#gonna combust when the next part of Book 7 comes out | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

akitokihojo · 4 years

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Delicate - Chapter 7

Inuyasha sighed out, a barely-visible puff of air appearing before his face as he walked along the length of the gate outside of the schoolyard. He felt abnormally exhausted this morning, and like anyone, he blamed it on the fact that it was Monday, the clouds were dreary, and he may have been up late playing video games. He had a chemistry test this afternoon, and he could only hope to wake up a little more by then to properly focus.

He’d caught her scent just before entering the building, his attention blindly following his nose as his eyes scoured the grounds for her. She wasn’t that far off, standing in a misshapen circle with Sango and three other girls, one of them enthusiastically telling a story that had the lot of them giggling. That smile, the rosy color of her cheeks, the way the tip of her nose was a light shade of pink from the chill of their morning, it was all like a buzz of caffeine for him. The more he watched, the more he listened to the melody of her laugh, the lighter he began to gradually feel.

Kagome was wearing black tights beneath her charcoal uniform skirt this morning as opposed to the knee-high socks she usually opted for, sparing her legs from the small nip in the air. Over her white button up, she donned a dark, knitted sweater, the baggy sleeves shielding her fingers. But, her neck wasn’t covered. Sure, her hair was worn down, waving over her shoulders in their natural order, but what good was that compared to something literally manufactured to keep heat in? The dummy was just asking for a cold. Whatever combatant thought that formulated in his head deliberately went ignored as he turned away from the building to walk toward her, a horrible fluttering expanding throughout his abdomen. Sango’s gaze met him first as he approached, then Kagome’s as the group of girls’ chatter died off into a curious and muddled silence. God, he didn’t think there was anything capable of rivaling the annoying sensation in his stomach at the moment, but when she smiled wider at him as he stopped just a foot or two before her, his heart gave a thunderous pound that he worried would wound his ribcage. His cheeks went hot, then his nose, then the remainder of his face, and the thought of his evident blush only made him heat up furthermore. Her greeting was soft and happy, bringing him to huff out, his jaw clenching, and his amber eyes drifting off to the side. As planned, Inuyasha removed the muffler from his neck, untwisting it so he could hand it over. From his peripherals, he gathered that she was confused, not immediately taking it from him, so he decidedly did the damn job himself before he ended up spontaneously combusting from flames of embarrassment. Carefully, the hanyou looped it behind her neck, twisted, then looped it again so it bunched properly to keep her warm, her raven hair billowed beneath.

She was staring up at him with large eyes, her pink lips pinching together then growing into a shy and appreciative smile. Son of a bitch, she was fucking cute.

He walked away, heading toward the entrance of the building without a single word, and Kagome’s blush maddened as her friends made hushed and cheery noises at what had just happened.

“So, what? Are you guys together now?”

“When did you two even become a thing?”

“Wasn’t that Inuyasha? I’ve never seen him not mad.”

“Nah, he still looked mad. Just a flustered sort of mad.”

“And to think just a couple days ago you were worried.” Sango teased.

“Yeah, but y-you know happened.” Kagome said, feeling like she was standing under an intense spotlight.

“Uh, we don’t!” Eri stated, bringing the attention back to them. “Hello, hi. Details, please.”

“Oh, look at the time.” Kagome pulled back the sleeve of her left hand to look at the invisible watch along her wrist, beginning to walk backward toward their school building. “I need to - I’ve gotta - I mean, class is starting soon, so yeah. Bye.”

Sango laughed, waving and knowing full and well that her friend was heading to catch up with her favored half demon.

“I don’t suppose you’ll tell us?”

“Sorry, guys.” She shrugged, smiling. “The best friend privilege is knowing, and the code is not spilling business that isn’t mine to spill.”

Kagome wandered over to his locker in the third row, spotting him just as he closed the small, metal door. He glanced over, his eyes never leaving her as she sauntered his way, and though his cheeks continued to reveal some of his timidness, a soft smile on his lips further ignited the spark between them.

“I don’t need it back if that’s what you’re about to ask.”

“Not yet, anyway.”

“After school. Keep it until then.”

“I actually came to walk with you. If that’s okay?”

“You don’t need to ask, dummy.” Inuyasha replied, though there was the hint of tension in his tone. He gave a notch of his head to lead the way, shoving his hands into his pant pockets to appear as casual as possible. She walked at his side, just as close as they’d walked on Saturday night, and he found it to be a source of comfort. Progressively, his preservation melted away with her warmth, wanting less to hide his affection behind a barricade and wanting more to give it to her so she’d always smile like she had before.

“So, uh, how’d you do on your last math test?” He asked as they began their ascent up the stairs and to the second floor where their classes were.

“Oh, I totally forgot! I meant to show you!” Kagome opened her book bag at her side, pulling out the quiz after wiggling it free from between two notebooks. She held it out, positively beaming and excited for him to see her accomplishment.

Inuyasha took in the “B” next to her name before taking the paper into his grip, a smile of his own forming as his pride for her swelled. “This is the best one yet! Soon you’re not even gonna need my help.”

“I don’t know about that.” She quickly countered, a little nervous at the sound of losing any easy opportunity to see him outside of school. “I still struggle a bit. And, I mean, you do call me a dummy.”

“Not as an insult.” He chuckled, handing the test back to her so she could shove it back into her bag.

“It originated for a reason, and then just became an endearment of sorts.”

“I don’t think you’re dumb.” Inuyasha said, still smiling. He glanced at her, noticing the uncertainty in her eyes, shielded behind a small grin. Was she looking for validation? He felt something click in him, like he didn’t actually need to question what she wanted. The quick rebut she’d served just a moment ago to his comment, the look she was giving, the warm sensation building in his chest - it made it easy not to second guess his intuition. This was an understanding he’d been privileged to receive from being with her so often, from falling in love. Not a part of him desired to resist what surprisingly and so simply came to him right now, the back of his hand grazing her knuckles until he hooked one of her fingers with his own. They both stopped walking, and he pulled her closer by another inch. “Relax. I’m not going anywhere; we’ll still study together. Maybe you’ll even end up tutoring me.”

“Doubtful.” Kagome muttered with a shy smile, her finger gently clutching his in return.

“Which part?”

“Me tutoring you.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He chuckled, her responding giggle like a gift. The bell rang and he knew the halls were about to get busy as everyone filtered through to class. He took the opportunity he had, never letting go of her finger. “Tomorrow? I’ll walk you home and we can study.”

“Okay.” She nodded, smiling.

Using his free hand, Inuyasha twirled some strands of her hair around his finger, ones that were short, and framed her jaw, and weren’t held captive by the muffler like the rest of it all still was. “Come on, dummy.” He grinned, leading her to her class with a yank on her finger.

—

Sango puffed out her cheeks in a mock pout, standing by a tree with her arms crossed over her chest after school. “Call me repetitive, but I still cannot believe you’re ditching me for a boy today.”

“You’re repetitive.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not even ditching you,” Kagome laughed. “I said he’d be walking with us. You’re the one who chose to walk home alone.”

“Excuse me, look me in the eyes and tell me I’m third wheel material. I dare you.”

She laughed a little harder from her best friend’s dramatic exasperation. “He’s walked with us before, Sango! It’s just like every other time.”

“Bull and baloney! The last time he walked with us was before you guys got over the majority of your romantic constipation.” Sango ignored the weird look that took over Kagome’s expression, proceeding on with her argument without hesitance. “Things are better now, you’ve both gotten a clue - thank god - and moves are being made. When he said he wanted to walk you home, he meant he wanted to walk you home. Therefore, if I tag along until we hit my route, he’s gonna be uncomfortable up until then and I’m gonna be the cockblock.”

“What? Not even!”

“Oh, yeah.”

“So, you’re just gonna avoid us forever now? This is it? Whenever Inuyasha wants to come with, you’re out?” Kagome grinned, leaning her head to the side in a playful challenge.

“No, of course not. Not forever. When you guys are in an established relationship - and by established, I mean passed the mushy crap - then I’ll make my return. Maybe even sooner if I land myself a stud, because then I wouldn’t be a third wheel.” Sango shrugged.

“You’ve got one guy in mind that can’t even talk to you passed ‘hello,’ so that could take a while.”

“See you on the flip side, my main gal.”

“You realize then that this isn’t me choosing a guy over you, but you choosing your pride over everything?”

“You bet, but I’m still blaming you.”

“You know what? I’m gonna do you a favor.” Kagome cocked a brow, her smile shifting into one of deviousness.

“What? No, wait. No. I know that look, and I hate it. What are you gonna do?” Sango’s face twisted in suspicion, her brows furrowing deeply as Kagome turned about, seemingly searching the school grounds. She had a sinking feeling in her chest as a scheme had obviously just popped into Kagome’s head, and who had she just mentioned? Bad, not good, very bad. “Kay, I swear to Zeus if you -“

“Oh, there they are!” Kagome beamed, practically skipping her way over to the pair of far-off boys.

“I have no best friend!” Sango hissed, quickly ducking herself to hide behind the tree.

Inuyasha’s golden stare transferred from his friend to her as she approached, the plain expression he held while Miroku talked changing to a gentle grin. He notched his head in a silent greeting while his friend finished his sentence.

“Hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She apologized, stopping before them, a little closer to Inuyasha than in the center.

“Nothing to worry about.” Miroku kindly dismissed. “Since you’re here, let me ask you something: Do you prefer me with or without the rattail? I need a lady’s perspective.”

“Oh, god no, definitely without.” Kagome answered a little too quickly, giving a small grimace when she realize how rude it could have come off, especially as Inuyasha stifled his snorted laugh. “I mean, it’s your choice, of course! I just think the style is a bit outdated. And, this shorter cut suits you much better. Were you thinking of growing it back?”

“Wow. Not anymore.” Miroku blinked, pinching his lips into a tight line.

“Thank you.” Inuyasha boasted, like he’d finally gotten his way. He gave another small nod to Kagome, gesturing in the direction of the gate. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Hang on, I have a question.” She said, stopping Inuyasha before he could lead her off. She looked over at his friend, watching him go from feigned defeat to slightly curious when he realized it was for him. “I’m sorry if this is none of my business, but do you mind if I be a little upfront for a moment and ask how you feel about Sango?”

“Oh god, you’re gonna break him.” Inuyasha murmured beside her.

“No, I promise I won’t tell her anything. I’m just wondering.” Kagome assured.

“You mean, I haven’t made it painstakingly obvious?” Miroku asked monotonously, his grin devoid of any real emotion.

“So, you like her?”

“Something like that.”

“Why haven’t you asked her out?”

“Remember that time, a few months ago, when I stopped you guys on your way home from school?”

“Yeah.”

“I was going to try and get her number then. I had a classic pickup line planned and everything, and yet the only thing that came out of my mouth was her name. I can’t function around her. I panic around her. I freeze, I sputter, and I shave a few years off my life every time I’m around her. You see my problem?”

“Okay, you’re not good with girls. It’s fine, you’ve gotta start some-“

“I’m fantastic with girls, you take that back!” Miroku retorted defensively.

“Really? You can actually claim that right now?” Kagome earnestly asked.

“You really think you have the room to talk when you two still aren’t even dating?” Miroku chided, pointing to both Inuyasha and Kagome. He didn’t even have time to flinch before Inuyasha slugged him in the arm, his pained groan gurgled and deep. “Okay, withdrawn!” He clutched the offended spot, respectfully ignoring Kagome’s embarrassment as he continued speaking to buffer the awkwardness. “Look, there’s just something about her that fucks me up. Little-by-little, I’m talking! I’m getting better! I’m growing! I’m not always melting down like I used to! I’ll get there eventually!”

“What if I make it a little easier on you?” She offered with a simple shrug.

“How?”

“Give me your number and I’ll give it to her. That way, you don’t have to stress yourself out by asking for hers, and that’s one objective down.”

“Wait,” Miroku tilted his head skeptically. “Are you - are you saying she’s interested?”

Kagome feigned a believable frown. “Actually, I don’t know.” She lied. “Sango’s a pretty private person. She doesn’t often talk about her feelings, even to me. I’m just doing this to help you out. You’re a nice guy, and I’m her best friend. Easy in-between.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch.”

“No catch?”

“She said no catch. Just do it.” Inuyasha griped. “You’ve been going on and on about this since last year, and now you’re gonna question the opportunity?”

“Because, there’s gotta be a catch! She owes me nothing - you owe me nothing. So, why do me a favor?”

“No catch.” Kagome repeated, shaking her head. “Honestly, I’m just a nice person. If you want to do it yourself, by all means. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable or push you to do something you don’t want to do. But, if I do it, we eliminate the potential to wreck yourself even more in front of her, and then the ball’s in her court. If she’s interested, she’ll text or call, if not, then nothing happens and you have your answer. Besides, I think she’s already headed home, so I can talk you up a little and say you wanted to give it to her today but she’d already left so you gave it to me to pass on.”

“No catch?”

“No catch.”

“No one’s that nice.”

“I am. Oh, and just think. It’s always easier to talk through text because you have time to think through what you want to say before you say it.”

“He’ll still mess it up.” Inuyasha quietly mentioned.

“Nah, I don’t think he will.” She said, smiling, redirecting the conversation back to Miroku. “Then, you’ll adjust, realize Sango’s super easy to talk to and there’s nothing to be nervous about, and talking to her in person will be as normal as talking to anyone else.”

“Oh, fuck, yeah okay. You drive a hard bargain, Higurashi.” Miroku eagerly opened his bag, bringing out his notebook and opening it to the first empty page. “Inuyasha, your pen.” He requested, holding his hand out as the half demon pulled his pen from his front, pant pocket. Taking the writing utensil and clicking the ballpoint end out, he began scribbling along the upper-right corner.

Kagome could tell it wasn’t just his number he was jotting down, but she didn’t try to peek, instead giving a quick side-glance to Inuyasha and winking so he knew she had this planned. Miroku tore the edge of the paper, folding up his little note and handing it over to Kagome which she happily took and slipped into the small pocket at the front of her book bag.

“Say something nice about me when you see her.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Now, can we go?” Inuyasha spoke, taking back his pen and sliding it into his front pocket once more. Kagome smiled, giving a nod and waving goodbye to his best friend before walking off with him toward the exit. As soon as they were out of the gate, and effectively out of earshot of Miroku - who had to stay behind for his stupid student council committee - he shot her a sly look. “What was that all about?”

“Just helping things along.” She replied, giving a measly shrug.

“Ka-go-me!” The shout was menacing and chilling, over-enunciated for full, grounding effect, and bringing Kagome to look wearily toward a fuming Sango who was running right toward her. Hastily, she dodged around the half demon, using him as a shield to protect herself from the temperament of her best friend.

Inuyasha stood stiffly between the two, thoroughly confused and unsure whether this was actually something he should literally be in the middle of.

