#cheers to you reader if you checked the tags xD

[simp-ly-writes]

The Comment Section (pt.4)

─────── · · A Social Media AU Fic

Pairing: Spencer Agnew x gn!Reader

─ · · SUMMARY: You are done filming for your upcoming movie and the team think of a way to help celebrate and as you gain more and more free time, you and spencer try and spend every moment together.

─ · · TAGS: gender-neutral pronouns, jealous!Spencer, angst, social media au, suggestive themes, attempt at comedy, slowburn, light swearing, fluff, mutual pinning, irl celebrities, friends that act like lovers, friends/lovers.

─ · · MASTERLIST | TAGLIST REQUEST | PART THREE | PART 3.5 | PART 4.5

─ · · A/N: A really long part four since I am starting school again 😔 and don't know how long it will be till I can write something.

─────── · ·

🔔 (name)s_username just tweeted, check it out!

─────── · ·

(first/name) (last/name) @ (name)s_username · 3 days ago Where is everyone disappearing to and why is nobody talking to me at Smosh??? 😭 I am going public with this now, I demand to know your secrets! Comment | Retweet | Like | Bookmark

↳ Smosh @ smosh · 3 days ago Find us (name)...

↳ first/name) (last/name) @ (name)s_username · 3 days ago That didn't make this any better!

⟳ user_one reposted username01 @ user_one · 3 days ago They are really doing (name) so dirty recently. Like, give my guy/girl a break.

─────── · ·

🔔 Smosh Pit just uploaded! Turn off notifications here.

─────── · ·

Sardines Hide and Seek! Can (name) Find Us?

Smosh Pit ✓ [Subscribed] Like 132k | Dislike | ... 8.29M subscribers 500k views 3 days ago #10 on trending we have been planning this for awhile... can (name) find our secret wrap-up filming party for them before the end of the day? watch to find out!

4,101 Comments

⚲ Pinned by Creator (name)s_username ✓ 3 days ago And here I thought I was going to be fired. You all are so sweet for thinking of me this way, I would never have wanted a moment of it spoiled- that revel was much worth the wait! ❤️❤️ :) ▼ 200 replies ↳ Smosh Pit ✓ 3 days ago We are all forgiven once more! ↳ username47 3 days ago Watching everyone sneak around in the background of the video was too funny, everyone looked so sus! XD ↳ username20 3 days ago (name) instantly falling to their knees and crying was so fucking cute and sweet, I swear my heart exploded in my chest as everyone clapped and cheered for them. Smosh is a true family ❤️ ↳ username99 1 hour ago They really know how to play with out heart strings, I was stressing so much these past few days- must have taken them ages to plan this out, great work to the crew! ↳ username89 12 hours ago Ian standing there weirdly as (name) cries into his chest thanking him before he hands them off to Spencer was pure gold! ↳ username72 5 hours ago IKR it was so funny but you could see how much care was in Ian's eyes when he did that.

username88 just now Okay, but from now on- only wholesome things like this for awhile okay?! Us fans cannot handle much more 😭

username56 30 minutes ago Anyone else watch the original hide and seek video before this? username33 2 days ago Okay but what was Shayne trying to do in that wig??? Did they really think that would disguise them??? username69 1 day ago Spencer picking the confetti out of (name)'s hair was so sweet. username17 2 days ago 22:42 Spencer: "are you mad at us?" ... (name): "I was but my current happiness makes up for it all." ▼ 14 replies ↳ username72 5 hours ago THE WAY THEY GIGGLE TO EACH OTHER AFTERWARDS IS SENDING ME. username21 30 minutes ago That cake by the arts department was truly a work of art! Taking all those photos and scenes from (name)'s instagram was so heartfelt. username01 just now I am late to a post for once! username42 just now The comedy of having everyone disappear after (name) turns around was perfect! I wonder if it was edited or practical...

─────── · ·

🔔 (name)s_username just posted, check it out!

─────── · ·

Liked by spennser, ianhecox, shaynetopp and others

(name)s_username i love you all so much ❤️❤️❤️

View all 1,577 comments

spennser we all love you back!

↳ username01 just spat out my drink and had to re-read that a few times before realizing I need glasses. ↳ username99 mhmm, mhmm, we know you ALL do (some more than others) /positive

ianhecox yes, good pictures but we need you back in the meeting room.

↳ (name)s_username I am running my way over boss! 🫡

sydney_sweeney I would've liked to have been invited...

↳ smoshpit we will get you on the next one! ↳ glen_powell add me to that list as well! ↳ smoshpit on it!

username67 what's with the baseball bat??? 🤣

username40 been loving all the videos you have been in!

co_mill we are all so proud of you!!

phatchance why did you have to choose that picture of me?!

↳ (name)s_username you look so cute in it! ❤️❤️

oliviasui i look so wasted lol

↳ (name)s_username don't worry i was too XD

damienhaas never knew you to be a singer...

↳ (name)s_username oi! you joined me so don't even start Damien‼️ ↳ damienhaas i was just about to say we should do karaoke with the team! 😊 ↳ (name)s_username now you have me looking bad 😭 ↳ tomeybones never thought that possible babes ↳ (name)s_username im actually running away now!

─────── · ·

Some Time Later...

🔔 Smosh Pit just uploaded! Turn off notifications here.

─────── · ·

Eat It Or Yeet it: Desserts Edition

Smosh Pit ✓ [Subscribed] Like 79k | Dislike | ... 8.29M subscribers 370k views 2 weeks ago today the cast tests their internal systems in eat it or yeet it!

2,222 Comments

username56 2 weeks ago It is so weird not seeing Spencer and (name) in a video together for once. ▼ 31 replies ↳ username72 2 weeks ago Okay but I kinda like seeing them interact with the other cast members, they do kinda stick together in the videos. Its cute and everything but change is nice! ↳ username22 1 week ago They say distance makes the heart grow fond... (even though he was on set watching this episode) ↳ username01 1 week ago I find it so funny that they can't seem to keep away from one another for long. ↳ username22 1 week ago IKR? so adorable, so them. ❤️❤️ username04 2 weeks ago The Shayne, (name), and Angela trio are so perfect. Their chemistry never fails to humor me! username17 1 hour ago Okay but that cake made out of mayo made me seriously gag, I could not believe that Angela managed to stomach that. 🤮 username88 5 days ago The way that they all suddenly act like founding fathers as (name) throws up in the background will never not be funny to me. username43 1 week ago (name) and Angela are so cute together, I love the way they grip one another's shoulders as they laugh like that pictures of foxes XD username10 2 days ago I love the way they all chased Garrett out of the studio afterwards with chairs and cutlery and through the office. That montage was LEGENDARY.

─────── · ·

Board AF: Monopoly Cheaters Edition

Smosh Games ✓ [Subscribed] Like 100k | Dislike | ... 7.75M subscribers 1.1M views 2 weeks ago we all have trust issues after this episode...

4,683 Comments

username97 2 weeks ago 14:11 (name): "SPENCER!!!" a few seconds later... Spencer: "(NAME)!!!" I need their energy. ▼ 417 replies ↳ username11 2 weeks ago I feel like their little play fight on the ground together should have been blurred. ↳ username19 2 weeks ago Those pinned hands looked... personal... 😳 ↳ username84 2 weeks ago My mind went straight back to Spencers insta post some time ago, that hug still haunts me. username05 1 week ago See I love this game, now (name) and Spencer need no excuses to watch each other the whole time and do their jobs secondary /positive ▼ 2 replies ↳ username99 5 days ago I know this is a joke in all, but they are arguably the two hardest workers at Smosh with their multiple roles both in front of camera and behind alongside all their outside work. ↳ username05 4 hours ago Exactly! we love a hardworking totally-not-couple ❤️❤️ username24 30 minutes ago Been loving the content recently, keep it coming! username08 1 week ago The BTS of this video was CRAZY. ▼ 220 replies ↳ username03 4 days ago OMG WHAT HAPPENED???? don't leave us on a cliffhanger here! ↳ username36 4 days ago Yeah, tell us PLEASE!! ↳ username08 15 minutes ago Okay, OKAY! Spencer and (name) were making a number of jokes about the handcuffs and did a side-interview where they told us all the schemes they planned- makes the video execution that much better! ↳ username06 15 minutes ago I need a membership STAT. ↳ username15 just now (edited) They really do be getter bolder and bolder. I really love seeing it. EDIT: like as in (name)'s confidence, from this movie they seem more comfortable in themselves.

─────── · ·

🔔 (name)s_username just posted, check it out!

─────── · ·

Liked by co_mill, spennser, chickenshopdate, and others

(name)s_username just went on a date!

View all 7,342 comments

(name)s_username for a longer caption, just want to say that I can't believe this is my last interview before the film releases, its been a journey so thank you so much Amelia for having me on your show!

↳ chickenshopdate loved having you, lets meet up again soon, but as like friends... erm... ↳ (name)s_username yes, friends- please! ↳ username01 (name) really out here worried for all their "friendships" XD

username41 I am literally counting down the days until this film comes out, I am so excited!!

anthonypadilla could you sneak in one last interview??

↳ (name)s_username let me check quickly- wait yes 100%

username25 You were amazing on bit-city last night as the bystander! Please make more videos in this character!!

spennser i've never seen you both act so awkward on camera.

↳ (name)s_username i got nervous okay! be nice 😃 ↳ chickenshopdate happens to the best of us, thats why i brought out the booze honey! ↳ spennser i mean i would be nervous too... ↳ (name)s_username ikr?! ↳ username99 and it just flies over their head 🙄

username23 i like to image Spencer putting himself in Amelia (the interviewers) shoes while watching this video.

username10 your outfit was straight fire! please can someone tell me where to get this look???

username82 i could go for a slushee now....

─────── · ·

🔔 Smosh Games just uploaded! Turn off notifications here.

─────── · ·

We Are ALL (name) HERE.

Smosh Games ✓ [Subscribed] Like 320k | Dislike | ... 7.75M subscribers 790k views 1 week ago in (name) we trust...

2,983 Comments

username66 5 days ago Who's wet dream did we just stumble into? Mine- cough cough, what?? who said that?? * [this comment has been flagged for interfering with Youtube's Community Guidelines; for more information press HERE] username01 1 week ago (edited) I like to think when studying for this role, they all stared at pictures of Spencer longingly. EDIT: HOLY SHIT, Spencer appearing part way to help the "real" (name) with their mic as they all intently watched with jealously was out-of-this-world. Like I have no words, they all knew what to do XD ▼ 220 replies ↳ username51 just now I was LOSING MY MIND over this. ↳ username17 just now I love how they all watch what the "real" name does and copies a few seconds after XD its perfect!! ↳ username20 1 hour ago YES THIS!!! Or how Amanda kept looking behind the camera at Spencer until he told them to stop but then they all did it, im dying here 🤣🤣 username37 1 week ago I love that as soon as one of them starts laughing- they all start laughing the same way XD username40 1 week ago "real" (name)'s pout and glares were too cute as they more and more annoyed as the video progressed. username88 1 week ago Whoever green lighted this video needs to be promoted. I have watched it four times now. username37 5 days ago Yes!!! More (name) content PLEASE!!! We love YOU!!! username44 When they brought out the ipad and played kiss, marry, kill with all of (name)'s co-stars was surreal. (name) is so luckyyyy!!! username27 (name) started kit: phone background of them and Spencer, random junk in their pockets, a water bottle so big you hear it crash when knocked over, and raids their friends closets. username90 (name) looked so tried and embarrassed by the end of the video, can someone on Smosh make sure to give them a hug for me? username64 This video must have been an... experience for Spencer.

─────── · ·

🔔 (name)s_username just added to their story, check it out!

─────── · ·

─────── · ·

🔔 spennser just added to their story for the first time in awhile.

─────── · ·

─────── · ·

─ · · A/N: hope you all enjoyed this extra long part! i have a couple of things pre-written that i will try and space out but seriosuly, thank you all for your continued support! really makes my day, you all are so cool ❤️❤️

─ · · TAGLIST: @lisiliely @missflufffanfics @little-stitious-studios

[chiharuhashibira]

Hello so pls can you do a sanemi x insecure reader?? If not him any other hashira ???

Hi Anonymous XD Whoever you are, I hope you can read this short! ^^

Of course we can do this! Hmmmm~ How about for Kyojuro as my other readers wants this genre too ^^

Tagging @skeleton-the-gangser~ I haven't forgotten about your request hihi. For now, perhaps you would also like to check this fic for Kyojuro~ And also check the Obanai headcanon too! UwU

Sooooo, here we go!

𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒚 𝑬𝒚𝒆

𝐀 𝐊𝐲𝐨𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐨 𝐗 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭

Content Warnings: Hmm, a bit of drama? Perhaps Kyojuro's "UMAI!" XD

Kyojuro Rengoku, when have you ever seen him frown? As far as you can remember, he was always smiling.

You don't feel any envy about that. It's just that sometimes you wonder how he can do it despite all the challenges that have happened in his life. A part of you wants to know so that you can also put a smile on your face like you did before.

Kyojuro's your sunshine; there's no doubt in that. But sometimes, the shadows still loom over you.

What a weak Demon Slayer...

What a failure.

Why don't you just bury yourself beneath that misery and disappear?

You always hear these harsh words repeating inside your head. But then, these are the words that no one would dare to tell you. How can anyone disrespect a Hashira's lover and tsugoku? Kyojuro will surely never let that happen.

But yes, seeing how strong your master and lover are, you can't help but compare yourself and doubt if you deserve to be his tsugoku.

"Hey, you're at it again, Y/N-sama!"

You were cut out of your trance when that familiar tone came into your senses. You turned to look at him, and there you met his eyes that looked like the sunrise. Kyojuro is just so beautiful, and you just can't stop admiring it.

"Hold your sword high and swing it at me. You can't let your bad thoughts get the best out of you, Y/N-sama!"

You had almost forgotten that you were currently training with him. So then, staring at his eyes and his seemingly-eternal proud smile, you swung your wooden sword at him, managing to dodge his attacks.

And with a few blinks, you finally managed to point the wooden sword at his neck.

The training grounds at the Rengoku estate resounded with his laughter. He's cheering for your success in battle, not because he thinks you're hilarious.

Oh, here you go again, with those thoughts...

Kyojuro led you inside the house, taking the wooden sword from your hand and finally planting a kiss on your lips.

That motion made you astounded, as both of you were supposed to act like master and student right now, but he's the one to break that training rule that he had put in place in the first place.

"Baka!" You said, covering your lips, that that made him chuckle more.

"Training's done, my love. There's no need for formalities." He assured you, making your blush go brighter. What exactly does he mean by 'no need for formalities'?

Kyojuro tried to kiss you once again, which made you look away and cross your arms. "Why do you even like me, Kyo? I'm not as strong and pretty as you're friends. So, why me?"

Your lover flinched at your question. His smile faded; a frown was plastered on his face. This caught you off-guard as this is the first time that you have ever saw him that way. His owl-like eyes stared at you, as if reading you through your eyes.

It's true; you really never felt that you belonged here in the first place, especially when you saw how he, Kanroji-san, and Uzui-san trained together. You can't even see some of their actions because of how fast they were, and besides, Uzui-san would always tease you about how unflashy your stances were sometimes.

That was a simple joke, but it takes a toll on you. Especially when you see how close Kanroji-san is to her former master. You can't stop being red with jealousy, but also with envy at how strong she is.

You bit your lip, trying to stop the tears that is triggered with this envy. Sometimes you just want to be like Kanroji-san. Or sometimes you just also have your lover's smile or Uzui-san's flashiness.

Perhaps if you would be like them, everything would be better.

"You're the apple of my eye, and that's an enough reason!" He said with his loud and proud voice that made your tears finally escape your eyes.

Most of the time, when you feel insecure, Kyojuro will just try to change the conversation, shifting it to a happier one so that you forget that you felt that emotion in the first place. Sometimes, you even think that he doesn't care at all or that he just has no time to entertain those thoughts.

But perhaps those were just thoughts brought to you by your subconscious mind, which wants to seek validation. Because even before, Kyojuro would tell you how beautiful you are. Scold Uzui-san for teasing you so much, and even Kanroji-san tried to cheer you up whenever your lover told them that you weren't in the mood to be around them.

"The first time I laid my eyes on you was also the first time the flames in my heart ignited. I love you from the bottom of my heart because of who you are right now, Y/N."

"Kyojuro... stop... I–I know I'm just a bother–"

"The way your hands move whenever you hold your sword, the way your eyes focus on me or your enemy on the battlefield... The way you seemingly perform a graceful dance as you do the techniques, I taught you... I love all of those."

"No, don't say that."

"I love the way you take care of me! I love your cooking! Every dish that you make makes me say, 'Umai!' from the bottom of my heart!"

"Shut up, Kyo..."

"No, you listen to me, Y/N!" His voice was loud as usual, but now it seems like he does it for a reason, and that's to break the walls of insecurity that are enveloping you at the moment.

You could feel the sincerity of his words, but you still tried to stop him. Before you could even walk away, Kyojuro held you and pulled you into a warm embrace.

The world stopped.

"I love you, Y/N... And I hope you can see yourself the way I see you. You're much better than you think, most of the time. You're definitely better than those bad thoughts! I'm sorry if I seem to shut you out whenever you feel like this. I don't mean that, I just don't want you to feel sad. I never wanted to feel you sad."

Tears continued to stream down from your eyes as you heard those words from him. Kyojuro's the kind of guy whose words can break walls. And so he just did now. He had set your heart ablaze once again, just like he did when you first met each other.

"Y/N, you're enough. And I'll always make you remember that."

Kyojuro lifted his head up and pulled you into a passionate kiss. You slowly kissed him back and wrapped your arms around his body. "I love you, Kyo." You said this as you both pulled out and looked into each other's glittering eyes.

"I love you too, Y/N... I love you so much, and nothing could ever change that."

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

𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑨𝑯! 𝑼𝑴𝑨𝑰!

The short fic is done! UwU I hope you enjoyed it >.<

I know it's kinda a bit rush but it's 2AM here HAHAHA

Also, perhaps you noticed how I put a tension between the OCs and Mitsuri XD Eeeek! It's just because Mitsuri is also insecure so I think, having someone feel that way for her will just make the readers feel something? AAAK I can't explain haha!

But anyways, I really loved writing this... I hope Kyo could also say those words to me T_T

Soooo good night for now! I will check more requests tomorrow and write more I promise!

Keep the requests going ^^ I will write those as soon as my schedule becomes free~ Feel free to reblog and comment ^^ Thank you!!

Ja ne~

~𝓒𝓱𝓲𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓾-𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷🌸

[kikyan]

Hello! Hi!! Its me again, I think i might start tagging myself cuz youll see me a lot on your blog XD

Continuing the poly Wagnxian with emo reader requests, what if cute emo gf has a golden core and wants to learn cultivation even if shes from the modern world? Thanks<3

- Emo anon 🖤

THEY'D SUPPORT OBVIOUSLY AND I FORGOT I HAD THIS IN MY DARFTS I WAS LITERALLY ABOUT TO FINISH IT AND POST BUT I FORGOT OMFG-

I can see Wangxian trying to find a set of rules that you can follow, like following your heart and instinct. Helping you get your morals in check and telling the rest of the Lan Clan that you *technically* can be considered part of them. I can see there probably being a dilemma, do you want to take on the Demonic Path or if you want to take on the Spiritual path. Granted I think it’s a given that you’d probably take on the spiritual path but considering how LWJ and WWX have similar opinions on both, they’d be okay with whatever. Granted demonic cultivation doesn’t require a golden core so they’d suggest the normal spiritual path. Granted if you do want to indulge in the Demonic arts they’d probably get a bit worried, but would try to somehow make it happen. I know for a fact that they’d let you pick out a specific color scheme that you’d own as a cultivator. They’d support and help you pick out a name for you sword, they’d gladly take you out on mission and would be there to help you no matter what. They have each other’s back but now with you? You all have each other’s back. Granted if a ghost or a monster comes after you, well they’ll be furious. Angry as hell as they exorcise that spirt in the most cruel ways, but not as cruel as they’d torture any other cultivators if they dare judge you. I can see it, some other cultivator would judge your fashion, style, martial arts, your path, etc. Never WWX or LWJ, those two will cheer you from the sidelines and protect you, always. 

[lunaverseimagine]

Didn’t Think You’d Remember

Prompt: I don’t know if you remember me

Pairing: Ron x Reader

Summary: Reader has been thinking about Ron ever since she first saw him in Diagon Alley. Now that she’s finally made the quidditch team for her house, will he notice her? (Note: y/h = your house, reader not in Gryffindor)

Warnings: None? (Unless - spoiler - kissing counts? xD )

Word count: 1.9k

Fic:

You jumped up and down, muddy, soaking wet, and absolutely ecstatic. You couldn’t wait to tell your friends - you’d just been selected as a Y/h chaser! You had tried out for the team every year, never losing hope, practising whenever you could. Being on a quidditch team had been your dream ever since you found out what the word ‘quidditch’ meant, and you couldn’t believe your hard work had finally paid off; you were in fifth year and you’d made it!

Your team’s practises began the very next day. They were gruelling, tiring, and everything you had hoped for. Apparently training was even harder than it would normally be this time of year, because your captain wanted you to be prepared for your first match - which was against Gryffindor. When you’d found out who the new Gryffindor keeper was, you couldn’t help the mix of excitement and nerves that danced in your stomach.

The first time you saw him was in Diagon Alley before your first year at Hogwarts. As a muggle-born, you were absolutely awestruck by everything around you. The first thing you did was have your muggle money exchanged for wizard money by a goblin... goblin! To be honest the creatures had creeped you out a bit, and they still do, but you soon got over that when you started exploring all the magical shops. Even the seemingly mundane items, like your History of Magic book, absolutely intrigued you, and you were sure that you were walking around with your mouth hanging open the whole afternoon.

Of particular interest to you were the wizarding families - it was obvious who had grown up around magic and who hadn’t. For one thing, the wizarding families were all wearing quite peculiar clothes, and for another, they were looking at the whacky shops as though they were as normal as a Greggs or a WHSmith. It was when you neared Ollivander’s, where you’d been advised to get your wand, that you saw several redheads, obviously witches and wizards, chatting and laughing outside. You politely squeezed past them to get inside the shop where you saw another two redheads - a boy about your age, and a short, kind-faced woman whom you guessed was his mother. The boy was flicking a wand in the air with a look of determination that you found endearing. Eventually Mr Ollivander gestured for the wand back - it didn’t seem to be doing anything - and the boy glanced over at you with a shy, slightly embarrassed smile. When he was handed the next wand he did the same flicking motion, but this time you saw a glimmer all around his body that looked.. well, magical. The cutest smile you’d ever seen lit up his whole face, although it dimmed a bit when his mum tipped the minimal contents of her purse onto the counter and had just enough coins to buy the wand.

Since then, you’d heard of Ron’s endeavours throughout the years at Hogwarts: that game of wizard’s chess in first year where he nearly died, going into the chamber of secrets in second to year to save his sister who nearly died, that mysterious event in third year where he broke his leg and probably nearly died, and let’s not forget fourth year where he was one of the four treasures in the bottom of the lake to be found in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament (although you don’t think he nearly died that time). And let’s not forget flying his car to school - you knew it was reckless, but at the same time you admired the courage and resourcefulness, and feared that he would be expelled. You were so relieved to see him wolfing down breakfast in the Great Hall the next day.

Despite your attentiveness to activities, you were sure he’d never noticed you. There was the occasional shared smile in the corridor or in classes that you had together, but you thought that was more out of politeness than any specific feeling towards you.

All that was going to change though - he was bound to notice you in a few weeks’ time because you would be trying to get the quaffle through the very hoops that he would be defending. You felt the butterflies in your stomach again.

--

The day of the match had finally arrived. Your training had been absolutely brutal but you were grateful, because at least now you felt a little prepared. After a quick pep talk in the changing rooms, you followed your captain onto the pitch to loud cheers coming from the stands. The Gryffindor team were approaching the centre where Madam Hooch stood, and as you neared them you could’ve sworn Ron shot a smile in your direction. You brushed it off - he was probably just being friendly before the game.

The captains shook hands and Hooch’s whistle sounded. Thoughts of Ron immediately disappeared from your mind as you focussed on trying to gain possession of the quaffle. You didn’t have to wait long - thanks to a bludger heading towards the Gryffindor chaser the ball had been dropped, and you were perfectly poised to catch it. You flew straight for the hoops, feeling the wind rush through your hair, checking around you for any bludgers or players who might compromise your flight. Surprisingly it was smooth sailing to the posts, and you found yourself face to face with him. You shot Ron a cheeky smile - you were always most confident when on your broom - and faked a throw into the right hoop which successfully fooled Ron and allowed you to score through the centre. You heard the stadium erupt with cheers.

Ron had a shocked expression on his face, like he hadn’t quite comprehended what had just happened, and you gave him a wink before flying a celebratory lap of the pitch.

During the rest of the match you had four more attempts at a goal: two successful and two blocked. In the end it was Harry who caught the snitch, leading inevitably to a Gryffindor win, but you were in good spirits regardless. Three goals scored in your first proper match! You’d talked your parents’ ears off about quidditch, and while they still didn’t quite understand the concept (“Why is it 150 points for the snitch? Isn’t that a bit much?”) you knew they’d be delighted to read the letter you were going to send later telling them about your goals.

--

There was a brilliant feast in the Great Hall that evening to celebrate the first match of the season. You took great pleasure in eating one of every type of food that was laid out before you. Your appetite was a force to be reckoned with and your friends always seemed quite impressed at how much you managed to eat every meal time.

As you were making your way through a delicious pumpkin pie, you noticed your friends looking at something behind you. Turning, you saw a familiar face.

“Y/n,” Ron smiled at you. You were surprised that he knew your name, but hoped you’d managed to keep the shock off your face. “Mind if I take a seat?” The people on your left had already scooted along the bench to give him room.

“Of course,” you smiled back, trying to suppress the butterflies that had once again made themselves at home in your stomach.

“Well played today,” he complimented you as he helped himself to a generous serving of chocolate eclairs. If any student in Hogwarts had an appetite to rival yours, it would be Ron.

“Thanks,” you said breezily, hoping he wouldn’t see the blush in your cheeks, “you too.” You busied yourself with finishing off your dessert while Ron spoke to the other people on your table. They seemed very happy to engage in conversation - it appeared it wasn’t just you who thought highly of him. You loved how friendly and open to conversation he was, even with non-Gryffindors. When you’d both finished your food and the hall started emptying, Ron asked if you’d like to walk around the grounds with him. You tried not to agree too quickly.

--

There was an autumn chill in the air but at least it wasn’t raining - not that any weather would stop you from spending time with Ron (who knew your name! and wanted to spend time with you!). You hugged your cloak around you and listened intently to Ron talking about his favourite quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons, who just so happened to be your favourite team too.

You’d just finished discussing which Cannons chaser you thought had had the best season when you reached the edge of the lake. You both stopped walking and took a moment to just look at each other. His eyes wore a soft expression, and his hair was slightly ruffled from the breeze, which made him look more adorable than usual. 

“To be honest, I didn’t think you remembered me.” You said quite suddenly, not even knowing yourself that you were going to speak.

“I’ve been thinking about you since I saw you in Ollivanders,” Ron spoke gently, his voice barely above a whisper. “You- you didn’t look put off when you saw my Mum emptying… Well anyway, I thought you seemed really decent.”

You couldn’t help but smile at Ron using ‘decent’ as a flirtatious - is that what it was? - word.

“Anyone who cares about that isn’t worth your time,” you replied adamantly, “especially with all the amazing stuff you’ve done over the years.” Now it was Ron’s turn to blush.

“I haven’t really done anything, Hermione’s the brains and Harry’s done all the hard stuff, I just, sort of, tag along.” Is that really what he thought of himself? 

You reached for his hand, your fingers brushing his. He didn’t pull away, so you took his hand in yours and looked straight at him with an earnest expression on your face. “I bet Harry wouldn’t have been able to do half that stuff without you by his side, without your courage giving him strength.”

Ron searched your eyes, trying to work out if you really meant what you were saying. He seemed satisfied with what he saw, because the next thing you knew he was lowering his face towards yours. He paused, barely a centimetre away, as if waiting for consent. You happily obliged, closing the rest of the distance between you.

The butterflies turned into fireworks. You ran your hands through his hair - you’ve been wanting to do that for so long - and it was just as soft as you’d imagined. You gave it a gentle tug and he let out a quiet moan, grazing his teeth against your bottom lip. You pressed your body against his, revelling in the feeling of being so close, of being one, with this boy you’d been thinking about since you were 11. His hands were on your waist, holding you tightly, and you knew that he’d been thinking about you for a while too. You’d only had one proper conversation with Ron, but your lips were so in tune with his that it was as though you’d been doing this forever.

