshole was, Damien treated him like a brother.

Well, a brother-in-law at one point. . .

You started organizing your things and put them away, indicating to the Mayor that you would do this for him.

“Thank you, my friend’“ He breathed with relief, his smile sincere as he rests his hand on your shoulder. “I’m sure he needs the distraction right about now. Who knows, maybe reminiscing about your shenanigans will lighten his spirits. Just don’t get him into trouble. The ban against you two at the Cafe la Ritz is still holding strong.”

You still don’t regret that night either.

After you left work and freshened up a little at home, you make your way to Markiplier Manor. You tried to recall the location and roads to take in your head as you turned your headlights on, realizing how dark it was becoming. you’ve only ever been to that house once. Even then, you didn’t exactly go inside, rather you just dropped Damien and Mark off at the place. They offered for you to come inside, but something didn’t feel right as you looked at the place. Anything that seemed like it was pulling you in was something you avoided greatly. But at this point, you didn’t have a choice. It’s not like you were going to force Mark to hang out with you outside for the rest of the evening.

You did miss him though. Very much. You might not have known him since childhood like Damien, but the two of you were like Partners in crime, always getting into trouble back in your University days. You were surprised that neither of you got expelled after the gun powder indecent at the museum. Maybe because it didn’t ignite. So many close calls and late nights just causing trouble, sometimes sober, sometimes intoxicated. Honestly, Mark really helped you forget about the crushing stress of life. After graduation though, things seemed to drift between the two of you. There would be the occasional call here and there, but eventually things went quiet. Life just got too busy. You were in law, he was in Hollywood and in between was Damien trying to hold something together.

Eventually even Damien stopped talking about Mark and just focused on running the city.

Finally you pulled up to your destination.

You sat in your car for a moment, looking up at the extravagant house. That uneasy feeling never left, that pulling sensation sent shivers down your spine. It felt like looking at a casket for yourself. Taking in a deep breath, you get out of your car and make your way towards the entrance, each step feeling as though it wasn’t your own as you draw closer to the house. The door was intimidating somehow, it wasn’t that big in your opinion, but you were too uneasy to knock. non the less, you brought your hand up, bringing it into a light fist and gave a knock. Almost instantly the door opened as you were greeted by a rather pencil neck looking butler with glasses. He looked like the kind of guy who would drown you in a tub or poke a hold in a cardboard box while you’re in it.

“Bonjour!” He greeted with a smile, “Do you have an appointment?”

you probably should have asked Damien if he called ahead and let them know you were coming. You shook your head a little, just in case arrangements were not made and you didn’t wanna be caught lying.

“AWW! I’m so sorry. . . Whatever it is you are. But the master is not to be disturbed with non appointed guests.” He said in an obnoxious and overly fake accent.

Just then you heard a familiar tone, a bitter one as well coming from the room behind the butler, the voice getting louder as the person walked up to the door. 

“Look, I don’t want to deal with any donations, salesmen or journalists right now! I just want to be left the fuck alon-!”

He caught glimpse of you just as you did of him. The raging voice that rang out seconds before halt the moment he recognized you, stepping closer before opening the door a little wider to get a better look at you. The man standing before you looked nothing like he did when you two last encountered. His eyes and cheeks were silken in a little, his hair unkempt, facial hair developing into nearly a beard and seemed to have lost some weight. As for his choice of clothes? Just as poor. Nothing more but a wrinkled red robe that’s barely tied on. His eyes scanned you just as much as you were him before he finally spoke.

“My God. You haven’t aged a day, you asshole.” Mark muttered, finally giving you a weak smile before gesturing you inside. “Come in, come in!” He enthusiastically offered. At least he was happy to see you, which was a relief. Walking in, the butler took your coat as you slipped out of it, looking around the rather nice layout before you. 

The balcony over head strangely caught your eye. . .

“So! Wow. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” Mark spoke, snapping you out of your hazy thoughts and instantly towards him. You gave a nod and a warm smile as you took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and a shake to greet him more properly. “Ah, God, that was. . . 4 years ago, wasn’t it? Man, how time flies when you’re going through so much to what life chucks at ya, huh?” He spoke while guiding you towards one of the visitation rooms, “Sorry I’ve been so out of touch. You know how it is. You going the opposite direction of how we use to be in our youth, and me just making matters worse. Personally, I think I make it more interesting.” You couldn’t help but shake your head to this comment. Mark has always been the one to justify his actions, being rather narcissistic as ever. You didn't look down on him about, not this time. The way he was walking and forcing a smile to stay on his face, it was clear he was trying to hide away whatever emotional pain was eating away at him.

You only knew what you've read in the papers about it all. How the upcoming divorce was effecting his acting and all that. You still felt terrible about missing the wedding, though now it seemed kinda pointless to have such regret now that it didn't work out.

He leads you into one of the front rooms in this place (The man has about 5 possibly, just like his ovens), offering you have a seat on the couch the moment he sits as well. “Sorry about being such a mess. A call ahead of time would have been nice, BUT since it's you, I can forgive it this one time. I mean, how often do you even come by anymore? Just give a little heads up next time, alright?” You gave a nod in agreement and apology, not really needing to voice how you didn't mean to be an inconvenience with an unannounced visit. That was something you liked about him, he seemed to know what you were meaning to tell him with just simple little gestures, both him and Damien in fact. It's as if just looking into your eyes tells them everything that's on your mind, which was very helpful since you didn't like to speak up very often, only when greatly needed.

“Well, since you're here, we can catch up more properly and forget about life for a change. Would you like a drink? Ha! Stupid question. Of course you would! BUTLER!”

“BoNJoUR!” The rather obnoxious butler said, suddenly popping up from behind the sofa the two of you were sitting in.

“Yeah, yeah, shut up and get us a bottle of wine. Be snappy about it!”

“Bonjoooooooooour~!” He said as he slides his way out of the room.

You and Mark sit there for a moment, watching the heapass of a mean leave before tuning your attention back to one another.

“Anyways. . . It's so good to see you again, face to face.” Mark expressed in a sincere tone, taking your hand into his own and gave it a little pat. “Things have been pretty insane lately, so it's nice to have an old, non back stabbing friend in my midst.” That last part in his statement brought worry to grow in your chest, recalling how Damien assumed that Mark didn't want to see right now. Maybe there's been a bitter feud that occurred that you were not aware of.

Best to not let Mark known that this was Damien's idea.

You reassured Mark by giving his hand a gentle squeeze and a smile, scooting yourself a little closer to show you're comfort for being around him, despite the complete train wreck he was. Honestly, you've seen him look worse, like that time when the both of you got into a fight with a hand full of jocks. Those bruises stayed around for what felt like forever.

“BONjour!” The Butler finally arrived, shuffling his feet along the carpet s he approached the two of you, handing mark the bottle of wine as requested. The man looked at the bottle before looking back up to the butler with a look of grimace.

'. . . And GLASSES! Are we suppose to drink this with our god damn hands or what!?”

“OOF! Bonjour!” He spoke before dashing off in a rather odd manner.

You were rather taken back a bit by the sudden outburst from Mark. Normally he was level headed and was sly with his insults, doing such critical stabbing with his words with a smirk on his face. Not once have you witnessed him being so furious before. It was rather concerning, almost terrifying.

Mark noticed how uneasy you had become, seeming a little frantic as he placed the bottle of wine on the table and held your hand a little tighter. “Sorry! Sorry. It's difficult to deal with incompetent people these days. It's been nearly unbearable lately, you know.” You took note of this, how he became worried about scaring you away.

Mark was truly going through so much, wasn't he?

You tried to play it off like it was no big deal, giving a shrug and nod of understanding just as the butler returned with the glasses, setting them down on the table next to the wine bottle. With one last irritating 'Bonjour', the butler took his leave, allowing you and Mark to finally be alone.

The man reached over and popped open the bottle, pouring you a drink and handing the crystal glass to you. Graciously to took it from him, taking in the scent of the rich red drink before noticing how much more he was pouring into his own. Bringing your free hand forward, you tried to take tilt the bottle away from his glass. Mark pulled away from your hand and shook his head, not looking at you as he spoke. “Look. . . I know you're worried about me about the whole ordeal, and I appreciate you being here for me. But please, I don't want to talk or even think about it right now.” Saying this, Mark looked to you with pleading eyes, having another sober moment during this crisis was becoming far too much for him. As much as you didn't approve of heavy drinking with a broken heart, you couldn't help but feel a voice nipping a the back of your mind.

'He needs this. You're here after all. It's fine. . . I͍t᷾'s f̧ȋn̈e᷃.'

He's right. You both need to unwind anyways. You relaxed your posture as you raised your glass to him, Mark responding with a weary smile and tinked his glass against your before the both of you took a drink.

One glass of wine before two, three, four? Did the last one even count as a glass of wine since you never finished it and had more poured in? It should count as the same glass, right? The counting didn't matter as the night started to become a blur, a second bottle of wine being brought in and finished as well. Or was it a third bottle? You were not sure anymore, nor did you even care.

'Nothing wrong with letting go with an old friend. . .'

The night continued as the two of you became more rambunctious. Pointless jokes made and laughed at, tossing random items in the fire just to see how it would burn, flipping the table over, watching Mark fire the butler, you flipping him off after he drinks from your glass. Mark throwing an empty bottle of wine across the room, him with his arms wrapped around your neck as he sobs against your shoulder, you trying to stay up on the sofa only to collapse on the floor, another bottle of wine was ordered, both of you forgot that the butler was fired. Even on the floor the room continued to spin, vaguely seeing the actor crawling towards you and resting his head on your chest.

Everything felt warm, possibly from the fireplace, possibly from the body heat from the man who's weight pinned you to the floor, maybe it was the taste of wine that was still on your lips you tasted, maybe the taste was from his kiss, the firm hands that began to trail down your waist didn't hurt at all.