“No! Wait! Don’t be mad, I didn’t do anything wrong!” Kagome proclaimed.

“What did you say!?” Sango asked, brows pinching together but no real malice to her tone. She was frantic for an answer, and naturally defensive, but Kagome should have known better than to pull one of Sango’s own stunts on her.

“Nothing about you!”

“Freaking liar!”

“No, I swear! I didn’t! In fact, the one question he asked about you, I lied about and turned the subject back on him!”

“And, what was the subject, Kagome!?”

“About whether he liked you or not!”

“Oh my god! You can’t just ask someone that!” Sango cried, shoving her face into her palms.

“What!? On Saturday, you said -“

Sango shushed her, the noise high pitched and tense. “I know what I said, but that advice wasn’t for me!”

“If it’s any consolation, he said yes!”

“He did!?”

“You said you wouldn’t tell her.” Inuyasha mentioned, turning his head to peculiarly glance at her from the side.

“Oh, because it wouldn’t be obvious when I gave her his number?” Kagome retorted, not yet coming out from the shelter his body provided.

“What?” Sango asked, slightly shocked.

“Yeah, see,” Kagome fished the folded up paper out of the pocket of her bag, sliding her arm around Inuyasha’s waist to hand it over. Her friend snatched the note like a monkey snagging a banana from its handler, unfolding it to read its contents. “I didn’t read it, I promise. He really wanted me to give that to you.”

Sango studied what was written, her cheeks becoming a bright shade of pink before lowering the small shred of paper to peer at Kagome, her eyes large and pleading. “Did you seriously ask him for his number for me? He’s gonna think I’m desperate!”

“No! I offered to give you his number for him! I told him I didn’t know if you liked him, but I just wanted to do him a favor.”

“And, he fell for that?”

“Yup. Whatever else that says is all him. I didn’t suggest a note, just the number.”

Sango quickly handed the note to Kagome, making sure Inuyasha didn’t glance to read it, her hand held open for Kagome to return it when she was done.

I’m sorry I’m weird around you. I literally get dumbstruck by your beauty. I don’t want to mess up anymore, so here’s my number. Give me a chance. - Miroku.

Kagome beamed, slipping the small piece of paper back into Sango’s palm. “So, what do you think?”

“I don’t know. He really has no idea how I feel?”

“Look, I can honestly tell you he didn’t suspect a thing. You can go into this whatever way you want, and the guy wouldn’t know the difference.” Inuyasha testified, leaning his head to the side in a careless manner.

“You,” Sango pointed up at the hanyou’s face, a scowl forming on her own, successfully intimidating him as he flinched back an inch. “Will keep this conversation to yourself, got it? I mean it. Don’t tell him anything that happened here.”

“How are you so scary for a small chick?” He held his hands out defensively in front of him.

“My dad’s a cop.”

“Ah.”

“Believe me, he won’t say anything.” Kagome assured, finally coming out of hiding. “So, are you gonna text him?”

“You’ll find out when your friendship timeout is up.” Sango sneered, pursing her lips and crossing her arms.

“How long!?” Kagome pouted.

“To be determined.” She shrugged, walking off to take a different route home.

“Determine!”

“Two hours.”

“Hours?”

“You’ll be busy anyway, so you won’t even notice.”

“Sango!”

“Bye!” She waved from behind, crossing the street.

“You guys are weird.” Inuyasha remarked, walking on ahead.

“You really won’t tell, right?” Kagome asked, upping her speed to reach his side again.

“What? That Sango likes Miroku? Nah.” He confirmed, his tone level as he gave a small shake of his head. “I kind of figured you wouldn’t just do Miroku a favor out of the blue like that. Even before you winked.”

“So, you blindly backed me up?”

“Yup. Stupid, huh?”

She smiled, turning her head so he wouldn’t see how happy it had made her. The muffled chime of Inuyasha’s phone went off in his pocket, bringing her attention back his way as he pulled it out, his brows giving a small twitch together as he whispered an apology to her and answered.

“What’s up?” She couldn’t hear who was talking on the other end, but she continued walking at his side, minding her business to the best of her abilities, even when Inuyasha grumbled. He stopped walking, pinching the back of her sweater with his free hand to make her stay with him, his head lolling back in exasperation. “Yeah, fine, I’ll go check. I swear, you’re getting too old to leave the house.”

He hung up, grimacing deeply. “My uncle thinks he left the stove on and he won’t be back until late. I can run home real quick and I’ll meet you at your place. That okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” Kagome nodded understandingly. He flashed a small grin, his pace hastening slightly as he walked ahead to the corner, about to cross to the right where she’d just go straight. She watched him stop even though it was perfectly safe for him to go, an unsure expression on his lips as he pressed them together, eventually turning back to her as she finally reached the corner, herself.

“Unless, um, unless you just want to come with me? It’ll be a quick stop.”

Her smile grew brightly, her nod coming before her brain could actually initiate the response. When he smiled back and notched his head for her to follow, she couldn’t help the wild flutter that made home in her belly. She’d never been to his place before. She was excited.

As if things couldn’t get any better, he’d grabbed her sleeve, pulling her closer to walk at his side again. In all honesty, she’d expected him to let go once he’d gotten his way, but he didn’t. He held onto her sleeve, keeping her with him as they walked, the silence undeniably comfortable. Kagome wondered if it would be okay to actually hold his hand. Would it make him shy away? They practically held hands yesterday, so they may as well, right? Was this the way he preferred it, or should she make the move? Maybe she’d try it slowly to properly read the situation. Because, she really, really, wanted to hold his hand.

Carefully, she angled her hand upward, her forearm following through as necessary, so she could brush the side of his fingers with her own. He didn’t look at her, nor did she look up at him, their eyes straight ahead or on their surroundings. His hand didn’t inch away, and his grip on her knitted sweater slackened, even more so as she brushed his fingers again. That second time, though, she slipped one of her fingers in the curve of his hand, then another when he welcomed her in, helping to build her courage. Inuyasha dropped his hold on her sleeve entirely, taking her hand in his, accepting the way she entwined their fingers and steadily following suit with his own grip.

Maybe it was due to her infatuation with the boy, but she sincerely felt safe with her hand in his; protected from everything uninviting the world may put before her. After a moment, her embarrassment even faded away, far quicker than she’d ever expected it to. His hand was large and hot, engulfing and wonderfully gentle, his nails never a threat to her, but his unexpected tenderness was, his thumb smoothly rubbing back and forth over the back of her palm, threatening to provoke an eruption of butterflies in her abdomen.

“It’s this one.” Inuyasha said, guiding her through the small, front gate and pulling his small set of keys out of the pocket of his bag. Begrudgingly, he pulled his hand free from hers to open the door, letting her walk through first before following in and shutting it behind him. “Come on.” He walked up the hall a bit, her small, padded footsteps close behind him as he took a left into the kitchen, seeing the stove was off all along.

“False alarm?” Kagome giggled.

“Better safe than sorry with that guy.” He groaned.

“Your home is nice.” She smiled, turning about to look at the small amount of decoration in the kitchen. It was a man’s home, that was for sure; it didn’t have a typical woman’s touch to it. Nonetheless, it was comfortable, kempt, and rustic.

“Well, it’s his. Totosai’s.” Inuyasha corrected with a dismissive shrug, sauntering back into the hall and toward the living room, making sure she followed.

“You live here, don’t you? And, he adopted you, so I’m sure you’re more than welcome to call this place yours.”

“I don’t know, sometimes I feel out of place.”

“You’ll only make yourself feel more out of place the more you say things like that.”

The half demon turned to her, brows furrowing speculatively. There was no animosity behind it; in fact, his smirk prodded her to elaborate.

“Like, okay say I’m feeling insecure about my looks. I don’t feel very pretty or attractive, and it’s weighing on me. I look at myself in the mirror and then I tell myself I’m ugly. Not just once, but I end up telling myself that on a regular basis. The insecurity will definitely sink through a lot faster than it would if I maybe told myself the opposite. I’d believe it wholeheartedly then. And after that, I’d never feel comfortable in my skin, or my dresses, or skirts, or jeans, or maybe even my frumpy clothes. No amount of makeup would do the trick, either, because what I did was empower my self-consciousness. I didn’t do myself any favors by allowing myself to think my negative thoughts were true. I, instead, made my own situation worse. Why do that? Insecurities, on any level, are natural, and sometimes it’s hard to convince yourself of the opposite, but it’s so much more worth it to try. And, you’d be happier when you come out.” She took a step closer to him, smiling. Inuyasha merely gazed down at her, no air of discomfort about; he simply listened. “Your situation - it’s understandable. I’d even be so bold to say it’s natural to feel out of sorts sometimes. This wasn’t the home you pictured living in as a child, and those feelings don’t need to go neglected. But, this is a home you’ve been welcomed into. Your uncle signed the papers and brought you here. I’m gonna assume you have your own bedroom, and furniture, and your clothes fit you properly so he’s definitely providing for you. You’ve got a key, and look -“ Her grin grew larger, her enthusiasm a little too pronounced as she turned to the mantle and spotted a candid picture of Inuyasha as a pre-teen, sitting on a park bench with much shorter hair. “He’s even proud to have photos of you on display. This is definitely your home.”

Quickly, flustered Inuyasha walked the few paces over to the picture and slammed it down. “Alright, alright. You made your point.” He drawled, looking back at her. “You’ve got a motivational speech for everything, don’t you?”

“Pretty much.” She giggled.

“Mind if I go change out of my uniform real quick?”

“Go for it.”

Inuyasha walked out to the hall, leaving Kagome in the living room, his stomach feeling heavy while his chest fluttered with something uncertain. He’d stopped at the frame of the entry, his hand braced on the polished wood as he looked back at her over his shoulder, watching how she didn’t even seem to notice he was still there. She was carefully resetting the picture of him that he’d planted facedown, the pads of her fingers smoothing over the edge of the cheap frame.

“Is that what you were feeling?” The half demon asked, his tone husky. Kagome turned to him, slightly surprised, but the notch her head gave told him she didn’t immediately grasp what he was referring to. “Saturday. When you were sad. You mentioned insecurity. Was it because you didn’t feel beautiful?”

Kagome’s nerves flared dully, a small lump beginning to form in her throat. His amber eyes appeared gentle, and she couldn’t help but wonder how many times he’d thought of that night since. The shake of her head came slow at first, hardly there, but then grew into something more steady and honest.

“Will you tell me?”

She swallowed, her lips parting slightly. She still wasn’t fully comfortable talking about it, the humiliation remaining fresh, but he wanted to know and her reservation was superficial. He’d been opening up to her, trusting her, and she should do the same. He’d dropped whatever he was doing and ran to her that night. Literally ran. He calmed her down, he walked her home, he held her. Just him asking, revisiting the topic, had her feeling warmly invited to rely on him with her emotions, despite the minor apprehension holding her tongue. And, if the logic of the situation wasn’t enough, the patience he was exuding as he stood in place and waited for her to speak was. There was no caution in his expression, because there was no caution necessary between the two of them at the moment. The feeling she was receiving from him was almost the same as what she’d tried to procure during her little speech just moments ago. Safety and comfort. And, though Kagome wasn’t suddenly confident in spilling her vulnerability - as anyone would naturally feel - it wasn’t hard to let him in.

“I -“ The hesitance wasn’t planned, but she breathed to push passed it, her eyes inadvertently shying to the ground. “I wasn’t quite sure how you felt about me. I was constantly going back and forth with myself. After a while, it became too much and, um, yeah. That’s what Saturday was all about.”

Inuyasha tensed slightly, entirely unsuspecting of what she’d just stated. He’d racked his brain numerous times since Saturday night, since seeing her cry and feeling the way she clutched onto him for support, pretending he knew the deep ins and outs of Kagome’s mind so he could try and figure out what, exactly, she’d been feeling so he was better prepared to help her out of it should the situation occur again. The typical scenario that pops into a person’s head when told another is feeling insecure is looks, and he felt rotten just thinking a girl as gorgeous as she didn’t feel comfortable in her own body. He’d almost taken it as absolute confirmation when she’d brought up the hypothetical scenario just now. Another idea was her grades, or her future - because she’s in her final year of high school, and what senior isn’t panicking about their future at the moment - or maybe even something pertaining to her family. More specifically, playing backup guardian to her younger brother to help her hardworking mother out. That could easily weigh on a person, and he wouldn’t blame her for crumbling out of sight from the pressure. Inuyasha was almost prepared to make a list of the many positive attributes this one girl holds so he could help her see what he sees; so he could hopefully prevent another breakdown in the future. For some reason, he never thought it was about him. Not with how she was the first to walk into his arms, or with how she called him when she was fighting off tears. After that night, she must have understood how he felt about her, but that’s only three days of security. It made sense now that he thought about it; the half demon wasn’t known for his open displays of affection. There had never necessarily been a person he wanted to be openly affectionate with until now. As he had been coming to terms with his own emotions, gradually forcing himself out of his damaging and abrasive habits, somewhere along the lines he’d just assumed she knew. And, only ended up confusing her. That’s a good chunk of time that they weren’t on the same page, and he had no fucking idea. If she needed more obvious gestures, he could provide that. It was nerve-racking, but he would do it for her.

“Well, I hope you feel better now, because that’s a stupid thing to get upset about.” He watched as she seemingly took in his response, a small smile curving her lips, comprehending his language. “Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”

He came down the stairs, adjusting his hoodie as he went, spotting Kagome at a bookshelf at the far end of the living room as he came back through. Her brown eyes were glued on a photograph, never peering away to look at him as he approached.

“My dad.” He spoke, stopping just inches behind her.

“You look so much like him.” Kagome seemed almost astonished by the resemblance.

“Just the hair. I think I look more like my mom.”

“And the jawline.”

“And the jawline.” Inuyasha chuckled, nodding as he agreed.

“Is that your uncle with him?”

“Yeah, that’s the geezer. Come on, let’s go.”

She smiled up at him happily, following him out the door, waiting for him on the sidewalk outside the gate while he locked up. As he strode back over to her, he gave the shoulder of her sweater a small yank to lead her down the path he took to her place, his fingers casually sliding down the front of her arm until he reached her hand, tangling their fingers as they’d been before.

Their notes and homework assignments were sprawled on the floor of her bedroom between them, mostly used for reference when necessary as he quizzed her with random questions, a movie playing on the tv for soft background noise and their backs resting against the side of her bed.

“Wait, you already asked me that one!” Kagome complained, scrounging through the papers before her for the answer.

“Yeah, you got it wrong the first time, and you still can’t remember the answer I gave you.” He responded, his tone brassy but amused, breathily chuckling as he watched her go from one sheet of scribbled notes to another.

“It’s here somewhere.”

“You never wrote it down.”

“Dang it, Inuyasha!”

“Not my problem!”

“You probably distracted me.”

“It isn’t hard to do.”

Quickly, he protected his face with his hands, laughing as Kagome chucked a small, decorative pillow at him.

