#for the record the way I normally brush my teeth is sprint to try to get as much as possible

[indiiglow]

I just brushed my teeth the 'proper' way, taking my time and being thorough, and even though I literally took a break in the middle I still ended up gagging at the end 🙃

[emmanelson]

Chapter 3: Feelings and First Times

A little prequel that takes place during 2.01-2.02 when Devi is dating both Ben and Paxton. The first time they have sex, it isn’t in a friends-with-benefits relationship. It’s bordering on the brink of something real, something special, at least in Paxton’s retrospect.

tw: rated M for sexual content 

In the days that followed Devi deciding to date both Ben and Paxton, their relationship moved at a quicker pace than expected. Paxton meant what he said by wanting to make the time they still had together count, even if it would only be for a couple more weeks. So when Devi is invited to the Hall-Yoshida household that Friday night with the implicit instruction to stay over, she tells her mom she is sleeping over at Eleanor’s and is maybe even a little too eager to get there, the walk feels more like a sprint. They had tried taking the next step a few times, and then realized they wanted to live long enough to actually see each other, so doing it at the Vishwakumar residence was out of the question.

She isn’t expecting much, a pizza, maybe some video games in the garage and then she’d retire to Rebecca’s room and try to raid her closet unsuccessfully. But what she arrived at was a whole other story.

She was greeted at the door with a long, slow kiss and Paxton’s lit up face as he ushered her inside.

“We’ve gone on enough dates for me to get that it means one on one, so tonight it’s just us.” He was biting the inside of his cheek.

“Do you have protection?”

“Yeah I-Why, do you?” Leave it to Devi to be the first one to bring up sex. She did say that Paxton brought out her mega-horny side after all, and never thought she would actually get this close to having sex before being moved halfway around the world.

“Yeah, I kind of panicked and asked Kamala to buy me some at the drug store and drop it off a block away so my mom didn’t catch on.” For talking a big game, Devi knew next to nothing about sex. She only knew what she saw in tv shows, read about in weird Wattpad-fanfiction-turned-best-selling-novels, and researched on the internet. She had tried watching porn once but she clicked play when her airpod was off and you couldn’t pay her to relive that experience and the horror of her mom asking what she was doing.

“I kinda asked my parents to take Becca out for the night. I wanna show you something.” Paxton lightly took her head as they walked up the staircase towards his bedroom. Not the garage, not the couch, his room.

“If this is going to be one of the last weekends we have together, I wanted it to be special and shit.” She had been in Paxton’s room before, but had never seen it so clean, and was that the smell of fresh sheets? Upon taking in Devi’s widened gaze, he quickly backtracked and shook his head vigorously. “Not that we have to fool around or do anything that you don’t want to.”

Devi was shaking her head and stifling a laugh for a whole other reason.

“I just wanted you to have something that was something out of the stupid chick-flicks that Becca makes me watch. Something that you can think about while you’re in India and I’m stuck here. I had to use these dumb environmentally friendly light bulbs that my mom buys because the last time we had real candles, there was an incident with Trent and the house almost burned down.”

He had lit candles, or at least light bulbs in the shape of candles, ushered his family out of the house and seemed rather hesitant about asking for sex. She couldn’t believe this was her life right now. Her relationship with Paxton had always been somewhat based on physical attraction. When they first talked and she asked him for sex, to when they started dating and moved onto beyond chaste kisses and lingering touches over clothes to long makeout sessions and bruised lips and body parts.

If anything it only made her want him more and she eagerly hooked her arms around his neck. “This is perfect. More than perfect actually, you didn’t have to go through all the trouble, but I’m glad you did.”

Normally Devi was the one rambling and Paxton was the one initiating things between them, it was kind of a rush to be on the other side of things for a change.

“I want my first time to be with you, here, just like this.” She whispered against his mouth, watching as his lips curved upwards into a wide smile.

He took his time kissing her, familiarizing himself with her body, teasing things out in her that she figured laid dormant. He was moving so slow that Devi was getting frustrated as they fell back onto his bed.  

“I know I’m the virgin here, but doesn’t it usually move a lot quicker than this?” She was trying to unbutton his jeans, lift up his shirt to feel his abs, anything to speed things up but Paxton simply continued pushing his tongue past her lips and making her head spin.

A hand snaked under her shirt and Devi immediately moved to cover her breasts, insecurity surfacing at the worst time.

“What’s wrong?”

“I know I have small boobs and I’m not like Zoe or Shira levels of hotness. So if this isn’t, you know up to par with the sex you usually have, I understand.”

Paxton only furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Did she really not know how he felt about her?

“Not only are you beautiful on the outside, but you’re gorgeous on the inside, something that they...are lacking.”

His words always made her flush, and this time was no exception. “I like your body. Now can I continue to appreciate it the way it deserves?” He chuckled under his breath and with one hand, grabbed both of hers and pinned them above her head. Her eyes widened in surprise and anticipation, she bit down on her bottom lip and if things weren’t already well on their way, he would have muttered something about wanting to do very dirty things to her. Repeatedly.  

“If this is the first time, and quite possibly the last time we have to do this, you better believe that I am going to be taking my time with you.” He caught her lower lip with his teeth, slowing his movements which only made a whine emit from deep in her throat.

Paxton’s free hand moved between her legs and brushed her core through her underwear. Without breaking eye contact he moved her panties aside and inserted one finger into her, and then another.

The sudden pressure made Devi suck in a breath, no amount of YA novels or research could have prepared her for what it would actually feel like. Her whole body lit up, as if she was covered in gasoline and Paxton had lit a match, starting a fire that only seemed to spread.

“So tight.” His breath came out ragged, his jeans tightening against him. Paxton thought that guys thought about sex more than girls, and he hadn’t heard anything to the contrary until he met Devi. She had stared at him one too many times past the point of charming and made remarks about wanting to “climb him like a jungle gym.” Mostly through text to Fabiola and Eleanor that he may have happened to stumble upon when he used her phone to play Candy Crush.

In the days that followed their kiss in the park, Paxton wanted to nail his next history while Devi made it increasingly difficult to concentrate with all the short skirts she would wear, and don’t forget about the constant sexual innuendos she would make that went over his head because they had to do with whatever subject they were learning about.  

“Is this okay?” He asked, his eyes searching hers for any hint of hesitation. One word, and he would gladly stall his movements. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No, just go faster. I want more of you. All of you.”

This night was all about making her comfortable, making sure she was getting the most out of this, that her needs were met. A selfish part of him hoped that if he made a lasting impression, she wouldn’t come back from India with a smarter, hotter, boyfriend or worse, fiance. His fears only made his grip on her tighten and tilt her chin up so she was forced to meet his eyes.

“Tell me, in words or else I’ll just assume and that’s a really shitty thing to do.” He spoke slowly, deliberately as her eyes fixated on his chest.

“I want you inside of me.”

Paxton breathed out a sigh of relief, or was Devi breathing out her own? He withdrew his hand and her body instantly shivered at the loss of contact. Within the time it took for him to shake off his jeans, Devi had regained control of her hands and grabbed a fistful of his T-shirt into her hands, yanking it over his head in record time.  

“Do you want me to touch you?”

“Shh, this is about making you feel good.” He mumbled into her hair, dragging his lips towards her ear as she ground her hips into his. He took a condom out of his jeans pocket and rolled it on before positioning himself in between her legs.

He pushed into her slowly, the movements stilling as Devi dug her nails into his back in retaliation. She grimaced at the feeling, her body was tightly wound up and only when Paxton began to move his body at a quicker pace, did hers relax in response.

They laid in bed after, Devi’s legs felt like the jello and even if she had to be home in a few hours, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk without falling or at least looking like a klutz. “Is that a picture of Gigi Hadid on your ceiling?”

Now it was Paxton’s turn to almost flush to an unseemly red color.

“I’ve had that up there forever, just forgot to take it down that’s all.”

“Do you look at it when you, you know?”

“I was just inside you Vishwakumar, I think we’re as intimate as two people can be. You can say the word masturbate.”

“Well, do you?” She pressed, ignoring the way nerves once more fluttered against her stomach. “Do you ever think of me, when you touch yourself?”

“If only you knew.” He murmured against her neck, not wanting to give away just how many nights he spent relieving himself to the memory of their first kiss, or more recently, to their makeout sessions that didn’t just leave her hot and bothered, but him as well. “That was your first time right?”

“Is it that obvious? Should I just have had the word virgin written across my forehead?”

“I think it’s cool that you waited or whatever. Did what was right for you.”

“Why? What was your first time like?” Devi didn’t want to pry, or ask something too personal, but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t curious.

“Um, I think I was 14.”

“14? As in like freshman year of high school?” That was one year younger than her current age, it made bile rise to her throat at the thought.

“Eighth grade. It was the summer before high school and the JV and Varsity swim teams invited us incoming freshmen to a party, to get to know each other and whatnot. It was chaperoned by this one guy’s sister, I think she was 21. Her name was Stacey or Stephanie, something with an S. She brought us all beer and acted cooler than any of our parents at the time.” Devi didn’t say anything, but silently nodded and urged him to continue.

“Anyway, one night like the first week of school, we all get wasted right? Some more than others I guess, because I woke up not remembering anything that happened or even how I got so intoxicated. I was mostly drinking Coke the entire night, with some rum here and there sure, but nothing too extreme. I passed out on the couch and when I woke up, she was on top of me, stroking my hair, touching me, and telling me to stay quiet so we didn’t wake anyone up.”

“I-Is that all?” Her eyes were wide, almost glassy, and Paxton instantly felt years older than her. Like she was too innocent to be hearing this and yet here he was, exposing her to it anyway. Exposing her to the harsh reality that he didn’t want her to know, yet she was already familiar with after what happened to her dad.

“She started whispering in my ear. Tell me how I seemed really mature for my age and how college boys are so rowdy and they didn’t listen to her like I did. I don’t even remember us having any kind of in-depth conversation.” His voice dropped to a low whisper. “She said that it wasn’t cool to go into high school as a virgin, especially if you were a guy. The other guys on the swim team would just turn it into some kind of contest to see who could get laid the fastest. She said I would have a leg up on all of them and be able to show off.”

A bitter chuckle passed through his lips. “Except, I didn’t feel superior or like a man or wanted, I just felt empty.”  

“Did you tell anyone?”

“Only Trent.”

Not wanting to sound rude, Devi bit her tongue and remained nonchalant. “Is Trent really the best person to be telling your secrets to?”

“He’s actually cool once you get to know him, okay? He told me that if I wanted to go to the cops and quote ‘make her a prison bitch’ unquote that he would back me up. He may act stoned 90% of the time, but he has a good heart. I trust him with my life.”

“Did um, did you ever see her again?” She asked patiently, as her fingers ran up and down the length of his torso.

“At that point, it didn’t matter. When I got back to school on Monday everyone had heard, turned me into the big man on campus and whatnot, whether I earned the title or not. I wish I had waited, you know? For my first time to be with someone that I really cared about.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know I’ve been with other girls before and you know, I’m some ladies man or shit. But that’s all it was you know, just sex. It’s isn’t like that with you.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, this was better than what I had in mind. It was better than any rom-com or YA novel.”

“This doesn’t mean nothing okay? It would never mean nothing, not with you.”

Devi immediately wanted to correct his use of a double negative, but she refrained. She was speechless, too raw, first from the sex they just had and then hearing Paxton’s story. She was touched that he felt comfortable sharing such a private event with her.

“Would you have done things different? Your first time I mean.” She asked quietly, finding her voice again after letting all the information she had just heard sink in.

“Well I definitely would have waited to do it when I was sober.”

“Everyone deserves a second change, a do-over. And you aren’t drunk or high or impaired in any way right now are you?”

“No.”

“So take your do-over.” Sure she didn’t handle her own trauma in the best manner, but she was surprisingly insistent in helping others overcome their own turmoil. Plus with her big brown eyes, Paxton felt like he was saying no to Bambi.

“Dev-”

“I want you to feel good.” His own words hung in the air between them uttered by her soft voice, only a silent nod of his head and Devi had pressed her lips against his and rolled them over so she was now flush against his chest. “We can go as painfully slow as you want.”

“So now you aren’t in a rush to jump me?” The warmth in his features returned, he seemed to have a genuine smile on his face and was raising an eyebrow at her in slightly amusement.

“Something tells me this won’t be the last time, we’ll get there.”

[slowly-writing]

The Blink of an Eye

Natasha Romanoff x Daughter!Reader

Word count: 2532

Requested by anon: Can I request a nat x daughter!reader where r is adopted and discovers she has powers but tries to hide it from nat because she doesn’t think she’d be a good avenger? love your writing ♥️

“Y/n, come on!!! We’re gonna be late!” Peter’s voice startles you as you’re brushing your teeth. You glance at your phone and your eyes go wide. If you don’t leave in the next five minutes you’re totally screwed.

“I’m coming!” you yell back, sprinting out of your bathroom. You stumble a bit and somehow end up halfway down the hall. You pause for a second, looking between the bathroom door and the place you’re now standing. It’s a solid five yards but you don’t have time to try and figure out what the hell just happened. You have to get to school.

“Finally. You’re gonna get us detention,” Peter grabs your hand and tugs you to the door.

“It’s really not that big of a deal, Peter,” Wanda is trying to stifle her laugh as the three of you make your way to the garage.

xxxxx

“Romanoff, that was amazing. It may even be a new school record,” your gym teacher tells you as you finish running the mile.

“Wait what? What was my time?” You’ve never been the fastest kid in class. You probably could be, but you hated running so you never really tried. You normally just keep it to an easy jog, or so you thought as you glance over your shoulder and notice you’ve left Peter in the dust. That shouldn’t have happened.

“5:32. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a high schooler run that fast, what’s your secret?” he asks, leaning closer to you as if you wouldn’t want the class to hear you, but they’re all still trying to finish their run at least a hundred yards behind you.

“It must just be all the training I do with my mom and her team,” you say with a shrug and a fake smile. You don’t train with your mom’s team. This doesn’t make sense.

Over the next few days you have more of what you can only describe as glitches. Random bursts of speed when you run that put you on the opposite side of the room faster than any human should be able to move. Now that you know what to look for you can see the world blur by you as you run. It doesn’t happen all the time and you have no idea how to explain it. People don’t just magically obtain superpowers. In your experience it was usually with the assistance of hydra, and the occasional radioactive spider but you haven’t gotten any bug bites recently and you don’t like the option that leaves you with.

Your memory of life before being adopted is hazy at best, a few flashes of people whose relation to you you can’t place and some doctors offices. A four year old found alone half a mile outside of a recently destroyed hydra base is nothing too suspicious. It was in a crowded community full of individuals who got caught in unfortunate circumstances. It wasn’t rare to find people living on the streets but when Natasha found you all alone she knew she couldn’t just leave you there. It seemed innocent enough at the time, but if you find out you came from within that hydra base? Well they might not see it as a coincidence anymore. Besides in your opinion, you’d be a crappy superhero so it’s better if nobody finds out. Yeah, you’ll just hide it. That’ll work.

xxxxx

It did not work.

Every day that passed you found it harder and harder to keep your secret. It seemed your powers, if you could even call them that, just kept getting stronger. And let’s just say you weren’t getting the hang of them anytime soon.

“Y/n, dinner!” you hear your mom call from down the hall and you jump up from your desk, you’ve been starving recently, maybe it has something to do with the new powers. You run for the kitchen, momentarily forgetting how bad of an idea that is. You see Clint walking in front of you and you panic. The world starts moving in slow motion as you realize you can’t stop. You turn a bit so you’ll miss him, digging your heels into the floor to try and slow down. It isn’t very effective and rather than you stopping yourself, you stop when you slam into Tony’s bookshelf, knocking it and all the books to the floor as you skid across the common room with them.

“Oh my god!” Tony yells, jumping several feet in the air at the noise

“Y/n are you okay?” your mom asks as she quickly makes her way over to you. You pull the books off your chest and sit up, smiling sheepishly at the group of avengers standing in front of you.

“Yeah. I just uh...tripped. Sorry about your books Tony. I’ll clean them up,” you wince as you look at the mess you caused.

“We don’t care about the books-”

“I care about the books!” Tony cuts in and Steve rolls his eyes before continuing.

“We care about you,” he finishes with a pointed look at Tony who nods.

“Oh uh, yeah. We care about you more. But I also like the books…” he trails off quietly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I’m clumsy,” you say with a shrug, pushing yourself up and stacking the books out of the walkway. Your mom looks at you and you can tell she doesn’t quite believe you, but she lets it go for now.

This isn’t gonna work for much longer.

xxxxx

“Y/n wake up! We have to go!” you wake up to Tony’s screaming and you jolt upright. The first thing you notice is there’s a haze of smoke throughout the room and it’s really warm.

“What’s happening?” you ask, wiping your eyes and trying to make sense of what’s happening.

“There was an explosion in the lab. The fire suppression system is down and the whole place went up, it's spreading and we need to get everyone out now,” he pulls you up from the couch and starts leading you out of the compound. As you’re both hunched under a cloud of smoke you can’t help but think for the hundreth time how stupid the floor plans of this building are. Tony wanted his lab close to the living quarters so he could get there quickly when he got inspiration in the middle of the night. You’ve lost count of how many times his lab accidents have woken you up at 3am and now your room is about to go up in a cloud of smoke.

“Thank God,” you mumble to yourself as you get outside. Glancing around you see Clint, Steve, and Bucky all doubled over on the lawn.

“You guys good?” Clint calls over.

“Yeah, you? Where’s everyone else?” you get nervous seeing less than half of the residents outside.

“Peter’s at home. Wanda, Sam, and Thor are on a mission. Banner’s still out of town, right?” Steve lists off and your blood runs cold.

“Where’s mom?”

“She’s not with you guys?” Bucky asks and you turn to Tony who shakes his head.

“No, I just grabbed the kid and got out. I figured those with military grade training could look out for each other!” Tony yells and you run through your moms schedule. You can hear them arguing about whose responsibility it was to look for her as you realize it’s Wednesday. It’s laundry day meaning she was here, and it’s the afternoon so she’s probably folding it in her room. God, you were ten feet from her and you didn’t notice.

“She’s in her room.”

“Tony suit up and get her!” Clint yells, he sounds almost as desperate as you feel.

“My suit is in the lab, send one of the super soldiers in!” Tony screams back. You can feel the heat from the fire and you don’t even want to think about what it’s like inside the building right now.

“We don’t have time for this! I’ll go,” you step forward but Bucky grabs your arm.

“We’re not letting you go in there. You’ll die!” He yells and you rip your arm out of his grasp.

“If I don’t my mom dies!” With that you take off, at a normal speed at first, but quickly speeding up until you’re a blur. You stumble a few times, running into walls and fallen support beams scattered through the walkway. You haven’t quite got the hang of this yet. Every time you hit something you can feel your clothes start to burn and char, the heat making it all the way down to your skin. You ignore the pain and keep running, you need to get to your mom. After a few more mishaps and no more than three seconds you’ve made it to your moms bedroom. When you look around you see her coughing and trying to pull a fallen dresser off her leg, but she can’t quite get the leverage. Her eyes widen when she sees you.

“What are you doing? Get out of here!” she yells, desperate to keep you safe.

“I’m here to help, push on three,” you tell her, grabbing the dresser and counting down. After struggling for a few seconds you get it off of her. “Is your leg okay?”

“I’m fine, you need to go. I’ll catch up, just run,” she tells you as you help her up but you’re not leaving her.

“This is gonna be really weird, I’ll explain it later. I’m gonna pick you up,” you wrap her arm around your shoulder and reach down to lift her.

“What’s going on. What are you-” you cut her off.

“Mom! Just trust me. And you might want to close your eyes.” you pause for a moment, taking a deep breath before taking off. There’s so much adrenaline surging through you you barely feel like you’re trying. Despite the seeming lack of effort on your part you weave your way out of the building quickly, stumbling towards the assembled group and setting your mom down.

“What the hell just happened?” Tony is the first to break the silence and you cough a few times, trying to get in a breath that no longer wants to enter your lungs.

“Is-is everyone out?” you stutter out. Your vision is starting to tunnel and you're not sure why.

“Yes. Everyone is out. Now tell us what the hell is going on!” To anyone else your mom may sound mad, but you recognize that tone of voice. She’s worried. You want to reassure her but standing is getting harder by the second.

“I’m really fast,” is all you manage to get out before your knees buckle and your vision goes dark.

xxxxx

“You couldn’t have picked another part of the compound to destroy? Our med wing is a lot comfier,” you say as you’re opening your eyes, you can hear Tony whispering to someone so you know he’ll hear you.

“So sorry to inconvenience you, your highness,” he teases back and you smile, pushing yourself and surveying the room of worried gazes.

“By the looks on your faces I’m going to assume my secret’s out?” you ask and they all nod, varying degrees of annoyance, anger, and concern appearing as you try to lighten the mood. “Great. What’s the damage?”

“You have some burns that are healing way faster than they should. You were pretty malnourished. We think whatever your powers are make you require more food. How long have you known?” your mom asks and you look at your hands. She has her face set in an emotionless mask and even after all these years you can’t tell what that look means, and that worries you.

“A month or so,” you tell her and she sighs.

“What’s the first time you remember something happening?” Bruce’s voice is gentle, ever the calm one in the storm and you replay the memories of appearing in different places in your head, trying to remember the first one.

“Five weeks ago. I was late for school and running down the hall and it was like a glitch. I blinked and I was on the opposite end. I just brushed it off as being tired or something,” you explain with a shrug.

“When you crushed everyone in the mile, that was this? Coach has been trying to get us to explain your training routine for weeks. I guess we’ll have to tell him it won’t help,” Peter says and you chuckle.

“I don’t train. Especially after I found this. Running has had some...unfortunate consequences.”

“You mean besides you being in this hospital bed?” your mom asks cooly and you wince.

“I don’t think I’d call saving your life an unfortunate consequence but to each their own I guess. I kinda meant running into book shelves and seeing everything move in slow motion. It’s pretty disorienting,” you explain softly.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Wanda’s voice is gentle. She can feel the stress coming from you and she desperately wants to calm you down.

“How would I even start that conversation? ‘Hey guys remember that random rescue mission where you picked up a civilian? Turns out it wasn’t a civilian. Please don’t arrest me. I swear I’m not trying to infiltrate the top secret government organization you all work for, I was just created in a lab by your enemy whose sole purpose is to destroy you by any means necessary. Haha so fun, anyway what’s for dinner?’ That didn’t seem too appealing.”

“What did you think we were gonna do? We know you y/n,” Steve says and your head snaps up.

“No you don’t! None of us know anything about me anymore! What we do know is what hydra is capable of! Who knows what kind of shit they did. For all I know I have a fail safe set up in my brain to make me do their bidding at the drop of a hat! They’re your greatest enemy, and I’m just some kid you found in an alley. There’s really only one choice here,” you start off yelling but by the end your voice is barely above a whisper.

“You’re right. There is only one choice,” your mom speaks up for the first time in a while and you feel tears collecting in your eyes. “We start running tests. We see what they did to you and we find out if we can reverse it. We find out if you even want to reverse it and then we go from there. Either way you’re not alone. We’ve got you, no matter what.”

As soon as the words are out of her mouth you’re throwing yourself into her arms and holding on for dear life. It feels like the weight of the world has just been lifted off of your shoulders and for the first time in weeks you can finally breathe.

tag list: @rvgrsbrns @rororo06 @prizmix-and-friends @worlds-in-words @im-salt-but-not-salty @5aftermidnight @riotmaximoff

[virgojeons]

true love (jjk)

summary: you and jungkook spend your first christmas together. 

alternatively, a merry love story based on the lyrics of true love by ariana grande.

genre: fluff, humor, college au, established relationship, holiday series, jeon jungkook x reader

word count: 4.6k

warnings: cursing, implied sexual content, excessive use of pet names

wattpad version here, ao3 version here

a/n: well, here i am!! pls be gentle with me, this is the first time ive ever posted my writing on here and ive been debating it for months lmao. i truly truly hope u enjoy!!

on the first day of christmas when you gave me all them kisses, boy you showed me things, come hold me please and never let me go.

"Five days until Christmas and you're still decorating the tree?"

You yelped at the sudden sound of your boyfriend's voice, dropping your over-accessorized ornament and watching helplessly as it shattered against the floor.

Immediately, you whined. "Jungkook!"

Jungkook suppressed a grin at the furrow of your eyebrows and the pout of your lips, kicking his shoes off and tossing his coat onto the couch. He didn't mean to scare you, really. You even knew he was coming over. It's just that you left the front door unlocked (as you always did when he was on his way, despite him constantly scolding you for it) and there was no way you would've heard him come in over the sound of Jingle Bell Rock blaring through the house.

