#glad I chose the right profession I guess

[jaztice]

… uh

I got the Top 4.47% on this English Vocabulary test

[thesearemymonologues]

Opportunities

American films have shaped our young minds in lots of ways. We have this notion of our jobs being such a big part on our life, on how we ought to work in something we'll make a difference at, on having some sort of calling. But many of us don't have a clue about what we're supposed to do when we're 16, 17 or 18. And even if we have the slightest idea, sometimes we cannot afford to take the leap of faith it requires.

I don't think there's a perfect path to any of our lives. Life is not a linear videogame. However, it's very human to worry about if we've made the right choices, if we haven't fucked ourselves up and set us for an eternity of regrets just by not giving enough thought to our decisions. Or by choosing the safest road.

I did that. I chose something I liked, something I thought I was at least moderately good at, something I could see myself doing my entire life. The job I want to apply at hasn't been my dream job for some time - I can't help but think about my real fantasies, the things I didn't even dare to think about back when I was a teen because they weren't your stereotypical careers. I never considered not taking the safest option, because it didn't feel fair to the people who had suffered so much to raise me. I've always thought of myself as a sort of investment, even if my parents constantly tell me not to.

This thought makes me so sad. It makes me wonder if I'll always be just a shadow of a better version of me that will never exist. If I'd be happier, bolder, more charismatic and creative if I was, for example, a voice actor. I know it's a ridiculous idea, because as I said, I don't think we have such a thing as a perfect ending, and life is way more than just our profession. But there's a small part of me that will always hate not knowing what could I've been, mourning an idealized version of the same human that I could only bring to life in fiction.

Maybe in a couple of years I'll be glad that I took this decision. I'll see myself financially secure and be proud of being able to be there for my family, finally giving back to them after two decades. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry - maybe that was my dream back when I decided. Maybe the job didn't matter as much as it let me help and return everything I've taken from them, even if they gave it up willingly. It's endearing I was so confident in this while being younger, and a bit shameful I have these selfish thoughts now that I'm older and supposed to be wiser. I'll just have to trust younger me.

We can even go full circle, because I think, in some way, American media has influenced us with the whole 'being happy' thing to the point of being this constant pressure. And, if I examine myself carefully, I'm not really unhappy with what I've been working towards all this time. It's annoying I can never know if the other options would have made me happier, but to be honest, if I try to put myself in some of my dream jobs, I can think a reason or two they could make me miserable in ways my actual 'job' don't. They would be funnier, I could be really good at them, but they would mean getting away from my loved ones, for example.

I guess people with better prospects can afford second chances, experiencing a little more until they're more or less sure of what they want. It was not my case, but I can live with that most of the times.

[ragingbookdragon]

All I Wanna Be Is Somebody To You

A Jason Todd x Reader One-Shot

Word Count: 2.6K Warnings: None

Author's Note: For the one anon who wanted a nervous reader! I hope I did this justice for you, darling! Enjoy! -Thorne

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

She didn’t hate talking. Not really. But the idea of holding conversations with people she didn’t know sent her heart fluttering and her throat tightening until it was impossible to breathe. More often than not, she found herself apologizing a lot for the stuttering or the repeating of things she said. Most people gave her odd looks, told her to stop apologizing so much (like that ever helped anyone), or laughed and told her she was cute—which was nice until she realized they meant in a childish sort of way rather than an endearing one.

But it wasn’t always like that. According to her parents, there’d been a time when she couldn’t stop talking. Always had something to say and had somebody to tell. Something changed during her years, she knew when, even if she didn’t want to admit it to herself or her family when they asked what happened to their outgoing and talkative daughter. Too many times she’d heard, “You know no one cares about X, right?” or “Oh my God, will you shut up?” and every time she heard it from a friend it dug into her a little deeper, made her shut her mouth tighter, and tore her heart much harsher.

And because she chose to be the silent type instead of the outgoing one, people assumed her arrogant and cold, distant and rude, and she found herself spending most of middle school and high school by herself. She was glad when graduation came, and while she’d dreaded giving her valedictorian speech, she did manage to get through it without too much trouble. It did feel like her one triumph against everyone who ignored her throughout school.

College freed her. Allowed her to make a flexible schedule, take smaller classes, and be solitary when she wanted. She’d refused a dorm room on the campus, living only fifteen minutes from Gotham University, instead choosing to commute daily and she liked it a lot more than having roommates in a four-bedroom apartment on the school grounds.

When she wasn’t in class, she stayed home a lot. It came with being a homebody, but when she did go out into the great big city, she liked to shop. Little antique shops or bookstores. She went to bookstores more than she did school. There was something so wonderful about finding a book in the shop and sitting down at a café and reading quietly. Which is how she met him, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why he wanted anything to do with her. She was quiet and shy, and he was open and flirty. They obviously didn’t match in any way, shape, or form. At least, that’s what she thought.

***

She drew her gaze along the wall of books before her, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she searched for the novel. It’d been a long time since she’d read The Count of Monte Cristo, a copy of her father’s that he’d had when she was just a child. Something had reminded her of it the other day and all she could think about was getting her own so she could annotate in the margins.

As she came across it, she started reaching when someone got to it first, one finger pulling it out by its spine before taking it into their hand. She visibly deflated with a soft sigh as it was the last copy and hung her head in defeat.

“I’m sorry, were you wanting this too?” Her head cocked up and she gazed at the young man before her. He smiled and she felt like she’d been shot in the chest at how dazzling it was. “Here, you can have it.”

Swallowing thickly, she shook her head, “You got it first.” Nodding, she added, “It’s yours.”

He cocked a brow at that. “Well, from the devastated look on your face, doll, you want it to be yours.”

Her cheeks warmed at that, and she felt nervous where she stood, resisting the urge to fidget under his scrutiny. “N-no it’s okay.” She said. “You take it.”

“Oh no you don’t. That’s not how this works.” He chuckled and took her hands, pressing the book into them, then he winked at her. “The doll deserves to have her book.”

If there had ever been a time in which she wanted to explode from embarrassment, it was then, and before she knew it, she shoved the book back into his arms and so hard that it must’ve knocked the wind out of him because he gasped. She spun around and took off down the aisle and out the front doors as fast as she could, wanting nothing more than to disappear in the crowded streets. That or sink into the ground. Maybe next week she’d come back and get the book. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be there again.

***

Then again, her hopes were always wrong, and she picked up the copy of The Divine Comedy, flipping it open to read the first page.

“I see you’re a fan of the classics, aren’t you, doll?”

She snapped the book shut when she heard his voice and looked over at him. Something inside annoyed her at the cocky smirk he wore, much more was the arm he had resting on the top of the bookshelf as he gazed at her.

“You know, you left a nice bruise on me the other week.” He quipped, shifting his weight to cross his ankles. “You’re pretty strong.”

“Thank you,” she muttered, turning to look back at the book. “Sorry I hit you…it was an accident.”

“Well, I can accept your apology if you tell me your name.”

“Why?” she questioned quietly, wiggling her toes.

“Because I wanna put a name to such a cute face. Why else?” he flirted, and she scowled at the book cover. “Oh, that’s an even more adorable face.”

“Quit doing that!” she hissed. “It’s not funny!”

He chuckled. “Oh contraire, it’s actually hilarious.” He took a step towards her. “I’m Jason, by the way.”

Her eyes darted to the outstretched hand, and she stared at it for a split second before softly shaking it. “(Y/N).” she murmured.

Before she could pull her hand back, he raised it and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Enchanté ma chérie,” he professed, breath hot against her skin and just like before, she was so absolutely flustered she was yanking her hand back and poor Jason’s grip slipped, and he whacked himself in the face with his own hand.

“Nice to meet you!” (Y/N) yelped and scurried off down the aisle and to the register where she purchased her book in record time. Third time was the charm and she prayed that he wouldn’t be there again.

***

And whoever lived upstairs must’ve really had it out for her because she flipped the page in her One Thousand and One Arabian Nights and heard an exaggerated cough. Looking up through her eyelashes, she saw Jason standing there with a grin on his face. “Hello (Y/N),” he purred, and she immediately felt her cheeks become hot.

“Hi Jason,” she muttered, gazing at her book, listening to the chair screech as he sat down across from her.

“How are you doing today?” he asked, setting down his own copy of Arabian Nights.

(Y/N) cleared her throat, finding it harder to focus on the book over the smell of his woody and oriental cologne. She thought she smelled a twinge of tobacco with it. “I’m fine.” Her eyes found his teal ones for a moment. “And you?”

He smiled, making her heart pick up a beat. “Doing pretty good.” He winked. “I got to see you again. Though I’m hoping I don’t get hit again. Either by a book or my own fist.”

“Sorry…” she cringed, sinking down in her seat. “That was an accident.”

Jason shrugged and propped his elbows on the table, placing his chin on his fingers. “Don’t worry about it. Say, do you like coffee?”

“I do,” she murmured.

“Great, want anything from the café?” he asked, nodding at the board and she looked over at it.

“I guess I could order a latte,” she replied more to herself than him, starting to pull her wallet out.

“Nah, I got it.” Jason said, standing from his seat.

(Y/N) blinked. “Wait, what?”

“I said I got it.” He quipped and she jumped from her seat to stop him, but caught the leg of her chair, and she flailed, stumbling right into Jason. They went tumbling to the floor and she landed atop him. For a minute they were both stunned silent as the people in the store looked at them and he smirked at her. “Well, this saves me the trouble of asking you out to dinner.” He winked again. “Should’ve told me you had a bold streak, doll.”

She immediately scrambled up, placing one of her hands on his chest to shove off him when her leg slipped, and her knee went into his groin. He groaned and rolled over, holding his crotch and (Y/N) was so mortified all she could do was apologize profusely and at one point she was sure she was mixing up her words, but it didn’t matter. Grabbing her things, she started running off a third time.

Though she’d made it ten feet out of the door and down the street before someone grabbed her round the waist and hauled her to a stop. “Oh no! We’re not doing this pattern again! I am not getting hit a fourth time!”

(Y/N) spun in his arm and gaped at him. “I’m sorry!”

Jason sighed heavily and lowered his head. “Holy crap, I’ve never had such a hard time getting a girl to go out with me.”

“You wanna go out with me?” She pointed to herself despite her flustered state. “W-with me?” she gave him a dubious look. “Really? M-me?”

“Well, if you wanna hit me a fourth time to be sure, go ahead, but yeah,” he retorted then heaved another sigh. “Jeez, talk about getting hit on.”

(Y/N) spluttered at that. “I did not hit on you!”

“Right, you just hit me instead.”

“It was an accident! And I said I was sorry!”

Jason grinned at her and arm away. “Well, I’ll accept your sorry’s if you go on a date with me.”

She blinked at him. “A date? When?”

“Tonight.” He said. “There’s a bookstore down in the town square for insomniacs. Open until seven A.M. and serves a mean cup of hot cocoa.” Jason smiled and took her hand. “So? How ‘bout it, doll? Wanna go out with me tonight?”

All she could do was simply stare at this gorgeous man that obviously had a thing for her for some god forsaken reason. “Why?” she asked blankly, and he seemed to falter at that.

“Why what?” he repeated, confusion etching across his face.

“Why do you wanna go out with me?” (Y/N) gestured to herself. “I’m weird.”

“So am I.” he agreed.

“I stutter a lot.”

“So does my brother.”

“I don’t talk a lot. I don’t like talking a lot. People get mad at me when I talk a lot and I prefer to listen and you’re not going to like going out with me because I’m going to be super quiet because I get flustered easily and I—”

Jason put his hand over her mouth and stared at her. “Do you ever take a breath?” she nodded silently, and he sighed. “Look, (Y/N), it’s only taken getting shoved in the stomach with a book, getting punched with my own hand, and getting nut-shot to understand that you’re not exactly comfortable with the public.”

He removed his hand. “That’s why I invited you to the bookstore. Because even in the few weeks we’ve known each other, I know you like quiet places. But if you don’t feel comfortable going with me right now, that’s okay. We can take it slow.” Jason smiled at her. “Doll, all I wanna be is somebody to you.”

(Y/N) swallowed thickly and looked at her feet, whispering, “I…don’t wanna go out right now…but I’d like to give you my number…if you’re okay with that?” she shrugged. “We can text.” Feeling hopeful she reached out and placed her hang on his arm. “And get to know each other better? Maybe tell each other our favorite books? That’s…the best way in my opinion.”

His face lit up and he murmured, “I’d love that.” He pulled out his phone, tapping at it before he handed it over to her. “Here you go.”

She took it and looked at the contact name he’d already put in. My Flustered Doll. She glared at him. “You think you’re pretty cute, don’t you, Jason? You’re not. At all.”

He smirked. “Oh, is that so?” She nodded and he quipped, “We’ll just see about that then.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and typed in her number, handing him back his phone. “There you go.” He glanced at it, seemingly satisfied before he locked it and put it back in his pocket, then they met each other’s gazes and she awkwardly pointed over her shoulder. “I’m going home now.”

Jason caught her hand and kissed the back of it. “See you later, doll. Stay cute.”

She was hurrying off again, his laughter in her ears, unaware that their exchanging of numbers was going to evolve into so much more in the coming months.

***

“—And I’m pretty sure I can never show my face again at school, Jay. I’ve never been so embarrassed in all my life.”

He hummed, fingers gently dipping into her spine. “Well, this is coming from the girl that nut-shotted be in the middle of a busy bookstore.”

“Why would you remind me about that?” (Y/N) scowled. “It was an accident.”

“And yet it can’t be more mortifying than telling a guy to shove his head up his ass.” He retorted, eyes still closed as they basked in the sunlight streaming through the window. “This is at least a five on the ten scale.”

“More like a hundred.” She muttered, tucking her head under his chin. “I can’t believe I said that to him. Oh, I was just so—just so mad at what he said about my poem! He was just being mean!” (Y/N) gripped his sweatshirt. “You understand right?”

Jason nodded, his other hand resting at her hip. “Mhm.”

“You don’t think I’m overreacting, do you?” she frowned. “Everyone else thinks I am.”

“Telling someone that their poetry isn’t good because it isn’t iambic pentameter isn’t following constructive criticism, doll. It’s called being a douche.” She giggled and he bent his neck, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Call me next time Lord Douche-Canoe starts on your poetry again and I’ll school him on face-time.”

(Y/N) giggled again and rolled over, pressing them chest to chest and she grinned when he whined at her moving. “Thank you, Jason.”

He smiled at her. “I only take my thanks in kisses. Sorry, doll.”

Rolling her eyes, she bent down and pressed her lips to his. “I love you,” she murmured against him, and he hummed, hands grasping her hips.

“I love you more.”

“Nonsense.”

“Nonsense?” he scoffed, pulling back to look at her. “I am willingly in a relationship with the girl who nut-shot me in—MMHPF!”

(Y/N) shoved a pillow into his face, face hot as she shouted, “Stop bringing that up! It was an accident!” All she got in return was his laughter.

[hexpea]

Ch. 15 - As Figured

You and Kento shared an awkward goodbye, exchanging updated phone numbers at least. You were satisfied having seen him for the first time in so long, just knowing he still existed was good enough for you. Unfortunately, that left many open questions that ran through your head as you tried to sleep. What has he been up to all this time? Has he been with anyone else? Was it really just his distaste for the profession that caused him to quit? So many unanswered thoughts, you barely caught a wink.

The next day was another day of adjustment as your brother had yet to set up any sort of plans for you to help at the school. You had no schedule for once, no set amount of tasks needing to be completed. You had no type of plan to take care of as you usually did with Suguru. Your schedule was completely open and you felt as if you were in limbo. You tried to go about a normal schedule: getting dressed for the day, having some breakfast at the dining hall, and heading to the library to snag a book to read.

You settled at one of the bars with the book you chose, the bar itself facing the floor-to-ceiling window so you could happily look out from time to time. You were able to get a few chapters in before you were disturbed.

"They told me you came back," Naoya's familiar voice rang through your ears. You sighed and closed your book, the man no longer seeming like such a threat with your newfound power.

"Yeah, what of it?" You looked up at him lazily. He stood next to you in his traditional garb, sinister gaze looking down at where you sat. He hadn't changed much over the years you were gone.

"You understand what this means, right?" He growled, clenching his teeth tight as to hold himself back and not cause a scene.

"I figure, unfortunately," you rested your head on your hand. "No way around it, I guess." He looked as if he were about to lose his shit with the way you were speaking to him, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it in public.

"It's this Saturday," he continued to grind down his teeth, seething in your direction.

"Wow, two days. They don't even give me time to settle in," you chuckled, "I literally just moved in on campus."

"Well you'll be living with us starting Saturday evening," he sighed, trying to calm his temper as you seemed to open up to the conversation.

"Wonderful," you sighed and opened your book back up as the conversation came to a stop.

Though the talk was clearly over, he still stood there, awkwardly watching you read for a solid two minutes.

"Is there something else you needed?" You looked up at him again without moving your head. You drew your attention completely to him for a moment when you realized he was blushing.

"Father suggested I spend more time with you before the day," he cleared his throat and lost the blush, "so...spend time with me." He said more aggressively. You then folded your book one last time. He actually has a crush on me, you thought, he's glad we're getting married...

"That's unnecessary. Just tell him that you did," you shook your head, "I have no intention of getting to know you in any type of way." His jaw clenched once more with your defiance.

"Fine," he growled, reaching into the pocket of his bottoms and pulling out a flash drive. "This is the updated copy of the contract they made yesterday."

"Wow, they're quick. Mom and Dad didn't even call to say hello," you giggled, taking the device from him.

"They don't have any interest in speaking with you, just like your idiotic older brother," Naoya scoffed.

"Ah, I should have figured," you giggled again, feeling nothing toward their distaste with you. They were the ones that put you in this position to begin with. They were no parents.

"I got the updated version of the contract today," you chuckled over the phone that evening with Kento. The two of you were at least engaging normal, friendly conversation - trying to keep things light to prevent any more pain.

"Yes, and I received the invitation in the mail when I got home from work," he mumbled.

"They're real quick," you sighed, hearing the distaste in his voice.

"Well they've been waiting so many years to get this over with, everything was set-up then like you said, right?"

"Mhm."

"Then they're definitely ready with the extra time you gave them," he gave a single light laugh that you giggled at in return. "I guess everyone in the jujutsu community has been invited. The big three weddings have been notoriously...large."

"So...are you coming?" You asked with a small hint of hope in your voice.

"...I guess I can," he answered. Your heart soared with his answer. The last time something like this occurred was your high school graduation where he had refused, never seeing you again until just the day before.

"Really?" You perked up, nearly shouting into the phone - earning you a low, genuine Kento chuckle.

"Yes, I'll come," he said more definitively. "I have nothing better to do these days."

You spent your last days occupying your time with mindless hobbies, your brain focused on seeing Kento again at your wedding. The wedding itself was to be in the traditional Shinto-style with a modern reception considering its large scale. The morning of, your mother showed up and kept quiet as she helped prepare you into your white kimono and watabashi. The entire time was tense, you refusing to talk as well. If you wanted, you could take out every Zenin at this wedding with the help of your brother - but you knew better than to cause such unnecessary chaos.

You and Naoya were escorted into the ceremony room, both remaining silent and nearly refusing eye contact. Only the Gojo and Zenin families were in attendance of the main ceremony, silently sitting behind a table set up with offerings. You resisted the urge to sneer at your family as you were escorted beside your pathetic husband-to-be. You felt your body shaking with anger as the priest blessed and purified the altar as well as the two of you. The sake was exchanged hesitantly, the only moments during the whole ceremony where you were forced to maintain eye contact - his brown eyes piercing yours deeply. The way he smirked while sipping from the small cup spoke volumes. You already understood what you were in for that night.

The reception was the more laxed part of the ceremony where you were able to change into a regular dress. It was short, sleek and white, fitting your body in all the right places. Wow...at least my family knows how to pick a dress...you thought.

The two of you were introduced as a new couple. You were no longer a Gojo, but a Zenin - the paperwork already processed and official. The large crowd happily clapped and cheered over booming music as you both entered the hall, arms looped together. Naoya was putting on quite the show with his big smile and casual waves. You, however, kept a stale look. You weren't going to put on a show for anyone, not just because of your distaste for the Zenin family but also because you were tired. Considering the ceremony, you were prohibited from covering your eyes as the bride - the Six Eyes you inherited recently causing major fatigue.