“So funny.” She mocked, reaching over and grabbing his notes from beside his knee. “Oh.”

“Hm?” His ear closest to her flicked, waiting expectantly for her to give him the answer.

“Oda Nobunaga.”

“So much for being a history buff, huh?” He remarked.

“You’re so sassy tonight.” Kagome laughed, putting his notes back where they once were.

“Okay, chemistry question: What’s the formula for hydrochloric acid?”

“Do you even know that off the top of your head?” She countered, grimacing.

“Wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”

“What a nerd.” Kagome murmured, once more shifting through her study material. She sighed out slowly as she searched, her face scrunching like usual, and bringing the paper closer to her face, neglecting the glasses on her nightstand. “H-C-I.”

“Good. Since you’re looking at it, phosphoric acid?”

“H-3-P-O-4.”

“Mhm. Now put the notes down. The next question I ask, you should know by now.”

“Oh no.” She grumbled, complying.

“It’s easy. Say you borrow ten-thousand dollars from the bank. By the time you pay it off, you’ve paid a total amount of ten-thousand, four-hundred. What’s the additional four-hundred represent?”

“Oh, interest!”

“Good. See?” He smiled. “One last question and then I’ve gotta go. You ready?”

She hummed an affirmation, nodding as she turned to fully face him.

“It’s gonna be the toughest one. You get it right and I’ll take you out for ice cream.”

Kagome smiled eagerly, whispering an okay as she waited.

“Alright, you sure?”

“Come on.” She half-whined, the anticipation spiking. She wondered just how hard the question was going to be considering he used a reward as incentive.

“Okay, what’s sixteen divided by two?”

“What? It’s eight.” Kagome laughed lightly, brows furrowing in query.

“Yup.” He feigned a defeated sigh, shrugging and gathering his notes together. “Fair is fair. You busy Saturday?”

“No, I’m free.” She smiled, thrown off since she was sincerely expecting a tricky question.

“Great, I’ll take you out on our date then.”

She perked, her expression faltering minutely out of surprise but then growing into one of subtle elation. “Date?”

Inuyasha picked himself up off the floor, bringing the strap of his bag to rest over his shoulder. He glanced down at her as she followed suit and stood, shrugging his brows and smiling slightly in a meager response to her question. “See you tomorrow.”

“Wait, I’ll walk you out.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” He said, opening the door to her bedroom and giving her head a gentle shove backward. “I’ll text you when I get home.

—

He crossed the street, seeing the designated meet-up spot in the short distance, the sun still barely keeping the sky illuminated. Hues of fading orange and pink danced on patches of clouds overhead, a deep indigo overriding the majority of the sky. He didn’t see her at the statue, and he was glad he’d beat her; he didn’t like the idea of her sitting alone waiting for him. As he approached, he pulled his phone out of the front pocket of his black jeans, making sure she hadn’t texted.

His stomach was in absolute shambles, his nerves riddled and wired. Their first date. It was about time, yeah, but that didn’t make the ordeal any less unsettling. He’d never technically done this before, so his worst fear was fucking it up. He tried pretending it was just another ordinary hang out so he’d calm down a bit, but he knew that wasn’t true. This was a date. He was finally taking Kagome out on a date. He figured when they got the ball rolling, it would be a lot smoother since being around each other was easier than he’d ever imagined it would be, but up until then he felt just about ready to puke.

To busy himself as he waited, Inuyasha adjusted his grey t-shirt beneath his jacket, making sure it didn’t look too wrinkled or disheveled. He knew people were technically supposed to dress up for occasions such as these, but outside of his school uniform, he refused to wear another button up unless absolutely necessary. It wasn’t his style. He still looked appropriate, and he vaguely remembered the way her eyes lingered on him the last time he wore this shirt around her.

“Well, well, well.” Inuyasha’s gaze, heating instantly, shot to the side, landing on the tall, slender delinquent that ambled over. He’d been so distracted waiting for Kagome that he hadn’t even fucking noticed the scent of the motherfucker. “Look who it is.”

“Fuck.” Inuyasha breathed, the word dragging out hoarsely. “I’ll give you twenty bucks to leave me alone tonight.”

“Who do I look like, Jakotsu? Gonna take a lot more than that to buy me off.”

“Not tonight.” Inuyasha’s tone was clenched and assertive, staring straight into the dark eyes of the man that continued to approach.

“Why? What’s on the agenda?” He asked, carelessly. An arrogant smile expanded on his face.

“I’m serious, Ren.”

“Yeah, see, the last time we saw each other, you shoved my face into a brick wall. I’m not feeling very understanding at the moment.” He sneered.

“You came at me first.”

“And, it wouldn’t keep happening if you’d just fix the mistake you made.”

“It’s on my to-do list. Right there next to making you kiss my ass.”

“You son of a bitch.” He swung his fist, but Inuyasha dodged in time, swerving around to the backside of his opponent and giving the quickest look around the surrounding area to make sure Kagome wasn’t in the vicinity. Multiple times he’d gotten out of these fights unscathed, and he hoped, fucking hoped, he could do the same right now.

“I gotta say, not a really good way to convince me to leave you alone.”

“Figured you wouldn’t, anyway.” Inuyasha’s shrug was barely visible, waiting for Renkotsu’s next move. He wasn’t the strongest fighter, but he was a tactical one. He liked to bait Inuyasha along, or whomever he was up against really, getting their tempers to flare so their fighting strategy was sloppy. In addition, he was, unfortunately, fast and nimble on his feet, and even though Inuyasha was good at swooping himself out of the way, Renkotsu was better at getting back in his.

The hanyou was pushed back, but the stumble was short-lived as he grasped his bearings and threw his fist into the punk’s face, feeling the sting of his knuckle colliding with Renkotsu’s tooth. His lip must have pinched between, because blood was quick to trickle free, painting his mouth crimson as he smiled and laughed.

“You’ve gotten soft, dog boy.” He remarked, his hand hovering beneath his chin but not really even trying to stop the bleeding.

“Shut up.”

“Since when do you hold back?”

Since he was steadfast determined not to come out of this with a single indicator that would tip Kagome off or ruin her night.

“Come on, what’s changed? You been whipped or something?” He lunged, faking right but snagging Inuyasha on the left, clutching the front of his jacket and tossing him headfirst into the statue.

The pain just above his temple was sharp, instantaneously growing unbearably hot as he picked himself up to a proper standing and felt the light leakage of liquid sliding down the side of his face, the sensation dulling and becoming hardly noticeable over the headache pressing him. There was a physical spike to his temper, his blood beginning to boil as a growl bubbled in his abdomen. Of all the members of that dumb squad, Renkotsu was the most annoying.

Something in Kagome snapped, having watched the guy attack Inuyasha. She knew this sort of stuff was happening, but it was indescribably different when she witnessed it first hand. Shock transitioned to anger. Anger transitioned to infuriation. Infuriation transitioned to irrefutable outrage, and that was that. Her next move wasn’t subconscious; she knew exactly what she was doing. Kagome ran at them, speeding up, sprinting as quickly as her legs would go and shoved the bastard as hard as she possibly could. He was sturdier than his lanky body suggested, only stumbling back several feet before his glare met her challenging scowl. Arms braced around her waist before she could lunge again, a husky voice she knew was Inuyasha’s telling her to “fucking stop,” as he pivoted on his heel and tucked her behind him. That didn’t halt her, though. Demands for him to move were grunted from her mouth as she pushed his arms away, trying to climb her way around his protective stature.

“What the fuck is that, your pet pomeranian!?” Renkotsu jibed, finally taking a moment to wipe the mixture of saliva and blood that dribbled down his chin, and spitting off to the side.

“Funny coming from a guy with premature balding!” Kagome barked, finally getting Inuyasha to let her go. He stood close, though, and she knew he was prepared to snag her out of harms way if anything happened. “Who the hell are you!?”

“Who’s asking?” He smirked.

“His pet pomeranian.” She cocked a brow tauntingly.

“You’re feisty. I like that.” He chuckled. “Name’s Renkotsu. And, you’re interrupting a private conversation between the actual dog and I.”

“And, what problem could you possibly have with him!?” Kagome fumed.

“Many.” Came his brusque reply.

“Kagome, look -“ Inuyasha spoke low, only to her, amber eyes shifting from their offender to make sure he didn’t move any closer, to the side of her face - because her sight was glued straight ahead. “Just wait for me in the park. I’ll be right there.”

“What’s he saying? Trying to act like the hero and send you off?” Renkotsu teased. “He deserves everything that’s coming for him. You know what he’s done?”

“Yeah, pissed you off.” Kagome said, her tone dismissive. “I’m gonna tell you upfront that nothing you say about him is going to change my mind from thinking you’re the little bitch here.”

“If I were you, I’d reel that attitude in, little girl. You don’t know what you’re getting into.” Renkotsu warned, his amusement dwindling away. It wasn’t difficult to determine he was a hothead, easily set off by name-calling and back talk, and he didn’t take kindly to challenges against his pride.

“Am I supposed to be scared?”

“You will be if you don’t back the fuck off. I’ll give you thirty seconds to leave.”

“And, if I don’t?”

“You’ll have to watch me kick your boyfriend’s ass. Then, maybe, I’ll take you and -“

“Finish that sentence, Renkotsu! I fucking dare you!” Inuyasha growled dangerously.

“Get her to leave, Inuyasha!” Renkotsu ordered, his voice on the edge of getting even louder.

“We’re both leaving.” Kagome said with the tone of finality, grabbing onto Inuyasha’s wrist.

“The hell he is!”

“You’re from that group of assholes, right? The one Inuyasha left? Which means you’re just carrying out orders from the top. Well, tell what’s-his-face to suck a dick and to handle his dirty work, himself.”

Inuyasha shot a look of surprise at her, a smile spreading over his lips, and turning back to look at the bald delinquent, he notched his head in appreciation of Kagome’s profanity.

“You gonna let your bitch fight your battles, mutt?”

He shrugged, still thriving off her recent jab. “She’s doing a pretty good job. How could I not?”

“You know damn well if I take this back to Bankotsu, he’ll have us out for her, too. Shut her up.”

“Bankotsu?” Kagome grimaced, blinking bemusedly. “Are you guys siblings or something?”

“No?” Renkotsu asked more than stated, his brows furrowing deeply.

“What’s with the similar names, then? That can’t just be a coincidence; it sounds so fake. Is that your actual name?”

“They don’t go by their actual names.” Inuyasha mentioned. “It’s one of the common measures they take to help protect their real identities. All of them have a code name ending in, ‘-kotsu’.”

“Seriously? Are you kidding me?” Kagome laughed audaciously, looking Renkotsu straight in his dark, narrowed eyes. “Hate to break it to you, buddy, but twinsy names aren’t intimidating.”

“It’s not what’s in a name,” He began, walking inward, his jaw clenching and unclenching repeatedly, evident from the muscles flexing at the crook of his mandible. “It’s how you present yourself. I’ve never been one for hitting chicks, but a motherfucker just might now.”

Inuyasha swapped their grips, now the one clutching to her wrist and directing her to angle behind him with a firm tug.

“I gave you the opportunity to leave, but you wanted to push your luck. I don’t like women getting involved, but oh well. Fuck me, right?”

“Yeah. Fuck you.” Inuyasha seethed, the scowl returning to set on his features. “If you think you’re ever going to touch her -“

“And, what are you gonna do?” Stopping with a foot’s distance between them, staring into the golden eyes of his original target. “Because you’ve been so successful in warding the rest of us off? You, of all people - if we can even call you that - should know by now that we don’t give up so easily. Now, she’s in the mix. Should have made her leave when you had the chance.”

“Are we done here?” Kagome questioned, her tone sharp. His eyes flickered down to her, a single, thin brow shrugging in insolence.

“Sure. I like that dress, by the way.” He grinned briefly before pursing his lips and spitting on her, his saliva still holding a tint of red and landing in the center of her breasts to stain the pastel pink she donned.

Kagome, though repulsed and disturbed, immediately grasped Inuyasha’s arm, pinching her nails into the sleeve of his jacket so he wouldn’t retaliate. His muscles were flexed and he’d been ready to swing in her defense, and even though he could easily overpower her, he didn’t fight against her. His indignation remained rigid, though, especially with the creep standing so close to them, and she knew, by the way he glared at Renkotsu, by the furious air wafting about him, by the way his shoulders were squared and his fists were tightly clenched, that he wouldn’t hesitate to attack if Renkotsu made another move.

“See you around. Both of you.” He smiled tauntingly, turning on his heel and walking away.

It wasn’t until he disappeared around the corner that Inuyasha’s shoulders deflated, a heated sigh leaving his nose as he slowly, but gently, pulled his forearm out of Kagome’s grasp. She was still angry, but with each breath she took, progressively getting steadier and deeper, her temper was fading away. Finally, Inuyasha turned around, facing her, a frown of disapproval marring his handsome face.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Done what?” She inquired, her attitude still prominent.

“Jumped in like you did! You could have gotten hurt!”

“And, you’re mad at the thought of that, right?”

“You’re damn right I am!”

“Well, I got mad seeing it happen to you! So, I did something about it! It’s the same thing!”

“No, Kagome -“

“Yes!”

“No! It’s not supposed to work this way!” Inuyasha stepped in, leaving mere inches between them as they argued.

“I don’t care how it’s supposed to work! What does that even mean!?”

“That I don’t ever want you pulling a stunt like that again, got it!?”

“Excuse me!?”

“He might have hit you, stupid! You can’t take punches like I can!”

“So, that makes it okay to just sit back and watch the show!? Like you’re some kind of punching bag!?”

“I would have handled it!”

“Then you should have!” Kagome yelled. “I heard him; he said you were holding back! Why were you holding back!?”

“Because you don’t like when I get into fights, Kagome! I didn’t want you to know this was happening! He came out of fucking nowhere, and I was trying to fend him off before you showed up!”

The tension in her brow decreased exponentially, his words ringing in her ears. She felt like an ass for doubting him that way, but still, no matter, she wasn’t sorry for pushing the jerk away from him. She would never be sorry. “It’s not that I didn’t think you could handle it. I knew you could have. I just got so angry and wanted to help.” Kagome calmly admitted.

“Well don’t.” Inuyasha said, authoritatively. “I don’t need your help.”

“Quite frankly, I don’t care what you think you need or don’t need right now. It’s irrelevant.” He flinched to counter but she beat him to the punch, holding her hand up to silence him. “You’re saying it because you don’t want me in the middle or getting hurt, I get that. But, it’s the exact same way I feel about you, so you and I are only going to end up going in circles about this. You can’t tell me what to do, and you can’t force me to just watch your head get thrown into cement without reacting.”