"Sorry, baby," He chuckled, bending down beside you to help pick up the remnants of your best ornament. "I didn't mean to scare you."

You glared at him in between collecting the shards of glass in your hand. "I spent hours making that."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Hot glue gun burns, sparkles stuck on my face and everything."

Jungkook took the pieces of glass from you with an amused look on his face, standing from his kneeling position to toss them in the trash can you had earlier moved to the living room for easy access. "I'm sorry. I'll make you another one."

"It's not the same." You sulked, finding fun in being stubborn and giving him a hard time. It was getting increasingly difficult though, with his rosy nose and ears and that little gleam in his eyes.

It was then that he made his first move of the night, tugging you by your oversized Rudolph sweater so quickly that you had to latch onto his shoulders for leverage with a squeal. His grin only seemed to grow once you were officially in his space, taking notice of your lack of pants and the snowflake stockings that appeared to be in their place instead.

"You don't look too sorry," You chuckled, heart stuttering at the way he was gazing down at you in such close proximity.

Jungkook shrugged, nudging his nose with yours. "I'm just happy."

They were such simple words, but it was the way he said them, the way he looked at you when he said them. You couldn’t lie, the excitement of spending your first Christmas together, completely alone, was incredibly infectious. It was gross and it was corny and everything else you swore you would never be, but you were in love with Jungkook. Devastatingly so. You from nine months ago probably wouldn’t even recognize the present you; a fact that friends, family, and even Jungkook alike loved to tease you about. Cracking the so-called ice queen was a feat to be celebrated, apparently. Whatever. He was yours and you were his so you didn’t quite care about the technicalities of it. Even if the story went a bit differently, in your opinion. 

The brutal snow and temperatures of February were beginning to fade into spring when you met Jungkook. 

You and Jimin had been attempting to finish your economics homework together in your favorite coffee shop; a hidden treasure that was a ten minute walk from campus and ticked all your aesthetic boxes. You two were sipping from your respective hot drinks, neglecting your heaps of bookwork in favor of discussing the new season of Stranger Things. Jimin was deep into his theory of Hopper still being alive when his eyes flickered to the door at the sound of the bell, widening slightly in recognition before a bright smile took over his face.

"Jungkook!" Jimin called, waving whoever it was over.

You followed his gaze and turned your head in the direction of the entrance, growing curious when the boy walking towards your table wasn't familiar to you. It took you less than five seconds to realize that the boy in question was attractive. 

Like, extremely attractive. The kind of attractive that should not be subjected to the way you look right now. 

It took you even less time to whip your head back around, glaring at Jimin with wide eyes and a panicked expression.

He met your glare with a confused scrunch of his eyebrows before it slowly transformed into a smirk, quickly catching on to what your pointed look was for. The night before had been a late one. You, like any other normal millennial, had impulse bought a pretty yellow Nintendo Switch solely for the new Animal Crossing game. As soon as it arrived on your doorstep you were retreating into your room, tearing the package open with squeals of excitement.

Maybe you completely lost track of time and played until your eyes were bloodshot and you heard birds chirping outside. Maybe you got an astounding two hours of sleep. And maybe you had fallen asleep without setting an alarm and woke up thirty minutes later than usual. 

The details were insignificant though, because you were throwing on a pair of leggings and the first sweatshirt you saw, brushing your hair and your teeth, and hastily sprinting to your car all in record time.

No sleep. No makeup. No breakfast. And worst of all, no coffee.

And so, it was blatantly clear you had no desire to let a boy that beautiful even glance at you in that state, let alone introduce himself. But it didn't look like you had a choice in the matter, because moments later he was towering over your table with a stupidly handsome smile.

Jungkook grinned, reaching out to do that Weird Bro Handshake with Jimin. "Hey, Chim."

You were already plotting various methods of painful revenge in your head.

"Hey, Kook. What are you doing here?"

"I kind of work here," He chuckled. "Well, as of like, yesterday. Today's my first day."

"Oh, so this is the new job you were telling me about," Jimin nodded in realization, then his eyes flickered mischievously to yours. You’re rapidly shaking your head. "You know, this is my friend ___'s favorite coffee spot."

A scowl immediately takes over your face, only to be wiped off and replaced by a sickeningly sweet smile when Jungkook turns his head to look your way. The instant your eyes meet his you quite literally want to melt into the floor. 

Jungkook smiles at you. Like, really smiles. "Hey, that's cool. We'll probably be seeing a lot of each other then, right?"

Across the table, Jimin snorts, which only adds to the way your cheeks are absolutely flaming. You send a harsh kick to Jimin's leg as inconspicuously as you can, all while batting your eyelashes at Jungkook.

"Uh, yeah! We probably... will."

Jungkook looks positively amused, but if he notices Jimin rushing to clutch his leg, he doesn't say anything.

"Sweet," He grins again. There's a brief few seconds where you two are just gazing at each other, stupid and shy, until Jimin loudly clears his throat. "Right, well, I should probably go clock in. Let's chill sometime this week, Chim."

"Sure thing." Jimin sings, smugness plastered all over his face.

Jungkook waves, already backing away from the table with his eyes on you. "Nice meeting you."

You feel yourself flush again and you absolutely hate it. "Nice meeting you too."

With a final smile, Jungkook disappears behind the employee doors. The moment he leaves your eyes are screwed shut and you're slamming your head against the table. The silence speaks for itself. You don't even need to see Jimin's face to know that he's either smirking or stifling his laughter.

"Don't." You warn.

"You just blushed," He says anyway. "Like, four times."

"I most definitely did not blush."

"You did. You still are."

"I'm embarrassed!" You wail. "That's literally the only reason why. I look like I got ran over and dragged for three blocks."

"Jungkook sure doesn't seem to think so," Jimin hums, snickering as he sips his coffee.

"Stop."

"He likes you." He insists.

"He was just being polite." You defend.

"That is literally my childhood best friend. I think I would know."

This makes you pause. Then you sigh. "He doesn't even know me."

He doesn’t disagree. But then again, "Not yet."

"Stop trying to play matchmaker, Jimin. He said five words to me," You spoke firmly, exasperated as you downed the final sip of your latte. "Plus, I'm just focusing on me and my degree right now. No distractions."

Jimin knew that you were already worn out, and even though he was mostly joking around, he wouldn’t want to push you any further. He’d drop it.

"Fine. We'll see who's right in the end, though."

For now.

"I will dump that hot coffee over your head."

As it turns out, Jimin was kind of right.

It takes a grand total of four visits to your favorite coffee shop before Jungkook asks you out. The first time you were by yourself, nose buried in a book as Jungkook was clocking in. He wasn't able to speak to you until about an hour later, when the morning rush had passed and you had finally lifted your head from whatever was in that book. 

You were honestly dreading facing him again, but you were prepared and actually presentable this time. Also you were kind of starving. And so, you hesitantly approached the counter. Jungkook took your order, both of you all fidgeting hands and sheepish smiles. You mentally patted yourself on the back when you spoke without any real mess-ups, and prayed that the cool girl aura you always tried so desperately to maintain was being transmitted. 

Not like you were trying to leave a lasting impression, or anything.

He hand delivered you your coffee and muffin with a beaming grin, all while his new boss glared at him from behind the counter. He didn't have to know that you knew cashiers weren't supposed to serve the food.

The second visit was a few days after. You were with Jimin again, shooting down every jab he made about you only wearing a pretty dress because you knew you would be coming here. Jungkook joined you both during his break. As soon as he untied his apron and sat himself directly across from you, it struck. You knew you were screwed. You just couldn't stop staring at him. The chin in the palm of your hands and sparkles in your eyes type of staring. You would be much more ashamed if you couldn’t see the way he was staring right back. Jimin found this hilarious, of course, and would subtly find ways to connect you two in conversation. You weren't sure if you loved or hated him for it.

It was that visit that Jungkook insisted on sharing his slice of strawberry cake with you, claiming he wasn't that hungry. The both of you were embarrassed, whacking his arm and dismissing him as Jimin complained about being the third wheel. By the end of his break, Jungkook was positively smitten, you were begrudgingly infatuated, and Jimin was awfully smug. He reluctantly said bye to you both, and you were slouching forward with your head in your hands the moment he disappeared from visibility.

Jimin looked extremely pleased. "Believe me now?"

"Focusing on school," You protested. It was a weak one, but. Well.

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" He mused.

And suddenly, you were frantic. Panicking. This was definitely not a part of the plan.

Quickly packing up your things, you groaned loudly. "You. Maybe me. Or both. I can't think in this place anymore."

"You'll be all over each other by next week."

"Shh!" You were childishly covering your ears and speed-walking out of the café.

Try as you might, you couldn't help yourself and returned the very next day after all your classes had finished. Jungkook was already there when you walked in, taking a customer's order but doing a double take and flashing you a smile when you appeared in his line of sight. This visit consisted of nothing but pretending.

Pretending to be studying. Pretending you weren't listening to him take orders just to hear his voice. Pretending you weren't sneaking glances at him. Pretending that the way your eyes kept meeting wasn't making your skin prickle. And you were just fine pretending, until suddenly he was in the seat across from with you his apron off and a steaming hot chocolate in hand. You tried your hardest to remain indifferent, you really did. But then he was pushing the beverage towards you with gentle eyes and his smile hopeful, telling you it was his treat because he noticed how hard you were studying. And then you were melting right along with the marshmallows in that mug.

The two of you talked about your majors, your families, your favorite shows, even Jimin. You asked about his tattoos and he explained them with ease. You also may have pulled out one of the oldest tricks in the book at the sight of his knuckle tattoos, gasping in feigned wonder when you pulled his hand against yours to measure the size difference. 

His hand could swallow yours whole and still have some leftover, you discovered. It was a very rewarding experiment.

You made each other laugh and blush down to the very last second of his break. Scarily enough, being in each other's presence was so annoyingly addictive that you found yourself hesitant to watch him leave. You could tell Jungkook felt the same by the way he dragged out his goodbyes. I work again on Thursday, maybe I'll see you then? Your fingers brushed as he softly took the mug from you. It was really fun talking to you. You were biting your lip to keep from smiling embarrassingly big. You look really pretty today, by the way. And then he was off.

You made a strangled noise the second you were outside with your fingers frantically beginning to type a message to Jimin.

promise not to say i told you so :///

Jungkook asked you out on your fourth visit. As soon as you approached the counter, he just blurted it out. As if it was something he couldn't hold on his tongue any longer. You couldn't hear yourself say yes over your brain malfunctioning and the powerful thumping of your heart, but you knew you did. His heartbreakingly gorgeous grin told you so.

On his break, Jungkook brought you a latte with a heart carved in the cream. You just couldn't conceal the coo that escaped you, which quickly resulted in his cheeks reddening. 

Cute, you thought. 

He quizzed you on your personality and the type of activities you liked to do, admitting that he would use the information to conjure up the best date you would ever go on. Six days later, Jungkook stayed true to his word. Not only was it the best date you had ever been on, but you were completely certain it would ruin any other dates for you moving forward, unless they were with him. Much to your annoyance and also utter delight, you were so sure of Jeon Jungkook and your brief but striking time together that you kissed him. Right on the swings of your favorite childhood playground, first date rules tossed aside.

He was so caught off guard that his eyes expanded to twice their normal size and your teeth banged together. You drew back, slightly mortified and ready to jump to your death from the tallest slide on the playground, but Jungkook was huffing a laugh onto your lips and grabbing your face like it was nothing. Then you two got it just right, and something clicked. The earth fell off its axis and you were rendered breathless and all that nauseating cliché shit you chastised as a myth. And from that day forward, you two were completely, tooth-rottingly, inseparable.

"Easy," Jungkook proclaimed, pecking your lips. "We finished the tree."

He set you back on the floor gently, releasing a dramatic breath of air as if lifting you to place the star on top of the tree had actually winded him. As if he wasn't a muscle pig. You rolled your eyes and told him as much.

"Don't be a baby, muscle pig," You shoved at his bicep, only proving your point further when he didn't move an inch. ‘And I finished the tree.”

Instead, he caught the hand that you nudged him with and pulled your back to his chest, caging you between his arms. "Muscle pig, huh? That's what you think of me, baby?"

You flushed at the teasing lilt in his voice, suddenly very eager to escape his hold. But try as you might, he just wouldn't budge. A loud laugh left your throat as you flailed in his grasp, his muscled arms bulging in the turtleneck you bought him for his birthday a few months ago. Suddenly, you decided that you would be returning it for your own personal peace.

A high pitched whine left your mouth, one that lost all its seriousness once it was drowned out by your giggles. "Jungkook, let go of me!"

You would just not stop wiggling, and Jungkook could not stop laughing. He could live the rest of his life like this, his brain pauses to think. He's so happy.

And when you're thrashing so violently that your heel kicks his pocket with a force that has an object clattering onto the floor, Jungkook has never reacted faster in his life. Instantly your imprisonment is gone, and Jungkook is on your floor in a flash. Your eyebrows draw together at the sight of him scrambling for whatever it is, and all you're able to see is a sleek black case before he's quickly stuffing it back in his pocket.

You're eyeing him when he rises back on his feet. "Feel like sharing?"

Jungkook whistles noncommittally. "Not particularly, no."

There's a drawn-out beat of silence where you're just gazing at each other, neither one of you backing down. And then you're crossing your arms, and he's looking at your nose and your forehead and anywhere but your eyes, and then you're arching an eyebrow. He looks at you and breaks. Defeat.

"It's your present," He lets out a heavy sigh. "Well, the main one anyway."

You positively squeal. "Ooh! Can I see? Please?"

"Baby, it's the 20th."

"Can I have a hint?"

Jungkook blinks. "No, you cannot have a hint."

You're instantly pouting, but Jungkook expects that, because he knows you better than anyone else. Which is why he knows that you're a little spoiled, with a bit of a bratty streak, with just a dash of calculated charm that you use to your advantage to get just about anything you want. He's never seen it as a bad thing. In fact, he finds it cute. A little hot, too, if he's being truthful.

Anyway, he came prepared. Just as you're opening your mouth to no doubt make him spill the surprise, he's hushing you with a bruising kiss to your lips. The kind of kiss that makes you go pliant against him, the kind that makes you make a little noise in the back of your throat. The kind you've been waiting for all night. 

It’s the trick that never truly runs its course. 

And Jungkook is melting, too. Melting, turning to mush at your very feet, until you're moving backwards and clutching at his shoulders, ready to push him onto the couch.

"Mmm," He's humming against you, before he reluctantly draws back. He lets you chase his lips once, twice, before he chuckles lowly. "Hold on, angel."

You're suddenly feeling warm all over after his kisses, wanting nothing more than to cuddle into him into the couch and feel him next to you. Or maybe above you. With that chain you always tugged on dangling in your face. You really weren't picky.

You watched Jungkook break away from you and rummage through his bag with a frown and a newfound heat at the pit of your belly. "It can't wait?"

Like he said, he knows you, which means he knew kisses alone wouldn’t be able to satiate you nor get you to stop asking questions for the entire week. No matter how mind-numbing they may be.

"One second," He promised, and you definitely counted at least five, but he quickly found what he was looking for all the same. "I brought a surprise. Well, two surprises."

He was holding both of his hands behind his back with this stupid grin on his face. You squinted for a few seconds, suspicious, before breathing out a laugh. "Are you ever gonna show me?"

Jungkook looked way too happy with himself.

"The most important surprise is mistletoe, obviously. Gonna have to find a way to glue it on to the ceiling above your bed." And there was that mischievous little smile that told you he had every intention of carrying that out.

You folded your arms over your body and scoffed. Even if you were trying and failing to keep your lips from quirking up and possibly, maybe finding it a little harder to breathe all of a sudden. "You're unbelievable, Jeon."

He just winked and held up his other hand, pulling a gasp from your lips the second you realized what it was.

"The Polar Express!"

"I had to check like, four different stores in the mall to find it. That's why I got here a little late, by the way. But I thought we could make some hot chocolate like in the movie and watch it together and," Jungkook pauses to think, licking his lips. "There's a 'ride my train' joke in here somewhere but I don't know how to say it."

He's snorting at his own delivery before you are, and once your giggles permeate the air he's invading your space again with a lovesick smile.

"You are the sweetest boy," You praise, holding his pretty face with both hands and peppering small kisses all over it the way he secretly likes. "But you make me sick to my stomach sometimes."

If anything, this makes him smile even wider. "I love you too, baby."

You and Jungkook are in complete darkness besides the light coming from the TV in your room playing Polar Express. His head is on your shoulder with his arm strewn across your waist, and his entire leg slotted between yours. He's soft. He smells like the lavender body soap you keep in your shower. His gentle breaths hit your neck every time he exhales and you're now cliché enough to believe that the heart underneath you beats in tandem with yours. 

Both of your stomachs are filled from the takeout he ordered for dinner and the peppermint hot chocolate you made while he was in the shower. You're still mentally replaying the moment he stepped back in your room, towel wrapped around his waist with droplets of water cascading down his body. His prominent abs and tattoos and wet hair had you scrambling to sit up, clearing your throat as you tasked yourself with handing him his mug. If he noticed you ogling him, he surely didn’t react to it.

Made us some cocoa, you said.

He brought the beverage to his nose and sniffed once, twice, before his entire face bunched up. Peppermint is nasty. Then he was gulping it down.

I thought it was nasty, you laughed in disbelief.

Nothing you make me can be nasty. Thank you, baby.

And now you’re thoroughly warm from the tips of your fingertips down to your toes, and you figure it has less to do with the cocoa and more with the way Jungkook so obviously loves you. The way you love him.

Feeling a tugging at your shirt, you look down to see him peering up at you with a dazed twinkle in his eye. "You're not hot in this?"

You purse your lips and pause, knowing what was coming. "No. Are you?"

He has the decency to look a little clueless. He was always doing that, in a playfully childish way you grew to love.

"Actually, yeah I am," Jungkook furrows his brows, like it was something he was just now realizing. And then he's sitting up and pulling his shirt over his head, and you're instantly staring at his back and remembering the way it feels to rake your fingers up and down it, and he's turning back to you with a lazy smirk. "You don't wanna take yours off, angel?"

You swallow. "I'm okay."

Jungkook starts to laugh, that cocky laugh that is equal parts douchebag-ish and sexy. He's most definitely turning you on and he most definitely knows this, which is why you're glaring at him until he reaches over you and picks up the mistletoe from your bedside desk. He dangles it over your heads, makes sure to wriggle his eyebrows suggestively when he does it, and you want to laugh, you really do. You would probably roll your eyes and call him a nerd too while you were at it, if it weren't for the way he was changing his position and starting to lean over you. Crowding your space in your favorite way. 

Jungkook hears your breathing pick up once you're directly under him, watches the way your lips part and your eyes change for him, and decides to go for the kill.

Nothing about the kiss was soft or gentle. Jungkook clearly had a point to prove and knew how he wanted to do it. The dangling mistletoe was soon forgotten in favor of holding your face by your chin, landing with a chime on your wooden floors. He worked your mouth open in that sloppy, messy, dirty way he only exhibited when he was feeling particularly desperate. Saliva pooled at the corners of your mouth and you were trembling underneath him, clutching at the warm skin of his back. It was nasty, absolutely obscene the way his tongue was in your mouth like his life depended on it. And you loved it. You couldn't stop making these little sounds, and Jungkook was groaning into your mouth right along with you. You were seconds away from pleading for him to do anything he wanted, to make you his, when he's abruptly pulling from you with a wet pop and a string of saliva between you.

Your ragged breaths fill the air, both of your chests heaving as you take a second to attempt to drag yourself out of the haze he's built around you two.

The asshole has the audacity to laugh. "Hot yet?"

"You don't have to bring out the mistletoe to kiss me, you know." You eventually say instead.

"I know," He pants, still smiling like the all-consuming beauty he is. "But you love Christmas. And it's our first. Wanna do it right."

You feel the need to close your eyes, let his words sink in, and so you do. You let the statement blanket over you until you're positively beaming, and when you open your eyes, he is the same. You are so irreversibly in love and you think he might be perfect. You tell him as much.

"You're perfect," You say, all soft and starry eyed. You're nodding when he starts shaking his head, and when the tips of his ears begin to turn red and he's putting his head down, you're giggling and putting both hands on either side of his head to get his eyes back on yours. "I love you a lot."

Jungkook is so happy. "Love you most."

And then he's leaning down again. This kiss is much less frantic, more steady, but still passionate and still with Jungkook, which means it fills your body with heat all the same. Your head is floating and you're squirming under his hold again when you break apart for air.

There's no point in trying to resist him anymore. You never can.

"I'm gonna take my sweater off now."

Jungkook scrunches his nose, and grins. "Okay."

read part two here!

[dangerghost20]

Creative Pride Month--Day 16th

So, I'm really tired today. I had been up since 6am and working summer school until noon. Then I walked for 45 minutes in the heat. During work, I did work on editing my novel (finally feel like getting back to it). I just don't feel like making something new and not sure how my other story should go. So I am posting the beginning of a story I started working on a few months ago (sorry for not doing something new like I said I would). It is not finished and still in the rough version (be nice). Also, half the month have gone by, so if you want to do ONE thing with my challenge, please consider doing it soon. Use my hashtag and tag me so I can see what you did.

The Dark Path (working title)

Running. Leaping. Crawling. Sweat dripping from my nose, ears and chin. Something was chasing me but I did not know what it was. I could see spots on the path that the lamps have illuminated but all around it was darkness. I was darting from one spot to the next, only entering the darkness when needed. The light was a sanctuary for me. I needed to run faster. My legs were burning. I knew that they would give out at any minute.

I spotted the parking lot finally and my truck a few more feet into it. The lamp I parked was not illuminating it like it did when I entered the park. I leaned forward hoping that it would make me cut through the thick foggy air. Left foot. Right foot. Left. Right. I was slowing down. My energy was running out causing panic to overwhelm my thinking. I dug down deep into my moxy to push harder on my muscles, breaking the barrier of the park path and into the parking lot.

I got to my truck, opening the door before jumping into the unlocked driver side of the vehicle and slammed the door. The noise vibrated through the air and my bones. Fumbling in my pockets for my keys with panic clouding my thoughts even more. They were not there. I keep searching through all parts of my clothes, checking each pocket again, shirt pocket and even my shoes. All this was in vain. I looked out of the window and saw them. Sitting in the illuminated spot right past the barrier of the parking and the park were the keys to my safety.

I had two options at this point. I could stay in my truck and pray that it does not find me. Wait for morning light when it would retreat into the deep darkness of the park before retrieving my keys. The other option was more risky. I could use all the energy I have left, making a break for them and back to the truck. My survival depends on the decision.

I decided. The keys were my way out of this nightmare at all costs. The beast was known to be smart and only getting far from the park is where my true safety resides. Looking around, I could not see any movement in the darkness or shadows other than the trees, brushes and my truck. I quietly opened the door, keeping it opened for a quick escape back to my trusty orange steed. I took a deep breath, readying myself for the sprint of a lifetime, breaking the world records.

I then felt it. A push of hot air on the back of my neck. It came again causing a chill to travel from my neck to the toes. Then the sound. I have been hearing it all night in the distance but it was so much louder and clearer. The snarl of death traveled into my ears, vibrating my ear drums. My heart was racing and sweat was running down my face. I turned to look at the beast that had invaded my space.

The only thing I saw upon turning on my heels was the brown hair. I was staring straight forward, afraid to see what the hair truly belonged to. I slowly took my gaze up towards the sky, seeing the hair change shape with the figure underneath it. I was now looking at the teeth of the beast, covered with blood from a previous kill. My friend. I roared into my face, spreading its hot breather and saliva all over me. I screamed in response, trying to back away slowly from the animal of death. I tripped over my feet, falling to the ground, feeling the pavement and motion through my body. It looked at me with the orange demon eyes, deeper in color than my truck.

It was not moving as I tried to crawl backwards away from it trying to get out of its vision. It just stared at me as I moved and I knew that it was deciding when it would attack. I was about to round the corner of my truck when it howled causing my ears to hurt. I could feel blood starting to run from them. It sniffed the air and the droll ran out of his mouth. It leaped without warning towards me. Once I recognized what it was doing, I screamed knowing my life was about to end by the hands of the beast.

I then woke up, screaming and covered in sweat like I have for the past three months ever since I turned twenty-five. Nothin I have tried has been able to release me from the plague of the dream. I grab my phone from the night stand and check the time. It was four in the morning, which is the longest sleep I have been able to accomplish in the past week. Unlocking the screen, the brightness of the phone illuminated the room causing my bedmate to wake.

“Marcus,” the groggy voice spoke. “Did you have that dream again?”

“Every night,” I responded. “Sorry to wake you.”

“Lay back down,” the voice said, clearing up some. “And we can cuddle.”