Despite your fatigue, you scanned the crowd and found Kento leaning against the very back wall - sipping a glass of whiskey with Kiyotaka happily chatting next to him.

After your greetings to the guests, you and Naoya were permitted to split and enjoy the time at your reception. Naoya chose to get drunk with his family members, laughing and belittling them while they held pathetic smiles. You didn't hesitate to walk up to Kento, your brother watching you carefully from across the room. He didn't want you to make another mistake...

"Y/N," Satoru called out a warning to you with a knowing look. You dismissed him with a wave and roll of your eyes, deciding to meet with Kento anyways.

"Congratulations!" Kiyotaka smiled as you approached.

"Thanks," you smiled sweetly, knowing he only had the best intentions when saying that.

He then glanced between the two of you and took that as his turn to exit the conversation. Meanwhile, Kento took a long sip from his glass and put it down on a small table that was next to him which held a fancy floral centerpiece and held no other purpose.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, looking down at the floor instead of you, hands in his pockets - knowing that if he did look you would see how red his face had gotten. You could also tell that he was already quite tipsy, the whiskey he put down likely not his first.

"Thanks," you said again, "let's get a drink. I'm going to need it." You sighed as the two of you walked toward the bar.

The bartender offered you a quaint glass of champagne but you quickly refused, going for something much harder seeing as you had quite a night ahead of you - straight silver tequila, downing two shots as if they were nothing. Kento looked at you, quite impressed, as he sipped from his whiskey refill.

The two of you shared pleasant conversation alone in a corner while your party guests got drunker and drunker. It really was as if the wedding was just an excuse to do so, no one wondering where you were or what you were up to. You quickly loosened up more after meeting your shot maximum of five. Your head felt light and airy, feeling more sociable than you already were. Kento was also quite loose, his tie slightly disheveled and his suit coat off and around a chair somewhere.

With the peak of your drunken conversation realized, you playfully began toying with the end of his tie as you rambled on about unimportant things - his lazy, heavy eyelids watching your fingers mess with the fabric. From time to time they'd flicker to your hypnotizing baby blues, intense with lust. Your inebriated mind began to take over, your sober self thinking it was a miracle no one paid attention to you. You had begun to pull on his tie, leading him to the narrow hall to where the bathrooms were. Caring less about which gendered room you entered, you pulled him into one of the stalls - smashing your lips to his relentlessly.

He accepted your movements, drunkenly confident and firmly holding your hips as they pressed toward his pelvis. Mouths wide against one another, the two of you quickly forgot where you were. Your hands were much more adventurous, moving from his neck and quickly to the buttons on his shirt. You moved like lightning while still attached to his lips, saliva coating your chin - lipstick likely a mess all over both of your faces. He allowed you to peel his shirt from his arms, it hanging by his belt from the fabric still tucked into his pants. Your hands caressed his hardened abdomen, taking in the heat of his skin on your fingertips until you reached the mechanism of his belt.

Just when you began sliding the leather out of place, his tough hands gripped yours. You snapped your head up at his, suddenly alert. He still looked quite inebriated, still looking at you through low lids that struggled to focus.

"No," he muttered. You felt a knot well in your throat from the rejection. He swallowed hard as he gently released you. "No," he repeated, gathering himself a bit while you remained speechless.

"Kento..." your voice was soft as you brought your hands back to your sides.

"I said no. You're married, Y/N. I'm not going there with you." He shook his head, looking away from you and unlocking the stall you were in.

You followed him out and stood awkwardly behind as he brought his shirt back over his shoulders, quickly buttoned it, and began using the sink to clean off the lipstick smudges you left behind.

"You know that doesn't matter to me. Naoya means nothing to me." You tried to speak soberly.

"Well you should start," he grumped, exiting the bathroom and leaving you completely alone. It felt as if you were suffering from deja vu.

[funjoushi]

Memories of Bunkyu, Souma Kazue~Translation

so we finally get to learn how/why exactly Souma wound up with that drawing of Serizawa! TL under the cut. The story is first-person, told by Souma.

"Hmm…I am sure that it must be around here…" Pulling a slip of paper from within my kimono, I cast my eyes upon the address one more time. It has been quite some time since I last made my way to Edo, and so I am liable to get turned around easily. And so I have no choice but to rely on these directions to get me where I need to go. "Ah, my apologies!" Walking with my eyes glued to the directions caused me to run into someone... This is terrible. At this rate I will only cause more trouble for the people around here. For now, I best stop in a nearby shop and ask for directions. "The shopkeep told me that this was the place but..." I would never want to assume that the kind stranger would lie to me... However, the row houses before me look very old in their construction. Could an Ukiyo-e artist really live in a place such as this? Standing in front of the building, I call out to the occupants inside. "Pardon me, I have been sent here from the Kasama Domain. Is there anyone present?" From beyond the entryway door, I heard a faint reply. The sliding door opened, and a figure emerged. "So you're the guy from Kasama Domain?" "Yes, that is me. Souma Kazue. Are you perchance, Ibuki-dono then?"

With that, the man scratched his face, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "There's no need to call me '-dono'. I'm not that level of guy." "Come on inside. I've prepared a few concept drafts for you to look at." With that curt invitation, I followed him inside. Inside the main room, I immediately noticed the countless art tools accompanied by a rather distinct smell. Judging by the state of things, he does not appear to live a very easy life. I suppose this is what it must be like for those in creative professions. Ibuki then brought me several drawings from the back of the room. "The request was for an illustration of kenjutsu practice, right? I drafted up a few different ideas. Go ahead and pick the one you think is best." I took the several offered drawings into my hands. All of them depicted a young man doing his sword practice. "Yes, very good." I made sure to examine each and every sketch carefully. Even for simple sketches, I found all of them to be quite captivating. "I find this one to be the best out of the lot. I'd like you to use it for the final design." I selected the drawing that I spoke of and returned it to Ibuki. "...this one? got it. To tell you the truth, I think this one turned out the best." "You do?" "Yeah. It's not to say that I slacked off on any of the others...When it comes to art, sometimes you just know when an Idea will turn out well from before you even start." "I see. That is very fascinating." I have precious few chances to speak with an artist like this... And so I had no way of knowing anything about their process until now. "Alright then. I'll go ahead and carve the print block with this design. When it's done, I'll send word to your domain, so sit tight until then." "Ah yes. Thank you very much." The order placed by my employers, was an illustration for a book aimed at the young sons of retainers in our province. Intended to encourage the development of kenjutsu skills among them. The decision was that pictures would help get them interested more than just words alone. And so, an artist was commissioned. "Above all, I'm a little surprised that your boss chose to take a chance on a no-name artist like me. I guess there must be some eccentrics back in Kasama, huh?" "Well, uh..." I was not at all certain how to reply. My understanding was that an artist of good repute was to be commissioned... However, the twists and turns that lead to the selection of this young man are beyond my purview as a mere errand boy. Perhaps he could tell as much from my expression alone. "Well, it's not like I'm gonna grill you about it. My life's pretty rough and so I'm grateful for the work." "I am glad that our patronage can be of help to you." Once more, I took the selected sketch back into my hands. "Your work has a certain impressive air to it. In particular, the way that you portray kenjutsu. It really makes one feel as if they are truly there." "It makes me think that the artist knows a great deal about kenjutsu itself." "You may not be very well known as of now, but I think that you may very well leave a mark on this world with your art."

My words suddenly made Ibuki's cheeks flush and he averts his eyes. "Hey now. You're not gonna get anything from flattering me." "That was not my intention. In truth, I am not at all skilled in flattery." All I did was say my honest thoughts... "Now that I think about it, I didn't even offer you any tea, did I? Just wait here a moment." It looks as though I made him uncomfortable, and he retreats behind the screen door. ...did I perhaps overstep somehow? While I pondered that and waited for the tea, I cast my gaze around the room once more. There are abandoned pieces and apparent practice sketches scattered haphazardly around the room. Being an artist seems to require one to draw far much more than is ever even sold. "...hm?" Among the scattered drawings, there is one that clearly sticks out and draws my eye. A black and white colour scheme with red accents, depicting an oddly dignified white-haired demon. The image captivated me, and I found my hands reaching out towards it. Viewing it up close, i feel myself further drawn in by its powerful aura. "This kimono...It looks like something from the play Kanadehon Chuushingura? But no, this outfit is a distinct light-blue colour." I feel as though I have heard of a samurai squad being formed in Kyoto that wears this uniform. Their name was something like...Shinsen...

And just as I was muttering those things to myself... The screen door opened and Ibuki returned inside. "Sorry for the wait. On top of that, the tea probably won't even be that good--" His expression froze in place once he saw what was in my hands. And then-- "Hey! What are you doing with that!" "Forgive me for looking without permission...I simply glimpsed it and it caught my attention." "Okay, just give it back!" The teapot in Ibuki's hands fell to the floor, spilling it's contents all over his feet. "Ack--ouch! Shit that's hot--" "Are you alright!?" "I'm fine!. More importantly, give that back!" Seeming to have no time to spare for the spilled tea, Ibuki quickly approached me. "Just wait a moment. There's something I wish to ask you about this." "What could you possibly want to know!? It's just a sketch, it's not valuable or anything!" He was totally calm when showing me his art earlier... what is it about this one that has him so flummoxed? "...'just a sketch'? This is far more impressive than the drafts you showed me earlier." "What're you talking about!? Just give it back already!" Any other day, I would have already replied with his request, but... For some reason, I felt compelled to keep pressing him. "This clearly isn't a drawing of a Chuushingura...But rather, one of those...Shinsengumi members in Kyoto, correct?" My question caused Ibuki's breathing to stop cold. "No! Why would you think that!" "This light blue uniform is definitely the Shinsengumi's, is it not?" "Are you telling me you know about the Shinsengumi!?" "I have heard the name, yes. It is said that they are a group who seek to elevate their status by slaying other ronin." "Uh, yeah. I've heard some of those rumours...and they inspired me to draw that." That's right, it is not uncommon for artists to depict historical figures as mythical figures such as yokai. And so this is not a particularly strange leap for an ukiyo-e painter to make. "I see. And that is why you depicted him as an oni." "Yeah, that's right! I've answered your question haven't I? Now give it back!" And then... While Ibuki tried to take the drawing back, I turned to face him. "...Ibuki. Would you consider giving this to me?" "Huh!? Why would you want that--" "I cannot explain it, but it has captivated me." "Besides, it is quite evocative of the King of the Dead. And so I feel as though it might serve as protection." "Of course, I fully intend to pay what it's worth." Ibuki stood there and stared at me with a look of surprise on his face. But then... "You think this drawing will help you ward off evil spirits? Haha...You sure are an eccentric one, huh? It's fine. I told you it was just a sketch, so you can have it for free." "Really? Are you certain?" "However. You have to promise not to show it to anyone, okay? You could get yourself in trouble, having that kinda thing around." "Yes, I understand. I will keep this as my own personal talisman." With that, I carefully placed the drawing into my kimono. At that time... I still had no way of knowing that the drawing in fact depicted the late Executive Chief, Serizawa Kamo. But, the fact that I was so drawn in by it-- Could very well have been because somewhere deep inside of me, I was pulled along by the fate I was someday bound to meet.

[ificouldhelpyouforget]

My Light in a Dark Place—Epilogue (Tamaki Amajiki x OFC)

MASTERLIST | MLDP MASTERLIST

A/N: That's it for the main story! The next bonus part is all about Aiko Amajiki and Mirai Togata, and let me tell you, I adore their story so much. I had just as much fun writing two oc characters as I did writing Yuki x Tamaki. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Until next time!

Chapter warnings: a little smut and desire to be parents

Words: 6.5k

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You are welcome to kiss your bride."

Yuki smashes their lips together before Tamaki can even gather the courage to kiss her in front of so many of their friends and family. He can hear the laughter and sighs throughout the room and it makes him nervous despite his new wife kissing him eagerly.

Present Mic, who Yuki chose as their officiant, chuckles. "Or I guess the bride can kiss you."

She pulls away, grinning up at her handsome husband. "We're married, Tama."

A smile graces his lips, Yuki's joy a contagious thing. "We are."

"I love you."

Instead of returning her words, Tamaki leans down to kiss her, earning quite a few cheers for it.

—

With a grin on her face, Yuki shuts and locks the front door of her shop after the grand reopening in its new location.

Nejire walks in from the cooler room with a loud exhalation of breath. "It was busy today! I know it was a grand opening, but it's nice to see your loyal customers here!"

"I know!" Yuki wraps her arms around herself with a grin. "I think this will work out, plus it’s just a pleasant stroll away from home. Tama did good helping me find this place."

"He really did. I'm glad it worked out for you. Do you miss your old location?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I miss the convenience of working below my apartment and I miss the other shops and restaurants I came to know well, but this is good. This will be good. Next month the classes will start up and I'm so excited about that."

"You won't tire out too much?"

Yuki shakes her head. "I haven’t had an issue with my Quirk or socializing tiring me out for a while now. I've wondered if the change in my relationship with Tamaki has somehow helped in that aspect."

"You're talking about sex, right?"

"Well, I was trying to be less obvious about it."

"Sorry," Nejire giggles. "It makes sense though. Cuddling with the opposite sex helped you recover your energy, right? So why wouldn't the intimacy of being joined with the opposite sex help? It's the closest you can get to another person, and it's super personal."

"That makes sense. I can't believe I'm still learning about my Quirk this late in my life."

"Late?! Girl, you are barely in your thirties. There are plenty of years ahead where you can learn something new about your Quirk."

Yuki takes out the register and brings it to the office to count it. Nejire follows. "Yeah, I know, but… it seems like all my friends and family know the ins and outs of their Quirks."

"Yuki, you chose a life where you don't have to use your Quirk in your profession, well, not so regularly or rigorously. How many of us are heroes? We have to know our Quirks to apprehend villains and protecting civilians. It's okay to not know everything about yourself."

"You're right. I shouldn't be so surprised about it or remotely bummed out. Our careers have us learning things about ourselves at different paces and that's okay."

"It is!" Nejire says and then shuts the office door behind her. "I need to tell you something, Yuki."

Yuki pauses her counting and looks at Nejire. "What is it? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is great. It's perfect really." She chews on her bottom lip before her face lights up. "Mirio and I are going to have a baby. I'm pregnant."

"Oh, my God! That's so great!" Yuki wraps her arms around her friend. "How far along?" She reaches down to feel the hardly noticeable bump.

"The doctor said about six weeks, maybe seven. She says the baby is doing great, too."

"That's so great! You're going to be a mama! You guys are going to be such amazing parents." Yuki suddenly gasps. "You were on your feet all day! Sit down! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! I wouldn't have asked you to help me today."

"It's okay, Yuki. I feel fine. I wouldn't have agreed to help if I was worried."

"Next time, tell me and I'll make sure you get plenty of breaks, okay?"

"I will."

The back door opens and they hear the familiar voice of Tamaki call out his arrival.

"We're in the office!" Yuki responds, her skin lighting up as soon as her husband peeks inside the door. "Hey, hubby."

His face turns red. "Almost done?"

"Yeah. Just need to finish counting the drawer."

Nodding, Tamaki smiles at Nejire. "Congratulations on your pregnancy."

"Oh, thank you, Tama. We're so excited to have a little Nejire or Mirio running around."

"I'll be happy to babysit for you if you need it," Yuki says between counting. "It'll be great practice."

"Oh, are you guys thinking about children?"

"Eventually, right, Tama?"

Somehow, his face is an even darker red. "Y-Yeah."

"Your babies will be so cute. Maybe you'll end up having a baby with hair like Todoroki."

"Well, maybe. We won't be trying to make a child to be the next big hero, so I don't know which of our combined genes will show up. No matter what, our babies will be loved well."

Tamaki refuses to acknowledge his body's reaction to the idea of making multiple children with his wife. He's not told her yet how much he loves the thought of her carrying his babies. Plus the process to make children is always enjoyable.

"You guys will make such adorable kids!"

"Says the one who's the cutest and married to Lemillion," Yuki fires back. "And your child is currently baking in your oven."

She laughs. "True. I'm sure you'll be doing the same before you know it, you know."

Yuki and Tamaki look at each other, faces oddly devoid of any obvious emotion. Both wondering: Should we try?

—

A few months pass, and Nejire is finally looking like she's carrying a baby. And Mirio is as excited and nervous as any dad-to-be. Yuki finds his doting so cute. Nejire loves every second.

After an adorable baby shower Tamaki picks Yuki up from, his wife is unusually quiet. He doesn't ask why in case she's worn out from the party, so their drive is silent. It isn't until he's parked in the apartment complex's garage that Yuki breaks the silence.

"Do you think we should for a baby?"

Tamaki thinks for a moment. "Is that… something you want right now? The shop reopened recently. You'll have to… go on leave for a bit, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Yuki sighs as she feels that familiar tingle at the back of her eyes, "...all this baby stuff is making me want one so bad… I want a baby we make together."

He smiles, eyes holding his understanding. "I want to… have a baby with you, too…"

She grimaces. "I hear a 'but' coming…"

"Let's wait until your shop has… at least six months where it is… to make sure customers keep coming. Is that okay?"

"Okay." Yuki sniffles and then growls under her breath. "Gosh, I didn't want to cry about it."

Tamaki reaches over and grabs her hand tightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you cry."

"It's not your fault. I'm surrounded by baby talk and seeing Nejire so pretty and pregnant… I want that, too. But you're right. I need to let the shop gain a consistent customer base again before going on leave because I'm too round to see my feet."

The imagery makes Tamaki blush. Yuki will be so pretty carrying their baby. He just knows it. "It's been… over three months already."

"Right," Yuki says, stomach flipping and lips curving up. "Hey, Tama?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna practice making a baby tonight?"

His body quickly catches fire, and he squeezes her hand tightly. "Y-Yeah."

"Let's go then… Daddy."

"Oh, God…"

—

"You seem nervous today, beauty cool," Kirishima says when he and Yuki go out for lunch. "What's up?"

"Well, a while ago, Tamaki and I talked about having kids."

"Because of Nejire and Mirio? Aren't they due soon?"

Yuki nods.

"Are you pregnant then?" he grins.

"No. Tamaki suggested we wait until my shop stayed steady after six-ish months and then try. He was considering maternity leave and any medical emergencies that could come up like a good husband should."

"That's smart of him. I know he wants kids, so it had to be hard for him to decline."

"I certainly appreciate him thinking about me and the shop. He knows how important it is to me."

"So, what has you so nervous then?"

"Last week was the six-month mark and tonight Tamaki planned a whole evening for us. I don't know what he has planned, but… I'm kinda hoping tonight we'll start trying. I honestly don't know what I'll do if we don't. It's been killing me this last week every time we use some sort of contraceptive when we have sex."

"Maybe tonight will be what you're hoping," Kirishima says. "I know Tamaki is as eager as you to start a family."

"Do you know what he has planned tonight?"

"Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

How mean…

—

"Sushi?" Yuki asks once she and Tamaki sit down at a table.

"Yeah. It's… been a while. And you really enjoy the sweet potato rolls they serve here."

"They are delicious." Reaching across the table, Yuki grabs his hand and smiles. "Thank you, Tama."

"You're welcome, Yuki."

And so they eat, Tamaki making sure Yuki gets everything she wants before finishing up any pieces of sushi she doesn't eat. They eat so much that Yuki leans back and spreads her legs under the table, her hands rubbing her belly.

"That was so good," she says. "This was such a good idea."

Tamaki smiles as he leaves money to pay. "Good. You… You deserve it."

"What's next?"

"A walk home."

"A walk? We're at least an hour away from home."

"I know. We need to walk off dinner."

"I guess sitting in a car would make us a bit bloated. It makes sense why you had us take a cab."

"Yeah." Tamaki stands and helps his wife to her feet, kissing her cheek swiftly. "I think it'll be a good walk… because I’m with you."

Yuki smiles at him. “And I’m with you.”

Their hands clasp together tightly before Tamaki guides Yuki into the evening air.

They talk the entire way while talking about anything and everything, their hands never separating. Even when Tamaki leads her into a bakery about to close for the night, their hands stay together. Not even the chocolate croissant they order is enough to warrant a need for those occupied hands.

When the remaining colors of the sunset are gone and more stars appear in the darkening sky, the couple arrive at their home, feet tired and bellies still content. Tamaki was right to suggest walking home because Yuki feels good considering how much she ate.