'See? It's not that bad. . . Not. That. B̠a̞d̅.̖ .ͅ "̂

(To be continued)

[the-starsabove-you]

The Spotlight

Chapter 14 - Michelle and the Islanders  The phone rang and Michelle narrowed her eyes when she picked up the phone and answered “Hi Mom” “Hi Sweetie! How are you doing? Are you eating well? How has traveling been? Are you not overworking yourself? Please tell me you’re resting” Her mom was saying and didn’t give Michelle much time to speak and she took a seat on a nearby chair “I’m doing well, yes, traveling has been good. I’m not overworking myself, I’ve been home for a week” Michelle muttered as she kept her voice down and she saw the coffee was ready and she went to the cabinet to get some mugs “Your brother misses you, he always asks when you’re coming back home.. Your father asks for you too” Her mother asked and Michelle was playing with the handle “I spoke to Ty the other day on FaceTime, we were talking about the college he got accepted to. He was excited” Michelle smiled a bit and she could tell her mother was happy but soon her mother was silent “We heard about the rumors of you and that Hockey boy” Her mother muttered and Michelle went pale for a second before looking at the counter before hearing some footsteps and she looked up to see Mat was coming out of the room, giving her a sleepy smile. Michelle sighed and shook her head “Mom, I’ll give you a call back later. I need to run a couple of errands. Tell Ty that I love him” She said and her mother sighed “Your father too” “Yeah..” Michelle whispered before she said farewells before Michelle grabbed some of the coffee and poured it into the mugs, she felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close to him. Mat started kissing her shoulder “I was wondering where you went” He whispered before Michelle smiled “I wanted to make sure you got your morning coffee before we have the morning skate, I also need to look pretty to meet the boys” Mat rolled his eyes “You’re beautiful from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep. I don’t think you could get more prettier” He said and she grinned “Wait til what I come up with for the party tomorrow.” She said and Mat’s eyes shined “The suit came last night when you were out getting food. It looks awesome” He said and she grinned “Told you that you would like it” “So your parents know?” Mat asked quietly and Michelle sighed and looked down. Michelle didn’t really talk about her parents around Mat, mostly about her brother. But Mat knew there was something more to Michelle’s past with her parents. He didn’t know what it was but he didn’t wanna push her to tell him anything. “They’re starting to figure it out” She said and Mat nodded “I told my family about you” Mat said and Michelle’s eyes widen “Really?” “Well yeah, they kept seeing pictures and videos of me and you.. Us going outside for like a few moments haven’t been so secret” Mat pointed out and Michelle nodded and sat down and sighed “So what do they think of me?” She said and Mat nodded “They think you’re beautiful, that you’re sweet and seem like a nice person.. They wanna meet you but I told them no, at least not yet” “Oh trust me, I don’t want you meeting my family for a while” Michelle muttered and Mat sighed “Oh come on, they can’t be that bad” He said and Michelle gave him a look “You have faith in them, I don’t” “I don’t want to introduce you to my family yet, I wanna make sure that this works out between us before I start introducing you to family and friends from home” Mat said and Michelle nodded “You’re going to get stalked in a way by the media, not like your usual media that you deal with. But Paps running after you and stories being written about you, true or false stories. I’m giving you the chance to back out now, cause I don’t want you to get overwhelmed by anything or feel like you’re being trapped by the media. I’m still getting used to this fame thing, but I know you didn’t ask for it.” “If I didn’t think I could do it or didn’t want it.. I wouldn’t be here now. I could care less about what people think about us or if 1 million people are stalking us for a picture. I don’t care about this spotlight bullshit. I’m here for us, and us only” Michelle smiled and she leaned forward and kissed Mat softly, he wrapped and arm around her waist and brought her in closer “Why do you think I’ve been enjoying the last few days with just us hanging out here..” He muttered and she blushed and nodded “It’s been great, but we sadly have to get back to reality. I gotta meet your teammates” She grinned and he chuckled “God, I wish we could stay in bed” He said and she nodded “I agree with you on that one” Mat was carrying his bag on his shoulder and a couple of sticks in his hand while holding Michelle’s hand in the other. He was very glad that it was early and no fans were around yet so that him and Michelle could enter the building without any pictures or questions. Michelle was wearing a pair of jeans and one of Mat’s sweaters. Which he loved the look on her. Michelle looked nervous and Mat squeezed her hand “They’re gonna love you, promise.” He whispered before kissing her temple and she smiled at that. Mat and Michelle went down the stairs and they saw some of the Players with their wives and girlfriends along with Tito and Emily. “You made it!” Emily said, skating towards the bench and hugged Michelle tight. “How was LA? I haven’t seen you in forever” She said and Emily grinned “Family is doing okay, they said hello” She said and Michelle smiled, she always loved Emily’s family, they were as happy as Emily. Mat helped Michelle with her skates and he held her hand when they got on the ice. They skated to a group that was Anders, Matt Martin, Josh Bailey, Clutterbuck and Brock Nelson. “Hey there!” Anders said warmly as he hugged both Mat and Michelle. Anders looked at the boys “Guys, you behave around Michelle. Don’t tease Mat too much” He said in his Captain voice and Martin narrowed his eyes playfully before going towards Michelle. She looked back and they looked at each other before Martin grinned “I like you. You seem like a pretty chilled person” Martin commented and Michelle grinned “You’re one of my favorites on the team, you kick lots of ass” She said and Mat pouted “I thought I was your favorite” Mat said, pretending to be offended and Michelle squeezed his hand “You are my favorite, my first favorite. But I like him too cause this man could like kill someone with just a look” “I like her Mat, she’s got good taste in Hockey” Martin said before nodding in approval “It’s official, I’m adopting you as my little sister” He said and Michelle punched the air in victory “So glad that I made the cut, I’m so honored” “Now, if Mat decides to do some dumb shit, you tell me and I’ll take care of him for you” Martin said and Mat’s eyes widen “YOU’RE SUPPOSE TO BE MY TEAMMATE! YOU KNEW ME LONGER!” Mat shouted and Martin narrowed his eyes “Okay… And?” Bailey chuckled and stuck his hand out “Mat always talks about you, good things about you.. Promise” He said and Michelle chuckled “He always talks about you guys, you mean a lot to him” He said and Clutterbuck chuckled “Not as much as you.. I never thought I would see the day that Mat Barzal would bring a girl to a family skate.” Mat blushed now “Shut up, all of you.” He muttered and Michelle chuckled and she kissed his cheek and he was blushing red. “You’re very cute, you know that?” A couple of the WAGs came to them, some of them that Michelle didn’t see before at the games. All of them were sweet. Mat had introduced Michelle to more of the guys with their partners. Michelle was happy and shaking hands. A couple of guys teasing Mat who was blushing. Tito and Emily skated towards them and Emily grinned “I see that you’re getting along with the others” She said and Michelle nodded “All is well! I don’t think no one hates me yet” Michelle said and Emily nodded and leaned her head on Tito’s shoulder “You ready for this party tomorrow?” Michelle asked and Emily nodded “Of course! I just got my dress. Tito’s suit isn’t coming until the morning so I need to wake up and get it. But we are gonna look so cute” She said and Michelle grinned “I can’t wait to see you guys” She said and Emily kissed her best friend’s cheek “Not more excited than me.. I can’t wait to see what you came up with” Mat nodded “We’re gonna look so hot. I think we’re gonna own the dance floor too” Mat said and Michelle grinned “Hell yeah! You haven’t seen this moves” Michelle said and Mat chuckled. Michelle poked him in the chest “I’m still challenging you to a One v One match” She said and Mat grinned “Oh yeah? You know what.. I’ll give you a chance.. Emily can join you” He said and Emily grinned “You’re on! We’re gonna kick your ass, Barzal” Mat skated to get three sticks, one for each of them. Michelle and Mat were on the face off and it wasn’t until Mat dropped the puck “I’ll give you a five second start” He said and Michelle got the puck and started making her way towards the goal, she wasn’t a hockey player, or the best skater.. But she was trying. “Em!” Michelle said and tried to get the puck but Mat quickly got in the way and took the puck and got it into the goal without breaking a sweat. Michelle huffed “You should have counted slower!” Mat winked “Doesn’t work like that, babe” Mat said and Michelle laughed and shook her head “You’re on!” It was Emily who faced off with Mat and she tried to pass the puck to Michelle but failed as the puck went to Mat who was about to score until it was Tito who went into him. Mat’s eyes widen “What are you doing?” Mat said and Tito grinned “I’m not letting my girlfriend and one of my new best friends get beaten by you.. No way!” Tito said before passing it to Michelle who had made her way slowly to the net and she scored and Michelle had pretended to do a goal celly which Mat laughed. Tito stayed on the sidelines and stepped in when he wanted to. But Mat was getting smarter and avoided Tito who was trying to get the puck but now it was Martin who slammed into him. Mat’s eyes widen “Is everyone going to help them!” “I ain’t letting my little sister getting beaten by you!” Martin said and Michelle laughed “I’m glad you’re my new older brother.. Can you help me with this goal?” She asked and Martin held Mat and Michelle scored another and Emily cheered “You get another one and you get a hat trick!” “Let’s get this hat trick!” Michelle said before Mat began to skate towards Michelle for face off and Emily threw the puck and Martin grabbed Mat’s shoulder and Mat literally whined as Michelle and Emily were skating, passing the puck until Emily passed the puck to Michelle who scored and suddenly some of the boys and their partners were throwing hats and cheering. All amused by the game. Martin went towards Michelle and they high-fived. Mat was pouting and Michelle went towards him and kissed him, he happily accepted the kiss. The other guys chuckled as they watched the couple. Emily skating towards Mat and Michelle “Okay, Lovebirds. We’re all gonna get some food and drinks after and then hang out at Mayfield’s apartment. You two in?” She questioned, Mat and Michelle looked at each other “If you wanna” Mat said and Michelle smiled “Of course! The boys are so nice, also they helped me kick your ass so they’re the best” Mat narrowed his eyes playfully “Careful, I won’t bring you back.” He warned playfully and Tito looked at him “If you don’t bring her back, we will be kicking you off the team” “I see who you guys like more now” Mat muttered and the boys laughed before Mat chuckling and he kissed Michelle’s head “Come on babe, we need to get these skates off. I’m starving” Mat and Michelle walked hand in hand in the parking lot before Michelle nudged Mat who laughed and shook his head “You get a hat trick and defeat me and now you’re thinking you’re a better hockey player than me” Mat said and Michelle grinned “I’m intending on taking your spot on the team.” She joked and he laughed “Fine, I’ll steal your spot of one of the hottest models” He said and she narrowed her eyes playfully “If Hockey doesn’t work out, you could become a model.. You got the looks” Mat pretending to think hard about the question “Fine” He said and he looked at the boys “Guys, I’m quitting hockey to become a model!” He yelled to which the boys laughed and Michelle giggled. The team and the WAGs had a good lunch at a nearby diner. It was nearly closed down for all of them. Michelle sat between Mat and Emily and the boys were telling stories of Mat and his many adventures. Mat would be blushing at some stories and would groan at some others. Michelle would sit back, drinking coffee and sometimes resting her head on his shoulder. It was a peaceful day with the team. Mat couldn’t stop looking at her with such a soft smile on his face. He had a soft expression as well and would hold her hand under the table. Rubbing circles on her hand with his thumb. 

[eddiesasspbrak]

When I’m With You Ch. 13

Eddie can’t stand the barista at his favorite coffee shop. Richie has fallen in love with the man he sees twice a week. Stan is dating someone but won’t let his friends meet them. Ben is in love with Beverly, but is so afraid of scaring her away he’s not moving forward. Chaotic friends navigating college together.