“Ryan, babe,” Marcus said with a cute voice. “Ya know you will not get much sleep then. And you have a big presentation in the morning.”

“I have rested enough.”

“Until you are cussing up a storm in the morning with a headache. Go back to sleep. I’m just going to go watch some TV or read.”

I kissed Ryan on the forehand before climbing out of the bed. I used my phone to find my shorts and shirt from the chair near my side of the bed. I grabbed a new pair of underwear from the dresser before leaving the room. I went to the bathroom, turning on the shower water. I stripped out of my current underwear, which was soaked with sweat and jumped into the shower. The water felt nice allowing me to start to relax. My heart was racing from the dream, but more than normal. I usually wake up before the attack comes but I have been trying to figure out what is going on.

Ryan has been my rock during all of this. We met three years ago when I first moved the town. I was lost trying to find where to take all these forms. I had to turn-in for a new town member in the county office building when I ran into him. He was there to get a permit for outside celebration at the park for the company he worked at. I must have looked like a lost puppy because he walked over to me to help me. After a little discussion, he walked me to the office I was looking for. He gave me his number if I needed help finding more places around town and I gave him mine to be polite. I remember what he said then.

“Text or call anytime. You need to know a good doctor or a great bar. I have lived in the town my whole life. Well except the four years at college.”

“Thank you,” I responded. “I definitely will do that. I don’t know anything about this town except my work, grocery store and home.”

Marcus smiled, “Here to help. And if you need someone to say grab a drink or meal with, I am free too.”

I must have turned red because he let out a little chuckle. I was a little speechless at the time and could only get out, “Okay.”

He turned to walk away before looking back. “I think you got the point, but I expect that text later. Love to take someone as handsome out on a date sometime.”

We went on that date and another one. Within a couple of months we were spending a lot of time together. Within a year, I was moving into his place and we were the newest couple of the town. Everyone was shocked when this happened because Ryan had never been one to have a boyfriend longer than a month or two. I would get congratulations on finally getting him to settle down.

Now here we were in this apartment we shared, including all of our secrets. Ryan was now the vice-president of the company he worked for. He tried to explain what they did but I did not know what he was talking about. I still let him practice all of his presentations on me where I smiled and nodded. It was the least I could do, when he had to listen to me talk about all the craziness at my job. Oh, I should mention that I am an emergency room nurse. Head nurse is really my title.

[ethelphantom]

Where I Went Wrong

Nope, seriously, no angst in here even if that’s the title, I swear. Really. Just Marinette and Jason being siblings. (They’re biological siblings in this one.)

Ao3

This is Maribat, platonic Jasonette -- don’t like; don’t read

___________

So, in hindsight, that had probably been one of Jason’s worst ideas in a while.

It’s not like he realised Pixie was going to make him pay for what he did. That means it couldn’t be his fault, right?

(Yes, yes it was.)

Never let it be said that Marinette Todd-Wayne was forgiving.

It all started when Jason decided to put food colouring in Mari’s toothbrush, so when she brushed her teeth the next morning, she freaked out when everything turned red. Tim had asked him if he was sure that had been a good idea when afterwards he couldn’t find his credit card and later found out someone had used it to go to the coffee shop, Aroma Mocha, nearby. Tim had also actually been the one to question whether it had been a good idea when he was doing it, and that’s why he now cursed the Replacement for not stopping him back then.

A bit later he’d heard Pixie, Cass and Steph talking about the amazing new products in Aroma Mocha. When Mari had shot him a smug smile and Duke had come into his room with the credit card between his fingers (he said he’d found it in the cereal box in the kitchen. When Dick asked how he knew it because the only cereal box there right now was his, Duke bolted), it was clear who exactly had taken it.

That resulted in Jason stealing her laptop the next time she went out with any of her friends or the family and Jason wasn’t expected to be there. He sneaked in her room, snatched her laptop from the desk and sprinted back to his own room. There he plopped down on his bed and opened the laptop, trying to figure out how exactly he should break into it. After all, he needed to make sure she wouldn’t be able to see something was wrong right away.

And so began his quest for vengeance. Once he managed to get past Mari’s security (to her credit, it took him quite the while, even with Replacement’s guide on how to do it the fastest with any of the family’s computers if it for any reason was absolutely necessary), he took up on searching through her files and documents. He finally decided on settling with messing with her commission files.

No, he wasn’t going to delete or change anything in said files, no. That would be unnecessary cruel and unfair to both her and her customers. Instead, Jason created a ton of new folders. He’s pretty sure he created at least a hundred new folders inside her commission folder, leaving 18 of them as his little message for his darling baby sister.

The actual files he knows she wants and needs are also renamed, but they’re called “yeah you found them baby bug” and “this here is your commission stuff” and “Try me I’ll do it again if someone finds my credit card in the cereal box.”

Mari could definitely be a little shit, but Jason was a huge asshole, and that made all the difference in the world right now.

(Later Jason realised (and learnt) that anyone that was a born Todd was an asshole by nature and Marinette definitely beat her big brother at that, but that was only later.)

In hindsight, he should have left Marinette’s folders and laptop alone.

As it is, he doesn’t have said hindsight before he faces the consequences so he’s doing it anyway. So, obviously, that means when Jason shuts down the computer, he’s still happy and gleeful and feels victorious.

That…

Well, that doesn’t last too long.

The first three days go well. Pixie doesn’t mention the incident so Jason supposes she simply hasn’t noticed. After a week, he starts getting suspicious, because how could it be she didn’t notice at all? And there’s no way she wouldn’t have said something about it if she had seen it. He gets paranoid for a few days, worried his little sister might attack him at any times, even during the time she was supposed to be at school.

Two weeks later, Jason’s mostly forgotten about the whole thing, which was probably a really, really bad idea. Not actively remembering meant no active defense mechanism on when around Marinette, especially not when around Marinette and the rest of the family and inside the Manor. It meant letting his guard down around his dearest little sometimes rather demonic and sinister sister with a golden heart, the smile and presence of an angel and a broken halo hidden behind her back.

Now that was a mistake he should have never made.

So, indeed, a fortnight later, he does not notice the door of his bedroom creaking when someone opens it at six in the goddamn morning after a long, exhausting night at patrol. He also doesn’t notice when a small frame sprints towards him, jumps up, only shooting up and ready to fight when 50 kilograms fall on him. At once.  

“Rise and shine, motherfucker!” the bundle of sunshine (and somehow the tone of her voice is smug and the expression she’s wearing on her face is so gleeful and cruel and sinister, but also rather tired — how early did she wake up for this and did she even go to sleep in the first place) on his lap yells into his her.

So yes. In hindsight, pranking Marinette had proven out to be the worst idea he had ever had and he should have known that, should’ve been expecting it and preparing for it but he didn’t, and now he regretted it. All of it.

Then, once Jason was properly awake and alert, Marinette yawned and fell on top of him, curling up against his bigger frame and started snoring. She just— she just fell asleep right then and there. Must’ve been quite the night for her too.

The next morning (or, well, a few hours later) Dick and Tim find them cuddling and sleep-murmuring sweet insults to each other. He forces himself not to laugh, records what's happening and gets Tim to do the same. Once they're done with filming, they finally let themselves laugh out loud and slowly distance themselves from the room and the two just in case.

It might have been a good idea, because one irritated, tired Jason was woken up for the second time too early in the morning and not even by his precious, assholish little sister.

And that meant said irritated, tired Jason growled and started chasing the ���motherfucking nosy Dickiebird” and the “goddamn stalking replacement!” down the long hallways.

It didn’t end there — as the day proceeded, he found his shampoo no longer opened (he managed to open it eventually. By breaking the fucking bottle), his guns were replaced by water guns, and his oreos turned out to be a russian roulette of “is this one of the cookies filled with tooth-paste flavoured, matcha flavoured, angel foodcake flavoured, fucking tutti-frutti flavoured, vinegar, marshmallow or bubbergum flavoured, or is this a proper oreo which no one has touched and the filling is normal?”

Seriously, the vinegar was the worst because it wasn’t even sweet and it was so overpowering that there was no way Jason could even try to ignore it.

When Steph asked him couldn’t he just have checked them first or thrown them away after first ten, he nearly snarled. Not because of Steph, but because he had tried; they all looked the same, smelled the same (how, he had no idea), and less than half were modified so throwing all of them away would have been waste of perfectly good oreos.

His sister had also apparently replaced every single one of his leather jackets with a size or two too small ones because they were too small and there was no way he’d just outgrown them.

She also knew he’d never back down from a dare, and at the end of the day, when just about everyone had gone to sleep (or patrol, or just far from the vengeful Marinette Todd, because being this kind of an asshole kind of required being a Todd), she said he wouldn’t be able to balance two glasses of water on the backs of his hands. Obviously, he insisted he could and only realised what she was doing too late. When she’d placed the glasses there and he’d had a victorious smirk on his face, Marinette had simply kissed his cheek, winked and left, wishing him good night.

And then he was stuck there, hoping someone would rescue him because it wasn’t like he could ruin the carpet under the table. He couldn’t do that to Alfred. At around 4 am he was woken up by glass shattering when he’d accidentally moved his hands too much in his sleep.

Fucking Pixie Pop.

So well. If nothing else, he’d at least learnt to not mess with his little sister because she was one hundred per cent prepared to fight a war he started.

(A week later, Marinette found an award with the text “The biggest asshole of the Todd family, the goddess of prank wars” on her desk. She framed it.)

________________

@kris-pines04​ @thethirdwheelfriend​ @daminett4life​

[usemeasabadexample]

Bechloe Fic: The Kraken Has Been Unleashed

Summary: Chloe has a way with her. That’s for sure. And, as uncomfortable as it might make her to think about it in this very moment, Beca’s starting to wonder just what that really means.

Set at the beginning of Pitch Perfect 2. Kind of canon, kind of...not canon. Mostly fluff and fun and maybe some very mild angst at best. Nothing too stressful. We’ve been through enough of that!

Read on AO3

Chapter 10

Beca's alarm wakes her up way too early the next morning.

Usually, she'd snooze the clock ten times, roll out of bed and barely have time to brush her teeth before running to class. This morning is different though. It's the first day of her internship and she wants to be prepared.  Wants to look professional. And she's pretty sure professional doesn't include a messy bun with sweatpants and one of Chloe's Barden t-shirts.

So she gets up early. Showers and puts on something nice before grabbing a bowl of cereal.

“You look hot this morning DJ. What's up?” Stacie ambles into the kitchen and gestures to Beca's outfit while opening up the refrigerator.

Beca looks up from her breakfast. “Hey Stace.” She swallows the bite she just shoved into her mouth. “Nothing. Just...won't have time to change before the party later.” The stool screeches across the floor as she stands and drops her bowl into the sink. “See you tonight.” She grabs her things and rushes out before Stacie can ask anymore questions. Stacie can sniff out a lie from a mile away so the last thing she needs to do is play a game of 20 questions with the house genius.

“Can’t wait!” Stacie calls out as Beca hustles out of the door to get to her first class on time, excited for what the day holds.

-----

Jesse’s car is rounding the corner as Beca walks away from her last class so she picks up speed. She doesn’t trust him. He has a knack for embarrassing her in public places. Not maliciously. Just...dorky.  

“Hey superstar!” Jesse shouts out of the car window as he screeches to a halt. He leans over the center console to sling the passenger door open for Beca. “Damn! Work it Bec!”

Beca practically sprints the rest of the way to the car. “Oh my god.” She jumps in and slams the door, frantically trying to roll up the window. “Please shut up.”

Jesse laughs. “Is that any way to talk to your chauffeur for the day?”

“Keep it up and it’ll only get worse.” Beca side eyes him and adjusts the radio.

Jesse always plays late fifties pop songs and while Beca appreciates all types of music, she can't sit there and listen to it for extended periods. Although it does give her ideas for new mixes. Chloe always loves it when she mashes up old school songs with new stuff. Her thoughts stay trained on her best friend and she wonders what Chloe is up to. Between the rush of getting ready and trying not to freak out, there just wasn't time to see her this morning.

That's her excuse anyway.

If she's being honest, avoidance tactics may have been at work. She feels like absolute shit for keeping the internship from the redhead but she doesn't know how to broach the subject. Under normal circumstances, she knows she would be excited to tell Chloe. But there's a lot at stake for the Bellas right now and she doesn't want to add anything else to the older woman's plate. She wants Chloe to know that she's there and she's present and she's going to fight for them because letting Chloe down would be the worst feeling in the world.

Jesse's small talk forces her to dismiss the thought. They talk about classes and auditions and their last hood night party the Trebles are hosting later tonight and before she knows it, they’re pulling up to the Residual Heat Recording Studio.  

Her nerves bubble up again.

She's excited and hopeful but she still has the weight of guilt lingering in the back of her mind. Jesse reassures her that everything will be okay. He reminds her that she's worked hard for this opportunity and she deserves this shot.

She gives him a quick kiss before running away while he continues to holler out more embarrassing comments. He's definitely a nerd but he knows her well. His goofy antics have calmed her down considerably and she takes a moment to appreciate his charm before charging ahead.

-----

The afternoon is a blur.

She fucks up her name tag picture, makes a shit ton of coffee and hands out a lot of snacks. She's nobody important here but that's not the point. There's a lot to be learned. A lot to be gained. This is her shot. It's her first step into the world of music production and she's looking forward to paying her dues.

In a bizarre series of events, her boss unexpectedly storms into the office and announces they'll be producing a new Christmas album for Snoop Dogg. The Snoop Dogg. It's crazy but she stifles her excitement. She doesn't want to be labeled as some psycho newbie on her first day but relaxing isn't easy. Between draining her brain for a quick idea on how to make Snoop's new album original and the exchanges happening between this Dax kid and her boss, she’s struggling to control her reactions. Her facial expressions always give her away and the one she's wearing right now screams absolute confusion because Dax is now high-kneeing around the room and this is all really fucking weird.

Thankfully, her phone buzzes and it gives her a reason to look away from the train wreck happening in front of her. She has four messages, none of which she noticed earlier. They’re from Jesse, Amy, and Chloe respectively.

She opens Jesse's message first. It's some idiotic, cheesy 'hope everything is going well’ message and she replies by calling him a dork. It seems like her go-to word when referring to him.

She hesitates before opening Amy's messages because she never knows what the blonde is going to say. It's almost always inappropriate and usually impossible to understand, but she opens it anyway.

Shorty! Where is our toothbrush?!

Yep.

What the fuck does Amy mean by our toothbrush? Beca refuses to believe the obvious. That Amy is implying (more like directly stating) that they use the same toothbrush. That just cannot be right. And even if it is, why would it be missing?

She makes a mental note to buy a new one immediately.

Maybe two.

The second message is almost just as cringeworthy.

Your acawife was asking where you were! You're gonna be in the dingo house tonight!

The urge to roll her eyes is too strong to avoid so she rolls them around before deciding she will not be messaging Amy back. She clicks Chloe's message instead. It's the most recent one.

Trip to Copenhagen is all booked! AHH! :-P

Beca chuckles to herself. She can hear Chloe's voice singing the message in her head. It's cute but it also makes her feel bad because they haven't even discussed the issue of Worlds and Beca promised she would be there for Chloe.  Yet, here she is. At an internship that she still hasn't told Chloe about while the redhead sits at home and plans alone all afternoon. She knows she's going to have to address all of this at some point but how? This isn't really her area of expertise.

Another message comes through.

It's Chloe again.

You okay? Haven't heard from you today! :-(

Ouch.

Beca wonders why she acts like such a dick sometimes. There doesn’t seem to be any logical excuse. Especially when it comes to Chloe. She's the last person on Earth Beca wants to disappoint but it seems like it's destined to happen.

She takes a deep breath and types out a reply.

Sorry Chlo! Busy day. I'll see you at the Trebles’ later!

It's vague and lame but she can't tell the truth and she doesn’t want to outright lie to Chloe so she hits send and shoves her phone back into her pocket as her boss storms back into the room. She straightens in her seat and tries to blend in for the rest of the day.

-----

Beca exits the studio, overwhelmed and stressed, and throws her bag into the back seat of a cab before jumping in and giving the driver directions to the Bellas’ house.

She leans back and takes a deep breath that vibrates her through her lips on the way out. She knew this business would be cut-throat but wow . Today proved how messed up the music industry really is. The people are self-serving and the pace is incredibly fast and it feels like the multi-tasking skills needed to get through each minute are nearly impossible to master.

She’ll get through it though. She has to. This is her shot to get out there and start making a name for herself. This is her dream.

Plus, she’s glad to have the first day out of the way. It can only get easier from here.

Hopefully.

Possibly.

Who knows.

She shakes it off and pulls her phone out of her pocket. She hasn’t had a chance to check it since she messaged Chloe back earlier. Sure enough, there are a few new messages from her best friend. Chloe has no qualms about sending Beca multiple texts in a row. Even when Beca doesn’t answer right away, Chloe will continue babbling without worrying about whether or not she's being annoying.

If it were anyone else, Beca would probably send a string of expletives and permanently block their number. But, like everything else, Chloe is the exception. She smiles and opens their text thread.

Okay! Can't wait! XO

I hope they have the green punch!

Please bust out the cell phone dance move! I love it!!! ;-)

So, a Legacy showed up to our door tonight to audition and we accepted! She's totes amazing and you're going to love her!

I don't think we are breaking the rules bc she came to us! Loophole! :-D

BTW, Legacy means that her mom was a Bella. Her mom is THE Katherine Junk! Omg!

Beca chuckles at the enthusiasm in the messages and pictures Chloe grinning excitedly as she wrote them. A wave of anticipation hits her and she’s overwhelmed with the sudden need to get home as quickly as possible. She tells herself that she’s just anxious to get home after a long day but she knows that's a lie. Before reading those texts, she was tired. Even considered not showing up to the party but there’s a new energy flowing through her and she wills the cab driver to hurry the fuck up already.

When she finally makes it home, she throws her bag down, uses the bathroom, and races through the bushes to the Trebles’ house.

-----

Beca approaches the party, surprised at how out of control things seem already. It's still pretty early but the acapella crowd clearly came to party tonight. She wonders what type of trouble the Bellas are getting into and smiles thinking about all of their past Hood Nights. They've had some wild ones and she's sure this last one will be no different. Especially if Chloe has anything to do with it.

Chloe has a way of making Hood Nights, and most parties in general, more fun than they probably should be. Some of them, in particular, stand out for reasons that Beca isn’t prepared to think about right now. Mainly because they involve Chloe getting way too handsy.

But she already said she’s not thinking about that and scans the crowd for red hair instead.

Oddly enough, she can’t quickly spot her best friend but she spies Jesse sitting up on the deck. And because the night has her feeling light and giddy, she creeps up behind him and grabs him by the shoulders before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

His drink almost slips out of his hands and Beca mutters a quick “oh shit” before dropping down next to him. She takes a deep breath, ready to de-stress after such a crazy day, but Jesse starts asking about the internship and about Chloe and damnit.

“Oh, she’s just..she’s like, locked into the World’s right now and I’m looking for the right time. It’s-- I’ll tell her.” Beca tries to shrug it off like it’s no big deal but it dampens her mood and she excuses herself to grab a drink at the tiki hut. Why did Jesse have to bring up Chloe and the internship in the same sentence? Beca already feels like the absolute worst person in the world and the thought of Chloe having to ask Jesse for her whereabouts just makes it even worse.

This sucks.

Beca takes a huge gulp of whatever concoction is being served tonight and notes that it’s not the green punch that Chloe was hoping for but she can't dwell on it because she notices there’s a really tall girl just standing there staring at her. The girl's arms are stretched out towards Beca and she has no idea what’s about to happen.

“Hi!”

“Hi…” Beca responds hesitantly, still completely unsure.

The taller woman rambles something about being sisters and then it clicks for Beca. She realizes this is the girl- correction- the Legacy, that’s been added to their team.

“Oh yeah! Hi. Chloe texted me that we added a Legacy. I...didn't even know that was a thing.” She lifts her shoulders and gestures with her hands as she speaks. It feels odd.

The girl giggles and keeps staring at Beca so Beca just chuckles uncomfortably and takes another sip.

Then another.

And they're both just sort of standing there awkwardly.

Beca gives a tense smile and widens her eyes, which finally seems to break the other girl’s manic look.

She slaps her hands to her forehead way too hard. “Ouch! Oh my god. I’m sorry! I'm Emily. By the way. Sorry. I forgot that you didn’t know my name yet and I think the others have already started calling me Legacy so it’s totally okay if you want to call me that too I just figured you should know my real name because I totally-”

Beca reaches out and briefly touches Emily’s arm to stop her rambling. “Emily.” She pulls her hand away. “Nice to meet you.”

Emily beams and Beca really wants to get as far away from this interaction as possible.  

“We can get to know each other better later. Right now…” Beca uses her head to gesture across the yard where she can see a few of the Bellas bouncing up and down. “Let’s go catch up with everyone else.”

“Oh!” Emily nods rapidly and Beca thinks she looks like a battery operated bobble-head. “Yeah, definitely! Let’s go!”

Beca nods once before taking a shot and refilling her cup as Emily follows her into the crowd.

-----

“Beca!” Amy is the first person she encounters.

Of course.

She is immediately picked up and twirled around by the blonde. “Where have you been? Oh my god! Have you gotten taller? No! That’s not possible!”

“Amy!” Beca kicks her legs and starts to protest the manhandling but she sees a flash of red hair as she’s being spun around and the words die on her lips.

She starts laughing because jesus christ. It’s been a long day and it feels like she’s been waiting to see that red hair for way too long now. She presses on Amy’s shoulders and frantically wrestles herself out of the tight grip, almost toppling them both over in the process. Amy strings together a few choice expletives and she can hear Stacie muttering something inappropriate but it doesn't stop her.

She bounces right up to her best friend with a smile so wide she thinks her head might explode. “Chlo!”

Chloe’s head whips around and when her eyes land on Beca, her face actually does explode into a display of pure joy. She reaches out and grabs Beca, hooking her arm firmly around the shorter woman’s shoulders to drag her in close.

Chloe's laugh echoes in Beca’s ear and Beca can’t stop her smile from growing impossibly wider as she wraps her arms around the redhead’s waist as best as she can and squeezes back. The scent of fresh laundry and liquor invades her senses and it’s all a little overwhelming but it feels good and she can't help but sink further into it. She lets her body sway back and forth with Chloe's as she breathes her in. Exhilaration and borderline manic happiness taking over in the moment.

“Beca!” Chloe pulls back but keeps her arm firmly around Beca’s shoulder. “Where did you come from!? Where have you been!?” Chloe’s mouth is wide open and the way her eyes are bubbling with excitement reminds Beca of a shaken soda bottle. The look is scary powerful and Beca can’t find it in herself to formulate a response so she just laughs like crazy and brings her cup up from around Chloe's waist to clink it to redhead’s before taking another sip.

Chloe’s eyes stay trained on her as she downs the drink and it makes Beca feel like a shot of Red Bull has been directly injected into her veins. It travels through her entire body with lightning speed and everything inside of her buzzes to life.  She crushes the cup in her hand as she continues to drink, eventually cracking it. Remnants of the liquid leak down her arm but she keeps chugging. The atmosphere and the energy of the party has her head spinning and she just wants to let loose. Have fun.

She’s buying time too. Chloe’s presence is taking her to another level of excitement and she doesn’t know how to quite contain it at the moment. It feels like the cup is the only thing anchoring her to sanity at the moment.  

“Beca!” Chloe swats the crushed cup straight out of Beca’s hand, the last few drops splashing out when it hits the ground and Beca’s eyes widen but she doesn’t move. Her arm stays frozen in the air, invisible cup still in hand. Mouth still open.

And Chloe smiles.

It’s that mischievous, self-satisfied smile. The same one she used after their shower duet so many years ago.

Beca won't forget that look.  It makes her shiver but she smiles back, hand coming back down to squeeze Chloe around the middle again. "You're going to get into trouble tonight." Beca tuts, pretending to be put-off, "I can feel it."

Chloe nods enthusiastically, apparently thrilled by the notion, and moves both hands to Beca's shoulders. It brings the two of them face-to-face and she leans in to speak directly into Beca’s ear. "And you are already in trouble for getting here so late."

Beca’s chest tightens as Chloe pulls back to lock eyes but she keeps herself together. "Is that right?"

"Mhmm." Chloe is still nodding, all breezy happiness and cool confidence.  

"Well," Beca shrugs, doing her best to appear nonchalant, "what are you gonna do about it?"

Chloe drapes her arms further around Beca’s shoulders, big blinking eyes boring into Beca, “I’m going to dance with you."