Yuki whines and plops onto the couch. "I need to take a shower…"

"Go ahead," Tamaki says. "I need to clean the apartment some since I was busy last night and this morning. Take your time… okay?"

Yawning as she rolls of the couch and drags her feet toward the bedroom, Yuki nods. "Okay. Don't forget to shower, too, Tama. Take care of yourself."

"I will, firefly."

Yuki disappears into the bathroom, completely unconcerned by the obvious fidgeting of her husband. Little does she know, Tamaki has no intention of cleaning anything up tonight, moving his plan into action.

Despite the sudden exhaustion creeping up on Yuki, her stomach squirms a bit at the thought of them finally trying for a baby. She gingerly presses her fingers to her abdomen and silently prays that soon a little baby will grow soon after they take their contraceptives out of their nightly activities. And then Yuki quickly shaves a few parts of her body. Just in case.

Her skin tingles when she walks out of the bathroom 45 minutes later to find lit candles on almost every hard surface in their bedroom. Her heart leaps in her chest when long arms circle her naked waist.

"What's all this for, Tama?" she asks, leaning into his chest, realizing he is no longer wearing his shirt and relishing in his warmth. 

"You," he says, kissing her neck.

Yuki turns in his arms to be greeted with her blushing husband who is as naked as her. Her eyes sparkle. "Are you saying we can try for a baby?"

Tamaki nods slowly. "If you're ready."

"Yes," Yuki says, standing on her toes to crash her lips into his. Did she mean for it to be so enthusiastic? Not really, but Yuki felt tears try to fill her vision and wasn't interested in weeping before getting it on with her sweet husband. She pulls back enough to speak, but keeps their lips close. "Please put a baby in me, Tama."

Far more comfortable with how he can handle his wife's body, Tamaki picks Yuki up and carefully tosses her onto their bed, loving the way she laughs as she bounces on the mattress. It's a good day for a little more manhandling, which is great for Tamaki knowing his real purpose behind tonight is to get his love pregnant. That thought is enough to rile him up. 

He crawls on top of her, brushing her hair out of her face, and kisses her lips. "How… How many times do you want… to try this?"

"Tonight?"

Tamaki nods.

Yuki caresses his shoulders, gaze heavy on his face. "As many times as you can handle, Tama."

Another nod and he kisses her lips. Soon his kisses follow her jawline, the expanse of her neck, her collarbone, all the way down her chest and belly to where he loves to spend a majority of his time when they sleep together. It's the way her fingers grip his hair, how she spreads her legs wider just for him… how she tastes on his tongue and it's always better than any meal he's ever had. Best of all, their many sexual endeavors has allowed Tamaki to learn everything about his Yuki's body. He knows what she likes based on her sounds, her movements. He can bring her to an orgasm in less than a minute or draw it out until she’s begging for him to make her come undone. And that's only when he uses his mouth on her.

"Please, Tama," she begs, head back and eyes closed tightly. 

That tells Tamaki that Yuki isn't interested in teasing, which he had no intention of. Not tonight. Tonight starts their journey as parents. His eagerness shows, quickly guiding Yuki over the threshold he was pushing her toward. But he doesn't stop his kitten licks until her thighs close around his head from overstimulation. 

He doesn't waste time crawling back on top of her, hand ready to guide his cock into her. Tamaki will never admit how excited he is to feel his wife with no barrier between them.

Yuki whines from his hesitation, hands grabbing and touching him in various places. It's no longer about the need for pleasure for her. She's desperate for him, for the child he can help her create.

With the quiet admission of her love for him, Tamaki finally pushed into her, grunting from the squeeze of her muscles. But it doesn't stop him for long, his body moving instinctually to provide Yuki with a baby.

There is nothing on Yuki's mind except the hope of being a mom and she's so grateful to have a husband like Tamaki to help her reach that hope, that dream. She can't imagine being a parent with anyone else.

Tamaki finishes quickly, the images of his wife pregnant and holding their child in her arms pushing him over the edge. But he doesn't pull out once he's done. Instead, he stays between Yuki's legs and kisses every inch of her skin he can reach. There's a slight worry Yuki is upset that he didn't get her off a second time, but he knows this wasn't primarily for pleasure, not that Tamaki would forgo pleasuring his wife to make a child with her.

Suddenly, laughter bubbles up from Yuki's chest, pausing Tamaki's kisses.

"Why was that so hot?" she says, in awe of how their rather brief bout of sex was one of the most exhilarating she's shared with Tamaki.

A bright red blush spreads across Tamaki's face. "Really?"

"Yes, really! I'm still so turned on by it."

"You only... c-came once."

Yuki giggles and pets Tamaki's messy head of hair—no thanks to her. "You don't have to make me orgasm more than once for sex to be hot, Tama. No… I think this time was so different because we're trying for kids." She moans so quietly under her breath, feeling Tamaki's softening cock slip out of her slightly when he shifts. "Is that weird?"

A tiny smile graces Tamaki's face and he kisses her nose. "No, it's not weird. You’re excited to be a mom."

"Are you excited to be a dad one day?"

He nods, lips still turned up. The red on his cheeks gets darker and spreads up to his ears and down his neck. "I'm looking forward to… seeing you pregnant."

"Really?" Yuki giggles. "Do you have a thing for pregnant women?"

"N-No! Just… my wife."

"Hmm, I guess we have to make sure we keep trying, yeah?"

"Y-Yeah."

Yuki kisses him. "Can you let me up real quick? I want to clean up a little down there. Then we can cuddle and see what happens from there."

"Okay," Tamaki says, slowly lifting himself off her and separating their bodies completely with a soft exhalation of his breath. But he kisses her once more before completely letting her go take care of herself.

She comes back a minute later and instantly snuggles into his embrace, her eyes shining in hope. 

Tamaki holds her close and silently prays that his Yuki will get her dream of motherhood to come true.

—

Before anyone knows it, spring comes and goes followed by summer and autumn. All those months go by and Yuki has nothing to show for it.

The first time she met baby Mirai—named after the late Sir Nighteye—Yuki and Tamaki were several months into their baby-making endeavor with no luck. Yuki started weeping over baby Mirai while holding him close to her chest. Yuki was having dreams about holding a child of her own that was taking over her everything. Seeing a baby broke her.

A month later, Tamaki and Yuki got themselves checked for fertility and everything came out perfect. It just wasn't happening for them.

"It's so hard, Kiri," Yuki tells him one day when he's walking her home after dinner. "Everything looks fine according to the doctor, but it's not happening."

"Maybe the timing is off right now. Soon things will settle down in your lives and boom, you'll get pregnant."

"But why not now?"

"I don't know, Yuki… I wish I had the answer for you. I hate seeing you so broken up over this. It's taking a toll on Tamaki, too. He's just as upset about it and is starting think he's not doing something right."

"What if we never become parents?"

"Now don't start with the 'what ifs' because you'll worry more and that will put too much strain on your body, making it even harder. Maybe you and Tamaki should spend a weekend at a spa to relax and refresh your bodies. I'm sure all the attempts you two are making to have kids are wearing you both down."

"Maybe we should do that… A weekend of no responsibility, only us."

Kirishima nods, draping his arm across her shoulders. "It's exactly what you need. I know a great place with private hot springs included with the suites. I'll send the info to you guys."

"Thanks, Kiri." Yuki rests her head against his side and sighs.

Maybe our odds will go up after some relaxation…

—

The first thing Yuki does when they walk into their rented room is flop onto the bed after an enormous leap onto it. She hums from the coolness of the comforter that slowly warms the longer she lies there.

"This is nice," Tamaki says, looking around the cozy room. "Eijiro recommended it?"

Yuki nods as she sits up properly. "He said they have private hot springs for some rooms." He knows that this relaxing weekend is really going to be us trying for a baby. Thank you, Kiri. She stands and meanders toward the door that leads to their room's hot spring. "I can't wait to sit in the spring later. Maybe after dinner. Does that sound good to you?"

"I'd like that." Tamaki scratches the back of his head and his cheeks turn a little pink. "Did you… pack a swimsuit?"

"Oh, Tama," Yuki giggles, looking over her shoulder at him. "We're married and have an entire room to ourselves. I don't expect to wear anything but a robe these next two days."

"O-Oh."

"You're so cute."

Tamaki likes it when his wife says he's cute. But when they're in the hot spring together that evening—in reality during the entire weekend—Tamaki reminds her he's not always her cute husband. 

Yuki loves every second, crying out in pure ecstasy each time Tamaki hits that spot with his cock as he takes her from behind. She barely can keep a hold on the rocks lining the spring, one of those rounded rocks perfectly rubbing against her with every one of Tamaki's thrusts.

The poor spa staff have a hard time keeping their knowing smiles at bay the rest of the couple's visit because not a single person there can mistake the lewd sounds coming from their room at all hours of each day. Of course, the constant glow of Yuki's Quirk, Tamaki's overly content demeanor, and the obvious gazes between them give everything away. And on their last day, the head staff kindly bows as they head out, a sweet "good luck" sent their way with an understanding of the couple's true purpose there. 

Plus, Kirishima called ahead to warn the staff.

—

The doctor walks into the room Yuki is sitting in, waiting to get her PAP done, but the doctor isn't prepared like she usually would be.

"Mrs. Amajiki?"

"Yes?"

"We won't be doing a PAP today like usual."

"Why? What's wrong?" Yuki's heart races, worried they found something bad in her urine test.

Her doctor smiles. "Nothing's wrong. Your urine test came back and, well, you're pregnant."

She blinks. "W-What? I'm… going to have a baby?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm going to check you out and make sure what I can see is going smoothly. In a few weeks, I want you to come back for a checkup. You'll be coming in about once a month for checkups. I can explain everything in better detail after your appointment today. We're going to get you and this baby safely through to the end, all right?"

By then, Yuki has a hand over her abdomen—just under her belly button—and tears rolling down her cheeks. Her other hand comes up to cover her mouth to prevent the sob she wants to let out.

"I'm really pregnant?"

"You are."

The dam breaks and Yuki can't stop it any longer. She cries all the way home and into Tamaki's arms when he gets back from work. She doesn't stop even when he asks her why she’s crying.

"What's wrong?" he asks, grabbing her face carefully to make her look at him. "Did something happen at the doctor?"

Yuki nods.

"Is it… bad?"

She shakes her head no.

"It's good? Why are you crying—?“

Yuki watches the realization cross over Tamaki's features, his lips parting the longer it sits in his mind.

"Are you…? Are we…? I-It's real?"

"Yes," she says, more tears falling when she notes the welling up of Tamaki's eyes. "We're gonna be parents. You're gonna be a daddy, Tamaki."

Tears fall from his eyes as he gazes at his amazing wife. His love for her knows no bounds and only grows more knowing that she's carrying their baby. She couldn't look more perfect in his eyes.

He lifts a hand up, hovering over her stomach. "C-Can I?"

"Of course, Tama," Yuki smiles, taking his hand and pressing it to her body. "Anytime. We made this precious life together, so you never have to ask."

But Tamaki can't leave it at simply touching over where their tiny unborn baby is growing. No. Tamaki gets on his knees and presses his cheek against Yuki's abdomen, arms wrapping around her tightly. He knows he won't hear anything, but in the moment's intimacy it feels right. It brings him just a little closer to their child.

Yuki's fingers comb through his hair he has yet to style for the day, fresh tears spilling from her eyes as her husband has his moment with their unborn child. She always knew she picked a sweet man to live the rest of her days with and this moment only proves it again. But she can't deny that she finds her sweet husband suddenly irresistible in that moment. Must be the shift of hormones they warned me about.. and the fact I love this man so much.

"Tama," Yuki whispers, brushing his hair back when Tamaki looks up at her. She also wipes his tears away before bending down and kissing his lips. "My doctor told me that my emotions and cravings and hormones will fluctuate suddenly and often…" She gives him another kiss, longer than before. "I think my hormones are doing that right now. I really want you, Tama. Right now."

He blinks in surprise, but presses his lips to her stomach. "O-Okay."

"Oh, good," Yuki sighs. "I was nervous you wouldn't want to."

"No." Tamaki stands and kisses her forehead. "Whatever you want… or need, I'll help."

"Well, I could use some help in our bedroom. I desperately need my husband."

With a nod, Tamaki lets Yuki guide him into their room where he makes sure she's completely satisfied, ending up asleep with her in his arms, a gentle glow about her. 

He's the luckiest man in the world and no one can tell him otherwise.

—

Time is a funny thing. It can speed by or can drag on and the Amajikis felt both at various times of the day. In some ways, it felt like Yuki was pregnant forever. Once she birthed their first child, it seemed as if they blinked and ended up where they are now.

Their first little one, Aiko, becomes a toddler far too quickly for their liking, scampering around their home in search of whatever trouble she can find. It keeps poor Yuki and Tamaki on their toes all the time.

But neither will trade it for anything. 

The moment Aiko was welcomed into the world with hardly a cry and a firm grip on anything within her reach, they knew she'd be trouble. Yuki often sees herself in their little girl, recalling the hell she brought her parents when she was younger. In the privacy of their bedroom, Yuki often coos over what bratty things Aiko did and how adorable she is when she's being rotten.

Kirishima likes to remind her it won't be so cute once Aiko becomes a teenager, but Yuki isn't worried. Her daughter will find her way and be sweet just like her daddy. She already sees it in those few caring moments Aiko has with Yuki and Tamaki. They're short-lived and often end with pure chaos, but Yuki sees her sweet husband's softer personality in Aiko. There's so much excitement to watch their baby grow into a wonderful young woman.

"She's going to be a heartbreaker," Nejire tells Yuki during their weekly playdate with Aiko and Mirai—who is about one and a half years older than Aiko.

"Why is that?"

"First of all, look at her parents. Both of you are beautiful and she shares both of your looks. Second, her hair is such a gorgeous color of purple. I was not expecting her hair to be a perfect blend of Tama's dark hair and your light hair. And the bluish tint from Tama's hair color is so pretty. She could easily be a model when she gets older."

Yuki chuckles. "She'll only become a model if the industry will stop starving their models. A strong woman needs some meat on her bones and we all know Aiko is the strongest little girl we've seen since Eri." The mothers watch Mirai take Aiko's hand and lead her toward a grouping of dandelions in the grass. "Mirai is going to be a handsome man, you know. I still can't believe the only part of Mirio in him is the shape of his face. Otherwise, he looks like your clone."

"He's such a handsome boy,” Nejire says. “I love watching Eri with Aiko, too. They're so cute! I’ve never seen Eri love someone as much as she loves your daughter."

"They are adorable. I'm glad Aiko has so many wonderful women in her life just in case something ever happens to me."

"I don't like that line of thinking, but we will all take care Aiko and love her no matter what happens."

"That's all I want for her. Well, and success in whatever she does… and a loving family of her own." Yuki sighs as she watches Mirai give Aiko a yellow dandelion he picked out of the grass. "I never want her to feel the despair I felt… or the fear. I want her to find a man like Tama who will protect her and take care of her the way a man should take care of his woman."

Nejire nods firmly. "Agreed. Maybe we'll see Mirai grow into a fine young man perfect for her."

"Mirai is going to be the perfect gentleman when he gets older. I'd love it if our kids ended up together. That'd be so cute. Has Mirai shown any signs of having a Quirk yet?"

"Not yet. His x-ray is promising, but we're still waiting."

"Whose Quirk do you think he'll get?"

"I couldn't begin to guess," Nejire says. "But he has so much energy all the time, so that could be a sign he'll have my Quirk or one similar."

"That'd be great if he does! Then you can help him master it before school."

"Has Aiko shown any signs?"

Yuki smiles. "She glowed like me when she saw Tama after he got home last night. We had to settle her down to keep from getting blinded. She just loves her daddy so much."

"Just like her mama," Nejire says.

"Yeah, just like me. It's impossible not to love Tamaki."

"I wonder if Tama's Quirk will be something she can use. What if she can use the sunlight that charges her up and manifests it as a defensive or offensive attack?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that is something she can learn. Maybe I can ask Aizawa for help when she gets a little older."

"Do you want her to be a hero when she's able?"

Aiko squeals and starts glowing as she chases Mirai around. It makes Yuki smile.

"I don't think I'll have much of a say in that. She looks up to Tama like he's her everything. She'll want to help people just like him and if that's what my baby wants, I'll support her and cheer her on."

"If only they would stop getting older."

"I know. I'm dreading the day she moves away from us."

Nejire grins. "I guess we'll have to get our men to knock us up again, huh?"

Yuki giggles. "Something tells me we won't have an issue convincing them."

"You're right," Nejire says. "Would you want another girl or a boy?" 

"Either would be nice if it's in the cards for us. Aiko would be a sweet older sister and would love them." 

"That's a good way of looking at it. I would love to have a little girl so Mirai can be a big brother. Although, Aiko is giving him great practice." 

"Yeah, but if you are hoping those two end up together when they're older, maybe we shouldn't encourage that sibling relationship between them." 

"Ah! You're so right!" 

Loud laughter erupts between the two mothers, catching the attention of their children for a quick second before they go back into their imaginative world together again. 

—

As the years go on, Yuki and Tamaki end up pregnant again with a new Quirkless little girl, Hana, added to their family as Aiko enters first grade. Nejire and Mirio weren't able to have a second child, but it doesn’t bring them down too much. 

Both Mirai and Aiko have plans to go to UA, their Quirks leading them to desire helping others. Mirai's Quirk is much like Nejire's with an added bonus of Mirio's Quirk to force his shockwave through objects, only affecting the structure of whatever he's forcing them through. 

Aiko gained all of Yuki's Quirk abilities, with far more emphasis on the ability to glow, but also received Tamaki's manifesting abilities. Sometimes her parents walk into a room with several orbs of light that Aiko manifested and let float around her at any point in a day. It's practice to manifest much bigger and more draining orbs. Aizawa has her building up her stamina and Aiko is doing much better than Yuki ever did at resisting the exhaustion from her Quirk. Yuki's never been prouder to see her daughter succeed where she didn't. 

Although, the exhaustion still hits Aiko and, just like her mother, she needs physical affection from men and sunlight. And to both Yuki and Nejire's joy, Mirai is her chosen cuddle buddy. Only time will tell what will happen. 

Yuki comes out of the bathroom, rubbing lotion on her hands and arms with a smile toward Tamaki who is already in bed reading a book. 

Age truly made her husband even more handsome, his features still sharp and skin still youthful despite the small scars villains left him with. His long hair was cut many years ago, sitting just above his shoulders now, and tamer than it's ever been. His eyes haven't changed at all and Yuki loves that about him. 

"Is Daddy too interested in his book to cuddle with me?" Yuki teases while she climbs onto her side of the bed. With children, it's hard to break out of calling Tamaki what their daughters call him, particularly since their youngest, Hana, has yet to upgrade his title to "dad."

Tamaki closes his book and smiles at his wife. Even after all those years, his cheeks still warm when she teases him. "Come here, firefly." 

At the name, her skin lights. Yuki snuggles into Tamaki's side and sighs as his arm wraps around her shoulders. She draws invisible shapes across his sleep shirt. "I love you, Tamaki. I don't think I've told you that today." 

"I love you, too," he says, kissing the top of her head. "Excited to be off this week?" 

"There's nothing better than getting seven days with my two babies and their daddy. I could use the family time." Yuki can't resist pressing her lips to Tamaki's jawline. "And I'm really looking forward to our night alone when the girls go stay with Kiri." 

Tamaki's breath is shaky when he exhales. "M-Me, too." 

She giggles. "Good. We'll take full advantage of our day together." 

He hums and nods, letting the sounds of their room fill the pause. 

"I'm so happy this is my life," Yuki says quietly. "Thank you, Tama… for being the reason I’m so happy."

He holds her closer, unable to find the words to respond. There are a million things he could say, but nothing seems like it'll convey his own gratitude for Yuki being there.

"I'd go through all of it all over again if I knew this is the result. Every loss, every hurt, every trauma. Although, I'd probably try to talk to you at school."

"You'd even go through—"

"Yes," she interrupts. "Even though it took a toll on me for a long time and it's a horrific thing for anyone to go through, it strengthened me. It strengthened us. I feel like one of the lucky ones considering the circumstances. Seeing it through another person's eyes wasn't easy and hurt more than helped, but I never remembered the feeling of it happening to me thanks to Yoshiro." Yuki wraps her arms around Tamaki's middle. "I can't imagine how all those men and women who've gone through the same thing and had no one to block it out for them are still going. I was fortunate, and that alone has helped me get here. Is it problematic to say I'd go through it again if you and the girls are waiting for me on the other side? Maybe… but it gave me this family."

