#finally i come across a solid Y branch (till then i was just talking the straightest path so i wouldn't get lost) and am like ok. how much

[gu6chan]

just tried biking all 13ish km of the road i live on right now since the weather is decently nice and funny enough

1. I've known this road since I was like 4

2. I've never seen the other half of it till today. im 27

and oh my GOD i was not expecting to be hit back to back with four steep as SHIT hills. Like I saw the first one and am like "Oh! What a nice little challenge, it's like the hill I bike up when I come home from town" and then RIGHT a couple feet after is ANOTHER and im tired but rev myself up like "I do it every day I can make it" and for a while it's all chill until i see the biggest hill of my LIFE going right down into a four-way pass and am like "oh my god"

Anyways I get pass that and there's an even bigger one right on the other side and knowing how dead it is, i decide to risk it and ZIP right through there but this bastard is so big and im so tired i have to hop off my bike like "yeah. im turning back after this" and i did 😭 i didn't make it y'all...... I had another 6km to go why is this road so fucking LONG

[sebbytrash]

Through His Eyes - Part Fifteen

Summary - Bucky arrives at the compound to start afresh but you and him have a somewhat colorful past, colorful being that you met him once before as The Winter Soldier and it did not go well. New beginnings, yeah? If you can learn to forgive.

Pairing - Bucky x Reader

Warnings - Not much, a little angst, a little implied sexual content

A/N -  OK here it is, finally managing to squeeze a little writing in whilst the baby is sleeping! I hope this is still something you guys enjoy, love you all so much for sticking with this one for the last (2) years!!

Through His Eyes Masterlist

Shit. ShitShitShit. You did it again. 

You’ve woken, once again, tangled in the sheets with a very naked Bucky Barnes.

Shit.

You meant what you’d said about being friends, how could you not? But then you’d seen him standing there with all that anguish and been overwhelmed with the need to soothe it, soothe him. OK, yes, that should not necessarily lead to hopping straight back into bed with the man, but here you are. Zero self control and an abundance of poor decision making skills that combined spectacularly, the gunpowder and lead, fired directly at your life.

As you lie there pondering those life decisions, you listen to the sound of Bucky’s deep even breaths, realising after a few seconds that your breaths match his when his arm knots around your waist. It fits against you like it was missing all along, like there was an arm shaped whole across your ribs that's now filled in perfect proportion, almost how your breaths match his, too. There’s no one, you think, less suited for Bucky than you.

You leave without waking him, again.

“Sam.” You say, as you walk towards him in the kitchen, and then more urgently, “Sam.” 

“Marshmallow, are you okay?” He asks, instantly worried at your tone and the sudden closeness to him, his face searching yours for signs of your usual demons.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” You sigh, step forward and lean your head on his chest.

“Okay, do you wanna maybe explain?” He says, like your tone wasn’t enough, when you’d so obviously tried to project your thoughts into his head so you wouldn’t have to say them out loud. 

You bite your lip and raise your head, wondering how on earth you say what you need to say to him, watching his face grow tighter and tighter in concern and force out in a rush, “I slept with Bucky.”

His face. Right away, his eyebrows were doing something entirely different to his eyes, and his eyes were doing something different to his mouth. He had three expressions at once. They all fight for dominance, or probably more accurately, simply line up in a row to give you all three in quick succession. 

“You…” He begins, and the stops, and you begin to wonder how badly he’s going to yell at you for this that he needs so much time to arrange his thoughts when Bucky appears beside you.

“Hey Sam, Y/N.” He says simply, like he hasn’t just walked in on your word vomit, and then to Sam directly, “You ready to go?”

“Go?” You ask before you can stop yourself, more confused by Bucky talking to Sam than anything else. 

“Yeah, to the VA. Bucky has been coming along with me.” Sam answers, still staring at you in that three-expressioned way. You glance at Bucky, worried he’s going to pick up this weird vibe but when you do, you find he’s looking at you already, giving you a different kind of look but one with no less weight to it. 

“Oh.” You say, glance between them a little too long, “Oh! Ok, that's good. Right? Yeah. Good. I’ll just...leave you guys to it then?” You trip and stumble over the words almost as much as you do over your feet as you back away from them, letting your eyes take up too much space on your face. 

Double shit.

It’s a few hours since your confession to Sam, you're sitting in your room with Netflix on in the background, staring at the door. You know it will knock, you're just wondering when it will and, more importantly, who it will be. Or, more accurately, who will be first. 

Despite the staring, your startled when the knock sounds, heart suddenly throat bound and climbing. You know who it is by the knock alone.

“Can I come in?” Bucky asks when you open the door, a soft, unobstructed smile on his face, his hair tied neatly at the back of his head. You open it further in answer. 

He sets down a paper bag on your side table as he does, hovers awkwardly at the edge of your couch like he isn’t sure if he should sit and you hate that, hate that your making him feel like that after all your progress.

 You sit, and gesture for him to join you, “How was the VA?” 

“It was good,” He says, rolls his tongue like he's measuring his words, “I like it there.” 

Truthfully, it surprised you that he was going there, that he was mentioning it so casually now, that he was taking steps towards his own well being after so long of not. 

“I’m glad.” You offer quietly, “You deserve to.” 

He smiles at that, loses an inch in height as he does, settling into the silence with a comfort you’ll never master with it. Finally, he offers a branch, “So, no more nightmares then?” His subtle way of bringing it round to last night, or nights, and you laugh despite your trepidation.

“It must be your bed, so comfortable, it feels brand new.” You joke, if only to stall.

“Hmm, yeah I guess it is. Never slept in it till you.” He confesses, his smile still light despite the nature of it. 

“You didn’t?” You ask, confused because where else would he be sleeping then and a flash of a memory pushes against your eyes. The night you saw Bucky having a nightmare, him all tangled up with his sheets on the floor. “Oh.”

“Yeah, turns out it's pretty common actually. Something from the war, not from Hydra.” He explains with such ease that you assume has come from his time spent at the VA, his time spent with Sam. Oh Sam, forever the friend, always the healer. Your heart is fit to burst with pride for him. 

“You think you’ll stay there now? In the bed” You try not to weigh his recovery on the edge of the question.

He looks at you solidly as he answers, “Yeah, think I’m there for good now.” 

Both of you jump as the door swings inwardly, Sam waltzing in like he lives there too and then halting, comically, when he spots you both on the couch looking a lot more guilty than you should for two people having a simple conversation. Like there was anything simple about either of you. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt, just wanted to finish our conversation from earlier, Y/N.” Sam says your name a little thicker than usual, hinting at what’s to come.

“I was just about to head out, anyway.” Bucky rushes, looks at you carefully and adds, “I’ll catch up with you later.” You find yourself nodding, even though you know you shouldn’t. 

Sam claps him on the shoulder as he passes, waits till the door is closed before turning back to you, eyebrows near the damn ceiling, “You!”

“Me?” Your smile turns to a grimace under his stare. 

“Yes, you. Dropping a bomb on me like that and then running off before I can disarm it.” 

“In my defence, I had no idea you were about to leave.” You remind him, avoiding the topic altogether.

He takes Bucky’s spot on the couch beside you, arms folded across his chest as he turns to face you, “All right, let’s hear it.” 

And so you explain, tell Sam about each of the encounters and how you’d gotten to this point and to his credit, he says little, makes no expressions that might reveal his thoughts, just lets you get it all out. 

When you finally finish, you push the heels of your hands into your eye sockets, the hopelessness of the situation suddenly overwhelming, more so now that Sam knows. Now that your actions can be judged by someone sane and separate. 

“I just…” You start, trying to explain how you felt, feel, “It was just nice to feel something else other than all the dark stuff, you know? And as weird as it is, he gets it, that feeling.” 

“I can understand that.” He says after a pause, reaches over to take those hands from your face and hold them in his, solid, steady. So very Sam. 