Eventually you came apart, your heavy breaths mingling in the small space between you.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.” you remarked. 

With his forehead touching yours, Ron grinned at you and said, “Y/n, that was bloody brilliant.”

End

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed :3 Please feel free to send imagine requests to my ask, and if you liked this please lmk by liking/reblogging/following (it’s super encouraging!)

[hitsuackerman]

What in the World? (Akaashi Keiji x Reader) pt.11

a/n: this nothing but pure self indulgent fluff :3 hope ya’ll like it <3 also apologies if its a bit late xD i just woke up since we don’t have work today!

Akaashi’s lineup: @alluring-akaashi @oikawalmart-hq @extrasugafree @bbykiyoomi @apricotjihyo @awings​ @simpformiya​ @sayakaaaaaa​ @colorseeingchick​ @demursv1ogs​ @chrisrue15​ @something-that-idk (i have no idea why i can’t tag some of you :( huhu )

links: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 12

“Bokuto-san!” Akaashi set the ball towards the beefy boy. It had already been a few minutes and he was sure Bokuto was already riled up and ready to redeem himself. None of them were expecting him to unleash his emo mode during practice time. “It’s all yours.”

With such excellent form, Bokuto cross spiked the ball and won his side of the court a set. The three man block across from him nodded and cheered for him. Behind his back, Akaashi gave the signal to Konoha, Washio, and Haruki to further lighten his mood. That had to be the most half assed ‘Hey Hey Hey’ you’ve heard in a while.

It had been a very good four months since the kiss. Your relationship with Akaashi was still kept lowkey, but both of you chose that path. Some of the members were starting to doubt while the two managers still had to break your defense. None of them succeeded. It reached the point that things were beginning to become an inside joke. Who among the team would break the wall and finally get the answers they wanted?

Handing his water bottle, Akaashi brushed his finger against yours. Lingering his gaze with yours for a few seconds, your breath still hitches when he sets his eyes on you. With each player now sipping on bottles and wiping their sweat, you sat down beside your man and silently activated your quirk.

His body was hot from the rigid training but he somehow developed the sense of when you would use your quirk on him. Feeling the heat being pulled away, he let out a long sigh and felt his energy levels rising up. The others began to wonder whether or not the both of you were doing outside club activities that decreased his recovery time.

Now that practice was over, all of you now bid goodbyes and walked your way back home. Hand in hand, Akaashi and you went over the day's events.

“You’ve been getting better at your sets, Akaashi~”

“It still needs a bit more timing. Bokuto-san’s sets are getting better but I still have to adjust a bit more for Washio-san.” You had also taken note just how harsh he was on himself. Reminding him that he always did a great job, he squeezed your hand and pulled you closer.

As for your quirk, you always took note of its presence. Despite kissing him as often as you could, being more touchy, and intimate, it was still at 35%. Though, you were using it less and less as the days passed by. Most of the time, you would use it on Akaashi to let him recover more. It amazed you that on days you let him recover on his own, there were no changes and almost as if his body adjusted to your quirks constant use.

By now, you were used to living in this dimension. Adjustments were quick and you even found time to hang out with Asami and Akiko. O-mother now held on to a great piece of your heart and you even began to exchange ‘Love you’s every now and then.

Life is peaceful. That’s what you told yourself.

The only stress you got were during games but it was all worth it when you saw just how well your boys cooperated.

“Lost in thought again?” Akaashi cut your nostalgic trip. “Is everything okay?”

“Better than okay.” Hopping a bit to kiss his cheek, you adored how his cheeks slowly formed a blush. He really is beautiful. And that small smile that only you saw? Swoon. “Akaashi?”

“(l/n)?”

“Are we…” You knew you would sound desperate but it was something you needed to know and be sure of. “Are we dating?”

“Do you need verbal assurance?” He stopped walking and held your shoulders. Making you speechless was as easy as ever. It was your turn to blush and he loved it. “Be my hero?”

“Akaashiii~” You playfully punched his chest earning a small chuckle.

“Alright. Be mine, (y/n)?” He held cupped both cheeks till your lips were now pouting. “Though I know it’s four months too late to ask…”

Nodding happily at the assurance, you held his hands and happily accepted his lips. It was a short peck but still enough to send the butterflies in your stomach to rave. When he let go of your face, you wrapped your arms around his neck and he around your waist. Lifting you up, he began to walk as you giggled in the crook of his neck, your legs swaying side to side.

Arriving at your houses, Akaashi now opened the door for you and still chose not to let go of your hand. A minuscule pout was visible and that made your heart melt.

“Akaashi~ You’ll see me tomorrow.” Taking a step forward, you felt his fingers lacing with yours. “We can still exchange paper airplanes before we sleep, okay?”

“Fine.” Leaning down to kiss your cheeks, Akaashi made sure to kiss your knuckles as well. “See you later, (y/n).”

Never in your life did you hear your name sound like such a guilty pleasure. Losing your balance a bit, Akaashi was ready to catch you but you regained composure and cleared your throat. This man knew you were weak and took advantage of it. Of course, you didn’t mind.

“I’ll see you later, Keiji~” Whooh even saying his name made you turn into a tomato.

Squeezing your hand before letting go, he still bowed before taking his leave. When the door lock clicked, you buried your face in your palms and let out an inhumane noise that caught the attention of your o-mother.

“I’m assuming ya’ll are dating?” She slapped your back harshly. A cheeky grin resting on her face. “Don’t deny it honey. Your face says it all. C’mon, into the dining room you go.”

Dragging you by the arm, you were now seated with a tub of ice cream. Imaginary flowers floating behind her as she began to shower you with questions.

“Are you guys dating? I heard you two calling each other by your names.”

“Yeah~” You shoved a spoonful of ice cream. Brainfreeze meant nothing to you with your quirk.

“Since now?”

“I guess four months ago.”

“AHH!!” She slammed her palm on the table. “WHEN HE DROPPED YOU OFF FROM CAMP AND I CRACKED THAT PROTECTION JOKE! Young lady you better have used protection!”

“Ma! We didn’t do anything okay!” Which was true except for the continuous makeout session that followed.

“It’s fine. I mean we are in the new age. And, you're in the age of curiosity so I might as well encourage safety. Unless you want to be on the pill, then we can schedule a doctors appointment to see if you’re safe to take it.”

If that was your real mother, she would choke on the first sentence. There was no way possible for your family to talk about sex ed like that. Not sure how to respond, you gave an awkward smile, nod, and took another spoonful of ice cream.

“Besides, Akaashi-kun is a nice guy. I would be surprised if you didn’t develop feelings for such a gentleman. Both of you did a great job at hiding it though. Four months under the radar? Amazing.” She pinched your cheek and kissed it after. “Clean up when your finished~”

Now that you were finished with everything, you were now preparing pieces of bond paper. The window meetings you two shared was also one of those times you used your quirk. Akaashi always questioned how you managed to send that paper airplane the first time, when he knew about your quirk, he nodded to himself.

Preparing your chair, you watched as he opened his window and waved at you. Preparing to send a plane, you used your quirk and watched as the plane glided through the air and landed on your palm.

‘Coach said there’s no saturday practice.’ He wrote.

Taking your pen, you scribbled down your reply and sent the plane back to him.

‘Are you asking me out, neighbor?’

“If that’s alright with you.” Akaashi said out loud.

What you’d give to go over to his house. Recalling the distance, it was around five meters. Too far to jump and the angle of your windows made things difficult. The boy watched as your eyes began to wander around the environment. When you stared at your palms, he tilted his head, curious to see what you were about to do.

“Do you want me to come over?” Your voice not too loud for the other members of each house to hear.

“Through the front door…?” There was only one possibility his quirkless mind could think of. The scenario of you manipulating the air around you and floating all the way to his window or vice versa. Knowing the nature of your quirk, other things were possible but he still couldn’t comprehend just what you could do.

“Lemme just look up something real quick.” Grabbing your phone, you searched for possible invisible materials or something similar at least. When you landed on one article, you searched for its components and went back to the window. With the lesser amount of usage on your quirk, you were pretty confident that creating something from scratch would be possible. Of course, you’re not Momo but if you tried hard enough, you could make small things.

Akaashi observed as your palms began to glow the brightest he’d ever seen. Squinting his eyes, he could see how the area around your hand was beginning to distort.

“What exactly are you doing, (y/n)?”

“Hush, Keiji.” You were almost done. “You can’t rush perfection… and safety.”

When the glow stopped, you put on a little weight on the small invisible bridge you made. Checking its sturdiness, you concluded that it would hold at most 100kg. Making sure that it wasn’t as narrow, your fingertips felt the invisible floor. One meter was alright.

Climbing out your window, you scanned the houses across and made sure their curtains were drawn. Seeing that things were clear, you began to walk. Akaashi’s face was full of questions. Reaching out his window, he felt something solid but his eyes couldn’t see. Looking closer, he could see how the edges seemed to be reflecting light.

Extending a hand, Akaashi helped you enter his room.

“I did not really think this through.” You looked at the things in his room. His bed,which you only saw from afar, had black and white sheets. Books were sprawled out on his desk and a volleyball resting underneath. His jersey, which you presumed was newly laundered, was hung on his wall. “Anything PG you wanna do?”

“Nothing comes to mind.” His eyes went back to his window. “Aren’t people going to see that?”

“They won’t. Well if they squint real hard, they might be able to see how the light is being reflected and there’s barely any shadow in a particular area. But, it’s like the Indiana Bones movie? You can see it if you look at it from a particular angle.”

Taking your hand, Akaashi led you to his bed and sat down. He may be calm but his mind was running.

“Did you date anybody in your dimension?” Might as well be blunt about it, he thought.

“It’s rather difficult to date in my world.” You scooted closer and leaned on his shoulder. “Or maybe it was just for my class. A lot of bat shit crazy things happened to my class. We did have crushes tho~”

“Ah.” He remembers. “Hawks? What quirk did he have?”

“Hawks had wings. Like legit red wings that he uses to fly around.” You facepalmed at the memories with the cheeky bird child man. “Hawks was a pro hero and ranked #2.”

“Pro hero?”

“Mhmm. A committee decided that having hero rankings would help heighten security. To be honest, it only amped the competition between heroes. Not the best move on their part.” Glancing at his desk, you saw how he taped the first paperplane you sent to him on his wall. Resting your chin on his shoulder, your faces were now inches apart. From this angle, you saw how his gunmetal eyes bore silver and blue hues. “Can’t help but wonder, what kind of quirk would you have if you lived in my dimension…”

“Those dreams you mentioned a while back,” He inched his face closer. “Were those real?”

“They were.” The tips of your noses were now touching. “Now, tell me. Why is your face impossibly close to mine, Keiji?”

He smirked. Your breath hitched.

“A certain someone initiated something.” His lips brushed yours gently. Staring into your eyes once more, he slowly licked his lips and met yours with his. It was only a peck. A very short one. One that would make you want more, he was sure of it. “You did use a good amount of your quirk right, (y/n)?”

Imitating his action, you clashed your lips with his. Biting on his lower lip before releasing it.

“I did.” Feeling his hands wrap around your waist, you allowed yourself to be pulled by him. Sitting on his lap, you wrapped your arms around his neck and traced his jawline. “My quirk’s been drained real good.”

“I think I can help.” Both of his thumbs now traced small circles on your thighs. Shifting your positions, you saw the world turn into a blur as Akaashi managed to place your body onto his bed. Your head now resting on his pillow that smelled just like him. “Is this okay with you?”

Not bothering to answer, you tangled your fingers through his hair and pulled him in to meet your lips. The whole sensation of having THE prettiest human you’ve ever seen was out of this world, quite literally. Carefully putting his weight on you, Akaashi’s kiss became much deeper. Untangling your fingers from his hair, you found yourself tracing lines on his very toned back. Feeling his muscles flexing, chills ran down your spine when his fingers began to slowly brush your bare waist.

Letting out a shaky breath, you let out a soft moan when his tongue entered your mouth. With your hands now turning numb, you balled your fists and held on to his shirt. What you’d give to take his shirt off but you still had the decency to think he might not like it.

Biting and sucking on your tongue, Akaashi prepped himself on his elbow and saw just how much of a mess you were. Red cheeks, eyes that showed him you wanted more, and labored breathing made him smirk before sofly tracing your jaw. Leaning back down, he admired how you squirmed underneath him when he began to kiss your neck.

“How’s your quirk?” He asked in between kisses.

“Let me check.” You smirked when he rested on his elbows to see what you were about to do. Twirling your finger, you heard the faint click of the locks. “I think it’s charged pretty good.”

Lifting his body, you observed as he reached for your hand and intertwined his fingers with yours. Bending a bit to kiss your knuckles, Akaashi smiled and let go of your hand. Your eyes widened when he pulled his shirt off.

“Holy smokes…” Clenching your fists, you tried to control the glow your palms were emitting. How does your quirk manage to expose your feelings when you're flustered but not when you're scared to death when you're fighting villains? Tracing the cuts of his body with your eyes, you sent out a silent prayer to the meat gods for the sight. When he leaned back in, just inches away from your face, you bit your lip.

“It was getting hot.” Akaashi kissed your cheek. “You okay, (y/n)?”

“I mean… a very pretty setter is on top of me, and shirtless too, my quirk is exposing me, we’re having a make out session, and I’m in your room?” You pinched his cheek. “Nothing can top this~”

Turning to his side, you were now resting your head on his arm as he draped his other one on your waist. Yawning, you hugged him and the both of you tangled your legs.

“Are you getting sleepy?” Akaashi whispered.

“A bit.” Your eyes were getting heavier. Just as you were about to sit up, you were pulled back into his arms.

“You can stay, you know. You can cross the bridge of shame in the morning.” Kissing your forehead, you let out a small and contented hum. Watching how you raised your arm and snapped your finger, he had to admire how easy everyday things were if you had a quirk. Amused at your little stunt, he felt giddy when you hugged him once more. “What was that for?”

“I turned my lights off.”

“Think you can turn off mine?” It didn’t even take a second. His lights were now off. Closing his eyes, Akaashi felt content being able to sleep beside you. Just as he was about to doze off, his eyes shot back open. Nudging you a bit, he gave out a small warning. “Bokuto-san might call in the middle of the night. Just don’t mind it if my voice is too loud. It usually lasts 2 to 3 minutes max.”

Nodding, Akaashi finally relaxed and went to sleep.

- - - - -

a/n: told ya’ll its pure fluff xD i hope yall are liking the chapters :) if you have any questions, clarifications, or anything you wanna tell me, feel free to ask :) and yes, Akaashi’s lineup is open as always :)

[sergeant-donny-donowitz]

Dead or Alive: Donny Donowitz x Latina!Reader

You don't have to be Latina to read (we do be needin the rep though XD)

TRIGGER WARNING: Xenophobia/Racism, Mentions of segregation

Requested by @sansasdove

@owba-chan @war-obsessed @inglourious-imagines @tealaquinn @struggling-bee @frozenhuntress67 @kwyloz @sodapop182 @marlenemarauders @what-the--curtains @taikawho

Let me know if you wanna be added to the IB or OUATIH taglists! :)

______________ Donny and Utivich were sent out to an isolated town, while the rest of the basterds finished up a mission a miles and miles south of there. They'd meet back up a few nights later, in their hideout in the woods. Meanwhile, Donny and Utivich were tasked with finding a new troop assigned to the basterds by the OSS. The only problem was they didn't know your name, rank, or what you looked like. All they knew was that you were a marine in the Pacific at some point. "You think that's her?" Donny narrowed his eyes, looking in the direction where Utivich had (tried to) discreetly gesture toward. "Are you pointing at the lady with the baby?" "Wh-" Utivich then realized the likelihood of that lady being their contact, and turned red as he stammered, "N-no... They wandered around the town, trying their best not to get any unwanted attention. After a while, Donny started grumbling, "Well no one fucken told us who the hell we're looking for!" "What about her?" 

Donny glanced up, and it took him a moment after he smirked to nod, "Yeah she's cute." "No...I meant...do you think that's her?" "Oh! Well..." His hand rested on the back of his neck, as he cleared his throat, "Sure, sure...uh..." He noted the way you stood by an old tavern, newspaper in hand, appearing innocent to the untrained eye.   "The kid stands like a goddamn marine." "Donny, wait!" Donny walked past you slowly, almost unnoticeably glancing toward you. Your eyes scanned over the newspaper, beneath the brim of your hat. You acknowledged the newcomers with a slight, almost imperceptible nod, and remarked beneath your breath, "I've been compromised. Don't follow." Donny stalled for a moment. "Leave. Now. I'll catch up." You spoke through gritted teeth, hidden behind the newspaper. Donny went ahead without a word, understanding the implications of associating with a compromised spy. He pulled Utivich along without explaining anything. They turned a corner, and Donny glanced back one last time, seeing if he could spot anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a nazi staring at you, and approaching, barking something in broken French and intermittent German. Your stone-cold narrowed eyes, and defiant, fearless face remained unbothered as you slowly lowered your newspaper, seemingly annoyed by the nazi's interruption. That alone told Donny you knew exactly what you were doing. But, night came, and morning passed. There was no sign of you at all. "Donny..." That was the first thing Utivich said since then. Of course, he was usually a quiet, composed kind of guy. Sarcastic and witty whenever needed, but only when he had something to say. He didn't now. He just hated the unsettling silence. Even more so, since Donny hadn't said anything either, which was even  more unsettling. Donny looked up, but what could really be said? If something had happened to you, then...another good, young life was meaninglessly lost in an seemingly endless war. And if something hadn't happened to you, then it was certainly coming, and Donny wasn't prepared to let that happen. Why? Well... in that infinitesimal instant that he glanced at you, he looked into your eyes, and he saw so much life. Something unexplicably cheerful, even in the face of the worst the world had to offer. A smug, determined intent to fight, to love, to go on. Something Donny only saw in the eyes of the innocent, and the brave. Somehow, you seemed to be both, all at once. He turned back, marching  toward the distant village. "Where are you going?" "I'm not goin' back to camp without that troop." "But-" "We're finding her Smitty. Dead or alive." As they'd soon find out, those were the terms and conditions given to the nazis that were hunting you. Donny was so hung up in finding you, he and Smitty were caught. They were tied up, and thrown beside you, in a line on a ledge overlooking a swift, lashing river, facing a nazi patrol in the forest. "I told you not to follow." You sounded more disappointed than angry, which struck Donny, though he didn't dare look at you. Smitty turned, "We didn't." You turned to look at his sergeant, "I could've handled this." "But you didn't," he quipped. "You got a problem with me, sergeant?" You challenged him, with a slight smirk he couldn't really resist. One of the nazis that had captured you had just about enough. The orders on finding the basterds were to keep them alive, and bring them in for interrogations and of course, torture. Orders for finding a common nuisance  believed to be an informant were as follows: dead or alive. So, the nazis had some leeway when it came to your fate...so they thought at first. Though, they did need at least some kind of answers. The nazi  noticed a silver chain around your neck. He reached, and frowned when he realized what he'd pulled out of your shirt was a dog tag.  Seething, he remarked, "Y/n L/n." He narrowed his eyes at your name, then spat at you. In his foul ignorance, he confused you with a Spaniard, he accused you of being a traitor to the axis. He strung together what little Spanish he could from dealings between Germany and Spain, "Traidora. Eres una española," (which was completely wrong) he swung and struck you in the jaw. Donny pulled against the ropes used to tie him and Utivich up, "HEY!" You looked up at the nazi, as two more dragged you back to your feet. Blood dripped down your nose, and out the corner of your mouth. You spat right back at him, staining his face and uniform with your blood. "I am not a Spaniard." You held your head up high, proud of who you were, who your parents were, and their parents. You muttered under your breath, glaring right at him with eyes that would scare just about any nazi, "Hijo de puta."

You stood strong, resilient, looking him in the empty, hateful voids he called eyes. The nazi glared right back, though a shadow of panic and fear loomed behind his shallow blue eyes, as he stammered to find words, and hid his fear in German curses and mumbles. The nazi was ready to attack you again, but Utivich and Donny started to put up a fight. When some of the nazis threatened to kill them, the nazi's colonel finally emerged from his tent, ordering his men to stand down. "Wir sollen die Basterds lebendig machen." 'We're to bring the basterds in alive.' The nazi that had attempted to torment you turned harshly to his colonel, demanding to know "Und das Mädchen?" 'And the girl?' His colonel tossed a gun at him, nonchalantly commenting with a disinterested shrug and sigh,  "Werde sie los." 'Get rid of her.' Donny turned between you and Utivich, "What's happening?! What the fuck's happening?!" You understood what was happening, but telling Donny would only put him in more danger. Besides, you could see the sheer emotion in his eyes. He wasn't scared for himself, he was scared for you, and you knew it. You stood silent, and glared ahead at the mob of nazis, right at your dim fate. Donny could tell from just that look. A resigned, brave soldier? It was something he was all too uncomfortably familiar with. He and Utivich lurched forward, in spite of the ropes,  toward the nazis, "COWARDS! YOU FUCKING COWARDS-"

While everyone was distracted trying to control Donny, they all stopped and turned, hearing the rushing river splash unusually loudly. You were gone.   The nazis rushed to the edge of the ledge, and peered toward the river below. The colonel looked at the other nazis, shouting, "STEHEN SIE NICHT NUR DORT. OFFENES FEUER." 'DON'T JUST STAND THERE. OPEN FIRE.' Each of them rushed over to the end of the ledge, and started to fire into the murky rapids. After a seemingly endless torrent of bullets...there was nothing. No body floating, no cloud of red in the water. The colonel turned, snatched the dog tag from the soil, and read the name. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach,  as his eyes went wide with rage, "IHR IDIOTEN." 'YOU IDIOTS.' Utivich turned to Donny with a bloodied smirk, "Well I understood that." The colonel's commanding officer wanted you brought in for questioning. In fact, so did everyone in the German army who was someone. You were a ghost story in the Matanikau River, when you were still stationed in the Pacific. When you emerged in the European theater...well...all of Berlin was sacked, and all of Paris was turned upside in an effort to find you.

"Find. Her." The nazis wasted no time, they all knew that he'd show them no mercy. The nazi that had been responsible for the confusion...well, he begged, shaking in his boots. One shot to the forehead was all it took to quiet him down. His colonel kicked his body to the side. He stayed behind, sitting by a fire, as the sun set, watching Donny and Utivich intently. Eventually, he began to noticeably shift around, constantly checking his watch. He wasn't used to being kept waiting... None of his men came back. All the while, Donny taunted him, meaning time went by a thousand percent more slowly. He reminded the nazi who the fuck the basterds were, telling him it wouldn't be long before Aldo the Apache was coming down the hills. Donny swore it wouldn't be long before Hugo Stiglitz got his hands on the nazis. It wouldn't be long before... He detailed how he and the basterds had quite literally ripped local nazis to shreds. He even gave names. Names that colonel definitely knew. He screamed for Donny to shut up, barely able to control his murderous impulses, even knowing high command wanted Donny and Utivich, or any basterd for that matter, be taken in alive as a trophy, and for information. He really couldn't do much more than beat Donny up, and Utivich for good measure. But at the end of the day, the only one that was terrified was the nazi, and each second seemed to be slower than the last, while Donny and Utivich looked at him smugly. Eventually, around midnight, after hours and hours, and after Utivich was sure there was no way out, he hung his head down again. Just then he heard an agonizing, almost sobbing, gargling sound coming from the now calmer river. The remaining nazi stood up, his gun trained on the basterds, as he marched cautiously toward the river bank, every few steps, looking back at Donny and Utivich making sure they hadn't moved. "Give it up, kraut. Your boys're no match for ours." Donny taunted him again. The unmistakable sound of a muffled scream, and a knife made both Donny and Utivich turn toward the river. It wasn't exactly who they were expecting. You were standing there, dripping from the river, your clothes soaked in cold water and stained blood. "You're alive?!" Donny's voice was happier and more relieved than he intended to let on, as you cut them free, "Yes, sir." "How'd...how'd you do that?!" Utivich looked at you with star-struck eyes. "I'm a marine," you winked with a smile. "Marine, huh." Donny twisted his hands around his aching wrists, trying to relieve the soreness from being tied up so long. "Lance Corporal Y/n L/n, at your service, sir." You saluted him. "Nice to meet'cha kid," He smiled, genuinely, though his soft glance had to be cut short by the realization that you were all still in the middle of a war, and possibly a man-hunt. "And nice of you to salute and all, but we better get movin'." You nodded, and tossed something at him, catching the light of the moon in a fleeting silver glint. "What's this?"

"Their colonel's dogtag." You eyed the ones that Donny kept around his neck as trophies, "I see you got a collection going there." Donny smiled, as his heart skipped a beat. You'd fit right in with the basterds...

Your first mission with the basterds was not quite what anyone would expect, but then again, neither were you. For an impromptu rescue, it wasn't too bad. ************* All three of you sat kilometers away, a few hours later, still under the guise of the dark night, by a small fire, attempting to remain hidden, though all of you were freezing cold, especially you. Donny gave you his coat, and Utivich gave you his hat, trying to keep you from catching anything. "Heard ya made a mess of Berlin and Paris." You glanced up at him cheekily, "They sent me to you for a reason, sir."

"Call me Donny," he smiled warmly, between the steely moonlight, and the golden embers of the fire. Utivich asked, "So...you heard of us, but how come we ain't heard of you..." "Some of us are good at making things look like an accident," you teased him a little, and Utivich laughed.   Donny turned a little red, and nodded subtly, damning himself for seeing the stars adorning your hair, and the night sky in your eyes. His heart was pounding, and he didn't even try to deny why. Who would, when they saw you the way he did? You were all silent for a few moments, then Donny asked you what he asked any of the other basterds when they first met. "So, uh...why'd ya enlist?" You were quiet for another moment, then looked back at Donny. Your eyes seemed tired. Not from the long day, or even from the impressive tactics... Tired from memories, doomed to be repeated, as you sighed, "You ever see those signs?" "What signs?" He raised his eyebrow, then glanced at Utivich, who seemed equally as puzzled. "The ones in nice stores and parks and schools. Places like that. The signs that go 'no dogs, no black people, no mexicans allowed.' Doesn't even matter if you're Guatemalan, Dominican, Bolivian or Argentine, anything...They don't give a fuck. Those signs." Utivich looked at you, his heart was heavy as he nodded quietly. He was from a particularly open, urban place in the west...and even then he'd seen things like that. Things he didn't want to see when he went back home... He knew what it was like to have people hate you for what you were... Your name, your language, your family. Most of the basterds knew. Aldo and Hugo may not have known first-hand, but they'd be damned if they let anyone get away with that sort of bullshit while they were around. Donny's heart sank a little, as he murmured, "Fuck a duck..." He looked up at you, nodding slowly, "Yeah I've seen those." "Yeah, well I didn't see those in any bases. The one chance I got at being treated like a human,  and it's gotta be when I don't know if there's a tomorrow. Get it?" His heart broke, in a way he didn't see coming. He shook his head, and you sighed as you shifted a little closer to the dying fire, "Anyway, this fucking war's been on for what, three years, now? I wanna end this before my kid brother has to. Guess that's another reason right there." Donny understood that too. He had nothing more to say other than what was on his mind. "You're a good kid, Y/n..." "Thanks," You glanced up at him. And for a moment...a moment he would've missed if he'd blinked...you didn't have that trademark bold, striking look in your eyes. For a moment, you glanced away, shyly, with a small, quiet, innocent smile. Utivich noticed. He looked at Donny with a smirk, but said nothing. He knew to leave well enough alone.... "Ya know, I got a kid brother too. His name's Mikey."