Beca’s hands involuntarily squeeze the redhead tighter, fingers eventually pressing into Chloe hard enough that she’s afraid she might leave a mark. She panics momentarily, not wanting to hurt her best friend, but then Chloe’s laugh cuts through the party noise and the redhead is dragging her through a crowd of people back towards familiar faces that instantly start shouting when they see the duo approaching.

“Beca!”

“Chloe!”

“Bloe!”

“What’s up bitches?!”

“Where were you guys!?”

Beca dodges Amy’s swinging arms as Chloe continues to pull her into the circle of Bellas but all of her ducking and dodging distracts her right into Stacie’s waiting hands.

“DJ!” Stacie shouts, squishing Beca’s cheeks and before Beca can react, Stacie starts moving in with puckered lips. There’s nothing Beca can do because one of her hands is still wrapped up in Chloe’s and the other is no match for Stacie’s strength so she braces for the onslaught coming her way, eyes shut and lips sucked in.

But it never comes.

Instead of sloppy Stacie kisses, Beca feels herself being pulled out of the taller woman’s grasp. She sees a flash of red and green and her favorite smile and she lets herself collide with the person reining her in. Hands squish her cheeks again but this time, she doesn’t even consider trying to fight them off. Instead, she wraps her arms around Chloe and returns the smile, letting everything around her disappear because Chloe leans in and peppers her face with kisses that match the beat of the song and the thump of her heart.

It makes Beca feel giddy.

Goofy.

Like she’s already had too much to drink but she knows that can’t be.

And really, in the moment, Beca honestly doesn't care what the reason is.

What the feeling is.

All she knows is that Chloe is here and everything feels perfect so she grabs on tighter and pulls Chloe in closer. Squeezing and laughing like a crazy person.

"You're insane! You know that, right?!" She's borderline shouting to be heard over the music.

Chloe pulls back just long enough to look directly at Beca. Eyes dancing and hands squeezing Beca's shoulders tightly. She mutters a quick, "mhmm" and leans in again, bright blue eyes crossing briefly as they come nose-to-nose.

It makes Beca chuckle.

"I know." Chloe mumbles the words and kisses the tip of Beca's nose.

Beca takes a deep breath and lets the tingling feeling take over as the beat drops and she falls into step with Chloe.

[shaydeoffical]

Bright as a Diamond. Shinso Hitoshi x Fem Reader: Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Summary: Shinso picks up (Y/n) from the train and they have a heart to heart.

Series Summary: When (Y/N)’s co-worker decided to send a picture of her making a diamond to the paper, her life was over. Gemstone based quirks weren’t all that rare, but being able to make a diamond put a target on her back. After years of hiding in the city, it’s time to hide in the countryside with her Uncle Shota Aizawa and his more than ‘roommate’ Hizashi Yamada. With the promise of training her to be self-sufficient, she’s ready to learn.

Author Note: I hope you all enjoy the update, it’s a little shorter than normal, but the next one is going to be longer. 

Warnings: Recounting parental Abuse. 

Last Chapter: Twelve

Next Chapter: TBC

Home is Where You are Loved

   It was nearly one in the morning when the train stopped at my station. Gathering my things, I almost tumbled to the floor with exhaustion. After my phone call with Eri, I found Hizashi had hundreds of photos of all of us. Going as far back as when Shinso had me hanging upside down by my ankle the first time we meet. I could see Shota smiling fondly at the scene, like a proud father. Of course, I was fuming with rage, trying to undo my binding to kick Hitoshi's ass. Still, a lot had changed since those photos were taken. Maybe not a lot, but enough had changed.  

   I tripped over my own feet, shuffling out of the train, and I stumbled forward, planting into another person. Lavender and lemongrass. Hitoshi. I didn't even need to look. Slumping into him deeper, I took a deep breath and yawned.

   "Careful Kitten," he had arms around my shoulder. I hung off him, barley keeping myself upright. "Denki drains me too." He placed his cold hand to my blistered check. Shinrkinging away, I tried to bury my face in his scarf. He pulled me back, and I obliged with his demands, only because he smelled so good.

   "He was fun," I mumbled, wrapping my arms around his neck, groaning. "I'm so tired, I just couldn't fall back asleep on the train. A lot of terrible things happened today, Hitoshi." There wasn't enough energy left to cry. "Mom isn't getting treatment, she's just living out her last days…and she doesn't want to do it with me there." Biting my bottom lip, I shut my eyes tight.

   He slid his arms under my butt and lifted me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he started the awkward walk to the car. The station was nearly devoid of any human life, and I couldn't care less who saw us. Under any other situation, I'd fight him on this, say I could do it on my own. But I just wanted to be taken care of right now.

   "Is that all that happened?" He was on to me, but I didn't care to hide it from him. He had been there for me several times. If he wanted to pry, I'd let him.

   "You can tell Shota and Hizashi, I don't want to repeat it." He bounced me higher on his waist and took the elevator. Alone in the small box, I could hear even my thoughts echo.  

   "I can do that. Now, what happened to your cheek?" Hitoshi's voice was so soft I wanted to record it for future reference. He was so sweet… and he had been delightful for a while. So much had changed in just a few months.

   "Mom and I got into it. She said some nasty things about my dad and then me. Like how she spent her life protecting him, and she shouldn't have given birth to me, and he'd still be here." I nuzzled his neck, trying to comfort myself. "She's always had a violent streak, but she's never said anything like that before. Maybe it's the medicine or that she's tired of living." I took a shaky breath. "She signed a DNR form without telling me. Went to an end of life home and lied to me about it. Then she had the gall to tell me she doesn't want me around as she dies. We were fine on the phone, but the minute I show up, she's giving me a heated slap like I'm a kid again. Not to mention she said she regretted marrying Dad for a second. Even tossed my necklace out the window." Hitoshi fumbled for his keys and balanced me on his hip.

  Hitoshi lowered me into his car and buckled me in. I paused my story and waited for him to get in the driver's side. The car was surprisingly cold for him, having just driven to come to get me. The frost was piled on the window thick.  

   "I'm not sure what to say." Hitoshi grabbed my hand after turning the car on and adjusting the heater. It blew cold as the ac tried to warm up. A shiver ran down my spine, and I tucked my free hand in my pocket.

   "Just listening helps. It really does." The radio was lowly humming as silence filled the car. Minutes passed in silence, our hands still clasped around each other. His thumb rubbing circles around my skin.

    Once the air warmed up, the frost on the windows cleared. Hitoshi let my hand go to put the car in reserve to take us home.

   "How was the daycare?" I asked, noticing his uniform was still on, despite his shift ending at five.

   "Little brats were tolerable today." The air went from warm to hot, and Hitoshi turned all the vents my way. Maybe he was colder natured then I thought. "One of them sneezed in my co-worker's mouth. It took everything in me not to puke."

   "Jesus," my eyes bulged. "Have you been home yet?"

   "No, I came here as soon as my shift ended." He took my hand in his again, we were on the highway now, there weren't as many turns. "Did anything else happen today?"

   "Well, you saw Denki and me at the café. That was my first date." I chuckled, "I really didn't think anyone would want to take me out. You have a really charitable friend." He squeezed my hand tighter, jaw clenching.

   "Lucky bastard," Hitoshi smiled, but it didn't look quite right.

   "As if, like you always say, I'm barely tolerable." I nudged his shoulder and scooted closer to him. "Denki said next time we all need to go out together. That could be fun if you don't mind me hopping in your friend group."    

   "It would be good for you." He nodded to the music, slipping his hand free. Working hard to keep my lips frowning, I swallowed hard."So, was it really your first date?"

   "No joke, it was. Though, it's not the first date I would have wanted. It was more of a prove me wrong type deal. And I don't like being wrong. The best part of the whole ordeal was getting dotted on a little bit by a cutie." He looked like he was on the verge of tears… "You want to know what the worst part of today was?" I scooted closer to his side.

   "What," his voice trembled, his knuckles turning white as he clutched the steering wheel.

   Grasping his hand, I laced our fingers together and brought it up to my lips, blowing hot air over his cold skin. "I ran out of snacks, and I don't even remember eating them. My Shinso snack sack ran dry."

   "I'll get you some more," he perked up a bit, laughing through his melancholy. The hand on the wheel was still tight. Hmm.

   "Wanna know the best part of today?" A bold streak ran through me, and I knew this would surely make him feel something other than sad.

   "What would that be?" He glanced at me before focusing back on the icy road.

   "Waking up next to you." Butterflies erupted in my stomach, and I sat back in my seat after planting a quick kiss to his knuckles. All the blood rushed to my face, and I wondered how my tired body could let me say such a thing.

   It was silent for two songs before Hitoshi opened his mouth. My brain was wracking with cover-ups and retorts, but he took the lead. "You really mean that?"

   "Are you going to tease me about this?" Tapping my shoes together, I focused on my feet. "I did mean it, I hope that it wasn't too weird. I just- it was the best." Swiming my hands around, I tripped over every other word.

   "It was." He agreed, turned down the driveway then putting the car in park. Neither of us moved to get out.

   "So, you don't hate my guts?" I asked, looking out the wind.

   "I've never hated you." I nodded, pressing my hands together and rubbing them. "Do you still hate me?" He pushed his hair back.

   "I quite like being with you," I whispered. A bang against my window had me jumping into the driver's side and into Hitoshi's lap. He pulled me across the console and pushed by my hair aside to see what caused the commotion.

   "You two gonna kiss?" Hizashi was holding his stomach in a fit of giggles, opening he car door. "You jumped so fast."

   "Don't scare me like that." I bellowed, rubbing the bump on my head where I hit the ceiling. "Hizashi, that was so cruel."

   "Mic, that was a little much." Shinso came to my defense, opening his door and pulling me out of the car. Now on my feet, I stormed over to Hizashi and crossed my arms.

   "Hizashi, I have a bone to pick with you. How many photos do you need of me? Did you really need one of me brushing my teeth? Like some of them are cute, but you look like a creep with all these."

   "Oh, I, huh. Gotta go." He grabbed the phone and sprinted into the house. Turning back to take a photo.

   "Get back here," I chased after him, forgetting about the conversation I was in the middle of. "Hizashi!"

   "I'm sorry!" He yelled, using his quirk and stopping me for a moment. Covering my eyes, I waited it out.

   "Don't use that on me. Why where you filming in the bathroom?" I caught up and jumped him, but he dodged, and I hit my knees against the porch. "Oww," I rolled over and held my legs. Hizashi took off again, which was unusual for him when I got hurt. "Let me catch you, and this will be over faster." Lowering my head, my energy faded fast. "Shit, I'll get you back at some point." I sighed, flattening against the wood. Cold air filled my lungs as I panted.

   Someone pulled my pant leg up, and of course, it was Hitoshi. Using his phone light, he looked over my knees. "You need to get some sleep and stay out of trouble."

   "Yea, I do." I moaned, letting him help me up. "I'm going to hit the shower than the hay. Today's been exhausting."

[kittinoir]

Echoes of You Ch. 11

Read on Ao3

Marinette sighed and tapped her pen against the half-filled page of diary. She was halfway through recording her day, but she kept getting distracted. Of course, Adrien had that effect - but not in the usual way.

He’d missed yet another half day of school that afternoon and, for once, he hadn’t been at fencing club when she’d gone with Nino and Alya to drop off his homework. Her friend’s hadn’t seemed to find it weird, but she’d never known Adrien to not keep to the schedule she’d somehow accidentally memorized. 

Nino had ended up taking the homework with him, saying they’d worked out a system for sneaking the missed work past his dad, and worse, his dad’s nosy assistant, Nathalie. It made sense, she guessed. Gabriel Agreste was known for his strict and solitary life-style. 

But still, she couldn’t help but worry.

Frowning, Marinette flipped her diary closed and put it back in its’ nifty lock box. She remembered making the box to thwart Chloe, but she thought she remembered making it with a friend. When she’d asked Alya about, though, she’d said no. Still, the box came in handy. She could only imagine what Chloe would do if she got her hands on it. Chloe was somehow the only person not in her circle of friends who knew about her monstrous crush on Adrien, but she’d decided it was beneath her notice. However, Marinette imagined the copious paragraphs in her diary describing that very crush would not be.

She left the diary on her desk for the dress form in the corner. It had the muslin mock up pinned to it with the sketch pinned to the wall behind it but the drawing was still woefully lacking details. Maybe choosing Chat Noir for inspiration had been a mistake. She paused in front of the sketch, tracing the now-familiar shapes with her eyes, but inspiration wouldn’t strike. She couldn’t stop thinking about…

Adrien.

“Maybe I’ll just drop by,” Marinette said out our, grabbing her purse. “Just for a second. With some pastries. Real casually. Friends can drop by, right?”

It was like missing a step, she thought briefly, as she paused by the trap door and found she felt like she was waiting for a response from an empty room. She frowned, but stopped again as she again caught sight of her purse. 

“Why…do I keep bringing this with me?” she wondered, unslinging it. “It’s empty.”

But it had felt natural, she realized, to grab it as she’d left. It did match her clothes, she guessed. Still, better to leave it at home.

“Hi, mom!” Only two customers were browsing the bakery this close to the dinner hour. Marinette was careful to circumvent them, ducking behind the counter as the bell over the shop door chimed and snagging a box on her way by.

Sabine shot her daughter a grin as she snagged a few pastries and layered them in the box. Marinette swallowed a smile as she included some passionfruit macarons and their world-famous croissants.

“Uh, excuse me?” Marinette jumped, whacking her head on the shelf and nearly dumping the pastries onto the floor. “Can I get some service here?”

Marinette straightened and squinted over the counter. “Chloe Bourgeois?”

Chloe rolled her eyes, but the move lacked the usual attitude, like her heart wasn’t really in it. “I need a dozen macarons and a dozen chocolate chip cookies.”

Marinette frowned, confused, but reached for a box. Rule Number One in the bakery was always help the customer - even if they were a pain in the butt from your class who had bullied you for literal years. 

Still, a small part of her couldn’t help but feel bad for Chloe. The girl had hurt her, yes, and she’d made terrible choices, but now she was suffering terrible consequences. If Chloe had been her normal over-bearing, bratty self, Marinette might have been able to ignore it, but she just…took it all so stoically. The cold stares. The snide comments. It was no less than Chloe had done to any of them, but…

It all came back to Adrien.

Marinette had never known him to turn his back on anyone. Not even Chloe, not even when she deserved it - until now.

Which was probably why Marinette did what she did next.

“How’re you doing?”

Chloe’s head snapped around to stare at her one-time rival. “Ex-cuse me?”

Marinette fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I asked how you’re doing. Have you been…ok?” It was stupid. She knew that even as she asked, but how else did one ask how a classmate was coping with being totally frozen out?

“I’m great, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe snapped, snatching the box out of Marinette’s hands. “Thanks for asking.”

The other girl stormed over to the cash register and Marinette scowled, grabbing her own box of pastries. A waste of time to even ask. She ducked out the back door to avoid any more scathing comments and made for the metro that would deliver her neatly across the street from the Agreste mansion. She must have thought of a dozen things to say by the time she arrived, but as usual, as soon as those massive iron gates came into view, every single one evaporated. 

Except the usual flush of giddiness was tainted by…anxiety? No, stronger. Foreboding.

As Marinette stood across the street, taking in the manse, a flood of confusion and fear swept over her, a storm like she hadn’t experienced in weeks. Part of her wanted to sprint right back down those stairs and back home. She was back on the edge of that precipice.

‘CHAT NOIR!’ The girl’s scream echoed across the Pont Neuf. A flash of gold, a boy in black was knocked back again and again. She could do little but watch as she desperately tried to free herself. The boy stumbled again, his back against the shallow wall. She saw the monsters’ horrible grin, all those teeth, as it struck again. The boys’ baton snapped in two, and he fell.

The girl screamed again, frantic desperation lending her strength to finally free herself. She didn’t bother trying to follow him; she dove into the frigid black waters closest to her and swam. Her lungs were close to bursting when she finally found him, but her relief was short lived as green light suddenly illuminated the water, revealing a familiar face. Shock made her gasp, and as silver bubbles raced for the surface, they were both abruptly drowning.

The images, ragged and disjointed as they were, slipped through Marinette’s fingers before she could even fully recognize them.

“I…” She hooked a strand of hair behind her ear with one shaky hand. “What was…” A half-faded dream? More like a nightmare. She glanced at the house again, but whatever it was had passed; only faint, fragile anticipation remained.

Rallying her resolve, Marinette stepped forward onto the sidewalk - and promptly into someone as they made for the metro. She managed to snag the hand-rail and keep herself from pitching completely down the stairs, but the box of pastries was not so fortunate. Croissants and macarons spilled across the sidewalk and down into the metro station.

“Oh my god!” Heat spilled across Marinette’s face, but it was hardly the first time she’d run into someone - or dropped a box full of baked good. “I am so sorry. And so clumsy. Sorry.”

“You said that already,” the boy said, brushing off his ornate jacket. At least, she thought it was a boy; a Venetian mask covered his face and a hood obscured his hair. “Watch where you’re going.”

The blush only got stronger, but Marinette scowled as she stooped for her ruined box. It wasn’t like she’d run into the guy on purpose. He didn’t have to be rude about it. “I’m sorry,” she said one more time, if only because she didn’t know what else to say. “Is your jacket…”

“Fine,” the boy snapped, brushing the last bits of dirt only he could see from the material. He froze. “I know you.”

“Um…I don’t think so,” Marinette said, glancing up from her inspection. “I mean…I think I’d know if we were friends.” Besides, her friends knew how clumsy she was. They never would have given her a hard time about it.

“I didn’t say we were friends,” the boy said. He leaned in, the purple and gold lacquer on the mask glinting from the shadow of his hood in the late-afternoon sun. “You’re the one who’s in love with Adrien.”

Marinette’s eyes went wide, and she was fairly sure her blush had blown all the way up to her hairline. No one but her girls - and quite possibly Nino - knew that secret. No one.

“I don’t - I’m not - I don’t have a crunch - I mean, a crush,” Marinette spluttered, frantically re-arranging her pastry box. “Certainly not on Adrien. We’re just…we’re just very good friends.” The words were bitter even as she fibbed; she couldn’t say them without remembering the times Adrien had used that exact same phrase. The difference was he meant it.

“Mhmm.” The mask tilted. “Is that why you’re outside the Agreste mansion with a box of gourmet pastries?”

Marinette straightened with as much dignity as she could muster. “Who are you anyway?”

But the question would have to wait as a tell-tale rumble rippled across the cobble-stones. Cries rose in the air as the people in the street stumbled and clung to anything around them. Marinette elected to drop the box for a second time and cling to the railing rather than risk tumbling into the annoying stranger a second time. He, on the other hand, seemed to navigate the tremor with relative ease, cursing up a storm as he anticipated each roll of the street. 

“These attacks are getting closer and closer together,” Marinette growled as the tremors finally began to abate. “Doesn’t Hawkmoth have a hobby or a job other than terrorizing us?”

“Wish I knew,” the boy said, sounding about as pleased as she did. He glanced towards the Agreste mansion, almost as though that had been his destination as well, but ultimately ended up turning away - in the direction the tremors had come from. “See you around, Lovebug.”

“I am not his Lovebug!” Marinette stamped her foot. Deja vu swept in again, but dispersed as the rumbling started back up. “Wait!” She scrambled after the boy, not nearly as graceful as he was. “What are you doing! Are you crazy? You can’t go that way.”

“I’m crazy? You’re the one following me,” the boy said, glancing back at her over his shoulder. 

“Seriously,” Marinette said, reaching for the boys arm as she caught up. “You could get killed. At best you’ll be a distraction.”

The boy pulled his arm away, slipping out of her grasp as he rounded a corner as easily as if she were made of air. “Go away,” he snapped, an edge in his voice. “Go hide. Leave it to the heroes.”

Marinette balled up her fists, wishing she’d worn her purse after all just to keep her hands busy. “They’re just people,” she snapped, following him down an alley. “We have to help them. Staying out of their way - that’s the best we can do.”

“Not all of us.” The boy paused at the mouth of the alley, looking out into the street beyond. Marinette peered over his shoulder and cringed as she beheld the fight. 

It was already in full swing. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir were out there, but they were getting tossed around pretty badly. Any time they tried to co-ordinate an attack the akuma would engage them, preventing any progress. Ladybug looked better than the first time Marinette had seen her, but she seemed to be lashing out, more desperate than focused, more scared than confident. 

Chat Noir, for all his skill, couldn’t pick up the slack. He was trying to run defense, but Ladybug couldn’t seem to antipode either her enemy or her partner. It wasn’t going well.

The boy in the mask seemed to feel the same way. He looked back at Marinette again. She got the distinct impression he was appraising her, measuring her worth behind that inscrutable mask.

“If you could do more,” he finally said, “Would you?”

“I - ” She ducked as another tremor rocked the alley, but made herself nod. “If I could. They shouldn’t have to do this alone. I…I want to help.”

“Not afraid of joining the list of casualties you seem so convinced of?”

“I’d rather be on it and go down swinging,” Marinette said. She was surprised to find it was the truth. The boy seemed to believe her, too.

He reached inside his huge coat, rummaging around inside a satchel she hadn’t realized he’d been concealing. Marinette felt again like she was on the brink, but this time there was light at the bottom of the crevice, an answer to her question. The boy finally produced a little black box with decorative red scrollwork on top and held it out to her.

“You just carry those around with you?”

He ignored her. “Ladybug and Chat Noir need help, Lovebug -”

“Marinette,” she hissed though gritted teeth.

“They need help, Marinette,” he repeated, unphased. “Will you use the Miraculous of the mouse to aide them in saving Paris, your home?”

Marinette nodded. “I will.” For the first time, serenity surrounded her. Every step was new, but it was like she’d walked the path a million times before. She wasn’t sure where it lead, but she wasn’t afraid of what she’d find when she got there. 

“Will you return the Miraculous to me, Salem, when the fight is done?”

“I…I will,” Marinette said. Her pulse was steady, even. She was ready.

“Then I give you the Miraculous of the mouse,” Salem said, tilting the lid back. A floating mouse burst forth in flash of pink light. Marinette fell back in surprise, but managed to keep from freaking out. She’d accepted this. She would do it. And it didn’t seem interest in crawling through her clothes.

“Marinette!” the mouse chirped, swirling around her head. “Marinette!”

“Hi there,” Marinette said. She couldn’t help but smile; its excitement was infections. Suddenly she remembered Chat Noir’s conversation from a few nights ago: Multimouse, right? Right…this all seemed… right. A little familiar. Didn’t it? Or had she dreamt it? She wasn’t sure anymore.

“Say ‘Mullo, let’s get squeaky’ while wearing the necklace,” Salem instructed as she lifted the jewellery from the box. “She grants the power of multiplication, but we warned, you only have five minutes. Don’t mess it up.”

“She knows!” Mullo chirped, swirling to a stop. “Oh, she knows!”

For the first time, Marinette thought that maybe she might. “I’m ready,” she said with a tight nod. “Mullo, let’s get squeaky!”

[highqueenofelfhame]

In Another Life, two.

The days following treatments, despite this only being her second round of chemo, were always brutal. They were nausea filled, the first 24 hours often leaving Aelin with her head hanging in a toilet. But she still had school and she’d be damned if she didn’t keep working toward her degree in the off chance that she kicked the cancer’s ass and came out on top. It wouldn’t happen, she knew her odds, but she would still carry on with life as normal until she was no longer able to do so. 

“Are you okay?” Her eyes fluttered shut at the sound of his voice and she tapped her forehead against the wood of the library table before she sat up, fighting the way the room swirled around into a washing machine of colors and shapes. Again, she closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath, doing her best to anchor herself to her chair, the table, the room. When she opened her eyes again, the room wasn’t spinning anymore. 

“Yeah, just not feeling well,” she finally said, looked up into a pair of startling green eyes. Rowan looked worried. So worried that he knelt down beside her and allowed his eyes to search her face. 

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you really don’t look good, Ace. Can I take you back to your apartment?” 

“You sure know how to knock a girl off her feet, Whitethorn,” she tried to tease, but her tone was flat as she focused on not throwing up all over him. “Taking me home would be great, actually. I don’t think I’m fit to go to class or drive myself.” 

Rowan merely nodded and hoisted her to her feet, holding both of her hands until she stopped swaying where she stood. In truth, it felt like she was standing on the deck of a boat that was being rocked back and forth by high waves. Another deep breath and she squeezed his hands as hard as she could to keep herself there but at the same time knew that there was no bite to her grip. It was weak. She was weak. When she got home and looked in the mirror, she knew she would be white as a sheet: her lips would be pale, her eyes would be half glazed over from the nausea, there would be a thin sheen of sweat that covered her skin. Sick. She would look sick. 

“Aelin, love?” His voice was soft as he ducked his head down slightly to catch her gaze, and she forced her lips to turn up in a close-lipped smile. 