“It doesn’t mean anything.” You say, looking anywhere but at him.

“Yeah? Then why did you tell me?” 

“I don’t know.” You answer honestly. 

“I think you do.”

-----

Later, when Bucky knocks on your door far later than is polite, you consider ignoring it. Or you consider that you should ignore it. That you should do the right thing for you both, for him and let this be washed away like a fever dream.

You don’t.

-------

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[wincore]

love, summer | dong sicheng

pairing: merman!sicheng x reader

words: 7.3k

genre: mermaid!au, fluff, some angst

warnings: mentions of nightmares and anxiety

a/n: my exams start next week and i really wanna complete a request by then but hnnnfhgf hear me out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,merman sicheng is great,,,,,

You dreamt that the entire city was submerged in crystal clear water. The little glowing fishes swam over your bed, in and out through buildings and houses, over and under tree branches. As you tried to focus on your novel, the fishes tickled your arms and legs, blowing bubbles in front of you, beckoning you to leave your room, like they have something to show you, some secret to tell.

You climbed out your window for the first time in a long time, even if it was in a dream. You took one slow step after another, and soon you floated down to the soft, green grass. You let yourself be carried forward by the swarm of golden-orange fish as they joked and told you stories, trying to make their company much more enjoyable than they already were. You walked past the bus stop, greeting the old ladies going to the market, and finally down the stone steps, urged on by your marine companions.

They inevitably stopped at the edge of what was supposed to be the beach, if the city hadn’t been submerged in water. It still looked the same, except the water there was a darker, richer blue and you found yourself struggling to not dip your feet in it. Your eyes scanned the area; the rocks and fences were accompanied by painted fish, the sunlight streamed through the turquoise waters above and around you and the occasional jellyfish popped in to say hi. You seemed to be the only one there, and while the cold current felt refreshing all on your own, you missed the warm glow of the fishes already.

You walked further towards the ocean when you noticed the figure standing by the large pile of rocks you had labelled ‘the lion’ a long time ago due to its resemblance to the wild animal. You don’t know why but you found yourself being pulled towards the figure, although there was no current as far as you remember. As soon as you stopped, the boy turned to face you, a curious look on his face. The solid gold ink painted in fine lines across his cheeks, necks and shoulder blades gave him the appearance of someone special as much as the low-cut dress shirt tried to play him off as ordinary. His features were regal but his eyes were kind as they scanned you over, as if trying to comprehend your existence.

You smiled at the boy like you knew him. His expression remained unchanged as he stared back at you with wide eyes and parted lips, abruptly raising his arm to place it fondly on your cheek. The skies were still bright blue but you felt your chest constrict at the contact as the water around you suddenly turned against you. It seemed to darken; it choked you, filled your lungs that are not adapted to breathing underwater, and soon you open your eyes to your alarm clock flashing 4:00 AM in bright red.

Your heart still beats uncontrollably fast as you try to settle the panic that has risen your chest cavity. You try to think of anything but water—the treehouse in the local park, your mother’s favourite perfume, your neighbour’s golden retriever. You calm down eventually, sweeter and softer images slowly filling your mind. You look out your window to find a clear night sky and silence, and before the unnatural fear can settle in again, you shut your eyes and pull your blanket over you.

Despite waking up groggy and a little too close to noon for your liking, you help your mother with the errands (more like, you were forced to but it’s not like you have anything better to do). You race no one in particular as you run through the crowds to the local marketplace. You’ve grown used to avoiding bumping into people as you skip over steps, the uneven pavement adding a stumble to your movement. You say hello to the vendors and the people you already know, and while they understand your rush to buy the vegetables—you’ve always been this way—you yourself don’t know why you’re still in a hurry. You’ve been running since you were a child, and you haven’t stopped in quite a while.

It would have been a normal errand run for you had you not ran into the boy from your dream. His lips and jaw are still set into a regal expression, his hair is boyishly messy as if it’s just been dried and he moves as if he’s analysing the whole marketplace, each step calculated and each glance scrutinising. You think you’re blatantly staring at this point, but you can’t snap out of it either—every time he glances at a shop, or picks up a small item to look at, or lets the corner of his lips quirk upwards at the fruit-seller’s puppies guarding the fruits.

The boy finds your eyes in the crowd and freezes immediately. You make your way towards him, again as if drawn by a current but he shies away, running through the crowds and somewhere else till he’s out of sight. You run your fingers through your hair in frustration. Was he even real or have you started hallucinating in the summer heat?

There’s something about the boy, something that makes you unable to stop thinking about him—real or not. Was it the glint of the unknown in his eyes? Or was it his way of walking, each stride as graceful as a king? Was it the soft look of innocence painted across his cheeks? Or the pureness of his secret smiles?

You walk home at a slower pace, still lost in dreams and wonder. Your mother doesn’t appreciate you running into the house and dropping the groceries in the kitchen at lightning speed to run back outside. While you’re sure you’ll get an earful when you get home, you make your way past the bus stand, past the children’s park towards the silver beach.

It’s hotter than it was in your dream, but you’re used to it, appreciating the occasional breeze that graces your presence. There’s no particular reason as to why you came here. You don’t expect the boy to be here, but you came here on impulse anyway. The sunlight is almost always blinding in the afternoon, and you sit beside the lion, sighing in its shade and pat its rocks like they understand you, like they are alive in some way.

The afternoon is when you like the beach the most(other than at night), despite its heat. It’s relatively empty save the stray tourist here and there, and the songs of the seabirds and the waves lull you into your happy place, where you can be free and unafraid all at once. You used to run on the sand, struggling to land with a strong footing, you used to run every day to the beach, climbing over the fence. You used to run to laugh and be happy, to look cool to your friends when you won against them in a race. You don’t know why you still run so fast, but being an adult unable to catch up is a sadder fate than one would imagine.

You hear a sigh on the other side of the rock, and immediately perk up. With slow, silent movement you stand up and take a step forward to peek to the other side. An inaudible gasp escapes from your mouth, at the boy from your dreams present before you yet again. He wears a dark baseball cap, a new addition to his outfit from the marketplace, and you can’t see any recognizable expression on his face for you to discern.

In your excitement, you become rather insensitive to his sense of security, and run around the rock to try and greet him (you don’t know how yet but you think a ‘hi’ is a good start). But the suddenness of your action leads to a strangled noise emanating from his throat as he stumbles backward and lands on the soft sand. Realizing your inconsiderate proceedings, you feel a blush bloom across your face and crouch down in front of him.

“Sorry!” you begin, “I really am- I didn’t mean to do that.”

He stares at you with slightly wider eyes for a few quiet seconds before shaking his head.

“It’s okay.”

His voice is deeper than you expected, although it carries a melody you find familiar.

Finding no other way to improve the conversation, you introduce yourself. You’re suddenly a little conscious of how casual your attire is, shorts and an oversized t-shirt, while he’s dressed in a loose fitting, full-sleeved shirt somewhat resembling a Disney prince. When you ask him his name, he looks a little confused, tilting his head to one side with a blank expression.

“My name? My name is Sicheng.”

“Sicheng,” you repeat.

“Yes,” he nods.

“Do you come here often?” you ask, a smile playing on your lips.

He looks amused, a tiny light sparkling in his eyes as he responds, “Yes. I guess you can say that.”

Talking to Sicheng is easier than talking to people from your town. Although he acts like a tourist sometimes, there’s nothing remotely tourist-y about the way he thinks, about the way he talks of the ocean and the sand. Sometimes, it feels like he knows much more about your own secret place than you do. He talks slowly and carefully at first, with you continuing the conversation. But when you talk about the ocean like a friend, he perks up, listening intently and adding on with a excited tremor to his voice.

“You think it looks like a lion too?” you ask.

“No, a sea lion,” he insists.

You press your eyebrows together to think. Does it now?

“I’ve never seen a lion anyway,” Sicheng mutters when you don’t come up with a response.