Ch. 1

Ch. 14

Read on AO3

3k+ words

Tuesday morning, Eddie woke to a text from Ben telling him not to call for a cab or uber to get to class. He said he’d meet him outside his building in an hour. Confused, Eddie got up and went about his typical morning at a slower pace due to the crutches. Getting dressed while sitting on his bed was annoying but easier than balancing on one crutch while trying not to trip over his pants. He made sure he had everything before heading out the door to meet Ben. He’d had to add chapstick to his list of belonging that left the house with him. He’d never known before that kissing could cause your lips to chap. He assumed it was a combination of saliva and cold air that was causing it. Either way, he had a tube of blistex tucked away in his pocket to help.

As Eddie approached the door of the lobby, Ben was already standing there and held the door open for him. He thanked him as he huffed from the extra effort of using the crutches to walk. His arms were already killing him.

“So, what’s the plan?” Eddie asked. “You’re not planning to carry me, are you? Because that might be slightly embarrassing.”

“Not today. I thought I’d pay for the ride to school this morning.” As he spoke, he pointed to a running car pulled up the curb.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Eddie followed Ben to the car and climbed into the backseat as he held the door for him. He pulled the crutches in after him, setting them down by his feet.

Ben jogged around to the other side and slid in beside him. “I know I didn’t have to. I just thought it would be nice since you can’t really walk right now.” Eddie gave him a look and he sighed. “Also, this way your mom won’t know you took an uber to campus and ask you about it.”

“There it is. You don’t have to worry about me, ok? If she asked about it, I was prepared to lie. I figured I’d tell her that I was running late. A lecture about being on time I can deal with. Still, I appreciate it Ben. Really.”

Ben’s cheeks flushed just a tad as he smiled and nodded. It was almost too easy to make him blush and Eddie and Stan both always thought that was endearing and adorable. Eddie was once again full of love for his friends and their love for him. He’d have to come up with a way to pay them both back for the day before and for the ride.

Given how close Eddie lived to campus, it was a short ride. Ben rushed to open the door for him again, even though he told him it really wasn’t necessary. He offered a hand to help him out of the car anyway and even offered to carry his bag. Eddie declined as it really wasn’t heavy, and they started off toward class. When they arrived at the elevator inside the building, a group of other students stood waiting and avoided looking at Eddie. Sure, he knew some people didn’t have obvious reasons for why they couldn’t take the stairs, but all of the other students appeared to be fine. Especially given the way they rushed onto the elevator as soon as the door opened, filling it up and refusing to look up at Eddie. He looked to Ben and rolled his eyes.

They waited for the elevator to deposit them on their floors and come back down to get them. Eddie wanted to rant and complain about it, but he was too tired from the early hour and the energy it took to walk with the stupid crutches. His under arms hurt and sitting down in the hard-plastic chair in class was a welcome relief. Whoever said tying towels to the tops of the crutches made it less painful, had never actually had to use them.

Class was fairly boring and seemed to drag on longer than normal. By the time it was over, Eddie was desperate for caffeine, even if it was coming from the chain place in the union. It was better than nothing. Ben accompanied him, having plans to meet Bev there as well. Eddie was willing to admit he needed help when necessary and wasn’t really sure how he’d get the coffee to a seat and Ben was more than happy to help him with it. He just wanted to meet Bev first and let her know he was going to get coffee with Eddie.

When they arrived at the table Bev had already claimed, Eddie could tell from Ben’s smile that he already knew what was waiting there for him. Richie grinned and stood from his seat when he saw Eddie, coming around the table to meet him.

“Good morning.” He said, putting a hand on Eddie’s cheek and greeting him with a kiss.

Eddie flushed at having been kissed in such a public place where so many could see. It was another first for him. “Morning. Why are you here and not at work?” Eddie took the seat Richie pulled out for him.

“I had a very important errand to run and Bill and Mike were very understanding.” Richie sat back down and held out a cup from the café. “You couldn’t come to us, so I brought the coffee to you.”

“Isn’t he the cutest?” Bev asked, ruffling Richie’s already crazy hair.

“Yea, yea. You’re lucky I brought you something too.” He said, ducking away from her hand.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t love me, Richard. If it wasn’t for my impeccable night out planning skills, you two might not have gotten this far.”

“I think we owe it all to Penny, actually. Nice try taking the credit though.”

Bev flipped him off and Eddie found himself smiling while listening to them, though it did make him a bit embarrassed. Was this what it was like dating someone and having your friends know that you’re together? Their first night out together was a similar set up, the four of them sitting together at a table over drinks. Though this time it was coffee and not beer. That time he’d wanted to be anywhere but there, sitting next to Richie and listening to his lame jokes.

Now he was laughing along with him, leaning into his side instead of away from him, their hands clasped tight beneath the table. It had only been a few weeks, but it felt like a lifetime ago. The thought of Richie leaving work just to bring him his coffee never even crossed his mind as a possibility. The fact that he had also brought something for Bev and Ben made him even happier. Yea he’d been friends with Bev longer than Eddie had, but he loved them both and liked the idea of his boyfriend loving them too.

The word ‘boyfriend’ bouncing around in his mind sent a surge of excitement through him. Because that’s what Richie was now, right? His boyfriend. His first boyfriend. He still couldn’t believe that this man liked him and chose him. It was clear to anyone who looked at Richie that he was attractive, and he could have chosen so many others over Eddie. But he didn’t. Eddie felt silly for feeling special but why shouldn’t he? He’d never felt particularly special before so why shouldn’t he embrace it now? Richie Tozier chose him, and he was motherfucking special!

Richie stayed with them for a while longer before his phone chimed with a text from Bill asking if he was ever coming back. It was getting busy again and they needed his help. Eddie and Bev had to head to class soon anyway, but he didn’t want to say goodbye yet.

“I’ll see you tonight, yea?” Richie asked as he stood.

“Yep.”

“What’s tonight?” Bev asked.

“I cook dinner for him so he can eat some real food for once.” Richie patted Eddie on the shoulder.

“As romantic as that sounds…Ben and I are going out for dinner. Come with us.”

“Is that ok with you?” Eddie asked Ben.

“Of course. We were planning to ask you guys out soon anyway.” Ben smiled and it was so easy to tell when he was being sincere it was adorable.

“I’ll drive so we don’t have to worry about your foot.” Bev said.

“You have a car?” Eddie asked, having never heard of it before.

“I do. I just hate driving and usually when we go out there’s drinking involved. I will pull it out, just for you.”

“Sounds like a plan. I really gotta go though. See you.” Richie bent down to plant a quick kiss on Eddie’s lips before rushing off, waving over his shoulder.

When Eddie snapped back from the clouds he skyrocketed to ever time Richie kissed him, he found the other two staring at him. “What?”

“You look happy.” Bev said, resting her chin on her hand.

“I am happy.” Eddie admitted because he was. Extremely so.

“Richie seems happy too. Which makes me happy.”

“And that makes me happy.” Ben chimed in.

Eddie chuckled, picking at the edge of his cup with his thumbs. “You guys are such dorks. We’re all happy. I get it.”

“Stan may not be happy.” Ben laughed.

“Stan is never happy.” Eddie agreed.

“Happy no longer sounds like a word and we have to go to class.” Bev said, standing.

She grabbed Eddie’s coffee for him, neither having finished due to the talking. He thanked her while he used the table to push himself up easier and grabbed the dreaded crutches again. Ben walked with them to class before heading back to his dorm. Their professor was very friendly and invested in her students, so she spent a good ten minutes talking to Eddie about his injury when she saw him come in on crutches. He didn’t like having the focus on him, but he answered her politely and eventually she moved onto the lecture.

After class, Eddie walked with Bev until she split ways to head to Ben’s dorm. He knew he’d gotten a text in class but had yet to look at it and kind of forgot until he pulled his phone out to call for an uber. He’d exchanged numbers with Mike and Bill back at Bev’s birthday party but hadn’t talked to either via call or text since then. Thus, he was surprised when the text had come from Mike. He opened it, feeling somewhat anxious about the reason for the sudden text.

Mike: Bev says your class isn’t far from 7th street. Meet me there after class.

Eddie wasn’t sure why he was supposed to meet Mike. They hadn’t made plans to hang out and he wondered if he’d done something wrong. He was Richie’s friend and maybe he wanted to make sure Eddie was good enough and not just messing with him. If that was the case, he was fully prepared to turn the tables and make sure he was good enough for Stan at the same time. Then again, maybe he just wanted to get to know him since they were dating each other’s best friend.

When he finally made his way down to the street, he found Mike leaning against a vespa with his arms crossed over his chest. He smiled and waved when he saw Eddie coming his way. He seemed happy enough to see him, so maybe he had nothing to worry about after all.

“Hey.” Eddie said as he approached. “Did we…make plans that I forgot about?”

“No, no. Don’t worry. I was sent by Richie to give you a ride home.” Mike explained.

“What? Really? I could have just called for an uber. I don’t want you to go out of your way for me.”

“It’s fine. My shift is over, and I’ve got nowhere to be. Richie told me you were hurt and asked if I’d help out. I really don’t mind! Richie is my friend and he likes you, so I like you. Maybe not in the same way though.” He chuckled.

Eddie smiled. There was something so relaxing about Mike and Eddie could see why Stan was attracted to him. “I’ve never been on a vespa before. Is it safe?”

“I’ve had it for years and never had an accident, so I’d say so. I’ve got a helmet for you.” Mike reached behind him and held up a helmet. “It’s the one Stan usually wears.”

“Stan has ridden on this before? Did he freak out?”

“He squeezed me so tight I think he cracked a rib.”

Eddie laughed as he took the helmet. He tried to balance while putting it on and in the end needed Mike to help him put it on before grabbing his own. Eddie sat on the back of the seat and Mike put his crutches in front of him, going down between his legs. Eddie held his shoulders, his arm through the hole at the top of crutches to hold them in place. Probably not the safest solution but it worked. Eddie was a lot less scared than he’d expected to be. Mike was a good driver and the ride was smooth, though very cold given the time of year.

Of course, Mike already knew where to go seeing as he’d been to Richie’s apartment before. It was a short ride and when they got there, Mike helped Eddie get situated with is crutches again.

“Thank for the ride. I wasn’t expecting it, but I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem at all. Text me if you need a ride anywhere. Even after your foot heals.”

“I feel like I should offer you a warm drink or something.”

“Nah, I’m ok. Ben texted about dinner tonight though, so I’ll see you later, right?”

“Absolutely. I promise not to be such an asshole like last time. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. We all understood where you were coming from. Plus, you were clearly crushing on Richie and were mad that he wasn’t there.”

“Still doesn’t make it ok. I was taking it out on you guys.”

“It’s already forgotten. Promise.”

Mike excused himself then, saying goodbye before zooming off down the street. Finally, back in his warm apartment, Eddie collapsed on his sofa and put his foot up. It was a little achy and he was glad he’d left the ibuprofen on the coffee table. He hated swallowing pills dry but didn’t feel like getting up for water. If he was expected to leave the house again, he needed to rest his foot and ankle for as long as he could.