You smiled softly, and pulled out a locket, tightly wrapped around your finger. You didn't open it, but you let it dangle a little, "Carlos." Donny chuckled, "Smitty there is the kid brother. At home, and at camp." "So that's how it's gonna be, Donny?" Utivich tilted his head with a laugh. You chuckled, "And how's that working out for you, Utivich?" He shrugged a little, though he was clearly amused, "Great. So far...I've only gotten one purple heart, which may be the lowest out of all the basterds....But my mom's still going to kill me when I get home." "Why?" "I enlisted, see? Didn't get drafted." He smiled at you. He was, as you'd soon learn, a real sweet, honest guy. Sometimes you wondered how a guy like that even made it into a team like the basterds... But then you'd see him in the battlefield, or getting a few scalps, and you'd remember why.  "My sisters tried to talk me out of it. My older brother couldn't enlist because he's got asthma. He just married too, so it would be real upsetting... Anyway... What can I say...Of course they didn't want me to go, I'm my mom's  youngest kid." "A baby," Donny remarked, which Utivich ignored. "They wanted me to go to college, but honestly? I don't regret a damn thing, Y/n." You smiled, understanding that need to be free to choose. Soon after, you all decided to was best to put the fire out, for fear of the smoke giving away your place. You were sure they were asleep. You shivered, still damp from the river. You were wide awake, your arms wrapped around yourself, watching as your breath turned into a cloud before your eyes. You sneezed softly. "Hey..." You heard a voice, warm, and quiet. Donny wrapped his arms around you, and you instantly sank into his chest. He smiled a little, speaking quietly so Utivich wouldn't wake up. "Can't have ya getting sick on us now, can we, kid?" You didn't protest much, as you couldn't remember the last time you were so tired. So Donny smiled sleepily, and held you tightly as he fell asleep. (He may like being big spoon but who knows ;) ) He couldn't tell you how panicked, and lost he felt when you disappeared on them for those long hours....But he'd tell you that some other day. Some day, when you were far away fom there. When you were safe...

******* You all arrived at the hideout finally, extraordinarily late, even for Donny. After you were introduced to the legendary basterds, Aldo took you aside for a little talk. He asked you what happened out there. You were days late, after all. Being a spy, you naturally spun a tale so convincing, it damn near worked,  as a way to cover for the boys' little mishap, and to save face for them. Frankly, Aldo just nodded, saying it was fair enough, and let you on your way. He then joined Donny and Smitty, who were both looking for something to kill their headaches with (of course after being punched that many times in the face, it was understandable). "I know Y/N's coverin' for you both." Utivich, slightly startled, turned around with a jump and panicked. "What? We didn't tell her to do that, we-"

Aldo didn't care for explanations, "Now, I don't give no goddamns, but if I didn't know any better, I'd think she was tellin' the truth." He chuckled a little, "But, I know you two are some damn trouble makers." Utivich nodded, and sighed, "Ok, you got us." Donny turned slowly to Utivich, and narrowed his eyes, "Snitch." Aldo shrugged, "And anyway...even if her story did check out, it don't explain to me why and how you got yourself a black eye, Donowitz. And why my boy Utivich here's got his lip busted open, does it." "Aldo..." Aldo sighed, "That kid's let the boys in her old teams take all the credit in public. But here, well, she gon' make one hell of a basterd, ain't that right Donny." He winked, and smirked. Donny sighed, "That obvious, huh?" There was no use in denying it anyway. It would only be a matter of time before the basterds started to notice the way Donny looked at you. Aldo shrugged, as he tossed  a bottle of pain killers at Utivich, "Just a lucky guess, son." He started to make his way out, but turned around for another minute, "Oh, and Donny?" "Yeah?" "Go on, you fucken basterd." Aldo shook his head, grinning. Donny smiled, as he walked out, and made his way over to you. Somehow, you made him feel a way he never felt before for anyone. When you were around, Donny was calm. He'd never admit it...but after what happened the day you met...he felt safe when you were near. Maybe your reputation preceded you... Maybe that was all...

But then again, when Donny talked to you, he wasn't as loud as he normally was. When he looked at you, and walked toward you, he didn't try to make himself look and act the like biggest, baddest basterd around. He didn't need to. When you were around, he knew he didn't have to worry. He knew he'd somehow make it home. When you were around, the question was no longer dead or alive... When you were around, and he saw that smile, and those eyes, he knew he'd be alright. Who the hell wouldn't, when they had you?

[littlestarofthewest]

A while back I saw a lovely drawing by @mrskrazy and couldn’t get it out of my head, so I had to write something for it. Check out the full art here! WORTH IT!

Title: Homesick | Pairing: Arthur Morgan x gn reader | Rating: fairly sfw

Words: 803 | Tags: fluff, feels, no real smut for once (believe it or not ;D)

Ever since you and Arthur became a couple, you've never been apart for very long, so when your boss sends you on a week-long business trip, you're already homesick on day one. 

Arthur being Arthur does his best to cheer you up with messages and pictures from home. Even better is when he calls you after work, and you at least get to see and hear him via video chat. The only problem is the time difference. By the time you're at your hotel, Arthur should already be in bed, and by day three, you can tell how tired he is. Despite your efforts to make him go to bed, Arthur stays up late for you every day, so you decide to put an allnighter as well. 

The next evening, you come home to a quiet and dark apartment. You assume that Arthur went to bed when you spot weak light coming from the living room. Walking inside, you find Arthur on the couch. He's wearing his most comfortable sweatpants with no shirt on, his head sunken back against the sofa, and his favorite coffee mug still in his hand. He must have fallen asleep while waiting to call you.

You carefully take the mug away from him and put it on the coffee table before sitting down next to him. Leaning into his side, you bury your face against his neck, letting your cheek rub against his soft stubble. You're fully prepared to fall asleep like this, but Arthur steers next to you. Next thing you know, you get the softest of smiles from him, at least until his eyes grow wide in surprise.

"What day is it?" he stammers, looking like a confused puppy. "Why are you home already?"

You soothingly run your hand over his chest, giving him a smile of your own. "I put an allnighter, so my boss let me drive home a day early."

"You shouldn't have put yourself under so much stress," Arthur says with so much concern in his voice that it melts your heart.

He takes your face in his hands to check if you're alright, and you lean in to rest your forehead against his. "I missed you so much, I just wanted to get home."

"Missed you, too," Arthur says, pulling you in for a kiss.

You enjoy the soft touch of his lips on yours before pushing him back onto the sofa, crawling into his lap. It's like coming home in more than one way. At the beginning of your relationship, you often made out like this, just kissing and being close for hours.

Arthur caresses your back with his hands, but there's no eagerness to it. When you run your fingers up and down his chest, all tension leaves his body as he melts into the sofa. You kiss along Arthur's jaw and further down, barely touching your lips to his skin until he lets out a deep sigh.

When you look up, you find him with his eyes closed, so you get up and grab his hands. "Come on, love, let's get you into bed."

Arthur lets you help him up, and a minute later, you're pressed against his back, your face buried in his neck while you go back to caressing his chest. It doesn't take long for Arthur's breathing to change, and now that you're finally back in your favorite sleeping spot, you follow him into dreamland soon after.

------

The next morning, you find Arthur still asleep next to you. He has his arms up, one of them hugging the pillow he buried his face in. You reach out to run your fingers over Arthur's back, but when he moves, you quickly take away your hand. After all, you don't want to wake him.

You tiptoe into the kitchen to make breakfast and come back with coffee and everything else Arthur likes best. You put down the tray on his nightstand before crawling back into bed. 

"Wake up, love. Breakfast is ready," you whisper right into Arthur's ear before kissing along his neck and down to his shoulders. 

He turns around, his eyes barely open, and his hair a complete mess. You run your fingers through it until Arthur pulls you close and buries his face against your chest, breathing in deeply.

"Five more minutes," he mumbles, but you push away from him, pointing to the tray.

"Come on, I brought all your favorites. You should really eat something."

Arthur glances at the tray before looking back at you, and something in his eyes makes your stomach flutter.

"I think I'll just have you for breakfast," Arthur says before pulling you in for a kiss, and this time, his touches are full of eagerness.

You do have breakfast later on, but the coffee has long gone cold.

----------

Thank you @mrskrazy for blessing us with so much great art! :D I hope you don’t mind I snatched a piece of it for the banner xD

[spnfanficpond]

May 2020 Angel Fish Awards

(New Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. While the Pond was founded to support the Guppies, everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that by opening this up as a Pond wide system, we’ll be able to share the love as far as it can go.

NOTE: WE’VE BEEN HAVING OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS WITH ASKS GOING MISSING. Please use the Submit button when submitting your nominations and make sure you’re signed into Tumblr or your URL won’t show. (If the form asks for your name and email address, then you’re not signed in.) If you like, you can also send a message to Michelle @mrswhozeewhatsis or Mana @manawhaat to check and make sure we got your submission.

Be sure to read through this whole post as people who were nominated more than once only had one tag activated for tumblr tagging purposes!

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE MAY’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @focusonspn

A Night on the Town (oneshot) by @supernatural-jackles

I completely love this fic!! Jensen is a total sweetheart, it’s really easy to read and all those words felt like only five minutes. This is everything a Jensen!girl could’ve asked for!!

Hunger (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer

HOLY. MOTHER. OF. HOTNESS. It was a fucking pleasure for my eyes to read every single word of this fic!! hot as hell, dark, Demon!Dean and in character as always.

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis 

Handkerchief (oneshot) by @babypieandwhiskey

I don’t usually read RPF, but this is an AU, so I dove in. Mechanic!Jensen with a magical supply of handkerchiefs, ready and willing to clean up whatever mess I find myself in? SOLD. Sweet, appeals to my love of Jensen’s back-pocket bandannas, and it activates my competence kink! Excuse me while I go wibble in the corner.

Nominated by @supernatural-jackles

Still The One (oneshot) by @luci-in-trenchcoats

I have a lot of respect for the way Michelle writes such difficult topics. She approaches them with such grace and accuracy, that makes it all the more realistic. This series is no exception. I deeply enjoy this series and the way things are playing out between Dean and the reader. It’s an extremely heartbreaking story that most of us don’t really think about until it’s put into this kind of perspective. This one is still ongoing, and I’m extremely excited to see how she handles the rest of the story. I highly recommend checking this one out. Just heed the warnings beforehand.

Nominated by @peridottea91

Healthy Competition (Series) by @kittenofdoomage

This! Omg this series! I love it so much!! It’s slower moving but keeps you itching for the next chapter and is oh so relatable. What woman hasn’t had body image issues? And what plus sized woman hasn’t had to deal with rude jerks and bullying? This fic is actually super realistic and hits all those relatable issues. Can’t wait to read the rest!!

Dangerous Signs (Series) by @kittenofdoomage

Ok, let me start by saying that I am a sucker for a good “character transported to alt. universe/world” fic. That said, I got soooooooooo addicted to this fic! It was so well written and you could just feel the reader’s hesitation and torn emotions. Should she stay? Should go? Ugh! Fantastic!! Also, kudos for the Norse mythology!! *chef’s kiss*

Nominated by @thegirlwhorunswithwinchesters

Cotton Candy (oneshot) by @ellewritesfix05

“It was always nice knowing [...] you could always find ways to bring light into Dean’s life.”

And he damn well deserves it! This was so sweet. No one can resist that “I didn’t do it” smile of his ;)

The Oath (Series) by @thecleverdame 

This series is definitely dark, but it’s so so good. If you’re okay with reading about the heavy subjects covered in these chapters, you won’t regret giving this series a try. I can’t seem to stop diving into all of this author’s content. She’s just too good.

Choices (CYOE) by @talesmaniac89 

I’ve been excited about this impressive project since I first saw the announcement post. Though I’m ashamed to say I haven’t gotten into reading the full thing yet, I plan on making time for reading ALL the different endings. I’m excited to see the different ways in which the story plays out, depending on the brothers’ personalities. For now, I’m recommending this first chapter, the starting point, which was already a beauty of its own. If you haven’t started yet yourself, prepare to be amazed.

Not Safe (Oneshot) by @torn-and-frayed

I love this. Spicy but sweet… Is that a cringy enough way for me to try and put my thoughts into words? I also just really miss Bobby, man.

nominated by @impala-dreamer

Safe Here (series) by @because-imma-lady-assface

This is one of the greatest Dean series. Ashley writes Dean amazingly well, too well sometimes, and this series gives him exactly what he needs; a place to feel safe and find comfort. I love this one so much!

Losing You (series) by @idreamofhazel

This is a superbly done Sam series that has stuck with me for a long time. I literally can’t go into Bed, Bath & Beyond without thinking about the ending <3

nominated by @kittenofdoomage

Blind Luck (oneshot) by @crispychrissy

A great Sam x reader that hits the holy trifecta of smut, fluff, and angst.

 Blood And Water (series) by @crashdevlin

Pretty sure I’ve recc’d this before but it’s such a good series, so twisted and angsty, my dark little heart loves it. Heed the warnings!

Just Sam (oneshot) by @dontshootmespence

This might not be everyone’s cup of tea but for me, it’s perfection, because I am a kinky bitch and any other kinky bitches out there would definitely enjoy this XD

nominated by @deanwanddamons

Private Party With A Rockstar (oneshot) by @mummybear

@mummybear Has been working her butt off this month for her RolePlay May. She wrote this story for me and put me in it (my name is Sian). Rockstar!Jensen is one of my weakness’s, and she knows that, and clearly knows me very well too, as included everything I like 😉

She’s Not You by @winchest09

@winchest09 is one of my fave authors. This is a super cute, super fluffy fic which really cheered me up.

Dangerous Signs (Series) by @kittenofdoomage

I LOVED this series. it was so good and lots of fun with some very sexy going’s on. Rhi’s work is just fantastic 💕

Wedding Bells (oneshot) by @katehuntington

This one shot is super cute and fluffy! I love her writing so much and this is not exception 💕 

Not Much Left (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer

Demon!Dean is another of my weakness’s and fic really hit the spot 🥵🔥

Dear Dean (series) by @smol-and-grumpy

This series made me laugh, made me cry, made me horny and made me gasp. One of the best series I have read 💕

nominated by @emilyshurley

Jensen’s Self Care Routine (oneshot) - @luci-in-trenchcoats

It is just adorable. People taking care of themselves for their loved ones. You can’t get more fluffy.

The Proposal (series) - @katymacsupernatural (Ongoing)

If you love fake dating fics, you’ll definitely love this one. Really like the character of “the reader”.

Private Party with a Rockstar (oneshot) - @mummybear

This one is both hot and adorable at the same time

You shook me (oneshot) @myinconnelly1

It’s Myin writing Demon!Dean what more do you want? No seriously that’s the perfect combination

Dancing the Spiral (oneshot) by @myinconnelly1

One of the only times I genuinely felt like a fic was creepy in a good way. And the passing of the whole thing is great. Am I little biased because its Myin, yes but that doesn’t make the fic any less good. sure it’s on the longer side but definitely worth it.

The only exception (series) - @ne-gans and @negans-lucille-tblr

I have only read the first part so far but I had to mention it. It is a serial killer AU so read the trigger warnings just in case.

Make it Big (series)- @negans-lucille-tblr

Again I’m still catching up It’s one of those fics I thought I won’t like reading but was really glad that I started.

Cast no Shadow (series) @kittenofdoomage

It’s Rhi, I can fangirl a lot about her fics. Really enjoyed (?) (that might not be the right word) the whole fitting a new relationship in existing ones. Felt to real in a weird way. It might seem like I don’t like the fic because of how I’m wording this but that’s really not the case.

Nominated by @deanwinchesterswitch

Sunshine (oneshot) by @talesmaniac89

If you like angst, this is the fic for you. It is utterly captivating and heart wrenching. It’s a cut your heart out with a dull centuries-old wooden spoon style hurt. The use of the song lines in this fic is well thought out and poetic. Make sure to have a box of tissues handy. If you don’t at least tear up while reading this, then you don’t have a heart to cut out, and your soul is already in hell.

Choices (CYOE) by @talesmaniac89

A clever interactive series where you get to choose your favorite Winchester, and the ending of the story. This is so detailed and intriguing. I loved the story I ended up with the first time, and excitedly went back in to pick the other options. Each story was unique and well written. 

Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (oneshot) by @waywardbaby

This one shot is an absolutely stunning piece of smut. The lack of dialogue makes it that much better. All you’re left with is the option to feel the detailed emotions—sexual tension to the max.

No Words (oneshot) by @because-imma-lady-assface​

Beautiful, detailed, and heartbreaking. Dean’s pain and need for comfort are palpable, and I cried while reading it. I can’t find the proper words to describe how this fic made me feel, but man did it ever make me feel.

Sky Full of Stars (oneshot) by @smol-and-grumpy​​

This is the sequel to Something Just Like This and is just as exciting as the first series. A roller coaster of suspense. The characters continue on their journey of love, dealing with the good and bad that comes with every relationship—the perfect combination of angst and fluff with a healthy dose of smut.

Something Just Like This (oneshot) by @smol-and-grumpy

A perfect combination of big badass Dean and soft, fluffy Dean, along with all the incredible smut your little heart could desire. I usually don’t like to read a series until it is complete, because I am impatient and don’t want to wait for the next chapter to post. However, this story was intriguing and sexy, and I couldn’t keep from reading each chapter as soon as it posted and then eagerly anticipating the next.

Nominated by anon

Request 42 (oneshot) by @thegirlwhorunswithwinchesters

This was super-duper cute!! I love frustrated soon to be parents especially when one of those parents is Dean! Great work, well worth the read!

Just A Daydream (onesho) by @maddiepants

This fic is refreshing with its canon-ness! I love Sam's little dream, and you get so wrapped up in it, you forget. Absolutely masterful and HOT AS HELL! Also, Tall People, WTF? 

Thank you all for the awesome work and great feedback!

These are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

[waiting4inspiration]

The Girlfriend (Peter Parker x Reader)

Summary: Peter’s always kept his relationship with you a secret because he knows that the team will go crazy about that. When you’re trapped during a fight, he doesn’t have to think twice about saving you only alerting the team about you.

Warnings: another short and sweet fic for my sweet boy XD, fluffy, cutie!peter

Marvel Masterlist

The one person that Peter told that he’s Spiderman is you. He didn’t dance around the topic and just came clean. Thinking - and expecting - you to either laugh or freak out, he was relieved when you simply took it as if he was telling you that he likes the color red. It was a big relief that you took it so well and didn’t treat him any differently with the fact that he’s a superhero. 

But he can’t bring himself to telling the team that he has a girlfriend because he knows exactly how they’ll react. They’ll go crazy and croon over him and pester to know more. And if that happens, he knows that he’ll be a huge, blushing awkward mess.

So, he keeps you a secret. Or at least, he did until you were caught in the middle of a fight.

He miraculously hears your voice among all the battle shouts over his comms, his head snapping around to find you, losing focus and slamming into a streetlight. Wrapping his hands around the pole, he ignores Tony’s words shouting him over the comms and carries on searching for you. 

Stopping you trapped in a cab, a car blocking the door on one side and a building on the other, Peter shoot a web to get him closer to you and father from the battle. “Underoos, what’s going on?” Tony questions, hovering in the distance as Peter lands in front of the window. “The fight’s this way.”

“I know, Mr. Stark,” he replies, placing a hand on the window where yours is and notices how you sigh in relief. “I just gotta do this first,” he adds, moving the to side and easily pushing the other car that traps you away. As if it’s as light as a feather. 

He then opens the door and helps you out the car. “What are you doing here?” he questions, placing his hands on either side of your face as he checks for any injuries. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” you reassure, resting your hands on his chest as he touches his masked forehead against yours. “Don’t you have a city to save, Parker?” you giggle, pulling back and nodding towards Iron Man hovering the distance. 

Peter glances over his shoulder for a second before sighing out and turning back to you. “You’ll be okay?” he asks, his hand moving down your arms and he wraps his arms around your hips. 

You giggle at him and nod your head. “I’ll be fine, sweetheart,” you whisper, reaching up to roll up the bottom of his mask to just below his eyes and gently placing a kiss on his lips. 

Over the comms, Peter can hear the team mutter to themselves while others coo and cheer for him, making his smile slight when you pull away. Rolling his mask back down, you smile brightly up at him and nod toward Tony in the distance. “Go on, Spiderman. I’ll be waiting for you,” you chuckle, folding your arms over your chest as he takes a step back.

“Stay safe, okay?” he orders. You nod your head with a chuckle before he flies away with a quick shot of his webs. 

Once he’s back in battle, everyone’s head turns to him and give him cocky looks and bright smiles. “So, when were you going to tell us you got a girlfriend?” Nat questions before turning her attention back to the fight in front of her. 

“I think the main questions is why he didn’t tell us about his girlfriend,” Clint corrects Nat, glancing over at Peter after shooting an arrow. “You ashamed or something, Parker?”

Peter quickly shakes his head as he glances back to where he left you. “I’m not ashamed about her,” he states, smiling to himself and turning his head back to the team. “I just know how you all would make it a big deal and go crazy,” he adds, moving closer to the center of the action and even closer to the team.

“What? Why would you think we’d go crazy?” Nat shrieks over the comms, making everyone look over at her with a sarcastic look. 

“Maybe because you were the one that nearly deafened us all when Tony told us that she gave him a kiss,” Sam points out as he flies over their heads, Peter shaking his head to himself and chuckles at them. 

Well, now the team knows about you. The next thing he has to prepare himself for is them pestering him about bringing you around so that they can meet you. He won’t deny that that thought has been crossing his mind for quite a long time now. Of course, he wants you to meet the team and vice versa. He wants them to meet the most amazing person he’s ever met and the person that he’s absolutely crazy for. 

Tags: @tephi101 @rororo06 @flokidottir-imagines-br @mad4oak @nerdypisces160 @xinyourdreamsx @vikingaestheticsblog @xenavistania @chameerah @momc95 @lucille-lovely @marvelmenappreciation @mother-of-fire-snakes @peterman-spideyparker @mywinterwolf @ultramagicaltacofandom @princessizzy36 

[sirloozelite]

The Harsh Realities of being a Fanfic Reader

(Joke post before anyone starts having a go at me. People are free to write and read whatever they want. XD)

Me: Ah.... a new day. Hopefully it’s better than the last one. I need a bit of cheering up. Let’s see what fanfic has to offer this morning. 

Checks a tag for one of my favourite characters. The first thing that comes up? A story where the author obviously kills off my favourite character.

Me: Ok... scratch that fictional universe for today. Clearly it’s one of ‘those’ days for that fandom. Time for plan B.

Checks a second character tag to see what new stuff has been posted/updated. First thing that shows up is a story involving the death of the character I like. 

Me: Oh for crying out loud! I’m all for freedom of speech.... but come on!!!! Right... moving on from that fictional universe for today as well it seems. Onto plan C!

Checks a third character tag to find yet another new story involving the death of the character I want to read about.

Me: OK FANFIC!!! I SEE HOW IT IS!!!! YOU DON’T WANT ME IN A GOOD MOOD TODAY!!! FINE!!!! I WON’T BE!!! SCREW THIS HOBBY FOR THE DAY!!! YOU AIN’T GETTING ME!!!! I’M DONE!!!

Logs off of Archive of Our Own and Fanfic.net for the day.

Totally not evil fanfic writers: Hooray! Good riddance to trash! XD

Now also in meme form:

Any other fanfic readers ever feel like this? XD

And again... I stress... this is not an attack on people who write tragic fanfic. You are free to do what you want. I’m not some super dictator who is going to ban you from doing it. The above is just a joke. :)

If you are a writer who writes that sort of stuff, sorry if I accidently offended you. It wasn’t my intention. Keep on doing your good work. :)

[chaoticneutralwriter]

The Extent of Happiness

Jimin thinks he’s a perfect demon, given the centuries of work he’s done and now he dare say he makes for a pretty decent temp-guardian too — he even has the papers to prove it. So with a good clean record, he’s well on his way to getting into the good graces of heaven again to pardon his mischief, only he never realized in his long years of living until now that there is one short-coming he had — as both a demon and a guardian.

guardian demon!Jimin x reader

word count: 18.6k (lord)

genre: slow-burn, supernatural, comedy, fluff, romance, a little angst, slice of life

warning: brief talk of some ill-intentions towards another character

Related works: see masterlist under guardian demon! Jimin

A/N: THIS TOOK FOREVERR.... ;_; tfw the chapter is pretty straight forward but didn’t realize the scenes would take so much planning XD Lots of time skips-ish but it at least takes over the course of two days. Hope you enjoy it, thank you so much for all the patience and love once again! 😚😚💖💖

It’s over.

It’s finally over.

You collapse onto your bed, exhausted but victorious in a way. You’ve just finished your last exam, gone in with a fuck-all attitude that made it go by in a blur and now that it’s out of your hands, you’re finally allowed to be numb to it all. The stress of it is over and though you would be elated if you passed with a pretty good grade, you honestly don’t care if you scraped by or even fail one (you’ve done the math, that's how much you've given up). All you want to do now is to sleep for three years….and maybe have a glass of wine, or a whole bottle you’re not sure.

You’ll have to think on that. But right now, you just want to do nothing for a while.

Unfortunately, your body interpreted ‘do nothing’ as straight up passing out. You’re disoriented by the time you wake up, having not realized you fell into a coma-like sleep in the first place. Jaehee’s the one who knocks on your door to come check on you.

“Fam, you good?” She asks, half-jokingly but you can still hear the tinge of worry slipping through her tone.

You only let out a low, half-dying groan, shifting so that your face is not entirely smushed into your mattress.

“I don’t even remember falling asleep….”

If you had turned over more, you would’ve seen Jaehee giving you a wry smile. “Yeah…. You were out cold when I got home and I didn’t have the heart to wake you, but then I got really worried because you were seriously like out.”

That got a snort out of you, however groggy you might feel as your mind takes its time to become more alert.

“But congrats on finishing your last exam today!” Jaehee cheers, coming over to sit at the end of your bed where your body is draped over in a horizontal fashion. “We should celebrate.”

You let out a whining noise of protest because although you do want to go celebrate (read: drink yourself into an oblivion while stuffing your face with the fattiest, greasiest foods you could find), you also really don’t feel like moving yet. Jaehee laughs, patting your head in a very motherly way that has you nearly dozing off again.

“Okay, okay how about we order pizza and we crack open some cold ones over Netflix?”

That gets a short bark of laughter from you and that’s all that Jaehee needs before she’s getting up again to place the order. During that time, you roll around on your bed some more, scroll through your social media for a while before finally mustering up the strength to get up with a stretch. You loudly let out a drawn out groan as your joints pop and your muscles unwind from being in the same position for so long before you stand, grabbing a new set of PJs as you head to the bathroom.

After a refreshing shower that leaves you more awake now and ready to devour some serious carbs, you saunter into the living room where Jaehee is setting up the extra large pizza box on the coffee table. Your mouth instantly waters at the smell of melted cheese, pepperoni, bacon and mushrooms. Beside the box is a case of Somersby cider, the cans still chilled with condensation so when you crack it open to take a sip, it sends a pleasant chill down your throat.

Taking a seat next to Jaehee on the couch, you reach for a slice of pizza and the first bite has you moaning loudly. “Let me stay like this forever.”

Your friend giggles at your overdramatic comment but nevertheless starts scrolling through the Netflix account to find a series to watch.

“Well, you can now that you’re done for the semester.”

“Thank God for that.”

As Jaehee settles on a show, she reaches for her own can of alcohol, bringing it up towards you and you instantly respond by grabbing yours.

“Cheers to finishing that semester.”

You clink cans, grinning as you take a hefty sip, sighing out contently as you already feel your nerves dissipate with the sweet promise of long restful days of sleeping, eating, and lounging.

-

Yeah right.

It’s like the universe had decided for you that you’ve had your fill of living out your best life as a human sloth and now you need to get back to being a useful member of society. And since you’re always in need for those few extra dollars, it’s no surprise you find yourself taking on more work shifts, no matter how soul draining it all is.

Do it for the money, you tell yourself, just do it for the money.

Besides, you further reason, you need a distraction or you’ll just find yourself perusing your social media threads which would lead to you being caught up in the hype for BTS’ first day of their North American leg of the tour. It’s fast approaching but at this point, you feel like you’ve gone through your stages of grief and had reached the inevitable acceptance — you’re not going to any of the stops and your only hope rests in the four small words at the very bottom of the official touring website.

You cash out the last of the customer standing in line, grateful to have a moment of peace where you can do something other than force a smile on your face and be overly polite and friendly. You walk over to the end of the cash counter where off to the side is a cart full of items that needed to be ticketed for clearance. It’s not the most exciting job, but after spending majority of your shifts on cash and nothing but cash you’re willing to take any job. So with a label gun in hand, you set to work on scanning the items and adjusting the numbers appropriately to make the correct price tags.

You’re halfway through the cart when you feel a sudden chill, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand and automatically you already know who this is. Your gaze whips around, trying to be subtle about it until a voice calls out to you from above.

“Right over here poppet.”

Your eyes land on the shelves behind you and situated at the very top on a sewing machine box, you find Jungkook peering down at you with his signature bunny grin. His mop of brown hair is a little unruly, leaving his front bangs to sweep over his forehead and he’s still dressed like one of the international students at your college — comfy but bougie as hell. Sighing, you continue with the task at hand, pretending he’s not there just so you won’t look crazy on camera.

“Don’t you have better things to do?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He rebuttals, jumping down gracefully next to you despite those clumpy looking Balenciaga shoes he’s wearing (you swear you could kill someone if you threw it at them hard enough). You roll your eyes, already knowing what he’s insinuating when he says that.