In all honesty, he’d forgotten he’d been hurt in the heat of it all, more concerned about protecting Kagome than anything. He hadn’t expected her to come flying in like a bat out of hell, fully prepared to square off with one of the lowlives of the city. Especially, for his sake. Once he saw her, he just reacted. Probably the same way she had. “Now you’re involved, though. That’s exactly what I didn’t want.”

“We’ll handle it.” Kagome said, unconcerned. To get a better angle on his cut, she leaned her head to the side, reaching up to gently hold his jaw and bring him down near her height. He showed no resistance, his long lashes fluttering softly as he closed his eyes.

“It’ll be fine.”

It really wasn’t all that bad. It looked like the bleeding had about stopped, but it should still be cleaned and bandaged. Releasing his face, she reached for his hand, pulling him in the direction she’d come from.

His grip on her palm tightened as they approached her home, noticing her mom’s car out front, and the living room and kitchen lights on. If she saw them, him specifically, with dried blood on his head, she’d know the night was disastrous and he’d put her daughter in a dangerous situation. He couldn’t have that. He’d already felt like a failure, but to have someone else think that, too - Kagome’s mother, no less - would be mortifying. Kagome’s attention drifted up to him at his notable discomfort, stopping with his cue.

“Your mom…”

“She’s a nurse, don’t worry.”

“No, I - I don’t want her to see this. I don’t want her to know what happened.”

The realization was evident on her face, but she didn’t look disappointed, her head turning to glance at her house before turning back to him.

“Climb up to my window. I’ll let you in.” She smiled.

“You sure?” He asked, and she nodded immediately, letting go of his hand. Before she could move further, he stopped her, pulling off his coat and handing it over. It made the idea of their date more believable if she came back with his jacket, plus it’d help hide the detestable stain. As she situated it over her arms, he reached down to grab the bottom of the zippers on both ends that landed at her thighs, lining them up together and zipping it for her. Kagome smiled appreciatively, turning around and heading inside.

Inuyasha snuck around the front toward the far left end as soon as she shut the door, grateful the curtains were pulled shut. As soon as he reached the tree he used for footing, he leveraged himself up, climbing until he could silently step onto the small roofing of the second story. Her room was still dark as he waited for her at the window, and though everything was muffled, he could vaguely hear her and her mom talking from downstairs. The specifics of their conversation were hard to distinguish, but he knew Kagome’s cheery tone from her upset one, and to him, she sounded happy. Probably fooling her mom into thinking everything was perfectly fine, despite the fact that she was home so soon after leaving.

Her footsteps grew closer, shuffling along as soon as she reached the top landing of the stairs, and even as she entered her room, she didn’t turn on the light until the door was closed. Her greeting smile was natural, and he couldn’t help but wonder how the hell she managed it. Kagome had every reason in the world to be upset right now, but she truly didn’t seem like she was. And, as she hurried over and unlocked the latch for him, sliding the window open, he was engulfed by the powerfully sweet scent of her that stayed locked up in her bedroom, thoroughly muddling any residual, negative thoughts from the evening.

He shut the window on his own, nodding when she mentioned she’d be right back and taking a seat on the floor with his back resting against the bed. Kagome was true to her word, returning less than sixty seconds later with a small first aid kit in hand.

“No, I told you it’d be fine.” Inuyasha chuckled quietly, taking the initiative to turn on the tv to drown out their voices.

“Cut’s need bandages.” Was her simple reply, not even sparing him a glance as she shuffled through her dresser drawers, pulling out a pair of leggings and a fresh shirt.

“The cut’s already healing. It’ll most likely be gone tomorrow.”

“Humor me.” Kagome rolled her eyes, pursing her lips as she tossed her clothes on the bottom edge of her mattress. “Close your eyes, please.”

Without hesitation, he complied, turning away for added effect. The ruffling of his jacket sounded heavy as she removed it, the material of her dress considerably lighter in comparison. It wasn’t the coldest night they’d had recently, but he still found Kagome brave for wearing it - long sleeved garment be damned. Then, an ache twinged in his chest. She’d worn that for him. And, the gesture hadn’t only gone to waste, but the dress was probably ruined now and he’d never be able to appreciate her in it.

At her signal, he opened his eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to fully look at her, regret taking its hold on him. It wasn’t his fault, he knew, but that didn’t help any. How could he make up for this mess? How could he make her happy like he’d intended to tonight?

Kagome sauntered over, crossing to his right and then sitting at his side, thigh-to-thigh, facing him. The first aid kit was in hand, and she set it on the floor beside her, opening it and taking out some cotton balls in a sandwich baggy before turning to him. She seemed so gentle, her hands light when she pulled his bangs out of the way to asses the cut before doing anything else. As if feeling his unsubtle stare, her brown eyes drifted over to his, curious and large, then shied downward as the smallest of frowns tugged on her lips. Kagome dropped his hair, her hands falling to her lap before she bowed her head slightly, hovering over his shoulder.

Sometimes, you could say those three words to let a person know how deeply you feel for them. Sometimes, you could speak your profound emotions with more, or less, verbally, or physically. And, so badly did Kagome want to figure out how to properly express it all to him. To know Inuyasha, to have him sit with her, hold her hand, tell her things no matter the context, was a privilege she was scared for a while she’d never get to experience. Inuyasha, in his own essence, was such a wonderful gift. To have him care for her, and convey how much he cared through tumultuous anger weighted her heart. Maybe not in the moment could she appreciate the gesture, or clearly see his reasonings, but now that things were calmed and they sat so close, touching, trusting, she understood. How lucky she was. On the surface, Inuyasha was brash and hard-headed, he presented himself in a carefree manner, but truthfully, he was the most beautifully delicate person she’d ever met.

Finally resting her head against his shoulder, Kagome breathed out slowly, taking in the faint and generic spice of a man’s body wash on her inhale. Funny enough, of all the guys she’d noticed it on, it smelled best on him. What had come over her was the sudden and dire need to tell him everything she felt for him. It had hit her like a freight train; intense and insatiable. Something, she needed to say something to subdue the fire igniting her nerve endings, but as she opened her mouth to speak, all that came out was a whispered, “I really like this shirt.”

Of course, then, she laughed at herself. Typical of her to chicken out.

Kagome could feel his head come a little closer to hers, his cheek gently brushing against her hair as he said in return, “I know. I wore it for you.”

She smiled. He couldn’t see it, but she smiled.

“Are you okay?” Inuyasha asked, and she quickly sat up straight, forcing herself to appear fully recovered, as if nothing had ever fazed her.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Kagome replied, moving back to her prior task without delay. After opening a small bottle of peroxide, she doused a cotton ball with the liquid. “Could you hold your hair out of the way?”

His expression spoke volumes on how useless he found the gesture to be, but still, he did as she asked, eye roll and all. She gently rubbed the cotton ball over the small wound to clean it, then around the surrounding area to wipe the dried blood away. His attention was roaming over her, and she tried not to pay attention to the way it alarmed the butterflies in her stomach, focusing on her task. It was like his ember irises were actual, flickering chars, and wherever his eyes landed, she felt a pleasant, burning sensation. Her cheek, her lips, her chin, her neck, her collar bone, her lips, her neck, her shoulder, her lips. All alight.

“Some first date, huh?” Inuyasha remarked, his tone dull.

Kagome’s soft smile in response was unintentional but genuine, dropping the dirtied cotton ball on top of the bag it came out of, and as she chose an appropriate bandage, she shrugged. “That doesn’t matter to me. I mean, we could have chilled and watched tv and slapped the first date title on that, and I would have been perfectly happy.”

“But, instead you got to see me in a fight. Kagome, I’m really sorry.”

“For what?” She asked, opening the bandaid packaging and carefully holding the very edges of the adhesive strips. She angled it properly over the cut, gently sticking it down and smoothing it out. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, the way I see it, I got to yell at one of the jerks that’s been terrorizing you. Trust me, it was a good time.”

Inuyasha laughed, flinching as she rubbed her fingers over the entire bandage. “Ow.” He said playfully, instinctively grabbing her hand and pulling it away. She giggled and mumbled an apology, using her free hand to smooth down his ruffled bangs as he let them go. “By the way, we need to talk about your profanity. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk like that. ‘Suck a dick’? Is that peak Kagome temper right there?”

“I tend to lose my filter when I’m mad.” She exclaimed.

“You’ve got quite a vocabulary on you. It’s impressive. Remind me not to get on your bad side.” He mildly joked.

He was still holding her hand, his grip adjusted to rest it against his chest, his thumb tenderly caressing over her skin.

“So, you’re not mad at me anymore?” Kagome asked, her voice softening to take on the hint of bashfulness.

“Do I look like I’m mad at you?” Inuyasha responded soothingly. He leaned a little closer to her body, relaxed, warm. “I just - I really didn’t want you getting involved, Kagome.”

“It was kind of impossible not to.”

“I know. I get that. Now, I’m just gonna worry about you whenever we’re apart.”

“They’re not like an actual gang, are they?”

“No, they’re just like you said; a group of assholes. They tend to take their crap out on others and act like they’re tough. Some of them, though, are something to be concerned about. Statistically speaking, they’re not all gonna grow out of this phase. They’re on a gateway path, and I wouldn’t doubt if Bankotsu already had dirty affiliations.” Inuyasha said, letting go of her palm as he leaned even more towards her center, his right hand now braced on the floor by her legs in a casual manner. The closer he got to her, the more comfortable he found he felt. So comfortable, in fact, that he thought nothing of the way her fingers busied themselves in the loose tendrils of his hair along the sides of his face.

“How long were you with them?” Kagome asked.

“Not long enough to actually do anything I’d regret, aside from the obvious.”

“So, you were never actually one of them.” She stated. It felt like reassurance to the stress he already carried about having made the mistake of walking with them in the first place.

He opened his mouth to say something, but his mind blanked. Not in a hopeless way, but in the sense that there was nothing that needed to be said. As he basked in her confidence in him, calmed by the tips of her fingers continuously running through his bangs and loose strands from his ponytail, he realized that neither of them were going anywhere. What the hell was he waiting for?

There was no apprehension in his lean, the fingers of his free hand curving around the side of her neck and beneath her hair, intentionally holding just before meeting her lips. Kagome leaned in the rest of the way, her mouth soft and molding against his perfectly. And, she smiled into his kiss, giggling breathily, happily as they broke.

“I want to be with you, Kagome.” He spoke, tone husky, just as content. “You and I.”

She nodded, feeling so full and light at the same time it was difficult not to be consumed by her elation.

“Yeah?” Inuyasha smiled, almost teasing because he could tell how shy she was getting from the fresh and deep shade of her cheeks. Again, she nodded, her head ducking slightly. “Is that a yeah?”

“Shut up.” Kagome laughed, taking the initiative to kiss him again, his sigh hot against the side of her cheek while he firmly clutched her to him.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

#yeep #inuyasha #kagome #kagome higurashi #miroku #sango #inukag #mirsan #inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha fanfic #inuyasha fic #InuKag fanfiction #inukag fanfic #InuKag fic #high school au #coming of age #my writing #delicate #akitokihojo

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penwieldingdreamer · 5 years

Text

My best friend, naughty lover and partner for life

As you all so eagerly requested, here the next part. I’m not sure if it’s good enough, I guess it could have been better but it’s not easy to describe child birth without it sounding like a medical article. Let me know what you think. Still have fun and happy reading.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Warnings: fluff, cursing, childbirth

Words: 3462

Part 7

The usual buzz of the hospital blurred before him as Keanu made his way through the corridors, Kim and Gard following behind him. He had been a nervous wreck, it felt like that night he went with Jenny, the doctors telling them that their little angel died in the womb. Devastation was all that he felt at those words and when his friend was standing at the door, saying Y/N was at the hospital he thought it would end the same way as it did that day all those years ago.

"Ke, slow down a bit." his sister called him. "The nurse is trying to take us there, so you should let her lead."

Looking back he saw the older woman breathing hard as she was fighting to keep up with his steps, so he finally reduced his speed, letting them all catch up to him. Adrenaline was rushing through his body and he knew if he didn't get there soon, he'd combust because of it.

Puffing, the nurse put her hand in his arm, giving Keanu a gentle smile. "I know… you're nervous, but it won't help… your girlfriend if you storm in there like a hurricane."

Eyes widening the actor turned back to his younger sister, who just answered with a shrug, not sure what to say. He swallowed the lump that had build up in his throat, feeling the sweat gather on his neck, wetting the longer strands there. Thinking back to the last time he had been this nervous it was probably when his good friend Alexandra Grant presented him with their collaborative book Ode to Happiness. It was a gathering of friends and she came to him and just gave over the book, everyone staring and grinning from ear to ear. That day was great.

"Hey! Big brother!" Kim called, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Come on, she's asking for you." Linking their arms the former actress steered him down the corridor, watching Keanu as he gazed at all the pictures leading to the delivery room. "You might not be the father but it says a lot that she wants you there."

Looking at his younger sister, the dark haired actor raised an eyebrow, scratching his bearded chin. "I'm not sure Y/N is going to profess her love for me, so I'll not be anything but a good friend today."

"Why do you sell yourself short, huh?" Gard asked from his other side, lightly hitting his shoulder. "You guys should get your heads knocked together so you'll be thinking straight again. Both of you are the best that could have happened to each of you and still you're moving around on eggshells. Everyone can see there's something there."

Shaking his head, Keanu breathed deeply as they came to the room you were in. He could hear the moans through the door and felt his heart squeezed tightly. He remembered sitting there with Jenny when the doctor told them there was no heartbeat and she had to deliver their baby naturally.

The nurse opened the door and announced their arrival, Gard and Kim waiting outside while his mother and Karina smiled at him. Patricia tightly held onto your hand as another contraction wrecked your body. His younger sister stood up, waving him over so he could sit next to you.

His mouth felt dry and no matter how often he swallowed it wouldn't get better, nerves making his hands shake like crazy. He doubted you would know that he was there, breathing hard as you leaned against his mother.

"Y/N, sweetheart." She spoke softly, trying to get through to you. "He's here, he's gonna help you now." Keanu could see you nod, reaching your free hand out to him behind your back.

"Please… let my parents… know what's… going on." you told her, teeth clenched together as you breathed through the pain.

She nodded her head, stroking her free hand over your sweat soaked hair, a gesture each mother does for their child. "I promise."

The contraction was ending and you felt yourself relax against the bed. His fingers laced with yours and a soft smile lifted the corners of your mouth. You saw the blush creeping onto his face when he looked at you, your body only hidden by the hospital gown. Patricia let go of your hand and walked out of the room, calling your mother as you wished.

"Thank you for coming, Ke." you mumbled, laid back against the pillows on the bed. The actor smiled at you, his thumb stroking over the back of your hand that held the IV needle to give you the needed fluids. The doctor had told you it would be a long night, even though your water had broken, they needed to wait for a while until you were dilated as far as possible.

"O-of course." he said, returning your smile. "I'm glad you -uh- that you wanted me here."