“Neither have I, silly, but you must have seen pictures.”

Sicheng looks flustered before nodding rapidly, “O-Of course!”

The sand is still warm when the evening begins, and you gaze at the orange hues meddling with fading blues of the ocean, in peaceful silence. Sicheng breaks it, getting up suddenly, a look of panic etched across his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I, uh, I have curfew.”

“Really?” you laugh. “How old are you?”

“Older than you for sure,” he shows his teeth in something of a grin before making a run for it over the sands, a hasty goodbye directed your way.

Sicheng’s disappearing figure reminds you that you, too, have a curfew and your mother will have your head soon.

You can’t sleep that night. The nightmares are strong and vivid, and they like to constrict your lungs, rob you of air every time you try closing your eyes. You throw off your blanket and sit up, unable to take it anymore.

Where else can you go in the middle of the night but the sea? The sea which has calmed you since you were a child, the sea which doesn’t ask questions unless you want it to, the sea that has been here since before you existed and which will be there long after you’re gone. This is the sea you come to every time your chest hurts, every time you need to keep breathing. You skip over the rocks till you land on the one furthest into the ocean. The waves crash against the boulders, splashes of water hitting you in sporadic seconds. You let your legs dangle over the edge, as you sit on a relatively flat surface of the giant rock.

The sea at night listens. You listen to its existence, and it listens to your heartbeat. You notice the moon swaying on the water, and involuntarily look up. If you could take in your breaths without worrying about the coming morning, you’d already have ventured far, far beyond the summer. You stand, wanting to feel the ocean breeze a little clearer, to laugh with the moon a little easier.

The dark blue night sky enchants you, charms you so much that you don’t notice your feet in the darkness. The moon and its lucent companions get blurry and before you can comprehend, you stumble and fall.

The thing about seawater is that it stings as much as it is cold. Your nose and throat burn as you’re relentlessly pushed and pulled in tug-of-war game that the sea plays with itself. You try grabbing a hold of the rocks but they’re too slippery, escaping your grasp each time but leaving you with flaring scratches. You’re about to give up—maybe your lungs were meant to be filled with water, after all, and you take one deep breath before trying to reach for a strong enough hold. You do get a hold of something this time, but it’s too soft, too moving to be rocks.

Glowing eyes scan yours and you don’t have enough time to react to it holding you by the waist as your consciousness slowly leaves you. The night gets darker at a rapid pace and the last thing you remember is a warmth pressed against your mouth.

You wake up in a place you had once had a glimpse of a long, long time ago. Or rather, it’s a place you think you’ve seen before because it looks like a hideout, a magic-scented cove from your fantasy novels. No, you can’t say you’ve ever been here. But the essence of it is familiar.

The rocks around you are mossy, and the sound of dripping water continues to echo through the cave-like area. Sunlight streams in through a place further off, and you think you can see a hint of bright green seaweed, dancing under the light. You’re not underwater, no. The pools scattered around your feet are deeper than they appear to be, sapphire blue and strangely inviting. The largest one is near the fields of submerged seaweed, lighter turquoise water swaying under the breeze. You inevitably walk towards it, steps slow but steady.

The sound of gushing water gets louder with every step you take, and you can finally see the small sets of waterfalls that have formed over the large pool. The sunlight is brighter yet, and it must be early morning because you can hear the rising cries of the seagulls. There’s some red sprinkled on the sand near the pool which you realize are baby crabs with delight, and you’re sure you spot the occasional rainbow scales of fish inside the waters.

Just when you’re about to turn the other way, you notice a startlingly familiar face gazing at the part of the sky that the rocks of the cliff allow you to see. He’s in the pool, mostly underwater, while his bare torso rests under the sun.

“S-Sicheng?!”

Sicheng snaps his head towards you, but instead of showing any hints of compassion, he sinks further underwater till the water reaches his nose.

“Sicheng,” you say, dodging the little crabs on your path, “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t come any closer!”

“Why?” you continue walking towards the pool while he drifts apart.

“Th-there’s, uh, piranhas! In the pool!”

“What?! Why are you inside then?”

Sicheng exposes his teeth with a click of dismay. The perfect set are only broken by the disproportionately large canines, and while they’re not large enough to poke out of his mouth, they still surprise you a bit.

“Sicheng,” you furrow your brows at him.

Sicheng sighs before propping himself up on a rock, his upper body exposed to you. You jump over to said rock and while you scrutinize him for whatever he may be hiding, he raises his full body onto the rock.

You’re so taken aback you almost fall into the pool. A pale yet somewhat iridescent fishtail stays attached to Sicheng’s lower body, sometimes shimmering with the colours of the rainbow when he moves at certain angles.

“A merman, yes,” Sicheng confirms before you can ask, shaking his head.

“Cool,” you whisper with eyes full of wonder.

“You don’t hate me?”

“What? Why should I?”

Sicheng scrunches his eyebrows in confusion. “They always said the humans hated us. That’s why they throw their filth in here.”

“No, sweetie, that’s because humans are shit.”

Sicheng cracks a smile. “Don’t you want to get back?”

“Are you kidding me?” you say, creasing your brows. “No way!”

Sicheng offers to show you around his secret cove with a bashful smile. His tail disappears once he’s out of the water, and once again, he’s in the clothes you saw him in.

When you venture further into the faint darkness, you’re startled by the sudden loud echo of water dripping from an extreme height, no doubt. Sicheng steadies you by the shoulder, and when you smile at him as thanks, you don’t see the warmth of his cheeks in the darkness.

“Just a little further,” Sicheng’s voice comes from beside you.

And then you see it. The glass holds back the blue of the sea, and the life teeming behind it. Your jaw drops and you walk faster towards it, unaware of anything else, looking only at the brightly coloured anemones and the lively fish playing peek-a-boo. The other creatures on the seabed look prehistoric, like something out of a dinosaur book but they mind their own business, scouring the floor.

“My dad made this,” Sicheng says, waving towards the dimly lit glass. “I used to come here all the time.”

You nod, smiling, and press your fingertips against the glass. A turtle swims by, gently tapping its head against the glass and then swimming away. You wave at it, enamoured by its lazy yet jolly movement.

A sudden shuffling from the back of the trail causes the both of you to get alert. The shuffling turns into footsteps and a look of panic spreads across Sicheng’s face as he pulls you into a narrow trail, trying to keep from touching the damp rocks as much as possible. The footsteps eventually fade into a thick silence, full of anticipation, and Sicheng presses you further into a narrow crevasse, his breath hot on your cheek.

You hear voices after a few seconds, and you think Sicheng must recognize one of them because he tenses up, his breath hitching. In his fear, he leans further into you as if he can simply disappear from sight if he gets close enough—and you would be okay with it if it weren’t for lump in your throat and the goosebumps on your skin that had formed at the extreme proximity.

Sicheng lets out a deep breath when he’s sure the owner of the voices have left. He turns to look at your face, which is most certainly far too in his personal space and from what you can make out in the darkness, he suddenly feels warmer. Another thing you find out about Sicheng is that his eyes glow a dangerous yellow in the dark. They widen as if realizing your position only now and he stumbles forward, out into a more breathable area.

You follow him out and he mumbles a panicked ‘sorry!’ to which you shake your head.

“That was my dad,” Sicheng says, his voice low. “He’d kill me if he found I brought a human here.”

“Oh,” you barely respond, your voice meek, “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault,” he says, flashing a polite smile.

You walk to the glass again, the blue-painted light dancing and playing across Sicheng’s cheeks as he smiles at the turtles, a small dimple making its appearance. He turns to meet your gaze, and you don’t know why but your cheeks heat up, caught in the act of staring. He lets out an ‘ah!’ before walking closer and holding up your arms gingerly.