“For the billionth time I’m not going; I thought we had this conversation already.”

“Well you can’t blame me for thinking you’ve got such a weak will.”

That causes you to shoot a glare his way and all he does is raise an eyebrow back at you, almost challengingly. It makes you let out a huff of frustration, going back to slapping the items with their pricing stickers a little too aggressively.

“Then what do you suggest I do? Summon another demon so they could be my doppleganger?”

“What? Oh no, that won’t do. Your soul is bound to Jimin so there’s possibly nothing you could offer in exchange for another demon’s service.” Jungkook brushes off your sarcastic rhetorical as if you had seriously asked. “Although you possibly could ask an incubus in exchange for sex….but I don’t think Jimin would be too happy with that…”

Jungkook successfully makes you blush at his offhanded comment, mind reeling and going off in places that they most definitely shouldn’t be going. You have to shake your head to rid of those thoughts, but that doesn’t stop your cheeks from burning still. Forcefully, you think about puppies and kittens and BT— No, no, the one time to not think of them.

Your hand pauses briefly and you turn to pin the brunette sitting on the counter beside you a hard stare. He’s lost in thought, actually considering all the ways that can possibly help you play hooky with your job. You’re a slight bit touched that he seems to care so much but at the same time, you think this is all completely unnecessary. Finally, after a few more minutes of pondering, he sighs out in a defeated manner.

“The only other option I can think of is finding a witch to clone you. But I heard their methods are highly unstable, usually a fifty-fifty chance in death or your clone going on a rampage to actually steal your identity so I don’t know if you’d be down with those odds.” Turning to you, he nods in serious affirmation. “I think the sex demon is your best bet, even if it’ll make Jimin a little mad.”

You choke on the air you harshly inhale, hand coming up to try and smother your coughing fit. By the time you’re able to breathe again without losing a lung, you have tears in your eyes from the exertion but that doesn’t stop you from throwing a narrowed eyed glare at Jungkook who’s watching on with an obviously amused smile.

“I am not doing that.” You wheeze.

“Why not? If it’s because of Jimin, then I’ll handle him for you.”

“No Jungkook, it’s not— “ You pause to kiss your teeth, agitated. “I’m not that desperate. Besides, I’ve already put my money on them adding additional dates after their first leg is over.”

It’s true, you’re not about to resort to shadier means to get what you want; point proven when you turned down even Jimin when he offered (and his method had way less strings attached than the one Jungkook is suggesting). Furthermore, what logic would that be if you refuse help from your own guardian demon only to turn around and accept help from someone else, much less another demon? He’s insufferable, the bane of your existence at times sure, but you can never imagine doing something like that to him, especially after all he’s done. The very suggestion makes your stomach churn unpleasantly — he doesn’t deserve that.

The young demon doesn’t say anything afterwards, just quietly stares at you in utter disbelief for what you think is an uncomfortably long amount of time before —

“You seriously would rather subject yourself to this capitalist slavery than take the chance of getting good demon di—“

The package you’re holding goes flying out of your hand before you can think about it (you think it’s a Disney Princess pink foam crown from the kids section). Jungkook narrowly dodges it with a swift lean of his head, impeccably wide eyes indicating that even he was caught off guard from your sudden display of speed. The item merely smacks against the edge of the computer monitor of the register, lightweight enough that you didn’t need to worry about getting fired for property damage but it didn’t go unnoticed by your manager on duty as not even a minute passes before your headset crackles with her concerned voice.

“Woah what happened there, Y/N? You okay?”

You fumble with your mic, face a raging inferno as you press down on the button to laugh nervously into. “Y-Yeah, no I just saw a spider and it freaked me out. That’s all!”

You get a laugh in return, “Oh yikes. Okay, understandable. Carry on!”

Jungkook’s snickering brings your attention back to him and you could only petulantly glare at him. Luckily, you didn’t have to continue bickering uselessly with him as over his shoulder, you see a few customers begin to stream into the queue line. With one last pointed look, you mutter quickly through gritted teeth.

“I am not going to the concert and I don’t need any of your scheming ways to make it happen otherwise.”

You see him roll his eyes before swiftly, you turn on your heels and scurry back over to your designated register to wave down the approaching customer to ring them up.

-

It’s just past three o’clock and noticeably the cafe starts to pick up with an influx of patrons. Evidently, being situated near the downtown area didn’t help either as every which street, the establishment is surrounded by towering office buildings. Whether it be just a single elevator trip down or just a walk across the street, everyone flocked to this cafe to get their caffeine fix or a quick bite to eat. The place drew in all sorts of people, which made for a very interesting place to people watch.

Now normally, Jimin wouldn’t be out so early in the day, preferring to wander the streets at night. That’s when all the greatest likes of people come out — well, ‘great’ in demon standards; the perfect hunting ground to secure more poor souls doomed to hell with all their scheming, ill-intent, self-destructive ways.

But, he thinks, a slow smile barely contained behind the rim of his coffee cup, it doesn’t take much to spot a potential victim, even with the rose-tinted glasses of daylight on. All you had to do was stop and look.

His dark eyes lock onto the figure seated in the far corner of the cafe, hunched over the laptop in front of her. From his vantage point, he could make out her features clearly — long dark hair falling in loose curls around her shoulders, framing a heart-shaped face, straight nose, full lips with a dainty cupid’s bow, and porcelain skin all make up this young face. She looked to be mid-twenties if Jimin had to guess and by the way she dressed so casually amongst the sea of business suits and blazers suggests she might possibly be a student or someone who just got out of school. At first glance, this girl was like any other face in the crowd — unassuming and made an effort to sticking to themselves, just like everybody else in this cafe.

Except Jimin can spot something shady going on a mile away, and this one was only a few tables.

Now as to exactly what, he’ll have to get a closer look to find out. So with one last sip from his cup, he uncrosses his legs and gets up to make his way over to the young lady’s table. He approaches with just a few long strides and though it takes her a moment to notice his presence, she still had to do a double take once her wide eyes landed on his face. It makes him smile, eyes creasing and when he sees her face flush pink, he knows he’s got her.

“I’m sorry,” Jimin starts, coming off bashful as he brings a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “This might seem really creepy but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around this cafe before and I’m a regular here.”

The girl barely recovers from her flustered state, shaky hands also coming up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She’s having a hard time maintaining eye contact with him and it only goads him on further, keeping his eyes on her and the ever sweet smile still present in an almost purposefully teasing way.

“O-Oh, uh, um yeah. I usually like to hang out in this other place but, I had errands to do around here so I just stopped here for a bit….” Her voice wavers with nerves but she clears her throat, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

“Ah, I see.” Jimin replies, feigning interest as he idly runs a hand through his new ash brown hair. “I’m glad you did, it’s a really nice place to come by — amazing coffee and in-house pastry. Have you tried them?”

The small talk continues with Jimin effortlessly getting her to let her guard down more and more until after an empty pastry plate and a latte later, he’s managed to settle himself comfortably in the seat in front of her sharing chuckles and names (Kim), her laptop long forgotten. Here, Jimin can really take in the details of her person; the Chanel t-shirt peeking out from underneath her windbreaker that’s definitely not a knockoff, the Cartier necklace with it’s dainty charm sitting at the base of her throat, the Hermes bangle that gives off a lustrous shine whenever she brings her slender hand up to cover her mouth as she laughs along with the rose gold diamond Rolex watch.

Either she’s got a nice honest paying job, or she’s getting her funds by….other means.

“That’s a really nice watch you have there; Rolex?” Jimin asks, smoothly taking Kim’s hand into his to inspect the watch clasped onto her wrist. He pretends to admire it, completely ignoring the way she blushes.

“Yeah, got it not too long ago.”

“Lovely taste.” He lets go, making sure to linger in his touch. Kim appreciates the gesture, smiling coyly as she slowly takes her hand back. Amidst the chatter of the cafe, a chime followed by a buzz draws the girl’s attention to her phone placed off on the side. Kim takes it into her hand, unlocking before scrolling through it with hasty fingers. She looks up after a few moments later, regret reflecting in her brown irises.

“Hey, I gotta get going. Maybe we could grab coffee again some other time….?”

Jimin hears the way she lets the question hang and it only makes him grin. Regardless, he takes out his phone and Kim eagerly exchanges numbers with him (even sending him a text to make sure it goes through correctly). Once she’s satisfied, she packs her laptop into a sleeve and puts on her Gucci crossbody over her shoulder.

“I’ll see you around Julien.” Kim beams, walking off with a noticeable pep in her step. He watches her go with an easy smile and to onlookers, they might’ve pinned him for a poor sap who’s become infatuated by the girl he’s just met in his favourite coffee shop — a plot straight out of a romance novel. Oh, if only they knew; how funny would it be when they realize that this angelic smile hid a demon who’s just found his next prey.

Glancing down at his phone, his eyes read over the name of the poor girl who’s about to have karma bite her in the ass. Kim, he thinks with a dark chuckle, just what kind of dark secret are you hiding behind your own innocent smile?

He’ll look forward to finding out.

-

“Hey, are you working tomorrow?”

You’re in the break room, pulled out from your reveries (what you actually mean is dissociating) by the small chime of your phone signalling a text message. It’s Jaehee and you take a pause on reading her question to think of your answer, mentally going through your work schedule that you’ve gleaned over earlier today before coming into your shift. You don’t remember much but you do know you are working, just not sure whether it would be a short early shift or a closing one again. You hope that it’s not the latter. The very thought makes you shudder.

“Yeah I am. Why what’s up?” You shoot back and no sooner had the message been sent, you get one in return.

“Uhh? Your birthday….??”

Oh shit really? You think to yourself, shocked. You pull up the calendar on your phone and see that yes, your birthday is indeed tomorrow. The revelation has you dazed for a second, wondering where the time went.

“Oh wow, LOL. I didn’t even realize….”

“Girl…. We need to do something for your birthday!

We could do something like head out for dinner and a couple of drinks.”

“That sounds good, but I can’t remember if I’m closing or not :|

I’ll have to double check to make sure.”

“Okay, either way, let me know what the plan is and we work something out!”

“Yeah, will do :)”


You say that but honestly, planning something for your birthday was the last thing on your mind. You would even go as far as to say that you don’t really care anymore. It sounds a lot more depressing than it really is because you think that most people reach that point about certain ages don’t they? When all of your friends’ schedules match up only once in a blue moon, too busy with the grind or other commitments that meeting up at all, let alone for someone’s birthday, is good enough.

Ugh.

You unconsciously frown, wanting to shake your thoughts off on the topic by pulling up your social media apps. Out of instincts, your thumb taps onto Twitter and you’re only greeted by your feed being filled up by huge banners and pictures of the BTS tour and how tickets for their next stop will promptly go on sale tomorrow at 3PM.

Wow.

It’s like the universe just said ‘fuck you’ to your face; tickets are going on sale on your birthday and you can’t even go. You must be the most unluckiest fan alive right now. What’s worse is that it’s for the next neighbouring city to you, and theoretically, your last chance to cave in.

No, no, you shake your head. You need to stop doing that — you’ve made your peace with this already, and the wanting feeling just resurfaced because you’ve been smacked in the face with it. You exit out of the app quickly and stand, shoving your mobile into your back pocket as you start to head back out of the break room to continue your shift. You dread every step of the way because today, you’re part of the closing team and with the warming weekend weather, people tend to want to hang out longer.

Which is, much to you and your co-workers chagrin, what ends up happening. You spend the next five to ten precious minutes past closing urging straggler shoppers to get the fuck out in the most politest way so that you could all finally start cleaning. So of course by the time you’re done and with no mischievous demon by the name of Jungkook around this time to cause any excuse to leaving early otherwise, you all get out way past the appointed end shift time.

You hurry to the bus stop after a hasty goodnight, eager to get home. Thankfully, you only wait around five minutes before the bus shows up and you get on, not bothering to take a seat for the short three stop ride even though there were plenty of empty seats for your picking. You can’t deny that you’re a little bit antsy, commuting at night alone always manages to do that for you even when you make it to your stop without any incident.

It’s okay, you think as you hastily make your way down the street, you’re nearly there and it’ll be fine the rest of the way.

You don’t stop to think about the logic of your thought just now because by no means are you anywhere near your house yet, let alone your street. You still had about a block left before you meet —

Oh.

You slow your power walking down to let out a huff of disbelief at yourself. You did not just seriously….

You sigh deeply, too tired to mentally battle it out with yourself about denying the fact that you find Jimin’s routine meet up on your night shifts gave you comfort and security on the trip home — that extra peace of mind. Not saying that you’d be completely crippled if he wasn’t there but… It's nice to have him walking beside you like a shadow that shielded you from any creeps way scarier than any demon you’ve met so far and… he makes the night a lot more enjoyable to be in.

Holy shit, you must be tired as hell because you did not just think that into existence. Your cheeks are heating up on their own and you had to give yourself a light smack to dispel any further thoughts of that nature from developing. At least there was one saving grace about it all; no one was around to witness any of this.

With that, you focus back on trucking along, heart hammering from your exertion or your anticipation, you’re not quite sure. Either way, your pace picks up when you see the beginnings of your street corner come into view. Usually, Jimin would be there just before you make the turn and from there, you’d both walk back the rest of the way, past the convenience store with the dumpster and flickering street light.

So when you round the corner —

Your feet falter, finding no one.

You slow until you stop completely, more concentrated on trying to spot his familiar lean figure that’s always dressed to the nines but somehow always look effortless but after double checking (triple checking, in case your eyes are really that bad) you find no one; not a single soul.

A weight suddenly drops into the pit of your stomach and for a moment, you’re at a loss of what to do. Should you wait around to see if he shows up with the off chance that he's late today? Or should you just power on through? Your gaze shifts to the street ahead of you and it’s like the darkness and the scattering of lights elongate to an endless pathway leading into an inky abyss. You lick your lips that had gone dry, taking in a shaky breath in an attempts to gather yourself but with one glance around your surroundings, you decide firmly that there was no way you were gonna hang around here longer than you need to, not when you know how notorious the store corner could get with its less-than-savoury visitors. You feel a bubble of irritation begin to swell inside you but you crush it in favour of wanting to get home as fast as you can.

So with a swallow, you take off in a power walk, shoulders hunched and legs burning with the strain you put with how quick of a pace you’ve set for yourself. Your hammering heart only accelerates once you come upon the twenty-four hour convenience store, the same one you got harassed by before Jimin showed up in the nick of time. The grip you have on your bag strap tightens as with a quick flit of your eyes, you find that the corner with the dumpster just behind the store is not occupied for once by anyone, at least from what you can see. You don’t bother to confirm if it’s true or not, taking full advantage of this bit of luck as you practically barrel past it, almost breaking out into a run just to get by. Once you do, you race the rest of the way up your front door steps and with a few fumbles of the keys in shaky, adrenaline-filled hands you fall through the doorway, the breath you didn’t realize you were holding comes out in one big whoosh.

You take a moment to stand there, breathing in deeply to calm yourself before eventually, move away from your threshold, locking the door and slipping off your shoes. Trudging to your bedroom, you don’t bother to flick the lights on as you blindly move about to grab your pyjamas, flinging your bag and heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

You hit the bed with a thump, thankful to be in its warm sheets but still feeling slightly miffed, mind racing to try and come up with some logical reason as to why Jimin wasn’t there tonight. You toss and turn for a bit but then come to a screeching halt halfway through it; he never explicitly said he would walk you home whenever you had a night shift, he sort of…started doing it on his own and you just never questioned it. Then somewhere along the way, you assumed it became an unspoken promise between you two — something that didn’t need an explanation and something that you grew to look forward to so to have it come to an abrupt stop…

You sigh out, flipping to your side and curling up on yourself, feeling ridiculous and still very much restless; guess you’re not going to sleep tonight and you hate how it’s because of how fixated you are on your guardian demon. Since when did you become someone who got so hung up on stupid small things like this? He’s his own being, a demon who roams the night freely and without fear doing what he does best; get people to make stupid decisions.

But he could’ve at least sent you a text.

You actually grab your own mobile, the light blinding you for a second as you pull up his message thread. The last text you sent each other was during your house viewing with Jaehee. Confronted with the option now, your fingers itch to send off a passive-aggressive text to him, letting him know that you made it home safely without his help thanks for asking—

You blink and suddenly the message is typed out in the box, ready for you to hit send. It takes you a second to register what you had done and it makes you backspace immediately in horror. No, you won’t be like this, can’t be like this, because does it even make sense for you to?

You grab the calico plushie with more strength than you mean to and smash your face against its soft body to drown a groan and the sinking feeling in your chest. That’s it, you’re stopping right there and you are going to sleep and forget about this all because if you don’t you’ll just give yourself a headache and lose out on sleep needlessly. You fling your phone to the ends of your bed for good measures.

Who cares about Jimin, you certainly don’t.

-

The girl in front of him throws her head back to laugh, hand covering her mouth to retain some modesty and keep up her appearances as being a ‘proper lady’. He doesn’t entirely care in that, nor the high spun tale he’s conjured up that caused her to laugh; it’s all pretences to him. Still, he plays his part, smiling behind the rim of his whiskey glass as he watches her with twinkling eyes full of mischief until she calms down, fanning herself lightly.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that happened to you — on your first trip to Bali too.”

Jimin could only offer her a bemused shrug, placing his glass down on the table to cross his legs. “Guess that’s what you call life huh?”

Kim giggles, taking a sip of her own drink as well too before reclining back into the plush black leather booth seat. When she had suggested that they grab coffee again some time, this wasn’t exactly the first thing that Jimin had in mind. Though to be fair, he should’ve figured with the text she sent him, asking if he was free two days later from their initial meeting to come out at a time that’s way too late to be having coffee and at an establishment he swears didn’t exactly serve coffee. A ritzy place, dimly lit by warm lights from the crystal chandeliers hanging above each round table with a colour scheme of black, white and dark cherry wood. Not exactly a place your average Joe would pick for a date, not unless he wanted his wallet to bleed dry but luckily neither of them need to bother looking at the menu in the first place.

She makes show of that by refilling her glass of expensive wine, not caring how her dulled senses manhandles the bottle slightly, putting it down with a little too much added force. It makes her giggle sheepishly, ducking her head because the noise seems to rattle the entirety of the upscale bar, the soft jazz music no way helping to mask it. Jimin chortles and Kim flushes pinker than she already is under her foundation.

“So,” Jimin starts coolly, “How about yourself? Got any juicy stories you wanna share?”

Kim places her glass after sip down gently this time, licking her painted lips that had the slightest tinge of the darker berry colour to them now. She tilts her head to ponder, pouting but then smiles with a shrug.

“I don’t think any of mine would top yours to be honest.”

“Oh really? Nothing at all?”

“I’m positive.” She laughs, “I feel like all I do on trips is lay around, sun bathe, and eat and drink expensive wine.”

Jimin nods in understanding, reaching out to take a swig of his whiskey again. Throughout the night, he and Kim had talked about things that one typical does during a ‘date’ — work, hobbies, friends, families, the likes. Very mundane and nothing to be too concerned about, only what Kim doesn’t know is that the more she talks about herself, the more Jimin is beginning to get a good idea as to what sort of secret life she’s hiding. From what he gathered, she’s a recent college graduate majoring in marketing, lived alone in an apartment, and worked for a company that was getting their big break-through in expanding.

Doesn’t seem at all suspicious but considering the state of the economy, either Kim is one lucky girl or she’s obviously getting her funds somewhere else. No student straight out of college would be able to afford the luxury items Kim seems to so whole-heartedly indulge in, even with a decent paying job. Perhaps a sugar daddy? No, she’s out here seeing him isn’t she? A wealthy family then who funds everything for her?

There are still pieces missing to this puzzle and Jimin needs to find out more. Unfortunately for him, Kim downs the rest of her wine with a sense of finality and he already knows before she opens her mouth that she was planning on calling it a night.

“I think I’m done with my fill of merlot. Any more and I feel like you would have to carry me out and that’s not exactly how I want to end my night with you.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Jimin grins wolfishly and that causes a bout of giggles to bubble from Kim’s lips. As she’s distracted, Jimin waves down the waiter to pay the bill, swiping his card and signing off the receipt before getting up from his seat. He waits patiently as Kim gathers her things but as she gets up, she tips a little too heavily to one side that Jimin had to steady her by the shoulder. The brunette laughs breathlessly, leaning into him as Jimin smiles while guiding her out of the upscale bar with a hand on the small of her back.

The night is a lot warmer compared to the last few, but of course that doesn’t stop Kim from clinging to Jimin’s arms like there was a biting breeze nipping at her skin, heeled footsteps echoing loudly against the asphalt. She also takes the liberty to direct him to round the side of the building where a small space reserved for parking was. Jimin’s quick to catch on as he glances down at Kim’s still flushed and smiley face with a quirked eyebrow.

“Do you intend to drive home like this?”

Immediately, she whips her glazed eyes upwards, widened in shock and pouts petulantly at him, seemingly offended by his assumptions. “Julien! I’m not that stupid. I just wanna make sure I didn’t leave anything important in there before I call an Uber.”

Jimin chuckles good-heartedly, bringing up a hand in a placating manner. “Sorry, sorry. People tend to be a poor of judge under the influence but it’s good to see that you’re one of the smarter ones.”

Unfortunately.

It would be so easy for Jimin to just whisper into her ear and convince her that she’s totally fine to drive home. Then, all he had to do was watch her drive off and not even a block down, she’d run a red light, get T-boned and he can dust his hands off with another job well done. The idea is tantalizing but no, he’s long since been tired of a successful hunt that lacked any thrill. Which is why when they both reach Kim’s car (a sleek black BMW M5), Jimin turns to her with a well-placed charming smile.

“How about I make it up to you on that last comment? I’ll drive you home.”

Kim pauses mid-push of unlocking her car, throwing a rather dubious look over her shoulder at him. Jimin holds his ground, steadfast in keeping up the non-threatening facade, posture relaxed even as she turns to face him squarely, leaning back heavily against her ride with an impressive piercing gaze. He senses the cogs in her head working, no doubt weighing the pros and cons of accepting his offer. Before he could let the doubts fester, Jimin speaks, voice lilting with an irresistibly smooth velvet finish.

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to say yes. I just wanted to make sure you got home safe is all.”

His eyes flare a deep crimson so quickly that to Kim’s slightly muddled mind, it appeared to only be the trick of the light. Jimin sees the effects of his words take hold of her, and after a few minutes, Kim loses the tenseness of her shoulders, looking at him in a new light.

“I mean, if it won’t be too much trouble for you…”

And like that, she’s entangled herself more into his spider’s web. Jimin smiles, eyes creasing up in a very pleased way. It makes Kim smile in return for all the wrong reasons as she her keys off to him. He strides towards her, taking it from her grasp before unlocking the doors and opening the passenger one for her. She ducks into her seat and Jimin shuts it firmly once she’s settled in before rounding around the car to get into the driver’s seat.

As expected, the interior of the car was black, crisp leather interlaid with dark burgundy polished wood for the dashboard and for a second, he could pick up the faintest whiff of the new car smell still lingering around. The smile widens on Jimin’s lips as he glances over at the owner who’s buckling in her seatbelt. She feels his eyes on her and when she turns, she grins coquettishly.

“What?”

“It’s a very nice car.”

Kim preens at the compliment, leaning over to whisper, “I know.”

It makes Jimin chuckle, adjusting his seat and the steering wheel before fastening his own seatbelt. Once he’s comfortable, he hits the start-push button and the car hums to life.

The drive to Kim’s place was filled with more small talk about the passing neighbourhoods and other fancy eating places she hints at for potential future ‘dates’ — none of which interests Jimin. What does however, is the directions she’s giving him albeit in her now drunken sleepy state. She leads him out of the upscale part of the city where all the new high-rises and penthouse suite condos were gathered in favour of an older looking neighbourhood. The apartment buildings begin to look visibly aged, the colour scheme falling into the more rustic ash brown and not as lustrous or modern as the others they had just passed. It reminds him of where you live; modest, not-as-flashy but still well kept neighbourhood. They’re still in way better shape than some of the neighbourhoods Jimin has seen that’s for sure but in this case, it was not a place Jimin had pictured a someone like Kim who seems to live and breathe luxury to be living in.

But Kim only confirms her residencies here when she directs Jimin to an underground parking garage that was connected to one of these bricked apartment buildings. He can’t help quirking an eyebrow at her as he pulls up to the yellow plastic gate right next to the security speaker box.

“We’re at the right place right?” The teasing overtone of his question hides the backhandedness of it (but he thinks Kim wouldn’t notice anyways, given her state).

“Hm?” Kim turns from staring out her window, dazed for a moment at his remark before she seems to realize where she is. She flushes pink, clearly flustered as she stutters. “O-Oh! It’s just temporary….I’m actually moving soon.”

Jimin hums noncommittally, rolling down the window in order to speak to the building security to let them through the gate with Kim telling him that all he needs to say is that he’s a visitor, her full name and floor she’s living on. It works because the yellow gate lifts and he’s allowed to drive the rest of the way in, entering the garage as it opens and after more instructions, finds her designated parking spot. Jimin parks the car, shutting the engine off as he unfastens himself to exit, making quick work of rounding to Kim’s side to open her door. He even offers her his hand.

She smiles at the gesture, gladly taking it to haul herself up and out of her seat.

“And here I thought chivalry was dead.”

Jimin shrugs, “Guess I’m pretty old-fashioned.”

Kim tilts back with a bubbly laugh, swaying too much to where Jimin had to hold her hand a little more firmly to keep her from tipping back and falling over. In doing so though, Kim laces her fingers through his and brings herself closer, pressing up against his chest and forcing him to tilt his head down in order to look her in the face.

“I had a really great time tonight Julien.” Her voice rasps, the proximity lets her lips brush slightly against his own whenever she speaks. “And thank you so much for driving me home when you didn’t have to….”

Ah, here it comes.

“Is there anything I can do? Get you an Uber or maybe….?”

Jimin can’t stifle the smirk that creeps up on his lips, amusement dancing in his dark eyes as he slowly turns the tables on Kim. He brings up their joined hands, only to release himself from her grip to press her back against her car, letting his freed hand cage her instead. She doesn’t resist, so pliant under Jimin’s manipulation that he swears she’s enjoying the attention she’s getting from him. Does she think that she’s got him right where she wanted?

Cute….but not quite.

No, right now, Jimin’s motives are far from aligning with Kim’s despite her thinking otherwise. His plan is simple; get her to invite him up to her apartment, maybe let her have her way for a bit before he puts her out, snoop around to his heart’s content and when he’s found what he needs, disappear like a shadow in the night and let a demon’s karma do its part.

So he takes the bait.

“I think that whiskey is starting to get into my head a little….”

And that’s all Kim needs.

In a fitting whirlwind romance (Jimin uses that term very ironically), the steps of his plans were enacted and Kim is out like a light before she could even finish unbuttoning his shirt — using pressure points is one way to spice things up in the bedroom he supposes. A lot of other demons would give Jimin flak for not indulging in some added bonus fun while on a ‘hunt’ but he’s a demon of taste, and there’s something else hot and steamy that he’s after.

With Kim knocked out into a deep sleep, it makes for rifling through her stuff easy as pie. In the darkness of her room, he spies numerous amounts of name brand clothing strewn about on her dresser and floor. On the handle of her door and even by the foot of her bed, there were bags of different sizes, shapes and colour. Everything seems so disorganized and just thrown about that Jimin thinks the only clean space is her queen size bed and to a certain degree, vanity table which is where he heads towards as he spots her MacBook. It sits asleep on the counter surrounded by various bottles of perfume and lipsticks, organized by colour and brand.

He wastes no time opening the laptop, bypassing her password with ease, immediately diving into the most recent folders. It doesn’t take long for Jimin to start finding some….interesting things. First off was a folder, simply named ‘E-Pics’ that was dedicated to, of all things, concert e-tickets. There were around five of them, all from two shows that had played recently in the city. Jimin doesn’t recognize the names of the artist but he thinks it’s rather strange for someone to have saved pictures of e-tickets when there’s an app for that. Was Kim a secretly sentimental type of person….?

Highly unlikely, Jimin thinks so he continues digging, clicking away until….

A slow smile hooks at the corner of his mouth as his eyes scan over these newly discovered files. At a glance, they look exactly like the tickets in the previous folder but when Jimin fiddles around with the image a bit more, he spots the alterations in them, hidden in plain sight.

Forgery, and good enough that Jimin’s mildly impressed. If they had a course in college for that, he would’ve believed Kim would graduate at the top of her class.

This new information sends a newfound thrum of giddiness running through him and he wonders gleefully what other incriminating things Kim is hiding in other places. Perhaps her phone? Without a second thought, he closes the laptop and then heads out of her room.