The time passed quickly as Eddie did a bit of schoolwork and took a short nap, and before he knew it, Bev was downstairs with her car. Richie had gone straight to Eddie’s after getting home and washing up to wait with him until it was time to leave. They found that Eddie sitting on his lap was the easiest and most comfortable way for them to kiss as long as he was injured. It was embarrassing at first, but Eddie quickly realized that he felt comfortable sitting there. They’d put a TV show on for background noise and during the moments their focus was actually on the TV, he had his head against Richie, tucked up under his chin. Richie’s arms were around him, holding him close and everything felt perfect. He almost wanted to cancel their dinner plans so he could just stay there for the rest of the night.

When Bev and Ben arrived to pick them up, they had to rush to get their shoes and coats on as they’d both managed to lose complete track of time. Luckily, they weren’t annoyed at having to wait and took Eddie being slow on the crutches as a worthy excuse. They’d chosen a different diner from last time and this one had more of a family feel to it. Stan, Mike and Bill were already there when they arrived with a table big enough to accommodate all seven of them. It sat close to a wall, so Eddie was easily able to set his crutches up and out of the way, though Richie insisted on helping him.

As soon as their drinks arrived, Bev raised hers in the air in a toast. “To our first official triple date.” She smiled. They all raised their glasses along with her. “Although looking around this table I realize that I really need some friends of the feminine variety.”

“Hey, I w-wore that dress for you last year! I felt pretty damn feminine.” Bill piped up.

“Yes, and you looked beautiful and I was able to properly hem it and for that I thank you. I’m kidding anyway. My boys are all I need, honest.” She sighed and placed her hand on top of Ben’s, which was on the table near her. “Besides, the last time I had a girl best friend it didn’t work out. For anyone.”

The table suddenly fell silent and Ben, Stan and Eddie all exchanged a confused look. They weren’t sure what Beverly was referring to, but based on the looks on the other’s faces, they did. Curiosity churned within Eddie, but he kept his mouth shut. All three had the social grace not to ask about awkward situations, but Stan just didn’t care enough.

“Why? What happened?” Stan asked, earning a gentle nudge from Bill.

“Bev was friends with this girl for a while and she introduced her to us, and it just didn’t end well.” Mike said, trying to quickly end the discussion.

“Did you guys kill her or something? Why is everyone being so serious?” Stan asked.

“They just don’t want to say it was my fault.” Richie spoke up. “Which it was. Kind of. Dating your friend’s friend isn’t always the best idea.” He looked to Eddie then. “Not this time. This time it’s a great idea.”

Eddie shrugged. “No, I agree. It’s a tricky thing when others are involved.” He knew he was talking about his ex that he’d unceremoniously met the last time they tried this. Part of him felt this jealous pang at the mention of the girl he’d dated before, but she was also part of what pushed them together.

“It was not your fault!” Bev nearly shouted, exasperated. “She is the one who treated you terribly and broke your heart.”

“Yea but she blamed me for ending your friendship.” He said, not actually seeming upset by it.

“Which was bullshit. I ended the friendship because she kept talking badly about you and I wasn’t going to put up with it. I’ve known you longer, I loved you more and she was in the wrong, not you. Good riddance, I say. We’re all better off without her.”

With that the conversation seemed to be at an end, though Bill did lean in and whisper to Stan, “And that is why we don’t talk about her.”

*

After dinner, Bev took Eddie and Richie back to their building. Richie helped Eddie get set up on his couch again, and then rushed back to his apartment to get something. He’d been reminded of something he wanted to show Eddie on their last date. He hadn’t had the chance with Eddie’s accident, and he’d forgotten after that. Part of him was curious while the other part of him was afraid he was going to show up with Penny in tow. Or maybe he actually had two mice and he was bringing both over. The thought made Eddie shiver, and not in a good way.

When he came back, all he had in his hand was a sheet of paper. The side facing Eddie was blank and he had the other side hidden from view. Eddie kept his eyes on his hands as he came to sit on the end of the couch opposite from him.

“What is that?” Eddie asked.

“You’re going to think it’s stupid, but I have to explain myself first.” Richie was smiling was seemed oddly nervous. Seeing him nervous was strange.

“Ok.” Eddie was skeptical now and wondered if he should be trusting him.

“I’ve had a crush on you since the first time you walked into the café. Bill and Mike knew it and when my birthday came around Bill asked if he should draw something for me. He’s an awesome artist and he likes to give drawings as gifts. I told him to draw something pretty and, well, he knew what I thought was pretty.”

Richie’s cheeks were actually slightly pink as he flipped the paper over and revealed the drawing on the other side. Eddie imagined there must have been some color in his own cheeks as they grew hot and his lips fell open. The drawing of him was nice, almost looked like a photograph. It was a profile shot, coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. Eddie figured he must have taken a picture of him while he was at the café one morning and used that as reference. He thought he would have noticed if someone had been sitting there drawing him at the café.

“I’ve had it displayed in my room for a while now and I figured you’d see it eventually so I might as well show you before then. I had to hide it the day Ben came over. That would have been awkward to explain.” Richie went on, trying to read Eddie’s expression.

“Would…would Bill do one for me?” He asked, finally looking up at Richie.

“You want a drawing of yourself?”

“No…of…you.” He felt shy admitting that but there was something intimate about having a drawing of the person he liked. If Richie had one, why couldn’t he?

“Oh. I mean…he probably would. He probably already has drawings of me in his sketch book. I could ask him.”

Eddie nodded, his eyes falling back down to the drawing. “You haven’t like…gotten off while looking at that have you?” He asked, wrinkling his nose.

“Of course not. What kind of guy do you think I am? That’s what all the pictures I snuck of you are for.”

Eddie pulled one of the pillows from behind him and threw it at Richie, smacking him in the face with it. “You’re so gross.” He said, though he was laughing.

Richie set the drawing on the coffee table, and let the pillow drop to the floor while rising up on his knees. “And you like me anyway. So, what you’re really saying is you’re into gross things.” Richie didn’t give Eddie a chance to respond as he leaned over him, his hands on either side of his waist, and kissed him.

Eddie just about melted into the couch. He did like Richie. Maybe even loved him. Though he wasn’t ready to deal with that just yet. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting Richie to show him, but he definitely was expecting a drawing. It was kind of cute and the last coherent thought he had before his mind went fuzzy from the feel of Richie’s tongue, was that he really hoped Bill would make one for him.

[interrogatorshalashaska]

Blame The Philosophers

Death surrounds him, it is apart of his life since he learned to use a gun, violence before hand had been his as well. Teeth, nails, kicking, punching. Nothing was off the table and it never would be. He'd fight tooth and nail to survive another day so his plan would be successful.

And yet, being the son of a medium had never been a problem. The Philosophers had always kept him drugged up on something to quiet things, when the CIA, GRU, KGB or whatever ground he was working with couldn't or wouldn't provide he'd find his own source easily enough.

Then why are you neglecting it. Eli and George's instances; and maybe to show you're Father you can handle it. But can you? You've started carefully trying to gauge which ones would be most informative and helpful to you, and which ones to avoid for their wrath. The lack of your usual cocktails made everything buzz more, hit harder, George seemed more worried even.

You can handle it.

TW: Adamska is a shitty Medium; blame The Philosophers, Sensory overload, withdrawal, ghosts, hallucinations, Emotionally closing self off/barricading emotions inside because everythings fine, depersonalization, unspecified long term illness, That weird romance George and Adam(ska)/Ocelot have, Eli being Ocelot's brain cell sometimes. Murder, Character death, skipping meals / ignoring self care, puking

Left right, right left. The click of his spurs a calming sound compared to everything else, he'd told John- George, he'd join him for dinner but having gone near the cafe the noise of it, let alone the added noise of spirits mingling and talking to one another. Sweat dripped down his face and he wiped it away with his glove annoyed.

Eli was humming and walking alongside on his right, eyebrow raised, shirtless just like when he died.

“You promised him.”

“He'll understand... Its too noisy in there Eli I'd much sooner puke before I manage to eat anything if I went in there.”

“Who's fault is that hm?”

“You and George's actually-”

Eli gave him a glare darting out and grabbing up his right hand.

“Liquid.”

“Ocelot, listen to yourself for five seconds and go eat- what are you-”

He didn't even think, his hand impulsively flicked his gun into his hand and click click BANG.

It of course went straight through Eli, but the ringing the gun caused was nice, better then his annoying voice- wait.

He stares down at a limp body of one of their soldiers, he couldn't even recall the poor souls name.

“What the fuck was that did you mean to shoot him or what Old Man? Gettin' trigger happy hm?”

“Shut up brat, I've got to clean this up.”

“They're going to be suspicious- let alone the blood- and the LOUD GUN SHOT.”

“SHUT IT.”

He's moving quickly as usual scooping the body up and over his shoulder grunting at the weight and... where could he hide it? Vents are out, smell would be fast to notice, stairwell same reason plus someone might check there... Trash can maybe?

“Like someones not gonna notice it be extra heavy? Just toss it out in the sea?”

Ocelot nods in agreement moving quickly heading up the stairs and pushing open the door to the ship, grey eyes peering carefully out. Luckily most of the crew was enjoying dinner so he moves quickly and chucks him into the water, turning back around he's moving back down the steps towards the blood stain and cleaning it up with his trench coat.

“The blood on you?”

“Who's going to see- but just in case.”

He takes out his knife and slices into his skin a bit, just around the area the blood had stained him, just deep enough for any specific drip down would seem realistic.

Blue eyes stare at him unhappily as they continue their pace, much slower then before, letting out an unnecessary sigh. The man didn't even need to breath much less sigh.

“Adam.”

He span around without a thought gun slamming into the cheek of whoever had just touched his shoulder, their touch to heavy to be a ghost- to real to be allowed.

John- NO. NOT JOHN. George, who looked at him confusedly.

“Did I startled you?”

Grey eyes dart away as he sways, placing his revolver away and hugging himself tightly.

Hands grip around his throat, clawing at him. Digging their nails into his cuts.

“George I just hit you why are you asking- I... are you alright...?”

“why- why why- why me- is it because of that other ghost? YOU HADN'T MEANT IT RIGHT? But why me...!”

“Adam. I've been hit way worse then that in my time as a soldier, why are you cut up?”

He wouldn't let up, sobbing, screaming in his ear begging for some sort of response.

Ocelot's lip twitched, he hadn't quite gotten to planning an excuse yet and his stomach heaved as he breaths through his nose, focus. Think. Shove it away. But Adamska refuses it, and Adam is busy sobbing over the man they killed for no reason... Obviously hitting George would only make that worse- damn it.

“I... slipped.”

“LIAR!”

...God he felt like a child again lying through his teeth but not quite at the level he needed to be for it to be believable yet.

“...Adam I know knife wounds when I see them...”

Hands gently touch his shoulders and Ocelot struggles not to fall into his chest for support, reaching and wiping sweat off of his brow unsurely.

Nails dig into his cuts again desperate for some sort of response but Ocelot doesn't even flinch.

“...What of them?”

“Did someone hurt you?”

“No.”