You see the red lines of swollen scratches stretching randomly across your skin as though a deranged man had made marks on a canvas with bright red paint. You hadn’t felt the pain up until now, but suddenly they burn. Before you can understand, Sicheng brings your palm to his mouth and breathes—a cold breath, as soothing as ice on a summer afternoon and you sigh in relief. He does that for all your scratches and cuts; from your knuckles to your elbows to your knees, and the pain subsides as fast as it had appeared.

You gaze at him in wonder. “You’re magical!”

“Yes, I thought the tail gave it away.”

“Don’t get snarky with me.”

Sicheng smiles, the pure kind where he beams all over.

When you glance at your arms again, your skin is fully healed and soft to touch. You make your way back, talking in hushed whispers (it’s mostly you asking about the underwater kingdom, and how cool it would be for sightseeing) and while Sicheng speaks, he doesn’t seem to be telling you everything you want to know.

Sicheng stops at the pool and you stare at his back, wondering why he stopped so suddenly.

When he turns around, his lips are pressed together and there’s a sharp intake of breath before he speaks. “How long can you hold your breath?”

You crease your brows, trying to respond with an answer. Well, in middle school, you could do it up to a little more than two minutes. You’re not very sure about now though; you don’t swim often.

“Seven minutes?”

“Seven?!” you repeat. “I couldn’t do that if I tried!”

Sicheng scrunches his eyebrows again, pressing his lips into a thin line till his cheeks puff out.

“W-well,” he begins, “to get out of the cove, you have to swim through that pool and…”

Sicheng trails off, the dilemma at hand getting obvious.

“Unless you want to climb,” he says, looking up at the rocky walls surrounding the pool that stretch far too high into the sky.

“Is there no other way?” you ask, suddenly scared.

“I don’t think you’d appreciate it,” he says.

You look at him as if to say ‘well, continue’ but he gulps and a somewhat embarrassed expression takes over.

“I’d have to kiss you,” he says, quieter.

Suddenly, an image flows back into your head from last night and you gasp before pointing an accusing finger at Sicheng. “You kissed me last night!”

He seems to get more embarrassed as he trips over his words, trying to explain. “Your- your lungs were failing! And I thought you’d- you’d die for sure I—”

“It’s okay,” you reassure quickly, trying to ignore the rising red in your cheeks.

“It’s okay?” he repeats.

You nod and take a step forward. Sicheng tries to compose himself as he gets closer to you and gingerly presses his lips to yours for a flash of a second. You barely register it, but the same icy feeling travels from your lips to your throat to lungs. By the time your head feels less dizzy, Sicheng is already in the water motioning for you to follow him.

Swimming without the fear of drowning is a different experience altogether. You make sure to say hello to all the fishes you pass, the hum of excitement in your chest leading you on. The sea is dark initially but as you swim up, the sunlight enters and you’re pulled towards it. The school of fish swirl around you and Sicheng, and you see him with a soft smile adorning his face, before he turns back to you.

You take your first breath at the surface of the familiar blue sea. Even when you reach the sand, Sicheng follows you, making sure you’re safe in every step. While you assure him you’re fine, he follows you all the way back home, waving you goodbye with a concerned, tight-lipped smile.

You visit Sicheng the next day, and the day after, and the day after that. Each day he brings a new sea creature you’ve never seen before in a sealed water bubble, with an excited grin tugging at his full lips. Each day you get to know more about him, not because he talks a lot but from the way he talks and the way he looks while talking. You’re at your own pace with him, not worrying about a nightmare anytime soon. Neither of you talk about the ‘kiss’ though and most of you is relieved to never bring it up again.

“This,” Sicheng says, “is a juvenile cowfish.”

It’s a little translucent fish, which tends to glow a soft violet and stares at you with black soulless eyes and puckered lips.

“You really like these creatures, don’t you?”

Sicheng nods, smiling while looking down. “I like those too,” he says, “Puppies.”

Your eyes widen when an idea strikes and you clasp your hands together. “You’re going to love Miss Wei’s puppies. She lives on the cliff, over there.”

You point at the hills that act as a continuation of the short cliffs by the ocean. It’s covered in dense forests but you’ve visited it enough times to know of the numerous cafes and bathhouses, and of course, the location of your elementary school teacher’s house. You used to visit her all the time, along with your childhood friends, to play in her yard and she didn’t mind one bit. She loved your energy bursting through her rooms and she still invites you over, although she’s retired. You visited her almost a month ago, before you found Sicheng, and you remember gleefully playing with her new puppies telling you to come join her again. It’s also a good excuse to go visit her, and have her infamous brownies.

Miss Wei’s house is a long way to trek, though, and you sit at a café midway to your destination. Sicheng pokes around with the menu, somewhat glaring at it before you open your mouth into an ‘o’ shape.

“You can’t read,” you state to him.

He nods and you take the opportunity to present to him your favourites.

“Tiramisu?” he asks, poking the delicacy with a fork. He cuts off a portion and places it in his mouth nonetheless and his eyes widen, a ‘wow’ escaping his lips.

You reach Miss Wei’s house after almost an hour of lugging yourself uphill, and you’re almost immediately engulfed by the puppies. The two of them wag their tails in uncontainable excitement and Sicheng lets out a timid, startled noise when they jump up on him.

You hear your name called out from the front door and Miss Wei stands there in her signature apron; she used to bake cookies for class, too, and she looks as jolly as ever, her skin pale but soft and her cheeks as red as apples. She rushes down the steps to greet you with the biggest smile before turning to Sicheng.

“Is this your boyfriend?”

You turn red without notice, not sure why the thought of Sicheng as your boyfriend makes you feel that way. You shake your head at whirlwind pace, and although Miss Wei responds with a ‘oh dear, my bad’, the glint in her eyes tells you that you’ve given yourself away.

Sicheng is well used to the puppies after a bit of running and stumbling around, and when you sit at the steps of the temple, Miss Wei tells you something you never expected her to say. You notice the marks of age on her skin; the wrinkles, the deep creases, especially when she’s grim. When she was your teacher, she seemed much happier, much more foolish, one would say. Her eyes follow Sicheng’s movement, a mirthless look on her face contrasting with Sicheng’s spikes of laughter.

You must never trust water.

You don’t forget what she says, not because of your attachment, but because they seem to hold a truth you’re missing. A truth you might never be able to grasp. It’s a little strange, though, to hear the words from someone who told you to smile and hold your head high every day.

The summer breeze brings back your teacher’s honey-sweet smile, and she asks, “Aren’t you going to visit the shrine?”

Of course, you had forgotten about the summer rituals. The goddess of the sea in her crown of seashells and shipwrecks, a heart as kind as nature allows and an unmoving yet sorrowful smile playing on her lips—that’s who you worship when the summer haze starts, that’s who you mutter your prayers too, in hopes that one day she might answer them.

Sicheng follows you up the stairs of the shrine happily, after having waved goodbye to Miss Wei and her enthusiastic puppies. He’s suddenly livelier than before, and you would think he’s in a different world altogether, with the lost smile on his face.

You’re sweating by the time you reach the top, and you wipe your brow cursing the heat as Sicheng steps from behind to stand beside you. You flash him a smile, still out of breath, and the returned smile playing on his pink lips make your flutter in a sudden motion.

The shrine in front of you stays inside a jasmine-scented building, the wooden posts holding up its tiled roof. The fragrance comes from the decorated jade bowl, with flowers and stray petals floating on its emerald waters and the small structure stands right in front of the two pillars signifying the entrance. The space inside isn’t too deep, but Sicheng freezes as soon as he sees the carved ivory face of the sea goddess, her eyes wide open in an undecipherable emotion and lips painted red. The colour produces a stark contrast with the bluish grey jewels on her forehead, and it might just describe the very essence of her being.

Ever since you were a child, you’ve heard stories of the feared yet loved deity—how she can swallow the largest, most intricate of ships if she deemed them unworthy, how she blesses the children born by the sea, how her smile has enough power to soak the city in light, and her wrath enough to claim all life on earth. She has a flow timed with the flow of life, and she is all things nature has to offer.