He slinks out into Kim’s open space apartment with soundless footsteps. It’s on the small side and not much goes into these spaces other than her bedroom. There was an attempt though, hints of times Jimin could imagine the young woman would spontaneously have in trying to decorate her home from the colour coordinated throw cushions. It’s like she tried to go for a colour scheme but then quickly realized that she’d rather invest in her money in name brand handbags and shoes.

He picks one of them up on the couch; her clutch from tonight tossed aside carelessly in favour of trying to ravish him as soon as they made it through the doorway. Pretty thing, but the worth of the clutch doesn’t interest him so much as what’s inside it and reaching in, he easily pulls out her mobile phone. It lights up as soon as he hits the home button but when he goes to bypass her lock, he hesitates.

Blaring in his face is the time — 2:43AM.

Was it really that late already? The phone lays momentarily forgotten in his hand as he wonders how he hadn’t noticed the time flying by so fast. Unconsciously, he furrows his brows as another thought crosses his mind.

You should be home by now….right? Wait, you had a closing shift today didn’t you?

Shit.

Jimin reaches a hand into his pocket to pull out his own phone, bringing up your message thread to not find a single peep from you since your open house visit with Jaehee. Of course you wouldn’t, he knows you — stubborn as a mule and he swears if you had gotten stabbed, you would convince yourself that it’s not that serious only because you wouldn’t want to trouble anyone.

….Shit.

His hand travels to linger over his chest as if it had a mind of its own as his becomes completely lost in thought. Jimin didn’t feel any disturbances or distress that usually comes when your emotions flare, so it should mean that you were okay. But what are the possibilities that you simply didn’t have the time to react, too caught off guard to call out to him if you needed help?

Jimin exhales heavily through his nose in frustration, a hand combing through his hair as he glances down at Kim’s phone to see a few more minutes have passed and that now he had a choice to make; continue his search here for more information to blackmail Kim or abandon that possibility altogether. Fingers tap idly as the demon weighs his options and the more he stares at the phone, the more his mind screams at him to take just one peek, she’s fine.

….

Damn it.

He shoves Kim’s phone and all it’s garish pink glittery case glory back into her clutch before flinging it back onto the couch as if it were a dollar store pencil case. With long strides, he heads to the door but instead of going through it, he feels the familiar tug of apparating to another location and he finds himself at the head of your street. It’s relatively quiet when his senses readjust to his surroundings, the only sounds he picks up are the faint chirps of crickets and the occasional passing of a car way down at the other end of the road. He doesn’t see you nor anyone for that matter and he’s not sure whether that’s a good sign or a bad one. Still, he holds out on the belief that you’ve made it home all right.

So methodically, Jimin stalks forward, dark eyes narrowed to scan even the darkest corners for anything that might seem amiss, things that ordinary human beings don’t see. When he doesn’t pick up anything that raises any concerns, he makes another leap in location and this time, he ends up directly in your bedroom. The soft carpeted floor helps muffle his black Chelsea boots as he lands, but his attention immediately goes to your bed and without meaning to, he sighs, a tenseness he wasn’t even aware of dissipating from within him.

He sees the clear outline of your form under the covers, the rhythmic rise and fall of your breathing as you slumber and as he steps closer, almost feels the warmth of your body. The tops of your head just pokes out from where its rests on your pillow, hair spilling over messily but overall, you do not appear hurt. But as he continues to assess you, he notices the way you’ve curled in on yourself in spite of not having any shortage of room on your mattress, making you appear small and clutched to your chest was your beloved plush cat. Its face is squished by how hard you hold it against yourself but nevertheless, its cartoonish cat smile still peeked through its distorted face.

There’s a twinge that erupts in his chest, so sudden that he exhales sharply out of surprise. He reaches a hand up to his chest again, brows furrowed, where his heart beats and wonders in mild disbelief if something was wrong with it. Its never done something like that before, the only thing coming close was when you felt intense fear or anger. But you’re sound asleep, as quiet as a mouse. He stands there for a good minute trying to decipher this anomaly before he huffs, tearing his gaze away from you as he runs a hand through his hair frustrated.

Maybe he’d just imagined it, or there’s a glitch with this vessel. Either way, he pushes it to the back of his mind, focusing his attention to your discarded phone at the ends of your bed. He chortles under his breath, shaking his head — what is he going to do with you? Grabbing the phone, he gently places it on your bedside table (where it belongs) and settles himself into your desk chair, eyes sliding shut in a semi-meditative state. He’s lost out on one curiosity for the night, but at least the satisfaction of this one has made up for it.

-

You wake with an ache in your lower back that leaves you taking an extra fifteen minutes just to get out of bed without groaning or joints cracking. Doesn’t help that your phone goes off incessantly with messages from your friends wishing you a happy birthday. You smile to yourself though, thanking them each and even commenting how you woke up with a sore back, really feeling the aging kick in already.

Eventually, you drag yourself to the bathroom in a half daze and even after washing up you feel like you want to lie back down again, the comforter looks so invitingly warm still. But you resist the urge, knowing well that if you do give in, you’ll not get back up and that’s not something you want to do before going to your shift later on in the day.

What you didn’t know when you stepped into the kitchen is that it was already occupied by a certain demon that you had expected to see last night but didn’t. You visibly jerk at his appearance, taken aback at how casual he looks leaning against the counter, a mug of black coffee resting in his hand as he scrolls through his phone, the natural light of the afternoon sun highlighting the strands of hair falling in messy coordination over his forehead in a newly dyed ashen brown colour. The level of nonchalant coolness that he so effortlessly exudes is infuriating the more you stare at him because it’s so not fair for him to look this good, in fact, the only reason why he’s able to look this good is because he’s wearing another attractive person’s face but what’s really bullshit is that he’s still able to make your heart trip over itself when he’s only just pretending!

“You know you’ll see yourself to an early grave if you wake up already stressed like that darling.”

And the nerve!

You scoff, brushing past him to grab your own mug for a morning (technically afternoon now) tea. You move about to get your teabag, sugar and cream, all the while something starts to fester inside of you, instantly souring whatever good mood you had earlier. It leaves you slowly feeling irritated, restless and its not because of your earlier grievances with the demon. No, you know it’s that old wound you’re trying to stubbornly ignore from last night until the early hours of morning and it seems like now, in the presence of its cause, it's begun to itch again. Doesn’t help that when you glance over at your guardian demon, he’s busy once again with his phone, typing away and just the barest hint of a smile on his face. You scowl before you can help yourself, turning away to angrily sip on your tea in hopes of letting the warm liquid calm you down — it doesn’t. So you resort to placing down your mug, deciding on making peanut butter toast in order to distract yourself, even if you weren’t particularly hungry for it.

“Why so quiet cherub?”

You shoot him a look but brush off your underlying annoyance with an indifferent shrug, going back to opening the fridge to grab bread. “Just tired.” He shifts his weight from one hip to the other when you pull out a slice to pop into the toaster and you fight your hardest to ignore his eyes on you.

“Got home late from your shift…?”

The mention of last night pricks a nerve in you and you nearly throw the bag of bread back into the fridge with an unnecessary amount of force, only holding back by opting to grip the handle of the fridge until your hands are straining instead. You draw in a heaving breath under your nose as you slam the fridge door shut, not trusting yourself in speaking because you won’t be able to keep the seething out of your words. So you choose to hum — a short and clipped sound.

You hear the toaster spring up and you’re bustling about again in order to ignore him. In doing so, you miss the way he’s still watching you and the faint curl of his lips. Oh how tempting you look to tease, his natural instincts threatening to overtake him and he actually gives in to some experimental prodding. Jimin sidles up to your side as you’re scraping generous amounts of peanut butter onto your toast and his proximity catches your attention briefly, eyes flitting to him before they stubbornly fixate back onto your task. He cocks his head at you but you refuse to acknowledge him and it makes his smile creep wider. Then, he decides to lean in, past your comfort zone until you’re hunching your shoulders up, no longer able to keep him bay with how he’s literally breathing down your neck.

“What do you want?” You snap, stepping back to distance yourself. He only gives you a Cheshire grin in return, making you bristle.

“Just say you missed me darling and I’ll make it up to you I promise.” His teasing lilt drifts through the small kitchen and you blanche, screwing the lid of the peanut butter jar violently back on.

“I think you need to get your head out of your ass.” You retort through gritted teeth. He throws his head back to laugh, clearly amused and unfazed by your sour mood. When you swiftly turn on your heels away from him to toss the butter knife into the sink, toast shoved into your mouth, he steps in front of you, almost causing you to bump into him. You glower, a passing thought of wanting to smear the excess peanut butter into his stupidly expensive Saint Laurent t-shirt but he’s caught your hand in his like he’s read your mind.

“Don’t be such a sourpuss cherub, you could’ve called me if you wanted to see me that badly.”

Your cheeks redden traitorously at the suggestion, that infuriating smirk still plastered on his pillowy lips and you have no choice but to tear your toast from your mouth with your free hand to chew on a piece unless you wanted to choke, mumbling incoherently and refusing to make eye contact. As you try to pull your other hand away from him, his grip tightens a fraction to hold you in place but at this point, you’re quickly growing tired of this mental game. You honestly don’t know yourself why you’re choosing to be so petty when Jimin didn’t even violate the contract of keeping you out of harms way because there was no harm to begin with. God, what are you doing….

Your shoulders slump, drained as you deflate and your sudden withdrawal takes even Jimin by surprise.

“It’s fine Jimin; I got home alright so just forget it.” This time, your hand slips away from his easily and he lets you slink by him after depositing the dirtied knife into the sink. Even after you’ve pattered off into your room again, Jimin remains in the kitchen, silently watching you go, that peculiar twinge coming back again.

-

“Julien?….Julien?”

He blinks, knocked out of his stupor but he recovers so seamlessly that it’s as if he hadn’t been spacing out at all. Jimin turns his gaze back to the girl in front of him then, a benign smile gracing his handsome features.

“Sorry, I just had a thought…. You were saying Kim?”

The pretty brunette giggles breathlessly. “I was just saying how you have an impressive….recovery rate but I feel like I might’ve spoken too soon. Anyways,” She places her coffee cup back down on the saucer, “who am I to talk when I passed out on you last night — again, I’m so sorry about that.”

Subtly, Jimin’s jaw ticks though he conceals it with another smile and a carefully placed hand. “Not at all Kim, though at the time it was worrisome…. Like you just died on me.”

That pulls another bout of giggles from Kim, “Oh, it’ll take more than that. I’ll make it up to you I promise.” She throws in a playful wink to which Jimin accepts in feigned interest.

“I look forward to it.”

The rest of the ‘date’ is too boring for Jimin to recall as he spends most of his time drowning Kim’s ramblings and more focused on how he’s going to get her drunk again so he could rifle through her phone, get what he needs and then let karma do its thing. But more over, his thoughts keep straying back to you. You’re probably at work right now, an afternoon shift that had started maybe an hour or so after he’d left the house although he knows for sure you don’t close today which means he doesn’t have to worry about getting too carried away with this little project of his but at this rate, he doesn’t think he can bear a moment longer with this bland, materialistic woman any—

“Oh my God, is it already that time?”

His monotonous hum comes out automatically in response before the words can register but as soon as they do, his eyes finally focus on Kim for the first time in an hour. She’s scrolling through her phone, brows furrowed in concentration and then furiously typing away on it. Jimin’s curiosity piques with a raised eyebrow and he leans over the table in between them.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh no, it’s just…” Kim’s struggles with focusing on Jimin while still trying to do whatever it is on her phone that’s got her so frantic. Her body rises as if to get up and it makes Jimin follow suit. She shoots him an apologetic look, glancing down one last time at her phone and Jimin barely catches a glimpse of a countdown. “There’s something really important I have to do.”

“Oh, what is it if I may ask?”

“There’s a concert happening soon and I really want to get tickets for.”

Oh?

A serpentine smile pulls at the corners of his lips and Jimin’s eyes seem to come to life — now she’s speaking his language. He draws his face in to play the part; concerned and eager to help.

“Oh really? Are they hard to get?”

She takes the bait beautifully, rolling her eyes with a ragged sigh as she settles back into her chair. “Oh my God, you have no idea. It’s like winning the lottery I swear.”

“Wow, sounds impossible….” Jimin comments offhandedly, lowering himself back into his seat again. “Maybe I could…help?”

Kim perks up at the idea, the hopeful gleam in her eyes palpable that it nearly makes Jimin snort. She chews on her bottom lip, conflicted and right when Jimin’s about to sway her into temptation, her eyes meet the ticking timer on her phone browser reaching to t-minus three minutes. It’s enough to make her hasty decision and Kim wastes no time instructing Jimin to take his phone out, download the appropriate app and search for the show that she so desperately wants to get tickets for — enough to seal her fate with a demon out of her own volition at that!

So you could only imagine the surprise Jimin had when her directed search lands on—

“Love Yourself Tour? By BTS?”

“Yes that one.”

Seven hells there was no way.

Oh this was just too good.

The laughter starts bubbling rapidly in his chest, so much so that when he tries to lower his head to quell it it doesn’t work. It ruptures into a chuckle, shoulders shaking and before he knew it, he’s sinking back into his chair, head thrown back and a poor attempt to cover up the sounds of his cackling with his hand over his mouth. No doubt the entire cafe has eyes on their table but Jimin doesn’t care because his sides are killing him and he’s about to cry literal tears from trying to reel himself in — he only succeeds in folding in on himself and emitting occasional squeaks.

When he rights himself finally, wiping away at the corners of his eyes he catches sight of Kim who’s giving him a look that nearly sends him into another fit again. He barely manages by clearing his throat and glancing away, breathing deeply before answering her unspoken question.

“Sorry, just— I’ve actually heard of them before so it explains why it’s so hard to get tickets for their show.”

Kim’s face breaks into a smile, still nonplussed by his outburst but nodding in solidarity. “Yeah, so if you manage to get tickets — good ones — I might just think you’re a God.”

Satan, this girl might actually kill him instead.

He waves her off, cheeks aching and Jimin is actually thankful when the countdown on his phone reaches zero and Kim reverts back into a rather serious demeanour, eyes lasering in on her phone as she furiously taps away at it. She lets out a loud gasp within the next few minutes, causing Jimin to look up.

“I’m behind 105 people! I think I might be able to do this! What about you?”

With a quick glance, Jimin reads, “100.”

The brunette’s eyes alight instantly, mouth falling open. “Oh my God, you might actually get in!”

He shrugs in return, feigning indifference. Secretly, however, Jimin knows very well that his chances of getting these golden tickets were high — way higher than Kim’s and not just because he’s ahead of her by five people but more importantly…..

As the agonizing wait of watching the little man run at a glacier pace, Jimin takes the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

“So, I didn’t think you were a fan of BTS.”

Kim tears her away from her phone momentarily, the wrinkle in her nose is all the answer Jimin needs. “Oh no, I don’t even know them like that — I just heard they were a huge deal, like really popular right now.”

Jimin already figures because Kim would’ve at least recognized him or remarked on how eerily similar he looks to one of the band members but this is just a segue to what Jimin really wants to get at from her. “Oh, then why are you trying to get tickets for their show?”

He catches the way she swallows nervously, eyes flitting to him briefly and there’s that bout of hesitation again. The smile is back on his face, disarming and with just enough sincerity that it convinces Kim that he won't judge. She glances around as if to make sure they weren’t being heard in their little booth corner before leaning towards him, voice coming out in a hush.

“Okay so, me and a friend have been doing this thing on the side where we buy tickets to really high demand shows and reselling them for higher prices. It’s honestly such good money when you come across big name artists that have crazy huge fanbases — like BTS.” She pauses to look down at her phone, keeping track of her little running man. “My friend got two P1 tickets to their show last year for $250 each and she resold them for $1,110, each!”

Jimin leans back as if impressed, throwing in a low whistle for effect. “Wow — that’s…pretty good.”

“I know right? The only problem is is that they’re so hard to get. Even though the average seats will still bring in good money, you get way better profit with GA or P1 seats.”

He nods along, looking contemplative but Kim’s gone back to her phone once again, this time, looking rather excited. It makes Jimin turn back to his own as well too and lo and behold, they’re finally in.

“Okay Julien just pick two tickets and do a run search for best seating until you find a pair. When you do, buy them because literally trying to find anything better would just mean you won’t get tickets at all. I'll owe you back the money afterwards.” Kim says it all in one breath, too into her own operation to notice the way the demon smirks and leisurely taps away as she had instructed him to do.

After what felt like hours of nail-biting suspense (on Kim’s end, Jimin had ordered himself a cappuccino in between that time), she finally pulls away with an exasperated groan.

“Damn it, I only managed to snag P3 tickets. Did you have any luck?”

He takes the time to uncross his legs, showing her the screen of his phone and grins boyishly when her eyes balks at what she reads.

“Two GA tickets?!” Kim almost screams it before she catches herself, slapping a hand over her mouth and ducking her head. When she’s sure no ones comes over to kick them out of the cafe for being a disturbance, she practically rounds on Jimin with unbidden elation. “Oh my God Julien! You’re amazing!” Her hands moves faster than her own words as she hastily pulls up her email. “You can send them over to me through my email. Honestly thank you so much for your help Julien, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”

When he makes no move to do as she says, Kim finally focuses on Jimin and her smile falters slightly. Jimin tilts his head almost too innocently, withdrawing his phone to blink wide, dark eyes at the brunette.

“What, did you think I was really going to hand these tickets over so easily after telling me all of that?”

He sees the way his words were not something Kim expected but she tries to play it off with a forced laugh. “You’re so funny Julien. Okay, how much?”

“$1,120.” A pause. “Each.”

She laughs again, the sound shrill and her face contorts into a mask of hollow mirth. Jimin watches on, only the barest of smiles ghosting his lips but he doesn’t join in on the joke. Well, not like there is one to begin with and Kim quickly realizes that as she calms down, all traces of a smile however fake, gone. Disbelief takes over her and that’s what almost makes Jimin laugh — he can literally see all the preconceptions she had of him disappear from her eyes. But he’s ever so charming; an amalgamation of soft and sharp, boyish and manly, chivalrous and a cunning wickedness underneath it all.

So it’s no surprise that he hasn’t completely lost her yet.

Kim takes the time to regard him, trying to gauge him and what’s going on in that pretty head of his only to come away, stumped. She’s contemplative, arms crossed before suddenly she cocks her head a little to one side, mouth tugging upwards into a half scoff, half smirk like she can’t believe Jimin’s about to try and play her at her own game.

“I’m gonna be honest — I never would’ve thought you would have the guts to do that.” She admits after a while, leaning back into her seat. “Usually all the guys I date would do whatever I ask them because they want to try and impress me.”

Figures.

Jimin didn’t need her to tell him that to know.

“But then again, I don't think you’re not quite like the other guys I’ve ever dated before.” Kim adds, voice dropping into a huskier tone right at the end. He goads her on, his expression darkens with the slightest hints of a promise she can’t refuse.

“Then how about I show what you’re missing out on?”

The sultry way in which he says it sends shivers down her spine, no doubt this new side she’s not aware of that could come from a face like his has her wanting more. With one last bite of her lip, she bites the bullet too.

“$1,000 each.”

“$1,115.”

“$1,100 each — And I’ll pay it in cash, only,” Jimin’s parted mouth stops halfway, his words falling short as Kim stops him with a coy smile. “We split it on some good dinner and Moet to celebrate tonight.”

Slowly, plush lips quirk upwards as an incredulous exhale escapes the demon; he hates to admit it, but Kim’s got spunk and unwittingly she’s been doing a good job at entertaining him. For a second, he considers, toys with the idea — she’s the perfect type to fuck around with, to string along on a wild and impulsive ride that would’ve involved a lot of money, sex, perhaps drugs until it left her breathless, addicted and drained to the very last penny. He would wrap her around his fingers so tightly, she would think it’s him that was under her spell. And right at the peak of it all, he would leave, disappear from her life as if he were nothing more than a self-indulgent dream she’d dreamt up, only for reality to come crashing down on her hard and the rest would’ve been history.

Tempting….

But…

He’s already been down that road, had more than his fair share of leaving women broken in more than one ways, tires of this game because no matter the centuries he’s lived in —

“Alright, how about we meet at The Red Muse later in the evening? You can take the time to go doll yourself up for me and we’ll go to town with this, yes?”

Kim grins, absolutely vibrating from his proposal as she bites her lower lip in an attempt to quell the salacious smile stretching her lips.

“Deal.”

They never learn.

Soon after, Jimin leaves to go off his separate ways with no particular plan in mind. He’s got a lot of time to kill before meeting Kim and he’s not particularly interested in seeking out another easy target to influence — he doesn’t get paid nearly enough to be working overtime. Jimin eventually settles on heading to his favourite upscale bar (one that even with Kim’s caliber couldn’t dream of affording) to do a bit of pregaming. As he was nursing a glass of single malt whiskey, the demon is interrupted by probably the only other thorn on his side.

“I suppose some things don’t end up changing after all.”

“I’m offended you would ever think there’s a time where I’ve lost an ounce of class at all.”

Silence.

Jimin’s gaze whips to the younger demon who’s thin lips are slightly downturned in disagreement, eyes rolled to the far corner with the recalling of some fabricated memory.

“Well there was that one time — “

“Shut it if you don’t want me to singe off that face you’re so proud of.”

Jungkook snickers, eyes crinkling up as if Jimin had just made a joke instead of a threat. The older demon rolls his eyes, waving down the bartender for another refill of his drink in hopes of numbing the headache he feels creeping up on him, only to have the younger obnoxiously steal his glass for a sip once he does.

“Still, I would’ve thought you’d be off lurking around poppet like a shadow right about now.” Jungkook comments offhandedly, wrinkling his nose when the hard liquor rolls down his throat. His momentary distraction lets Jimin swipe his drink back.

“I’m not her personal caretaker, and as long as she’s looking both ways before crossing the street, she’ll be fine.”

“Really?” Jungkook’s skepticism bleeds through. “Last I checked, poppet was pretty down in the dumps about the concert thing — swear she could conjure a cloud above her head at the rate she’s going.”

His statement causes Jimin to straighten up a bit, thoughts spinning for a few seconds before coming to a conclusion. A slow smirk makes its way onto his lips, barely contained over the rim of his glass. Jimin doesn’t need to look over to know that Jungkook’s probably blinking big doe eyes at him, gauging his reaction but Jimin’s onto him, already knows what he’s after, so he’s going to drag this out until the younger is losing his mind.

“She’ll be fine.” He replies indifferently and that already leaves Jungkook feeling miffed.

“Wow…that’s….” The younger starts, struggling to find words for this unexpected blasé attitude. “Surprisingly cold of you.”

Jimin shrugs, unconcerned about it all and as he continues to sip on his whiskey, leaving Jungkook to become visibly more and more antsy. He shifts in his seat, like a little kid who can’t keep still.

“So, you’re just gonna….leave her like that?”

“She’s already accepted that she’s not going so what’s there to do?”

“Well — !” Jungkook doesn’t know how to proceed, face pinched into one of utter confusion and it’s difficult to keep a straight face on when Jimin can literally see him questioning everything he believed up until this point. He continues to flounder for words, on the cusp of saying something but then stopping himself. It goes on for a few more minutes before Jungkook gives up with an exasperated huff. “So much for being a guardian…”

“Exactly; I’m a guardian, not a miracle worker.”

The words slip so easily past his lips and he’s so thankful for Jungkook finally leaving him alone so that he can let out the loud, snorting laugh he’s been keeping in the entire time. He probably looks crazy but he really could care less, muttering under his breath about how he can’t believe the irony of it all. This entire ordeal with Kim turned out to be a way better investment than he had initially thought; it almost made him feel sorry for the poor girl he’s about to drop off at hell’s doorsteps.

Almost.

He downs the rest of his drink in one go, savouring the smokey whiskey taste as it leaves a pleasant burn when he swallows. He wonders idly what the sensation of being drunk is like, trying to compare it to any other feelings he must’ve felt in his lifetime….

Jimin’s thoughts continue to wander for quite some time, thinking about this and that until belatedly, he realizes that the appointed time to meet Kim had passed nearly more than two hours. When he checks his phone, there is no trace of a text from the girl in question, not even one berating him for being stood up. At this point, any sensible person would be rather concerned, alarmed even. They would immediately call to see if everything was alright but for Jimin, the thought never crosses his mind. He merely humphs, like this is all an inconvenience to him, downs the rest of his drink and gets up after paying.

It’s late when he steps out of the bar, the sun having long since set and the city is alight, teeming with people enjoying dinner on patios, heading out for events or just strolling the streets. Instead of joining in on the hubbub, he strides off with the intention of heading to a more…peaceful place. But first, he thinks, he might pay you a visit. After all, he’s got a pair of BTS tickets on hand and now with Kim going MIA, he figured they could be put to better use, like making you admit that you miss him when he’s gone.

Either way, he can’t wait to see the look on your face.

He makes it back to your place faster than he expected, body thrumming with a feeling that he swears can’t be from the alcohol he’s consumed but nonetheless welcomes anyways. He’s in such a good mood that he almost rings your doorbell, catching himself last minute. Jimin laughs to himself, maybe it really is the alcohol after all? He shrugs if off and apparates to your room, only to find that it’s empty of you. He double takes, making sure he hasn’t accidentally overlooked you in the darkness but nope, there’s no signs of you anywhere.

Maybe you were in the living room or kitchen?

Jimin pads on over to your door, carefully listening in case any one other than you might be out there as well. When he hears nothing, he phases through the walls. He’s a bit caught off guard for a moment at how dark everything is, as if no one was home. It wasn’t until he catches sight of the faint warm glow of the living room lamp does he spot you, sitting alone on the couch.

You lock eyes, dazed and blinking in surprise from clearly not expecting him. You think it’s all in your head, an illusion thought up in your inebriated state but then he steps forward into the light and suddenly, you’re overwhelmed by his sheer presence, breath catching in your throat as you swallow. The black jeans he’s wearing hugs the shape of his legs so well and with his shirt tucked in, the silver YSL buckle glinting in the light, it looks as if his legs just go on for days. He’s dressed so simply and you’re appraising him like you’re seeing him for the first time until now instead of earlier today, yet your initial thought doesn’t change at all — it’s not fair that he looks this good.

He stops just short of the couch, head cocking to one side with a subtle shift of the hips to lean his weight on one foot, dainty earrings twinkling as well as his dark eyes as they gaze at you. The mere gesture makes you huff out, agitated.

“Someone’s home early.” Your voice comes out more nasally sounding than Jimin remembers it and he chokes back a snort.

“Someone’s been drinking.” He teases back, nodding to the wine glass in your hand before shifting his sight to the coffee table in front of you, taking in the two bottles and the little 6-inch, half eaten cake. Another tilt of his head, this time he raises one shapely eyebrow too. “That, or you’ve had a really rough day.”

“Har. Har.” You say sarcastically, swirling your wine before taking another hardy sip. “I’m not that bougie or impulsive to get a whole cake to binge on myself — not yet at least.”

“Then….” Jimin stops to think, trying to come up with answers for the sudden appearance of the confectionery treat, only to come up with, “A celebration? Someone’s birthday? Jaehee’s?”

You giggle half-heartedly, downing the rest of your glass and Jimin is quick to pick up your lack of confirmation. Now he’s blinking owlishly in astonishment, stunned into brief silence until the words slip out in an uncharacteristically soft murmur, “It’s your birthday…”

“Ding ding ding.” You sing-song, leaning over to refill your glass. The effort of it makes you nearly tip over but you hold out, retrieving your drink and anchoring yourself back onto the couch again. You should probably stop right about now since the pounding in your head is making you both simultaneously nauseous and sleepy. Or at the very least, go back to pacing yourself better but that would mean risking getting into your feelings and you’d rather die of alcohol poisoning than get in your feelings. So you drink.

“Well,” You hear Jimin huff, “I’m rather hurt you didn’t invite me to the party cherub.”

You snort, letting your head loll onto the back of the couch and shutting your eyes, cradling your glass to your chest like it’s a lifeline. “Don’t worry, you didn’t miss out much — just me and Jaehee, t’s all. Well, Jaehee’s sleeping now….work tomorrow…”

You trail off, the sound of your heartbeat ringing loudly in your ears that it might as well be beating inside your head than in your chest right now. You’re trying really hard to steady it but it only seems to make your breathing sound more laboured and doing no help to subside the killer wine buzz you have. Maybe you really should stop drinking after all, put down the glass you’re holding and call it a night before you do something mortifying, like throw up all the birthday cake you ate in front of Jimin. No, no, that is absolutely not happening. It would be disgusting and totally not cute. But then what are you going to do with the wine you just poured?