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, nodding once as she moved to grip his arm tighter. She gestured lazily to where her bag lay on the floor, and Rowan didn’t hesitate to hitch it up over his shoulder. He hesitated even less to swoop her body up into his arms. Aelin couldn’t find it in herself  to protest. Instead, she looped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her face into his neck, willing the scent of pine that tended to linger on his skin to ease the nausea and anxiety that coursed through her veins. 

~*~

“Are you sure I don’t need to call Aedion?” It was the sixth time he’d asked, and Aelin hated that he was asking at all. Her knuckles were gripping the white porcelain of the toilet so hard that it looked like her bones were going to cut clean through her skin. The awful hacking retching sounds were only amplified, ringing in her ears over the lilt of Rowan’s accent. She hated that he was seeing her like this. 

“No, no. I’m fine, really. Probably a stomach flu,” she sniffed as she sat down on the tile, eyes closing briefly before she held her hand out to Rowan. “If you could just help me up, I’ll brush my teeth and then lay down for a nap I think.” 

Rowan didn’t say anything, but pulled her to her feet and rummaged around to get her toothbrush ready for her so she would have less work to do. She scrubbed her teeth clean, forcing the acidity away with the minty flavor before spitting and immediately reaching for Rowan again. The trek to the bed was easier than sprinting to the bathroom had been, but she still couldn’t quite shake the way the room spun and spun like sugar being made into cotton candy. This, however, was far less sweet. 

“I guess this would be a horrible time to ask you on a date,” Rowan joked, brushing a strand of her golden hair behind her ears after tucking her into the duvet. Aelin gave him a weak smile and shook her head a single time. 

“It would have been a no anyway.” 

“Ouch.” He let out a huff of a laugh.

“It’s not that I don’t...that I don’t like you because I do. I just — I can’t, Rowan.”

“A few weeks ago —“

“Things were different a few weeks ago. I just can’t,” she said softly, her finger tracing over the whorls of the tattoo that covered the back of his hand. They were both quiet for a moment before Aelin shifted onto her side, closed her eyes, and willed her body to sleep. 

~*~

“I don’t get it.” Rowan was exasperated, head dropping into his hands as he raked his fingers through his silver hair. “I thought she liked me.”

“Because she does like you,” Aedion said flatly, not even bothering to pretend she didn’t. It wasn’t like she’d been trying to hide it before her diagnosis. Aelin had been chasing Rowan as hard as he’d been chasing her. 

“Three weeks ago at that back to school party, Gods above Aedion, we made out in half the rooms in that frat house. Almost - sorry - almost did more back at her apartment before Lys got home, and now she’s freezing me out. What did I do? I had to have fucked up somewhere and I want to fix it.” Rowan looked over at his best friend, eyes searching his face for some sort of answer, any indication of what he might know to help him turn his luck around. Aedion sighed, however, ran his hands over his face aggressively before laying his head back against the couch and staring up at the ceiling. His eyes followed the blades of the ceiling fan around and around and around until he closed them, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“She does like you, man, she just...Aelin is… sick,” he said slowly, carefully.

“Yeah, that’s clear as hell. It took me an hour to get her from the bathroom to her bed this afternoon because she couldn’t stop dry heaving every five seconds.”

“No, Rowan. She’s really really sick.” Aedion’s eyes opened and when he looked at his friend, they were brimming with tears, voice crackling like an old, scratched up vinyl record. “Cancer. Aelin has stage IV metastatic breast cancer.”

@starseternalnighttriumphant @city-of-fae @musicmaam @myfeyrelady @kandasboi @schmlip-scribble @westofmoon @nalgenewhore @shyvioletcat @hannreadsalot idk who else to tag cya

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Mutilated Mannequin (Part 5)

Azula still feels out of it, for the better part of her Saturday, she remains in bed, curled up and trying not to think too much. She doesn’t know what she is going to say when she gets back to school with a bandaged nose. She could say that she had fallen or run into something but she isn’t known to be clumsy, quite the opposite. Even if she were, the alteration isn’t subtle. I

She resists the urge to touch her nose, she can’t feel it at all, not even a throb. It is as numb as she was promised.

When she finally pulls herself up, she feels sick. There is some feeling in her nose and it is the sensation of blood. She is glad for the nasal drip pads. She wanders her way to the bathroom, she knows very well that she shouldn’t. That she is only going to bring herself distress.

No less, Azula opens the door, she has to brush her teeth and comb her hair anyhow. She can’t let her hygiene got to shit because of this. Though she doesn’t plan on changing out of her pajamas; she needs at least some degree of comfort.

Her reflection looks tired and weary. Her eyes are as puffy and purple as promised, she can’t wait for that to go away. Beneath the bandages, she can’t see the exact damage that her nose sustains but it does look quite swollen. She swallows and begins brushing her teeth. She doesn’t feel beautiful at all.

She wanders into the kitchen, normally the smell of pancakes would draw her, she no longer has that pleasure. She slides into her chair.

“What happened?” Zuko asks.

Azula only shrugs.

“Your sister is getting surgery.” Ozai cuts in. “The kind that you ought to be getting.”

“I already got rid of the scars.” Zuko argues.

“Not the ones on your ear.”

“I have hair to cover that.” Zuko grumbles, he untucks his hair from behind his ear and moves it to the front. “See.” He crosses his arms. “I said I was done with that cosmetic surgery shit.”

Ozai sets his fork down with a false gentleness. “If you keep talking to me like that you will be in need of it.”

Azula silently cringes on his behalf.

“Your sister knows what needs to be done, she isn’t crying about it.”

Not that he can see, Azula thinks. But she is, she absolutely is. This first operation is already hard to swallow and he has three more lined up for her.  She takes a deep breath and tries to remind herself that she wants this, that it is for the best. That if it goes well, she will finally have a date to homecoming.

.oOo.

“You need to relax, Sokka.” Katara sighs as they near her locker. “The first major debate isn’t until tomorrow.”

“Kat, I don’t have any dialogue prepared! Azula probably has a novella of points ready.”

“She can have as many points as she wants, that doesn’t make her any less cold. People want a friendly class president, someone that they can approach.” Katara pauses. “She might be really organized and extremely smart. But she’s really intimidating and hard to talk to.”

Sokka nods, “then why is she…” he lifts his hand, “and I’m down here.” He holds his other hand beneath the first.

Katara rolls her eyes, “because she scares people. And because her good friends Chan and Yue are up there.” She sighs as she pulls out an armful of textbooks. “You’re going to do fine, Sokka. You may not be the brightest, you’re kind of an annoying idiot, actually.”

“Hey!” He nudges her bicep with his shoulder.

“But you’re really funny and your easy to talk to. People like that.” She glances at the clock. “Oh, crap! I’ll talk to you at home, Sokka!” She wishes that she had more time to let him respond. Such isn’t the case, she sprints down the hall and into her first class of the day. Heaven knows that Zhao is a stickler about people being late for algebra. She certainly doesn’t want to have to solve one of his challenge equations in front of the class.

“Running late?” Yue steps in front of Katara.

“Yeah, so…” she gestures for Yue to move.

“I’ll move if you give me that dorky keychain.”

Katara looks at the adorable rubber duck dangling on her backpack. It is blue in color with a teal beak and a teal hibiscus on its head. “No way!”

“Hmmm...then I guess that you don’t want to get to class that badly.”

“Yue, you know that this keychain is…”

“Important to you? That mommy gave it to you after your first swim meet? You didn’t even win.”

“She never cared about that.” Katara mutters.

“Yeah she seemed nice, it’s too bad that she had cancer.”

Katara balls her fist. She is already going to be late, she might as well add attacking another student to her detention slip. She steps forward.

“Don’t do it Katty.” Toph calls. “I know garbage cans that are worth fighting more than she is.” Before Katara can make the decision to end her flawless record, Toph has her hand and is pulling her down the hallway. “Besides, you only have thirty seconds, maybe forty, if you’re lucky, to keep your perfect attendance certificate.

Katara sighs, but decides that Toph is ultimately right. She bursts through the door just as the bell rings.

Zhao seems to frown and tucks his stack of tardy slips back into his desk draw. “And here I thought that I’d get the honor of giving you your first strike.”

Katara, panting lightly and with a half smirk says, “not this time, Zhao.”

.oOo.

“Oh. My. God.” Yue gasps.

Azula, taking care to avoid hurting herself, buries her face in her hands, partly in embarrassment and partly in aggravation.

“You got a nose job, didn’t you?”

“And what if I did?” Azula grumbles. She feels the table dip as Chan seats himself.

“Holy shit, dude.” He mutters. “Who did you fight?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Azula replies, her voice sounds as awful as face must look. The bruising has faded some, but her eyes still appear purple and yellow in some spots.

“I got you something.” TyLee smiles. She sets an icepack in Azula’s palm.

“Thank you, Ty.” She holds it lightly over her nose.

“Does it hurt?” Mai asks.”

“Not yet.” Azula frowns. She wonders if she should just tell them exactly what had happened. She supposes that it is better for her to do so than for Yue to make a scene of it. She doesn’t have to be wholly truthful. “Look, I was helping Zuzu move some stuff around in his room and he accidently hit me in the face with one of those long wall shelves.”

Yue rolls her eyes. “Did he punch both of your eyes too? I know what plastic surgery looks like.”

“You can’t even spot the difference between your mashed potatoes and your corn.” Azula gestures to her lunch tray.

“But I can spot a nose job when I see one.” Yue crosses her arms.

“Why’d you want surgery?” Mai tilts her head.

“My father wanted me to get it, okay?” She huffs, it isn’t entirely untrue.

“Didn’t he do the same thing to Zuko?” TyLee asks.

Azula nods as Mai mutters, “I had to hold his hand the whole time. But he was extra nice that week.”

“What’s it going to look like?”

“I don’t know, Chan. Can we just eat?” She takes a sporkful of mashed potatoes.

.oOo.

Katara sends Sokka a text, asking him to pick her up from astronomy at around 4:00. She is pretty sure that he doesn’t mind, he’s been itching for any excuse to drive since he got his licence. Even though his pickup truck is a complete beater, he’s been showing it off at every opportunity.

She can’t wait until they actually begin stargazing, she already knows how to use a telescope. Being outside would grant her the freedom to distance herself from Yue. Evidently, Yue is plenty occupied for the time being and from the look of it, Azula isn’t getting any pleasure from her company this evening. Katara observes Azula collecting her belongings and moving to a different table. She can’t tell if Yue and her cluster of ditzy friends have kicked her out or if the girl had simply had enough of that nerve grating voice. Either way around, Azula looks rather isolated.

For a moment, Katara considers sitting by her, she doesn’t really have friends in the club either. But she has little trust for the girl. Her father routinely makes things difficult for Hakoda and Azula herself is ridiculously stand-offish. Besides, she can’t betray Sokka like that. She can’t see herself getting along with someone like Azula anyhow. The last time she’d tried to bond with a member of that family it ended with Zuko trying to steal Aang from her in the most pathetic breakup rebound that Katara had ever seen. No, that family is off limits, she can’t imagine that Azula is a friendly sort of person anyhow.

.oOo.

Azula taps her fingers on the desk, she just wants to look at stars and take her mind off of things. She wishes with all of her heart and soul that Yue hadn’t tagged along. She ruffles through her bag and pulls out her ice pack. She holds it to her nose and ignores Yue’s girlish giggles.

God, she is already giving her a hard time and she still thinks that this whole thing is all Ozai’s idea. She supposes that, at this point, it mostly is. She inhales deeply, she really needs to figure out how to tell her father that she doesn’t want to go through with the next three procedures.

A few droplets of blood spatter on her hand and she remembers that she needs to change the pads. She exucses herself and wanders into the bathroom. She takes another deep breath, feeling wholly uncomfortable doing this by herself. But she’d rather be alone than ask Yue for help. She brings her fingers to her nose, they are shaking. She wonders what would happen if she did this wrong. She doesn’t want to find out.

She bites her lip and returns to the classroom, lingering in the doorway and scanning the classroom for someone approachable. Yue and her cluster of fools are eliminated right away. The only other familiar face is Katara’s, though she doesn’t know the girl that well at all.

Yet, Katara is alone and away from snooping ears. Azula holds her head high and approaches the girl with a stiff, “come with me.” It rests somewhere between a command and a request. Due to her nature, Azula suspects that it sounds more so like a demand.

Katara crinkles her brow. “What for.”

This time she sounds less certain, “I-I need help with something.”

“Ask Yue?”

Azula begins to crinkle her nose and hisses in pain. “No!” She whispers through gritted teeth. “Yue is...not helpful.”

“What do you need help with?”

Azula begins walking away, hoping that curiosity will compel the other girl. She lingers by the mirror, looking down at the pads. There is a thin trail of blood leaking into her mouth. She dabs it away with one of those scratchy school bathroom napkins.

She hears a shuffle behind her. “What do you need help with?”

She motions to the nasal drip pads. “I need to swap them out.”

“How am I supposed to help?”

"I." She pauses. "I don't know, I guess that I just want someone to be here if I do it wrong. I think that you can handle this job."

"Do you want my help or not." Katara replies with a roll of her eyes.

"I wouldn't have dragged you here if I didn't."

"Then, maybe, act like you want me here. Or I'll..."

"No, don't leave." She says a little softer. 

"Let's just do this thing and get back to reviewing the functions of a telescope."

Azula nods and exhales in relief.

[kiribaku-trash]

Chapter Seven of an Explosive Tale of Love and Ships

Chapter 6, Chapter 8

Read it on AO3

Masterlist

(special thanks to @bs-squad for writing the part with all the flashbacks)

———————————————–

Mina had spent enough time working with Bakugou to know when he was bluffing. She had happily exited the ship with Kaminari, Sero, and Uraraka in tow, using her magic to propel them the extra distance to shore. The witch had remained silent during the entire exchange, she was probably waiting to see the outcome of the argument before speaking. Bakugou got into fights and arguments with his crew every other week so Mina wasn’t surprised that he’d started butting heads with Eijirou only a few days after the dragon joined the crew. Although, despite Bakugou’s temper, normally it took more than saying a quick ‘hello’ to get him that angry.

Mina sucked in a quick breath and stomped through the underbrush. Obviously she had seen the way Bakugou’s face turned bright red every time Ei got too close. She had originally thought that he just wasn’t used to the dragon’s lack of personal boundaries but now she wasn’t so sure. Bakugou wasn’t a very subtle person and it was easy for Mina to assume that maybe he liked Ei more than he let on. A lot more.

Shaking her head, Mina decided she was deep enough in the forest to let her glamour drop. With a wave of her hand she dissolved the magic, basking in the energy that was no longer spent keeping up her human appearance.

“I thought your magic felt different.” Uraraka said. “I never thought I’d see a faerie in person.” She paused. “Although I said the same thing about Kirishima-kun, didn’t I.”

“We should hurry,” Sero said, squinting up at the parts of the sky that were visible through the heavy canopy of leaves. “It’s getting dark.”

Kaminari nodded in agreement. “Any ideas where a dragon would- AHHH!”

Uraraka acted quickly, jerking out her hand just in time to release a wave of magic that pooled underneath where Kaminari was standing. He hovered a few feet from where he had been walking, a massive drop right beneath his feet. Kaminari face paled at the sight, and he sighed with relief as Uraraka pulled him back towards the group and dropped him to the ground.

“That was close,” Mina said. She approached the edge of the drop slowly, taking each step with precaution. It was a steep decline, covered in dead bushes and sharp stones. Except there was one part of the drop that had nothing except a trail of broken branches and upturned dirt. At the bottom sat two sets of footprints.

“Could that be him?” Kaminari asked, his voice shaking from his sudden brush with possible death.

Mina nodded slowly. “I don’t think anyone else would come down here this late.”

The group stood in heavy silence before Sero finally spoke.

“Except for whoever left those prints.”

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

Momo let out a deep sigh of relief as the Barbarian King was hauled onto the deck of the ship. She silently thanked whoever had designed it for including the added feature of a net. She was lucky enough that a few seconds after being pulled above the surface, Bakugou immediately began coughing up water and gasping for breath. He wasn’t dead, which was always a good thing. Technically it wouldn’t have mattered, the conditions for his arrest were for him to be brought back dead or alive, but the thought of killing a former comrade (or anyone for that matter) gave Momo an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

Bakugou met her gaze with an intense glare but it was hard for him to look intimidating with chattering teeth and sopping wet hair sticking to the sides of his face. Momo’s skin paled as he rose to his feet, directing his palm so it sat only a foot away from her face. Yellow sparks danced across his hand as his arm tensed, ready to fire. Momo prepared herself for the heat and fire and pain of being hit head-on by an explosion, except it never came. Bakugou looked as surprised as she did when only a small plume of smoke and steam rose from his palm. He wasted no time to try again, only to get the same effect.

Momo stared in disbelief at the Barbarian King and how easily a bit of water was able to weaken his explosions to the point of being almost nonexistent. Speaking of explosions, Momo studied Bakugou’s hands. The leather gloves he was wearing surely would have stopped the heat from getting through, or burned up in the process. A small gasp escaped her lips as she came to a realization.

“Remove the gloves,” she ordered her guards. “Those are what are causing his explosions.”

For some reason the Bakugou found her words funny. He barked out a harsh laugh and held out one of his hands, all while maintaining an intense eye contact.

“I’d like to see you try,” His voice had a slight rasp to it. It was probably caused by spending the past five minutes coughing up river water.

Momo’s scowl deepened as she observed her guard try and fail at pulling the glove from Bakugou’s hand. She motioned for the guard to move aside and tried herself, only proving her suspicions that some form of invisible (probably magical) force was keeping it held in place.

She scoffed at the Barbarian King’s triumphant smile. She would just have to hope the magic would remain weak until they arrived at the capital. “Take him to the brig.”

Bakugou’s smirk faded for half a second before he forced it back into place.

“Who the fuck even are you anyways?” He asked, struggling against the guards trying to ‘escort’ him below deck. “You look familiar.”

Momo held up her hand, the guards paused.

“You don’t remember me?” she asked. “We were in the same division. We trained together!”

Bakugou slowly shook his head. “I don’t have fucking time to remember the name of every extra who gets in my way.”

“Then remember mine.” Momo replied, staring him down with fierce rage. “My name is Yaoyorozu Momo. One month ago I was sent on a mission to retrieve a dragon from a lost island. You may have heard about it.” Her gaze intensified as Bakugou’s lips curled into a deep frown. “I was given permission to obliterate anything that stood in my way. And that,” she said, pausing to draw her sword and point it the Barbarian King, “includes you.”

Bakugou growled at her. Momo sheathed her sword and turned away. “Get him out of my sight.” She listened to the sound of Bakugou’s struggling faded below deck and smiled, hiding a twinge of doubt. Her mission was finally nearing an end.

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

Eijirou knew that he shouldn’t have been surprised when Mina showed up in the mouth of the cave, followed by the rest of Bakugou’s crew.

“Ei!” She shouted at the top of her lungs the moment the two made eye contact.

Eijirou was frozen in place. He could feel the corner of his lips tugging upwards in a broad smile as he approached his pink friend. “Min-”

A wall of flame caused Eijirou to jump backwards.

“Don’t come any closer.” Todoroki threatened; his left side was smoking and Eijirou could feel blistering heat come off him in waves.

A high pitched squeak came from the other side of the room. Midoriya closed the space between him and Todoroki within a matter of seconds, grabbing the latter’s hand and giving it a tight squeeze. “Todoroki! What are you doing?”

Eijirou could barely hear the distant yells of his friends from the other side of the roaring flames.

“I told you we couldn’t trust him!” Todoroki yelled back. The flames grew in size, spitting red hot sparks in every direction. “They’re going to take us back!”

Midoriya squeezed Todoroki’s hand tighter. “Calm down, we can talk this out.”

“You don’t understand,” Todoroki’s voice shook.“My father will kill you if we go back.”

“Todoroki-” Midoriya paused, as if rethinking his words. “Shouto, you know I won’t let that happen.”

Todoroki clenched his jaw, averting his eyes from Midoriya’s gaze. Eijirou shuffled his feet and looked down at the floor, feeling as though he wasn’t supposed to be seeing such a close moment between the two.

With a heavy sigh Midoriya wrapped his arms around Todoroki. Eijirou felt the heat of the fire lessen, the wall of flame thinned enough for him to be able to see Mina’s pink skin on the other side.

Eventually the fire faded away entirely and Eijirou found himself sprinting over to the spot where Mina stood. He spread out his arms, about to wrap her in the biggest hug he could manage but was stopped in his tracks. Mina, Kaminari, Sero, and Uraraka all had their gaze trained on the red and white haired boy behind him.

“What’s wrong?” Eijirou asked, allowing his gaze to fall on Todoroki as well.

“That’s Prince Todoroki Shouto,” Kaminari said, shock forcing his voice to be no louder than a whisper. “He’s been missing for two years.”

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

Momo buried her head deep in her hands as she exhaled slowly. A nearby lantern swayed back and forth, casting ominous shadows across the room. She peeked through her fingers at the book layings in front of her. It’s worn cover stood out drastically against the pristine quality of everything else in the library.

Momo and her crew had arrived in the capital only a few hours ago. The moment they had docked they were immediately swarmed by crowds of commoners desperate to see the Barbarian King finally captured and ready to face the consequences of his actions. Although, after searching through pages and pages of history and records, Momo was beginning to wonder how many of said actions were actually performed by Bakugou himself.

With another heavy sigh she turned the page. The books itself was old, probably from way before she was born. It held records from all over the kingdom, most of them from the beginning of the war between Endeavor’s men and the old king. She scanned the paper with boredom, flipping the page once she reached the end of the text. She blinked in disbelief when she saw the title of the chapter before her.

‘Dragons, Faeries, and Other Magical Creatures.’

Bakugou wasn’t the only person Momo was trying to find out about. The pages fluttered with soft crinkles as she searched through the chapter until she found what she was looking for. It was only a short paragraph, but it was still enough to give her some insight on the creature she had been hunting;

‘After making deals with many leaders of the various flocks of dragons located throughout our kingdom, The Flame King used them to win the ongoing civil war between him and All Might. Although, The Flame King refused to keep his end of the deal, instead, using his newfound power over the kingdom to drive the dragons past its borders. There are rumours that a single dragon was caught and is currently being held by the king but there are no ways of verifying the information.’

Momo’s mind drifted back to the broken chains scattered across the floor of the tower. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“You should be sleeping.” A tired voice rang through the library, making Momo nearly jump out of her skin.

“Aizawa-sensei!” Momo addressed her former mentor with surprise. “I didn’t notice you.”

Aizawa simply nodded at the remark. “I couldn’t get the gloves off.”

Momo’s face fell. Aizawa was one of the best magic users in the kingdom (mainly because the rest were executed) and if he couldn’t break the curse on the gloves, no one could.

“I did manage to temporarily disable the explosions.” He continued, eyes drooping with tiredness. “I’m going to go take a nap.”

Momo rubbed her own eyes once Aizawa had left. She had been so focused on her research that she hadn’t even noticed the hours that had gone by. One look out of a small window behind a bookshelf told Momo it was the middle of the night. She rose from her chair and trudged drowsily back to her room. It was going to be a long week.

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

Katsuki clenched his fists at his sides as he watched the steady rain drops outside the small barred window in his cell. It was the middle of the night but he refused to sleep, opting to use all of his time to figure out a plan of escape. One would think that after seven hours with nothing to do but think, that Katsuki would have figured something out. But he had achieved nothing but a few bruised knuckles and a shallow crack in the wall in front of him.

A strangled sound escaped Katsuki’s throat as he fell to his knees, burying his head in his hands. He had no way to escape, he’d tried everything from breaking the bars to trying to fit out the window. Nothing had worked. His only hope would be that someone would come rescue him, but he doubted it. For the first time in his life he was beginning to regret his actions. He knew that he drove everyone away but for some reason he had thought that Kirishima would be different. He was stupid for trusting anyone, especially someone he had barely met.

Katsuki was dragged out of his train of thought by the sound of a door opening and shutting. Footsteps echoed from the stone floor. Katsuki straightened his back and morphed his face into the most defiant expression he could muster as a single person approached the bars.

“Bakugou,” Yaoyorozu said; her voice shook slightly and she avoided making eye contact with him. “I’ve just been informed that your execution has been scheduled for three days from now.”

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

A smile crossed Eijirou’s face as he watched his two, newly made, friend groups collide. He was excited to go on whatever journey they were about to embark on. Although, he could feel an emptiness growing inside of him. A void that Bakugou had left when the two had split up that he couldn't fill.

“Is everything okay?” Mina’s cheery voice rang through the air.

Eijirou put on his best impression of a smile before answering the faerie. “Yeah, I just wish Bakugou was here.”