You bit your lip, still seeing the uncertainty in his eyes, he was a man of nearly fifty and feeling insecure because the one time he thought there's someone he'd love again, you fucked up. "I'm sorry about that day. I… I was shocked when you told me you loved me." Your hand subconsciously played with his fingers, seeing the size difference between them. You imagined, if things had gone differently from the beginning, meeting Keanu before Tommy, would he have wanted kids? Would he have been happy when you announced your pregnancy? Imagined, how his hand would have looked placed on your rounded middle, cradling the life that was growing there. "All I could think about… All I am thinking about is how the media will react. Y-you haven't had a serious relationship, well no relationship at all since Jenny died and suddenly, suddenly there's this pregnant woman, younger than you and you're totally in love."

"Please don't talk in third person about yourself." Keanu commented, laughing softly as his free hand stroked along your hairline, brushing the wet strands out of your face. "I don't care what the press says, this is just between you and me, Y/N. I want you to know that my feelings haven't changed, I still love you."

"I know, I… Can we just try to keep it slow, I'd like to adjust to all of this." Another contraction hit you, not as painful as before but still you held onto him, Nodding your head as he asked if you felt some pain, watching the contractions device." I-I'm okay, the doctor said before it could slow down a bit, before the pain was going to get more severe with each stage until I go into active labor." Shifting, you tried to change positions as best as you could, hoping that laying on your side would relieve some of the pain in your back. Keanu's hand reached out and helped you turn, lightly massaging your back. "Can you distract me?"

"Sure." he said, smiling at you. "What do you want to hear?"

Grinning, you laid your hand on his cheek. "Is there something from the movie you can tell me about?"

"Ah, now I know why you wanted me here." Keanu joked, linking your fingers again. But still he told you about the filming, how the other actors were. His relationship with Chad, who had been his stunt double in the Matrix movies and was now debuting his first movie. You loved listening to him talk, his voice deep and calming, helping you relax through the pain. A few times during his rendition of his current project, the nurse came in checking your progress and making sure you'd have enough to drink which was something she asked him to do all the time. He was attentive, letting you squeeze his hand when a contraction hit or put the glass with water under your nose so you'd drink, even if you didn't want to. "And you know there was this puppy, she was so cute." The actor smiled, gushing about the beagle that only got a few scenes with him, but was the sweetest goofball on set. "If she didn't have owners I would have totally taken her home with me."

"Oh, I believe… ah shit." you groaned, your hand squeezing his and you could hear the wince coming from his lip, but right now you needed every strength to anchor you as the contraction became more intense. Breathing harshly, you saw the nurse come back in with a smile.

"How do you feel?"

Closing your eyes you tried to concentrate on Keanu, the way his voice was soothing and coaching you to breath through it. How the hell did he know that? His finger caressing your sweaty brow, brushing at the creases between them. "The contractions are coming more frequently now." he finally answered her. She nodded and looked at the writings, checking the frequency. Coming over to you as you were done, she tested your cervix to see how far along you were. He watched her carefully, but still avoided looking directly at your lower body, keeping your modesty, not that he was shy, but he tried to be a gentleman in every sense of the word.

"It's good. You're already at about six centimeters, though you still have a bit more to go, but your daughter must really want to be here tonight." the older nurse smiled gently at you, patting your leg once she had taken off the gloves. "If you want you can try to move around a bit. It will release some of the pain and may help speed up the process."

Nodding your head, she came around to your side, helping you to sit up on the bed. Together with Keanu on your other side they stood you up, waiting until you found your footing and could easily stand on your own.

"If you need some help or anything, just press the call button and we'll be there."

"Uhm, actually" you stopped her, turning to the actor with a soft blush covering your cheeks. Great timing to feel embarrassed now. "I really need to use the loo." you nearly whispered even though Keanu was standing so close he could hear you.

The nurse laughed lightly, steadying you while you made your way to the bathroom. "You guys are really sweet, we don't have many couples like you."

"What do you mean?" you asked when she helped you sit down on the toilet.

Shrugging, she held your arm making sure you wouldn't fall off in case another contraction hit you. "Well, the way he's acting around you I guess you're not together for a long time, huh?"

"N-no, not really. We just" you broke off when you felt the pressure again, like something was splitting you apart down there. You were sure if the cramps of your period would have been this horrible you would have never wanted kids.

"It's okay, just breathe with me and we'll get through that one, too." she said, gently rubbing along your shoulders while you cradled your belly. "If you want to, I can get you hooked up on some pain medication. It will bring some relief and not harm the baby."

Finally you were able to relax a bit when the pain passed. Nodding your head you smiled at the nurse as best as you could. "You know I’ve been to all these birthing classes and shit and they don't tell you it's going to be like this."

"Well it's different for everyone." she explained helping you off the seat once you were finished. "But even though you guys might not be together long, you're still a good team. I've seen loads of couples and your both doing a good job here."

"Thank you." you mumbled, but still happy that she reassured you. "He's doing the best he can."

Coming out of the en-suite bathroom you saw Keanu pacing, probably having updated Patricia who were still waiting at the hospital. "You okay?" he asked once he saw you, coming to stand next to you.

"Yeah, I'll be okay once they give me the good stuff." you smiled, reaching your hand out for him. The nurse left you and together with the actor you slowly walked across the room, stopping once in a while to brace yourself for the contractions, his hands massaging your back and helping to ease the pain. Nurse Henley as you finally found out came in to check your dilation again, Nodding approvingly when she found the process moving along nicely as the minutes ticked by. Once you had reached eight centimeters, the doctor came in, an older gentleman with kind eyes and grey hair, to set you up with the epidural so you could still feel the contractions and the urge to push but enough to numb the pain before it got to intense. Sitting on the fitness ball with your arms around Keanu's waist the doctor pushed the needle into your spine and you could hear him wince lightly.

"It's not so bad, son, she'll be happy to have it once the real act starts." the man said with a chuckle giving you the dose of pain medication to keep it the pain low but still let you feel what you needed to feel. "She'll be in transition soon, so you should prepare to greet your baby."

The actor nodded his head, his dark eyes widening. The baby wasn't his but he still felt his nerves flutter again at hearing those words. A moan left your lips when the next contraction hit, this time not as painful as the ones before and still hurting enough that Keanu felt your hands clenched tightly in his shirt as you breathed into it. Rubbing along your shoulders, neck and back, he hoped to help you through it from this point on not sure what he was doing now.

Time was moving swiftly now and with the nurse timing the contractions you both knew that your baby would be born soon. With the intensity of the contractions getting stronger and closer together now, you felt yourself shaking and shivering. Keanu saw it and tried to put the light blanket around your shoulder but you shook your head, you were hot and cold at the same time, not sure what to do now. Nurse Henley helped you back into bed, seeing as you were losing your strength to hold yourself up and not topple over. The actor sat beside you, letting you squeeze his hand when you felt the pressure in your belly again.

After the final check up, the nurse smiled at you announcing that you were at ten centimeters and the actual birth part would begin. She explained to you again that you would feel the urge to push but should wait until they gave you the okay as it was completely normal to do that. Keanu brushed your hair out of your face, looking down at your tired, sweating but still beautiful form. He would do anything to help you and the baby, making sure that you had everything and wanted for nothing, even if he might not have you for himself.

“You can try to lick some ice cubes to keep cool if you feel hot or get a warm compress if you’re feeling cold again, it’s the adrenaline going wacky on the body.” Nodding your consent, the nurse put down the bowl with the ice and another with warm water. “Now we’ll just wait, your body knows how to work through this.”

Leaning back against the bed you waited for the doctor and nurse to come into the room, preparing everything for the delivery. You were told it being your first baby it would still take a while to start, but you hopped your daughter would be faster than that, tired, cranky sweating like a pig and feeling the nausea creeping up on you, you just wanted it to be over with. With Keanu still sitting next to you and talking to you, about how your daughter would be the best thing to come into this world, that you could be so proud to do it on your own and that he would be there to be the best friend you could want, you relaxed, leaning your head against his hand, squeezing when the contractions rushed in again. After the waiting, the doctor finally gave the okay to go, you couldn’t wait to meet your baby. Two nurses on each side helped steady your legs and holding them up so you could press against them and have more strength to push. Feeling the contractions lessen, the man standing at the foot of your bed smiled. “Well Miss Y/L/N, let’s get this show on the road. Your baby is ready to say ‘Hello’.”

One of the nurses instructed Keanu to stay by your side, try to coach you through the pushing as you had to take it slow to not injure yourself or the baby.

And then everything happened on autopilot, you heard the doctor tell you when to push, the grunts and pants leaving your mouth with every second that moved along. Felt Keanu’s one hand holding on tightly to yours, his fingers aching and knuckles wide from your grip, and his other one brushing the sweat soaked strands out of your face, watching as your eyes were screwed shut from exertion. The pressure on your lower body coming and going as the baby’s head moved two steps forward and one back.

“Come on, darling, only one more push and you’re done.” he urged you, rubbing his hand along your neck, holding the now cold cloths to your heated body.

Panting you looked at him, tired eyes finding his dark ones. “You said that four pushes ago.”

“I know, but you’re nearly there.” he smiled. “Doc said the head’s crowning so you’ll meet the been soon.”

Humming, you braced yourself and pushed as instructed, feeling the pressure lessen when the nurse next to you told you that the head was out, the ones at the foot of the bed bustling about as the doctor held your daughter and gently pulled at her tiny body to get the shoulders out with the next pushes.

A sound of excitement sounded around the room when your daughter his the atmosphere with a final and relieved cry coming from your mouth. “There she is, mommy.” the nurse next to you smiled. Instantly she was dried off with a soft blanket and the doctor suctioned her mouth and nose to get any mucus out so she could breath easily. Seeing as everything was fine with her, she was laid onto your bare belly and all you could do was look down at marvel at the tiny wonder in your arms. You felt tears gather in your eyes, softly kissing her head and caressing her still wrinkly body underneath the blanket to keep her warm.

Awe, euphoria, pride disbelief, excitement and even relief coursed through your body. So many emotions all coming forth that had been bottled up hours ago. Turning your head you watched the actor, tears gathered in his eyes as the looked upon the wrinkly and still slightly bloody baby laid in your arms, and yet you could see so much love in them. In the heat of the moment he leaned in and sealed his lips with yours, trying to tell you everything he felt with that one kiss. So many emotions that words couldn’t describe. Shocked by his sudden action you stayed still, before you let yourself give in, kissing him back with just as much joy as he did.

“She’s so beautiful.” he breathed once the kiss had ended, his fingers stroking along her cheek, feeling the soft skin under his hand. “You were good.”

“You were good, too.” you smiled, your hand stroking along his bearded cheek. “Thank you for being here.”

Keanu returned your smile, kissing your head as his answer, as he was asked to cut the cord. At first he was hesitant, but then like the proud father he moved to the side, taking the scissors from the doctor and cutting through the flesh still connecting your baby, before the older gentleman in front of you helped to deliver the placenta. Now you were hopefully done with everything and could just relax, maybe even sleep.

“Do you already know the name.” Nurse Henley asked with a smile, holding up the name tag that would be put on your baby’s info sheet.

You looked down at your daughter before turning to the actor, smiling at him and gently but proudly said her name.

“Ava Grace.”

Taglist

@meetmeinthematinee @ladyreapermc @axshadows @a-really-bi-girl @fanficsrusz @ficsnroses @toomanystoriessolittletime @fortheloveoffanfic @pinkzsugar @lunaeminxxx @momorix3 @sallyp-53 @keanureeefs @baphometwolf666 @mrspeacem1nusone @random806 @fuck-yeah-hope @wholelottatiffy @cap-just-said-language @theolsdalova @omg-imagine @rabbitpajamas @maggiemoo1892

#keanu reeves x reader #keanu reeves imagine #keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves #reader #fanfiction #story

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siriuslyblack12 · 4 years

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chapter 9

“Pads, Pads c’mon, we have to talk about this.”

He groaned.

“You can’t just ignore it forever,”

Another groan.

“Sirius, baby, I know this is hard for you and you don’t know how to deal with it but if you just let me help we could do it together, yeah? Please let me help you.”

Sirius went to groan once again but this time just sighed softly in defeat. He and Remus were sat on the latter’s bed, snacks that Mrs Lupin had brought them long discarded and sheets askew. Sirius was yet to respond to the messages he’d gotten from his brother the night before, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that he hadn’t had to confront it, but a curse in that he couldn’t help but stress over it. Regulus was all he could think about as he lay face down on his boyfriend’s bed, clothes and hair askew.

He lifted his head to look at Remus, smiling at the way his curls fell down onto his forehead, “What is there to talk about? He wants me to go stay at the house I ran away from, there’s nothing to even consider. I’m not doing it.”

“I know, I know,” Remus leaned forward to cup Sirius’s face in his hands, forcing his eyes to stay on him, “But he reached out to you, he hasn’t done that before. You’ll have to talk to him at some point.”

Sirius didn’t reply in favour of capturing the boy’s lips in a long kiss. It was gentle, as if both were afraid that the other would break as they fisted each other’s t-shirts to bring them closer together. Remus moved his head to the side with a bitten back smile, causing Sirius’s lips to fall on his cheek as he was still in the trance. He snorted quietly.

“I for one think that my time would be better spent kissing you, unless you any objections…” Sirius trailed off suggestively.

“You’re an idiot.”

Despite that, Remus gave him the shortest of pecks to the forehead. “What does that make you then? The idiot’s boyfriend?”

Remus spoke breathlessly, “Something like that, yeah.”

When their lips met again, everything in the world seemed to fall into right into place. The stars aligned, the planets shone brightly, the two of them together where they belonged. Sirius could feel Remus’s eyelashes flutter shut against his cheek and hand come up to grip his jacket. If he didn’t have something to hold onto he would probably combust on the spot, but he abandoned that thought in favour of living in the moment.

Sirius sighed into his mouth as he pulled away, “You’re too good at that,”

“You think?” Remus laughed tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear. It was a little exasperated, coming out in a much higher pitch than his usual tenor.

“It’s a wonder I get anything done,” Sirius pressed a kiss to one cheek, then the other. “When you’re sat there,” A kiss to his nose this time, “Looking like that.”

Remus couldn’t control the blush that rose on his cheeks, “’m nothing compared to you.”

“Nonsense!” His boyfriend practically shouted, making Remus have to put a hand over his mouth to stop his mum from hearing and coming in. “You’re literally the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, babe. I’m in second, of course, but you’re like… unreal.”

Rolling his eyes, Remus was hit with a wave of emotion and gratitude for Sirius. He didn’t exactly agree with him, but every compliment did something to his heart. Maybe if he heard it enough he’d begin to believe it himself, but he couldn’t see that happening anytime soon. Sirius Black is vain, Remus Lupin is not, that’s the gospel truth.