"I… I never want to see you go through that ever again."

"I know. I don't want to either. It had to be so hard for you to watch me spiral out of control."

"I didn't care about me."

Yuki smiles to herself remembering how true it was. Not once did Tamaki make her healing process about himself. It was always about helping her get back on her feet. "I remember. I'm so grateful for you, Tama."

"Get some sleep," he whispers, brushing his fingers through her hair, no longer wanting to think about what happened to her. "The girls will be up early."

She pouts and slumps against him. "But I'm not done cuddling with Daddy."

"They're not even around…" Tamaki groans, internally mortified by how much he enjoys hearing his wife call him that. "And when has… has sleep stopped you from cuddling?"

"True." Yuki settles more into the pillows and makes sure Tamaki does, too, her legs crossing over his waist. She raises an eyebrow and her blushing husband. "Since when have you been into me calling you daddy?"

He groans again and covers his face. "Stop it, Yuki…"

Of course, she just laughs and snuggles in closer. "You're giving me ideas for our alone time."

Tamaki whines and hides her face against his chest to beg her to stop talking. "We need to sleep."

"Do we really though?"

"Yes."

She bites his chest through his shirt, which makes him flinch and hiss. He doesn't release her.

"Go to sleep, Yuki."

"Using your dad voice on me now? You're only making this worse for yourself." Yuki looks at him and lets one of her hands slink its way down Tamaki's chest and into his sleep pants. "We can be quick."

He jerks and grunts as soon as her hand wraps around him. There's no doubt that "being quick" will not be quick at all, but the torturous drag of her warm hand is difficult to stop… so he doesn't.

And to say Mommy and Daddy are tired the next morning when they come in shouting about vacation is the understatement of the century.

Yuki drops her head on Tamaki's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Next time, I'll keep my hands to myself."

Tamaki rubs her back and smiles, predicting that promise won't come true like the many other times she's said the same thing. And he's okay with that because he'll do anything just to make sure his Yuki is as happy as she can be. Getting those few hours back of missed sleep can't compare to the soft glow that settles under Yuki's skin or the bright smile she always sends his way. 

"I love you," Tamaki says, putting some hair behind her ear when she looks up at him.

Her face splits into a blinding grin. "I love you."

Their lips meet for a second before both Aiko and Hana shout about cooties and how gross their parents are. Those complaints quickly turn to screams as their loving parents chase them around the house, both ending up trapped in their mother's arms to be showered in hugs and kisses to start their family vacation. 

[jungwonlvrr]

DEAR DRACO MALFOY

Pairings: Draco x Female Reader

Genre: angst

Warnings: no warnings

Y/n: your name

Y/b/n: your girl best friends name

Y/h/n: your house name

Summary: y/n send letters to Draco but the more letters she sends, the less oblivious she gets of her feelings for him.

———————————————————

Dear The Slytherin Prince,

Hey! It’s your best friend, Y/n. You told me you really liked y/b/n. I’m sorry I ran away without giving you an answer. I talked with her and she likes you too! That’s crazy isn’t it? She wants you to meet her in the astronomy tower after classes.

Your best friend, Y/n

———————————————————

Dear My Best Friend,

I heard you two got together. You guys would make a cute couple. I’m quite worried you’re going to leave me for her. But you wouldn’t would you? You promised. Today, I rode buckbeat with the twins, It was quite fun. Bummer you didn’t tag along lol.

Your Favorite y/h/n, Y/n.

———————————————————

Dear Draco Alfredo,

I see you showed y/b/n our secret hiding spot. That place was only suppose to be between you and I but it’s okay. You two are the couple so I can’t fight and get mad lol. It’s just a bummer because it’s not so secret for you and I anymore. Today, you skipped classes, it’s not out do the ordinary for you to do so but Y/b/n skipped classs also and she never skips. I assume you two met up in our the secret hide out.

Your best wingwoman, Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Draco,

It’s been two weeks since I last sent you a letter. I was busy. And two weeks since our hiding spot became yours and y/b/n’s hiding spot. That place feels not special anymore so I stopped going there. I’m glad you’re still speaking to me though! I just miss our adventures. We should go on a adventure soon!

Your best friend, Y/n

———————————————————

Dear The Slytherin Barbie,

Hey! You told me we would go on our adventures, I was really happy until you brought her along. Don’t get it wrong, I’m happy for you both! I just missed the me and you times, it barely happens nowadays. You’re too caught up with Y/b/n to spend time with your best friend. It makes me upset.

Your best friend, Y/n.

———————————————————

Dear The one and only Draco,

Thanks for getting me soup today, I didn’t feel so well and you realized that. I guess we still have our best friend telepathy hahah. You’re missing out on action though, last night the twins set up fireworks in the forest! I know right, crazy isn’t it. It’s kind of weird experiencing fun things without you around, I’m too use to being around you haha. I also heard you gave Y/b/n the bracelet I made you, I was kind of, maybe really upset. I put a lot of thought into that bracelet.

Your one and only, Y/n.

———————————————————

Dear Draco Tomato,

It’s been a month since I last sent you a letter, I was busying studying for the exams. I don’t even know why I keep writing to you when I could just talk to you. I guess I don’t have the confidence to talk to you anymore since you seemed to be really busy with your girlfriend. You don’t even reply back so it’s embarrassing sometimes but I know you read them, Goyle told me. He just told me you didn’t have the time to reply which is compeletly fine with me! Your girlfriend must have found that soft side of yours quick, you two are so PDA now , it feels so weird since you’re not normally affectionate.

Your best friend, Y/n.

———————————————————

Dear Draco,

The more I watch you and your girlfriend do your things, the more I realize I have this heavy feeling in my heart that makes me really sad. Honestly, I think it’s just the anxiety I have stored up for the upcoming exams. A day alone with you could definitely cool it down.

Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Draco Malfoy,

Why are you ignoring me? Did I do something to upset you? I’m really sorry if I did! What can I do to make it up for you? Oh yeah, I’ll buy you your favorite, chocolate frogs! You better forgive me, I’m paying for this lol.

From you know, Y/n

———————————————————

Dear The Slytherin,

I hope you enjoyed the chocolate frogs! You talked to today which made me expectionally happy. I get so happy when me and you have a conversation, it could be the smallest and my day will be brightened!how do you do these things?

Your Best friend, Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Draco Draco Draco,

You’re ignoring me again. That hurts you know. It makes me really upset, giving me a empty feeling in my heart. I miss my best friend. You can’t do this to me.

Your best friend, Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Draco,

Stop ignoring me. You’re acting as if I don’t exist anymore! What did I do wrong? It’s been 3 weeks of this constant ignoring. It really hurts, Malfoy. You don’t know how many tears are being spent of your stupidness. I’m your best friend! Don’t you remember? Please don’t forget me. I know you’re reading this, Draco. Please reply, I miss you.

Your still best friend, Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Malfoy,

Today, you told me you didn’t want to be friends with anymore. I’m confused, I didn’t do anything wrong. It was so sudden, I didn’t expect this ending for us, I mean sure you were being an ass and ignoring me but I thought you were just being Draco. I’m too numb to cry right now. I miss you, kiddo.

Your ex best friend, Y/n.

__________________________________

Dear Malfoy,

I heard Y/b/n was the reason you didn’t want to be friends anymore. I don’t know why I even called her my girl best friend. She stabbed me in the back, she knew how much you meant to me. I guess you were my only real friend and I lost that too. You were a real friend until you started dating her, pathetic isn’t it?.

Your ex best friend, Y/n.

———————————————————

Dear Draco Malfoy,

I don’t even know why I continue to send you letters as if we are on good terms. I really want to be on good terms but you clearly don’t want that. Today I also found out from Crabbe that you threw away that chocolate frog I have bought for you. That hurt deeply. It feels like actual knives are being carved into my heart, every single day. When I see you, I feel so at home and I just want to hug you and cry while calling you mean.

Your ex best friend, Y/n.

———————————————————

Dear Draco,

It’s been 2 months, I know I shouldn’t call you by your first name anymore but I miss you. I’m not mad at you anymore, I just want my best friend back. Why did things have to turn out this way? You’re really happy with you girlfriend, I can tell. You never smiled that big with me. I keep holding onto us like we are going to come back to each other.

Your ex best friend, Y/n,

———————————————————

Dear Malfoy,

I know you’re still reading these. Maybe to make fun of me, I don’t know anymore. But recently I found something out. It’s quite a shock to me. I’m in love with you, Malfoy. The way I feel for you isn’t a normal way to feel for a friend, I’m in love. Only love makes you this crazy, Professer Mcgonnal told me. I think she’s referring to me sending letters almost everyday, expecting a good outcome. I’m too deep in love with you, from the way you talk to the way you move, from the way your blond hair falls into your forehead, from the way your grey eyes wander the rooms, from the way your voice called out my name so naturally, from the way you use to hug me and hum on my bad days, from the way you took me sledding and from the way your lips curved into a perfect smile. I fell in love with you and your personality, ignoring your toxic traits. For I wasn’t enough, what we had wasn’t enough that you chose her over me. Oh what you do for love.

Your secret lover, Y/n.

———————————————————

Dear Malfoy,

Your girlfriend found my letter and her and her gang beat me up for it. She doesn’t understand. I would never try to sabotage your relationship with her. I just wanted to express my feelings, clearly I can’t even do that. Maybe it was wrong for me to give you a love confession but I wasnt trying to get you to be with me. She wants me to never send letters to you again, but she doesn’t have to know I’m sending this letter. You’re still my best friend in my heart, Draco.

Your ex best friend, Y/n.

———————————————————

Dear Draco Malfoy,

Hey, it’s been a couple of months. I hope you’re doing well. I finally come to my closure. I’m moving on from this chapter of heartbreak and misery. You were a chapter in my life, a really really big and important one, but I was just a page in yours. I guess all good things come to an end eventually. I’m getting happier and I’m finally moving on from you. Of course I still love you! You’re still my best friend in my heart like I said. But it’s over now. I’m accepting that. You’re still with her, after all this time. I’m really happy for you both, really!

Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Draco,

You looked awful for the past week. Are you doing okay? I know I said I’ve moved on but I can still send letters to check up on you, you still matter to me. Y/b/n seemed to not care that you looked emotionally tired. She just kept going on about her drama. It makes me sad, you deserve someone who will listen to you like how you listen to her. I can tell you love her a lot.

Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Draco,

It’s been about a month. I found someone! I’ve officially moved on. Don’t be sad lol, as if you would. His name is Neville Longbottom. I think you know him. He’s really sweet and I don’t deserve him one bit. He bought me my favorite candies yesterday, it made me heart feel so soft and warm inside. He’s adorable. He makes me really happy, I hope you find that soon since Y/b/n isn’t doing a good job at that, lol.

Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Draco,

I heard what happened, She cheated. Of course she would. I mean I didn’t expect it but it’s not a surprise either. She honestly really did like you at the beginning of your relationship with her, I don’t know what happened. You’re still welcomed to come back to this chapter of my life, I’ll gladly accept my best friend back. Just no more romantic feelings included. Just the old me and you. Oh yeah, about me and Neville, he’s really a sweetheart, i think I’m in love. He makes me feel a way you didn’t. Like I’m loved and special.

Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Draco,

So we’re friends again. I’m glad. I missed you kiddo. I’m glad I’m getting my best friend back. Let’s make a plan and meet up and catch up. Wouldn’t that sound lovely?

————————————

Dear Draco,

It’s been a week of catching up and our best friend connection came back quickly. Your ex isn’t very happy about you and I becoming friends again but it doesn’t matter.

Y/n

———————————————————

Dear Y/n,

Yes I’ve read all your letters. They’re really sweet and I’m now realizing how much you cared. It’s been about a year now and I’m rereading your letters. You’re my best friend still, and we’re still like two peas in a pod. I’m happy for you and Neville. Happy late one year to you two though. He seems to the perfect one for you, I can see the love in both of your eyes. Maybe I’m selfish for saying this but I wish I were Neville. I wasted my love on someone who wasn’t worth it when I had someone right in front of me who loved me better and more than Y/b/n ever would. You’re still the same prankster I grew up with. I’m really sorry I broke you badly last year. I really am sorry. I never did want to stop being your friend, I loved you (as a friend ofc) but she made me choose between her and you and my foolishness was too blinded by love to realize what I was throwing away. Also, I did eat the chocolate frog you got me, don’t be sad lol. I fallen in love with you through the year we’ve tried again. Maybe I was always in love with you, maybe I just didn’t know and went for your then best friend. When I found out you were in love with me, I felt these waves of emotions come over me. I was happy but sad but confused. I’m sorry I let y/b/n hands onto that letter, you didn’t deserve what those girls did to you. So to my best friend. I’m in love with you. It’s my turn for this one sided love but it’s unfair that your one sided story with me is worse than mine since I know you wouldn’t leave me for anything. I’m really happy for you and Neville. But I watch your eyes as he walks by, what a sight for sore eyes, brighter than a blue sky. he’s got you mesmerized while I die.

[bluegreenandpurple]

Game Night

Hey there! I've been tagged by @bavalon18 to write a drabble for the HPRomione Discord Popcorn and my prompt was: revenge.

I'll tagg @mina-roman and your promt is: "you better stop rambling and do what you came to do"

I think this is T rated, as it doesn't have adult content but be warned there is a bit of cursing and suggestive talk.

And now, up with the drabble!! I hope you enjoy!

............

Game Night

“A cauldron! A cauldron in your head? Neville at potions! No? er… the Bubble-Head Charm?... shit, shit… holy shit, Rosie, I don’t know what the hell is that! What are you- are you floating? Yeah? A… A ghost? Are you a ghost with a Bubble-Head Charm?”

“Time!”

“IT’S AN ASTRONAUT, DAD!! A sodding astronaut!”

“Language, Rose!”

“An anstrunaut? How was I supposed to know? That can't be a word!” Ron asked befuddled, searching for support from the rest of the lot.

“Blimey, dad, is not! As-tro-naut is, though.” Answered Rose, frustrated.

“As-tro- what?” Asked Ron, but Rose wasn’t listening anymore, she was already on her way to the couch peaking the score notepad from the centre table. So he looked at his wife. “Wasn’t this supposed to be the easy version of the game?”

“It is, love. We're playing only with professions and occupations.” Hermione answered, then jested, “But we could try objects and animals if-”

“Ohh! Come on! You can’t recover from this! Dad, we’re losing five to eighteen!”

“Ha! regretting something Rosie?” Hugo was poking teasingly at her ribs.

“Oh, you... shush it, Hugo!” As Rose began to shove her brother’s hands away, Hermione leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms.

“Maybe this will show you not to underestimate your mother’s capabilities at games, Rose.” At this, everyone froze and turned to look at Hermione whose face has been completely morphed into the smuggest smirk ever displayed in the Granger-Weasley household.

“Are you - Nooo? Are you jealous that she chose me?”

“Oh, don’t be mum. I absolutely regret it.” Complained Rose, dropping herself on the couch whilst tossing the notepad to the centre table. Ron looked at her and faked a stab in the chest.

“Don’t worry dad. I’ll be glad to team up with you next time.” Hugo claimed proudly.

“Then you can have him next week.” Smirked Rose.

“Well, I’ll be glad.” Said Hugo, cheerfully high five-ing his dad, then sniggered, “Who needs a high score? I could watch you all night trying to guess ‘Bubble-Headed ghost’!!”

“Oi! You little brat!” Ron had taken Hugo by the hips, tumbling him onto the couch, attacking him with a mix of tickling and punching.

“Now you both know that your dad is not the only one that can be fun. It’s a shame you won’t be here next week to see him lose. Although, we could change the day so you can play before you leave for school.”

“Nah, that wouldn’t be fair. Game night is game night.” Quipped Ron, now holding Hugo at arm's distance with a hand in his face.

“You just don’t want to lose again!” Came the muffled sound of Hugo’s voice at the same time that Rose pointed at his dad and exclaimed. “Such a bad loser, dad. You should be a good example for us!”

“I think defeat has confounded you, Rosie, that's your mum.” He waved nonchalantly.

“Well then, Weasley.” Hermione sat up and challenged, “As we can’t play charades just the two of us, let’s try another game, you can choose. I’ll play whatever you pick next week. Not only play, mind. I’ll win.”

“I see... you’re so full of yourself now, are you? We’ll play by my rules, then.” Replied Ron, amused.

“Woah, now wish I could be here next week!” Muffled Hugo, still trapped.

“Don’t worry Hugo. What I have in mind, you wouldn’t want to see.”

-----

“Well then, Ronald. I’m ready. Tell me, what game did you choose? I can't stand your ridiculous sniggers and tease anymore.”

“We’ll see if you keep the arrogance when you know, love.”

“Just...spill it out.”

“Please, get comfortable, m'lady,” gushed Ron, leading Hermione to a couch before sitting himself across her. She was gazing at him quizzically, so he crossed his arms and jerked his head to point at the wool box that was on the centre table.

“Chess? Predictable, Ronald,” she teased, but her smirk morphed into a frown when Hermione noticed something in the box. “Is this my father’s chess set? Why do you- “

“Oh, that. I didn’t really fancy my pieces perving over my wife” he jested.

“What do you… why will I be… ” she mused. Ron waited patiently until Hermione lifted her face and locked his eyes with her and with a deep voice, he added.

“We’re not playing just chess, love. We are playing strip chess.” He leaned forward, never breaking eye contact, and huskily repeated, “Strip. Chess.”

Hermione’s gaze ignited with something between desire and amusement and Ron felt a certain southern part of him react to his wife’s expression. As Hermione pondered the implications of this little game, she felt a jolt of excitement not just because of the most evident outcome that this unclothed situation may bring, but because Ron had led himself into a trap. His attempt to avenge last week's humiliation was settling the best possible scenario for Hermione to accomplish what she hasn't been able to since she met him: beat Ron at chess.

“Okay, then. I did say I’ll play anything you chose.” she finally spoke, leaning back on the couch whilst crossing her arms to pump up her breasts. Ron’s eyes bulged and there, right there, she used her most seductive voice to add, “You’re such a bad loser, Mr Weasley.”

“I’m not a bad loser, Ms Granger-Weasley,” he retorted, slowly shaking his head, keeping his gaze locked on hers. Ron’s eyes went wide with desire as he resumed speaking in a deep voice, “What I am, if you wish to know, is a randy bloke with a vengeful soul and a gorgeous wife.”

Hermione’s only response was a raised eyebrow. Ron released a light chuckle, almost to himself, as he took the chess set and began to place the pieces. Hermione noticed that he was glancing at her and licking his lips every few seconds. That was the last sign she needed to convince herself that this was her chance to defeat him. If these many years together had taught her something, it was that Ron Weasley's brain turned to mud in front of a pair of bouncing breasts. She was fully clothed and he was already losing his focus. She was taken out of her reverie by her husband’s pompous voice.

“I’ll let you play white, love. So, you come first”

"Okay, I'll play. But who comes first still remains to be seen."

[lustbile-archive]

Hey, Bartender!

YutaxReader

Word Count: 4.3k

Summary/Warnings: The usual for this series. Smut Yuta and Reader are complete strangers. Sharp object play, blood play, and semi public. Yuta just being generally suspicious at times.

This is a part of my Club X series. The other works can be found in the masterlist Here

(I recommend reading the other works to get a better idea of how club x works)

Maybe it wasn’t in your best interest to wander over to this side of town in the first place.

It definitely wasn’t in your best interest to willingly walk into the messy apartment of a man you had only been messaging since the night before, but he seemed nice enough and you needed something of a distraction. Plus he promised you a few free drinks and a nice movie, so why not take a chance and lean back into his old worn couch?

You weren’t surprised when he made a move on you. Yeah you had explicitly told him you weren’t looking for a hookup tonight, but he was still some random guy from a dating app that you were really only using for some attention and free alcohol so you couldn’t even feign shock when his rough fingers landed far too close to the hem of your dress.

Luckily, you were only a few drinks in, and his stuff was cheap and watered down, so you simply brushed him off and walked out of his door and back into the dark and unfamiliar street.