“you're covering your tracks- and at worst they'll think it was self defense- YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

“...Adamska. Did you...”

“GEORGE HE KILLED ME! GEORGE!”

Lie. Lie. Lie.

Liquid's eyes widen a bit as he watches Ocelot's face twist and eyes fog with tears- not just tears, his right eye drips blood, that he was struggle to hold back. Quickly Eli panics of all the time this had to happen now was not it, He was quick grabbing the soldier's ghost by the throat and dragging him to the side and through a door.

“I have to do everything god damn it Old Man!”

Ocelot doesn't even have time to react bending forward, dropping onto his knees and puking.

“GEORGE...!” A quiet choked voice cries out before he and Liquid vanish through the door completely.

Luckily puking his guts up was enough of a distraction that George hadn't heard the spirit's desperate cry.

“Hey- hey don't over do it now come here... We-... We should talk Adam.”

He's trying to pull Ocelot into his arms, he resists but is too tired to actually escape him with a conventional push, and CQC is to much of a bother... He'll take what's coming to him he supposed.

He hates how George's hands touch his cheek and try and turn him to face him, he weakly shakes his head.

“...george please don't...”

“Adam... please look at me.”

Ocelot couldn't think straight and it confused him, he BEGS Adam to take it but he's hyperventilating now from the attack from the ghost soldier and Adamska is denying it even happened! SOMEONE TAKE IT I CAN'T THINK PLEASE- he sobs and slams his face into George's chest shaking so hard and he can't get why this was happening. He wasn't cold and he wasn't upset! He was weapon, a tool. Logical. And these sorts of things do not have feelings.

He can't... his head hurt... everything hurt coughing sharply every breath a shutter for air, a soft touch rubbing his back in circles only making him feel worse. He tries pushing away but George holds him steady.

“Adam- please...”

“...g...george... I...”

George realized quickly what was wrong and gently assisted him to shuffle over so not to get puked into his lap as Ocelot bends down and gags, hacking with each cough as nothing but spit and bile once more drip onto the floor, he pants tongue looping and yet George gently grabs his chin and pulls him close again.

George has seen Ocelot look utterly tired before, has held him well he quietly sobbed into his shoulder but he's never seen his face during such moments. The utter broken exhaustion written on his face nearly took his words away.

“Adamska- oh Adam...”

Ocelot flinches trying to break eye contact, tears and the blood from his right eye so evident.

“You're eye its-”

“It's fine- it does t-that sometimes please... I don't want too...”

George grips him tightly forcing him to look at him again.

“Adam. Please talk to me.”

“I CAN'T!”

One blue eye narrows in a combination of frustration, pity and love, gently rubbing Adam's back again as the older man bends down a bit with a groan.

“...Why not, do you not trust me...?”

“N...no... I just... ican'tthinkplease...”

“You can't think...?”

George keeps his voice gentle as he lets Ocelot lean himself against his chest, his warm face pressing into George's neck.

“...hm... headhurts...tired...we...talk...when i...wake up???”

George shakes his head but starts to pick him up, scooping him into his arms easily.

Ocelot's head loops back, but George adjusts him a bit more to better support him.

“...j...john...”

His name slips past his lips and any dozed, dazed expression lost to one of horror.

“...George... george oh my god I'm so sorry I... I...”

But his voice starts to tamper off again like even the horrific realization of using the wrong name wasn't enough to keep him glued fully to consciousness, his eyebrows furrowed as he shut his eyes still struggling to stay awake mumbling.

“...george... sorry... geor...ge... srry...”

But George simply holds him tighter mumbling back as he starts to walk.

“shush, shh, it's alright. I promise it's ok, you're mine, and I won't leave your side, everything will go great and we'll be free. Adam. We will be free, finally free.”

Pushing the door to Ocelot's room open like this was becoming concerningly easier to do as time went on and that's exactly what George had wanted to talk about but he knew the older man was in absolutely no state for conversation considering he was still mumbling half worded apologizes.

Placing him onto his bed George sighs sitting down himself next to him, watching how Ocelot twists himself towards him and lightly hugs his wrist before finally that familiar light snore started to escape him. Carefully freeing his hand George hums as he takes off the other mans tie and vest, gently stroking his long silver hair, which was slick  and stuck to his face, off to the side. The relieved breath Ocelot huffs out made him smile a bit, taking his own black turtle neck off and gently nudging Ocelot to turn onto his other side for more space, he laid down beside him and wrapped his arms around him. Some sleep would do them both good he supposed. His hands gently hover over his companions chest, two beats slightly off beat of each other as usual. The doctors had mentioned this in the medical reports he'd read over for Adamska, who simply found all the fussing annoying, yet they could find no real explanation for it aside maybe his heart beating out of sync in places. Which was a dangerous thing but nothing really concrete came from that theory ether.

George sighs pressing his face into Adam's neck, his neck warm and a bit wet from sweat but he didn't care as he let himself relax. He can worry when he woke up.

Ocelot groans as he woke up, his stomach jumping up with a mixture of feeling like he hadn't eaten all day and like he couldn't eat if he wanted too. Annoying.

Cold nails dig into his skin. “YOU MURDERER!”

Ocelot groans quietly feeling George shift next to him loosing his grip on him allowing Ocelot to get to his feet, he swayed unsteadily he covers his mouth coughed harshly. Luckily the sound didn't wake George up- was... he used to him coughing in his sleep... Maybe he should be a bit more concerned with his own- no time. He was fine. He dragged himself into his rest room and turned the shower on, growling now.

“Get lost seriously, I did not mean to kill you, I had no idea you were there and OF COURSE I'm going to cover my tracks how am I supposed to explain I was just passive aggressively trying to shot my  step-son's ghost???”

“Step son???”

Shit Eli had heard that...

“Later conversation ok Eli.”

The blonde ghost seems annoyed but he glares threateningly at the soldier's ghost who moves back away from Ocelot who sighs in relief at nails no longer reopening his wounds.

“I don't want to be dead- Can't you do something?”

“Considering I chucked your body into the ocean I'm not sure what I can do... Not that I would ether way, look go talk to 'Death' or something?”

“Death...?”

“If it helps he kinda looks like me even, trust me you'll know him when ya see him, he'll help you or something...”

“I DON'T WANT TO BE DEAD- GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK!” Claws dig into him and he's knocked into the shower under the spray of to hot water, his head cracking onto the back wall and all he can do was sputter on water in shock.

“Enough of this foolishness, let's play a game of I choke you out until you fade out for awhile! You're really startin' to owe me one Ocelot!~”

Eli grips the soldier by the throat again slamming him into the shower wall and watching as the man squirms panicked but Eli's arm never let up no matter how he tried.

George must have been woken up by his nearly cracking his head open because next thing he knows the water is off, he's being scooped up into a towel and dried and looked over frantically. Was... George saying something his ears were still ringing. Ocelot blinks at him confusedly for a few moments as his words started to come in through the ringing as he focused on what was happening around him more on the physical world and not the spiritual one.

“...ou ok? Can you hear me, how many fingers am I holding up?”

Ocelot coughs but nods and mumbles out. “three?” As he wheezed to catch his breath having not realized he been getting more water then air before. Woops.

“Ok... ok, why did you get up without me?”

“...Believe me if I said I wanted to look handsome for you?”

George snorts smiling softly as he gently caresses his cheek.

“With how finicky you can be about your appearance I can.”

Though as Ocelot wheezes into another cough he frowns, gently carrying him back onto his bed even as he tries to fight him on that.

“I'm fine, I'm fine- I just slipped is all really- I have work to do!”

George gives him a look that silences his protests, he shifts pouting as he pulls his knees up to his chest leaning back into his pillows and headboard.

“I'm going to get the doctor to make sure you don't have a concussion or something but first. ...Adam... Are you sure you're up for all this?”

Grey eyes stare into one blue in confusion for a few moments, his head tilted to the side before a look of shock and horror cross his face.

“George- Sir, I swear I can handle this, I'll be careful, I won't even be in direct combat unless things go very south ether way- I can handle it.”

George doesn't seem as ready to believe this like he usually was, his hands gently tracing the cuts on his right shoulder and left hip, and a few other smaller cuts he had give himself.

Ocelot hisses he'd normally had the resolve to barely flinch but it slipped out, the blow to his head might be effecting him more then he'd like. He was fine though. Had to be.

“I... want to see you try and improve a bit or I will take you off this, understood. I'm saying this not as your Boss but... as you're partner, please Adam.”

Ocelot's heart pulled and he couldn't quite understand why, maybe its because his sad expression reminded him of one of the last ones he'd seen on John's- stop stop.

“I...I can do that. I promise, I'll even behave when you get that Doctor, go on, I'll be here relaxing.”

George nods, leaning forward and letting their noses touch and nuzzle before finally their lips meet for a few small moments and he pulls away heading for the door. When a blue eye peeks back Adam winks at him and sticks his tongue out teasingly.

“Go on, I won't die for the few minutes your gone for promise.”

And George steps out of the room.

[dylan-o-yumm]

What about Nero having an unrequited love for a totally nerdy S/O? He seduces her,flirts with her shamelessly, then one night the two get damn drunk and end up having sex. The next day, Nero feels totally happy but S/o is racked up with guilt and anxiety.

(I love this idea, so I’m sorry that my crappy writing skills ruined it lol. My “drabbles” have gone less drabbily and more… I’m-bad-at-writing-y. So I apologise in advance haha) 

You woke up with a throbbing headache and a dull ache between your thighs, the smell of booze on your breath along with an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Your hair was a mess, either from sleep or having hands ran through it, you couldn’t quite tell. You felt like absolute shit, stomach swirling uneasily while your eyes burned from the harsh sunlight peering through the open window. The room was trashed, your clothes left in shreds over by the door and a bunch of red and purple marks littered your skin. 

What the fuck! You thought, your mind screaming at you. How could you be so stupid? You never get drunk, why was last night an exception? Ugh. You feel like you’re going to be sick. 

The previous night’s events where a little hazy and all over the place, but there was surprisingly a lot that you remembered. The night started off with you and the Devil May Cry gang going out to a club for dancing and drinks, having been persuaded by Dante to have a night out all together and enjoy some music. You weren’t one for drinking too much, though the night must have required it, since you woke up the way you did. You shake your head and press a hand to your temple to calm your pounding brain as you collect your thoughts. 

You remember watching Nico drink the most, her and Lady running onto the dance floor was quite the entertainment, trying to dance all sexy-like but bursting into fits of laughter soon after. Half the night was spent watching them and laughing at their silly behaviour, even Trish went out to dance with some guy that had been eyeing her, leaving you, Dante and Nero sitting at the small round table. While your time was spent watching the girls, you felt eyes on you the entire time, too shy to meet his gaze but anxiously aware of it. 