“You could come with me,” Sirius supplied rather unhelpfully, hand wading through Remus’s hair. “Stay over at the house with me, at least then I wouldn’t have to talk to Reg on my own.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t want to get in the way or anything-” Panic snuck into his voice as he questioned him, they’d never slept over before. There was a part of himself telling him that Sirius just needed the comfort, but another part saying that they weren’t at that stage in the relationship.

“No, no, you wouldn’t be in the way. I can’t go there alone, Re, I just can’t. There’s a double bed in my own room so there’s plenty of room and everything.”

He hesitated slightly, before replying, “Yeah, okay, I’ll stay with you. But if at any point you need to be alone with Reg then I understand, just tell me, okay?”

Sirius surprised him with a kiss, one full of happiness and hope and promise. “Thank you so much.”

“I’m just doing my job as the idiot’s boyfriend, after all.”

The pillow that met his face second later did not come as much of a surprise.

Lily looked over at Remus from over her book, the library table between them littered with pens and notebooks long abandoned. Marlene was sat by her side, her phone open and hidden under the table away from the peering eyes of the librarian as she laughed at whatever was on the screen. He’d just finished telling them, like an excited little girl, of his weekend plans with Sirius, a smile etched on to his face which quickly dissolved. “You do realise he wants to shag, right?”

Lily’s words made him scoff, “What? What are you talking about?”

“Think about it,” She began patiently, her elbows folded over her book, “You’ve been dating for a couple of months now, you’ve never slept over at each other’s house before and suddenly he asks you to stay over for a whole weekend. In his bed.”

Marlene clicked her phone off, placing it gently on the table and laughing slightly, “She’s got a point.”

“No she doesn’t!” Their stares burned into him, weighing him down as he tried to argue further. “Why would he invite me to comfort him in a house he hates to talk to his brother and shag as soon as he’s not looking?”

“Don’t ask me.” Lily said dismissively, eyebrows raised. His mind reeled as he considered what she was saying. If, and only if, they were right and that was Sirius’s plan then he was about to lose his virginity to the boy he loved, about to experience something that he would remember most likely for the rest of his life. It scared him a little, thinking about being so open and vulnerable even if it was with someone whom he trusted more than life itself. He’d be under scrutiny, criticism, judgement, Sirius could hate what he saw; but at the same time, sharing himself with him gave an unexpected rush through his bones.

“He wants to shag me.” Remus stated with disbelief.

Lily looked over at Marlene, then back at Remus, “I thought we’d already established that.”

“Well I hadn’t.” He squeaked. “What am I supposed to do? Why didn’t he say anything? We haven’t even talked about it, and it’s not like the gay stuff is taught in school. I’m gonna be rubbish.”

“I’m not sure a lesbian and a straight girl are the best to talk about the technicalities of gay sex with,” Marlene said with a laugh. She shrugged, “Just do what you’re comfortable with, Re. And talk to him. Don’t be afraid to tell him what you like.”

He groaned, pressing his head down into his hands out of embarrassment. It wasn’t exactly the most appropriate conversation to have in the middle of a library.

“Aw, you’ll do fine, Re. There’s no pressure.” Lily reached over to hold his hand, swiping a thumb over his knuckles.

He rolled his eyes, “Have you met my boyfriend? The most attractive person in the school, of course there’s pressure.”

“And what do you think your boyfriend would say if he heard you saying that.” Marlene smiled.

“I’m fucked. Royally fucked.”

As soon as the school bell rang at the end of the day on Friday, Remus and Sirius found each other outside as soon as possible, pushing poor year 7’s out of the way to meet in a loose hug. It was as if they’d forgotten that they’d been in every lesson together, and that they’d sat right next to each other at break and lunch. Every second apart was torture.

Remus stepped back in favour of taking Sirius’s hand in his, “You ready to go?”

Sirius brought their hands to his lips with a sweet kiss, “Reg told me to pick up something to eat on the way there, he’s not exactly a great chef.”

“You’ve been talking to Regulus,” It came out as more of a question than a statement, to which Sirius nodded encouragingly. He seemed happy for the progress, “Well what do you fancy?”

Sirius bit his lip, “How about a subway? I haven’t been there in years.” It was probably an exaggeration, but Remus couldn’t help but smile.

“Lead the way.”

Before they could make it far however, James came up behind them with a startling shout, “Here that, Pete, we’re going to subway! I’m dying for a club sandwich.”

Sure enough, Peter walked up right beside James, but his face served as a direct contrast to his friend’s oblivious smile. “I don’t think we’re invited, Prongs.”

“What are you on about?” He had thrown an arm around Sirius’s shoulders as a friendly gesture, bounding forward with his chin up until he finally looked down and saw a pair of entwined hands. “Oh my God, this is a couple thing isn’t it? I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid,” Remus assured, smiling up at both James and Sirius. It wasn’t the first time he’d unknowingly third-wheeled them, multiple times he’d caught them about to sneak off together and tagged along or sat himself right between them on the common room sofa. At first it had been funny, watching his head reel in confusion when they told him what he was doing, but at a certain point it had become frustrating. “But you are correct.”

He felt Sirius tug on his hand slightly, “We’ll see you on Monday, okay?”

“You wound me, Moony.” James placed a hand over his heart playfully but fell back to respect their wishes.

“He wounds your ego,” Sirius jibbed. He seemed quite happy with himself, grinning wildly and squeezing Remus’s hand. Remus squeezed back to contain himself. “See you later, mate.”

“Bye, dickface.”

And with that, they had to take another detour as Sirius tackled James to the ground. Friendship truly is a beautiful thing.

“C’mon, Regulus will probably be wondering what took us so long.” Remus prompted gently. The two approached the door of Sirius’s old house, subway bags in hand as Sirius gradually became more hesitant. Remus couldn’t even begin to imagine what he was going through, the pain that just being there brought back.

“It’s not my fault someone couldn’t make up his mind about his sandwich. I mean, how hard is it to decide if you want it toasted or not.”

He smiled, “It’s a difficult decision! Throws off the whole thing.”

“Sure it does,” Sirius snorted, waving Remus off dismissively. He stopped them as they came to stand right outside the door, taking in a breath and squeezing his eyes shut. The ministrations on his face told Remus everything he needed to know, so he turned to cup Sirius face in his hands.

“It’s going to be okay, Pads,” He assured. “He wants you to be here, he’s the one who invited you, remember. It’s just us and your brother.”

“I know, I know.” He pressed his face further against the warm hands, relishing in it. “It’s just weird to be here and feel so… happy.”

First, they kissed quickly and simply, but as they pulled apart Sirius chased Remus’s mouth for a much longer and deeper kiss. He kissed him like he was a dying man, as if Remus would somehow save him from his inevitable fate. They were so lost in each other that they only barely noticed as the door was swung open by the youngest Black brother, startling them back to reality.

Regulus stayed in the doorway, eyes flicking between them in equal surprise. It occurred to Remus that he probably wasn’t aware of their relationship, considering everything they did at school could be passed off as banter. “I didn’t know you were inviting friends.”

“It’s just Remus,” Sirius said harshly, walking past Regulus and into the hallway, gesturing for Remus to follow him, “And in case it wasn’t clear, he’s not exactly a friend.”

Remus couldn’t help but blush fiercely at the statement, and then at Regulus’s intense stare that followed. After a few moments of silence, just eyeing each other curiously, Remus cleared his throat and followed his boyfriend. The first thing he noticed was the sheer size and expense the house had, all grand spaces and luxurious furniture. There was a cupboard on the back wall showcasing various pieces of china, fragile enough to break at a single touch. Remus suddenly felt very out of place in a faded red school leavers hoodie and his dad’s old jeans, kicking off his mud-covered trainers and discarding them neatly.

He watched intently as Sirius fell down onto a pure white sofa, legs lined with gold embroidery, and opened the bag of food, “I got you tuna, if that’s alright Reg. You used to love it.”

“Mum wouldn’t like us eating on the sofa.” Regulus warned. Despite the words being cold it was said with all the warmth he could muster; even a small smile accompanied it.

“Should’ve thought of that before you invited me,” Sirius folded his legs and took a sandwich out of the bag to give to Regulus, and then another one for Remus. Then Regulus didn’t even hesitate to sit himself on a chair opposite the couple, a similar perfectly kept colour and texture. “Want some crisps?”

“No way I’m eating your cheese and onion monstrosities,” Regulus said with disgust.

Sirius sighed, shoving the bag towards Remus to offer him the same, “For the last time, cheese and onion is the best flavour! What do you prefer, ready salted?” He teased.

“Actually, yes I do.”

Groaning dramatically and laying his head back onto the sofa, Sirius reached around for the TV remote. Remus looked curiously up at where he was pointing it, what seemed to be a blank wall decorated with only lavish paintings and one bland family photo from years ago, when a large square lit up with an episode of Friends. Of course.

“Seriously? This is what you’ve been watching without me?” Sirius said with shock and disgust.

Regulus took a bite out of his sandwich, “It’s mum and dad, not me. Turn it over if you’re that bothered.”

“Nah, Remus loves this show.”

Remus looked up at the mention of his name, curls bouncing, “What? No I don’t!” Sirius just smiled giddily at him, turning the volume up and settling back onto the couch. A blanket that was thrown across the arm was thrown across both of their laps, enclosing them in warmth as they joked quietly with Regulus. One of Sirius’s hands found Remus’s underneath it, a silent show of gratitude and thanks.

“So, Reg, what’s your excuse for the Halloween party?” Sirius spoke after a few moments of silence.

Regulus paled a little, thin fingers tightening around the arm of his chair. Remus expected some sort of explosion, emotion pouring out of the boy like a violent foundation of pent up anger against his brother. Instead however, Regulus let out a long breath, unwinding his fingers and curling the corners of his mouth up, “Pardon me for not wanting to spend my Halloween with my brother and his idiot friends.”

“I’ll have you know that we are extremely cool,” Sirius raised his chin in defiance.

Regulus snorted, “If by cool you mean thoroughly stupid, then you are correct.”

“Prick.”

“Dickhead.”

“Gimp.”

Listening to them tease each other, Remus was reminded starkly of Sirius and James, arguing and wrestling like all brothers do. Sirius and James had always acted more like brothers than the biological pair, from the first time Remus had met them, but it wasn’t too bad of a change. I’m happy for him.

If Remus felt out of place in the living room, he certainly felt the same as he stepped into Sirius’s bedroom. Large bookcases loomed over him from one of the walls, filled with all the literature he’d ever wanted and a few stray comic books. However, that was where the small touch of personality seemed to end as his eyes shifted to the king-sized bed pushed against the wall, draped in silk sheets and a golden throw. Remus couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp as he looked on.

Sirius laughed slightly, “It’s not as fancy as it looks, I promise.”

“Shit, this whole house is…” He trailed off, searching for but not quite finding the words to express what he thought.

“I hate it here,” Sirius admitted, sitting down on his bed gingerly. “I hate this house, I hate being here, I hate thinking about it.”

Remus sat beside him, tangling their legs together and placing his hand on top of Sirius’s, “You don’t have to do it alone, you know. I’m here, and Regulus, and everyone else.”

“I know,” He said, threading their fingers together. His eyes were sad, contradicted by the smile spreading on his face. Remus thought the dimples on his cheeks were impossibly cute. “Thank you, by the way. I don’t think I said that before. Thank you.”

“No place I’d rather be, love.” Remus said honestly, his hand drawing circles on Sirius’s jaw. When they kissed, it was gentle and kind and tender with all the care they could give one another. Sirius almost sighed as he felt a familiar nip of teeth on his bottom lip, falling back onto the bed under the weight of his boyfriend’s mouth. What was at first slow and quiet gradually became more heated, passionate with want and teenage hormones. He straddled Remus’s hips, strands of hair falling into his eyes causing them both to laugh slightly.

Remus blinked up at the ceiling as Sirius moved down to his neck, peppering kisses over his cheeks and jaw on his way. Hands threaded through each other’s hair, breathing deeply and melodically, the two fitted together like two pieces of a perfect puzzle, moulded like clay. Neither were particularly religious, not necessarily believing in greater powers but somehow it was as if they were always meant to be together. Remus opened his eyes, “Wait, wait, Sirius, fuck, we need to talk about this.”

“You didn’t want to do much talking a few minutes ago, did you?” He punctuated it with a heavy kiss to his neck.

“Sirius.”

He giggled, fucking giggled, “I know, I’m sorry.” Sirius pressed a kiss to his jaw once more, before leaning back to look Remus in the face, his thumbs drawing circles on his hip. “Go on.”

Remus licked his lips timidly, his own hands joining behind Sirius’s head. He let out a shaky laugh, “Regulus is just down the hall, you know.”

“It’s a big house,” Sirius said, his signature smirk showing itself on his face. “Thick walls, he probably can’t hear a thing.”

“Is that so?” They just looked at each other for a few moments, before Remus put a steadying hand on his boyfriends’ thighs to flip them over. Sirius almost groaned as their mouths met again, tongues swirling and hands exploring. His hands rode up beneath Remus’s hoodie, resting on the back skin beneath it as he tilted his head to give him more access to his mouth. Remus pushed a knee between his legs and to his crotch, earning himself another pleased noise.

“Are you sure you want to do this? I know it’s a big deal, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Sirius said as he pushed a hand through Remus’s hair. He said it with authenticity, genuine care dripping from the tone.

“Yeah, I do,” Remus breathed. “What about you?”

Sirius tore his mouth away from where it had been stuck pressed against Remus’s, sitting up slightly so that the tawny-haired boy sat between his knees. “I really do hate this house. There’s just too many memories, bad memories and no matter how nice Regulus is I can’t be here without thinking about it, you know?” Remus nodded along sadly as he spoke, “But maybe if I make new memories, happy memories, I won’t have to think about that anymore.”

“But that shouldn’t be the only reason you chose to have sex. I don’t want you to feel like you have to,” Remus reasoned.

“But that’s the thing, I do really want to. I really care about you, Re, I don’t think I’ve ever cared about someone like this. Prongs and Wormtail are great and all but you’re… you. I can’t even describe it. You’re dead fit, too. That helps.” Remus rolled his eyes and barked a laugh.

Sirius continued, laughing along with him, “What I’m trying to say is, I want you to be my first. I-, I love you. I love you.”

Remus bit his lip to subdue his overwhelming happiness, tears threatening to spill, “I love you too. Fuck, I love you so much.” They said it twice because neither could believe just how lucky they’d gotten, because it didn’t feel real enough to say and move on.

When it was over, they lay exposed in the evening sun flitting in from the window to bask in the afterglow. Sirius’s chest heaved, “I officially declare that your cock is a masterpiece.”

Remus laughed loudly, “Shut up.”

“Absolute masterpiece, if James only knew! If he ever calls you innocent again-“

“Stop talking or I’ll make you.” Remus growled playfully, running his hands along Sirius’s sides.

He leaned into the touch, “Is that a threat or a promise?”