Not many people would walk out of an unsuccessful tinder date and immediately stumble into a shady club, but tonight you weren’t in the same mindset as many people. In your eyes, your judgment was already a little off tonight, so what was the harm of adding to it?

The blaring white of the neon sign almost felt hypnotic when you passed it on the way to the bus stop. Was it there when you walked by earlier? You didn’t remember seeing it, but maybe they just hadn’t opened yet. It was as if your feet moved on their own, moving you to walk through the cramped doors, the fact that there was no waiting line to enter the building completely ignored by you.

The deep bass that shook the floor pecked at your head like a sculptor trying to carve a likeness from the marble of your skull, the red lights making you feel like you stepped directly into an unknown hell. The air smelled strangely sweet and it was as if it clung to your skin the second you stepped in. Sweaty bodies filled every space of the room, the amount of energy pumping into the atmosphere made you feel lightheaded and overwhelmed. The small voice in the back of your mind repeating that you should leave was slowly being suffocated by a sudden urge to move.

You stumbled over your own feet, shoulders of people rushing past shoving and pushing you around. Though the roughness of their bodies were drowned out when you saw the bar stools lined up one by one.

A drink. That’s why you came in. That’s what you convinced yourself of as you crawled into one of the seats at the end of the bar, the vinyl of the seat was split and cracked exposing the foam underneath.

Once you're seated, it’s like a crash after a sugar rush. You're sleepier than you were on your way through the crowd, but the small buzz of energy was still there. Your forehead meets the palms of your hands as you lean on the worn wood of the bar, it takes strong will to ignore the sticky substance that your elbow had landed in as you try to even your breathing.

“Someone needs a drink,” mean spirited sarcasm dripped from the voice in front of you, a small laugh punctuating the words of what you assumed was the bartender. How’d he get over so quickly?

“You could say that again,” you slowly lift your head, your skull feeling like it was filled with sludge.

When your eyes meet the ones of the boy in front of you, you can’t help but notice the shift that happens behind his eyes. He’s still amused by your misery, but there’s something there that almost reads as recognition, as a knowing. It seemed like the devious grin he wore twitched down to a concerned frown, but only for a moment. Or maybe you were letting your need for normal human interaction mess with your head. Either way you ignore it for more important matters.

“You wouldn’t happen to have wine back there would you?” the small smile he offers has a tinge of pity that makes you cringe.

“I’ll see what I can find,” you try not to flinch when his hand meets your arm in what was meant to be a comforting tap, “are you partial to red or white?” he’s already turned to look at the bottles lined behind him, turning momentarily to add, “or something tells me you might be a rosé type hm?”

“I’m not really in a position to be picky right now,” you offer a tight lipped smile at his assumption, as no amount of time that you’ve spent talking to this boy warrants him making assumptions about you.

You turn in your seat, letting your eyes fall over the crowd of people around you. You can’t help but notice that there’s an unspoken perimeter surrounding the bar that hinders the club goers from crowding too close. From what you can tell from the types of people that chose this place as their place of the night, you’d assume there’d be a group of party girls taking shots or a handful of boys with weak relationships with their masculinity placing bets on who could chug a beer faster, but it was nothing like that.

There were a few other people seated at the bar, but none close to you, and even then they seemed to be in a similar situation as you. Even from the long length of the bar, you could see a few people slowly sipping drinks with their heads dipped low, one man even having his face pressed flat against the wood seemingly passed out.

A cold glass touching your arm pulls you from your thoughts and makes you jump. You turn faster than you planned making you feel dizzy as it feels like your brain has started to freely float in your head. The presence of the bartender was confusing as you had thought he would leave after giving you your drink.

“Here,” he smiles in a way that should read as nice, but there’s something behind his wide eyes that makes you shiver as your fingers wrap around the glass, “I hope you like it, it’s a good one.”

The liquid swirling in the glass is a cool lilac. It swirls with blues and whites and almost looks like it glitters below the low lights. You look up at the boy in front of you warily, your teeth gnawing on your bottom lip before you bring the glass to your lips.

It’s cool as it slides past your drying lips, the taste almost like candy as the alcohol bleeds into your veins. There was nothing you could compare it to, as it was a flavor you’ve never had in your life. With only one swallow in your system, you already feel your muscles relaxing, the nerves that bit at you calming as your mind was set into slow motion.

“It’s really good,” you smile up at him in a way that can only be described as gooey, but you can’t suppress the warm feeling that floods you regardless of the temperature of the drink.

“I’m glad you like it, it’s a favorite of mine,” the underlying meaning of his words pass completely over your head as he reaches for a glass a few feet away and begins to wipe it with the rag on his hip. Was that glass there when you sat down?

“So,” he starts, he leans against the bar as he twirls the glass between his fingers, “what brings you to a club like this? You don’t seem like the type to be in here.”

“Bad week,” you shrug as you bring the glass back to your lips momentarily, “bad life.”

You only quietly mutter the last part into the rim of your glass, but he seems to hear it regardless. You always assumed spilling your guts to a bartender wasn’t something that actually happened, or at least happened to people much more inebriated than you, but the response fell from your lips so naturally there was no holding them back.

“That’s what I figured,” he shakes his head slowly, before lifting the glass to inspect it for any spots. Once he’s content with the cleanliness, he places it down and looks at you again, “but I guess it’s my job to help.”

“Help?” your head tilts as you speak, a dry laugh coming out as an exhale from your nose, “aside from keeping my glass full I don’t know if there’s much you can do.”

“Of course there is,” his eyes squint as he assesses you, the smile he offers makes his teeth look too sharp for his mouth, is this what it’s like to be hunted by a shark? “Like I said it’s my job.”

“Your job to keep random club goers happy?”

His head shakes again, and you nearly jump from your skin when the tips of his fingers brush the back of your hand, “not club goers. You.”

The look he holds in his eyes suddenly shifts with the single word. The stare he gives you is hard and almost unnerving, but you can’t force yourself to look away. It’s as if he’s trapped you frozen in your seat.

“And how are you going to do that?” you wanted to sound doubtful, maybe accusatory, but your voice comes out small and curious.

“You look smart,” he pinches the skin on the back of your hand, before he turns it over to pet at the sensitive skin of your wrist, “I think you can figure it out.”

“We’re supposed to do that in a crowded club?” you play along, your fingers returning the favor as you brush them against the length of his arm. The offer didn’t sound unappealing, he was gorgeous. Enough that you questioned why he had chosen being a bartender in a shady club as his profession, and if he wasn’t working and he offered to take you home you wouldn’t say no. But in the middle of a club?

He shrugs before he wears a devious smile, “everyone else is.”

Your chin juts forward and you eyes widen in confusion, before you turn slightly to face the crowd. You’re not sure why you made sure not to turn enough to lose his touch.

What he said was true. Maybe you were too eager to get a drink when you first walked in, or maybe you just chose to ignore it, but he was right. The crowd that once seemed like it was only filled with dancing bodies, takes on a new monstrous form as you look at it now. There’s still people dancing, but as you look closer you begin to notice greedy hands and desperate mouths moving without a care of who could see. Skirts push up and underwear pushed to the side as random couples, and even a few groups, enjoy the pleasures of one another.

“Oh my god,” you turn back to face the grinning man in front of you, your fingers wrapping around his arm in an attempt to ground yourself, “what kind of club is this?”

“Oh come on,” he sounds unimpressed at your shock, his nails now gently scratching at your skin, “you’re grown, don’t act like you’ve never seen it before.”

“But I- I don’t know what…” you stutter over your words. The sight was a shock, and you can’t help but feel a bit scandalized, but there’s no way for you to ignore the warmth that settles in the seat of your underwear at what you saw and what he’s suggesting.

“But I’m still technically on the clock so we’d have to be quick,” he ignores your rambling as he pulls away from your skin to untie the small black apron he had wrapped around his hips.

“You want to have sex with me in, not only a crowed club, but a crowded club that you work at?” your fingers grip at the edge of the bar as you lose his arm to hold to, your body all but vibrating as he scans the space at the side of the bar for something, or someone. There’s no ignoring the way your heart begins to rapidly beat in your chest.

“You won’t believe me if I tell you why it’s okay for this to happen,” his casualty to the situation makes you curl into yourself, “but there’s a reason you're here, so there’s no point in acting like you don’t want it to happen.”

Your mouth closes tightly at his accusation, but you have no points to argue. He was something of a charmer, you wouldn’t be surprised if he could convince you to help him rob a bank at this point. You’d be ashamed to admit out loud that the idea of this is getting you excited.

He waves a younger guy over, before turning back to you, “you want it. It’s impossible for you not to,” he clicks his tongue as his eyes travel your body. You lift slightly from your seat in anticipation, your legs shaking in response, “but you still seem apprehensive, so what do you say we go somewhere quick and private?”

You wordlessly nod as your nails dig into the old wood of the bar. The guy he motioned over is now leaning over the bar with eyebrows raised in curiosity, as the bartender leans to whisper something about covering for him while he’s gone. The knowing smile the guy offers in response makes your hair stand on end in embarrassment at the idea of someone else knowing what you were about to do.

Your embarrassment fades slightly as you watch the man begin to round the corner of the bar to reach you. Your heartbeat reaches your throat as the situation you’ve found yourself in begins feeling too real.

The younger guy presses himself against the bar, patiently waiting for the man to pass. All he offers is a teasing, ‘we told you someone would come’ earning him an irritated swat on the shoulder.

The grip around your wrist is tighter than you would have expected as he begins to pull you along his side. When you glance back at the boy left at the bar in curiosity, all you’re offered is a sly wink.

The trek through the sweaty bodies on the dance floor is nothing like the one you took earlier. It was as if people were purposefully moving out of the way of the cold man you trailed behind. You would have thought that was exactly what was happening too, if it wasn’t for the fact that no one spared you two a glance.

You can’t hide the cringe that hits your nerves when the bathroom sign comes into view, you hesitant steps only making him tug you harder behind you. Was this really his idea of somewhere private?

The door of the men’s restroom creaks loudly as he swings it open, a loud bang ringing out in the space when it hits the graffitied wall. Surprisingly, it’s empty when you enter, and for a restroom there doesn’t seem to be any strong smells. Your curious eyes dancing around the room are interrupted as he shoves you into one of the bigger stalls, a small yelp sounding from your chest as you shoulder bumps against the door frame.

When you turn his back is facing you as he tries to latch the door, giving you an opportunity to admire his form. His shoulders shifting under the shirt and the short sleeves allows you to see the muscle of his back moving. He’s almost gaunt in his slouching stance but that does nothing to erase how much he intimidates you.

You anxiously swallow your saliva when he turns to face you, the smile he shows different than any he had given you at the bar. If people could be evil incarnate, it would be the man in front of you. You shrink into yourself as he devours you with his eyes.

“Remember I said we gotta be quick,” he grabs your waists tightly in callused fingers making you squeak, before he roughly turns you to press your front into the wall, his chest immediately meeting your back, “there you go.”

You hear the sharp metallic sound of your dress’ zipper being shoved down roughly, you can only pray that he didn’t break it when the fabric pools around your ankles. You aren’t given the opportunity to check, before he’s pressing you tighter against the wall, your face pressed flat against the tiled walls, and one of his rough hands grabs the back of your neck while the other falls between your legs. The motions happening to fast for your mind to keep up, your life being set to fast forward.

He pets at the dampening fabric of your underwear, barely ghosting the tips of his fingers over your core. You pant in impatience as your hips begin to roll in search of friction.

“I thought we had to be quick?” you attempt to ask innocently, but the question comes out more demanding then you had intended, your thighs softly clinching desperately. You don’t remember the thought forming in your mind before it escaped your mouth, but you’ll be glad if it makes him pick up the pace.

There’s a dry laugh from the man behind you before he shifts to dig the heel of his hand into your aching clit. You whine loudly in response seemingly forgetting someone could walk in at any time as his fingers dig harshly into the back of your neck.

“Just wanted to get you ready, but you’re already wet aren’t you?” he shoves the fabric to the side, his fingers quickly dipping into where your arousal drips out of you, a pleased groan rattling his chest, “of course you are. I knew you’d be.”

“Please,” you plead, your hips rolling faster when he dips two fingers into you, pushing and pulling you apart.

“You’ve been dripping for me the moment I gave you that drink haven’t you?” his hips press forward into you back, digging his erection into the flesh of your ass. You desperately rut into it the best you can as he kicks at your feet making you spread your legs further.

“You’re right though,” he hums at the quiet noise you make as he pulls his fingers away. He wipes them on the skin of your thigh, before he moves to mess with the fabric and zipper of his jeans, “gotta fuck you quick hm?”

Even with his hand away from your skin and his hips away from yours, your hips still twitch and dip in search for pleasure. Your hands lay flat on the grimy wall, your nails gently scratching lines into the chipping paint.

You gasp when his wet and sticky tip hits the inside of your thigh, the way it spreads his arousal against your skin telling you that he slowly running his hand up the length.

“You good?” he mutters into the air as he moves to press against your entrance, not moving to enter you until you answer him.

“Please I need it so bad,” you huff in frustration as your walls begin to flutter in anticipation, “please, please, please.”

Your rambling is cut off with a deep groan when he fills you in once thrust. Being filled so suddenly melts your brain as your nails claw at the wall. You feel yourself clench a few times around him, but his stillness and lack of verbal response tells you he’s not as affected as you.

He shushes and coos at you as both hands find a place on your hips, his thumbs rubbing comforting circles into your skin.

Once you’ve gone quiet, he slowly leans back, only slipping a few inches out of you. You hear him adjust his stance before he starts roughly thrusting into you. His thrusts are slow and short, pulling against every hypersensitive nerve inside you as he never fully leaves your body. He uses his hands that grip your hips to pull you to rock back and meet his thrusts at an equal pace.

Your legs shake as you try to hold yourself up, his hips knocking you into the wall in front of you. With your fingers curling desperately in search for something to hold, you reach behind you. A sigh of content slips from your mouth when you find his wrist, your fingers wrapping around it as he knocks into you making a content growl fall from his mouth.

Mentally you’ve left the bathroom you're in, you mind slipping into a space where only you and this man you barely know are existing. Not even the sharp coolness of the wall biting at your nipples through your thin bralette is enough to break your facade as one of his hands slowly runs up the dip of your spine. With only one hand gripping your hip, he’s thrown slightly off balance, forcing your body to slam flat against the wall with his unrelenting pace.

“It will only hurt for a second,” his promise is muddled in your brain, the words making no sense to you as your body is wracked with pleasure. You only begin to understand what he said when you begin to feel it.

A small bite of pain, the warning of a bee sting telling you it’s about to get worse. His fingers press flat against your shoulder blade as something, what you assume is a ring you didn’t notice him wearing, begins to slowly cut open the skin.

You quietly sob into the air as the pain mixing with your unnatural amount of pleasure floods your veins. Tears slip down your face suddenly as he stops cutting into you to wrap his arm around your waist and his fingers search for the space between your legs.

“What did you do?” you want to ask in curiosity as the pain subsides momentarily, but the words die on your tongue. At the exact moment his greedy fingers find your buzzing clit, his tongue flattens against the fresh cut on your back as he lets your blood spread on his taste buds.

A quiet muffled, ‘I knew you’d taste sweet,’ is all you hear before his lips wrap fully around the wound. He harshly sucks at the tender skin as his fingers rub rough tight circles into your bundle of nerves making new tears slip from your eyes.

The pain in your shoulder, mixed with the blooming pleasure between your thighs, makes your whole body shutter against his. The beginning promises of an orgasm crawling across your skin.

If it wasn’t for the cut he created on your skin, you probably would have been more concerned with how your nails dig harshly into the skin of his wrist. Your eyes roll back and loud moans rip from your chest as the tip of his tongue presses into your cut at the same time you begin to come.

He’s teeth dig into the tender skin next to the wound as your walls clamp tightly around him. Another growl is pulled from him and his hips still as he begins to come as well. The feeling of his come spilling deep inside of you and his still moving fingers, flooding your system with another wave of pleasure.

You feared your eyes would fall out from how far they roll back into your skull, your orgasm ripping you apart at the seams as you become completely consumed by it. His hot panting breath now hitting your neck as he tries to sooth you with soft kisses to the space below your jaw.

His fingers relent, moving instead to pet at your stomach, as he slowly pulls his softening length out of your shivering body. With your forehead pressed against the cool wall, he begins to gather your dress from the floor.

With careful fingers, he adjusts your underwear to hide where he’s made a mess of you, the fabric of your dress joining to cling to your sweaty skin.

He pulls you to rest against his chest as he begins to rock you back and forth. If your mind was clear you’d be aware enough to suppress the dopey smile that graces your features. The damp air that surrounds you is thick, and would have been suffocating if it wasn’t for your mind being too delirious to register the feeling. You’re in his arms for what feels like decades as your breathing evens and your legs gain strength. The fact that you stand in a restroom is completely ignored as you think you could comfortably stay here forever.

Once he feels you’re coherent enough, he speaks, “you need to get out of here,” you only hum in content and confusion before he continues, “you need to get home sweetheart. The last bus leaves soon.”

You petulantly whine as you turn in his arms. Your own circle around his neck as you tiredly press your nose into the space of his shoulder. He laughs at your sudden clinginess. He was told it would happen once you’ve met, but he never thought it would be as immediate as the other boys had made it seem.

“You’ll be fine,” he pulls you away slightly, enough to look into your eyes and bump his nose against yours, “if you get on the bus you’ll be safe until you get home.”

“You?” you whisper, your proximity making your lips brush against his, the small contact making your heart leap. The word alone doesn’t make much sense to even you, but he seems to understand as he offers a warm smile.

“Next time you come I’ll be here, and if I’m not at the bar ask for Yuta,” his fingers brush against your back where he left his mark, now protected and slowly healing under the fabric of your dress, “but I should know that you're coming before you get here.”

[thiswasinevitableid]

17 chosen and 20 lunar for Indruck, nsfw, please!

Here you go!

Lieutenants Log, stardate 10015, Joseph Stern recording

We’ve finally arrived at an agreement with the Aquariads, the species who control this moon. They will allow our research team unfettered access to the planet, but at an odd price. They requested one of our crew agree to be married off to a high ranking member of their governing council. 

I suspect, but cannot prove, that this is not a desirable being to be married to. He’s a revered seer, and yet they’re willing to couple him to a human and not one of their own? Suspicious.

Myself and the other single members of the crew were all given extensive questionnaires on everything from our sexual preferences to our daily habits. It took me a good hour and a half to finish it. 

After a full earth day of waiting, we received word that chief astrobotanist Duck Newton was the chosen human. I have no idea how this happened, as Duck has little tolerance for what he views as “woo-woo” things like precognition. But he was chosen all the same. 

Because this is Duck, he grumbled a bit, but cheered up when he learned he would only be required to stay with his new husband for three weeks before joining us on our field word, and that we can send him specimens for identification and research. If we decide Aquaria is the planet we’ve been looking for and establish more permanent research stations here, Duck will be expected to spend at least a few days a month with the seer. Mama made it clear that if the idea was truly not something he could agree to, she would call the deal off and we could try another approach. Duck said that wouldn’t be necessary, and that he could think of far worse things they could have asked of us. 

We deposit him at the seers home tomorrow. After that, we begin our exploration of Aquaria, fourth moon of the plant Oceana and (hopefully) the home of the antidote we’ve been searching for. 

Joseph Stern, Lieutenant on the spaceship Amnesty, signing off.

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

Duck waves to the skiff as it pulls away, his planetside bag slung over his shoulder. There’s only one way to go; down the single stone levee, decorated with beautiful tiles, to the massive mansion at the end. 

It reminds him of the photos of Venice he’s seen in old National Geographics, beautiful buildings floating atop a planet of water. He knows Aquaria has islands, but the majority of it’s cities are on or near the water because most of its residents live beneath the waves. They remind Duck of mermaids, with scaled tails and fins giving way to humanoid upper bodies and faces. As far as creatures to get politically married off to, he could be staring down worse. 

There’s still the problem of not knowing why this mer is off by himself and without a partner. Or, as becomes obvious once Duck is inside, any company at all. The other high-ranking aquariads they’ve met come with miles of attendants; here there’s only the high, curved ceilings and rippling water. Maybe the guy is shy? Or maybe he’s a dick? Or just real fucking scary to look at?