Nero was drinking, though a lot slower than the Artisan, his tipsy manner getting himself into quite a few predicaments with you during the night. First, it was just watching you from where he sat, thinking about dancing with you but too nervous to actually ask, which is why he kept drinking. He didn’t know why it was such a big deal since he flirts with you all the time, but maybe it was the thought of having you so close to him that made him a little flustered. The way the other girls were dancing, getting close and practically grinding on each other for shits and giggles, made him even more hot around the collar just imagining you dancing like that with him. 

Dante was good at breaking the ice, keeping the conversation humorous and casual, distracting you from the tension of Nero’s eyes on you. But, the more you and he drank, the more the tension was unable to be ignored. The moment you gained the courage to lock eyes with Nero was the moment you both started undressing each other with your eyes, practically ignoring Dante as the two of you scooted closer to converse over the loud music. 

The girls saw what was going on and were quick to whisk Dante away with them to the dance floor, giving the two of you your much needed alone time. Nero had drank enough to shamelessly flirt with you, a hand coming to rest on your thigh while you leaned into his touch and whispered in his ear. You were surprised you had the courage to be so forward, usually shy and bashful whenever he used flirty one liners on you, but this time you followed his lead.

He ended up asking you to dance, and that is where things get a little blurry. You remember being close to him, his chest pressed against your back as you danced on him, his hands roaming your body… But after that, it was a hard cut to you and him stumbling through the front door to your house, lips locked and clothes being torn off as you clumsily made your way to your room. How you got home and what happened after you stumbled into your room with Nero was completely wiped from your mind, though you didn’t have to be a genius to figure out what happened. 

You groan and massage your scalp, deciding that maybe a nice warm shower and brushing your teeth will help make you feel a bit better. Pulling yourself out of bed, you notice that it’s empty, no body beside you, which you’re thankful for. Nero is a good friend and you always had a crush on him, having to face him after such an embarrassing night would have been hell. You always imagined your first time with him to be romantic and special, instead it was nothing more than a drunken mistake and he probably didn’t even like you the way you liked him. Sure he flirted with you all the time, but that’s just for laughs, right? 

As you shower, your thoughts only get more self-depreciating. If you didn’t drink, like you would usually do, then you could have been the voice of reason and make sure Nero didn’t do anything he would regret, which he clearly did or he’d have been in your bed when you woke up. Instead he was ashamed to have slept with you and needed to avoid you. You’d be lucky if you ever get to ever talk to him again without it being awkward. 

You clean your teeth and body, getting dressed in comfortable, casual clothes before you head down stairs to get some food in your stomach. There’s a permanent frown etched onto your face, wondering how you could possibly make amends with the young devil hunter. You were pretty close friends and didn’t want this to ruin what you had. You enjoyed his flirtatious remarks and lingering touches on your arm, no matter how flustered you got because of it, and you never wanted it to stop. Not over something so… You can’t even think of a word to describe the situation. You slept with one of your best friends, a friend that you had a huge crush on, nonetheless, but still. 

Your feet slow down to a quiet, cautious tiptoe when you hear noises coming from the kitchen, the fridge being open and closed and feet shuffling along the floor. The smell of toast and melted butter wafts into your nostrils soon after. No, it couldn’t be. Your frown deepens as your thoughts run a mile an hour, confused out of your mind as you didn’t expect anyone to be in your house, let alone making food in your kitchen. 

As you round the corner you see the muscular, uncovered back of none other than Nero himself, shirtless and spreading butter onto four pieces of toast. There were two plates, each with two pieces of toast. He wasn’t facing you, causing your eyes to linger on his shoulder blades before dragging down to the small of his back which were covered in little, red scratch marks, very clearly from your nails, no doubt about it. Shit…

Say something! Don’t just stand there like a creep! 

“You’re still here…” You voice in a mix between confusion and relief, hardly processing what it is you’re seeing before you, still a little distracted by his scratched up back. You expected to come down to an empty kitchen, cook up whatever you could find in your pantry and eat it like a slob on the couch… not this! You wish you would have kept your mouth shut and not have made your presence known, so you could properly process everything thats going on and say something a little more interesting. Nero suddenly turned when he heard your voice, seeming a little shocked that you were awake, but quickly recovering with a warm smile, seeming genuinely happy to see you. 

“Yeah…You think I’d sneak out?” Nero asks with a soft chuckle, seeming completely normal, like he wasn’t hungover in the slightest. Maybe his demon side heals him quick enough that he doesn’t have to feel the crappy side effects of alcohol… wouldn’t that be nice. You take a few steps closer, stopping at the island counter and resting your palms on top, peeking over and having to fight back a moan as you catch eye of the mouthwatering toast he was making. Any other day it would just be boring old toast, but in your hungover state, it looked like golden ingots on a plate. There was also his toned abs and muscular back that was quite mouthwatering, but you did your best not to stare, already feeling too awkward to make the situation any more uncomfortable. Lets just say it was hard not to take a peek every now and then.

Stop staring and say something!

“If I’m being honest… yeah.” You state quietly and unsurely, suddenly feeling out of place in your own home. He was in your kitchen, making food like nothing was out of the ordinary. It felt like he was pranking you with the amount of normalcy he was showing, seemingly unfazed by everything you were confused about. Everything about this was out of the ordinary for you. Nero, of all people, in your kitchen, shirtless, making toast… this has to be some crazy dream, right? 

Hearing him whistle lowly made you wince and bite your lip, knowing what you had confessed, had offended him a little. You want to apologise, say sorry for being so blunt and thinking so little of him, but another question burned on your tongue, begging to be asked even though you knew how stupid it would sound. Either way, you gave in and asked the question anyway. “I know it’s very obvious, but I have to ask… Did we have sex…?” You point between you and him, your throat suddenly drying up like you were in the middle of a desert and your heart pounding loudly in your chest.

You knew what the answer would be, the dull ache between your legs that was slowly disappearing into nothing, the scratches on his back, and the fact that you woke up naked was more than enough of a hint… it was a harsh slap to the face. However, you were in a minor state of denial, wishing you didn’t throw away your first time with Nero in a drunken haze, something you fantasised about almost daily, every time he flirted with you, just gone out the window like it was no big deal. Nero was more special than that and you were slowly hating yourself for being so careless.

“Yeah… You don’t remember?” Nero asks, facing you once again with a plate of toast in his hand, sliding it over the counter towards you. You can’t even smile or say thanks, the look on your face saying it all. Not remembering the good parts of the night, the best part… it was a nightmare. It’s not like you wanted to forget. Maybe if you did remember having sex, instead of it being the only thing seemingly lost from your memory, you wouldn’t be so torn up about it. You might even be a little happy, the fact that you slept with your crush should be a good thing, something to smile about. Right?

“Oh…” was all Nero said once he realised you didn’t remember. He turned away from you and placed his hands on the opposite countertop, bowing his head and releasing a long breath. He seemed sad suddenly, his smile having fallen into a frown before he looked away from you. You didn’t understand his reaction. Was it that big of a deal that you didn’t remember drunken sex? He seemed to remember, so maybe he was a little hurt that you didn’t, but if it wasn’t a special moment, maybe you didn’t want to remember it. Nero definitely seemed hurt that you were so focused on the memory being lost and not the fact that it was something that happened. 

His hands fell to his sides and he looked down at the floor, seeming out of place and a little disappointed. It was only now that he was facing away from you that you saw his back was completely healed. Had he prevented himself from healing to show off the marks you gave him, wanting to tease you for it when you came down to see him? Or was it just a coincidence and he happened to heal at the worst possible time, that lead you to question such things? 

“I should get dressed and… maybe message Nico to come pick me up… or I could just walk. Some fresh air will do me good…” He sounded like he was thinking out loud, not really aware of what he was saying. There was no hiding the sudden shift in his tone, definitely seeming upset and… betrayed, if you could call it that. You on the other hand were a little panicked. Since when was he leaving? Did you offend him that much that he wanted to leave? You quickly pull yourself around the island counter to get closer to him. 

“Wait, Nero. You… did you want this?” You ask nervously, anxious of his answer. Either way, when he waved his hand like he thought the answer didn’t matter, you quickly step to him and place your hand on his bare chest, somehow thinking your touch would ground him and make him think clearer. You wouldn’t lie, You could feel his heart beating and it made you hold your breath. It was beating fast, like he was scared or nervous, somehow only pulling you in closer as you pressed your palm more firmly over his heart. You’re eyes held concern, previously thinking Nero found everything to be a mistake just like you had, but this reaction made you wonder if he wanted to be more than friends, just like you want. 

“Did you not?” He laughed humourlessly, his sad eyes like knives digging into your own. “I thought we both liked each other, but you don’t seem too happy about this” He takes a step back, letting your hand fall down to your side. His tone was surprisingly calm, but you could easily tell he was hurting, the look in his eyes being more than enough to make you feel guilty. You should have been more sensitive, more welcoming, but instead you freaked out and made him feel like you didn’t want him. You swallow dryly, blinking as you let his statement seep in. 

Say something! Anything!

“I’m not happy with how things turned out, but… I just wish…” You sigh frustratedly, running a hand through your hair and frowning as you tried to piece together your words. Your mind was hurting, physically hurting having to think so much when all you wanted to do was sleep off your hangover. Nero looked at you with sad albeit hopeful eyes, probably wishing you’d say you wanted to make things work, make this accident turn into something special. And while you felt all those things, saying them aloud is far harder than thinking them. Your heart already felt like it was going to burst out of your chest from beating so fast, you couldn’t do anything to make it worse to the point were Nero could probably hear it, if he couldn’t already. 

You can’t leave it at that. Say something more. Just say what you feel!

“I drank way too much last night and my punishment is not remembering us having sex.” You pout, almost acting comical in the way you were having a tantrum, even stomping your foot a little. Nero chuckles softly, a hint of a smile on his face but you can tell he still isn’t quite happy. He sighs and reaches over the island counter, grabbing your plate and pulling it towards him before sliding it across in your direction. You stare at the plate, a sad, small frown hidden in your brow as you try to think of something else, anything else to say that will fix this situation. However, Nero beats you to speaking first. 

“Just eat your breakfast, Y/n. We can talk more once you’ve calmed down a little, and hopefully sobered up” He chuckled as he pointed to your plate, grabbing his own food and taking a large bite of his own toast. You sigh, nodding as you think this will be a good excuse for you to think more on what you want to say. Your mind races with many different things you want to tell him as you pick up a piece of crispy toast, bringing it to your lips before sinking your teeth in. You moan at the delightful taste, closing your eyes and savouring the melted butter and cooked bread on your tongue. Too bad the moment is ruined by Nero opening his mouth and saying… 

“Or I could demonstrate what we did…” He suggests casually, shrugging as if it was as simple as asking you to pass the orange juice. You can’t help it, you cough and choke on your piece of toast, eyes wide as a deep shade of red dusts over your cheeks. Nero laughs at your reaction after winking and smirking cockily.

You couldn’t lie though, that thought had crossed your mind… 

[joyfulsongbird]

If you’re taking prompts: Orpheus and Eurydice cooking a meal together! Domesticity all the way!