You especially found one particular story interesting, not because it was sweet or heart-warming but because of how unlikely it sounded. The sea goddess, in all her beauty and glory, regularly charmed the mortals and while she viewed them as nothing but passing lives, she still fell in love. She fell in love with a mortal man, and to make him immortal, she performed sacred rituals and raised tsunamis, but alas, it was never meant to be. Her children—children of the sea, with golden and silver and beautiful fishtails, and their children’s children lived on, and they are the ones who make her love unforgettable. Looking at Sicheng now, with his sculpted jaw and rosy lips, phoenix eyes and perfectly arched brows, you’re willing to believe that the goddess of the sea was truly as breath-taking as the stories claim her to be.

Sicheng’s discomfort doesn’t go unnoticed by you. You open your mouth to ask, but he stumbles around, unable to look any longer at the shrine.

The atmosphere turns damp as you walk back down the steps, back to the peachy sands of the seashore. Sicheng refuses to elaborate despite your obvious hints, and you grow restless with each passing second.

You absentmindedly make your way towards the lion, and breathe out before climbing it. Sicheng stands at the base for a few seconds until you usher him to follow suit. He complies, not very reluctant, and soon you’re sitting in silence under the coastal sunset.

“Sicheng,” you begin, “are you going to tell m—”

“I don’t know.”

You purse your lips at his haste. He notices it and sighs, a rather sorrowful expression overtaking his features.

“I…my mother…I hate my mother sometimes,” he says softly, “But I’m not allowed to say that.”

You stay quiet, waiting for an explanation. You understand his hesitance to say something personal and you wont force him, but he looks so burdened, you wish he’d let some of his stress go sometimes.

“Well,” he continues, “she’s the sea goddess you guys love so much.”

You raise an eyebrow. “What?”

“My birth history…is a little…complicated.”

And so you let him elaborate; you wait patiently when his voice hitches, your ears tune in when he speaks without stop and you try to the understand the mess of a life the sea prince has. With a human father, who loved the sea so much he wished to be submerged in it for the rest of his life and was finally granted his wish, and a mother who literally descended from heaven, who barely has time for any of her children, even the one whom she claims to be special—Sicheng’s life certainly isn’t easy and you certainly can’t tell him that it’s okay. So you just listen, like you listen to the seashells, and the sound of the waves.

“She barely looks at me. Am I even her son?”

Sicheng sighs, exhausted from all the talking and you don’t know what comes over you but you run your fingers through his hair and gently pull his head down to rest on your shoulder. Sicheng sighs once more, but this one sounds more of relief and you smile to yourself.

The stars come out and you point out the ones you know to Sicheng, who turns his head sometimes and you feel his breath on your neck.  

“My father worked so hard to be with the sea,” Sicheng mumbles, “If he finds me with a human, he won’t be very happy.”

Sicheng sits up straight as if he’s had a sudden revelation, and he turns to you with a determined look in his eyes. He leans in too fast for you to comprehend and places his mouth on yours, this time only a little longer, but pulls away nonetheless. Your ears turn hot and the beating of your heart is only amplified the longer you look at Sicheng’s wide-eyed expression.

“Sorry!” his voice has a sudden inflection. “I wanted to show you something, but it’s underwater so…”

Right. Of course. Kisses mean nothing to the children of the sea.

You nod, and he jumps off the rocks, waiting for you to follow. You walk behind him, the sand cool under your bare feet as you try to forget the lips of the sea prince on yours.

The warmth of the seawater almost makes you sigh but the sight of Sicheng in his most natural form makes you more so. Every ebb and flow of his movement mirror the sea itself and you can feel it in him, the beauty of life and its drift.

Sicheng holds your hand as he guides you through each tavern and cove till you reach a particularly dark area. But it isn’t dark for too long when you see the glowing green carpet of the ocean floor. The anemones pulsate with a sort of otherworldly light, changing colour with every blink and Sicheng motions at you to take a seat on the rocks just at the edge of the new world. Some fishes swim in and out, twirling and tumbling around in a happy dance and you beam at them, almost wanting to join them.

You don’t know how long you stay there, but it’s long enough for you to forget your life on land. It’s marks, however, come back soon as you notice the filth of humanity in the waters near the shore and your blood would boil if it weren’t for Sicheng reassuring you.

“It’s okay”, he smiled, unbothered. “We were all seafoam once and we will be seafoam again.”

When the ocean reclaims what is hers.

When you get back to the surface, you’re more comfortable in your skin than before and you let yourself hug Sicheng goodbye, ignoring the rush of blood to your face. There are a few warning signs going off in your head—this isn’t what’s meant to be, he’s only doing this to rebel, he might not even care for you. It accelerates your fears more so to think about Miss Wei and her words that stung a little, the seed of doubt planted in your head.

You can never trust water. You must never trust water. It is fluid, ever changing and cares only for its own survival, even if it means swallowing whole cities and drowning the innocent.

You elementary teacher was more than cynical that day, and you were left wondering how the ocean had broken her heart to such jagged pieces that they scarred so. It left you a bit shaken.

“Are you okay?” Sicheng asks when you’re lost in thought, and you snap yourself back to reality.

“Yeah,” you say, with your most supportive smile.

“Did you know the whales think they can reach the stars,” Sicheng says with a fond smile. “They only realize when they reach the surface. That the entire universe isn’t full of water. They’re never disheartened, though.”

“You can talk to fishes?”

“No, but I understand them.”

Sicheng tilts his head to look up at the stars and you admire his profile. A creature so elegant, so magical, so unreal—he’s there right beside you, talking to you as a friend, as if you’ve known each other for years. As if you’re equal, as if you deserve to be equal.

But you forget everything when Sicheng smiles at you, when he looks like an ordinary boy with ordinary problems. His hands are never cold to you, like he so complains and for once, you’d like to hold them without any restriction.  

Sicheng tenses up when you reach out to stroke his cheek, and you’d be embarrassed by now if he didn’t come closer to you, relishing your touch. You’d be even more embarrassed for leaning in if he didn’t at the same time. But you feel his breath on your lips and it’s enough for you to complete the kiss—a different kiss than before. It’s slower, for one, and Sicheng laughs somewhere into the kiss, unable to contain himself.

“You can’t do that!” you laugh with him.

“I just,” he says in between laughs, “I never thought you’d kiss me.”

“Did you not want me to?”

“I did,” he says, a little more sombre, “I did so bad.”

And so, under the moon smiling on at you, you share your second, third, fourth kisses with the boy whose breath smells like the sea breeze.

Sicheng shifts uncomfortably under his father’s gaze. It isn’t everyday he’s called for a meeting and although he’s got the hang of princely duties by now, he’d be a little disgruntled to be crowned king anytime soon. It’s not like he has a terrible relationship with his father either, but right now, the grim look on him does not let Sicheng relax.

“A human,” his father says, and Sicheng tenses up. “After all I did to save you from a miserable life up above, you still do this.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Not like that?”

“Yes.” Sicheng’s voice has a tremor to it. “I couldn’t leave the sea even if I wanted to.”

“So you’re going to make them leave their home?”

“No,” Sicheng says, a little mortified that he might have to ask that of you. “I’ll let it go if…if they don’t want to.”

“And stay here heartbroken?” His voice has softer edge to it now.

“Are you giving me a choice?”

“You’re going to sit and you’re going to think,” he says, regaining his stern tone, “and if you’re still not fine after that, there’s nothing I can do to stop you.”

Sicheng nods, his heart heavy. What if you don’t even care that much, and he’s let himself fall? What if humans are truly as terrible as his teachers taught him? He’s never believed that, and he doesn’t think he will anytime soon. The dreams don’t lie, his teachers had said. But he does need to think, and he does need to sort out his own emotions. After all, a restricted life doesn’t call for much self-introspection.