As he walks further into the house, he notices the tiled walls are covered in striking murals that, when coupled with the odd half-light allowed in by the green glass windows, makes him feel as though he’s wandering through a dream. The pools and canals criss-cross the floor, and really the ground is more water than concrete, the fact he’s able to walk at all is a concession to the fact some aquariads evolved to be land dwelling. 

A splash makes him turn, and in the pool to his right a black fin cuts the water. He steels himself to not insult the alien he’s now legally attached to. The figure rises from the water, setting his arms on the edge of the stony floor and Duck steps back as a wide, toothy smile appears in an angular face. 

“Hello, Duck Newton.” His tail is the same black as his fin, and his silver hair is tucked behind ears of the same color, which Duck has learned can fan out as a way of communicating. 

“Uh, hi. You must be-”

“Indrid Cold, yes. Apologies, a peril of my profession is that I will always be a little bit ahead.”

“Right. So, uh, guess we’re gonna be seein a lot of each other the next couple of weeks.” He aims for a joking, nonchalant tone. 

“Yes, as we’re married.” He cocks his head, confused, then grins brighter, “Oh, oh I see, you are attempting levity because this is all very awkward. I, ah, I appreciate that. Here, let me show you where you’ll be staying” Indrid pushes off the wall, swimming gracefully on his back as Duck follows him down the hall. The center of the house has more skylights, allowing him to see that his host’s fins aren’t pure black; small silver and white dots are scattered across it. He wonders if he could find constellations in them.

“Here we are.” Indrid gestures to a room, one where the only water is in the form of two deep blue half-circles on the left and right walls. The center of the room is a large bed, linens gleaming whites and pale greens, and the skylight nestles against a chandelier of finely detailed rosey glass. 

“Holy shit.” Duck sets his bag down on a trunk near the door.

“Do you like it?” A flash of yellow up Indrid’s fin, echoed in the dots on his tail.

“I mean, anythin looks ritzy after months on a spaceship but” he turns, smiles, “yeah, I do. Thanks for giving me such nice digs.”

“You are most welcome. Now, this room is designed to give guests privacy. See that red panel on the wall? If you press it, it opens the pool on that side up to the rest of the house, allowing myself or servants to come in and help you.”

“So you do have staff.”

“They’re, ah, more like errand folk. None live here.” Indrid clears his throat, “I can show you the rest of the house, although if you need to sleep I can let you be. I am, ah, not entirely clear on where your internal clock sits now.”

“Aquaria’s days are about four days longer than earth’s, so I ain’t too thrown off. Happy to see more of the place.”

Indrid nods, and Duck follows him out of the bedroom. Most of the other rooms they pass are sparse squares of walkways and still water, under which lies the parts of the house Indrid uses. When they reach Indrid’s quarters, he spots what looks to be an artists’ studio under the clear blue water. 

“You paint?” He kneels and peers down for a better look, Indrid bobbing nearby. 

“Indeed. Art helps me make sense of my visions, and I enjoy it besides. In fact, all the murals you see in this house are my doing. There are even more under water.”

“Damn, that’s fuckin incredible. If I get my SCUBA gear rigged up, maybe I can get a tour?”

“Scu--oh, yes, an underwater breathing apparatus. We have a much smaller device that can help you breathe and sea down here” he dips his head at the pool, “unfortunately, the one I commissioned for you will not arrive until close to the end of your stay. They, ah, did not give me much time to prepare. Hence the lack of many comforts I might otherwise give, as well as places for you to and I to talk, eat or do, ah, other activities together.” The yellow intermittently flashing up his fin gives way to a burst of pink. 

Oh, right. Duck pulls up his infopad (given a generous waterproofing treatment prior to his leaving Amnesty) and opens the contract he signed. 

“Yeah. About that. Says here they expect us to, uh, ‘consummate’ the marriage.”

“I’m aware” Indrid’s voice creeps up.

“Do you...wanna do that now?” He spins a finger in the water.

“I, ah, I beg your pardon?”

“I mean, seems like we could just get it outta the way, rather than have the fact we gotta fuck someone we didn’t pick hangin over our heads?” 

“This...this is not at all how I wanted this to go.” 

Duck looks up and immediately wishes he could reverse time; Indrid looks genuinely hurt, ears flicked back like a scolded dog. 

“Duck I, ah, well, you did not choose me, that is true. But I chose you.”

“Well, fuck.” He sits down with a heavy sigh, “figured some big wigs used those surveys to pick me out. Guess what they say about assumin things is true.”

“.....”

“It makes an ass outta you and me?”

Indrid blinks, then snickers, “Your humor is part of why I chose you. It is very bad, but also extremely good.”

“Glad you think so. Pretty sure Mama was ready to blow me out the airlock for some of the ones I made on the way here.” He knows he’s dodging the conversation they should be having, but how the fuck is he supposed to respond when an alien mermaid tells him he picked him to be his husband?

Indrid swims over so he can rest his arms and chin on the stone, glancing shyly up at Duck as he says, “I suppose I also made an ass of myself, as you would say, by assuming you would not see this as an obligation.”

“I mean, even if you chose me, don’t this feel like an obligation to you?”

“No. For me, it is a reminder that most of my kind are too afraid of me to even give me a chance to court them. And that the council thinks I will get into too much trouble without someone to distract me now and then, and decides the company I am worthy of is an alien explorer with no interest in me.”

“I mean, the only reason we agreed to this is because there might be a plant on Aquaria that can treat the illness runnin rampant back home. So at least it’s for a good cause?”

Indrid flicks his ears, red running up his fin, “What you are doing is noble. What I am doing is being used as a way to keep your exploration team in line.”

Duck winces, “Fuck, I’m, uh, I’m just gonna stop talkin now.”

For an agonizing five minutes they sit there in silence, contemplating their situation and stealing glances at each other. Duck always tried to do the right thing, tried to live an honest life and treat the people in it with respect. He’s been kind and polite to beings up and down the galaxy. He can extend some of that to his own husband, can’t he?

“Indrid?”

The alien raises his head.

“Can we start over?”

“Yes. But I do not see how-”

Duck holds out his hand, “Name’s Duck. Thanks for invitin me in and lookin after me the few weeks.”

Indrid’s smile widens as he understands the game, and he takes the human’s hand, “A pleasure to meet you. I am Indrid, seer to the court of Aquaria, and your anxious husband in spite of the now-changing, much more pleasant futures.”

They finish their tour, the humid air less stifling in the wake of their confessions. Indrid shows him the kitchen, the sitting room, and the gardens which, to Duck’s delight, are as much above the water as below. 

After that, Indrid excuses himself to attend to seer duties and Duck goes back to his room to unpack. As he’s putting away his toothbrush and razor near a large, elaborate tub carved from golden stone, one of Indrid’s admissions from earlier floats through his mind, bobbing there like a buoy until he gets a chance to ask it.

When they’re in the gardens, Duck taking notes as Indrid dives and surfaces with new things to show him, the human slips his feet into the water and says, “Indrid? You said my offerin to fuck you wasn’t what you wanted. What, uh, what did you want?” 

The alien blinks, slowly, pink and teal flashing in his tail, “It is a bit silly in retrospect, but since I knew we would not have time for a proper human marriage courtship, I thought I could mimic the process leading to a one night stand; that way you would be romanced in a manner that made you both comfortable with me and the concept of sex with a relative stranger.” 

Duck chuckles, “Always wild to find out how human stuff gets interpreted by the rest of the galaxy. How’d you even come up with what you were gonna do?”

Indrid crosses his arms, mock affronted, “I will have you know I have seen a great deal of human media, courtesy of our minister of defense.”

“Oh yeah?” Duck shifts onto his stomach, sends a small splash Indrid’s way, “what was this night gonna involve, then?”

“Food, dim and therefore, apparently, romantic lighting, dancing to sensual music, and then hopefully some kissing.” The pink in his tail intensifies, “and then working out exactly how to have sex human.”

The mixture of enthusiasm and being utterly out of his element charms Duck to no end; not to mention it’s the most thought someone’s put into a hook-up with him in the last three years. 

“Seems to me you got the gist of it. Though I really wanna know what you picked out for ‘sensual music.’”

A playful glint enters Indrid’s glowing eyes, “I will show you, but we must go through the whole evening, otherwise it will seem like a disjointed choice. With, ah, with the understanding that you are not obligated to kiss me at the end.

“You got a deal.”

“Wonderful” Indrid claps his hands together, “wait right here.”

Indrid disappears in a whoosh of black and silver. When he returns, he hoists six opaque domes onto the floor in front of Duck, “I initially planned to eat in the sitting room, but you like this room much better, so we can have dinner here.” With that, he double-taps the top of each dome, revealing a confusing buffet. 

“Uh, are those french fries?”

“Yes. You are from the United States of America, and so I chose foods that would make you feel at home.” Indrid points to each plate in turn, “french fries, steak, a turkey with cranberries, lobster, macaroni with cheese, and an apple pie.”

The pie is covered with an odd, yellow meringue, the turkey is the size of a quail, and the black shell suggests this is not a kind of lobster he’s eaten before, but Duck can’t stop smiling.

“Also I took care to be sure none of the necessary substitutions were poisonous to you.”

“Thanks, Indrid.” He means it; in their travels they’ve learned it’s not only humans who think everyone lives and eats exactly the way they do.

Everything except the french fries tastes strange but he finds the meal, like it’s orchestrator, intriguing in it’s oddity. Indrid brings two cool, white bottles from below, offers Duck tastes of each. One is like the celery soda he drank on a dare, the other like root beer if it wasn’t gross. He keeps the second one next to him as the meal progresses, Indrid asking him all kinds of questions about botany and himself. When dinner is over, Indrid guides him two rooms over, grinning excitedly. 

“I will start the music; one moment.” 

A few seconds after he dives, a chrome cylinder descends from the ceiling and music fills the air.

Ninety-nine red balloons

Floating in the summer sky

Panic bells, it's red alert!

There's something here from somewhere else!

He giggles, sits down so it’s easier to call, “Indrid? Not sure you got the right song bud.”

A silver-haired head pops up, “Not romantic?”

“Nope.”

“Hmmmm” He lifts a small, white rectangle and the song changes. 

He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way

He had a boogie style that no one else could play

He was the top man at his craft

But then his number came up and he was gone with the draft

He's in the army now, a blowin' reveille

He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B

“N-not quite” The laugh is stronger now.

“Drat. How about….”

I threw a wish in the well, don't ask me, I'll never tell

I looked to you as it fell and now you're in my way 

Indrid looks hopefully at him.

“Ain’t what I’d call sensual, but you’d hear it at the kind of place you’d pick up a date.”

The alien beams, starts shifting back and forth to the beat, “shall we dance?”

Duck blushes, pretends he doesn’t know why, “Uh, probably should have said this earlier, but I ain’t much of a dancer.”

Indrid swims to him, stopping close enough that Duck can see the lines on his face that reveal they’re close in age, “That’s alright. Sometimes conversing while having a drink is acceptable behavior, correct?”

“Yeah.” Duck doesn’t bother to hide how intently he’s watching as Indrid dives, his form elegant and ethereal beneath the water. 

They sit sipping a hard cider that tastes of papaya and flowers instead of apples until the three other moons glow bright in the skylight. Duck yawns, and excuses himself for the night. 

“Thanks for a great evenin, Indrid.”

“You are most welcome. A pity I could not make the music work.”

He’s here for another three weeks at least. And Indrid is floating through the darkening water like a dream he’s tempted to chase.

“Guess you’ll just have to try again.” Duck winks. 

Indrid’s ears frill slightly and he flashes bright purple, “Yes, my dear husband, I suppose I will.” 

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

Duck’s routine is not the one he usually has while docked on a planet. Every day for the last week, he wakes up, joins Indrid for a leisurely swim, works on his research, and then spends his evening with a weirdly cute alien trying to accurately recreate the earth dating experience for him. 

The second night, he asked if Indrid would bring him some of his favorites for their next meal. The steamed coconut crab was a hit. The mantis-squid served still swimming, less so. From then on, when Indrid put in his food orders to the cooks at the main court, it was for a mixture of earth and Aquariad dishes, each one leading him or Indrid to share an anecdote from their time on their home planet. 

For the last two nights, he’s lifted the partitions on the pools in his room so Indrid can talk with him until neither of them can keep their eyes open. He wonders if it would be rude to ask him to stay, to sleep in such a small space just so he could be the first thing Duck sees when he wakes up.

There must be floating beds he could put in Indrid’s room, or maybe a hammock he could hang in the garden. 

Duck now understands that Indrid’s powers make him politically valuable, but also mean his fellow residents of the lunar city see him as dangerous, as knowing things they’d rather keep secret. Duck understands, especially if their only time encountering the seer is when he glides his formidable, dark body from the depths of his inner sanctum. But all he can see is his Indrid, awkward and well-meaning, whose fear of Duck disliking him has given way to genuine affection. His Indrid, who now pulls himself up onto the stones so they can sit shoulder to shoulder after breakfast or before dinner, whose tail Duck’s fingers beg to caress. 

His Indrid who is, at this moment, continuing his losing battle with earth music. 

“How about this?”

Danke schoen, darling, danke schoen

Thank you for all the joy and pain

“Oh fuck no” Duck guffaws, “anything but him, ‘Drid, he’s a boner killer if there ever was one.”

“I don’t think he’s that bad,  but I will be speaking to Vincent about his human music suggestions.”

“For the love of god, turn it off.” Duck flails for the remote.

Indrid sticks out his tongue, “Very well, but I am this close to pulling you down here and seeing if you can do any better.”

“You wouldn’t dare” Duck is still laughing, eyes closing as he does, which means he gets only a splash of warning before he’s yanked into the pool. He comes up giggling and spluttering, “now, is that any way to treat your husband?”

Indrid’s laugh is a siren song, “No, I suppose not.” The music clicks off as Indrid steadies him by curving his tail behind his legs, “how should I treat you instead?”

Duck drapes his arms over Indrid’s shoulders, “You been treatin me pretty damn well, dunkin me aside.”

A flicker of pink and yellow as Indrid rubs their cheeks together, “And if I wanted to be even better?”

“I, uh, I mean if you wanted to we could tryYYYYohfuck” he hunches forward as Indrid’s tail drags across his dick. The clothing on Aquaria is thin, so he can feel the cool scales tease his skin. 

“Oh, oh dear, apologies, I was only trying to embrace you further, I forgot yours do not stay concealed until they’re needed.”

“You, you keep doin that and it’s gonna be needed real quick.”

“Oh?” red eyes narrow wickedly, “does my sweet husband need attending to?” Another drag of his tail, much more deliberate, and Duck grinds his hips in reply. 

“Only if you want to.”

“I do, so very badly.” Indrid nuzzles his nose, “may I take a little while to acquaint myself with your wonderful body?”

“Uh huh.” Duck tugs his shirt off, throwing it onto the land and then giving his shorts the same treatment. 

“Ohhhhhhyes.” Indrid purrs, fins and tails shimmering purple and gold. Then he sinks down, swimming in a slow, tight circle around the human. Pleased chirps and trills bubble up to Duck’s ears. Cool fingers play along his legs and belly, eventually finding his dick and offering an experimental stroke.

“Fuck” he groans, and Indrid does it again, kissing his navel as both hands rub and tease his dick and folds. Indrid is clearly experimenting, maybe even using his visions to guide him, and Duck eagerness to get off succumbs to just how fucking hot it is to have a partner this enrapt by his body, to have them explore it like some awe-inspiring landscape. 

He spreads his hands out and runs them along Indrid’s torso and tail; the scales are just as wonderful under his fingers as he hoped, and he can feel Indrid sigh happily as he pets him. 

Then lips close around his dick and he makes a series of undignified noises, digging one hand into Indrid’s hair to encourage him. 

“Ohmyfuckinchrist, Indrid, yes, fuck please keep suckin like that.”

Indrid wiggles his whole body in response, happy trill underscored by a firmer suck. Duck can’t get enough of his body beneath his hands, of his mouth on Duck’s skin, and he wonders if someone can black out from how good a blowjob feels. 

Indrid’s fin breaks the water and Duck runs an appreciative thumb along the top. Funny, there’s a little depression between it and the membrane of the fin. Curious, he drags his pinky along it. 

The alien bursts upwards with a loud chirp of joy, “Ohgoodness, yes, oh that feels nice please do it again.”

“Yeah? My cute, needy husband need me to play with his fins to get off.”

“Not, not technically by my gods does he want you to.”

“Don’t worry darlin, I will--uh, ‘Drid? Is, is that your dick?”

Indrid follows his gaze to the thick, bumpy shaft emerging from his tail, it’s tip crowned with short, searching tendrils.

“Yes. Also an ovipositor, hence those lumps.”

“Holyfuck. Uh, I, I ain’t sure I’m ready for that yet.” 

“That’s perfectly alright. Though it does mean my cock is not going into you tonight; I’m not sure I can control my bodily responses enough to avoid ovipositing accidentally.”

“Lots of others things we can do.” Duck bites the tip of one ear, making the other flare out.

“Indeed. I say we start with this.” Indrid’s tail encircles his waist just as Indrid shoves his cock between his thighs.

“Like, like the way you think sugar. Fuuuck, fuck that’s good.” The bumps from the eggs have just the right amount of give as he humps them, Indrid matching his tempo with his thrusts. He keeps his arms around his husbands neck, kissing him furiously. Indrid kisses back with a chirp, gold flashing in his scales, and Duck knows he won’t want to kiss anyone else for a long, long time. 

The tip of Indrid’s cock bumps his ass and he groans at what that suggests about it’s size. 

“I’m, I’m takin this fuckin perfect thing all the way before I go.” He bucks his hips harder to make his point, “gonna let you fuck me open on it, fill me up, wanna know what it’s like to cum with you inside me.”

“Oh gods” Indrid whimpers, hiding his face in Ducks neck as he squeezes his thighs together. 

“And, and you’re gonna be a dutiful fuckin husband and fill me however I say, ain’t you?”

“Yes, yesofcourse, goodness Duck I, I’m-”

“Heh, you like that, mr high and mighty seer likes bein bossed around. Well, lucky you, because now that I know just how fuckin good you are at fuckin me, gonna have you doin it ever, fuckin, day.” He jerks his hips hard, three times, and Indric cums with a cry, cock pulsing as he sinks his teeth into Ducks shoulder. Duck doesn’t let up, chases his orgasm over the bumps and ridges until he nearly whites out with pleasure, clinging to Indrid tighter as his body gives up on supporting him. 

After his cock retracts Indrid, still holding Duck up with ease, swims to the button that orders a cleaning cycle on the pool and deposits the human back on the stone. 

“I dearly hope your team finds what you need on this planet so that I may see you beyond these few weeks.”

“Sex was that good?” Duck teases, petting Indrid’s hair as he lays his head in his lap.

“No. Or, well, yes, but more than that you are so, so very wonderful. I wish to get to know you more, to show you even more of my world and my skill in bed.”

Duck kisses the top of his head, “I hope so too.”

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

Communication log between leader of Amnesty Mission at Astrobotanist Duck Newton. 

Mama: Got some promising leads. Will be back to pick you up in three days. 

Duck: Glad to hear it. But take your time, no need to rush only my account. 

[crystalirises]

The Stars Shine Bright For Us

Hello! So this is a FundynotFound drabble, the prompt was given to me by @lemonade-flowers-yt . Thank you again for the prompt :D and I hope it's okay cause I don't know how to write for George.

Also, @sweetsheeptiger and @sweet-razz-tea since you guys wanted to be tagged XD

Anyway hope you guys like this!

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

He felt a hand grasp onto his shoulder, breaking him from the foggy daze he had lost himself to. George blinked his eyes open, glancing over as a familiar ginger-haired fox hybrid sat down beside him. They were both on a hill overlooking the bright glimmering lights of Manburg as the occasional citizen flickered in and out of view through the nation's alleyways. Fundy sat down beside him, a content and adorable smile on his face as he glanced up at the twinkling stars in the night sky. George felt his heart skip a beat at the sight, stuttering to a painful stop as he realized he could never hope to see that smile directed at him. It was surreal, being close to someone he could never really have. No matter what he did, Fundy will never chose him. Not after tonight and not for any moment in time either. He was hopeless.

"How was the date? Quackity told me you were out with Dream."