“Why.” Mina’s voice turned dark. “He was a total dick to you.”

Eijirou shrugged. He decided against continuing the conversation.

“Are you two talking about Bakugou Katsuki?”

Eijirou exhaled deeply through his nose. Despite only knowing Midoriya for less than two days, Eijirou had quickly learned that he had some of the worst timing in existence.

“Uh, yeah.” Mina replied. “Do you know him?”

Midoriya laughed nervously. “Me and Kacchan used to be…” He paused for a moment, as if he was trying to think of the right word to use. “...friends.”

Mina blinked in surprise. “You were friends?!? With Captain ‘I hate everyone, bow down before me extras’ Bakugou?!”

Midoriya nodded. “Yeah. Me and Kacchan used to be part of the royal guard until King Endeavour came into power. Kacchan left before me, then I left with Todoroki-kun.”

“Wait, Bakugou was in the royal guard?!” Eijiro exclaimed.

“Oh, that’s right, you didn’t know that Ei.” Mina said. “Bakugou was a soldier in the guard, but he left pretty early. Couldn’t stand the guards, absolutely despised King Endeavour, and overall had a deep fascination with magical objects and artifacts and left to hunt the seas. I don’t know too much about his early life since he’s quiet about it, but I know snippets of rumours from my time roaming the kingdom before I joined the crew.” She laughed. “You’ll never believe how I joined the crew, Ei. What do you think happened? Here’s a hint: I was the last member to join before you, and it has something to do with me being a faerie.”

“Is that why he let you join? Because you’re magic?” Eijiro tried.

Mina shook her head. “Nope. I was being chased out of a village by some angry folks who found out I knew magic, and I ran into Bakugou when he was being chased by his own mob who had recognized him as the Barbarian King. We kinda just looked at each other before nodding and he let me onto the boat. Never asked questions, just let me join the crew as long as he could boss me around and captain.”

“Are we talking about how we first joined the crew?” Sero butted into the conversation, along with Kaminari and Todoroki.

Mina nodded.

Sero cracked his knuckles. “Then do I have a story for you. I was actually the first member of Captain’s crew. It all started back when the Cap got his ship…or should I say stole...”

**********************************************************************************************************

3 YEARS EARLIER…

The sun glistened off the water as the Dragon sailed through the sea, sending up a spray of white mist. Sailors bustled around the deck as the ship entered a narrow passage between two cliffs and carefully navigated the channel.

“A’right ya mangy mutts, ‘isten up.” growled the captain of the ship, an older man with a tangled beard. “We’re c’ose to the next port, but this here channe’ is a fine commonground for fi’thy thieves and pirates, so aye want all hands on deck and ‘ookout. Is that c’ear?!”

“Aye, Captain.” the crew echoed back.

Despite the best efforts of the crew, however, disaster still managed to strike that day. As they turned the corner, a ear shattering yell of ‘DIE’ echoed between the cliffs and a lone figure leaped onto the ship. His presence was impressive and commanding, and he drew two sharp swords from his belt.

“Alright you extras, listen up!” he shouted. “This ship belongs to me now! Get out now or dare challenge me. Only one way you’re getting out alive, and it ain’t through the challenge.”

The captain gave a boisterous laugh. “Why should we ‘isten to you-”

There was a flash of metal, and the tangled beard of the captain fluttered to the floorboards of the deck. He raised a hand to his freshly shaven chin in shock, his face going pale.

“Why?” growled the loner. “I’m Katsuki Bakugou, the Barbarian King. Now. LEAVE.”

The captain gulped and jumped overboard. The rest of the crew looked at each other before following suit. Those stubborn enough the refuse quickly got a boot to the face that shoved them overboard too.

Finally, there was only one member of the crew left; a tall, skinny guy Bakugou’s age, dressed in a plain white and brown sailor suit like some bartender or adventurer. With a shit-eating grin on his face, he casually spun the wooden wheel of the ship.

“When I said everybody, I meant everybody, extra.” Bakugou snapped. “Get off.”

“Oh, I totally would.” the crewmate said cheerfully. “But I’m just concerned over one thing. How are you-” he spun the wheel lazily- “gonna steer a ship by yourself?”

Bakugou opened his mouth to reply before stopping, his hand raised. “I-”

“Don’t care who you are or how great you may be,“ the crewmate interrupted, “you ain’t captaining a ship without a crew. So, wanna reconsider that little order? Cause I’ll happily jump overboard if you think you can make it to the next town without sinking. But that’s the problem, isn’t it?” There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, a glittering spark of white in a pool of liquid obsidian. “You can’t go into that town over pretence of being spotted. You’ll have to sail even further by yourself. So, wanna let me join your crew?”

Bakugou grudgingly nodded yes.

“Cool.” the crewmate smiled. “I’m Sero Hanta, at your service, Captain.”

**********************************************************************************************************

“You outsmarted Kacchan???” Midoriya asked in disbelief.

“Yep, first (and only) time.” Sero said proudly.

“That may be cool and all,” Kaminari said with a sly grin, “but did you outsmart two people when you first joined?”

“Wait, did you convince both Sero and Bakugou to let you join?” Eijiro asked.

“Not exactly, but sortoff. Let me tell you the story…”

**********************************************************************************************************

2 YEARS and 49 WEEKS EARLIER…

It had been a couple of weeks since Sero had joined Bakugou’s crew. They docked at a village port to gather some supplies for their first hunt for a magical item after finally getting their first proper lead.

“Guard the ship, Soy-Sauce, I’m going into town. Don’t burn the ship down while I’m gone, and don’t let anyone on.” Bakugou growled.

“Aye, Captain.” Sero pulled up the ramp as Bakugou stormed down the dock.

Sero grabbed a mop and cleaned the deck from the dusty prints of Bakugou’s constant stomping. He hummed a jolly sailor tune as he worked, stopping from time to time to glance around the ship and at the empty dock as lookout. Birds flew overhead, their wingbeats like the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. A brown feather fluttered down from the sky at one point and smacked into his face; he spat it out and let it glide float onto the soft rolling waves before continuing to mop.

When he finished, he stepped back to the wheel and smiled in satisfaction. The deck sparked in the sunlight, gleaming like the treasure they would hopefully find.

“Hey, SOY-SAUCE!” Bakugou’s voice echoed around the dock. “I’m back!”

Sero dropped the ramp and Bakugou climbed aboard, holding a box of supplies. “We need a signal for that so it looks professional, like an arm signal or something.” he muttered, dropping the box on some crates as Sero pulled the ramp back up. “You mopped the deck, good. Let’s go, I don’t want to be fucking spotted. Set a course for our next destination.”

“Oooh, that sounds fun, where’re we going?” a voice from above called.

Bakugou and Sero’s head shot up. Leaning over the side of the crow’s nest was a young guy their age. His joyful grin and golden eyes was hidden in the shade of a robin-hood hat tipped with two brown feathers, and he was wearing falconer inspired outfit complete with gloves.

“Wh- HEY! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! GET THE FUCK OFF MY BOAT!” Bakugou yelled, reaching into his belt for one of his swords before realizing he didn’t bring them into town.

The stranger grabbed one of the ropes and swiftly slid down the sails, landing lightly on the deck of the ship in a matter of seconds. He flicked a feather from his shoulder and stuck out a hand for a handshake.

Bakugou and Sero simply stared at him. Bakugou scowled and crossed his arms, waiting for a response.

“Alrighty then, no handshake I guess.” the stranger shrugged. “Oh well, your loss. I’m Kaminari Denki, traveller extraordinaire! Cool boat. Where’re we headed first?”

“We? ‘You’ are getting the fuck off this boat. How the hell did you get on in the first place?” Bakugou growled.

“Yeah, I never saw you sneak aboard.” Sero added.

“Oh, I have some experience.” Kaminari grinned. “So, we headed out or nah? Doesn’t matter where, I just like to… keep moving, ya know?”

“What, are you dense, idiot? Get the fuck off my ship before I throw you off myself.” Bakugou snarled. “Yo Soy-Sauce, retrieve my swords.”

“I dunno Bakugou, he could be useful on the ship.” Sero said. “A scout, or- well, I guess I’m technically the navigator, but-” Bakugou glared at him with enough anger to make a dragon back down. Sero gulped. “Aye, Captain.”

As Sero retreated belowdecks, Bakugou turned his death glare toward Kaminari. The traveller shifter his weight nervously, his eyes darting between Bakugou and the dock like he was suddenly regretting recent choices.

“You’re Katsuki Bakugou, the Barbarian King, right? The wanted guy hunting for illegal magical artifacts? Rumor said you got a ship and a crew.” Kaminari said.

Bakugou’s scowl deepened. “What’s it to you? I could easily destroy you without breaking a fucking sweat, don’t think you could turn me in to the royal guards.”

Kaminari raised his hands. “Who said anything ‘bout the royal guard, Blasty?”

“BLASTY?!-” Bakugou sputtered.

“Point is,” Kaminari interrupted, “I like gathering magic on my travels too. Doesn’t make me too popular with the hierarchy. I’ve always wanted to sail as part of a crew. Thought it would be an exciting adventure. I saw your ship in the port and was hoping I could... join?”

Bakugou laughed. “Join? I already have one extra sailing on my ship. I don’t need two.”

Footsteps pounded on the wooden stairs, and Sero climbed up from below deck.

“Finally.” Bakugou grumbled, grabbing his swords. “Alright idiot, time to get the fuck off my boat so we can leave.”

“I mean, he could be useful, Captain.” Sero said. “Operating a ship with only two people is a little ridiculous.”

“Yeah!” Kaminari said. “I know how to handle sails in the wind, and I’m a trained scout. I also have my fair share of travelling: come from a small village in the mountains, unique variety of skills, that sort of thing.”

“Fine, I’ll say that’s useful.” Bakugou said. “But what would you do if you were confronted by a royal guard like this-!”

Bakugou thrusted the point of his curved sword under Kaminari’s chin. With lightning reflexes the traveller grabbed something from the fold of his jacket, and a wailing screech filled the deck as metal met metal. Kaminari deflected the blow and stepped back, spinning the dagger in his hand.

“I’d probably do this, possibly with some screaming and dual wielding if I had to. I’m trained in combat, specifically daggers and the art of origami!” Kaminari grinned, flipping the dagger in the air and catching it.

“The art of… paper folding?” Sero asked.

Kaminari blinked, a soft red blush filling his face. “I… I didn’t think you’d know that.”

“Alright, so you can fight. Why the hell do you want to join our crew?” Bakugou growled. “You said it yourself, we’re dangerous outlaws hunted by the Royal Guard.”

Kaminari shrugged, his eyes darting once more to the port then back at Bakugou. “Like I said, I’m not too popular with the hierarchy. Pretty much an outlaw myself. I have the same goal as you: hunting magical artifacts. Plus I just really love travel, and the sea is something that is just full of cool adventure, ya know?”

“ Come on Captain, it’s so boring being a one-man crew for you.” Sero pleaded. “Let him join.”

Bakugou sighed, rubbing his temple. “Fucking fine.” he grumbled.

Kaminari and Sero cheered. Bakugou turned his back to them, not letting them see the ghost of a smile that hung on his lips. He stared off to the port, and froze, the faint smile dropping. A trio of royal guards were making their way up the dock, searching each boat carefully.

“Shit.” Bakugou hissed. “Yo, idiots, shut up for a sec. Soy-Sauce, get the boat ready and set sail immediately. New guy, Sparky-” Kaminari gave an indigent yelp as Bakugou slapped a hand to his back and pushed him toward the mast. “Get your ass in the crows nest. Royal guards are coming.”

Kaminari paled, and he laughed nervously as he scooted up the side of the wired netting. “That might, um, be my fault. I kinda stole the Lemillion Amulet from the guard post in town.”

Bakugou stared at him. “You… stole… a magic item from-” he looked over at the three guards, who were coming closer, “fuck, from the Big Three, some of the top guards, and got away?!”

“It was going to be melted into gold! It’s a magical artifact with a deep history, not a piece of scrap metal!” Kaminari protested. “I wasn’t just going to let it happen. I didn’t know it was the Big Three, I just snuck in and slipped away!”

With a lurch, the ship pulled out of the port, Sero at the wheel. Kaminari braced himself, scooting up a little higher in case Bakugou was going to explode. Instead, the captain smirked. “You might have a use on this crew after all…”

**********************************************************************************************************

“No way, you stole the Lemillion Amulet from right under the Big Three without getting caught?!” Midoriya cried, reaching for a notebook in his pouch.

Todoroki gently grabbed Midoriya’s hand and pulled it away from the pouch. “I must admit, that’s impressive. As is convincing the Barbarian King to let you join his crew.” He aimed that compliment at both Sero and Kaminari.

“Eh, it’s not that impressive.” Sero scratched the back of his head in prideful embarrassment.

“Are you kidding?!” Kirishima exclaimed. “That’s incredible! I can’t believe you guys are this awesome!” Both Sero and Kaminari blushed from the avalanche of compliments.

“It’s not- well-” they stammered as the others laughed.

“So, Midoriya,” Mina asked when the laughter died down and everyone sat down in front of the fire in the centre of the cave, “how’d you meet Bakugou for the first time, Midoriya?”

“Oh, it’s a long story.” Midoriya went to wave it off, but everyone leaned in closer, listening intently. “Well, okay, if you want to hear it. It’s was a long time ago, so long I never thought that part of my life would come up again. Yet I’m starting to get the sense that the story might not be quite over, but the beginning of a new chapter…”

[waitinginthedarke]

It Consumes Me

A BTS/Kim Namjoon Fanfiction

Summary: The minute he laid eyes on her he knew she was the one. But love is a battle of the mind and the heart, and when the voices in your head start winning, how can your heart possibly compete with a choice that consumed you before the very start…

Type: Angst/Love

Chapter 3

‘I’m sorry I didn’t think the balcony thing through, I just thought it would be cute-‘

‘For the billionth time, you don’t need to apologise! It was cute…I just didn’t expect it to be that cold.’ You insist, teeth still chattering slightly and you want to kick yourself for letting onto how cold you still were as he begins to remove his jacket, shaking his head as you try to get him to put it back on, before you find yourself engulfed in his scent as he wraps it around you. The feeling of his hands smoothing over your shoulders as he checks that it wouldn’t fall off has your knees threatening to buckle, and you find yourself staring up at him, mouth slightly open in awe, watching as he slowly takes his attention from what he’s doing to lock his eyes with yours.

The two of you had left the café half an hour ago after Namjoon had seen you shivering and had decided it was too cold to stay on the balcony and, after a quick debate, you’d both agreed to explore the glowing streets and the nightlife they bestowed to keep warm rather than sit inside. But now, as you stared up at him, the ghosts of one another’s breath mixing in the cold night air between you, the icy wind wasn’t spared a thought.

‘I’ve really enjoyed tonight.’ He says quietly, as a bubble begins to form around the two of you, blocking out the noise from the rest of the streets where the two of you had stumbled down a side walk. The sound of goodbye in his words has you frowning slightly without you noticing, but before you could realise, the feeling of his fingertips brushing over your forehead pulls you from your train of thought.

‘Why are you frowning?’ he asks, eyes flickering from his fingers to your eyes, forcing you to blurt out the first words that are conjured almost immediately on your tongue.

‘It sounds like you’re saying goodbye-’

You catch your words, but it was too late, the way you could see him biting the inside of his cheek tells you that he’d already heard what you’d said. …But it was in the way that he slowly drops his hand from touching your forehead to cupping your cheek, tipping your chin up slightly to get you to look at him, that told you how he felt about your words.

Although, the bravery thrumming through your veins wasn’t done with forcing the truth out of you.

‘-I don’t want to say goodbye.’

Its just as he goes to speak that the words fall from your tongue, and the silence that consumes you both begins to sink into your bones. His gaze on yours becomes all consuming and its almost as though your whole world becomes him as his face fills your vision…

…its not until his lips touch yours that you realize what had happened.

The taste of him drowns your taste-buds, the feel of his lips bringing your entire body to a stop, your mouths where they were connected appearing to be the only thing you could feel, and all at once you’re falling into him, stars dancing behind your eyelids as you feel his arm clamp around your waist, his heat burning your skin.

The feeling of his lips suddenly disappearing from your own has your eyes blinking bleerily back open to peer up at him, the sight of him gazing back down at you slowly emerging from your blurred vision, noses touching where you were clutched to his chest causing you to go cross eyed for a second or two before you realise he was frowning at you.

‘Are you okay?’ he murmurs, his free hand cradling your face as he continues to stare at you with a worry-filled gaze.

‘Yes…why?’ you ask, confusion and slight embarrassment filling your own voice, and you feel your feet cement themselves onto the ground as you force yourself to pay more attention, only just now realising how jelly-like your legs felt.

‘I thought you were going to fall down for a moment, it was almost like you blacked-out.’ Comes his response, his explanation making you frown yourself, until you’re interrupted by his lips touching a sweet kiss to the bud of your cheek, the move making your eyes stretch wider slightly as you stare back at him with a question burning in your gaze.

‘Sorry, you look adorable when you’re confused. It would seem you don’t remember much of what just happened.’ He explains, beaming coyly down at you, eyes still fixed on your lips.

‘You kissed me.’ You interject quickly, cheeks warming once again in embarrassment as you realise how quickly you’d spoken.

‘…Well, yes…’ he admits almost shyly, gaze flickering back to your own, the grin that stretches his face causing his eyes to squint cutely and your heart ends up beating double time in response. ‘-but I was actually referring to the fact that you seemed to black out for a moment or two.’

At that you frown up at him, your brain hurriedly scrambling to try and remember the past five minutes, but just as you were getting to the part after he kissed you (having spent a good 30 seconds on the actual kissing part) you feel the lightest of touches on your lips once more and all of your senses become fine tuned to him once more.

‘I was just concerned about you, but if you feel okay, we’ll forget about it.’ He mutters, almost against your lips, gently curling his lips into a reassuring smile as he watches you compute this information, before the sound of him shakily breathing out and the feel of his breath whispering against your lips brings your attention to how nervous he was, which in turn makes you nervous too.

‘I feel fine.’ You grin, squeezing his biceps where your fingers had come to be curled in the fabric of his shirt, your eyes roaming his face before landing on his, and the way his irises glisten back at you has your body thrumming happily.

‘In that case- I’d like to kiss you again…if that’s okay?’ he whispers, biting his lip in his nervousness, and its that sight that forces you forward, your excitement claiming his lips with yours and the feeling of his smile curving your lips has your head zooming into the clouds.

The taste of him was addictive, the smell of him was intoxicating, and the feel of him grasping you securely, yet gently in his arms was something you never wanted to not feel.

……..

NAMJOON

His lips still burned when he collapsed into bed that night.

He’d wanted to stay with her until the sun rose, the thought that he never wanted to spend a moment without her passing through his mind, and exciting him rather than frightening him.

The feeling of having her in his arms, how natural it felt to hold, feel her, and taste her…It had all been too surreal for him to compute in the moment, and yet he’d felt every single second as though he’d managed to slow down time just by touching her, each touch of his fingertips on her skin electrifying his very soul.

The moment he’d first touched his lips to hers had replayed over and over again in his head since the moment his head had touched the pillow of his bed an hour ago, his thoughts before that moment being consumed with the way they’d parted;

‘Do you really have to leave? Are you sure you cant stay out for another hour?-‘

‘Namjoon-oppa-a… I have to go home, My dad-…Its really late…he’ll be worried.’ She explains, the flash of her eyes as she’d stumbled over her words going unnoticed by him as he continues to stare at her mouth, chest aching at the thought of not being able to touch her; to hear her voice and smell her perfume.

The feel of her arms, so small compared to his hands as they glide over the sleeves of her coat- his having been returned to him with an expression of sadness when she’d informed him that she had to leave- made him want to pull her close and envelope her in his hold so that she couldn’t leave; wanting to promise her he’d protect her from absolutely anything in the world.

‘Can I see you again soon?’

He can hear the desperation and the timidness in his own voice, but even with the slight embarrassment that came with wearing his heart so obviously on his sleeve for her to see, the want for her to see how obviously he adored her beat out any wish to hold back, the events of the night causing him to understand just how much he wanted her.

‘I’d like that…a lot.’ She murmurs, peering up at him with those doe-like eyes that made his heart race a thousand miles a minute in his chest, and he couldn’t help but steal her lips in a kiss once more, having constantly needed to taste her all night, but forcing himself to hold back and simply settle for holding her hand in his like some kind of life line.

‘Good.’

……..

‘Namjoon-hyung?’

Being shaken awake was not part of his usual routine, the move normally alerting him to some emergency that he had to fix, and so the minute his unconsciousness was ripped away from the image of her in his mind and his consciousness registered Jimin’s shaking of his arm, Namjoon finds himself bolting upright, scrambling jaggedly from the bed and lunging for the door.

‘What is it?’ he demands in a rugged voice, forcibly blinking his bleary eyes open and whipping his head from side to side until he located his younger friend, insistent expression demanding an explanation for the sudden wake up call.

‘Hyung, you overslept. We’re gonna be late for recording!’

Jimin’s comment has Namjoon’s eyes snapping to the clock on his bedside table, the glowing numbers of his alarm clock taunting him as he confirms what the other guy had said, before propelling him into motion.

‘Shit. I’ll be ready in five.’ He insists, practically sprinting to the bathroom-

-missing the way his phone lights up with a missed call…

…and her name.

……….

Your lips were chapped.

It couldn’t be helped though; you knew It was from the way you’d bitten them all night, the minutes that felt like hours that you’d spent kissing him having replayed over and over in your head as you’d laid in bed that night watching the clock flash 1am, then 2am, and 3. By the time your alarm had finally gone off you’d managed to snatch a good two hours sleep, your back protesting against any thoughts of getting up as you’d made the motions to begin getting yourself ready for college, avoiding the inquisitive face of your mirror as you’d shrugged into the outfit you’d prepared on the back of your desk chair before going out the night before…

You cant help but pause half-naked in the middle of your room as your fingertips drift over your parted lips, eyelids fluttering closed as the image of his gaze, so intent; omniscient and wanting, paints the inside of your mind. The feel of his hands gripping your waist wishfully possessive, yet continuously gentle, has you ghostingly mimicking his actions, sucking in a grounding breath as you snatch your hands away from your body and open your eyes to the darkness of your room.

‘Y/N?’

Shit.

‘I’m coming, Dad.’

…………….

NAMJOON

He thrusts himself through the gap in the door that gained him access to the bighit building, trying hurriedly to suffocate his desperate breaths for air that had escaped him the entire run to the studio that morning.

‘Good Morning, sir.’ The receptionist greets him, the smile on her face going unnoticed in his peripheral vision as he offers her a barely there bow in recognition, before continuing his hurried motions toward the elevator, standing impatiently before the doors, and forcing his way inside the minute they opened easily to allow him access.

Its only after he’d collapsed against the railing inside the small metal box, and the numbers were going up and up on the little pixelated screen above him, that he finally took a moment to check his phone, knowing there was probably a multitude of missed calls from Shi-hyuk or the other members demanding where he was- Jimin having ran ahead after he’d awoken him that morning, not wanting the rap for being late too.

However, the minute the screen lights up in his hand and Namjoon managed to force his adrenaline-blurred vision to focus on the single notification that was there, he found himself growing both ashamed and slightly confused with what he saw.

The little jingle that chimes above him forces him quickly back to the present before his mind could get lost in thoughts of the night before and so, despite the need in his chest to hear her voice, he settles uneasily with quickly tapping out a hurried message, hesitating with his thumb over the send button as he wars with himself in his head; battling against his desire to call her, before hurriedly hitting the button and sliding his phone back into his pocket, taking one last second to compose himself before entering the studio in front of him.

‘Ah, Namjoon! You finally decided to show up!’

………..

NJ: I’m sorry, I overslept. What’s up? I’ve got to go to work for a few hours, but my break is at 2- I’ll call you then, I promise x

The walls of the bathroom became even bleaker than usual as his words seemed to dance themselves up from the screen before you and into your eyes. Outside the walls of the toilet cubicle you were in you could hear the sounds of people beginning to hurriedly make their way to their first classes, but despite your anxiety over being late you found your need to clean yourself up from the run to school beating out over your desire not to get a file note.

You could still feel the heat in your cheeks, and the blisters on your little toes and at the back of your ankles where the rain had seeped into your shoes, the sight of your poor soaked socks as you peel them from your feet making you grimace as you place them in the bin and bend down to begin to rummage in your bag for the deodorant you kept for emergencies…...-

.......…-However, the second the school bell rings panic floods you and you force the blackness of the back of your eyelids away; picking yourself up off of the floor and grappling for your watch, you ignore the pains of protest from your bones as your eyes widen with the time.

10am.

Crap… it had happened again.