When you don’t see Sicheng for a whole week, you panic a little. It’s also rained for three days straight, and you can’t stay at the beach for too long before the clouds gather up again to spill all their rage onto earth. The sea level has surged and although there’s a tsunami warning, you’re sure nothing too eventful will happen in this town of yours.

When you wake up to water at the entrance to your house, you’re proved wrong. It wasn’t exactly a tsunami, but a silent creeping of the sea level which no one can figure out yet.

Sicheng stands a few feet away, water up to his knees but without a tail like you’re used to seeing when he’s inside water. The golden lines painted across his face occasionally flicker alive before fading back into his normal skin tone. He grits his teeth and the scratches the back of his head like he’s guilty of something, and you wade towards him.

“Sicheng! What’s going on?” you say when you’re close enough.

“I need to talk to you,” he answers, his voice low and raspy. There are dark circles under his eyes and while his words send another bout of anxiety through you, you let him kiss you before you move further under the waters.

Sicheng sits beside you on top of the lion which is now mostly submerged except for the top part of it. He gulps twice before speaking.

“I dreamt of you,” he says, “I dreamt of you a long time ago.”

“I dreamt of you at the beginning of summer,” you state.

“I know. That’s the second time I dreamt of you.”

Sicheng purses his lips before running his fingers through his hair. You wait, breathless, as he comes up with some way to tell you whatever he has to say.

“We’re supposed to see our…our partners in our dreams,” he says, “My father panicked so much that he didn’t allow me on land till I was fifteen. Till I forgot about you.”

His father found out this time too, and that’s why you haven’t seen him all week, that’s why the sea’s been so disrupted the past three days. It doesn’t matter now, he says. He has the ocean on his side, he’s always had it on his side but he’s never realized that he deserves a happy ending. The sea goddess of luck and blessings, his mother dearest had a talk and if there’s one thing she’s done for her son except bring him to life, it’s giving him her blessings.

“Will you come with me?” he asks, “If I ask something so selfish, will you still...love me?”

Much to his apparent surprise, you nod, mumbling a ‘yes’. The sea’s been kinder to you, and you’ve never had it in you to part with it, never found the land interesting enough to explore. You’ve always been running, and you don’t mind at all now—leaving the running behind. Sicheng cups your face before pulling you into a deeper, fuller kiss and you feel a weight lift off your shoulders, sighing against his touch.

Sicheng places his forehead against yours, and whispers something that you’re too caught up in the moment to understand.  

“You’re mine?” he asks, a little unsure, his eyes still wide. “You’re mine now? You can come with me?”

“Mhm,” you nod, a dizzying feeling taking over as you melt into his touch.

And just like Sicheng said, you’ll all be seafoam someday. But for now, you can live in his reality, in his endless ocean. You don’t think for one second that his palms are cold to touch for they warm you enough to make you keep them pressed against your cheek.

[petri808]

A Witches Heart

Bakudeku fluffy Witch/Familiar gift fic for my demon hubby @diabl0o  UwU

~ I wish I had more time and inspiration, but I hope you like it <3 ;)

For several hours something has been following him and it was getting on his nerves.  It wasn’t human, nor animal, most likely a magical creature of some sort, but what kind, and why was it following him?  “Who’s there?!”  The young wizard Izuku Midoriya calls out into the dense forest.  “I can sense your presence, so there is no point in hiding from me.”  Nothing stirs.  “Fine,” he sets his belongings down and takes a seat on a fallen log.  “I’ll just wait here.”

Whatever it was moved around, circling Midoriya but never came all the way out into the clearing.  This ‘thing’ was quiet, probably small, the wizard guessed, in order not to ruffle the leaves or brush.  In fact, it was starting to remind him of a specific type of animal. Within an hour the presence had finally stopped in front of him, but just out of view.  Oh well, when it was ready to come out it will.

Midoriya decides the day was growing late and began preparing a small campsite.  He gathers wood, kindling, grabs his flint, and starts a fire. Then he takes a kill he’d made that morning out of his rucksack, just a decent sized hare, skinning and cleaning it. The presence shifts, maybe curious as to what the wizard was doing.  That makes him grin, it was only a matter of time now.  

With the rabbit roasting over the fire, Midoriya sits back down, sipping from his waterskin flask, glancing but never staring directly at where the presence had settled.  “Are you hungry?” he talks out loud.  “I have a little to share, if you are.”  Still nothing stirs.  The offer was made, and it was up to it to make the next move. “In the morning I’ll be moving on again, my home is a few more day’s journey from here.”  It would have looked strange to be talking to air, but it was also kind of nice not to be completely alone.  These expeditions to gather supplies were necessary but very lonely without a companion. Older wizards often had vassals to do the hard work, but he was young and had yet to make his way in this world.

He tests the rabbit after 30 minutes and the flesh was firm with no more juices running from the meat.  It smelled great, a little charred at the edges, but nothing too burnt.  “Mmmm,” he holds the stick up near his nose, “sure you don’t want any?”  A slight rustle in the brush brings an uptick at the corners of Midoriya’s mouth.  He breaks a couple of legs off, which sends even more juicier scents into the air.  “Come on out, I won’t hurt ya.”

After a brief pause, the young wizard sees the bushes shake and slowly, a small canine walk’s out. Its nose is up, smelling the air, eyes look wary but curious.  Midoriya tosses a leg close to it.  “There ya go little fella,” he smiles at the animal.  While he eats the rest of the rabbit, he watches it sniffs the meat cautiously, taking a tentative bite, before it goes about devouring the leg.  “Wow,” Midoriya chuckles, “you must’a been hungry guy.”  It only takes a couple minutes before only a leg bone is left.  He tosses the second leg to the animal, but this time midway between them.  “Eat up.” Again, the creature walks over, sniffs, then gobbles up the meat.  In the meantime, Midoriya offers up one more leg and the innards to the animal while he finishes up his portion.    

“Ahh, that was good,” he pat’s his stomach and leans back against the tree trunk.  “Hopefully I keep finding easy prey like that and I won’t go hungry.”  

The dog didn’t immediately bolt back into the forest after the meal, instead sitting down a few feet away on the other side of the fire just watching the wizard.  It was hard to see the canine with only the flickering flames to illuminate it.  But what he could see was a yellow, blondish colored dog, with a medium length coat, pointy ears, and blood red eyes.  It was definitely on the smaller side, not much for a guard animal, but beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to a possible companion.  

Still, why was it giving off a magical presence, and what was such a small dog doing in the middle of a big forest anyways?  It was odd. Maybe it became lost from its original master?  Midoriya pondered such thoughts as he readied his bedroll.  “I’m going to get some sleep,” he tells the animal who hadn’t moved from its position.  “If you’re still here in the morning, you’re welcome to keep following me.”  The dog cocks it’s head as if were pondering its options.  Interesting that it seemed to understand him.  Well since it didn’t seem like the animal was any threat, with a few more pieces of wood added to the fire, Midoriya lies down and goes to sleep.

When he wakes up the next morning, the first thing he notices as soon as he opens his eyes, is that the dog had moved closer through the night and was just over an arms-length away to his side.  So, he sits up slowly not wanting to startle the animal.  “Good morning,” he smiles and yawns, “are you going to keep following me?”  Of course, the animal doesn’t respond, but simply stares.  “I should give you a name or something.”  Midoriya taps his chin, “how about fluffy?”  The animal lowers its ears and growls low.  He chuckles, “ok not fluffy, hmm, maybe Kuma?”  The dog tips his head.  Is it thinking again, Midoriya wonders?  After a few moments without being growled at, he assumes the name is acceptable.  It didn’t quite fit right for a small dog, but it was just a name after all.  “I’ll just call you Kuma for now.”