Warm golden-flecked brown eyes met his gaze, a mischievous grin on Fundy's face as he settled a bit closer to George. George frowned, hugging his knees closer to himself as he waited for the inevitable gushing. Quackity had been so vocal about it during the cabinet meeting, enough so that Schlatt had to toss him out because they were there to discuss important matters and not Fundy's suddenly blooming love life. George was glad the goggles kept his eyes hidden from sight, knowing that there was no chance in all three realms that he could keep himself from crying. No matter how much he ached to tell the fox hybrid of his feelings, he knew that it wouldn't matter and he didn't want to ruin their friendship. If only he could've been clearer beforehand. If only he had just gone out and said what his heart wanted him to profess. Now it was too late, and George was going to have to deal with that. He began to pluck at the blades of grass, tearing at them. He needed something to occupy his mind, something to make it seem he wasn't all that interested in whatever Fundy did with Dream during their date. Maybe Fundy would drop it once he realized George didn't really care.

"It was great! We ate dinner, watched Treasure Planet, and um... You know... Dream's not much of a talker, is he?"

"You kidding? He doesn't know how to shut up unless you tell him to. What? He didn't talk to you at all during the date?" George couldn't help the slight tone of anger in his voice, his lips pursing at the thought of Dream and Fundy talking to the point that they probably ignored the entire movie. A wave of silence greeted him as he finally forced himself to look at the fox hybrid next to him. Fundy had a soft smile on his face, a wry grin that didn't quite match the disappointment in his eyes. George felt guilty at that, knowing that Fundy probably came here to talk to him about the date. Fundy didn't have many friends in Manburg. Schlatt was protective and would throw a fit if he heard Dream's name mentioned in repetitive succession. Quackity couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut, probably going out of his way to tease Fundy about the whole thing. Tubbo was too young to be pestered by such things. That left George. It stung but that's what he was. A friend. A companion. Someone Fundy could talk to. He'd never be more than that. Fundy would never look at him as if there was the possibility of something more between them. "He probably doesn't like you then if he didn't talk much... He's a talker but only with people he likes... But... You're amazing, Fundy. I'm sure if he didn't like you before, he's certainly in love with you after tonight."

"Hm? You think so?" George wishes he could scream as Fundy suddenly presses closer to him, his head resting on the crook of George's neck... Which wasn't fair as George was the shorter person here. He stiffens under the hold, slowly reaching up a hand to caress Fundy's hair. Fundy's ears were flat against his head, a happy sigh escaping the ginger's lips as his eyes fluttered close. George wished it could stay like that... Wished the world would stop turning so he could savor this moment. It was difficult, being in love someone who could never love him back... Someone who wanted your best friend instead of you. George moved in a bit closer, waiting for Fundy to quickly pull away at the sudden shift of movement. He didn't. Instead, he felt Fundy's tail at his back, wrapping around his waist as it began to wag. Why did Fundy have to make his life more difficult? He felt his heart practically burst inside his chest at that action.

George had tried. Oh, Prime knows he tried. As clever as Fundy was, he was also quite oblivious to signs of affection. The excessive amount of sleepovers and picnic "friend" dates he's invited Fundy to. The fact that he's always made it a point to sit right next to him during cabinet meetings. The "accidental" elbow bumps each time either of them had to stand up to retrieve something. The constant act of making sure Fundy didn't fall asleep at his desk and each time he did George would have to carry Fundy back to his bed. Their small little tradition of meeting up every weekend on the very same hill they currently sat upon so they could watch the stars and fall asleep in the other's presence until either Quackity or Schlatt came up to wake them.

He tried so hard to get Fundy's attention... But it was never enough or maybe Fundy did notice and just didn't know how to turn them down. George closed his eyes, hand combing through silky ginger hair as he took in the scent of freshly-picked berries. He knew that by morning Fundy would be gone, perhaps having run off to his new boyfriend. George would wake up to the sound of Quackity's mocking voice or Schlatt's gruff command, realizing that he was utterly and miserably alone. Fundy would stop talking to him, stop going on small "friend" dates with him. Maybe he'd even stop going to their hill... Maybe one day George would be left to stare at the stars by himself, reminiscing in a love never meant to be.

"I hope not, though. Considering the date wasn't all that great."

"W-what do you mean?" Did he sound too hopeful? Too interested? George cleared his throat, glancing down at Fundy who had shifted to look up at him. George wondered if his heart was beating too fast... If Fundy could hear it and if he knew exactly what it meant. George thanked his lucky stars that that the shadows of the night had enveloped them, his blush hidden by the darkness as he forced himself to stay completely still. This might be his final moment with Fundy, he didn't want to do anything that could possibly mess it up. Fundy was still staring up at him with those cute eyes that made George nearly trip the moment he had first seen them. Quackity had laughed at him at that, not noticing that George was too busy staring at Fundy - too enamored - to even offer a bit of protest against the duck hybrid's teases. "I-I thought you said the date went great. Did something—"

"I lied... We didn't have much in common and Dream clearly didn't want anything to do with me." Fundy didn't sound too upset at that, picking at the edge of his jacket sleeve as if he was contemplating his next move. George tried to keep himself from celebrating, from jumping into the air and screaming at the top of his lungs. Fundy wasn't taken (pfft Fundy wasn't taken—), he still had a chance here. The relief melted away as realization settled back in. Even so, Fundy wouldn't pick him. Even if George tried to make his feelings more obvious... Fundy would probably laugh at him, taking it as a joke on George's part. "Besides... While on the date, I kind of realized something. I think... I think I like someone else. Someone I didn't really realize I liked until, well, tonight."

"Is it... Uhm... Is it HBo—?"

"WHAT?! No! George, what the fuck—" Fundy cackled, gripping George's arm as he burrowed his face deeper into the crook of George's neck. He was laughing, sending goosebumps across George's skin. Fundy finally moved his face away, his eyes twinkling with starlight as he finally glanced up at George. There was a smirk on his lips, his shoulders still shaking with remnants of the fox hybrid's amused laughter. "For one so smart you're so incredibly dumb... Heh... Guess we have that in common. George, I like you. I... I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner, but, I like you. I really do."

George felt his heart stop at that, the world fading away as he lost himself in those gold-speckled brown eyes that looked up at him with such affection. He let out a small chuckle, wrapping his arms around the fox hybrid's form. Fundy laughed at that, both of them moving so fast that they practically toppled to the ground in a messy heap of laughter. At the end, they both laid there against the grass, hands intertwined as they stared up into the starry sky and talked all the way through the night.

They both fell asleep in each other's arms. The stars shining down at them from above, the only witnesses to a love yet to bloom.

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

Hope you guys like this! :D. Also quick mention, I started a Fundy One-Shot drabble thing on ao3 and I am taking requests. My account name is the same as my Tumblr's. But anyway, hope you guys liked this drabble :D

[tobiosmilktea]

hi! can i request a hc w kageyama atsumu and ushijima finding out their fem? s/o played volleyball & she was going to play professionally ?

changed paths w/ kageyama, atsumu, and ushijima

— k. tobio

kageyama has always known that you’ve played volleyball in the past, i mean that’s how you two met anyway

it was during the interhigh tournament and you were both in your last and final years at your respective teams on the way to your games

kags knew you were a fantastic spiker with a technique that could literally be considered professional already

when you and kageyama started dating, you never really mentioned your plans of going professional despite having the utmost skills

obviously, you wouldn’t have minded going professional as you still loved the sport a lot, but it ended up not working out and that sort of information kind of flew over kag’s head

you didn’t think it was an important detail, not until kageyama thought it was the biggest deal

he’s like genuinely shocked, “how come you never told me you got scouted for the national woman’s team and rejected it??”

i honestly could see him pouting a bit over it cause having a professional vb girlfriend would make him the ultimate simp for you

like literally, you two could’ve been the power couple in professional volleyball

but either way, he’s still glad that you’re still happy and successful where you are now no matter what path you chose

— m. atsumu

you two met after you both graduated high school so it was a given that atsumu didn’t know you used to play volleyball as well

granted, you two lived in two different cities at the time and it wasn’t like you actively pursued a profession career

it was one of those things that if the opportunity came, you would’ve taken it, but alas, it didn’t happen

you honestly didn’t mind because you thought that being a couple in such demanding and busy careers would make it very difficult to be together

plus the spotlight wasn’t really your forte

however, the way your boyfriend found out you could even play volleyball was during your date at the beach. the spring volleyball season is finally over and you and atsumu were finally getting some time to spend together

but just because the season was over, doesn’t mean atsumu was going to stop playing for a while

not only was he excited to spend time with you, he was excited that you finally agreed to play volleyball with him

at the time, he only knew you had a basic grasp of the rules and how to play regular volleyball from all the games you watched, but since you were at the beach obviously beach volleyball had a different set of rules

you did tell him that you already knew how to play, but he simply brushed it off and continued rambling. that’s when a smirk appeared on your lips and let him continue and perhaps eat his words up once you two actually started playing

believe it or not, this was actually his first time seeing you play for real

like he’s dumbfounded that you could serve so perfectly from the form to how high you could jump

even your spikes were completely different from what he thought

you ended up winning the first round, and the round after that, and the round after that but atsumu honestly didn’t mind

he was so shocked, impressed, and confused all at the same time

not to mention you looked smoking hot

“where the hell did you learn volleyball?” he would say in between breaths after yet another defeat

you would shrug and say “i played for ten years.”

“hUH??” his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets when he ducked under the net and onto your side, “why didn’t you tell me?”

“i dunno, i stopped after i graduated high school and i guess the topic never came up.”

“you’re joking”

“i’m surprised i’m still this good even after all these years.”

— u. wakatoshi

i think toshi could tell that you used to play volleyball

you didn’t actually have to play for him to notice as the way you would mindlessly comment on volleyball games as if you were a professional and knowing all the ins and outs as if you’ve experienced it before

however, he never really brought it up as toshi just thought he was just looking too into it for no reason

in fact he didn’t even know you were supposed to go professional until you brought it up out of the blue when you were reviewing some old alders games with him

“i was supposed to play, you know.”

“i know.” (technically didn’t know, it was more of a hunch)

“oh, really?” you tested, “did you also know that i was supposed to be the midblocker for (insert team here)?”

perhaps toshi didn’t know that

he would be intrigued by this knew information, but overall just really confused why you didn’t end up joining the team. he would ask you this question with genuine concern

“even though i love playing volleyball, i couldn’t see myself going professional.”

i don’t really know why, but i headcanon that he would be still encourage you to “go professional”

and you weren’t sure if he was joking or not, “yeah, right.”

“no, i’m serious.” he would deadpan

“like that would be possible”

overall, i think ushijima finding out this new fact about you really brings you two together

he isn’t really much of a daydreamer, but he often thinks about what it would be like if the two of you had gone professional together

and how good you would look in a vb jersey

[maehara-san]

strawberry feelings

Pairing: AU!Katsuki Bakugo x F!Reader

Summary: After looking for months for a job position you finally get an opportunity at a big company. Being the assistant of the angriest person was going to be a lot harder than you thought it would be.

A|N: I can’t believe you guys managed to get my series list to 1k+ notes! That’s insane thank you for sharing my series it means the world <3 <3 We are also close to 700 followers as well! I love you guys thank you so much!!

🄼.🄻🄸🅂🅃

ⓉⒶⒼⓈ  ⬇⬇⬇

Beads of sweat kept running down the sides of your forehead. It was impossible to keep going, you knew your body would end up giving out any second.

“I-I...” you huffed out as your calves were getting ready to give out at any second. “I-I can’t! Tenya!... Y-you’re going too...d-damn fast!”

The blue-haired man turned around and stopped, taking a good look at you he realized you weren’t lying. Iida moved his glasses up the bridge of his nose into a comfortable adjustment. “Alright.” he said, “Let’s stop here and walk back home.”

“T-thank you!” you mumbled and collapsed on to the ground panting heavily. As much as you tried to breathe properly it was impossible getting enough air in.

“I get that I didn’t run for almost three weeks....b-but was it necessary to get up at 6 in the morning?” you questioned looking at him.

“You were the one who said you wanted to get back to running.” he answered, “I won’t be able to do it later since one of my patients is having surgery today...”

“Right...little Yui.” you said “H-How is she doing?” you grabbed your filled water bottle and began to drink sighing as you felt the cold water running down your throat.

“Yui is doing better, we hope this surgery will be the last. After all, she’s barely a kid, and getting these many procedures is too dangerous for her body to handle.”

You smiled softly looking at him “Don’t worry. She’s in good hands, Yui is being treated by the greatest Surgeon in the world!”

He smiled small “Thank you Y/n. Are you ready to head back? We have an hour until we have to go back to work.”

“Yes, I’m ready to go home and get myself cleaned. I need to ASAP since today there’s a lot to do,” you added.

“When aren’t you not busy?” he joked.

“Stuff that happens when you become an assistant I guess.” you shrugged “I’m stopping by after work to bring you dinner though.”

“I can’t wait to look forward to it then.” he chuckled.

After an hour and a half, you’d finally made it to the company on time with fifteen minutes to spare. You checked in at the front desk, quickly making your way over to the cafeteria to pick up Midoriya’s coffee for the morning.

“Busy morning?” Sara asked as she handed you the fresh cup of coffee along with a treat.

“A little you could say that.” you answered chuckling and gave her the money, “I’ll see you at lunch!”

She waved goodbye only shaking her head, smiling at your silliness. You checked the time seeing you had five minutes left. You headed to his office and began sorting everything out for the day. The coffee was neatly placed on his desk, the papers that were scattered across were put back into the same file.

The phone then rang, you quickly went over and picked it up. “Midoriya’s office, [name] [last name] speaking,” you spoke grabbing your notepad and pen ready to write a message down.

“Hello this is Hassaku Daisuke from Iwate school of Engineering.” he said, “Is Mr. Midoriya there by any chance?”

“I apologize but he hasn’t arrived yet. Would you like to leave a message?” you asked.

“Please tell him to call me back as soon as possible. I’d like to speak to him about something important. I’ll leave you my number so he can contact me.” he said.

You then agreed and wrote down the phone number making sure it was correct. Afterward, you bid him goodbye and hung up, you placed the sticky note on your desk where it won’t get lost.

“Hey.” someone spoke, you turned around and saw Bakugo standing there by the door.

Your cheeks turned a light pink “H-hey...Bakugo.” you softly smiled “Midoriya hasn’t arrived yet if you were looking for him.”

“Actually... I came to see you.” he rubbed the back of his neck feeling nervous to look at you. “I wasn’t sure if you had anything to eat yet...” he then moved his arm forward to show you two plastic food trays. “Are...you hungry?”

It was hard to contain the smile that was spreading widely by the second. Trying to keep yourself calmed down you nodded shyly, “I-I am...I was about to get something to eat.”

Bakugo smirked, “It’s a good thing I showed up first then.”

‘The way he dressed today makes it hard to look away, I can’t believe he brought me food.’ you thought ‘Maybe...he’s changing...’

“What?” he asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Oh no!” you raised your hands while shaking your head, you chuckled lightly “Sorry...let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

A small smile formed on his lips, his heart was racing and smirk was impossible to hide. You opened your plate to see Tamagoyaki on top of a bed of rice and a side of miso soup with some slices of salmon as well. The steam hit your nostrils making your stomach grumble. you didn’t realize how hungry you were.

“This...looks delicious. Thank you for the food Bakugo.” you said, “They’re all my favorite foods.”

He nodded “You should start eating...or else...you’ll pass out throughout the day.”

Sitting down next to each other you tried your best to calm your beating heart.

"Have you spoken to Mina?" he asked.

"No not after the conversation we had. Denki and her have been busy these days." you answered, "I'm surprised she hasn't messaged me she usually does."

"As long as she hasn't told you anything embarrassing about me then I'm fine with that." he admitted "I can't believe she opened her mouth," he mumbled poking at his rice before grabbing it with his chopsticks.

"I mean...all in all I'm glad she told me what was going on." you confessed "It...well...- gives clarity on how things are now at least." you chuckled rubbing the back of your head. "That's a good thing no?..."

Bakugo nodded biting his inner lip "Yeah...just not the way I wanted you to find out."

"But it worked and I'm thankful she told me that night. It helped make things clearer for me now that I understand."

He placed his chopsticks down on the table and looked at you. "About Abigail..."

"You don't have to explain it to me." you said "I know you both have a past...and I'm not inclined to say anything when I don't know how it happened or how you're feeling. All I ask is...for you to be honest...as long as you're doing that then...that's all that matters."

"Mhmm." he sounded sure yet at the same time he was conflicted about how things will turn out.

You smiled brightly and then dig into every piece of food in front of you. It was truly heaven how all the flavors came together so well. “I know that Kaminari and Todoroki are into business as well...but what about Iida?” Bakugo asked.

“Iida chose a different profession he was set on going into business with Todoroki then he had a troubling moment in his life and decided to pursue into being a doctor,” you answered. “He’s a great surgeon, after studying for 12 years he was able to finally be part of a hospital and is now doing surgery for almost 2 years.”

“That’s...a lot.” he said, “I’m surprised he never gave into to changing is occupation.”

“He did actually, a few times. Some of the professors weren’t all that understanding, they were tough which brought his confidence down. Still, he never gave up even when it was impossible to pass at times.” you smiled small “I admire him...he’s been so strong, sometimes I wished I had his dedication.”

Bakugo placed his chopsticks down and turned to look at you. “I know I was a dickhead...and you wanted to quit. But I think you have a lot more guts coming back here despite all the bullshit I threw at you. You’re definitively strong and not weak for wanting to leave. I was at fault for that. You are doing fine now, even if another problem happens you know not to back down. That’s what you’ve always shown.”

“It wasn’t easy...still isn’t actually.” you admitted “A lot of people still believe that I was the one who screwed up on the project.

“Fuck them.” he abruptly said.

You were taken back by his use of words knowing these were his employees he was talking about. “I-I know they were talking bad but I don’t it’s necessary to talk like that-”

He then cut you off “-it doesn’t matter if they’re my employees or not. They’re talking crap without even knowing shit in the first place. It’s not acceptable, I’m not going to defend them if they’re acting like a bunch of high school punks. This isn’t a playground anymore, if they’re brave enough to talk crap behind your back then they’re too weak to tell you upfront.”

As much as you tried being the good person you knew deep down he was right. People like that shouldn’t be respected, it’s not okay to start rumors where you’re supposed to be professional.

“I hate to say that...it’s the way to go but in the end...” you sighed “You’re right Bakugo. Sometimes it's impossible to change their mind no matter how hard you try.” you played with your fingers looking down at your lap as flashbacks began to come back.

There was a change in the mood, Bakugo noticed it right away. Something was hurting you, yet it wasn’t his place to ask you about the problem not when it was troubling you so much. He moved his chair closer to you and held your hand.

Without any warning or signs, he was holding it protectively. You couldn’t talk, there was something about him that made it impossible to speak. He looked at you in the eyes. With his look he saying so much to you even if it seemed like he wasn’t.

“It’s fine.” he softly spoke.

Your heart was beating rapidly against your chest. You couldn’t look away from his red orbs. “Please don’t let me fall.” you suddenly spoke not realizing what was coming out of your mouth.

“Never.”

Your lips curved into a small smile hearing his reply.

A knock then sounded at the door disrupting the moment between you two. “Ah! Here you are [last name].” Your friend and colleague, Nakano, spoke as she opened the door seeing you and Bakugo together.

“Nakano, hey is there something you need?” you asked.

“Mr. Midoriya is here he’s waiting for you in the conference room,” she said.

You looked at her confused, “In the conference room? Did he say what for?”

“All he mentioned was about it being important. He told me to take care of any calls that came in.” Nakano replied.

“Oh.” you said, “I see, thank you I’ll be right out then.”

She excused herself and closed the door. “You should get going it’s important you don’t want to keep him waiting,” Bakugo spoke.

“Right.” you slightly smiled, “Um...thank you for the breakfast. I’ll make sure to finish it later when I get back. I’m sorry I have to go.”

“It’s fine.” he replied “I need to talk to Kirishima about something. At least you have something in your stomach.”

“I’ll see you later then,” you said grabbing your phone and clipboard along with a few other important things. Bakugo gave you a nod, you turned back around to look at him again before closing the door.

Your heart was still beating when you left the room. You weren’t sure how to comprehend what happened in there. All you were sure about was how your chest tightened when he held your hand in yours.

‘Whatever happens...I don’t want to be afraid of going forward.’  you thought. Upon seeing the room you took a deep breath and calmed yourself down before walking down the stairs.