5 notes · View notes

afterglowparker · 5 years

Text

Only a Matter of Time (Part 1 - When)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Word Count: 4,403

Warnings: A dose (ton) of fluff. Soft angst.

Prompt: Friends to Lovers AU

Summary: Peter reminisces on the moments he fell in love with you.

A/N: This is a piece that has lived in my mind for quite some time; it is also my entry for @h-osterfield’s 5k writing challenge. Congrats on this milestone and happy birthday, Kat! I hope you all enjoy the first part of this mini-series.

If you feel inclined to do so, listen to Us the Duo’s “I Will Wait For You” as it is the song that largely inspired this piece. :)

Peter wasn’t sure of the exact moment when he fell for you; maybe, he’d always been in love with you. That part was clear as crystal to him: he was in love. Sometimes, he thought he had fallen in love with you that first day you stepped foot into Midtown High.

“Hey, are you here for AP Chemistry?”

A soft voice broke through Peter and Ned’s conversation, causing the fluffy haired brunette to turn around, his words dying in his throat as he gaped at the girl in front of him: she was beautiful. High waisted dark blue jeans, with white stripes, adorned her legs, while an oversized cropped white shirt, with some logo Peter didn’t recognize, hung off her upper body. He took note of the way her fingers drummed against the handful of textbooks in her arms and how she subtly tried to shrug the strap of her bag back up her right shoulder; the thin layer of perspiration on her forehead gave way to the nerves she was feeling and Peter tried to form a smile, still not quite able to get words out of his mouth.

Say something! He yelled at himself internally. Literally anything! Or at least close your mouth! What are you doing?!

“It’s uh, this is, uh,” Peter’s tongue darted out of his mouth to wet his lips, as he struggled to form a coherent sentence, his cheeks warming as the girl in front of him furrowed her brows at him.

“This is AP Chemistry. Unfortunately. I wish it was something more interesting.” Ned interjected, trying to save his best friend from the growing awkward tension, and smiling at his new classmate; you returned it with a tight-lipped smile.

“Okay, yeah, thanks. Sorry, just wanted to make sure before I settled in. Nothing worse than being in the wrong place and having to awkwardly get up in the middle of the teacher talking,” You replied as you shuffled to sit at the desk behind the two boys.

Ned turned around in his seat, so he was able to continue the conversation, Peter mirroring his actions.

“So are you a transfer? I mean, I assume so, cuz I haven’t seen you around Midtown before.”

“I am actually. My Dad recently got a job offer or promotion of some sort that required us to move out here. We just got in yesterday so it’s all kind of crazy.”

“Oh well, I’m Ned. I think you’ll really like it here at Midtown. The people aren’t so bad, save for a few. Lunch is questionable, so maybe bring your own. And for the most part the teachers are pretty chill.”

You smiled, grateful for the kind boy in front of you, your nerves about not being able to form any friendships in the middle of the year beginning to fade.

“I’m Y/N. I really appreciate all of that by the way. I’ll be sure to come to you with any questions I may have about this place,” you laughed, eyes darting to the right to see that Ned’s desk-mate was still staring at you, eyes wide and lips slightly parted, “Uh…is he okay?”

Ned looked to his left, lightly shoving Peter as he answered.

“Peter? Yeah, he’s good. I think he just thinks you’re pretty.”

Heat instantly shot up your neck and you felt the tips of your ears begin to burn, as Peter’s head whipped to his right, eyes wide in disbelief as he couldn’t believe Ned had just said that. Before Peter could even try to save himself, not wanting to scare you away before he had even uttered a real sentence to you, the teacher walked in, dropping his bag at his desk up front, while the door shut, forcing all further conversation to cease. As he turned to face forward in his seat, he shut his eyes in embarrassment, wanting to disappear, not feeling your gaze lingering on him.

It was 7th period and Peter still couldn’t shake the girl and their interaction, or lack-there-of, from earlier. He had seen her again at lunch, sitting off to the side by herself, nose in a book as she picked at the food in front of her. His feet began to carry him towards her, but then his brain caught up and instead steered him toward his usual table with Ned and MJ, where he settled on just admiring you from a distance, as Ned’s words fell on deaf ears.

“Stare any harder and she’s gonna combust.” MJ had bluntly stated, before turning back to her own book.

“I’m not staring!” Peter quickly snapped, tearing his gaze away from you, trying to rid the blush dusting his cheeks.

“Peter,” Ned began, “you’re clearly staring. And have been since you sat down. You pretty much haven’t been listening to what I’ve been saying.”

“What? Yes I have.”

“You kept nodding at random times and half the time it didn’t make sense.”

At that, Peter turned his gaze downwards to the table, but it wasn’t long before his eyes found themselves back on you.

“Look,” Ned said, turning to fully face his best friend, “just go and talk to her. You’re y’know,” he gave his friend a knowing look that said you’re Spider-Man without him having to say it out loud, “there’s nothing you can’t do!”

“This is different, Ned,” Peter shook his head, “I can’t just…go up and talk to her! She’s way out of my league. I mean, look at her…and she’s wicked smart, did you hear her answer all the questions during chem? Maybe we should get her to join the decathlon team.”

“Whatever, man. I think you should just talk to her. I’ve been talking to Betty recently, and I think that’s going well. So I don’t know. You never know until you try.”

Peter had been contemplating Ned’s words since and even now, as he entered the classroom to sit through English, he couldn’t help but feel like Ned was right. As his feet dragged him to his usual seat, he noticed a familiar figure already settled in at his usual desk, writing in a notebook.

“Hey, uh,” Peter mumbled, pulling the earbuds out of his ears, his voice causing the girl to look up at him, “we had chemistry together, earlier, today…I’m Peter.”

You smiled, flicking the pen back and forth in your hand, as you stared at the boy in front of you.

“Yeah, I remember. Your friend Ned told me.”

Peter shut his eyes briefly, willing the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

“Right, uh. I just. I wanted to apologize for earlier. I know it must’ve been a bit…weird. I didn’t mean to weird you out.”

“It’s okay. I get it. Talking to people isn’t really my thing either.”

“Really?” Peter’s eyes widened slightly, “You seemed so at ease talking to Ned earlier.”

“Yeah, well,” you breathed out, placing the pen down on your notebook before continuing, “trick of the trade, I guess. Sometimes faking confidence enacts actual confidence. Um, how about we just start over? I’m Y/N.” You finished, sticking your hand out, hoping the boy would return the gesture. He smiled, nerves floating away.

“Peter, it’s really nice to meet you.” He concluded, a smile gracing his face as he reached out to shake your hand. Upon letting go, he took a seat at the desk next you and you both carried on a conversation until class started. He was really glad you had taken his seat.

Since then, you and Peter had been inseparable. You were closer than two peas in a pod. Sometimes, he felt like he didn’t know how to function without you. Anything there was to know about each other, you both knew – save for the secret of Peter’s alter ego. Peter thought maybe he fell in love with you over the course of many study sessions.

It was nearing 7 PM when the weight of your head on Peter’s shoulder broke his focus.

“I can’t do this anymore. My brain is an actual puddle now.” You huffed, eyes still attached to the study guide in your lap. It was a Wednesday night and Peter and you were sat on his bed, while helping each other study for the chemistry test the next day; the reality of the situation was that you’d both do fine by yourself, you just loved any excuse to spend time with the other.

“C’mon, Y/N, we’re practically almost done, you just gotta power through it.” Though his actions contradicted his words, as he rested his head on top of yours. He felt the groan you let out vibrate through his body, as you threw your work to the side and placed your legs over Peter’s, effectively covering his work, and wrapping your arms around his body.

“This is stupid. I’m dropping out of high school.”

Peter laughed, his right arm beginning to rub your back gently.

“You’re too brilliant to drop out. Besides, without you there, who’s going to give me a run for my money?”

“Excuse me, Parker, I think it’s the other way around. I think we all know I definitely rank above you in our class.”

“Pretty bold of a wannabe high school dropout to assume that.”

You shoved him lightly, causing another laugh of his to fill the air, as you resumed your former sitting position by him, smiling as you spoke.

“Yeah, well, you’ll be happy to know that you got number seven wrong. So I wouldn’t be so cocky.”

“No I didn-,” but Peter’s words cut off as he focused on his paper, a blush rising to his cheeks, “Yeah, well. It’s only cuz you distracted me. I would’ve caught it.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure,” You replied sarcastically, your eyes lighting up just that bit more – something only Peter could draw out of you – as you gave him a quizzical look, “What would you ever do without me?”

Peter paused, lips slightly parted, as he gazed into your eyes; it was always like being home, even if he was far from it. He shook his head slowly, letting the words softly fall from his chapped lips.

“I don’t know…” A silence fell between you both, as you took comfort in the presence of the other, before Peter cleared his throat, “Okay, how about, we finish one more page and then I’ll let you raid my fridge for whatever you want and we’ll finish The Theory of Everything?”

“That, Peter Parker,” you lightly bopped his nose with your yellow highlighter, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips, “is the best thing you’ve said to me all week. So! I was working through number eleven, and it’s not too bad…”

Peter’s eyes studied your profile, as your words flitted in one ear and out the other, the increased thump, thump, thump, of his heart pre-occupying his mind.

Or maybe it was during one of your countless movie nights.

Your legs were thrown over Peter’s lap, his arm around your shoulders, holding you close to him, as your head rested on his shoulders, and your arms were lazily strewn across his stomach.

“I like cuddling with you, you’re warm and make me feel safe.”

Peter’s heartrate rose whenever he’d recall your words and he’d create any excuse to cuddle with you since, knowing you wouldn’t say no. Currently, your body was shaking slightly, and he was rubbing your back lightly, trying to ease your cries.

“Y/N, we’ve seen this movie over a hundred times. You already know what’s going to happen.”

It was your weekly movie night, and you had somehow convinced Peter to watch The Theory of Everything once again, seeing as it was your favorite movie. Of course, Peter enjoyed it too, but after watching it as many times as you both had, he started to grow tired of it. But as long as you were happy, he was content.

“I know, but I just. How can you not cry? Like, sorry you’re a heartless monster.” You sobbed a little more. Peter’s laugh vibrated through his chest and you could feel it, along with how your heartbeats increased.

“I’m not heartless, Y/N. I cried the first time you made me watch it. I just know what’s happening now.”

“Well maybe the anticipation just makes it sadder, Peter. I don’t know! Let me be an ugly, crying mess in peace.”

“Hey,” Peter shrugged his shoulder lightly, prompting you to look up at him. He wiped some of your tears away with his hand not wrapped around you, and then placed it against your forearm, holding you a little tighter, “You’re not an ugly, crying mess. I’m just messing with you. I was pretty close to tears too. Also…I think you look really pretty when you cry.”

You smiled, eyes turning back towards the screen, settling in for the rest of the movie.

“Thanks, Pete. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with that statement, but I’m really lucky to have you.”

Peter rested his head on top of yours, eyes settled on the film, but his mind focused on you.

“I’m lucky to have you, too.”

Other times, Peter thought maybe it was Junior Prom when he had really taken the plunge and his love finally crossed from friendly to something more.

“Ow! Y/N you’re supposed to be pining it to my jacket, not impaling me viciously.”

“Well maybe if you stopped fidgeting, I’d be able to pin it to your jacket!”

“I’m only fidgeting cuz you stabbed me with the pin!”

From the side, you heard Ned’s laugh and you turned in time to see him lowering Peter’s phone.

“I don’t know why you guys haven’t gotten together already. You already bicker like an old married couple.”

At his words, you suddenly felt the familiar heat creep up your cheeks, which seemed to be a common occurrence when Peter was around, and hoped that your makeup helped to conceal it. Peter on the other hand was looking at Ned in disbelief – no matter how many times he told Ned to cool it with the dating comments when they hung out, he never seemed to get the message to stick.

“I, uh…I don’t kno-I mean-I-did you get the photo Ned?” Peter finally worked out, as he non-verbally gave his other best friend a look, pleading with him to move on. Luckily, MJ could take a hint.

“Yeah, he got it. And about a thousand other photos. I swear, he’s your two’s biggest fan. But yes, you’re typical, high school prom photo has been taken.”

You laughed at MJ’s words, having grown fond of her sarcasm over the past year, and grabbed the phone out of Ned’s hands. As you scrolled you leaned into Peter, letting him see Ned’s handy work.

“These are cute! I really like this one!”

You had stopped on a candid moment Ned had captured of the two of you laughing, as you struggled to pin the boutonniere to his suit jacket. As you continued swiping through the copious amounts of photos – MJ was not joking around – Peter’s eyes remained focused on you. He was convinced that every single photo of you could be filed away in the dictionary under “beautiful” and all its synonyms. The way your face lit up as you laughed, and your eyes slightly crinkled at the corners, and you threw your whole body into your happiness – he’d never get tired of looking at you.

“Y’know, I think Ned might actually be better at this photography thing than you, Pete.” You concluded, smiling up at him as he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I admit, they’re good photos. But let’s remember whose photos are in the Daily Bugle.”

You rolled your eyes, lightly shoving Peter and handing his phone back to him.

“We get it, you took some photos of Spider-Man and you’re buddy-buddy with him. Way to constantly flex on the rest of us. Also, as a not-so-subtle, but subtle reminder, I’m still waiting to meet him.”

Peter’s mind began to short-circuit at the mention of his alter ego, as it always did when it was brought up around you – a firm reminder that he hadn’t let you in on his secret yet: and he didn’t intend to anytime soon. In an effort to change the subject, he threw the first idea he had out.

“Hey, it’s getting late, we should probably start heading to the gym.” “But it’s only 7:30, the doors only opened thirty minutes ago?” Ned began, thinking aloud.

“Ned! We should,” Peter not so subtly looked over at you, “head over to the gym.”

Ned’s eyes widened as his mouth formed an “o.” Meanwhile you rolled your eyes and stepped forward, looping your arm through MJ’s.

“You both are dorks. MJ’s my date now, sorry Peter.”

And with that you began walking away, speaking quietly with MJ. Ned stood beside Peter now, as they watched the two girls putting space between them.

“You’ve got it so bad for Y/N.” Ned bluntly stated.

“Do not. We’re best friends. I care for her the way I care for all of you.”

“No, you don’t. And if you did, I’d be a little worried. I think you should just tell her. I’ve been saying the same thing since the first day you malfunctioned when you saw her.”

The tips of Peter’s ears began to burn.

“I did not malfunction.” Peter mumbled.

“Right, and-”

“Hey losers!” MJ’s voice cut Ned off, “are you coming or not?”

“Peter, I know I said MJ was my date now, but she just made fun of me. I miss you. Come back to me.”

Pete shook his head slowly, as he and Ned began the short trek towards their two best friends, him shouting a response.

“Always will, Y/N.”

Hell, maybe it was that one week without you that truly opened his eyes to what he had in front of him.