He packs up and heads off again through the forest.  If memory served him right, there will be a river about a half days journey ahead where he can refresh his water supply and maybe catch some fish for dinner.  Kuma simply follows behind a few feet, never coming close enough to where Midoriya could touch it, but by midday it was clear the animal had no intention of wandering off again.  Well, at least he had a companion now.  Sometimes he would talk out loud as they travelled, just so there was anything but the silence of the forest surrounding him.  Kuma was quiet, never really barked or made any noises, though Midoriya knew it was somehow understanding everything he was saying to it.  

Things went on like this for the next couple of days until they needed to cross another river.  Unlike the previous one, this river was wide and faster moving, but luckily, an old wooden bridge spanned it.  Midoriya tests the first couple of boards and it seemed sturdy enough, though the spaces between the slats were a bit wide.  He turns and reaches out to Kuma, “maybe I should carry you over this.”  Kuma growls and turns his nose, then bypasses Midoriya and begins to trot across on his own. So much for that idea, Midoriya just chuckles and follows behind.

Suddenly, as they reach the midway point, the board under Kuma cracks and gives way.  Midoriya watches in horror as the dog falls, howling till it hits the water and goes under.  “Kuma!”  The drop had only been the length of two tall men, but for a small animal it must have been much more terrifying.  The witch doesn’t hesitate, placing his belongings down and diving in after his companion.  

He searches desperately, paying close attention to each time the dog’s head broke the surface of the water. Midoriya calls out to it to fight. “I’ll save you Kuma!”  Swimming with the current, the witch dodges rocks and other debris.  He was losing track of how far it was carrying him, but it didn’t matter.  With every second he was gaining.  “Gotcha!” he manages to grab the dog’s scruff and pulls it back above the surface before it went under again.  He cradles it to his chest as they are swept a little further down river.  One problem solved, the next was getting out of there.  Midoriya scans and sees a fallen tree that is laying half way into the water. Perfect!  Timing it, he grabs hold of a branch.  The force of the water funneling around the tree was strong, but he manages to haul them both onto the trunk portion.

As soon as he crawls onto solid ground.  “That… was close…” Midoriya flops onto his back, panting from both exhaustion and the adrenaline rush.  It was only at that point that something peculiar registered on the witch.  This dog was a lot heavier than it looked, a lot heavier, as in three times what he though it should be.  “Are you okay,” he asks Kuma.  The dog had crawled off, shaken out it’s fur and sat right beside him.  It tips its head and nods.  Midoriya blinks, it nodded?!  Do dogs nod?!

The witch sits up, “I’m confused on what you are Kuma.  You give off magic, you understand what I’m saying, and your weight makes no sense for a small dog.  Where did you come from?  Did you get lost or run away from a master?  Are you here to get something out of me?  I don’t mind you tagging along, but it would be really nice to know what I’m dealing with.” Kuma rolls its eyes.  “Did you just…”

“You’re nicer than my last witch master, but sometimes you talk too much.”

Midoriya’s jaw drops and he stumbles to his feet.  “Y-You can talk!”

“Yeah.”

Before the witch can do anything more, Kuma shapeshifts into a wolf, a bear, a leopard, then finally into a human, albeit a naked one, while he just gawks the whole time.  As Midoriya covers his eyes, Kuma gives a bellowing laugh, “Such a pansy of a witch!  But a brave one.  For saving my life I will tell you what you ask.  My name is Bakugou Katsuki and I am a shapeshifter.”

“H-Here,” A blushing Midoriya shrugs off his coat and holds it up.  “Please cover up.”

Again, Katsuki laughs but obliges.  “I’m just gonna shapeshift again, it’s easier to travel as an animal.”  

“That’s fine.  I-I just, i-it’s…”

“I get it.  You can open your eyes now.”

When Midoriya peaks out, Katsuki had settled in a cross-legged position.  He breathes out a sigh of relief and opens his eyes.  The shapeshifter was very handsome in his human form, but this wasn’t the time to be gushing about such things.  Wait a minute!  “If you’re a shapeshifter, why didn’t you just change into, I don’t know, a fish or something to save yourself?!”  

“Because you jumped in after me!”  Katsuki crosses his arms, “I hadn’t planned on revealing myself yet, so yeah, if you hadn’t come after me, I would have done just that.”

“Oh.”  That made some sense.  “Hey, um, we should find our way back to the bridge before someone steals my things.” He stands up, ready to trek back along the river, when Katsuki places a hand on his shoulder.  

“Look, I just wanted to say thanks for what you did.  When I saw you, I had a feeling you wouldn’t be like a lot of the witches I’ve met and I was right, you still have a heart.”

“Um, thanks…. I think.”

“What I’m trying to say is, I’d like to be your Familiar if you’ll have me.”  

The young witch has never had a Familiar of his own before.  A wide, beaming smile blooms on his face.  He hugs the man, “I’d really like that!”

“Yeah, yeah.”  Katsuki rolls his eyes, and after a second pushes Midoriya off, “I ain’t really the touchy-feely type.”

Midoriya swore the shapeshifter was blushing too but doesn’t say anything.  “S-Sure, I understand.  So, shall we get moving?  If we hurry, we can get my stuff and make camp before dark.”

Katsuki nods and shape shifts into small dragon.  “Get on, this’ll be faster.”

“Wow!”

[fanfictionchild]

Oversight

Avengers x Reader     One shot

Summary: You’ve finally had enough of the neglect and disrespect after all you’ve done for them

Word Count: 2229

Warnings: Angst, crying, OOC?

A/N: Mmmk so this is the first time I’m posting anything on Tumblr and also the first oneshot I’ve ever produced as well as my first angst story... a lot of firsts. Also sorry if this is crappy, I was just really in the mood to write something and I just kinda spit this out on a whim so I’m sorry if it sucks.

        “God damnit!!!” She screams as she pounds on the punching bag taking out an amazing amount of anger on the poor object. She swings and kicks and jabs, the bag starting to swing on the chain holding it to the ceiling. With a last burst of energy she raises her foot and slams it into the bag hard, snapping the chain and sending the bag tumbling off its support to the floor a few feet away from where she was standing. Sweat drips off of her, soaking into her compression shorts and sports bra. Panting hard, she lets out an angry yell and kicks the bag one more time sending it rolling a farther across the floor.

          “Wow…” Steve mutters off to the side, amazed on the amount of strength she had presented to him. At the sound of Steve’s mumbles she whips her head around to glare in his direction.

           “What are you doing here Steven?” (Y/N) speaks quietly but the rage was pouring off her in tidal waves. His full name came rolling off her tongue with such malice, definitely something he wasn’t expecting, sending a shiver down the mighty captain’s spine.

           “I c-came to see if you were okay.” Stevie curses himself for stuttering as he stares into her eyes as her glare darkens.

           “Oh? So now you care? So all of you suddenly care that I won’t deal with your guy’s bullsh*it any longer?” She whispers, stalking towards him. Steve goes to take a step back to distance himself from the danger but falters when his back hits the wall, after all he was leaning against it not long beforehand. As she approaches him his face pales and he doesn’t know what to do, once she was close enough she sends a punch flying in his direction. He flinches away and closes his eyes but feels nothing but definitely hears impact. His eyes snap back open, a shocked expression gracing his features as he glances over at the gargantuan hole that has formed next to his head in the solid wall, her bloody fist settled in the center of it. (Y/N)’s eyes glaze over and the snarl marring her lips dies and forms a straight line. Her emotionless demeanor is truly terrifying, even more so than when she was angry.

           “Back off Steven. I don’t want to see any of your faces right now let alone speak to any of you. I’m leaving, and don’t expect me back for a while. I don’t want any of you trying to find me, calling me or trying to contact me in anyway, got it?” She breaths out looking at him with dead eyes. He slowly nods still trying to slow his heart rate after the previous events, not really hearing what she said. Once again she snarls and takes a step away from him.