Without another thought you shove your feet into your shoes, throw your bag onto your back and scurry out of the cubicle and the bathroom, sprinting for your second class scheduled that day.

……..

NAMJOON

She still hadn’t messaged him back when the mid-recording break finally came about.

‘Hyung, are you coming for food?’

He hadn’t registered Jungkook’s voice before the other guy had clocked onto his concerned expression that in that moment was directed at his phone, and so when he’s suddenly clapping him on the shoulder, Namjoon finds himself jumping out of his skin with the sudden shock on his senses.

‘Wah-‘

‘Woah, …are you okay, hyung?’

Namjoon could tell from his friend’s expression that he was acting weird, and immediately his in-built instincts to conjure reassurance for the others takes over from the part of his brain that was still solely focused on her lack of response – the worry building in the back of his mind as the seconds continued to pass.

‘Uh, yeah. I’m fine, I just don’t think I’ve quite woken up after being late this morning.’ He offers the younger boy, smiling slightly embarrassedly to complete the white lie, although even as he watches Jungkook nodding understandingly, he can see his friend doesn’t entirely buy it…as is proved with his next comment.

‘You were out pretty late last night, hyung. Jimin kept waking me to tell me he was worried about you...’

The comment is off-hand and was meant to add some light humor to the barely concealed inquisition into his whereabouts, but even as the need arises in him (as it always did) to boast about her to everyone he spoke to, the professional side of him knew that he shouldn’t say anything quite yet.

‘Aish, I told him I had some work to do, I was hoping for once he wouldn’t worry so much about me, but I suppose its not that easy with Jimin.’

He knew without looking at the way Jungkook’s eyebrows pull together slightly that the other boy wouldn’t be satisfied with the answer, but in that moment Namjoon could feel his concern for her winning out over his other instincts, and so without saying much more, he shrugs to Jungkook with a ‘what can you do’ smile, and grabs his bag and jacket from the side before making for the door.

And with his focus being entirely on his phone as he clicks on her number, he misses the confused, and minorly concerned tilt of Jungkook’s head, before the younger boy makes the mental decision to do what he probably shouldn’t have done…

…follow him.

(T.B.C)

[i-am-the-gay-shit]

My only Sun - Chapter 11 ‘Hunter & Prey’

3 chapters in one day;) We get to learn a bit about the Taylor family and how Clare became a Huntress~!!

Click this link to be directed to the full story

She walked through the graveyard silently. Her footsteps barely made a sound. Any normal person wouldn’t hear her, but she knew better. She wasn’t dealing with normal people.

“Clare…”

His voice was soft as he stepped out of the shadows. She studied the taller man and could see why her brother like him. Brian was a very handsome man with such a sweet, and quiet demeanor. Very opposite of her big brother. “You’re not alone.” She comments, eyeing the shadows. Not surprised when she sees the other familiar man walk out. “Freddie.” “Clare. Pleasure to see you.” Freddie smiles warmly, but Clare doesn’t seem happy.

“I can’t say the feeling is mutual… Maybe under different circumstances. But this…” Clare trails off, thinking of the potential danger her brother may face. Freddie frowns.

“I understand… You must be awfully worried. So let us not waste anymore time. Allow us to explain…” He gestures for Clare to have a seat, but she shakes her head. Freddie casts a look to Brian before sighing softly.

“Where to begin…” Freddie started off at the beginning. Telling her about Paul and his own life. Trying to ignore Brian’s gaze as he talks about Jim… He explains how he found Brian, what they had done, and why they are on the run.  He tells her about the bond her brother shares with Brian and her eyes widen. Nodding slowly as she looks at Brian. She listens carefully and drinks the information in eagerly. Her eyes narrowing as Freddie goes in about the previous night. Paul finding them and threatening Roger…

“And that’s why… He’s in danger. And-” “-And it’s my fault…” Brian cuts Freddie off. His gaze cast down, too guilty to look into Clare’s eyes. He can feel her staring at him, but he doesn’t feel any anger… Instead, her emotions are relatively neutral…

“... He really likes you. It’s kind of annoying how much he talks about you… and now it makes sense. You two were meant to be.” Clare speaks softly. “And there is nothing I can do to stop that… Grandpa was really right about him...” She sighs.

Brian looks up at her, but now she’s looking away. A small frown on her lips.

“...Clare. Your family… Are they hunters? Or…?” Brian starts to ask.

“... My parents aren’t hunters...” She says simply. Freddie grows curious.

“How did you end up becoming a Hunter? Surely your parents don’t know this?” Freddie questions and Clare looks over, smiling softly.

--

Outside London, England. 1961

12 years ago

Roger had always hated going to his grandparents. It was out in the middle of nowhere with absolutely nothing to do. But for some reason his sister loved to go. She would bounce up and down the entire car ride and run out of the car when they pulled up to the old house. Their grandparents would greet her with warm smiles and hugs, but as soon as his grandfather ever looked at him, he would just frown and study him.

Clare even noticed how off put the older man was to her big brother, but she always just brushed it off. Her brother always had an attitude and an unwelcoming aura around him. She didn't get along with her brother, mostly because he didn't want anything to do with her and Clare couldn’t understand why her brother was so mean to her…

But she felt bad. Everyone in the family treated Roger a bit differently. They were always scolding him for the smallest things, while she barely ever got in trouble. It wasn’t fair, and she thought she would be in a foul mood too if she was treated like that all the time… Though she did see him happy a few times. Mostly when he was listening to music. That’s when he was nice to her and he would sit her down to tell her about a new record he had gotten. And Clare cherished those moments with her brother…

“It’s such a nice day today, why don’t you take your sister out for a walk, Roger.” It wasn’t a question. Their grandmother looked to Roger and motioned for him to get up and turn the radio off. Clare watched her brother glare over at her slightly before rolling his eyes and doing what he was told. Grabbing his jacket before angrily walking around her.

“Come on.” He muttered, not trying to hide his annoyance. Clare hurried after him, not wanting to make his mood any worse.

They walked in the cool, autumn air. He was in front of her like always. Not talking or anything. When they were alone like this, it always made Clare uncomfortable. She knew her brother didn't hate her, but… it was always so awkward and he was always in a pissy mood.

“Jeez. It’s bloody freezing out. ‘Go on. It’s a nice day’, she said…” She hears her brother grumble, making her smile slightly.

“What are you smiling at?” Roger huffs, looking back at her. She giggles now, making him arch an eyebrow. “What?” He asks, turning to her completely. For some reason her smile just grows wider and she starts laughing. Her brother looking at her like she’s insane.

“You’re bloody weird…” Roger can’t help but crack a small smile. Clare lights up at this.

“I’m weird? At least I’m not moody.” She hums.

“Excuse me?” Roger walks toward her, thought he’s not mad. No. There’s a smile on his face as he gets closer and starts to reach for her. She quickly bolts the other way and Roger sprints after her. Both of them laughing as Roger scoops her up easily. “What did you say about me?!” He laughs as he tickles her, making her wiggle and laugh in his arms.

They slowly calmed down as he sat her back on the ground carefully. Clare was still giggling softly as she looked up at her brother with a wide grin.

“I like when we play like this…” She confesses. Roger’s smile disappears as he looks down.

“...yeah… I do too.” He admits, gently patting her head. “Excuse me…” Roger looks up quickly, meeting two unnaturally black eyes of a strange man only a few feet away from them. He instantly pulled his sister behind him, sensing something off about the strange man.

“....can I help you?” Roger asks, trying to sound as intimidating as a 12 year old boy could. Slightly back away. Holding Clare’s wrist tightly.

“I was wondering if you could give me directions… you see… I’m lost.” The man smirks, walking toward the two kids. Roger’s hand tightens on Clare’s wrist, but Clare doesn’t voice her discomfort.

“I can get my grandfather. He’d be more than happy to help you on your way.” Roger prays the fear in his voice isn’t clear. He backs away more.

The man just smirks before lunging at the two. Before Clare could process anything, she felt Roger push her before being tackled by the monster.

Clare never felt fear like this. Staring into those swirling red eyes while the creature smiled at her with a sharp grin before looking down at her brother, now pinned under him. She didn't know what to do. Monsters don’t exist… No… Monster didn't exist… But now, one had her brother… And it growled and snarled as it’s teeth sank into her brothers skin.

Her stomach turned as her brother screamed in unimaginable pain. He was kicking and struggling under the power and force of the monster. But there was nothing she could do. She was frozen in fear. And she knew soon it would be her turn…

But all of a sudden the monster unlatched from her brother’s now gushing neck and screeched in its own pain. And that’s when she saw that something had hit it in the shoulder. Whipping her head over, she was shocked to see her grandfather standing there with a very unusual weapon positioned up and pointing at the creature. The monster moved like a blur, but her grandfather didn't flinch at all. Instead he shot directly in the beats face, making it stumble back in pain. This gave him enough time to reload his weapon and hit the scary man down to the ground before firing in it’s head again.

Clare honestly couldn’t register anything that just happened after that. It was all a blur... from her grandmother rushing Roger to the hospital, to her grandfather building a large fire and burning the creatures body.

“Grandpa…?” She asks softly, as she watched the fire dance. “What… what was that?” The older man glanced down at her and sighed.

“That was a monster.” He says simply.

“Why did you tell grandma it was a wild dog that attacked Rog?” She wonders. The older man sighs again, fully looking at his 8 years old granddaughter.

“You really want to know?” He asks and her eyes light up as nods eagerly.

And with that, he sat the girl down and explained to her the supernatural forces of the world. Demons existed, but humans could defend themselves. She learned her grandfather was a Vampire Hunter, but after his wife gave birth to their first child, he retired. Not wanting to endanger his family.

But then Roger was born. His first grandchild. Who was visited by a demon the very night he was born. Clare listened with wide eyes. How her grandfather had killed one of those beasts in the hospital.

“It was an omen.” He said. “I knew from that first moment that boy would get himself mixed into things greater than himself… And he has. He might not be aware of it, but Roger has a knack of attracting all sorts of creatures to him.” “How do you know…?” Clares wonders.

“A good hunter can always sense the supernatural.” He smiles down at her.

“Can you teach me?” She asks with a big smile, shocking the man.

“Te-teach you?! Are you crazy?! It’s a dangerous and serious thing!” He exclaims.

“... and if what you say is true, then Roger will need someone to help him in the future! Who better than his sister??” She smiles. Her grandfather stares down at her. Shocked at the maturity she was showing.

“Clare… The things I would teach you-” “Aren’t fit for a girl? Dangerous? I don’t care! I want to protect my big brother!” She huffs, crossing her arms.

“....Very well. Clare Taylor. I will teach you how to be Vampire Huntress… and you will protect your brother when I no longer can.”

--

Present Day, Cemetery - London, England

1973

“So your grandfather was a hunter…” Freddie says out loud, Clare nods.

“Yes.”

“...A dog attack? Wouldn’t Roger remember being attacked by a man and all that…?” Brian asked, a bit confused. She sighs.

“You would think. But it was so traumatizing that his brain repressed the memory of it. He doesn’t remember anything about it… And memories are so delicate anyway, so from telling Roger it was a dog, when he does try to think about that day, he can now only imagine a dog. And thanks to that, Roger absolutely hates dogs…” She sighs softly. Explaining the psychology process.

“So Roger doesn’t know anything about….?” Freddie wonders, twirling his finger in the air. Clare shakes her head.

“Nope. He doesn’t know about anything supernatural. Though he’s dated a Hunter before…” She thinks back with distaste. Brian feels jealousy run through him. “He was an ass. I was happy when they broke up…”

“I’m happy they broke up too…” Brian hisses under his breath.

“Heh, your grandfather was right. Roger sure knows how to attract people from the supernatural world. Being attacked, dating a hunter and being a soulmate to a vampire…” Freddie laughs softly, shaking his head. “You definitely got someone to keep you on your toes, Brian.” Clare laughs softly.

But her smile fades and eyes turn ice cold as she takes her crossbow and lifts it quickly. Pointing right between Freddie and Brian.

“Don’t Move.”

*Gasp* I wonder what could happen next? Is there a deaky in the future? Maybe? Maybe not~? We shall see~~ Till next time<3

[fandomtrash-16]

The Demon’s Trap

So I’ve been working on something and I finally finished it! It’s kinda long so read it at your own choice if you want idk. this is basically an intro to my version of the ink demon, his beast form at least. (i have nothing more to say so ima stop while im ahead)

Lost. Lost as hell, in hell.

Henry stumbled, his feet catching on the upturned planks of the old floor; most of which had been broken inwards by something that was clearly much larger than a human. It was unsettling, to say the least. The layers of claw marks, some new and some old, on the nearly desecrated walls that lined the hallway told Henry that this something could still be quite alive.

And if so, he was running right towards it.

At least, he thought he was?

It was nearly impossible to tell. The walls had begun to blend together a while back, and now the twists and turns of adjacent corridors seemed to simply be mirrors of the one Henry was already in. It was disorienting, but then again the blonde hadn’t much time to study his surroundings considering he was being chased- no, hunted, by those freaks with the masks. It was either run or be killed, and he took the chance to run even if he had no clue where he was.

The animator ran past a few more hallways before he finally stopped, leaning his aching body against the wall and gulping down swallows of air, like he were a fish out of the water. Tired, hungry, sore. He didn’t know how much longer he could last like this. He needed this break, but he needed to be somewhere safe even more. Desperately.

But that was the one thing he couldn’t be, not while he was being chased like pray. So all he could do was look around. “It just goes on and on forever, doesn’t it?”

Who was he asking? Himself? Joey? Henry didn’t know.

The creaking of the rotting boards combined with several hushed voices caused the man to tense.

“Shit-!” He muttered, brushing stray strands of blonde hair out of his face. Henry rose, stepping away from the sound. They found him?! How!? He didn’t want to stay and find out, however. The animator began to sprint. Where to? He had no clue. He just had to get out of there.

So he ran. He ran for what seemed like hours, the hallway continuing to twist and turn: like a maze with no exit. He couldn’t tell where he had come from, which halls he’d traveled and which ones were brand new but he didn’t care. He just ran, and he ran for a long time.

So long, that Henry began to think that perhaps he had lost his mind. Maybe he’d been consumed by the ink, or maybe, just maybe, it was all a horrid nightmare. Yes. Yes, perhaps he just fell asleep and this was a dream. But the pain... it felt real. It was real. His exhaustion was real. This was no dream. It was simply a maze of never-ending corridors, one that held no entrance nor exit; as if it were meant as a trap for people. To keep them in.

Or...

Perhaps, it was meant to keep them, or something worse, from getting out.

The animator was about to collapse; ready to accept his death in these endless halls. Until that is, the winding maze of corridors finally opened up into a large room. It was a massive ballroom; elegantly decorated with a deep red carpet, barely worn down as if it never had the chance to be the scene of a waltz. Large columns adorned with crimson ribbons held the ceiling up, the balconies adorned with ribbons of similar color; empty planters hanging from each post of their railings. The lights flickered in brightness, fully illuminated one minute, dim the next. They never went out, however, which Henry found more unsettling than if they were to simply flicker on and off. Despite the rest of the rooms untouched state, the walls and columns were torn half to hell.

“Just what were you trying to contain here Joey?” Henry’s voice echoed out, a question to himself and the creature that once, or still, resided here.

Just across the ballroom rested an audio tape on an old half-table, a message painted out thickly on the wall behind in the accursed black venom that ran through the studio. It read: ‘BLOOD, NOT INK’

....in Henry’s handwriting.

He did a double take as the distance between him and the tape closed. That was definitely his handwriting. His, not the normal chicken-scratch of those other people. Were they even people anymore? What happened while he was gone?

He gingerly pressed down the play button on the recorder, listening as the device clicked the tape into place. It was a second or two before the tape began to play if you could even call it that. The only audio the device produced was like radio static combined with a screeching noise- like nails on a chalkboard. If he wasn’t so busy keeping his hands clamped over his ears to prevent bleeding, Henry would’ve slammed an ax right into the recorder. It played on for a minute more before cutting into absolute silence.

Then he heard it.

Breathing. Low and calm.

And one little staticky word.

“Run.”

Henry’s heartbeat rang in his ears as he stepped back from the recorder, his blue opticals never leaving the table. The static noise returned- though this time it lacked the god awful screeching. (Thankfully). Though it made the animator's heart race even faster. Because this time...

It was coming from behind him.

Slowly he turned coming face to face.... with him.

“B-Bendy?” Panic ravaged his voice, exhaustion giving way to fear. The demon raised its head upwards towards the ceiling in an almost wistful manner. Henry stumbled backward as he took in the beast before him. This wasn’t his creation, it couldn’t be! Yet... it was. And he didn’t seem... too... happy.....

Bendy’s jaws clicked together in slight amusement, jagged teeth grinding against each other as if it were the demons attempt at mocking Henry’s fear. His massive talons gripped the floor with an anger unprecedented in his stance; seemingly seeping towards Henry in waves. The poor man hadn’t even realized he’d bumped into the table until the tape landed against the ground with an audible clatter.

“....r..un...”

Sound crackled through the now damaged tape, though it no longer played the horrid static from before. This time, it was a voice. Unidentifiable yet so damn familiar. A hum against the recorders high pitched whines, fading out, but always returning.

Henry froze. There wasn’t much, but it was there: the bubbly energy of the staticky voice, the perfect forgery of his handwriting, the circumstances of his meeting with the demon. This wasn’t some.. cultist freak’s fever dream.

This was all Bendy’s doing. Wasn’t it?

“The demon...”

“.... call him...”

The recorder cut, leaving only the dying hum of the device.

Static cut through the air once more, but it was different- garbled and low, and coming from the demon.

“S n a g g l e t o o t h”

Bendy seemed to form a smile, his jaw creasing upward in delight as he crawled forwards towards the animator; the low rumble in his throat a hint of what was to come. He snapped his jaws open...

And slammed right into the wall; wood splintering with a jarring crack from the impact. Luckily, Henry had sprinted at the last second, bolting up the barren staircase with zero hesitation- no mind to where he’s going. He didn’t care.

Run, Henry. You heard him.

And run he did, the floor rattling beneath him as the demon shrieked in anger- the same nails on a chalkboard sound as from the tape. Snaggletooth leaped at the balcony, massive talons splintering the wood as he pulled himself upwards, once again lunging for the blonde man. His serrated teeth just barely missed the animator, leaving only a big scratch on his back as the beast’s jaws slammed shut.

This new corridor only had one exit: to a small balcony, the stairs long since collapsed.

“Nonono! Shit!” Henry skid to a stop, facing the creature as it crept ever closer. At least until the crackling sound pulled his attention away. The rotted wood was splintering under their weights, something Snaggletooth took note of- considering he was pressing down evermore with a merciless grin. Thoughts racing, all Henry could think was ‘He doesn’t care if I die, does he?’

With a thunderous crack, the balcony fell, a deep eruptious static sound emitting from the demon.

Laughter.

He was laughing at him.

It was the last thing Henry heard before he hit the floor.

He lay there, vision swirling as a loud ring echoed through his ears. He couldn’t move. All Henry could do was watch as something came into view. It wasn’t the demon, nor did it seem to be a cultist. It was human, a feminine figure whose long blonde hair fell in waves across her back and shoulders. Axe tied across her back, the shirt she wore tattered and torn at the sleeves- much like his own. Her arms and legs were stained with the black ichor Henry had come to despise. But her approach brought something else to light: her mask. It was entirely different from before, a metallic thing in the form of a wolf. It covered her entire face like it was hiding deep secrets behind it.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing, one could say.

She was the last thing Henry would see for a while as everything faded to black.

[casuallydeliciousphilosopher]

24! Please and thank you.

Prompt #24: “You’re trembling.” Requested by an anonymous asker. Okay, I have no idea who requested this so just let me start by saying that if you aren’t happy with this then just send me another ask and I’ll write something that’s different, this is definitely out there.

That being said, this one-shot is an AU! Have you read the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard? Well, if you haven’t, it’s amazing! (definitely on my top 10 book rec list) Anyways, she built a really awesome world where the descendants of angels have silver blood and pretty awesome powers, and humans have red blood and no powers. But, over the years the Silver’s decided that they were better than Red’s and so you have a dystopian society (definitely my favorite trope). So, I kinda built off of the rough concept of that world and got this! Oh, and Chloe isn’t a detective in this story, she’s a spy for the ‘rebellion’. Anyways, hopefully the whole thing makes at least a little bit of sense…

“Hurry up, if they catch us we’re done for,” Chloe hissed through clenched teeth as she pounded down the narrow hallway, her muscles and lungs burning in protest as the muffled shouts of the guards behind her reached her ears.

“I’m well aware of what happens if we’re caught,” Lucifer bit back. Chloe wanted to roll her eyes at him, but her attention caught on a doorway with a brightly lit exit sign hanging above it. She knew that it could be a trap, that there could be a dozen armed guards already swarming the building’s exits; but the shouts of ‘fire at will’ coming from behind her were more than enough to persuade her to take her chances.

“In here.” She ordered gruffly as she yanked the door open before sprinting down the staircase before her. The sound of Lucifer’s footsteps pounded behind her as they descended flight after flight. So much for an easy intel mission, this had practically been a death trap. As soon as they reached the ground floor she flung the staircase door open and darted out into the open hallway. The walls practically blurred past as she followed the exit signs through the maze-like building. She could see the illuminated entrance standing before them when a guard came jogging out of an adjacent hallway, practically colliding with Chloe; it was muscle memory for her to swing her fist out, clipping the guard’s jaw as she barreled into him, sending them both careening onto the hard stone floor.

She felt the sting of ripped hands and knees as she scrambled back to her feet, hardly even hearing the click of a gun’s hammer being pulled behind her. What she did hear was Lucifer’s roar of her name just before his body collided into hers, sending her tumbling to the ground for the second time as the deafening crack of a gunshot echoed through the narrow hallway, and despite the ringing in her ears she could easily hear the hiss of pain that escaped Lucifer as she quickly scurried to feet once more. She managed to turn around in time to throw herself at the guard before he could pull the trigger a second time, his gun clattering against the floor loudly as she pinned him down. She only managed to land one more good punch before he overpowered her, flipping their positions with ease and trapping her with the weight of his bulky armor.

She only struggled against the guard for a moment before a blur that turned out to be Lucifer’s foot caught the side of the man’s head and he slumped on top of her in an unceremonious heap, silver blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Before she even had time to fully process what had just happened, the guard’s weight was being shoved off of her, and she jumped to her feet before grabbing Lucifer’s arm and practically dragging him towards the exit. She ignored his muffled curse as she shoved the door open, stepping out into the fresh air and immediately making a beeline for the cluster of trees towards the north side of the building. It was too dangerous to follow the road now that they’d blown their cover, the merchant caravan they’d rode in on would be like a target painted on their back; their only chance was to lose the guards in the maze of trees surrounding the military records office.

They managed the first one hundred feet or so without much of a problem, but it wasn’t long before Lucifer couldn’t keep up the pace. Chloe hadn’t even processed the fact that he might have been shot until she turned around to see what was wrong; her eyes lingering the red shirt that was plastered to his skin, a dark, wet patch spreading across the fabric where it stretched over his side. Part of her wanted to stop and attempt to patch him up as best she could, but the guards would be looking for them; they couldn’t risk stopping for even a second, not while they were still so close to the office. She settled for slowing down a bit, letting Lucifer catch up to her before she pressed herself against his side, wrapping an arm around his waist, and draping one of his arms over her shoulders as she tried to help carry some of his weight; earning herself a salacious grin that she couldn’t bring herself to scold him for. He had taken a bullet for her after all.

The next few hundred feet passed without much of a problem, they were still moving fast enough to avoid the guards that were undoubtedly scouring the forest for them. But after about half a mile she could tell that it was becoming more and more difficult for Lucifer to keep up with the pace she’d set; he was breathing harder than he normally would, he was dangerously pale, and Chloe could feel her shirt sticking to her skin where his blood had soaked into the fabric. She quickly decided that there was no point in running if her partner was just going to die of blood loss anyway, she could at least bandage him up before they continued on to the nearest village to find a doctor.

“Here, we’re stopping,” Chloe ordered as she led Lucifer over to the trunk of a tall tree.

“We’re still too close.” He protested even as he slowed to a stop beside her, pulling his arm from her shoulders before leaning against the tree behind him, his breath coming in labored pants as he stared down at her.

“It doesn’t matter how far away we get if you die of blood loss,” Chloe growled as she pushed him down, getting him to sit on the ground with much more ease than she expected. He had to be doing much worse than he appeared if he was complying so easily.

“I’m fine,” Lucifer muttered as he let his head fall back against the tree trunk behind him, staring up at the green canopy above as he pressed a hand against his side.