So caught up in your own inner ramblings, you failed to notice the quiet, pensive look marring Jimin’s face; eyebrows furrowed and the slightest downturn of his lips as he too becomes lost in his own thoughts. Clearly, he didn’t prepare himself for any of this — not like it would matter because he didn’t think anything would happen when he waltzed into your living room anyways. The most he had expected was to poke his head in, tease you about how obviously mopey you are about not going to the concert even when you had already decided not to go before dramatically brandishing the tickets with the promise of giving it to you after you dance a little for him. Instead, he’s caught in a conundrum of his own emotions, a jumbled mess that of course, only you could cause because you seem to be doing that a lot lately.

You’ve just about made up your mind, convinced to siphon the poured wine back into the bottle and then take your ass to bed when you nearly vault out of your own skin as soon as your eyes open.

“Jesus Jimin! What’re you—“

“Let’s go.”

You sputter, taken aback from the declaration before you blurt out, “Wha- Now? W-Where?” Your voice cracking as you lean away from Jimin’s imposing figure suddenly hovering over you to the point where you’re practically at a ninety-degree angle to the couch. He inhales deeply, one hand tousling through his hair while the other rests on his hip. He turns away from you briefly, allowing you the time to watch him go at war with himself, utterly confused and wondering what brought on such a spontaneous suggestion because, now that you think about it, you don’t think Jimin has ever invited you to go out anywhere before….

He rounds on you again and you’re forced back out of your thoughts to stare wide eyed up at him as he gathers himself.

“It’s just— just somewhere nice….As a…birthday present.”

Your eyebrows shoot up, bewildered at what you hear. If you were any more sober, you’d swear that that was the most you’ve heard Jimin fumble with his words. It’s….cute. Your heart’s still beating too loudly in your ear for your liking, you’ve still got a pulsing headache and your eyes are slowly becoming a little blurred, yet you still had the inkling thought of agreeing to go along with Jimin’s plan because how can you say no when he looks like that?

Well…. He might have to carry you but if he doesn’t mind then why the hell not?

You must’ve been staring for too long because Jimin starts to fidget in his spot, hand scratching the back of his neck. Oh, right; you gotta say yes you’re cool with it but might need some mobility assistance (this could get awkward).

“Uh…Well, that’s….cool. So like….where though?”

“That would ruin the surprise of it.” He laughs breathlessly and the sound itches to pull a smile on your own face.

“Do we gotta drive?”

“No driving cherub, you don’t even have a license.”

“Hey…I resent that.” You huff, limply pointing an accusatory finger at him before dropping your arm with a heavy thump. “So we walkin’? Cuz I’m telling ya now I can’t walk.”

“Clearly.” Jimin gracefully moves over towards your prone form again and with a dramatic sigh, he offers a hand to you. “C’mon get up, I’ll carry you.”

You blink hard, not believing your ears or luck. Here you thought you were gonna have to prostrate yourself to get him to carry you but he’s offering it willingly. Your heart squeezes inappropriately because this is touching you way more than it should and it’s probably showing on your face because Jimin gives you a weird look.

“Don’t make this weird, let’s just go before I change my mind.”

You only respond by holding out both your arms in the same manner a toddler wants to be picked up by their mother. Jimin exhales loudly through his nose, biting his bottom lip in order to school his face. When he’s composed himself again, he grabs onto you and hauls you up with effortless strength. Without meaning to, you fall against his broad chest with a yelp, clutching his biceps for dear life and trying very hard to stop your vision from swimming.

“You good cherub?” You hear him ask and even through your mantra of ‘don’t throw up’, you can still hear the restrained amusement seeping through.

“Just…Give me a sec.”

He gives you that courtesy, patiently waiting while holding you up from your unsteady legs, inhaling and exhaling until you think you’ve got most of your bearings back. You finally straighten, pulling back enough to be able to look up at him but when you do, you start to feel self-conscious. You probably look like a mess as much as you feel like one, or at least standing so close to Jimin you do. You’re still wearing your bare minimum ‘work clothes’ from earlier today that consists of a t-shirt you’ve had since high school and a pair of black yoga pants that has more or less faded to a dark grey from all the washes its been through.

“Ready?” Jimin asks, voice low that it gives off a slightly gravelly tone and pleasantly washes over you. You always liked the sound of his voice, could listen to him talk forever but it’s so soothing that it never fails to lull to sleep every time. When you swallow, mustering a nod of your head, he shifts you in his arms to have you looping yours around his neck and shoulder, startling you and igniting a heat that travels from the ends of your toes all the way up to your face. You immediately avert your gaze to your sock clad feet.

“Just hold onto me and,” He pauses, shooting you a roguish smirk. “You might want to close your eyes.”

That’s all the warning you get before you feel a pull so strong the air gets knocked out of you. All at once, you feel weightless with no sense of what’s up or down and instinctively, you huddle closer to the only other body mass that will indefinitely ensure you won’t fly away but before you can even emit a single shout, the powerful force vanishes and you feel solid ground.

“You can open your eyes now.” You feel Jimin’s chuckle rather than hear it and it takes you a whole hot second to realize you’ve actually had your eyes shut the entire time; when that happened you have no idea. Slowly, your eyes peel open as you release a shuddering breath, your senses having yet to fully catch up with you. They start to when you finally realize you’ve got a faceful of Jimin’s shirt, having practically squished into his chest, so much so that when you inhale you get a whiff of his cologne. It’s so subtle and almost undetectable but with you being this close, it overtakes you with ease. Next, your skin prickles as you feel a gentle breeze pass by, caressing the loose strands of your hair and tickling your cheeks and nose before finally you hear…. The humming of cars driving through the city with the occasional honks and sirens echoing off into the distant.

Wait, why do they sound so far away? Like…you’re above it all?

You flinch, alarmed and when you turn your head to look around you, your legs nearly give out. It’s only thanks to Jimin, who you’re still clutching onto with a vice grip that keeps you upright as you gaze out at the city horizon, illuminated by the multitudes of lights coming from the windows of buildings in front of you that stretch out as far as you can see. You double take, not believing if what you’re seeing is actually real until you feel Jimin move which makes you snap your bleary gaze up to him, searching for answers. He lets out a melodic laugh when he sees your expression.

“Never seen the city at night like this before huh?”

You could only open and close your mouth, gaping like a fish out of water as you look from him to the skyscrapers in front of you. Eventually, you gather enough courage to tentatively step away from Jimin since you’ve stepped foot onto this roof, but at the the first wave of vertigo, you instinctively sink down on your knees and remain fixed there. You must look ridiculous but like hell do you trust yourself right now to walk around on the flat roof of 6-story building with a system full of alcohol. Still, it doesn’t stop you from taking in the sights before you. It’s a clear night, not a single cloud lining the sky which leaves it so much more clear and vast, and with the glow from the lights below, you see the rich deep blues that peek through, reminding you of the depths of the open ocean. The view is beautiful and mesmerizing, like something you’d only see on the back of a postcard or in movies. You hadn’t noticed you’ve been swivelling around in your spot, head craned upwards in an attempt to take everything in until your world tilts once you’ve stopped long enough. You catch yourself on time from tipping over completely, hands shooting out as your heart leaps into your throat and you let out a shaky giggle.

“Slow down cherub, you’ll lose your head that way.” Jimin chides playfully, coming down to sit beside you. “If you think this is a view, wait till you get closer to the edge.”

“Oh ho ho, no, no, no.” You laugh, holding up a finger. “I refuse to go anywhere near it. Here is just fine.”

A snort, “I’ll catch you if that’s what you’re so worried about.”

You smile, “I had expect you to anyways.” And after a brief pause, you add quietly with your eyes fixated onto the city. “It’s still pretty — real pretty.”

You don’t catch the way he smiles softly in turn, the both of you lapsing into a companionable silence as you watch the city life continue to flow along. The ambient noise lets your mind drift freely, almost in a meditative state.

“This is nice.” You think aloud though your voice barely comes above a murmur, “Just watching the world go by like this, not having much to think on. Is this where you usually go off to when you’re not causing trouble?”

You side eye Jimin and hear him release air through his nose. “I’m much less of a menace than you think you know, but yes, I do come out here when I want to get away for a bit.”

You nod in understanding, letting your gaze wander over the landscape in front of you once more. You’re not sure what part of the city you’re in right now but you could imagine it being downtown, the faint bustling of traffic if you listen closely enough carrying over the gentle breeze and it doesn’t take much to picture the people down below, enjoying their night out in town with friends or families over dinner, a drink, or just by themselves, heading out or heading home. From the buildings, sometimes you catch the flicker of a light going out only for another one to come on in a different spot and you begin to wonder the lives these people might have.

“I wish I could stay up here.” You say, suddenly feeling melancholy. “Get away from it all too….”

Tired, you lean back until you’re lying down with your arms behind your head, facing towards the sky. Even from this high up and the sky as clear as it is, you don’t see a single star glimmering and you think it’s a pity; this would’ve been a perfect night to see them.

“It must be nice to be someone like you.” You continue to muse, “Not having to worry about insignificant mortal problems, like time or money…..”

You don’t hear a response from him and for a moment, you think he’s not even listening. It’s only when you think about backtracking do you hear his reply.

“Yeah, it’s kinda great when you start off but when you’ve been doing it for as long as I have….” He sighs, “It’s not what it’s cooked up to be….”

“Is it because it gets lonely?”

“More like boring…”

You laugh quietly under your breath, thinking to yourself that it’s so like him to think that; it’s evidence enough with him being here. Then another thought crosses your mind and you ask, “Do you think God judges you on the time you spend on earth?”

“….What makes you think that?” Jimin asks, sounding genuinely confused but also curious. You shrug, examining your nails listlessly.

“I saw it in a movie once. Apparently, when you die you go through seven levels of hell and each one has a trial you have to pass if you want to get reincarnated. If you fail one of the trials, you spend the rest of eternity getting punished there — one of them being called the Hell of Indolence, where they judge you on how well you’ve spent your time on earth and if they deem you’ve whiled away your life in laziness and inaction, you’ll be punished by running on a spinning disk while a spinning stone windmill chases you.”

“Sounds like a weekend on spring break.”

The wheeze comes out without you meaning to and you throw your hand out to the side to give him a reprimanding smack, trying to subdue your laughter. As usual, it hits his thigh but you’re too caught up in his punchline to care.

“I’m serious Jimin.” You say after collecting yourself. “It might’ve been fiction….Or maybe it really is real at this point who knows, but it really made me think — what if I had to go through those trials, like,” You take a moment, picturing the scene you’ve seen in the movie, imagining yourself before those trials, “how awful would it be to get told by a deity that you’ve basically failed at your life and you don’t deserve to get a second chance? Because you’ve done nothing with it….”

“….Do you think you would be told that?”

He knows it’s a loaded question, could hear the morose way in which you speak about life, death and the beyond, things he’s most familiar with. To him, it all means nothing but to you, it’s something that hangs above your head as a constant reminder that your time here is limited and it’s so precarious that it could end before you know it. He watches you shrug, too caught up in staring at the starless sky to notice.

“….Maybe….A small part of me does, and that’s what scares me.” You admit in a small voice. “Every year I feel like I haven’t moved forward at all with my life, just stuck doing the same thing while everyone else is getting that job they always wanted, traveling the world, getting engaged, doing what they love….” A humourless laugh expels along with the breath you exhale. “I don’t even know what I want to do beyond tomorrow, much less in two years… ten years from now? And it’s like any day, I’ll be left behind….”

The confession spills from you with unadulterated honesty, the most honest you’ve ever been in forever, it surprises even yourself. You think it’s the alcohol talking but you also think it’s mixed in conjunction with the coming of your birthday; another year tacked onto your life and along with it, the painstaking realization that time is passing by you way faster than you had fooled yourself to think otherwise. It’s something you’re not prepared to face.

Or ever will be.

So that’s why you choose to run, push it back to the farthest corners of your mind and even as it festers and grows, you vehemently ignore it. You drown yourself in school and work, meaningless distractions that lead to no self-satisfaction. It’s something to fill your time, nothing more or less. In those time, you yearned for an escape and that’s how you found your way through music, had found voices that called out to you with comforting words and made the uncertainties of the future seem less daunting.

“You won’t be left behind.”

His voice pierces above the white noise of the city below, clear as day even when it comes out no more than a quiet rasp. It rips you out from wallowing in the thoughts that you keep in the darker parts of your mind, almost startling you. Jimin’s eyes are locked on the horizon in front of him, even as you crane your neck up, you can’t discern any expression on his face but it seems you don’t need to as his words were more than enough to make up for it.

“If God judges you on your time spent on earth, then it is time where you’ve truly done nothing in the face of being able to do something.” Jimin says, unwavering. “And you’ve done something — have been doing something, because you’re somewhere different than where you were two years….ten years ago.

Life is many things darling, and everyone is too caught up with other people’s versions of it half the time. So even if you don’t know where you’re going, I think you owe it to yourself to at least make yours about you because no one else will.”

He finally turns his head to face you and if you thought you had trouble suppressing the swell of emotions in your chest before, you sure are screwed now. The lights of the buildings around you cast a warm glow to his profile, letting you see the slope of his nose, the fullness of his lips, the curve of his cheek that has you itching to stroke just to see if they’re as soft as they look, and the wispy way the strands of hair falls over his forehead, shorter than you had remembered; you wonder idly if he had it cut (it looks good). He’s beautiful — heartbreakingly so, like a statue carved in the finest of ivory but in that moment, it’s his eyes that makes your heart ache.

Endless pools of the deepest amber that hold so much history, seen so much history, perhaps the worst of mankind. They know of suffering, of loss, of betrayals and deceit, had even been the cause of them. You see the many emotions that had been reflected in those eyes, like gazing at an iridescent gem — pain, hatred, sadness, regret and at times, simply nothing at all. Time has both wisened and jaded them, but it is not a hardened glare that meets your own.

It’s tenderness.

“I know it may not seem like it, but if it’s worth anything,” Though it is only the two of you on this rooftop, he speaks in a way where he’s about to tell you the secrets to the world, something that only he wants you to hear and no one else. He takes a breath, never breaking your gaze as he says, “I think you’re doing just fine cherub, I really mean it.”

It’s so self-assured, so sincere, like he truly does believe in what he says that you think you don’t deserve this kind of faith, but perhaps it’s because he’s the one who said it that you find yourself believing it too.

A small smile breaks out onto your lips for the first time in a while. “You’re not saying that just because it’s my birthday right?” You tease in hopes to swallow past the lump that’s formed in your throat but your voice comes out sounding tight regardless. If Jimin notices, he doesn’t comment, instead shoots his own smile back at you, lips stretched until the tiniest hints of teeth are showing and eyes crinkling at the corners.

“I don’t think I need to tell you that I’ve seen some shit as a demon who’s lived way longer than you’ve been on earth. Besides,” He turns back to the city view before him, leisurely reclining back so that he leans his weight on his hands placed behind him. “No place worth going has any shortcuts and those that do would most likely lead to hell.”

You chuff a laugh with a shake of your head, turning your gaze back towards the dark sky that is still void of any stars. This time, you don’t mind that there aren’t because if not tonight, then maybe another night you’ll be able to see one.

And a part of you hopes it’ll be with him too.

“Thank you.” You say softly. “For everything until now…”

“….Don’t mention it cherub.”

It’s a heartfelt thanks that echoes in the quiet night, a rare display of vulnerability from you and shockingly, from himself. Even if your confession was acted upon by liquid courage, he knows that it had been something that weighed heavily on your mind for who knows how long but now, you’ve finally calmed that turmoil that threatens to break you and however temporary it may be, you’re genuinely grateful to have confided in him and walk away with a lighter heart.

It’s gratitude that he’s more than happy to revel in, if only it didn’t sound like this would be the first and last time.

“What time is it?” You ask, voice breaking through Jimin’s troubling thoughts and he belatedly reaches into his pocket to check his phone. You don’t see the way he raises an eyebrow at all the missed calls he’s got.

“Almost four.” He says, swiping away the notifications to clear the screen before his fingers tap away to pull up an app.

“Oh wow,” You breathe, getting up with a stretch. “Think we should head back? I’m definitely ready for bed.”

“When are you not?” Jimin snorts, “Is the age catching up to you already?”

“Stop, my back was killing me when I woke up today too.” You retort through a smile. You give your neck a roll and another stretch of your arms from having laid on a hard surface for a long period. Just when you’re about to muster up the strength to finally stand, Jimin stops you.

“There’s one more thing I have to show you.”

That catches your attention, whipping your eyes to him in mild surprise. He doesn’t have to — whatever it is that he has planned because this was more than enough. And you’re about to express that much when he suddenly shoves his phone into your face, startling you. You have to blink a couple of times in order to adjust to the brightness of the screen but when you do —

“What is this?” You dare to ask, heart beating quicker without meaning to as your eyes scan over the words, reading and then re-reading them but failing to register them all the same. Your eyes dart to Jimin who watches in quiet amusement from beside you, searching for any sort of answers for what you’re seeing.

“What does it look like?”

You’re left speechless and the only thing you could do is glance back and forth between the phone and Jimin, shaking your head in disbelief while trying to formulate words to your mess of thoughts.

“I — I don’t understand. How…?”

“….Guess you can call it a little demonic miracle of my own…” He says it as a light-hearted joke but unconsciously he brings a hand up to run through his hair, suddenly feeling bashful. Well, not like he could help it when you’re staring at him with wide, sparkly eyes. When he can’t handle your Bambi eyes any longer, he hurriedly blurts out the words you dare not speak yourself into existence for fear that it’s all just one hell of a good dream. “I got you tickets to go see BTS in the next city over alright?”

“But what about—?”

“I’ll take care of it all, don't worry about it.”

“Jimin that’s—!”

“Cherub, do you want to go or not?”

“I-I do! It’s just—“

“Then you’re going, no ifs, ands, or buts.” Jimin says it with finality, stern and in a way where you know he’ll ship you in a box if he has to. With no room left for arguing, you’re reduced to an overwhelming mess of emotion that has you struggling to contain it, leaving your hands to shake instead. Your quietness concerns Jimin for a minute before he lets out a grunt in surprise as he abruptly finds himself at the other end of your body slamming hug. He goes rigid, not knowing what to do with his hands as he lets you wrap yourself around him in a rather snug embrace that he thinks he can actually feel how fast your heart is beating against his chest. Or is that perhaps…his own?

“Thank you.” Your voice comes out as a hush warble against his ears. Two words and yet the amount of happiness Jimin hears coming from it is palpable, it makes him think that this is the happiest he’s ever seen you. He softens at that, tentatively wrapping his own arms around your waist to hold you steady and he thinks it’s nice to hold you for once without the context of having escaped a rather sticky situation beforehand.

And there it is again, that wretched twinge in his chest only this time it’s so obtrusive that he can no longer brush it off or ignore it. It comes with a realization of many things, but among them was something that he never would’ve expected to ever come into terms with, shocking him like an ice cold plunge in the middle of winter.

That as both a powerful demon and as a decent but temporary guardian, this is the extent of happiness that he'll ever be able to give you.

[ask-iamnotanalicorn]

Announcing the WINNERS of the IANAA Fanwork Contest!

Our three judges have deliberated and reached a consensus! Here are your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Winners of the Fanwork Contest!

Thank you again to Silver Brightstar @iamthewanderingbard​, Radiance @t-tyxfuntime​, and Flicker Light @fliksiereblogblog​ for taking up this difficult task of deciding the winners, so that I didn’t have to pick because ALL OF YA’LL ARE AMAZING!!!

AND NOW.... DRUMROLL PLEASE....

1st Place:

JohnDoeStudios’s Comic! (Click text for larger image)

What a fantastic comic really showing off the Celebration Theme! Wonderful work, JayDee! I love the heartwarming ending, really captures the spirit of the Pitch family!

2nd Place:

Melody Song’s Short Story!

----

Pitch Perfect was trying to get her cutie mark with Castle Crasher and Codebreak. They had been working for hours, and they needed to figure it out soon. “Come on Per! We need to finish before your brother comes back!” Castle called out to Pitch, who was trying to balance on the kitchen table while holding some of her brother’s merchandise.

“This is tricky, gimme a sec.” Pitch responded, tossing Sale’s spare briefcase onto the table where she’d picked it up.

“Code, what’s the status on Sales?” Castle asked her brother, who checked the clock.

“Sales is due back from his door-to-door work any minute now! Hurry Per!” Code reported, and Pitch, now worried, gave a shout as a container of hoof cream fell off her head, the top coming off as it hit the side of the table. The cream splattered onto the floor, a few feet from where Castle was. As Code ran to get a rag to wipe it up, one of the key-ring-that-finds-you products fell off the tip of Pitch’s nose, flew across the room, and whopped Code on the forehead.

“Ow!” Codebreak cried, startling Pitch, and making her lose her balance. As Pitch wobbled on the table, the door opened, revealing Sales Pitch.

“Hey Chewie! I’m back!” he called, and his pet chinchilla chittered from the other room, but in the kitchen, Pitch gave a cry of surprise and fell, hitting the floor and slipping in the hoof cream. Castle and Code tried to help her up, but ended up slipping and falling, Castle on her butt, Code on his face. Sales heard the resulting crash and went to investigate. You can imagine his surprise when he found the three best friends slipping around in hoof cream, and all his merchandise scattered around them.

“What did you three do?” Sales exclaimed, and they looked up at him.

“Sales! Hi. We were just… um… cleaning up.” Pitch stammered

“Per. What were you doing?” Sales demanded, and Pitch sighed, carefully standing up in the cream.

“Trying to get my cutie mark in balancing stuff. After you said it doesn’t have to be a pun on your name, I decided to try this.” Pitch explained sheepishly, and Sales facehoofed.

“Per, when I said I could help you find your cutie mark, I didn’t mean you could walk in here and use my merchandise to play circus!” Sales said, voice rising, and Pitch winced.

“Sorry Sales.” Pitch apologized “Forgive me?”

“You’re my sister, Per, so of course I forgive you. But I want you three out of my house so I can clean this up. Why not go play in the park or something?” Sales suggested, using his unicorn magic to lift up his merchandise. Pitch, Castle, and Code trooped out of the house and towards the park, sighing as they sat down on a bench there.

“Maybe I should try singing again,” Pitch moped, and Castle nudged her.

“Cheer up, Per, at least he didn’t threaten to tell your parents,” Castle consoled Pitch, who sighed.

“Yeah, but I want to get my cutie mark,” Pitch whined, jumping off the bench and beginning to sing, with all her heart.

“It’s been years but no mark for me/there’s no way that I can see/I want to get my cutie mark/but my options are getting stark/cause everything’s been tried/but I’m afraid my hooves are tied/and I don’t know what to do,” Pitch sang, her voice was better than the other times, strangely, and in a flash of light, her cutie mark appeared.

Her mark was of an eighth note the same color green as her mane, it seemed to swirl onto her flank when it appeared. Pitch let out a squeal of excitement, jumping up and down.

“Mom! Dad!” Pitch cried, bursting into her house and startling her parents away from what they were doing. Her brother, Pitch Black, stood from his chair.

“What’s up Perfect? You see any of those blue-tie ponies?” he asked sharply.

“No! I got my cutie mark!” Pitch yelled, showing them her flank.

“Honey, that’s wonderful! We’ll have to celebrate!” her mother, Pitch Forward, exclaimed.

Two days later, at Pitch’s cuteceneria, she was talking with Code and Castle when Sales walked up.

“Hey sis, I’m so proud of you. And sorry for, you know, getting so mad at you,” Sales said.

“You’re my brother, Sales, so of course I forgive you,” Pitch joked, mimicking her brother.

“Well, time for my speech, gotta go,” Pitch said, running up to the couch. The only ponies there were Castle, Code, her brothers, parents, and Sale’s friends, but Pitch was excited to speak anyway.

“Hello, every pony. I would like to thank all of you for coming to my cuteceneria, it means a lot. I’d also like to thank my two best friends, Castle Crasher and Codebreak, for always trying to help me get my cutie mark. And my mother and father, for telling me to be patient, then it will come. Lastly, I’d especially like to thank Sales Pitch, if he hadn’t chased me out of his house two days ago for making a mess, I never would have started singing and gotten my cutie mark,” Pitch announced, and Sales glared at her.

“Hey! Why am I the bad guy?!” Sales asked, and they all laughed.

“But I’m thanking you! Oh, and thanks to Mom and Dad, for raising a snooty stallion that gets bugged by his little sister,” Pitch added, before running off as Sales raced after her.

“Should we go help her?” Codebreak asked his sister, who shrugged.

“Well, it is a celebration.” Castle responded. “Why not?”

The twins ran after the two siblings, tackling Sales and getting caught up in his wings.

“Tag! You’re it!” Castle yelled, jumping off and dashing away, followed by Code.

“Now this is a party!” Pitch yelled, leading the way through the hallway as Sales’ friends helped him up, then joined in the chase, Black fast behind.

The End

----

Awesome job incorporating all of the characters, Melody! It was a super cute story! (I do need to clarify that singing is NOT actually Per’s special talent, just to avoid confusion later among all you readers. XD But it was a very sweet story, and I’m sure the judges were as impressed as I that you wrote a SONG!

And in 3rd Place:

SimonWL’s Comic! (Click text for larger image)

I’m so glad the glitter gif showed up XDXDXD SUCCESSFUL PRANK BY PER

I am extremely grateful to my friends and judges for making these hard decisions for me, because you guys were ALL AMAZING FOR ENTERING and it would be FAR too hard for one person to choose! 

Of course, I can’t NOT show my appreciation for all of the other entries, so feast your eyes upon these lovely works that were also entered!

“Chewie’s Victory” by @arkadarp​

“Party Panorama” by @asksweetdisaster​

“Wayyyyy Worse” by thelovebuggypanda

Also, special thanks to @thestratovarian who entered a written entry but wished not to have it shared. I appreciate it nonetheless!!!

Thank you again to everybody who entered or shared the contest! I’m so happy to have all of you here to enjoy these wacky dorks with me, it keeps me motivated!

PEACE OUT!

~River Babble

[darken-wolf]

Author Interview!

Marzi, you sly dog you <3 @poisonepel

name: Wende

fandoms: From what I remember, Twisted Wonderland, Obey Me, Utapri, Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts....uhm...many Anime related that I rather forget 😂😂

where you post: I mainly post of Tumblr, Ao3 is another place, and by damn I use to psot a lot on Wattpad *shivers*

most popular one-shot: That’s hard, I’ve written way too much...like....way too much to even go check.

most popular multi-chapter story: Okay, now listen here, I haven’t posted a multi-chapter story since...long ago...I’m trying to forget about this moment in my life, yet here I am typing this. You wanna know my most popular. It was fucking One Direction on Wattpad. I still to this day get comments asking when I’m gonna update. Like children, that was seven years ago, leave me alone.

Unless you count that Chaos Trio story thing...then...now everyone knows I wrote One Direction fics 😂

favorite story you wrote: It has to be the Cheering Up story I wrote. The only reason that story ever came out was due to everyone I followed was feeling down and depressed that I decided to write it. Everyone in Twisted Wonderland ends up cheering you up.

story you were nervous to post: All of them tbh. I never thought Anyone would enjoy my stories. Like even before I started to write about Twisted Wonder and only Utapri at the time, no one read them. I posted them here and that was it. Even the stories I was excited about I knew they weren’t going to get many reads. Even now not many of my stories get that much reads. I try not to think about people reading my stories and only write for myself, but that’s hard because I love to write for people instead of myself. That’s probably my love for writing died down a little...

how you choose your titles: I usually try to go with what happened in the story. Unless I’m having a horible day I kinda title it something stupid like A Bad Night or something like that.

complete: I’ve been meaning to create a master list of all my stories here, but whoops. but here’s my Ao3 account Stynwolf35. A few are Utapri and a few are Twisted Wonderland :333

incomplete: Most stories I wrote are a one single read and not multiple. Unless you’re talking about nonpublished...

Would anyone want Utapri?? There’s like a handful that are almost done that I can finish/rewrite for you all. It may or may not be Ai x quartet night or even Ai x Ren ....*coughs*

discontinued: All my One Direction fics, I don’t even have the stories on my computer anymore. Maybe one or two that I never posted. Plus I try to forget them all...

wips: *starts to sweat* uhmmmm.... *looks at my 20+ stories* I mean...I have my multi-chapter Utapri vampire fic, that Malleus angest, the 1000 provisions, my own story I've been trying to get back to...I get so many Ideas I forget to check others. There’s too many...trust me I go back to them from time to time, but I make so little progess of all of them lol

do you accept prompts: Of course, they help me not try to figure out a plot for myself lmao. So send prompts and I’ll write them  :3

upcoming story you are most excited to write: I mean, My OC writing for both Ren and insert (Wende). Will those be posted? I doubt it no one would want to read those anyway XD.