When you arrived in the lobby you saw someone standing in front of the main deck. “I need to speak to her please, if you tell her who I am I’m sure she’ll know who I am.” they impatiently spoke.

“I understand but she’s in a meeting right now with Mr. Midoriya. I can’t interrupt-”

“Suzuki, it’s okay,” you said walking over to the person who had their back turned towards you. “Is there something you need that’s important?”

The mysterious stranger then turned around, your legs took a step back not believing who it was. “W-what...are you doing here?” you questioned trying to keep your voice down.

“I need to talk to you.” they went to touch but you moved your back not wanting to be anywhere close to them. “Don’t...touch me...”

They sighed “You must come with me.”

“Why would I want to go anywhere with you, Reo?-”

“It’s your dad.” he answered, “He’s at the hospital.”

Your eyes blinked not comprehending what he had said “What?... Why did they call you to come? You have no business with them.”

“I was at work when your mother called me telling me about your dad. She didn’t have anyone else to call. She insisted that I’d come for you so you could go see him.” he explained.

“It doesn’t matter...there’s no reason for me to be near them...please leave,” you said swallowing the cries that wanted to erupt. “I don’t want to have to call security.”

“I understand that you don’t want to see me but they’re your parents first.” he said “The least you could do is push away that anger and go see them. I’m not sure how injured he is.” Reo then took out a card and wrote down the address of the hospital he was at. “If you change your mind this is where he is.”

The numbers were immediately recognizable to you “He’s in the hospital where Tenya is working at?”

He nodded “Tenya offered to look after him, I don’t know much about your dad’s details. I was at fault for all that happened don’t hold the grudge against them. You know how long it has been...don’t let more years pass by.”

Reo then left, Bakugo walked down the same stairs after seeing the mysterious man leave. “Is everything alright?” he spoke.

Your phone then vibrated, Tenya had sent you a message telling you about your dad’s condition. “Yeah...everything is fine,” you answered. “I should get going, Midoriya is probably waiting for me.”

“You don’t need to lie,” he said.

“I’ll talk to you later Bakugo.” you excused yourself and went to the conference room. He followed you and managed to stop you before entering the room. You were going to ask him to let you go but he spoke.

“I’ll tell Midoriya what happened. You should go to the hospital you have a job to be next to your father,” he said.

“And I have a job to do here as well, I can’t drop everything and go see them,” you added. “I’ll go once I’m done-”

“You can come back and do the work he told you to do. Right now something else is more important than attending a stupid meeting.”

‘He was right...why was he right?!’ you thought, struggling to find an answer to this whole mess. Sometimes you preferred to not have had parents, now when everything was set and done it’s like fate wanted to mess with you.

You relaxed your arm, “Fine...” you softly spoke, Bakugo then let go of your arm “I’ll go...I will be back in time before we all get together in the afternoon.”

“I’ll tell Midoriya and let him know you needed to get something done,” he said looking at you. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I will.” your eyes looked at the door and then left leaving Bakugo alone.

He opened the brown double door, inside he saw all sorts of people standing around. Some he knew while others were only strangers he didn’t care about. “Midoriya,” he called out.

The green-haired man then turned around to see his colleague standing there. “What is it Bakugo?” Midoriya asked.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

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[anextraordinarymuse]

Hi ...it’s me again, with another WCTH meta

And since I am incapable of making these short and to the point, buckle up and thank you in advance if you stay for the whole rambling thing. This one deals with 8x05 (obviously). Let’s gooooo!

I loved seeing Nathan tease Bill about his uniform. It’s a great moment of levity in an otherwise serious set of storylines for Nathan so far, and I am so glad they included it. ALSO though, I appreciate that this is a side of Nathan that we get to see here and there because it ties right in to Allie’s assertion that Nathan was a lot more fun before the events that took place at Fort Clay. They’re establishing that even though we don’t always see them (or it might take some time to come out) there are these really fun and playful sides to Nathan’s personality. I love them no matter what, but I really appreciate them for how special these moments feel. And I feel like Nathan has kind of an understated humor rather than an outright goofy, in your face humor (unless kids are involved, in which case he’s just outright silly with his funny faces and dad jokes).

I have mixed feelings about the scene with Elizabeth and Lucas on the bridge. I like that they showed Lucas’s considerate side by having him choose not to attend the graduation ceremony in order to not make it uncomfortable for Nathan (and I hope they become friends eventually because they have a funny dynamic); I didn’t like that it felt like they were showing Lucas’s considerate side at the expense of Elizabeth’s. Having her play it like she didn’t even consider that it might be uncomfortable for Nathan felt disingenuous. Elizabeth has always been a thoughtful and considerate character and she has said many times that she doesn’t want to hurt Nathan or Lucas. To have her suddenly blind to the fact that having Lucas there would make it difficult for Nathan just felt wrong - especially after the scene they gave us with Nathan riding by on the horse. It made Elizabeth seem inconsiderate - which leads me into the next bullet point

They have really humanized Elizabeth this season. Is it comfortable? No. Is it my favorite? Not exactly. BUT it is good storytelling. In previous seasons Elizabeth has always been a little hard to relate to because she can come across as sanctimonious and too perfect. She’s always thoughtful, and chastises people for their mistakes but also super quick to face and fix her own. And that’s just not realistic. This season, we get to see an Elizabeth that is clearly doing things we may not agree with, and being selfish, and not realizing she’s making mistakes - or realizing it and making them anyway. When she rides away from Nathan after he tells her he loves her that’s clearly a moment of giving in to cowardice. Not only does she literally run away, we then see and learn that she’s just been flat out avoiding Nathan. (Note that I am not ragging on her character here or how she chose to handle it. Whether you want her with Lucas or Nathan, that was a moment of cowardice. She straight up runs away from her problems/an uncomfortable situation and then just ... pretends it’ll go away if she doesn’t address it). Elizabeth is also being rigid, selfish, and what sometimes feels like mean. These are normal things - everyone is like this in some way, at some time or another. Elizabeth has dismissed Nathan’s love almost out of hand simply because of his profession (and because she’s terrified); she chastises Nathan for being jealous of her being with Lucas when Nathan himself won’t just ask her out, but when he does she hesitates and then backs out ON THE WAY TO DINNER and still asks Nathan and Allie to walk her home (I am not lying when I say that this is probably the only scene in the entire show that I absolutely despise and I will not watch it); she has apparently forgotten that she doesn’t want to hurt Nathan and shows little consideration for his comfort. Now, I don’t hate Elizabeth for these things, I’m just noting that this is what we’re seeing. This is also one of the main reasons that I consider her relationship with Lucas to be an act of selfishness. She even mentioned in 8x05 that when she’s with Lucas there’s nothing weighing on her - she doesn’t have to grade papers, or be a mom first, or deal with the very real trauma and fear that come with loving Nathan. Lucas and their relationship is an escape for Elizabeth, and we’re all a little escapist at times.

On this point, I have mixed feelings: Nathan and Elizabeth’s scene in her house. There’s a lot going on here, and I have questions. When did Elizabeth leave a note for Nathan? Was it during the day and he didn’t get it until later because he and Allie were out all day? Was it in the evening, or after her date with Lucas? Because there’s a lot to unpack there if the answer is anything except she left it during the day and he didn’t get it until later. That conversation could have waited until they were on neutral ground, in the daylight. Instead, it happens in a very intimate setting. It’s night time and the lights are turned down low (and Nathan Grant looks like a whole ass snack with his unbuttoned shirt and rolled up sleeves and forget Elizabeth, that man is MINE) and everything about this scene is personal. There’s a clear undercurrent of unease and awkwardness between them and they’re clearly not on the same page, but there is a vulnerability to them and this scene that is hard to miss. Also, this scene is lit very warmly: lots of yellow and gold tones in the lighting which is mostly provided by low lamps and candles, and soft shadows. Again, it’s intimate and personal. But the real takeaway from this scene for me is the caliber of Nathan’s character. The fact that the woman he loves has just chastised him for basically doing the same thing she’s doing and not facing his problems, and then bringing up Fort Clay again, and he not only accepts that with grace but then owns up to the hurt his actions have caused with real humility and chagrin ... seriously, I’m in love with him. And I think that it’s clear that in this moment, Nathan is showing that not only is he a stellar role model for Allie, but also Elizabeth. Whether she wants it to be or not, whether she wants to admit it or not, I think Nathan is the measure of the quality that Elizabeth is looking for in a partner as well. I think that will have a hand in the undoing of Lucas and Elizabeth’s relationship. 

The dinner date with Lucas and Elizabeth is also interesting. It feels very different from her scenes with Nathan. There is little vulnerability there. They’re shy and a little nervous with each other, which is natural for a new relationship, but there’s not a lot of depth. The whole date is very romantic and reminiscent of Jack’s grand gestures - all of the candles and the fancy dinner (which we’ve seen is typical of Lucas) - but it’s almost the exact opposite of the scene she shares with Nathan. The lighting is colder, the shadows are sharper, and even their clothes are flashy. The whole thing feels very formal and easy, and their conversations are only surface deep. 

The way that Elizabeth looks at Nathan after he walks away from the graduation ceremony ... no it’s cool, she’s fine, I’m fine, we’re fine

This isn’t necessarily an observation from this episode, but more a general observation from the last few and what we know of the next few: I don’t think Elizabeth knows what she wants, or is ready for what’s happening. I think things will end with Lucas and she’ll spend a few episodes alone and trying to figure things out. My guess is that the kiss that’s teased in 8x06 won’t happen, but it will scare Elizabeth or make her realize that she’s not ready/confused/not all in. We’ll go back to the status quo - awkwardness between Elizabeth and both Nathan and Lucas as they all try to navigate each other and the situation - and then Elizabeth realizing what she wants and gathering her courage in the last three or four episodes

That’s all for now (until I realize I forgot to add things)! Overall it wasn’t my favorite episode, but it wasn’t the worst. It had great moments between other characters, some of which made me actually giggle. I am tired of this triangle, but I’m still convinced Nathan is endgame. 

[redeadepression]

I'm not sure if you've been asked this already, but, do you think John was Abbys first choice? I know Arthur has said that he wouldve married her if she wasnt so in love with John but do you think that she really liked him/loved him before she got pregnant or after? Sorta a "well, your the father of my child and I'm going to try to make this work" verses a "I'm actually really glad that you're the father"?

This is a fun question because my writing might (absolutely does) suggest that I believe one answer to this question when in fact it’s the opposite.

In my John/Abi series I portray Abigail as someone that was in a bad situation and needed to make a choice. John was a safe choice, so she chose him. Spoilers for that series: Jack is actually not John’s son. Confirmed. 😱 I also subtly imply that she has a bit of a thing for Arthur- who in her opinion would be an even safer choice than John. But he’s taken by Mary at the time she finds out she’s pregnant.

But in canon… I don’t believe that is the way it is intended to be presented at us. I think that there is definitely an element of Abigail being unsure if Jack is John’s due to her line of work and I think that her choice to claim John as the Father is somewhat out of her love for him but mostly just basic common-sense. I do believe she loved him or at least liked him before she fell pregnant. I definitely think that she had some sort of evidence to suggest that John was the Father. For example maybe she only slept with him one week or on a specific night she believes to have conceived. Maybe, she slept with him the most that week and through simple deduction she reasoned that John had “the most chance” at being the Father.

If I had to guess I’d say her love for him defined about 20% of her decision to choose John. Add another 10% to that due to him being a young, single, higher-up member of the Gang. So, basically a perfect provider that ensured her a stable place in the Gang. But yeah, I definitely believe she had a strong feeling that the baby was John’s already. So like, 70% sure that the baby was John’s already and then add that 30% I mentioned above.

Abigail can be a raging bitch at times (Love you Queen) but can’t we all? She is a kind and compassionate character and I don’t believe she would outright turn on John and claim him to be the Father if she couldn’t at least partially believe it was possible herself.

So in summery I believe Abigail’s thought was “I’m actually really glad you’re the Father”. You know... up until he abandons them. 😂

That being said, I just want to add as a somewhat unrelated footnote that I have written in the past, my defence of John and him having the right to question Abigail and be unsure if he is Jack’s Father or not. So I don’t want to see anyone (you know who you are) up my ass about the fact that I don’t think Abigail tricked him because regardless of whether she fully 110% knew for a fact that John was Jack’s Father… John still deserves the right to be sceptical due to her profession at the time of Jack’s conception. Just because she says it, doesn’t mean he has to take it as fact and the poor girl really had no way to prove anything due to the time period.

[renee-writer]

Win a Date Chapter 5 First Date

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” Claire mutters the next day as she changes into jeans and a long sleeve shirt appropriate for hiking. She still mumbles as she pulls boots on over her think socks.

“It isn't like you are going to be tortured. You are going on a date with a lad looking for a real relationship. Could be worse.” Geillis says with a smile.

“Ugg. Fine but I promise you, if this goes bad, I will never trust you with a blind date again.”

“It will be fine. I've a good feeling.”

“Okay.” He pulls his hiking clothes on. “Murtagh, this lass better be all you promised. If she turns out to be another flighty lass, I will throttle you.” Jamie threatens as he brushes his red curls out and and pulls a ball cap on.

“You won’t be needing to be doing all that. She has been thoughly vetted. So go. Have a good time then you can thank me later.” Jamie rolls his eyes at his Godfather.

“If she is, I will.”

The Overlook at nine. Those were the instructions. She has no idea who she was looking for. He will find you, Gel had assured her. Knowing what she looks like puts him at an advantage. She isn’t sure she likes that. “One date.” She reminds herself. Just one if he is the jerk she fears. More if.. But no. Focus on today. She takes a deep breath and looks around. A beautiful spot with plenty of green grass and wildflowers. She had to admit he had picked a beautiful spot.

He watches her as she looks around. As advertised, she is lovely. He is happy to see the old jeans and shirt, the scuffed boots, the lack of make up, her curly hair hanging free. He smiles when he sees her push it out of her eyes. An opening.

“You need a ball cap lass.” She looks up. He is tall. Very tall. With piercing blue eyes and amazing hair. But his old clothes and casual attitude tell her, he probably isn't who she is waiting for.

“Thank you. I am waiting for someone. My mate Geillis suggests that leaving my hair down and free is better.” She self consciously shrugged.

“It is verra pretty Claire.” A jerk.

“You. You are my date?”

“Aye. Disappointed?”

“No just surprised. You are not who I was expecting…”

“Jamie. James Fraser.”

“Claire Beauchamp.” She offers her hand. He takes it long forgotten manners resurface and he lifts it up and gently kisses the back of it. “Oh.”

“You aren’t who I was expecting either. They told me but..”

“They?”

“My sister and Godfather. They set all these up. Let me know after the fact.”

“Wait! You didn't know what they were about either?” They had started walking.

“Either?”

“Yes, my mate, Geillis, she entered me in your contest without telling me until after. I swore I wouldn’t come if I did win.”

“Yet you are here?” she shrugs. “They dinna tell me until after they chose you.” He grins. “They ken'd I wouldn’t be happy.”

She smiles back. “Better to ask for forgiveness then permission, eh?”

“Aye. Something like that. Were you just as frustrating with your mate?”

“Oh lord yes!” she laughs. “I told her if you turned out to be a jerk, I would never trust her again.”

“Now would you think me a jerk?”

“Actor. I guess I had an idea of exactly what type of person you would be.” She looks fown and steps over the small branch in the path.

“I see. I was guilty of the same. The reason, you see for the contest, my last few dates have been with the same ridiculous type lasses. The want to be seen with me or want other things that wouldn’t lead to a relationship.”

“I admit that I really don’t know who you are.” Ge stops and she does too when she sees he has. “I am sorry about that.”

“Oh please don't be. I am glad.”

“Me too. To meet you. Not the façade. I am meeting you, right?”

“Aye Claire, you are. Wish to rest.” She sinks gratefully into the fallen branch. He joins her.

“I thought I was in shape.” He chuckles.

“You are doing well. So, wish to tell me about yourself?”

“I am a druggist. Own my own store. An only child who lost her parents at age five. Her uncle who raised her died two years ago. Life with my best mate Geillis. She is a nurse. My last serious relationship ended when I found him in bed with one of his students. He was a professor. I spend most evenings watching trashy TV shows with Gel. I haven’t had sex in six no seven months.” She is blushing. “God sorry. I am not after… Ah, please tell me about yourself.”

“I've an older sister, Janet, called Jenny. Our parents still live and work the farm I grew up on. Jenny is married to my best friend Ian. You know my profession. I spend most evenings running lines. But I adore mind numbing trashy telly shows. I have never had a serious relationship. It is hard when the lasses all know who you are. As for sex, it has been 29 years. A virgin. So..” She looks up at him with wide eyes. “Yah. Everyone assumes. The last date I was on, the lass straight out said she wished to take me to bed. I wasn’t interested. Sex for the sake of getting off doesn’t draw me.” He looks across the valley under them.”It has to mean more. Until I find the one who I see a future in, then.. “

“Wow. You surely aren't who I was expecting. I didn’t mean, when I told you..”

“Dinna fash Claire. I know.”

“How do you, in your line of work, keep up the image you need to project?”

“Ah, smoke and mirrors. Pretty lasses on my arm at awards shows. Photographs that seem to show me as a playboy. In reality, I am a farm boy who just wishes to act. To have a lass to partner with, raise a family with, outside the spotlight.”

“Awards. I should know you.”

“Do me a favor, okay. When you Google my name, recall what I told you, eh?”

“I promise.”

“Are you hungry or thirsty Claire. I've stuff in the knapsack for a picnic.”

“Yes please.” He lays it out. They sit and talk about their families. She tells him about traveling with her uncle and all the places she went. About starting Beauchamp Drugs with his investment and many prayers. He tells her of growing up at Lallybroch. Of his wonderful bossy sister. His steady parents. Murtagh, who is his Godfather and conscious. About his families fears when he announced what he wanted to do and their support.

“So we both started our careers with trepidation and family support.” She lays back, looking up to the sky. He sits beside her looking out over the valley.

“Aye. I am sorry about your family.”

“Thank you. It isn’t easy but I am glad Uncle Lamb got to see me make a good start.”

“Aye. I must confess. I knew what you did. Even have a report from a investigator about what a good druggist you are. Good and patient. Kind.”

“You sent people to investigate me?” she turns her eyes to him.

“Not I.” he is blushing.

“Right. You didn’t know.”

“No. Don’t be angry. They were just looking after me. Had to know you were who you portrayed yourself to be.”

“I am not mad. Intrigued. If I didn’t think it would embarrass you, I would look you up now.”

“Thanks. You probably wouldn’t get a signal anyway.”

She pulls out his phone and sees he is right. A shrug. The camera works though. She snaps some pictures of the beauty that surrounds them before turning it to him. “Do you mind?”

“No. You won’t post it on SM will you?”

“No. Not my style. It is just you are very handsome with the sun reflecting off that wonderful hair.” He grins and pulls the cap off. She snaps a few shots.

“My turn.” He turns his own phone’s camera to her. She leans against the stone by where they had stopped and gives him a big smile. “You are quite beautiful Claire.”

“Thanks but I am sure I will find much beautiful lasses on your arm.”

“No. You won’t. Not in my eyes. None that matches you in inner and outer beauty.” Now she is blushing. “May I see you again Claire?”

“Yes. I didn’t think I would be having more then one date with you. But, I do want to see you again.”

“I thought the same. I am glad we were both wrong. May I give you my number? “

“”You may.” She hands him her phone. He enters it and saves it. “So more hiking?”

“No. I am thinking horse back riding. If that is okay?”

“Perfect. I haven’t in awhile but do know how.” She helps gather up the picnic supplies. “Where?”

“I’ve a mate, John. He has some great riding horses. Private, ye ken.”

“Right. I get that. I only have Sunday’s available. That alright?”

“Perfect.” They start down. He gives her John's address. “Say nine?”

“I will be there.”

“Will I hear from you between now and then?”

“You will. I will text you when I get home. Let you know I made it okay.”

“Thank you.” They are back where they meet. “I am glad you took a chance Claire.”

“I am too. Glad you did too “

He takes her hands and kisses their backs. “Until Sunday.”

“Yes. I will text you. “

“Good. Recall don't believe what Google says about me.”

“I won't.” On impulse, she stands on her toes and kisses his cheek. “Goodbye for now Jamie.”

“Good bye Claire.”