“You’re bleeding everywhere,” Chloe murmured mostly to herself as she bent down, resting on her knees before Lucifer as she noticed the way that the whole right side of his shirt was plastered to his skin. She drew in a deep breath as she reached out, taking the hem of his shirt in between her thumb and fingers before lifting it up.

“Chloe, don’t,” Lucifer’s suddenly concerned voice broke the silence just a few seconds too late, his entire body tensing as Chloe stared mutely at the deep gash cutting through his side. The wound wasn’t particularly bad, just an unlucky graze really; but what had Chloe stunned was the metallic gleam of silver blood that slowly wept from the gash, the sunlight making it glimmer as it slowly trickled down his pale skin. Without even thinking about what she was doing she was reaching out, dragging her fingers through the thick, sticky fluid before lifting her hand to her face, almost as though she had to make sure that the blood was real, that it wasn’t some trick of the light. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the unnatural color coating her fingers, her mind drawing a blank as tense silence brewed between the two of them. “Are you alright?” Lucifer’s soft voice reached her ears, and although she could hear him with ease she couldn’t find the words to reply, which was probably for the best, considering that she couldn’t force her mouth to form words even if she wanted to. “You’re trembling.” He murmured quietly as he slowly reached down, his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand.

Chloe jumped at the simple contact, his touch effectively pulling her out of the daze she’d been caught in. She quickly looked up, finding his dark eyes staring at her, concern etched into his features as he pulled his hand back slowly, almost as though she was a spooked animal and he was worried that if he moved too quickly he’d scare her off. “You’re…” She trailed off weakly, part of her worried that once she said the words it would suddenly be truly legitimate, that there would be no going back to the way things were just this morning.

Lucifer took that last paper-thin layer of denial away from her with ease, his voice breaking the silence as one little, irreversible word was uttered between the two of them; “Silver.”. He drew in a deep breath as soon as the word left his lips, his eyes drifting down to the shallow cuts etched into her palms, and the crimson that had stained the lines of her hands. “And you’re Red.” He stated simply, and Chloe swallowed thickly as she let go of the hem of his shirt, letting it drift back down to hide the color that divided her world in two.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Chloe asked, her voice trembling as she clenched her hands into fists, focusing on the pricking sensation of her fingernails digging into her skin in an attempt to ground herself.

“Would you have worked with me if I told you?” Lucifer questioned, his eyes boring into hers as silence brewed between the two of them. Chloe tried to tell herself that she would have still asked him to be her partner, but deep down she knew that if she’d known he was a Silver from the get-go she wouldn’t have entertained the idea for even half a second; and on top of that, she would have turned him in to the Scarlet Guard, she would have let them try to get a ransom out of him, or attempt to torture whatever little information they might get out of him. “I didn’t think so,” Lucifer muttered his assumption quietly as he managed to find his way to his feet, and Chloe wanted to tell him that he was wrong; but she knew that it would be a lie, she knew that he would be able to see right through her.

Chloe stood up on shaky legs as she watched Lucifer run a hand through his unruly curls, an angry huff of breath escaping him as he looked anywhere but at her. She stared at him for a long moment as she tried to figure out what he was doing here; what would a Silver want from Red territory? Everyone knew that Red cities paled in comparison to Silver ones; the food was worse, the conditions were worse, and Silver’s weren’t exactly given a warm welcome, especially now that tensions ran higher than ever on both sides. “Why are you here?” Chloe asked, her voice holding a tremor that she hated herself for. This was Lucifer, and she thought she knew him, but he was a Silver, and everyone knew that Silver’s were dangerous. “Are you a spy?” The thought came to her suddenly, it was the only thing that made sense. Why else would he pretend to be a Red? Why else would he willingly work with her and the Reds that she worked for? Why else would he be helping the rebellion that wanted to overthrow the power his own people held over the land?

“What?” Shock was evident in Lucifer’s voice as he stared at her with wide eyes, and even though she could tell that his baffled reaction was genuine, her guard stayed on high-alert. “No.” The answer was simple, clipped, tense. Chloe could tell that there was something else, something that he wasn’t telling her.

“Then what are you do—”

“I was exiled!” The echo of Lucifer’s shouted words rang against the trees for a few seconds before it tapered off, and Chloe would have scolded him for the unnecessary noise if she wasn’t so stunned by the confession. She’d never heard of a Silver being exiled before, they were usually just locked up for whatever crimes they committed; occasionally, if some truly horrendous act had been committed there would be an execution. But exile, she didn’t even know that was a tradition Silvers followed. “I…” Lucifer trailed off, his throat bobbing as he swallowed thickly. “My people don’t want me anymore.” The words were soft-spoken, and Chloe could tell by the way they were uttered that it must have hurt to admit.

Part of her wanted to comfort him, to tell him that it was alright, that she was here for him even though his own people weren’t; but the other half, the angry half, the hurt half, it only wanted to rip the Silver standing in front of her to shreds. “So what, you think that just because the Silvers don’t want you that my people will welcome you in with open arms?” She watched as Lucifer flinched slightly at the words, or perhaps it was the bitterness that was so blatantly laced in her voice; but damn it all if she wasn’t entitled to a little bitterness after all of the years that she spent living in the Silvers shadows, in his shadow. 

“There’s a rebellion, Lucifer,” Chloe growled as she stepped towards him, anger building inside of her at the thought of what he could do the Scarlet Guard after working with them for so long. She’d been so naive when she asked him to be her partner, she should have known better, she should have been more careful; but it was too late now, and the whole future of the rebellion relied on a Silver choosing her people over his. “We’re at war. With other nations and with each other.” She couldn’t hide the tremble in her voice even if she tried, the blood in her veins running cold at the thought of how easily the Silvers could crush the rebellion if Lucifer just told them what he knew. And why wouldn’t he? Surely such valuable information would be enough to regain the favor of his people.  

Chloe shook her head as she let out a huff of breath that quickly morphed into an almost maniacal laugh. “God, it all makes sense now!” Chloe exclaimed, her voice ringing against the trees as she took another menacing step towards the Silver standing before her. “I finally get why you’re always such an insufferable prick!” She growled as she jabbed his chest with a finger, knowing that if she took her anger out much more there was a good chance that things would go south very quickly; and regardless of how much she wanted to hurt a Silver for the things they did to her people, she knew that she’d never stand a chance going up against one on her own, even five Reds had a hard time standing their ground against a single Silver. “You don’t get to grow up in a palace with anything you could ever want just handed to you; while I went to bed hungry every night as a kid, while my dad was sent off to fight your war, while people around me, people I cared about, died from things that could have been prevented if Silvers would have just shared more food, more medicine, more electricity; and then barge into our territory and expect to be greeted with open arms!” She snarled, her anger growing with each word that was flung from her lips. “Your people are monsters, you’re a monster,” Chloe ground out between gritted teeth as she glared up at the Silver who stood mere inches away from her.

She could tell that she may have taken one step too many over some proverbial line drawn in the sand between them when Lucifer’s eyes narrowed, a tick forming in his jaw as he ground his teeth together. “The weight of the sins of my people is not mine alone to bear.” He growled, his voice darker than normal; it wasn’t the shift in his usually bright and cheerful demeanor that set Chloe on edge, but the deceivingly calm tone that each word held.

“But they are still your sins because you stood by and watched it happen,” Chloe’s voice cracked slightly as the words managed to find their way past her lips. “Doing nothing is just as bad as doing it yourself.” She finished, her muscles drawing tense as she attempted to prepare herself for some inevitable lapse of self-control from the man standing in front of her. But instead of lashing out like she’d been expecting he surprised her, a soft huff of something that wasn’t quite laughter escaping him despite the scowl on his face.

“Do you have any idea why I was exiled?” Lucifer questioned, his voice holding an almost ironic twinge as he shook his head and stepped away from her. “It was because I finally stood up for something. Because my father couldn’t have one of his sons questioning his authority in front of his subjects.” He spat, loathing obvious in each word.“I wasn’t as free as you seem to think I was.” He added, but Chloe barely even heard the last few words, her mind still stuttering at the implications of his last statement.

“Your father…subjects…” She murmured quietly, the pieces slowly clicking into place one by one. “Your dad is the King?” Chloe questioned, her voice wavering as she spoke. She watched Lucifer’s scowl lighten slightly, his features softening for a moment, almost like he could tell that her sanity was being pressed to its breaking point.

“No.” The simple word flooded her with relief for the briefest of moments before Lucifer’s voice was breaking the silence once more, “He’s worse.”.

Chloe froze at his simple statement, she knew that there was only one thing worse than a King, and that was a God. “No. That’s not possible. That would mean that you’re—” She choked on the next few words before they could escape, everything inside of her screaming that it couldn’t be true, that this had to be some kind of sick, twisted joke. “You’re one of the First.” The words were barely a whisper by the time they managed to crawl their way out of her throat. Everyone knew about the First, they were practically creatures of legend, the first Silvers that were ever created, older than even time itself; immortal, invulnerable, powerful beyond imagination, creatures that held the world together at the seams. Each one the ancestor of one of the great Silver nations that spanned the globe. But Lucifer, there was no way he could be one of them, he was too…human.

“One of seven,” He replied, and Chloe swallowed thickly at his confirmation.

“Which one are you?” She asked, her voice thankfully managing to sound much stronger than she felt at the moment. She knew that he couldn’t be Gabriel or Azrael, both creation and destruction were women. But the other five were all men; it’d been years since her last school lessons, but she doubted that she’d ever forget the names and strengths of each of the seven First; absence was Amenadiel, air and earth were Uriel and Raphael, and fire and water were Samael and Michael. Before she could even begin to guess where Lucifer fit in on the list he was lifting one of his arms, his hand hovering in the air as he slowly uncurled his fingers to reveal the blue-orange tongues of flame lapping harmlessly at his skin.

Chloe drew in a strangled breath as she stared at the fire sitting harmlessly in his hand, and even though she knew that there wasn’t one, she couldn’t help but quickly double check to make sure that he wasn’t wearing a flint striker on his wrist; but he wasn’t just a normal Silver Burner, he didn’t simply manipulate fire that already existed, Lucifer was in and of himself fire itself, he didn’t need to bother with such devices. The flickering flames only lapped languidly at his skin for a few more seconds before he curled his hand back into a fist, a wisp of greyish white smoke curling slowly through the air up towards the sky as he extinguished the flames effortlessly. Chloe continued to stare mutely at the empty space that Lucifer, no, Samael’s fire, had occupied only moments prior as she tried to think of something, of anything, to say.

“Chloe.” It wasn’t the sound of her name, but rather the touch of Samael’s fingers brushing against her bare arm that managed to spur her back into some form of functionality, and she flinched back from the gentle touch as though she’d just been branded by a hot iron; every primal instinct inside of her screaming danger. The way Samael’s almost hopeful expression shuttered into a mask of cold indifference in a mere second made her regret acting out of instinct. “I should go.” He muttered quietly as his eyes drifted down to the ground, turning away before she could even think of anything to say to apologize.

Part of her was relieved at his decision to take his leave; the rational side of her brain screamed that she would be safer with him gone, that the rebellion would be safer without a Silver hidden in its Red heart, that any Silver, let alone one of the First, was too risky to have hanging around. But the other part of her deflated as he took those first few steps without her, he’d been her partner for months now and he’d never done anything to endanger the Scarlet Guard or anyone else he’d ran into, if anything he’d only ever used his abilities to help; like that one time a few months ago when it was pouring down rain and she gave up on starting the campfire only to watch in amazement as he managed to get the sopping wet wood to light, of course now she knew that it wasn’t his luck or skill with the flint that kept them warm that night, but rather the fact that if he wanted something to burn it simply could not defy him.

She wasn’t sure what she thought she was doing when she quickly stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing his forearm in an attempt to get him to stop, but somehow it worked, and her partner stilled where he stood even though he didn’t look back at her. “Samael.” The name felt foreign on her tongue, wrong; but she used it regardless. “Thank you for saving my life.” She stated as she pulled her hand away, waiting tensely as several long seconds of silence dragged on for what felt like an eternity.

“Don’t call me that.” His words were more of a demand than a request, but before Chloe even had the time to even begin to feel hurt over the snappy tone he was turning around to face her. “And I don’t want your thanks,” Lucifer added, his voice no kinder than it was when he first began, “Besides, it’s not like it was the first time.”.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chloe questioned defensively as she stepped towards him. What had Lucifer done for her before today? He was a Silver, it’s not like he even knew she existed before she saved his ass from that damn bar fight all those months ago.

“I’m one of the First, and yet here I am, bleeding,” Lucifer explained as he lifted the corner of his shirt and pointed at the smear of silver blood staining his skin before letting the fabric fall back into place. “And that didn’t strike you as odd?”

“You’re supposed to be invulnerable,” Chloe breathed as she stared at him with wide eyes. Did his father somehow take that away from him when he was exiled? Or was it something worse?

“I am invulnerable,” Lucifer replied simply, and Chloe’s eyebrows drew together in confusion as she tried to figure out how someone who was truly invulnerable could bleed, but she didn’t have more than a few seconds to follow that train of thought before Lucifer was speaking once more, “When you’re not around.”. Chloe shook her head softly at his words, there was no way they could be true. Why would she be able to make him vulnerable? She was a Red nobody, and he was a Silver legend. Besides, if she did truly make him vulnerable why would he hang around? Why would he risk his life for a rebellion that was at war with his own people? “You’re…” Lucifer trailed off with a hefty sigh, a brief flash of hesitancy flitting across his features before he continued, “You’re something called a newblood, Chloe.”.

“A newblood.” She stated blandly, the words falling flat in the air around them. What the fuck was a newblood? And why was this the first time she’d ever heard about it? And now she was suddenly being told that she was a member of this weird…well, whatever it was, it’s not like she knew.

“A Red with the powers of a Silver…” Lucifer explained a half-second later, and Chloe’s mouth fell open slightly at the mere thought that anything like that was even possible. “But stronger.” He added quietly, and Chloe only shook her head softly. Even if there was some new breed of Reds popping up randomly, why would she be one? She was just another Red girl from an unremarkable farming village, she wasn’t anything special. “And when my father found out about the growing newblood population he wanted you all dead,” Lucifer continued, clearly not recognizing the denial warring inside of her. Was she really supposed to just think that she was remarkable just because he told her she was? Where was her proof? Her eyes drifted back down the stain of blood on Lucifer’s red shirt at the thought; she knew for a fact that he was indeed one of the First, and he was vulnerable enough for a bullet to hurt him, but was she truly the cause of that vulnerability? “But he never got the chance to find you all because the blood bank burnt down,” Lucifer finished quietly, his eyes drifting down the ground beneath his feet as Chloe drew in a ragged breath.

“You destroyed the blood bank,” Chloe breathed softly. She still remembered seeing footage of the building that housed blood samples from every Red ever born engulfed in raging flames that practically licked at the sky.

“I did what had to be done,” Lucifer replied sternly, his dark eyes meeting hers as she put two and two together; Lucifer had been exiled because he saved Red lives, and he certainly would have been executed for the act of treason if he was a normal Silver. “I couldn’t let him commit genocide, he’d have killed thousands of people; women, children, infants.” He added, his words dripping with disgust as he shook his head and let out a frustrated huff of breath.

Chloe swallowed thickly at the confession; Lucifer, a Silver, risked everything to save Red lives. How could she end their partnership after finding out that he’d only been trying to help her people from the beginning? Of course she still had questions, like why did he suddenly decide that now was the time to stand up for Reds? Or when exactly did he realize that she was different, that she made him vulnerable? But those could wait until a later time, after all, it wasn’t like her partner was going anywhere anytime soon as long as she had a say in it. “Let me fix you up,” Chloe requested as she reached out, taking hold of Lucifer’s wrist and giving him a light tug.

She had to admit that she was a little surprised when he complied, following after her and willingly sitting down when she gestured for him to do so. For the second time that day she found herself kneeling down in front of Lucifer as she lifted the hem of his shirt, for a second she considered cauterizing the bullet wound, but the bleeding had slowed substantially and Lucifer didn’t seem to be doing too much worse for wear. She quickly decided that bandaging it up until they reached a village would work, but then she was suddenly struck with the thought that Lucifer would have to see a doctor, a Red doctor. She pursed her lips into a thin line as she tried to think of any way to get around broadcasting the color of Lucifer’s blood to the nation. She supposed she could stitch him up, granted it’d been a few years since she’d last had to take a needle and thread to someone; but it would be better than nothing, and it would mean that Lucifer’s secret would be safe. “Take this off,” Chloe ordered as she dropped the hem of Lucifer’s shirt, watching as a grin light up his face and one of his eyebrows quirked up.

“Well, if you wanted me to strip you didn’t have to wait until now to ask,” Lucifer chuckled playfully and Chloe let out a rough sigh as she rolled her eyes at him. Of course Lucifer still had it in him to make sex jokes even after losing nearly a pint of blood. Her thoughts were cut short when Lucifer pulled the red shirt off before dropping it on the ground next to him, her eyes roaming over his lean chest unabashedly. “Enjoying the view?” His question immediately drew Chloe’s eyes back up to his own, and she tried to ignore the flush of heat she could feel staining her cheeks as she quickly looked away. If he was still just Lucifer the Red, a man who was just as fed up as everyone else with Silver control then she might have considered his advances, it wasn’t like she hadn’t mulled over the thought once or twice back before she knew the truth; but now, now she couldn’t even entertain the thought for a moment, he was a Silver, an ancient Silver, there was no way they could make anything like that work between them. Besides, there were more important things to worry about, like the rebellion.

Chloe quickly focused on the task of patching him up as best she could, grabbing her pocket knife from her boot before cutting off the lower hem of Lucifer’s shirt, ignoring his protests the whole time.

It wasn’t long before she managed to fashion a simple bandage out of the fabric, that was the simple part; the difficult part was actually getting it on. The strip she’d cut from Lucifer’s shirt wasn’t long enough to fashion a proper torso bandage, just enough to cover the wound and wrap around his waist. And it didn’t help matters when Lucifer decided to butt in as she was trying to figure out the best way to secure it in place, “Are you certain you know what you’re doing?”.

Chloe shot him a quick glare before quickly retorting, “Yes, Lucifer, I know what I’m doing.”.

“Well, you aren’t exactly doing a great job.” Chloe grit her teeth at the nonchalant insult, and if it wasn’t for the fact that the reason she was patching him up was that he took a bullet that was originally meant for her, she probably would have snapped at him that he should do it himself if he was such an expert. Instead, she grit her teeth as she started wrapping the red strip of cloth around his waist. “Perhaps you’re a bit distracted, hmm?” Lucifer suggested as he made a point of exaggeratedly glancing down at his bare chest before quickly looking up at her with a smirk firmly plastered in place.

“Seriously?” Chloe huffed with no small amount of exasperation, but she had to admit that she was silently grateful for the fact that things between them seemed to be relatively unchanged despite what had just happened. “Even if I did want to have sex with you,” She began, and Lucifer’s face lit up at the words, “Which I don’t,” She continued quickly, watching as his pleased expression quickly turned more playful at her words, “Now would certainly not be the time.” She finished decidedly as she quickly pulled the makeshift bandage tight; admittedly taking a little bit of pleasure from watching Lucifer wince slightly as she quickly tied the bandage off.

A short lapse of silence engulfed the two of them as Chloe briefly examined her handiwork to make sure that it would hold up well enough, letting out a pleased hum as she rocked back to sit on her haunches. “So, I make you vulnerable,” Chloe stated, changing the previous topic as she grabbed Lucifer’s now slightly tattered shirt before holding it out for him to take. “Would I make the others like you vulnerable too?” She questioned curiously as he reached out and took it from her, looking at her with a raised eyebrow as he turned the shirt right-side-out.

“I would assume so.” He answered blandly before quickly slipping the shirt over his head and pushing his arms through the sleeves. “Why?” His tone bordered on suspicious as he eyed her almost warily.

“Because if that’s the case then I could help the cause,” Chloe explained hopefully, a smile spreading across her face at the realization that she might be the tipping point the rebellion needed to start making real progress.

“You are not going to throw yourself in harm’s way just because your powers are the equivalent of a God-killing weapon,” Lucifer growled authoritatively as he shot her a dirty look and clambered to his feet.

“Like you could stop me,” Chloe bit back harshly as she stood up, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared up at the tall man.

Lucifer let out a long-suffering sigh as he rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he spoke up, “Chloe, it wouldn’t do you any good.”.

“This isn’t about me, Lucifer! This is—”

“If you kill my father this all ends!” Lucifer cut her off before she could finish.

“What?” Chloe questioned, a hint of confusion tainting her voice as she stepped closer to her partner.

“There are only seven of the First, all with very specific strengths,” Lucifer explained, his voice only growing more strained with each word.

“So?”

“Every being has an opposite, except for absence. Do you know why that is?” Lucifer questioned rhetorically, not waiting for an answer before he immediately continued, “Because existence is my father. If he dies so does existence itself. Kill him—”

“And you destroy everything,” Chloe breathed quietly, the realization hitting her like an armored convoy vehicle.

“Precisely,” Lucifer muttered as he started walking away, leaving Chloe to follow after him as they continued away from the records office.

“So we can never win this war,” Chloe muttered to herself as she quickly caught up with Lucifer’s long strides.

“That’s not what I said,” Lucifer spoke, his tone gentle. “If you do intend to win, you’ll need the backing of the Silvers.”

“We can never get that though,” Chloe replied, her voice bordering on desperate as she realized that everything she’d done for the rebellion, everything she’d sacrificed, had been in vain.

“You can…it would be tricky though,” Lucifer corrected as he slowed to a stop, “You’d have to force my father to relinquish his position, which means each of the seven Kings would have to want to revolt.”.

“Has any nation ever revolted?” Chloe questioned curiously, if that was the case then they certainly hadn’t written about it in any of the history textbooks she’d learned out of back in her childhood.

“No, because my siblings keep their houses in check,” Lucifer answered, seeming to mull over his words for a long moment before he added, “My house, is currently without advisorship. I’m sure someone will step in and fill my position soon though.” Despite everything that Chloe had just learned about her partner the words still caught her off guard, but she wasn’t sure why. She knew about each of the seven kingdoms; Norta was a land in the east ruled by House Calore, Burners, Lucifer’s descendants. “Not every King is happy with the direction they’re being told to lead their country in,” Lucifer added seriously, his brows drawing together as he seemed to mull over something for a moment.

“The Kings don’t get to decide what to do with their own countries?” Chloe asked, surprised at the newly revealed information that apparently Kings were mostly for show, that they didn’t hold as much power as she originally anticipated they did.

“Just another pawn in a larger game of chess, I’m afraid,” Lucifer replied soberly, drawing a deep breath before he spoke once more, “If we can ‘persuade’ my siblings to relinquish their grip on their Kings then we might have a chance.” He explained, his hands making air quotes as he spoke and Chloe immediately picked up on the hidden meaning. His siblings would never be persuaded to abandon their Houses, they would have to be forced. “The hard part would be keeping them locked up somewhere and alive,” Lucifer sighed, running a hand across his thick stubble as he glared at the dirt beneath his feet.

“Because if they die then their power dies with them…” Chloe trailed off quietly as she tried to figure out how in the world someone would go about capturing one of the First; after all, she only made Lucifer mortal, she didn’t make him powerless.

“And then balance would be disrupted,” Lucifer finished for her, his voice grim as his dark eyes met hers. “If we were to go that direction it would be possible, the odd’s certainly wouldn’t be in our favor, but there’s a slim chance it could be accomplished.”

“But if we worked together, with your fire and my…well, thing, then that would make it easier, wouldn’t it?” Chloe questioned hopefully. There had to be some sort of advantage in tackling this thing as a team, right?

“Probably,” Lucifer shrugged as he spoke, and Chloe quickly realized that he wasn’t certain of any of this either, he was just as lost as she was. The thought made her pale slightly; if Lucifer, an immortal being who had existed for longer than she could fathom, was out of his element here, how could she be of any help? How could she assume that she knew how to handle this situation any better than he did? She shook the thought away quickly, just because Lucifer wasn’t certain didn’t mean that it wasn’t possible, or that it was a doomed plan, it just meant that she was willing to take a stand when nobody else in the course of history had been willing to.

“Come on, we have to get back to headquarters,” Chloe reached out and grabbed Lucifer’s arm as she started forward, making her way west towards the rendezvous point that had been set before their failed intel mission even started. So what if she hadn’t gotten the military records of a few Silver soldiers? She’d learned more from Lucifer than those flimsy pieces of paper would have ever divulged to her people. “I think we have some new intel that General Mazikeen will be pleased to hear.”

So…was this something that anyone liked? Because I might be very amenable to turning this into a full-fledged, action-packed, crossover fic in the future if there’s any interest. Anyways, let me know if that’s something you might want and I will deliver!