That Riddle fighting a Sunflower is going to be a fun one to write. Oh, and that Malleus x Short reader is almost done! I get excited too quickly for my stories for you all :333

Uhm..tags...uhm... @yandere-wishes @octavinelle-mafia-fics anyone who would like to do this really.

[hitsuackerman]

What in the World? (Akaashi Keiji x Reader) pt.10

a/n: so this was supposedly a one-shot but i realized it was too long so it eventually led to an ongoing full on fic xD thank you all so much for spending the time to read this! :) have a bit of action in this chapter :’) this a long chapter so...

Akaashi’s lineup: @alluring-akaashi @oikawalmart-hq @extrasugafree @bbykiyoomi @apricotjihyo @awings​ @simpformiya​ @sayakaaaaaa​ @colorseeingchick​ @something-that-idk (i have no idea why i can’t tag some of you :( huhu )

links: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9,  part 11

“Shall we?” Offering his arm, you gladly accepted it. This time, he couldn’t help the small content smile on his face when you fully held on to him. When the both of you were out of the gym, Bokuto had already turned around the corner leaving you two alone. “So, let me get this straight. You’re not from here, you have powers, and I somehow give you energy?”

“More or less.” Your other hand began to play with his fingers. “But it never goes past 35%.”

“How does it feel? To be stuck at that level? Is it frustrating for you?” He caught your fingers and intertwined them in his.

“Ooh~ You’re a curious one.” By now your knees were weak from being able to hold his hand. “At first, I was scared. Having to assess the situation is always tricky. When I realized that no one here has a quirk, I guess it was safe to assume that nothing could go wrong. It doesn’t necessarily suck. Being here for almost 3 months now, I actually like having not to rely on my quirk.”

“Do you ever think about what’s happening in your, uhh, dimension?”

“I do, every now and then.” For a second, you debated on telling him about being able to feel Todoroki’s warmth on your hands. “But, compared to my dimension, your world is a paradise.”

“What was UA, then?”

“It was the top school in Japan for producing great heroes.”

“Heroes?”

“Yeah.” God it felt so good to talk about home. Leaning your head on his arm, you continued. “I wanted to become a hero. Took the exam, passed, and got placed on the hero course. It sounds weird, I know, but it's pretty common there.”

“Your world sounds like a manga.” He stopped walking and faced you. Seeing you in a new light made him feel as if that tug he kept feeling had its purpose.

The moment he met you, Akaashi couldn’t help but want to get to know you more. When you took up the offer to be manager, it was the perfect opportunity. During the first day, he had managed to show off a bit by saving you from that particular chance ball. He could still remember the way you kept his eyes on him for longer periods of time.

He did feel that something was off. The bike-firecracker incident never made sense to him. Now that you told him, things just made sense now. But, with the knowledge that you liked him back, would it be unethical or selfish that he wished you would prefer to stay here?

“It’s not selfish, Akaashi.” His eyes widened. “No, I don’t read minds. It was just obvious because I’ve been thinking about the same thing too.”

The sounds of chattering and the aroma of the barbeque was much nearer now. Letting go of his arm, you made him enter the area first and trailed behind him. Walking back to your spot, you were met with empty plates and immediately assumed that Bokuto ate both your shares. Not minding it too much, Akaashi and you went with the team and ate there.

Hours had passed and the sun was now setting. Each team was now saying farewell to the others. Watching them board the bus, all of you were now waving the Karasuno crows goodbye. The next time you would see them would be in a few months. Not long after, the Fukurodani team was now lining up to enter the bus.

Taking the same seat, you stuffed your bag beneath you and wondered who would take the vacant seat. Bokuto had now entered the bus and he beamed when he saw the vacancy, before he could even sit…

“Bokuto-san.” Akaashi spoke with a deadly unemotional tone. “Washio-san has something he wants to tell you.”

Tossing his bag to the seat beside you, Akaashi had to smirk at the face his friend gave him. Pouty face and deflated hair when Washio denied the allegations about him. Crossing his arms to his chest, Bokuto had to nod and cheer for his friend. This would have to be the first time for him to actually see such a range of emotion from him. Though, if he were to be honest, Bokuto was going to give the seat to Akaashi.

“You don’t feel sorry for Washio-san?” You teased your seatmate.

“Bokuto-san falls asleep every time we head back to school.” Especially when he sits beside their # 2 player. “I can switch seats with him if you want.”

Holding his shirt, you looked down and avoided eye contact. Your palms glowed a bit and he covered the glow with his hands, bringing them to his thighs. Brushing his thumb on your skin, you relaxed and huffed at his little prank.

The scenery was now changing as the travel back home began. Feeling drowsy, Akaashi offered his shoulder with red cheeks. Not long after, your breathing slowed down and evened. He stared at your sleeping form and rested his head on yours. The rest of the team were now sleeping so a little PDA was safe.

Noticing how your palms would occasionally glow faintly, he made sure to cover them before allowing himself the privilege to fall asleep.

Around 30 minutes before the bus would reach the school, Akaashi woke up. With your head nuzzling his neck and your palms faintly glowing, he was sure he could have a stroke with the amount of blood rushing through his cheeks. Glancing at the view, it wouldn’t be long before the bus would arrive.

Slowly checking if the others were still sleeping, he took a look at your palms. There were a million questions running through his brain. How old were you when you found out about your quirk? What was life like with having quirks? When you stated you went to a school that nurtured heroes, does that mean the diversity of quirks were so wide and varied? Was this ‘Shoto’ one of your friends from your side of the dimension?

With the sun now low in the orange and red sky, he covered your hands once more. Just in time for you to stir and wake up. Stretching a bit, he saw how the glow began to disappear.

“Sleep well?”

“You make a great pillow.” It was true though.

“The coach will be gathering us for a short meeting later.” He explained. “Do you want to have dinner?”

“In the same cafe?” Not bothering to fight the smile, you felt your palms heating up. Taking them away from his, you hid them underneath your thighs. Your face and the tips of your ears red. “Sorry. That happens when I can’t control my feelings.”

“Yes. In the same cafe.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of you being flustered and your quirk showing it.

Moments later, all of you were now seated on the gym floors. The small announcement the coach gave was nothing too important. He merely stated that the incoming practices will be a little longer and a bit more straining for the players. Everyone nodded and took note of the days with no practices. Next thing you knew, you were now saying goodbye to the others and walking down the streets with Akaashi.

“Can I hold your hand?” He needed to make sure you were on the same page. There was no answer. You simply held his hand and laced your fingers with his. Seeing you giddy always made him happy.

“I bet you have a lot of questions. Go ahead and ask.”

“What’s your world like?”

“Just like this except we had bad guys almost everywhere. One of the worst one’s sounds like Tsukki, by the way.”

“Oh. That’s why.” He did not expect you to cling on to him when you met the tall middle blocker of Karasuno. The way your tightness and slight trembling of your shoulders made him wonder if you had any kind of trauma. He was wrong, but not really. “Have you fought big time bad guys?”

“Once… No twice. No wait, three times!” There were just too many instances by now. “The worst would have to be the one where we tried to save a little girl from her guardian. I didn’t fight the big boss but I did fight one of his henchmen. It was troublesome and I got badly injured.”

Opening the doors to the cafe, the two of you ordered your respective dishes and sat in the same booth. This time, you sat beside each other. Akaashi’s hand still laced with yours.

“Why did you want to be a hero?”

“That’s what everybody, or at least a big majority, wanted to be.” He noticed how your stare became distant. “My quirk is pretty high up there and my parents were proud. Everyone told me and even I began to think that things would be a walk in the park.”

“What’s your quirk at 100%?” He just had to ask.

“Well…” You never used your quirk at 100%. “I’ve never used it to that percentage. I usually use it until 80%. But, the thing with me is that if my quirk is below 40%, I can only do basic things. If it’s changing properties, then I can do plants. If it’s at 80% then you can expect to see me breaking huge chunks of cement or lifting boulders 50 times my weight. It’s draining but we train everyday.”

“That’s a lot of information to swallow.” He admitted. The laugh you gave him was reassuring enough. “Why did you tell me?”

“I never intended on telling you today. I envisioned myself saving a cat or safely pushing an old lady away from danger.” Facepalming, you cringed at how you exposed yourself. Akaashi understood that his little flaunting act was the main cause why you two were now holding hands in a small booth waiting for your food.

“So, Ushiwaka being your ex?”

You laughed. A loud one.

“I have never met that person in my life!” Shaking your head with amusement, you explained how you had to search his nearly empty social media accounts. Or the shock you experienced when you found out about him.

“You hold no memories here? Not even random childhood memories from your mom?”

“The only memories I have are from my dimension. It’s creepy looking at pictures of your younger self and having zero recollection. I got used to seeing it though. Every now and then I get tidbits of information as to who I was here. But it just stops at the present.”

“You’re very brave.” He couldn’t imagine the mental stress you were going through. “You really are meant to be a hero.”

“Frankly speaking, being a hero might sound cool and all but it…” Without realizing, you squeezed his hand. Chewing on your lower lip, you let out a shaky exhale. “It’s petrifying. Having villains infiltrate your school activities, defending the weak, and having to face the uncertainty of making it out alive takes a toll on you.”

“I’m sorry. I touched a sensitive topic.”

“Is it sad to say that’s not even a sensitive topic?” You leaned onto his shoulder. “I’ve fought with my life on the line twice. The other one got me staying in the hospital for 2 weeks.”

“Well,” He raised your head, index and thumb softly holding your chin. His gunmetal eyes met your (e/c). “I may not have powers or a quirk, but I will try my best to become a hero to you.”

“Akaashi…”

Your eyes began to cloud and lower lip to quiver. Hearing such simple words may sound cheesy to regular people in his dimension, but as someone who came from an environment where you were trained to put others first, it was enough to let you blink a waterfall of tears. Each mental strain you had undergone, from the USJ Attack, the LoV infiltrating your training camp, and even having to help Fatgum and Kiri with the eight precepts manifested.

Letting go of your hand, he pulled you into his arms. It made him think what exactly did you go through to make you react to those words. He meant them with all his being, of course, but the impact left him speechless. Maybe life in hero centered mangas weren’t as great as he thought.

Right on time, when you calmed down, the food arrived.

When the both of you were now standing outside your houses, you took your phone and checked the time. Avoiding eye contact, you scratched your nape.

“It’s still relatively early,” You were being bold and that amazed you. “Do you wanna drop by my house and chill? BUT NOT IN THAT WAY, OKAY! Just like, you know, get to know each other more or some shit.”

Taking the lead, Akaashi dragged your red face all the way to your door. Opening the entryway for you, you stepped in with your mother yelling from the kitchen. Announcing that Akaashi was here and that the two of you would stay in your room, you heard some teasing. Going up the stairs, your o-mother yelled your name.

“(y/n)!”

“Mom?”

“...Use protection!”

“WHAT THE HECK?! MOM!”

You half expected she would add more salt to the burn but that was least expected. Leading the red faced Akaashi to your room, he was surprised to see it very empty and barely any mementos. You weren’t kidding when you said you had no memories until the day you arrived here. Telling him to put his bag on your bed, he complied and soon helped in getting some pillows from the storage room. Seconds later, both of you were now sitting on the floor.

“What was your childhood like, Akaashi?”

“Normal for my dimension’s standards.” He reached for your hands and admired how you activated the yellow glow. “Aside from volleyball, I also liked reading. No particular genre, anything that catches my eye.”

“Do you plan to go pro?”

“Not quite.” He truthfully answered. “Volleyball is my life but I would like to take up literature one day.”

“What made you choose Fukurodani?”

“I was sent a recommendation letter. I had the option to choose between 2 schools but I chose this one.”

“Why choose this school?”

“I saw Bokuto-san playing and I was just so mesmerized at how much he loved the sport. I had no idea just how much of a handful he was but I don’t mind. Bokuto-san is who he is.” His eyes followed the small glowing orbs you had formed again. With the privacy surrounding you two, the orbs were much brighter and bigger. “What was your childhood like?”

“A rollercoaster ride.” Focusing a bit on your quirk, you morphed the orbs into one. Slowly the balls began to mold into an owl. Akaashi’s eyes sparkled at the sight before him. “When my quirk fully manifested, my parents boasted me around. It caught the attention of some big pro hero. Next thing I knew, my parents signed some papers and I was meeting up with his kid.”

“I don’t quite understand, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” The owl landed on Akaashi’s head and a few feathers of light began to float in front of him. “In my world, we have this thing called quirk-marriages. It’s exactly like an arranged marriage except it involves the person’s quirk.”

“Y-you’re engaged?” The look of horror in his eyes was clear.

“Was.” You saw his shoulders relax. “The guy I was supposed to marry was Todoroki Shoto, not that the name even matters here, and the engagement got called off two years ago. Both of us were glad his dad had an epiphany. He was sweet and all but I never saw him in that way.”

“What was his quirk?”

“Todoroki was a special one. He was the result of a quirk marriage. He has two.” Akaashi’s eyebrows jumped at the thought of having two kinds of quirks. One was enough but two? “We teased him ‘half and half’ since his quirk is fire and ice.”

“Wow. He balances himself.”

“He really does~ Even his hair is balanced. Half white and half red.”

“Huh, this world really is bland compared to yours.”

“On the contrary, it’s not.”

“I highly doubt that, (l/n). Everyday is like an unknown chapter waiting to present itself. The prospect of living or dying high, but I’m pretty sure all of you find it to be worth the hassle.”

“There’s that but there’s also you.” It was your turn to see him with his eyes wide open. It felt so fluffy to see the prettiest setter staring at your palms and trying his best to control the blood rushing on his cheeks. “I know you’ve only met me for less than 3 months, but I can say that you’ve given me comfort in ways you can’t fathom.”

Feeling his chest swelling, he pulled you back into his arms. His soft hair tickling your cheek as you relaxed into his arms. Your warmth was comforting as he buried himself in your hair.

“Do you wanna see me use it on that plant?” You offered. Voice a little muffled from inhaling his godly scent. “You’ve been touching me a lot so I might have a bit more juice-- gods that sounds wrong but you get the point.”

“If you insist.”

Slowly unwrapping his arms, you pouted at the sensation of wanting to just stay still and hug him back. Caressing your cheek, Akaashi smiled a bit. Taking in sharp breath, you could feel your heart rate rising again. Screw it. There was no way you were going to ruin the moment.

Stretching your hand, your palm glowed the brightest it's ever been since you arrived in this dimension. Following the tugging sensation, you began to manipulate the air around the houseplant. Akaashi did a double take when he realized what you were doing. Watching the area around the plant distort, it only took a second before the small pot was now floating above your palm.

Placing the little pot in between you two, your mind was blank and you were not sure what to change it into. You could go bold and flashy by changing it completely into a new plant or just turn it back into a desert rose.

“What flowers do you like looking at, Akaashi?”

“Nothing in particular.”

“Do you like roses?”

“I don’t see a reason not to.”

Nodding your head, you were now using both your hands. The Hoya plant now began to hover along with the soil. With each curl of your finger, the plant began to morph into something else. The floating orbs were nowhere to be seen. In the blink of an eye, Akaashi let out a small ‘oh’ once a single stem of a rose now replaced the bushy succulent from before.

The rose was not fully opened yet. Placing everything back into the pot, you were now using just one hand. Pointing your finger at the closed bud, you traced imaginary circles with your index and the man in front of you watched it bloom in front of his eyes.

“W-why aren’t there any floating lights?” He had to wonder.

“I like to be flashy sometimes~” You smirked. “I can make them but for small magical stuff like these, it’s all up to me if I want them or skip ‘em.”

“You just changed the entire composition of the succulent.” His finger touching the soft petal. “Are you tired?”

“Just a bit. My body gets used to it pretty quickly. This used to be a desert rose but I changed it into the Hoya plant last week. So by now, it’s not too tiring.”

“Your quirk is amazing.” Akaashi praised you. His hand found your cheek again. Leaning to his touch, you concluded that he was even more addictive than you thought. In small and delicate movements, his thumb brushed your pink tainted cheeks. “You must’ve been very strong.”

“I tend to hold back when I use my quirk.” You looked down. “My quirk isn’t that strong because of that.”

“Why hold back something so beautiful?”

“It can be destructive just like all the other quirks.” Patting your lap, the owl you made rested on the spot you touched. “If I’m in a neutral or content state, its glow is yellow or what I want it to be. But once my negative emotions come out, it tends to turn into either red or black.”

“How was it when you first came here?”

“It was yellow. Faint but yellow.” Shifting the colors of the owl, Akaashi took note of how faint the glow was when you first arrived. The glow was barely there from what he could tell. When it shifted to red, the soft edges were now replaced with torn and jagged lines. The cuteness of the owl faded away into a more feral and hungry looking bird. Snapping your finger, the creature disappeared. “You’re not weirded out?”

“I am.” Akaashi stared blindly into space. “It’s a lot to digest. A part of me thinks this is all a dream but I know it’s not.”

“It is information overload.” For a moment, you wanted to crawl into his lap and nuzzle on to his neck. Instead, you scratched your cheek and returned the plant to its original spot. “If I were to be honest, I’m not sure if telling you was the right thing to do. I would rather have you be ignorant than to be mixed into the chaos of my world.”

“You wanted to be a hero, right?” Noticing how you were chewing your inner cheek, he had to wonder. What other secrets were you keeping? “Then there’s no reason for me not to trust you. You may not be from here but you're a main protagonist in my personal world.”

“God. Even in times like this you’re so beautiful.” You uttered under your breath.

Stretching his arms out, you saw his smile once more. Giving a nod, he gestures for you to come closer and sit on his lap. With a fast beating heart, he adjusted his position to make you more comfortable. Once the both of you were good, he tucked a loose strand of hair. His mesmerizing eyes solely focused on you.

“Let’s be each other's hero, (l/n)?”

“You know,” You wrapped your arms around his neck. “Heroes aren’t supposed to leave debts.”

“I believe I don’t owe anybody.” Once again his large hand caressed your cheek. His thumb lightly brushing your lower lip. Pulling you in inch by inch, his eyes landed on your lips and back to your eyes. “Are you always this alluring?”

“Eh. Depends on whose lap I’m sitting on.”

Closing the gap together, your lips met his soft one’s. This was nothing compared to your first kiss. The way his lips molded with yours made each butterfly in your belly to flutter. Feeling him snaking his arms around your waist, you gladly pulled him in closer and hugged him tighter. By now, you were sure that Akaashi could feel your rapidly beating heart.

Feeling his tongue running along your lower lip, you happily gave him entrance. It was a rather sloppy and messy kiss from this point on. Shifting your position, you now straddled him and tangled your fingers through his hair.

As of the moment, the only thing in both your minds was the feeling of your lips and tongue dancing with each other. If this was a dream, then you would be too scared to wake up. In all the days of being in this dimension, it was only now you felt that you were truly safe and belonged.

Being human, the both of you broke the kiss at the same time. Panting and catching both your breaths.

Noticing your room was a bit brighter than before, the both of you stared at the small firefly like orbs that danced around the both of you. Hiding your face on his shoulder, Akaashi chuckled and wrapped his arms around you once more.

- - - - -

a/n: hope ya’ll like that smol kissing scene XD and yes Akaashi is still accepting in his lineup! :)

[lokis-lady-death]

Doesn’t Play Well With Others

In heat Jotun!Loki x Reader (Ice mutant) SMUTT!!!!

Warning: SMUTT! Things get a bit rough, little bit of struggling. He’s in heat so... it’s not meant to be fluff. Use your best judgement and (hopefully) enjoy ;D If I tagged you and this isn’t your type of fanfic, please disregard or send me a message!

Lady Death: A one shot, a two shot, I have no clue. Just an idea I have been developing for some time that finally got finished XD

Doesn’t Play Well With Others

Times were finally starting to look up. The world had maintained peace in the last few years since Thanos’s defeat, leaving little work for the Avengers aside from the run of the mill arms dealer handling alien warfare or the occasional powered up villain that decided to blow up a city. With it being the weekend, Stark Tower was even more quiet with the majority of the Avengers either out on their regular patrols or returning home during the seemingly tranquil time. Even the employees that worked for Stark Industries itself were off, leaving only those who called the tower home.

You were one of those who lived there, calling the tenth floor your own for the past several years. After S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded and left you- a mutant that could manipulate water and ice that had been trained in military combat- without any real career options, you took up an offer to become a part of the Avengers from Tony Stark himself.

What you didn’t sign up for was to become a babysitter to a god.

“Loki?” you repeated as you walked between the shelves of the library. “Loki!”

For every time you said it, you became just that much more irritated. Him hiding from you could mean one of two things. He has done something bad and doesn't want to speak to you about it. Or, the more concerning option, he was up to something at that very moment.

“LOKI!”

“Lady y/n! Is there something I can help you with?” You turned your heels and nearly face planted into Thor's chest plate. When you glared up to him, he was notably nervous.

“I'm looking for your brother. Where. Is. He?”

Normally you wouldn't be so pointed at Thor but ever since your fellow Avengers let Loki move into Stark Tower- at the god of thunder’s request- he had been nothing but trouble. And as much faith as everyone had for Thor, he was simply too trusting of his brother and let him get away with practically anything. Which is why, despite your grievances, you had been assigned as the god of mischief’s ‘keeper’.

~“Just keep him out of trouble,” Stark had propositioned you after the first few- horrible- mission fails. “He just needs some tough love, someone to set him straight, pull the leash when he gets too rowdy..”

“Like I do for Tony,” Pepper commented from across the room.~

But the truth of the matter was Loki has been and always will be difficult to handle. On missions he was uncontrollable, reckless, and, worse than that, he couldn’t follow orders or stick to plans. Though he had proven helpful time and time again, his inability to play well with others was becoming a headache.

And now, while you were supposed to be meeting with him over basic training, he was MIA. Your own logical conclusion? He thought he was too good for your help, an unfortunately reoccurring issue you were having since the beginning.

~“I don't need your instruction on piloting your primitive engines!” he had told you the first time you were assigned to show him how to operate a vehicle- which happened to be Stark’s personal Audi R8. You warned him and tried to show how to use the gear shift but he grabbed the keys and drove.

Right off a cliff.

Fortunately Loki was fine. The car, however, not so much.~

“Thor,” you said sternly, poking your finger at him in warning, “You know he can't just avoid me forever. Tell me where he is.”

There was an obvious concern in the Asgardian's face as he debated whether he should or shouldn't tell you. It wasn't entirely unlike Thor to cover up for Loki but it was usually done over something minor.  And it certainly wasn't to help him avoid lessons he very much needed if he was to become an asset to the Avenger team.  

When he still didn't answer, you threatened, “Tell me or I'll get Wanda to read your thoughts.”

His eyes widened at that. You wouldn't really ask the Scarlet Witch to abuse her power for something so remedial, but he didn't know that. And as far as you could tell, it was the right card to play because he finally let out a sigh. “Alright, Lady y/n. I'll tell you where my brother is.”

The words struck you, not so much in what he said, but how he said it. There was something solemn in his tone that was so unlike the usually cheerful god of thunder. It made you wonder what type of mischief Loki had gotten himself into now.

“Well?”

Thor looked around uneasily, making sure no one was around before grabbing hold of your shoulders to back you down an aisle of books. In a hushed tone, he whispered something to you.

“What?”

“He. Is. In. Confinement,” he enunciated, his brow furrowed.  

But that doesn’t make sense, you thought. Up do date Loki hadn't done anything near deserving of the confinement chamber- an impenetrable jail cell Tony had designed in case Stark Tower ever had need for such a thing.

“Well what did he do?”

“Nothing.”

Now you were more confused. “Then why is he in confinement?”

“Because he asked.”

“You're telling me he asked you to lock him up?” When he nodded, all you could do was shake your head, more confused than ever. “But why?” you pressed on, “There has to be a reason. What did he tell you?”

Thor looked away from you this time, letting out a huff as he admitted, “He told me nothing. All he asked was for me to secure him in the lowest level of the tower inside of the containment cell and tell no one.”

You squinted your eyes, fighting the urge to chastise him for following such an off request without getting more information. This was exactly the type of thing that made him useless in controlling the god of mischief.

“My brother was very worried, Lady y/n,” the God of thunder spoke as if seeing your apprehension written on your face. “He quite rarely asks for my assistance and when he tells me something is important, I don't bother wasting time with the details. He only instructed me to lock him in the cell for the duration of the weekend, and on Sunday evening I shall release him.”

The first thing you had to ask, “Does Stark know? Because I'm sure he will want to know if an x evil villain is having mood swings in his basement.” Despite how you felt about Loki or how much you wanted to believe Thor, the fact of the matter was that this was Tony's building and everyone living there had a right to know if the god of mischief had become a danger.

Thor’s eyes darkened as he went on, his tone far more serious than you had ever heard it. “You may all see Loki as some murderous monster, but I trust him about this. I have gone down there and checked on him and taken him anything he could need. He seems well enough, but insists on staying there until the last day. I assure you, lady y/n, I have this under control. He told me this was temporary and gave me all of the necessary precautions to handle it.”

You stared at him a long moment before you finally asked to be sure, “So am I right to assume no one else knows about this?”

If looks could kill you were certain you and Thor would have mortal wounds from the daggers you glared at one another. You couldn't just stand by and let Loki pull a LOKI right under your feet. What if he was regressing back to his old ways? Could you trust Thor to do the right thing before it was too late?

Another terrifying thought entered your mind. So startling you couldn't keep from saying, “Do you think this has something to done with Thanos?” It had been months since Thanos's defeat but it had become rather common knowledge that he still lingered somewhere on in the vortex of space and time, possibly to return. But there was a lesser known fact that led to your concern: Loki had once been controlled by Thanos, even under his control enough to destroy half of New York. Who was to say it wasn't happening again?

“Take me to him,” you said suddenly.

Thor quirked a brow. “I don’t think that’s necessary, Lady y/n. As I said, I have this under contr…”

“Don’t feed me that shit. I’ll decide if you have this under control,” you said, unwilling to waver. “The fact remains that I am in charge of Loki and you know that. If you want to keep him locked away, fine, but you will either take me to him so I can be sure he isn’t an immediate threat. Or I am calling Stark.”

You could see Thor’s jaw clench, leaving a bitter taste in your mouth. Since his brother had become such an issue, the two of you butted heads over the god of mischief on a regular basis.

But never like this.

Never threatening.

“I suppose I have no other option then,” Thor seceded. He waved for you to follow him and after a moment of collecting your thoughts, you obliged.

Since moving to Stark Tower a few years back, you had been to nearly every floor, every room, of this massive place, but you had never been to the basement. After what had to be the longest elevator ride in history, the two of you finally came down to the bottom level. You stood still when the doors first opened, unsure of what to make of the scene in front of you.

Unlike the parts of the tower you had explored, this floor was dark, hardly lit by the few fluorescent bulbs that weren’t flickering on and off like in some cheesy horror film. Set off in their own cubicles were large, meticulously stacked crates with inventory numbers that were practically unreadable from years of wear and tear. Off in the corner were old, unused forklifts covered cobwebs. You shuddered to think what Pepper would do if she knew Tony had a room so unkept.

“Lady y/n,” Thor broke your train of through, “this way.”

You tentatively stepped out, following a few steps behind the god of thunder as your eyes scanned the different boxes. It wasn’t until you saw Thor stop beside a cubicle marked X91 that you realized the extent in which Thor and Loki had gone to keep this a secret.

The god knelt down and dug his fingers into a crate, lifting it and the two on top of it with ease, then setting them gingerly to the side as if they weighed nothing. And there, in all it’s explicit glory, was the vault door to the containment box. You knew that the containment box had originally been set up on a different floor, so finding it here meant the Odinson brothers had managed to move the colossal unit here on their own without getting any unwanted attention.

Thor began punching in a code on the vault door’s keypad. Once it dinged with acceptance and slid open, he stepped to the side to allow you to enter. You narrowed your eyes at Thor before looking into the room. There was a faint glow within from a few small light sources around the interior of the box, but otherwise it was utter darkness.

“You wanted to see him,” Thor insisted when you didn’t move. “Well. See him.”

You cut your eyes back at him before grunting and stepping inside to get a better look. It was only when you entered that you were able to make out a figure in the corner, lying on a small cott just inches off the ground. The figure shifted at the sound of intruders.

Just then, you heard a heart stopping clang from behind you, followed by a distinctive click. Your head jerked around but it was too late.

Thor had locked you in.

The abruptness of it all signaled the lights to come on and the containment cell went aglow like a newly lit star, blinding you at first.