Eurydice didn’t really like admitting when she was exhausted, but now, when her body aches with a long day of work, she’s both physically and emotionally drained. Twice, men grabbed for various parts of her body, only to be reprimanded by Hermes, who doesn’t shout but intimidates them with merely his ethereal aura and sends them out. Orpheus would too, she knows, but instead he chooses to stand by her, ask if she’s okay. Look her in eyes to confirm she isn’t lying, he knows how sometimes these situations can bring her back to a bad time. she bartends and busses tables all day, for the first half at least she had her husband beside her, but after about midday he went to perform on stage and she was left feeling alone and vulnerable. she knows she doesn’t look intimidating so she overcompensates with posture and words. all day, she’d been stuck with the worst customers, the most disrespectful, the drunkest, loudest, if they were at an extreme, she managed to get them. on top of all of that, she hadn’t had a drink of water since that morning and had only managed to eat a slice of bread around lunchtime.

in other words, it hadn’t been the best day.

she collapses onto the bed, curling in on herself and burying her face into the pillow. after a few moments, she feels a warmth by her side, his heartbeat against her back. she breathes in. he breathes out.

“long day?” he murmurs into her hair.

“that’s one way of putting it.” she mumbles, squeezing her eyes shut.

in reply, he wraps his arms around her waist, holding her tight. it calms her, brings her down from the emotional high of the day.

“want to cook dinner together?” he says, against her shoulder now. “It was supposed to be just my day, but I know how much you like cooking together-”

“yes, that sounds nice.” she says definitively. he laughs, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him. she manages to get to a position where one of legs is draped over both of his and her chin rests on his chest. he’s watching her with intrigued eyes, the kind of eyes that hold just a tint of worry in them but as they search her face, relief floods them. as long as she reacts to these commanding movements of his that he doesn’t often take like she always does, with a laugh or a grin and a kiss, she’s feeling alright. at least, alright enough.

“c’mon,” she sits up, tugging him up with her. she presses a chaste kiss to his lips, he chases her lips for a second before pulling back fully.

“what should we make?” she walks to the bookshelf where they keep an old cookbook that belonged to Hermes. “something easy maybe.”

she sits down on the floor with the book in her lap, flipping through the first couple pages. the sheets are worn, folded and ripped in places. when she runs her fingers down it’s length, it feels ancient under her fingertips. maybe it is, afterall, Hermes is a god.

Orpheus moves around the kitchen, pulling things out. “what about soup?”

she nods, “what do we have in the fridge to use?”

she doesn’t look up while he answers, just listening and considering their options. “vegetables, potatoes in the cabinet I think, that weird stuff Persephone gave us that flavors the broth.”

“it was called something French.” she snaps her fingers. “bouillon.”

“yeah, that.” he responds. “so vegetable soup?”

“yum.” she replaces the book, when she took it out she knew she wouldn’t really need the book but she loves feeling the pages between her fingers and flipping through to look at all of the pictures of food she has never and probably will never taste. she’s noticed Orpheus watching her sadly before, and she knows it’s because they will never afford such a luxury. but she cares a little less, she just likes looking at the age old pictures, imagining what they must look like in person.

Orpheus pulls a pot out of a cabinet, placing it in their sink to fill with water. they have to be careful with soup and things that take up a lot of water with their limited water supply every month but this is a small batch, just for two people and some leftovers.

he knows how much she likes cooking with him, how she can wrap her arms his waist while he cuts up vegetables and how the smell wafts through the house. when they do it together, it feels they end a day, especially a day like this, with a sense of togetherness as opposed to going to bed too tired to even talk about what bothered them that day or something funny that happened. they tries to avoid the “kiss and good night” as much as possible, because then it becomes routine to never speak. and that path brought them to places they never want to go back to.

with the pot on the stove, they can work on cutting up the vegetables and other smaller things. this is her favorite part. little things like planting kisses on cheeks and necks and foreheads. she didn’t know how she wanted the little things, little intimacies, little “i loves yous” until she was with Orpheus. she used to think she was only a dominate person, one who preferred to kiss and not tell, to leave in the morning and spend the sunrise walking miles away so as not to be caught. this isn’t what she ever thought she’d end up with, but she’s more than happy with it.

“you can’t distract me too much when I have a knife.” Orpheus warns.

“aw but you look so handsome.” she grins, biting her tongue in that way she knows Orpheus can’t resist.

“I know what you’re doing and it won’t work this time.” he says, determined not to look.

“we’ll see about that.” she tugs on his ear, causing his cheeks to briefly flush pink.

she goes to the other side of him, where the second cutting board rests. her shoulder brushes against his, the edges of her hair brushing against the side of his bicep. he shivers and she laughs at it, her chest feels much more lifted since she got home. her exhaustion falling back into her enjoyment of the evening. she presses two kisses to his arm, one high on his shoulder and the other on the curve of his lanky muscle.

when Orpheus is finally done chopping up the vegetables and throws them into the simmering broth, she wraps her arms around him from behind. she links her hands together in front of him, pressing her cheek against his back. she gets to feel his heartbeat, his breathing, the stretch of the fabric of his shirt. she’ll have a crease on her cheek later from his fabric suspenders, but she could care less.

“feel better, love?” he asks, she can hear the smile in his voice.

“much.” she answers quietly. “turn around so I can kiss you.”

“gladly.” he shifts over so that they aren’t right by the stove and turns around in her arms, his hands rest on her waist, pulling her a little closer. he ducks his head down, capturing her lips in his gently. it’s one of those soft, slow kisses that they both can savor, a kiss that only happens in the slower moments of the day. her kiss moves from his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, to his jaw, to the base of his neck.

“Soup’s boiling.” Orpheus whispers, his voice breathless. she pulls away, pressing one last kiss to the tip of his nose.

“I’m hungry,” she says. “let’s eat.”

[noaoats]

Adrien Learns How to Ride a Bike

cross-posted on ao3 here

“Marinette learns that her boyfriend can’t ride a bike. She decides to fix that.”

Chapters:1/?; Words: 3,452; pure Adrienette fluff

---

Ladybug knew that her powers and identity were based on the concept of good luck, but sometimes she just felt really lucky.

She was currently on a beam near the top of the Eiffel Tower with her head in her boyfriend’s lap. The two had ended patrol early and were content to spend time together before each had to return to their homes. Ladybug’s eyes were closed as she rested. Chat was humming a song and dragging his fingers through her hair while looking down over the city.

His claws scratched gently on her scalp and her toes wiggled in bliss. “What are you humming?” she asked.

“A song my mother used to sing when I was younger. I was afraid of storms, so she’d sing to keep me calm if it began to thunder. I don’t remember the words, but the tune gets stuck in my head from time to time.”

“It’s beautiful. Maybe we can try to look the song up sometime.”

Chat separated a portion of hair and began to braid it. “I would love that.”

She willed herself to stay awake. She had despised going to bed as a kid and her mother had always played with her hair to help her fall asleep. During sleepovers she loved to play with Alya’s hair, but occasionally the other girl would braid hers and it would knock her out. The comfort of being with Chat coupled with the warm afternoon sun was making it difficult not to drift to sleep hundreds of feet above Paris.

Chat’s voice roused her as he continued talking. “We still haven’t planned our date for Saturday. My father confirmed again that I could take a few hours off so I’m free until evening. And the weather is supposed to be nice. What do you want to do? Hang out up here?”

“Hmm. I’m not sure,” she said. “We haven’t gone on many dates as ourselves, you know? We’re always transformed. We could… watch a movie. Or go swimming, since cats love the water so much.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“What about a bike ride along the Seine? We could go until we find a nice spot for a picnic. I’ll bring a blanket for us to sit on and some food. Or we could try to cook something together beforehand if you have time! My bike has a basket.”

He paused while braiding her hair. “Um… what about a picnic at the park near your house?”

“I mean, we could, I just figured it would be nice to try something new. That’s where we always eat lunch during school, plus bike rides are fun! I haven’t ridden mine much since I was a kid, and even then I really only ever used it to bike over to Nino’s house for playdates.”

“Oh. Yeah, it’s just that…” His voice sounded strained, and she opened her eyes to see if he was okay. His forehead was creased in thought and his cheeks were pink. “Um. We could just walk, instead. And not go as far since I can’t stay for too long.”

She giggled. “What, don’t tell me you can’t ride a bike.”

When he grimaced again the smile dropped from her face. She had made a major mistake. “Oh. Oh, Chat, I didn’t mean to-”

“No!” he interrupted. His face turned red as he realized that he had cut her off, and he patted her forehead awkwardly as if to apologize. “No, don’t feel bad, it’s okay. It’s just kind of embarrassing, is all. What kind of kid our age doesn’t know how to ride a bike?”

She pushed his hand aside and sat up next to him. “Lots of people! It’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”

“Yeah, I bet. Name one other person.”

“I… Alright.” Ladybug looked around dramatically as if to ensure no one could hear them way up on the tower, making Chat laugh. She leaned closer to whisper. “You can’t tell anyone, okay? I was sworn to secrecy, and I know for a fact that this person will hunt me down if they find out I told you. We made this blood pact back in CE 2. You mean a lot for me to break a promise like that.”

“Blood pact?”

She shrugged. “We were wrestling and gave each other bloody noses. We wiped the blood on our hands and then made a pinky promise. It was very serious when we were eight.”

His nose crinkled. “That’s disgusting.”

“Eh, we were kids. More importantly, do you swear to take this secret to the grave?”

“Yes,” he said. “Yes. Please. Tell me this life and death secret. What other poor soul can’t ride a bike?”

Her voice dropped even lower. “Kim. Kim can’t ride a bike.”

Chat looked stunned. He stared at her for a few moments. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. And not even Alix knows that.”

“Huh.”

“So you see!” She bumped shoulders with him. “If even the great Kim can’t ride a bike, it’s obviously not that big of a deal. Did it scare you as a kid? Or did you forget how to do it?”

“Well, firstly, it is a big deal if you literally exchanged blood over it. Seriously, that’s just wrong.” He looked down at his hands in his lap. “And secondly, no. I just never learned. My parents were going to teach me, but then my mom disappeared, and my father… The Gorilla tried once but he obviously didn’t know how to teach. He just told me to put on a helmet and go, and I didn’t know what to do with that. Then I was banned from ‘dangerous activities’ that could ruin my modeling career.”

Ladybug fell silent, processing her partner’s words. Knowing how to ride a bike wasn’t the most important skill a person could have, but it was one that had brought her a lot of joy. She also knew how much Adrien loved being able to transform and race around, and biking could bring a similar sense of freedom in his civilian form. He was also rich enough to buy a bike without any hassle if he ended up loving it.

Her mind was made up.

“Alright, that’s it. This Saturday, I’m teaching you how to ride a bike.”

-

“Marinette, I don’t know about this.”