           “Goodbye Steven.” She says one last time before striding out the door of the training room and slamming it closed making the door rattle and nearly fall off its hinges. Steve let’s out a shaky breath before pushing himself off the wall to follow after her. As he leaves he catches a sight of her profile in the elevator, angry tears rolling down her cheeks, mixing with the sweat that was there previously. His heart clenches with guilt and regret before tracing her steps to the elevator planning on following her to try to apologize. 

          Waiting for the elevator to return he asks F.R.I.D.A.Y., “F.R.I.D.A.Y., is (Y/N) heading to her floor?” 

         “Yes, Mr. Rogers, she is. But she has blocked all access to her floor, I’m sorry sir.” The slightly robotic voice answers. At this new information, Steve’s knees nearly buckle under him.

         “No…” Steve whispers before practically slamming the elevator button trying to open it faster. The door doesn’t open for a few more seconds, wasting valuable time needed to get to the others or more specifically Tony so he could lock down the building, preventing (Y/N) from leaving. Finally the door opens and he dashes in, slamming the buttons again. While in the small enclosed room Steve’s mind keeps flashing back to the images of (Y/N)’s hurt, angry, and stoic facial expressions. The guilt grows in the blond’s heart as he realizes what a complete a**hole he had been to the stunning, kind girl. It hadn’t been only him though, it had been the whole Avenger’s team that had neglected her the past few months. 

          After the war that had happened between them, everyone’s lives on the compound drastically changed. Everyone became less focused on the team as a whole and became more secluded and distant. Hatred was shared between everyone, hating each other for all of their conflicting views.The team quickly grew apart but she, (Y/N), disregarded everyone’s hatred and selfishness and snapped everyone out of their hostile mind sets. She had always been there to bring them back together again, always listening to everyone’s worries and concerns. Being a shoulder to cry on, waking a team member from a brutal nightmare, doing everyone’s chores, always trying to keep us as a family instead of us branching out by ourselves without any support from the others. Slowly but surely the hatred dissipated between them and the Avengers grew close once again, except for (Y/N). 

        She was left behind, left doing the chores. She still talked to everyone, the people she previously comforted but only when they thought it was convenient. No one tried to involve her back into the group, too ashamed of the things that she helped them through. So no one noticed when her health started failing or when she started to wake up screaming from her own nightmares or sobbed into her pillows due to how lonely she had actually become. And even through all this (Y/N) kept up her wall of fake happiness, still acting as practically everyone’s slave. And then finally today, she snapped. 

         The team was talking in the common room laughing and having a good time when she walked in. At first her entrance wasn’t noticed due to her now much lighter frame (caused by her unnoticed sickness) and her bare feet barely making any noise on the cold floor, but as soon as she was noticed the voices died down to eventually nothing. When (Y/N) noticed how silent the team had become, she looked up from the laundry basket in her arms towards the couches where they were all seated. She had looked into Tony’s eyes and flashed a nearly dead smile, still trying to desperately preserve her mask but when Tony directed his gaze down to the floor, away from hers, her smile vanished. (Y/N)’s distraught eyes flew around the room looking for something, anything that would keep her from breaking. When no one met her gaze, her facade crumbled and all the contempt, rage and sadness came flooding out of her in screams and sobs of animosity. It had caught every member of the team off guard, the happy, kind, and genuine woman was gone and in her place was a broken and lonely girl. But by the time any of them realized what she had become it was way too late. 

           When Nat stood up to try to calm the enraged girl down, she practically screeched at her to “Keep the f*ck away from me!” quickly stopping even the Black Widow  in her tracks. At that point (Y/N) was seething, actually that doesn’t even begin to cover the bitterness she felt. With a muttered “Stay away from me,” she walked out of the common room to the elevator to go to her room, quickly getting changed into your training gear to head to the training room which led Steve and her to now.  The moment where the elevator couldn’t move any slower.

          When the elevator door opened, Steve sprinted out like a bat out of hell toward the common room, hoping to find the team still there. As he rounds the corner of the hall, he sees the team all still sitting on the couches, all contemplating how they could of done such a thing to their friend, their teammate, their family. A guilty silence had settled over the room when (Y/N) had left and it hadn’t been interrupted even when Steve had left to go find her but when he came back, he shattered it.

         “Stark!!! Lock the building down now! Don’t let anyone leave!” Steve yells. The others jump at the disturbance but Stark quickly answers although hesitantly.

         “Cap… why? What’s going o-”“There’s no time Tony! (Y/N) plans on leaving and not coming back! Now move!” That one sentence seems to kick start everyone as the all launch themselves off the couches to help. 

         “F.R.I.D.A.Y.! Turn off all the elevators and lock all the doors to the outside, we are on lock down till we get (Y/N) to stay, forcefully or not!” “Okay sir.” With that, alarms start going off throughout the Avenger’s Tower, screeching something about a lock down. The team can hear the elevators shutting down and here the panic which is quickly calmed down after Tony calls reception to tell them what is happening. And then the alarms turn off, leaving the whole building in a strange silence. A few minutes pass before the team visibly relaxes  and they all decide to try and go see (Y/N) and try to get her to stay, at that point they would all have been willing to beg at her feet to keep her there. Steve relaxes slightly as well but he still can’t help but feel slightly off, like something bad is still going to happen. As all the team walks to the stair well (since the elevators are off), the alarms start blaring again all of a sudden, only this time about the lock down still being in place. The team collectively tenses again but only Tony truly knows what’s happening.

          “NO!” He screams quickly calling for all security to look for (Y/N) but stops suddenly eyes filling with unshed tears as he listens to the other side of the line. When the team hears his command their eyes widen.

         Steve practically explodes,” Tony! What is happening?!” Tony hangs up his call before slowly sinking to his knees, putting his head in his hands.

        “There was a breakout of the building. The garage door was smashed down by a car more specifically, my car so (Y/N) could escape with hers.” He answers quietly, tears trailing down his cheeks. And with that one statement the whole team breaks down, Nat let’s out an extremely uncharacteristic sob and she clutches at her heart while sinking to the floor with Tony. Bruce just stands there in shock, eyes filled with unshed tears and Clint let’s out a heartbroken cry before punching the wall repeatedly before simply leaning up against it, starting to cry as well for his lost friend. Steve stands there, watching his team crumble under the loss of (Y/N), the underestimated, neglected, broken girl that saved them and ruined them. The regret and pain was suffocating him and he had to get away, had to go make sure (Y/N) wasn’t still in her room and just playing a terrible prank on them for hurting her. Steve slowly walks down the stairs towards (Y/N)’s floor in a haze. Not completely believing what was happening when he arrived at her room, the door is hanging open practically taunting him. He gently pushes open the door and the sight knocks the air out of his lungs and he collapses.

         The room is practically spotless, closet cleared, dressers empty, bed made. There is no trace that she had ever been there. There’s no way she packed all of her things up that quickly, there was no way!  He looks around the room for anything that might make this blow feel less like a bullet to the heart. And then he spots it, a small folded piece of paper sitting on the dresser. He drags himself off the floor not knowing how he was able to stay standing, and slowly steps toward the note. When he reaches it he doesn’t want to open it, it would only make her leaving that much more real. He gently lifts the note from its perch before opening it. The sight inside shatters him, it’s a picture of the team all smiling and having fun during a movie night except the right side is ripped off, the part where (Y/N) was sitting in the photo. Under the picture is a letter stating that she was planning on getting kicked out soon enough (the reason she was so quickly packed up) but this happened sooner, which once again breaks his heart knowing that they made her feel alienated enough that she thought she would be kicked out. She also states that she won’t be back till she is healed enough to deal with them again which has a chance of never happening. But the last two lines spark a small fragment of hope in Steve. 

          “Please do not beat yourselves up to much for this, what you did was wrong, yes, but you need to learn and grow from it, not wallow in your guilt. Even with how you all treated me, I still love you guys and will miss all of you, I will try to come back as soon as possible.     

                                                          Love, 

                                                                (Y/N)”