“Thor!” you hollard as you ran to the door and began banging. “Thor, you asshole, opened this door or else….”

A glass panel exposed itself to you, showing Thor’s childishly apologetic eyes. “I am truly sorry, Lady y/n, but you leave me no choice. My brother instructed me to keep his imprisonment a secret and I cannot risk you telling Tony Stark. I swear on Asgard that I shall let you go free as soon as Loki…”

“So you’re going to leave me locked in here with this lunatic all weekend?!” You couldn’t believe it. You knew that there was no chance anyone would think to come looking for you in the basement so you were at the god of thunder’s mercy. “Thor, you can’t! Let me out, we can talk to Stark together about it, don’t leave me here like this!”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot let you out.” Before shutting the window, Thor offered you an innocent smile as he suggested, “Perhaps you would do well to spend this quality time with Loki. After all, you are to be combat partners. This time together could help you both sort out your differences.”

“THOR!” you screamed as his face disappeared, busting your fist as hard as you could into the vault and leaving a mild, iced over dent in the steel frame. Your cursed and pulled your hand back, regretting the decision immediately.

“You are normally more composed, little one,” you heard from the other side of the cell. “Could it be you’re afraid of the monster lurking in the dark?”

You closed your eyes while taking in a quick breath, easing your nerves before you turned to face Loki. You were angry, more angry than you had ever been at the god of mischief. It may have been his brother that locked you here, but it was practically under Loki’s command that he did so. When you were finally ready to give him a piece of your mind, you turned to face him.

But you didn’t get the chance.

Just as you were moving, Loki had gotten up from the cot and, with incredible speed, pinned you against the door of the cell. He pressed his entire body against you, his hands taking hold of your wrists and bringing them up behind your back to secure you in place. “You. Are not. Supposed. To be here,” he breathed in your ear, his words choppy and anxious. Strangely you noticed his touch was much colder, like frost coated his skin..

“You can blame your dumb ass brother! Now call him back to let me out!” you commanded. You tried to hide your panic, but this was a side of Loki you had never seen and it was beginning to make you nervous. Even in combat training he never got this forceful.

Rather than release you, the god’s grip tightened on your wrists, slightly pulling your arms back further. You let out a soft groan in pain, but knew he could be much rougher if he was truly trying to hurt you.

“I cannot do that,” he replied curtly, his face drawing closer to you just before you heard him take a long breath through his nose.

He was taking in your scent.

Your chest thumped at his words, realizing you may truly be in danger. Remembering your S.H.I.E.L.D. training, you tilted your head sideways before slamming the m your temple against Loki’s. The strike itself wasn’t that hard, but the suddenness of it was enough to make Loki let go. You dropped to the ground and swiped your leg out at him, kicking his feet out from beneath him. The god landed flat on his back. Wasting no time, you leapt on top of him, straddling his hips as you created a blade of ice in your hand from the water molecules in the air around you.

It wasn’t until now that you actually got a look at the god of mischief. Where he was normally as pale as snow, now his skin was as brilliant as the bluest sapphire with intricate lines that looked seared into his flesh. But it was his burning red eyes, once a light shade of green, that took the breath out of you. Like staring face to face with a demon.

And yet,  somehow, as terrifying as he looked, he was just as mesmerizing.

Startled, you hesitated, losing the upper hand enough that Loki was able to roll on top of you. Hovering over you, he grabbed onto your wrists until you were forced to release the ice blade. You were so stunned you simply stared up at the god, wide eyed and unsure what to do. You knew you were no match for him physically, but the idea that something more was going on that could cause him to change form and even last out violently was terrifying.

When his face lowered, you flinched. Again you could hear him inhale your scent.

The tickle of his breath in your ear sent an unwelcome tremor down your body and you could feel Loki’s reaction. His fingers dug into your wrists, his thighs squeezed your sides.

“You are not supposed to be here,” he repeated in a hoarse voice.

“Then let me out,” you pleaded weakly. “Call Thor, have him let me go. I won’t tell Stark you’re here. Whatever you’re going through, I won’t interfere…”

“I told you, I can’t. I have no way to call my brother.”

The words weighed heavy on you and the realization that you were trapped for two days with the god of mischief while he was in this bizzare form that caused him to act at like an uncontrollable animal hit you like a ton of bricks.

He pulled back his face, looking down with those ravenous blood-colored eyes as he brought your hands to hold together. You were unprepared for the cold that emanated from his touch, letting out a gasp when he grabbed hold of your jaw with his free hand.

“Loki…” you said softly, trying to calm your nerves as you fought the urge to scream. “Loki, whatever is happening with you, I can help you through it, there’s no reason to fight. I’m not your enemy.” His expression didn’t change, remaining stoik and cold while he watched you. “I didn’t mean what I said, you’re not a lunatic. You’re not a monster. Whatever this is, this isn’t you…”

“Oh, shh shh shh,” the god quietened you by pressing a finger to your lips. “Darling. You talk far too much about that which you don’t understand.” His normal smirk graced his face and for a moment you wondered if he was becoming his normal, smart-ass self. But the smile was quickly gone just as his finger traced your lips.. “I have always known you were beautiful, Lady y/n, but in this moment, lying helpless beneath me, I dare say you are the most enchanting creature I have ever laid eyes on.”

Loki’s words took you so off guard you inhaled sharply. It was only when he began maneuvering on top of you that you felt it, the swollen growth between his thighs that dragged down your leg as he situated himself. You took the opportunity, pulling your hands out of his grip while he was distracted by himself. Before he could react you were able to press your hands to his chest and urged yourself to freeze him in place. Worst case scenario, he would be angry after he defrosted in a few days. You put your everything into it, but to your horror, it was as if his body only absorbed the power you poured out.

You stared dumbly up at him, unable to think of anything to do when your greatest weapon failed you.

Heart pounding, brain frazzled, you looked back up to meet his red eyes. “Oh, little one,” he grumbled. In an effortless move, he stood while taking a fistfull of your hair in his hand to bring you to your feet. You stumbled, grunting at the sudden movement and gasping out loud when he slammed your back against the cell wall. “You just don’t understand, do you? Well, allow me to enlighten you.” He closed the space between you, using his grip on your hair to tilt your head so that he was whispering in your ear. “Outside of this cell, I am expected to follow your command. But here?” He let out a dark chuckle. “You are mine, y/n. Here, you will be my plaything and I will do with you as I please.” He buried his nose in your hair, again taking in your sent before letting out a quivering breath. “But I can be a kind master. All I ask is that you obey.”

The audacity of his words sat stronger on your than his grip on your hair. In a fit, you reared back and brought your fist against his face striking as hard as you could as fast as you could. It was, however, all in vein. His inhuman strength and durability were more than your midgardian fists could break and even your mutant powers were useless. You felt a wave of helplessness wash over you, even as he released his grip on your hair. Landing on your feet, you ran through every scenario in your head and tried to think of anything that could get you out of here.

Nothing.

“So you’re choosing the hard way, little one?” he asked with a hint of malice and a devilish grin gracing his face. “I was hoping you would.” Loki put two fingers into the collar of your shirt and, in a swift motion, ripped your shirt down the front, exposing your bra. You moved to cover yourself but he took hold of your arms, using them to lift you up and pin you back against the wall. The force knocked the breath out of you and you struggled under his grasp but nothing could be done. His lips found the soft skin of your neck, his tongue sweeping over your flesh in a way that sent a surprising shiver down your spine.

Despite yourself, you couldn’t suppress a moan.

It was enough to spike the god of mischief as he dug his teeth into your tender skin, making you let out a cry. His mouth came crashing into yours and you weren’t sure if he was meaning to truly kiss you or silence you, but you were mortified when you had the desire to kiss him back. His tongue tangled in yours while he lowered you back onto your feet. His hands made quick work of your remaining clothes, simply tearing at the fabric like a wild animal.

“Loki, stop!” you managed to gasp between frantic breaths, feeling him clawing away at the last bit of your clothing. It was no use. There you stood before the God of mischief, nude and trembling, like a lab brought to be sacrificed.

But while you expected him to lunge at you again, he instead stepped back, his eyes rolling over you to take you in. You could see the heavy heaves of his chest as he became more excited just by watching you.

His eyes were locked onto yours as he began undoing the fastenings of his belt. Loki’s manhood burst through after the second button was undone and you could properly see him, his cock as blue as the rest of him but with thicker lines forming several rings around his shaft.

When he stepped closer, you were compelled to move back, only to hit the cold metal wall with your bare back.

Without warning, Loki grabbed hold of your hair again. Using it like a steering wheel to turn you around to face the wall. He reached up and dragged his nails down your back as his eyes mapped over you, taking in the delicious curves of your bottom and thighs before wrapping an arm around your waist to bring you back towards his hips. The realization of what was coming turned your blood to ice and you couldn't fight the need to try and pull away. The action was punished by one hard slap across your ass. “I am using what little restraint I still poses to keep from tearing you apart, darling,” the god warned, “You would be wise to take that to heart and be the good little pet I know you can be.”

The threat resonated with you enough to make you stay still, even as you felt his tip lightly graze over the folds of your lips. You swallowed just before putting your hands on the cell wall to brace yourself for him.

“See? That's a good pet, and for that I'll reward you,” he cooed in your ear, his whole body draped over you with one arm still holding you in place while the other explored your front. It was first his fingers to dip inside of you, his extra long digits curling in your moist warmth. “For all the fighting, you certainly are dripping for me, aren't you, pet? Could it be you're just as excited as I am?”

You didn't answer because at this moment you weren't even sure anymore. Though your initial reaction has been to get away, a small part of you was secretly feverish at the idea of him taking you. The quick witted back and forths, the never ending arguments, the strict tension the two of you always suffered from was all erupting in this moment.

While lost in your own inner battle, you didn't notice him situate himself at your entrance. It wasn't until you felt the stretch of you womanhood from merely the tip of him that you let out a gasp.

At the tiniest sound from you, Loki was driven to bury himself inside of you in one, hard, powerful thrust. You screamed. It was so rough and unexpected that you nearly slipped on the wall, but you managed to prop yourself with your elbows. As he began to inch himself backwards, you could make out the individual rings along his cock, each one caressing your most sensitive areas one bump at a time. You did your best to keep quiet, fully aware that the smallest sound you made would only drive him more. You bit down on your lip and steadied yourself for his return.

The god moved his hands to take hold of your hips, his nails digging into you as he held you still. This time. He entered slower, enough that the ridges again rubbing along your insides in a decadent way that threatened to make you cry out in pleasure.

He pulled back out before moving in again, steadily building up a rhythm of his hips rocking against yours. You couldn't muffle yourself as much as you could before letting out a few quick breaths.

And though you begged yourself not to, when he slightly angled himself differently, a moan escaped you. You could hear him let out a deep throated growl just before the thrusts became harder, driving so violently into you that you thought you might rip.

“Loki!” you cried out, feeling yourself beginning to peak. “I… I'm about to…!”

You didn't expect him to pull out of you at the sound of his name, but you had little time to think before he turned you around and lifted you up, urging your legs around his waist before shoving himself deep inside of you.

“Oh no, pet,” he spit out between husky breaths, “No, you must look at me when you finish. I want to see your ecstasy mount as I take you. I want to watch as you succumb to your god!”

You clung to his shoulders, your nails so tightly burrowed into him they began to draw blood. But that didn't deter him, rather it helped his own excitement to grow. You let out another cry, your back violently banging into the wall behind you while his hips punished you relentlessly with one brutal pound after another with his claws latching onto your ass as he buried his face in the nape of your neck. Your cries never softened but instead morphed into loud moans you couldn't contain anymore. You could feel Loki's cock becoming more engorged as the ridges swelled inside of you.  

Again you felt yourself close to the edge. “Loki,” you whimpered, your thighs lightly vibrating against him from the excitement building inside of you.

He knew what you needed as he paused his motion, staying deep inside of you while he moved to press his forehead against yours. One of his hands snaked up your body to grab hold of the back of your head. “Beg me,” he ordered in a low growl. “Beg me and I'll give you what you want.”

You did as instructed, looking up into those red eyes as you felt yourself come closer and closer, begging, “Please, Loki, I… I'm so close…”

Loki smiled, making your heart drop as he pulled all the way out of you before driving back in, keeping a steady, fast pace that left you breathless. You cried out louder as your legs tightened on his hips, your muscles threatening to fail you at any minute as the two of you sailed further and further in a spiral of ecstasy.

His cock had become so thick that you couldn't even feel the ridges anymore, his manhood forming a lump in the very pit of your stomach as he filled you so completely you thought you would burst. Then, so abruptly you gasped, you finally came.

You went limp in his grasp, but it made little difference to him as he used his body to support you between him and the wall, still moving in and out of you as he wrapped his arms around you to bring you as close as he possibly could. That's when you felt it, unreal and quite distinctive. His boiling hot seed poured into you, making you spark back to life enough to cry out one final time.

For a fleeting second, you expected Loki to discard you, just toss you to the side now that he had finished with you. But to your surprise, he didn't. Instead, he clung to you harder.

It was an unexpected sentiment until you felt another onslaught of seed spilling out of him. You clung to his shoulders, smothering yourself into the crook of his neck. His cock remained swollen and emptying into you over and over until finally, you felt him began to relax his grip.

Still cradling you in his arms, he removed himself from inside of you before setting you in his lap as he leaned back against the cell wall.

Your eyes closed and you felt yourself slip into unconsciousness from the sheer physical exhausted you had endured.

But Loki hadn't noticed. While he held you in his arms, he himself was recuperating from the massive amount of strain he had endured, all from simultaneously restraining and divulging his animalistic needs. His chest heaved while he slowly regained his composure.

When he finally felt a sense of normalcy, he reached to pet the top of your head to check on you. To his delight, his skin on his hand had already returned to its original pale peach tone. “Lady y/n?” he spoke softly. When you didnt move he caressed your cheek, noting your fallen eyelids. He let out a soft scoff, half disappointed you were asleep but also enchanted by your restful expression. Without disturbing you, he waved a hand over your body, creating a soft golden glow that left you in the normal Avengers labeled track suit you wore on your days off.

Leaning his head back against the cell wall he couldn't hide the grin on his face.

You didn't know how long you were out, but when you did finally begin to stir your eyes fluttered as you took in the harsh brightness of the fluorescent lights in the containment cell.

“So it wasn't some messed up dream…” you mumbled to yourself as you began to shift, laying a hand on Loki's inner thigh without meaning to.

“No, I'm afraid not, little one,” Loki told you, watching as you scrambled to leave his lap.

You stood up and glared down at him, realizing you were dressed and he was the skin tone you were accustomed to. “Didnt you destroy my clothes?” He simply wiggled his fingers up at you, sparks flying from his fingertips to explain. “Magic. Right. Well why are…” You flapped your hand to indicate his body, “Ya know, not all Smuffetted?”

His eyes narrowed at your comment but after letting out a sharp sign, he answered, “That is my true form. Apparently when I…” Throat clearing, “Finished... I regained my ability to hold this appearance.”

You stared at him, noting the uncomfortable change in his gaze. You recognized something you had never seen on the god of mischief.  

He was embarrassed.

You felt a bit strange seeing this vulnerable side of Loki. But you wanted to know more and understand what just happened. “So…Does Thor go blue?”

“No. Thor is a true Asgardian.” He let out another sigh. “I’m what is known as a frost giant.”

“Frost giant? I guess that explains why my powers had no effect on you.”

He nodded and went on. That's when you learned the truth of Loki’s past. How he was truly the son of Laufeyson and not Odin, how he originally hailed from Jotunheim as its rightful heir, that it was kept a secret until he discovered the truth for himself. How as he had gotten older there were times when he would lose the ability to maintain the facade and transformed to his natural form, often becoming overwhelmed with an instinct to reproduce. “Which is why I had Thor lock me away down here. I thought I could get through this cycle without anyone finding out the truth. I certainly didn't expect my foolish brother to deliver you here. He only knows I transform, he doesn't know about… the urges.”

You had stood silent, taking in everything the god of mischief had to say. When you didn't react to anything he had told you, Loki let out a grunt. “I suppose since you now know the truth you'll want me to leave the Avengers.”

That struck you, but not the way Loki expected. “I wouldn't make you leave over something you can't help,” you explained. “In all honesty, growing up a mutant, I know what it's like to be judged for things you can't control. You coming down here shows you wanted to keep everyone safe. I just don't think you went about it right, you should have told me. We're supposed to be partners.”

“Apparently I should have. I'm sure you would have made a better prison keeper than Thor.”

Despite the tension in the air, you had to laugh. Thor, with all his good intentions, had practically fed you to the beast. “To be fair, him bringing me to you seemed to be just what you needed.”

You would be lying if you said that you didn't partially want to thank Thor. If he hadn't done this, you wouldn't have been able to make such a connection with Loki. You held your hand down, offering him help to stand though he didn't need it. He smiled up at you through the sentiment, taking your fingers gingerly in his as he gracefully lifted.

“You're quite a peculiar midgardian, Lady y/n. Perhaps I was wrong to think we were so different.”

“Perhaps you were.”

You smiled at one another with eyes of understanding as you heard the vault door begin to open.

“Lady y/n! Brother?” Thor gasped, surprised his brother had returned to normal. “Are you well again, Loki? You look like your normal self?”

“Yes,” he said simply, “It seems Lady y/n was just the cure I needed.” The god of mischief shot you a quick wink before tilting his head to the side. “Now, dear brother, what in the nine realms possessed you to lock her in here?”

“Well….” Thor looked between the two of you as you shot him daggers with your eyes. “I know she has ice powers. And you're a frost giant. I assumed whatever ailed you, she could help or at least give you some sort of comfort.”

“Comfort,” Loki scoffed with a half clocked smile. “You were not wrong.”

Pinching the bridge of your nose all you could do was shake your head.  “Well, I'm ready to enjoy my weekend,” you said as you headed past them towards the vault door. You made sure to put a bit more swing in your hips when you moved, pushing through the pinpoint pains you were feeling in your abdomen from the pounding you had taken from Loki. Behind you, Loki and Thor stood still as they watched you leave, both feeling a tug in their groins as they followed your sway with their eyes. But it was Loki who’s fists formed so that he could fight back that deep, dark urge to come after you again.

You stopped, barely turning to look over your shoulder as you smiled at the brothers’ dumbstruck features. “I’ll be seeing you boys Sunday night.”

It wasn’t until it was too late that Loki snapped back into his right mind, realizing you had purposefully began the locking process of the vault door.

“Y/n!” he bellowed after you, “Wait!”

Once you knew the door was secure, you stepped up to the small glassed window and opened the hatch to see the Odinsons glaring out the eye whole.

“Lady y/n, you have made your point. We have both acted in poor judgement,” Thor admitted, a sincere concern etching his voice. “Surely you’re jesting, you wouldn’t really…”

“I think you both deserve a bit of time to yourself,” you cooed at them with a wink. “I’m sure it’ll make handling you both much easier once I get off the telecom with Stark and let him know about what’s happened while he was away.

“You can’t…”

“Toodles!”

After the window slammed and you had made your way down to the elevator, you turned back one last time to the massive sign hanging above the now exposed cell in X19. Of course you wouldn’t rat the boys out, not really. This was a secret you would keep to yourself, they just deserved to panic for a little while.

But there was that concerning, scary fact that you, when completely alone with both brothers in Stark Tower, had become subjected in a way you had never expected. From being locked in the cell to the sex with Loki, you couldn’t help but wonder if you really knew the Norse gods as well as you thought.

Like my garbage? Read more of it! Master List

Let me know if you wanna be tagged if I decide to do a sequel!

LOKI TAGS: @socialheartbreak @kcd15 @maladaptive-ninja-returns@nephalem67 @jessiejunebug @woodyandbuzz20-01 @bambamwolf87   @kitsuneharo12 @yzssie @macbetheliza @lokilvrr @lokixme @li-ssu  @j-u-s-t-4

Jotun!Loki TAGS: @dangertoozmanykids101

[neverwatchedonepiece]

526-528: "Undersea Volcanic Eruption! Drifting to the Fish-Man Island!", "Landing at the Fish-Man Island! Beautiful Mermaids!" and "Excitement Blow-out! Sanji's Life Under Threat!"

HOORAY! :D:D:D

Will this be one of those arcs that’s filled with sympathetic villains? The kind of characters who... well, you get where they’re coming from because they have a cast-iron reason for their villainy and you feel conflicted about cheering for the heroes? Or will it be more complicated than that? 

I hope I like this arc. Ever since Arlong Park, since I learned about the Sun Pirates from Hachi and the racism Fishmen experience I’ve been hoping Oda might dig deeper into the theme. It’s early days yet, but from what I’ve seen in this episode, I’m quietly confident he’ll deliver.

Cthulhu Is... Friendly?

Must admit the Flying Dutchman action was a bit of a let-down. I thought Captain Vander Decken would be the next villain (or at least the henchman of the next villain). It was built up so well. The creepy “Dead men tell no tales” speech, Brook confirming he was the Real Deal, that the legend told of how the captain lost his mind, killed his crew and cursed the gods (who got their revenge by cursing him to drift forever).

I thought that might make a good plot line (that was before Hammond appeared and the Real Plot kicked in).

The Kraken coming back and sucker punching the Sea Bonze was so worth it. I laughed like a drain and could not believe I was cheering a Kraken like it was Hell in a Cell. Top it all off, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji came paddling back in a single bubble. And Luffy had made the Kraken his pet and named it Surume! Only Luffy can get separated from his crew and return with a pet Kraken. And laugh about the fact that he almost died.

The volcanic eruption action scene was fun. The Flying Dutchman crew and the Kraken would not mess with nature. The water glowed an ominous red and before Luffy gave any orders, Surume the Kraken was already checking out. Nami made the call for them to leap into the deep trench ahead to avoid the pyroclastic flow (is that even possible underwater? I have no idea.)

Usopp got to show off some of his skills by shooting a net-like plant weapon that stopped the debris from the eruption from smashing Sunny to pieces. (Could be good in combat for subduing bad guys.) I liked how Luffy was a good captain and praised Usopp and his cute Kraken pet for doing a good job. There’s that leadership shining through.

This was just before a stray rock bonked Surume on the head and the Strawhats woke up... ten thousand meters under the sea?

But... how? I thought. 

It was bright. There was natural light and vivid colours. How? 

Because it was Fishman Island! :D

Cannot lie. I was excited to finally see it. I wonder how it was for manga readers then to see that place brought to life after so long. I mean, how many chapters was it since it was first mentioned in Arlong Park until now when it was animated. I mean, it was huge! And there were entire massive trees inside the bubble. I still have no idea where the natural light was coming from, but pffft, did I care? It was FISHMAN ISLAND! :D

Then the Border Patrol Arrived?

At least, that’s who I thought they were at first.

And they brought Plot, which, let’s face it, is always good.

Three shady-looking Fishmen rode up on massive Sea Kings. They were so tough, they spoke to Surume the Kraken like it was a disobedient pet. Or... more accurately, as if it was a race traitor. “Why are you obeying such fools as humans, Kraken?” Surume fled the scene (obviously scared of these guys).

They recognised the Straw Hats too. I love how Luffy said, “Who are you? How do you know about us?” Um, Luffy... everyone knows about you now. xD

But these guys went way back. Much further than Alabasta, Enies Lobby, Impel Down or Marineford.

“You are the ones who foiled the Arlong Pirates’ plan. You stood up for Hachi and knocked out a hateful Celestial Dragon, just like Fisher Tiger, the hero of Fishman Island.”

They claimed they were the New Fishman Pirates and demanded the Strawhats enlist under their banner or be sunk.

Hammod did most of the talking but two others tagged along (Hyouzo and Kasagon). 

Nami and Franky knew Luffy would say no (and possibly put them in danger because they couldn’t fight back). They took a huge gamble and spent the last of Sunny’s air crashing through Fishman Island’s protective bubbles.

The dramatic tension when the coating shrank, pinning all the Strawhats to the deck was great. But it really ramped up when the first bubble ripped off the coating and the second one turned out to be full of water. I didn’t expect that twist.

Was that the closest the Strawhats have been yet to almost dying? 

Camie to the Rescue!

Luckily, they have a friend who was sort of expecting them. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and Sanji woke up at none other than Camie’s place! (The others were separated. Franky, Nami and Robin are together. I have no idea where Brook is and Zoro is on his own.)

Turns out she works at a Mermaid Cafe on the sea floor of Mermaid Cove. The dorms are more affordable on the sea floor, as opposed to the ones higher up with more natural light. I liked that Oda has imagined an entire class system here. Mermaid Cove seems an okay place. Pappagu the starfish is in the fanciest district: Fishverly Hills (lol!) and is a famous designer. Hachi lives in Fishman District, which Camie said was a ‘rough place’. Luffy still thinks Pappagu is Camie’s pet. I don’t think Luffy completely gets how Fishman Island works yet, but Camie was nice and didn’t say anything. Hammond also hinted at another Fishman Island faction: Neptune’s Army, who were introduced later but I don’t know which side they’re on yet, so they seem like a neutral third party so far. 10/10 world building from Oda there.

Camie showed them around. They took a cute turtle elevator up to the “surface”, where there were clouds, blue sky, trees and rainbows. Luffy mentioned reuniting with Jimbei because “when Ace died two years ago, I didn’t lose heart thanks to him” (yes, Luffy. I’m glad you realise just how much Jimbei did for you!)

But Jimbei was not on the island. Camie seemed to hint the War in Marineford caused a bit of trouble in Fishman Island. She didn’t go into it, damn it.

Then, the royal family’s Fish Boat swam into view, heading straight for them, carrying the Neptune Princes (Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi and Sanboshi). The mermaids hid the Straw Hats, in case they were arrested for illegally entering Fishman Island. One mermaid made the mistake of holding Sanji... let’s just say a little close to her chest.

And Lots of Beautiful Mermaids

You know what, I didn’t want to say but over the past couple of episodes, Sanji’s weakness had been annoying me. Not really badly. Just that the joke was getting a bit thin because it’d been played so many times for laughs.

Now I know why.

Does Oda do nothing without a purpose?

He had to set up all the blood loss stuff because blood transfusions are a central tenet in the hatred a lot of Fishmen have over humans.

When Sanji had his Vesuvius Moment, Dr Chopper bravely came to the rescue. Just as the Princes seemed about to take the Strawhats (though they didn’t want to arrest them. Still not sure what their deal is), Chopper placed himself in harm’s way and shouted, “Stop! I’m a Doctor! Can anyone donate S RH negative blood? If Fishman blood is the same, would anyone be willing to donate?”

Chopper unwittingly referenced an Old, Highly Politicised Grudge.

Fisher Tiger: The Hero of Fishman Island

Hammond, who had been lurking, waiting for an opportune moment to catch the Strawhats, couldn’t stay quiet at that point.

“No one on this island would give blood to lowly humans,” he scoffed. “If anyone did, they’d risk punishment from the Dark Night, from human haters. The Old Law in the kingdom states that donating blood to humans is prohibited.”

When the Strawhats protested, Hammond fired back with some Context.

“You humans set that rule first! You people have a long history of fearing us. Didn’t want your blood mixed up with ours. That’s how the hero, Fisher Tiger, died. He risked his own life to free slaves of all races. But after a bloody war, he died. He could have lived if he had a transfusion. The heartless humans refused to give their blood to him.”

I was gobsmacked by that. Honestly. What a great twist, in terms of both plot and morality! How are the Strawhats going to fight against years of racism, abuse, toxic politics and the veneration of a martyr-like figure who means so much to the people of Fishman Island? 

This is going to be a wild ride.

Usopp dismissed the old law. He begged someone, anyone, to help Sanji. Hammod tried to take Luffy by force but severely underestimated how much stronger he’d become (that Haki, honestly... it is so badass).

Camie hijacked the Royal Fish Boat (the royals here seem pretty laid back because if that was real life, you’d be in your local Impel Down faster than you can say, “But I need a blood transfusion!”)

And it seems something is rotten in the state of Fishman Island. Not only are the Strawhats the first human visitors in a while, the Princes were unable to deliver a message to Jimbei.

I wonder if it’s anything to do with this shady character?

This is the guy who wants to see Luffy. The one Hammond calls “Boss.” Hordy Jones, I think his name was? And here we have a shady face, not entirely revealed, sharp teeth and a good voice actor? This has happened before with Moria and Crocodile. Could this be the villain? Is this Hordy Jones, or is he higher up the chain?

I hope so. Was blue-balled with the Flying Dutchman stuff. Don’t want it happening again, haha.

Also, who or what is Noah? Was confused as to whether it was a location or a person.

*insert Rocky Theme tune*