Adrien was sitting uncomfortably on her bike, tilted to one side as he shifted around on the seat. She had switched the bike’s gears and elevated the seat to accommodate him but the whole thing felt awkward. He did like the bike’s design, though- it was a pretty light blue with small gold bells on the handles. Clinking them had been fun at first, but now that he was actually about to ride they felt like they were in the way of his hands.

“Don’t be a scaredy-cat.” Marinette handed him a matching blue helmet. “I promise to help you, and I’ll run alongside you when you go, okay? If you begin to panic just… fall on me and I’ll catch you.”

“I’m not going to crush you with a bike!”

She flipped a hand. “Whatever, I’ve been through worse. You’re the model that can’t get banged up. Alright, so put this on your head. It clicks under your chin; you want it to be tight but not uncomfortable.”

Adrien followed her directions. He had assumed that the helmet would feel strange on his head, but he was used to so many weird head pieces from modeling that he barely noticed it. His girlfriend rapped on the side of it once it was in place and he rolled his eyes. “It’s on, Mari.”

“Just checking. Okay, so getting started… I’m actually not sure what the best way to explain this is.” Her eyes darted back to the bakery across the street. “Wait! I have an idea!”

He knew that look. “Don’t leave me here on the bike!” he hissed. It was too late, though. She had already sped off in the direction of her home and left him stranded in the middle of the park. He still didn’t know what he was doing, but having her there had made him feel less awkward. He avoided the looks of other groups strolling past and shifted his weight from foot to foot. Was it weird for people to just stand around on a bike? He had never noticed, but he also had never paid attention to it. He was sure that he looked stupid.

Just as he was about to climb off and walk the bike back here was a thump to his right and he turned to see Marinette sprawled on the ground. She just jumped back up and kept going. In her hands was a giant, empty box. “We have so many of these from all the ingredients we order. I thought this might be easier.” She plopped it down next to him and sat down on it, lifting her hands to grab onto imaginary handlebars. “See?”

He snorted. “Love your bike.”

“Thanks, cardboard is in this season.” She winked. “Okay, so you move forward by pushing the pedals like this.” Her feet rotated next to the box in a circle, and he looked down at the real pedals near his feet. That seemed simple enough. “You have to do some balancing at the start, but once you get going the bike just takes off.”

“What if I start to tilt?”

“Well, you either fall or you don’t. But seriously, once you get some momentum you’ll be fine. And you steer with the handles, like this.” She demonstrated and he copied her with the real handles, twisting the front wheel against the pavement. “To stop…” She leaned back and bit her lip. “Hmm. Normally there are brakes on the handles you can squeeze to stop. It’s those small silver things there. But mine don’t really work that well ‘cause they’re so old. You’ll need to start pedalling slower and squeeze the brakes, and then I usually slide my feet on the ground to help myself slow to a stop.”

He blinked. “What do you mean, your brakes don’t work? I thought this was supposed to be safe!”

“It is! A lot of people have broken or missing parts. Riding a fully functional bike doesn’t count as a true biking experience, don’t worry.” The box was thrown in a nearby recycling bin before she stepped next to him to put her hands on his shoulders. “Alright, so at first you’re going to pedal slowly and I’m going to help you stay upright. I won’t let go, okay? We’re just going to go around the park.”

“Wait, what? Now?”

“Uh, yeah? When else, silly?”

This was happening too quickly for Adrien, but he reluctantly nodded. “You promise you won’t let go?”

“I promise, chaton.”

“Alright.” His foot hesitantly pressed down on a pedal and the bike squeaked, rolling forward a few inches. Marinette helped him balance himself so that he could lift his other foot off the ground and push the other pedal. The bike jerked forward but he stayed upright, gripping tightly. “Whoah!”

“You’ve got it! Keep going!”

He smiled at the encouragement and pressed again with his first foot, and then again with his second. Marinette was still mostly responsible for keeping him from falling, but he slowly began to circle the perimeter of the park. A part of him was anxious that others would be watching, but the thrill of the bushes and trees passing by him was too exciting to let himself get distracted. He was riding a bike! “I’m doing it!”

“You’re doing great, Adrien!”

The smooth walking path made pedalling easy, and he started to pedal faster. Marinette shuffled, then began to jog to keep up. “If you go faster I can’t hold on,” she yelped, stumbling over her feet as he went around a bend.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it! Let go!”

She laughed and finally released his shoulders. Without the resistance the bike flew forward. Adrien was filled with glee as he spun around the last curve in the park and began making his way back toward the entrance. Marinette had been right, it was easy enough once he had built up some momentum. He could hear her running behind him now, still cheering.

“Look at you! You’re riding a bike!”

“I’m riding a bike!”

He took one more lap around the park and then decided to stop before he pressed his luck too far. He shifted his hands to reach the brakes and pressed them. Like Marinette had promised, his bike began to slow but didn’t jerk him to a stop. The handles tilted wildly under his hands for a moment from the grab, but he quickly righted himself. Marinette had caught up at this point and was gesturing toward his feet. “No brakes!”

“Right.” His feet hit the ground harder than he meant for them to, but the friction of his sneakers against the pavement helped him slide to a quick stop. The bike came to rest right before a bench where a couple was sitting. They smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. He returned it.

“Adrien!” There was a tight squeeze against his abdomen and he looked down to see Marinette giving him a strong hug. He smiled and awkwardly patted her arms while extracting himself from the bike. It loudly collapsed to the ground, but neither of them cared. “That was so awesome! How did it feel?”

“It was… really nice! I definitely need to practice more before going out on the roads or anything, but I’m glad you convinced me to try this. You were an excellent teacher. Can we try again some other time?”

“Absolutely! Now are you ready for our picnic?” She flashed him a mischievous look. “I want to introduce you to one more thing.”

-

Marinette whooped as they flew down the path lining the Seine. Adrien’s grip was almost painful on her shoulders, but she could hear him laughing behind her as well. They had dug up her mother’s old helmet to double-up on the bike. Marinette was steering and Adrien was holding on behind her with his feet on the back wheel hub. He had been anxious at first, but now they were both dizzy and elated as the river sped past them.

“Up there! Up there!” Adrien yelled in her ear. His fingers were still tight on her shirt, and she assumed that he didn’t feel sturdy enough to lift a hand and point. She scanned the area ahead and found a small bench and grassy area right next to the river bank on their right.

“I see it!”

The bike zoomed over and she began to squeeze on the brakes as they rolled down a slight hill. Adrien held her closer as the momentum shifted but was silent as she slammed her shoes down to break their slide. The bike tilted dangerous to the right as they turned, but it gradually rolled to a stop in the grass. Adrien slumped over her shoulder. “Marinette, oh my god. That was so much fun. Why don’t we do that all the time?”

She booped his nose. “Because of a certain mothman we hate. But we can do it more often! I didn’t know if you would like it or not, and honestly I had forgotten I had a bike. I should really start riding it to school again.” Their food had somehow remained in the basket, and she passed the bag to Adrien as he hopped off the back of the bike. “It would keep me from having to sprint after sleeping in.”

“You know, you could just not sleep in.”

“Yeah, but what’s the fun in that?”

They spread the blanket out on the grass and set up their lunches- plain baguettes, small salads, and an orange to split. Plagg and Tikki were content to stay in the bike basket and hang out, and Marinette didn’t disturb them. She enjoyed being alone with Adrien. Well, as alone as they could be with two tiny gods always keeping them company.

Adrien had already scarfed down half of his lunch, moaning in delight. “I don’t understand,” he grumbled, mouth full of food. “Why would you ever leave your place to get food? You could eat this great all the time. I’d never stop eating.”

Crumbs trickled down his shirt and she reached over to shake the fabric and knock them off. “You have a chef. And you’re going to choke if you keep eating like that.”

“At least I’d die doing what I love. Eating food made by the Dupain-Cheng’s.”

She swatted playfully at him before digging into her own lunch. They mostly ate in silence, taking in the moment. The sky was beautiful and the park they had found was surprisingly clear of tourists. They were sitting near a bush of flowers she found absolutely lovely, and they had sat as close to the river as possible. It would have been nicer without the gates blocking them from falling in, but she still appreciated being near it. Adrien seemed to catch her gaze. “Wonder if it’ll ever be clean enough to swim in?”

That made her laugh. “I’d say when pigs fly, but that might actually happen with some of the weird akumas Papillon has made. Still, it’s pretty. If it wouldn’t definitely give me E. coli, I’d jump in.”

“I’ve never gone swimming anywhere that wasn’t a pool,” Adrien admitted. “Not saying that I’d swim in the Seine- that’s nasty. But it would be cool to find a lake or something and get in. Nino’s family goes rafting a lot at Cergy-Pontoise. It sounds fun.”

Marinette felt a pang of sympathy in her chest. “You didn’t get to do much fun stuff as a kid, huh? Or now.”

“I mean, I hung out with Chloe some. We would go shopping together or goof off during big social events. That was fun.”

“Yeah, but that’s not…” She sat up straight, grabbing his hands. “Have you ever used roller blades? Tried using a pogo-stick? Jump roped? Climbed something you weren’t supposed to?” He frowned and wiggled his ring finger. “Obviously not as Chat Noir. Like I used to try and climb this giant tree in the park across from my house. I wasn’t supposed to but I did it anyway, and I ended up falling and breaking my arm. Anything like that?”

He paused to think. “Hmm. I was allowed to go ice skating some, but not much. And I did fencing. That’s about it.”

“That’s it, then.”

“What is?”

She stood up and brushed fake dust off her pants for the dramatic flair. Her hands slammed on her hips and she puffed out her chest. “I have decided what our next few dates will be. You and I will be giving Adrien Agreste a childhood. And we’ll start with rollerblading.”

“Really?” Adrien didn’t get up, but he looked overjoyed. She really did get lucky. He was so cute. “Can we really?”

“Really really. Hold on, I have some paper in my purse.” The notepad was resting next to the two kwamis in the bike basket, and she waved at them before reaching in to grab it. “Let’s come up with a list of things you’ve always wanted to do but never got the chance to. We can go ahead and write down riding a bike, and put a check next to it.” She sat down next to him and started scribbling in her lap. “What else would you like to do?”

“I love you.”

“Okay, I love y-” She stopped writing, realizing what he had said. Her cheeks were probably burning. It didn’t matter how long they dated, he always took her breath away when he said that. And he was giving her such a soft look, how could she not turn into a romantic puddle in front of him? She smiled. “I love you, too. What was that for?”

Adrien scooted closer. “Nothing. I just love you, and I like to say it.” The peck on her cheek was unexpected and she felt her face grow hotter. “Plus you’ve been showing off all day; it’s fun to make you blush.”

“I’m not-!” He was already laughing at her. “Okay, hot-shot. For real, we need to make this list.” She pushed forward onto her stomach so that she could write on the ground, and she used her legs to shove him over. “What do you want to add?”

He wriggled over next to her and leaned closer to see what she was writing. “Alright, alright. I was thinking we could add…”