It was the seventh day of what Peter deemed radio silence between you two, and he was on the brink of insanity. He had long since grown tired of the tense and brief greetings, the few, to non-existent texts, the absence of heart fluttering laughs and smiles from you, sarcastic exchanges, cuddles, and all-around – the presence of you in his life. Truthfully, anyone could tell that he had been off since the beginning of the week, when you had first told Peter you needed space, while breaking down in front of him. It broke his heart to see you cry and it turned it into dust knowing he was the cause.

May Parker hated seeing her nephew distraught, and now as he stood in front of your door, he could only hope that all the advice that May had been giving him would pay off. With any luck, by the end of this, he’d have his best friend back. Hesitantly, he lifted his fist, and thought through every scenario, almost chickening out, before his fist finally landed on the oak-door; the thud resonating through the space around him.

It only took you thirty seconds to open the door, but Peter swore it felt like an hour, as his nerves went haywire. The sight of you in front of him, looking tired and worn down, but still so beautiful, dressed in a loose pair of joggers and his Midtown pullover was enough for his brain to combust.

“Hey…Y/N…” Peter started softly, as you had just been staring at him after having opened the door. You had yet to invite him in, hand still on the doorknob, as you kept the door close to you; only opening it wide-enough for you to stand in the doorway.

“Peter.”

The tension between you both had never been so thick, Peter was lost.

“I um…I came to apologize.”

“Okay…”

You were just as lost as him.

“I know…I know I messed up. I should’ve been there for you. It was a big night for you. I know that. You worked hard for that award. I know you did. And I’ve always known how brilliant you were, but I should’ve been there cheering you on, louder than anyone in that audience. I’m proud of you. You know that. I just…I let the Stark Internship take me away and I know I could’ve at least sent you a text and that’s my fault and I can’t promise I won’t mess up again, but please,” his voice cracked, as a tear slipped down his face, “please forgive me. I’ll do better. I will. I’m not perfect, but I love you so much. You’re my best friend. I can’t do this – life – without you. You make me better…”

He trailed off, once again unsure of where to go next. A silence fell between you both, as Peter’s fingers began to twist the fabric of his faded, blue sweater sleeve between his fingers, his nerves raising as he waited for your response. You simply stood in front of him, hand still on the door knob, as you peered into his eyes. Your bottom lip was stuck between your teeth and before Peter could stop your assault on the skin, he felt arms being wrapped around his neck, and his feet stumbling back a few paces.

“I’m sorry, Peter.”

Peter froze for a moment, your arms tightening around him, as he soaked in the feeling of having you back in his arms. Without much further thought, he felt his eyes shutting and his arms wrapping around your waist, feeling the weight in his chest lighten for the first time in a week.

“Don’t be. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“No, I overreacted. I shouldn’t have shut you out, because you know I support you in everything you do. I know that the Stark Internship is a huge commitment and I should’ve just talked it out and-”

“Hey, hey, no,” Peter pulled away from you, just far enough to peer into your eyes, “you didn’t overreact. I mean, I do wish we could’ve just talked it through, a week without you was too long for me, but I was being an uncaring friend. There’s no way around the truth. I should’ve made more of an effort. It was important to you, so it should’ve been equally as important to me. You’re my best friend and I love you. You know that. I just. I don’t always know how to balance and handle things the best.”

“I love you too, Pete,” you pulled him close to you again and whispered into the crook of his neck, “God, I never want to go that long without you again.”

“You won’t have too. Not if I have a say in it.”

All these thoughts sped through Peter’s mind the day he found himself sitting on his couch, across from you, as you told him the three words he never thought he would hear.

“I’m moving, Peter.”

The three words sent ice through his bloodstream, the gears in his brain jammed, and his body shutdown.

“Pete? Did you hear me?” Your hand on top of his brought him back, the touch warming him, even though he felt anything but comfort.

“You’re what? Why?”

“My Dad got another job offer. It requires us to move again.”

“Okay, well, so what? Now you’re an extra subway stop away, that’s not so bad. I can handle that. We can handle that. I mean, we’re best friends there’s nothing we can’t handle. Right?” Peter was frantic. Whether he fully understood it or not, he had feelings for you, and they went deeper than you both knew.

“Pete,” your voice cracked, and your throat began to hurt as you struggled not to cry, “It’s all the way out in California. But it’s still in the country, y’know! We can…we can Skype and FaceTime and write letters – and I bet I can get my parents to let me come visit! I mean, Queens is my home. You’re my home, Peter. You’re my best friend.”

Peter felt his heart flutter at your words, and as tears slid down his face, he lifted his arms so he could cup your face and wipe away your tears.

“Yeah,” he forced out through a broken laugh, your hands now grasping his as your thumbs ran across the expanse of his skin, “you’re my best friend too. Nothing’s gonna change that. So we don’t get to see each other as often. It sucks, but we’ll get through it. Cuz we’re us. And we can get through anything. I mean, if we could get through the disaster that was fifth period Junior Year, I think we can get through just about anything.”

You laughed, and even though you had a little bit of snot running out of your nose and tears spilled endlessly, he swore your beauty battled that of the moon’s, sun’s, and every other beautiful creation the world presented to him.

Pulling away from his grip, you brought your sleeve up to your face and tried to rid any sign of your breakdown. And before he could reach out to make sure you were okay, you launched yourself into his arms, his own flying up and stilling before squeezing you as tight as he could. Your breath tickled his neck as you spoke quietly.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you.”

He rubbed your back and pulled you in just that little bit closer, eyes closing as he let his face rest in the crook of your neck.

“I’m gonna be lost without you too.”

Regardless of the moment he fell for you, he knew that what he felt was true. More than anything, he regretted never acting on those feelings. So as he stood in front of the security checkpoint at JFK, he pulled you in with a choked sob of I’ll miss you for the last time, for who knew how long. His nose was buried in your hair, his arms encased around your body, being sure to memorize this moment in its entirety: from the way you smelled, to the outfit you wore, to the weight of your arms around him, and even your tears staining his neck and shirt. Maybe now wasn’t your time, and while he was slightly irked at the universe for that, he was hopeful for the future, because that’s what love gives you: hope.

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flannelpunkcalum · 5 years

Text

The Devil Wears Kevlar - Part 2

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

Cover image credit goes to the amazing saintcalum!

it’s starting to get interesting!!!! this bit is quite a bit longer than the first which is fun - it’s about 4k words but that’s getting up there for me. hope you enjoy it!!! as always pls tell me what you think this is my baby and I love her

Monday morning is rough.

Aspen usually gets to work for nine, which means she has time to grab breakfast with her roommates before she lets the subway drag her to work. On her first morning as a personal assistant, she’s aiming to get to the coffee shop by eight, because she doesn’t trust herself or lines. She’s gonna put on some classy business makeup today, too, just do her eyebrows and put on mascara, not to mention her stress doublechecking her - well, Mr. Hood’s planner. This all means she’s trying to leave the house at the time she usually gets out of bed, which is very unfair.

She thinks about pretending to forget Calum’s coffee order all the way there. Honestly, she’d be better off in a lab somewhere, and the sooner he gets tired of her the sooner she’s elbow-deep in PCR and collagen synthesis. Still, she’s a try-hard at heart, and she mourns her honest nature the whole time she’s standing in line. Decaf, one cream.

Even with her comfortable margin of time, it’s almost eight-thirty when she gets to the front of the building. Her new business flats are already threatening to give her blisters, which sucks, but she straightens her back as a sleek car pulls up and her boss gets out of the backseat. Of course he doesn’t drive himself to work. Aspen smiles at the old man chauffeuring as Mr. Hood steps out, billion-dollar-briefcase in hand.

“Good morning!” She says, instead of “sweet ride my dude” or worse, her first instinct, to ask him why he’s having her bring him coffee when there’s almost undoubtedly better beans at his mansion.

She suspects it’s a test.

See, she came prepared today; she Googled her boss and her and Mel and Paige made fun of the articles that called him a “human sized lever pushing the industry forwards”, or worse, “Gotham’s Most Eligible Bachelor”. Jokes aside, though, she paid attention and she thinks she’s gonna be able to figure this out properly. He’s smart, no matter what Forbes or Business Insider says. He shows up to all sorts of galas with a pretty flavour of the month, which keeps both the Daily Gotham (“the idiot newspaper for criminals” her journalist roommate Paige calls it) and the New York Times very well entertained. When Aspen said she got a weird vibe, Paige said that he might be hiding something with this public image. Paige was probably joking (Aspen’s had all kinds of crackpot theories), but the more Aspen ruminates on it the more suspicious she feels.

She thinks back to the questions he asked in that interview. He probably doesn't trust her either.

So she hands him his coffee. “There’s a little- I dunno if you like pastries but these are my favourites. If you don’t want it I’ll eat it.”

Calum takes a sip as he walks into the lobby. He’s taller, and Aspen didn’t think much of that until she had to keep up with him. “I’m not really one for sweets.” He says, barely looking at her. By that time they've reached the elevators and she's almost surprised he doesn't have her press the button for him.

“Alright, that's cool. Snacks for later.” She says as the door dings open and they step in.

Aspen reaches out for the paper bag of pastry when she realizes Mr. Hood is looking at her, really looking, for the first time all morning. He doesn't move to hand it over. “Sorry, did I- you're not allergic or anything-”

“It's not that, no, you're very thoughtful. You're just very- people aren't usually very informal with me like that.” He says, and not like it's a good thing. Aspen’s stomach drops, and not just because this elevator goes up real high. She's pretty sure the whole city can see the blush on her cheeks.

“I didn't mean to overstep- I'm sorry.” She says. He has a ghost of a smile on his lips at that. “I'm sorry, sir.” She tries again, with a careful kind of laugh, but he seems to smile properly at that and she feels a little warmer.

“Don’t worry about it too much. It’s your first day. I’ll play nice.” He says, and if Aspen didn’t know better she would have said he winked before pressing the paper bag into her hand and turning to the doors.

She’s still trying to process that as the elevator dings again for the top floor and he steps out. No matter how warm the places where their skin met feel, she has to hurry to trail after him, which she does not like. Stupid long-legged CEOs, stupid business flats. Maybe this is another test, to see if she's content with falling behind or if she leans in to the cardio. Aspen is starting to think maybe she hates being a personal assistant, and it's only been five minutes.

Mr. Hood starts talking as they head through the reception area. “This is how most days are will go; once I arrive, you'll bring me my coffee and we'll go over my appointments and meetings for the day, lunch plans, etcetera. I may need you to accompany me to some of them, just to take notes. Your computer should be connected to my email, I'll need you to look through that in a second.” He opens the door of his office for her and follows her in, taking a seat at his desk and looking at her expectantly.

Well. No pressure, or anything.

“Alright, so here’s the agenda for the day, here's your copy,” She says, pulling a neatly folded piece of paper out of her bag. “First meeting is at ten with the-”

“It is 2019.”

What? Aspen almost panics. “What?”

“It's 2019, we have smartphones, you don't need to-” Calum gestures at the sheet, looking- not angry, not amused, just- unreadable.

“I know that. Sir.” Says Aspen, not like a defensive child at all. “It's just nice sometimes to have a hard copy. Maybe you'll like it.”

She gets a faintly amused vibe. Mr. Hood is definitely finding this a little funny. Asshole.

“Alright, then, go on.”

Aspen takes a deep breath. “SO, ten o’clock meeting with Julia Fedeski and the team from Hood Automotive, eleven thirty demo from Hood Tech that could be pushed to after lunch if the meeting goes long, then you have lunch with - it just says a question mark on your sheet, in the book there were like three names scribbled out.”

“That's fine.” Mr. Hood is definitely smiling a little now. Aspen really fuckin’ wished she knew why.

“Alright, then after lunch at one you're supposed to have a meeting with the sales rep - I wish I could be more specific but all it says is “the sales rep”. Um, and then at two thirty you have a phone interview with WGBS. Finally, at five it says you have to leave for a fitting for the Gotham Museum fundraiser and I can't let you be late to that. It's very clear. And that's what your day looks like!”

“Sir.” Mr. Hood reminds her, letting an honest smile show.

“Sir!” Aspen covers as best she can. “I'm sorry, I- I'm a scientist by trade, we're an irreverent bunch. I'll get it.”

“I know you will.” He seems cheerful as he takes another sip of his coffee. “Why don’t you check for messages and come back in, say, half an hour to bring me up to speed?”

“Absolutely, sir,” says Aspen, and she is out of that office as fast as politely possible.

Calum Hood is still terrifying, but at least that time Aspen didn't feel like she was about to spontaneously combust.

Half an hour gives her time to get a cup of tea before she heads back in to give the seventh richest person in the world an update. She doesn't burst into flames that time, either, and he doesn't have to remind her to address him all formal-like this time, either.

...maybe this could work.

By time Aspen emerges, glowing with happiness because she didn't fuck that exchange up, Liam and Janice are in. Janice gives her a really kind smile. Liam looks at her and his shoulders sag.

Aspen had hoped that Liam would have something to say to her today. An apology. She would have taken any excuse. She didn't want one of her best and most handsome work friends to be angry at her like this! It looks like that's not going to happen, though, which is- it's a shame.

“Good morning Janice, good morning Mr. Payne.” She chirps anyway.

Janice seems surprised to see her cheerful, but she says hello anyways. Liam grunts, but at least he doesn't try to grab her again.

Aspen suspects she's going to be counting her blessings fairly often this week.

She heads into her office and gets to… work, she thinks? She doesn't know what she's supposed to be doing until Mr. Hood needs her, so she pokes through file cabinets and tries not to look up through the glass to see what Liam's doing.

She makes a reservation for lunch.

She answers the phone and manages to direct them to Hood Tech.

She calls Mr. Hood fifteen minutes before his meeting to remind him and ask if she needs to take notes (she doesn't).

She watches him leave his office and head to the elevators. He doesn't wave.

Janice answers a phone call.

Liam coughs.

GOD, she's going to be here forever.

Aspen decides she hates being a personal assistant. Offices are terrible. Worst of all, she’s still over-analyzing the little exchange she had with her boss in the elevator, probably because her genius brain has nothing else to do. She’s really trying not to be silly about this but god, she fuckin’ yearns to be in a lab. No one expects a bunch of nerds to look poised and collected while they wait for something to happen! Aspen wishes she was back in the basement. Mouska, pretty Mouska who worked next door, would always let Aspen come around and watch her dissect turtle brains or whatever. Even when there was nothing to do, there was something to do. Here, all she can do us Google “what to do in an office when you are bored” and pray Liam can't see her browser history. One of the suggestions is “quit”. God, she wishes.

Things look up around eleven, when Calum gets back and has her draft an email for him. It takes her a nerve-wracking fifteen minutes to write one paragraph, but he approves it and then they finally get to head down to the levels of Hood Tech’s labs for the demo.

To say Aspen is psyched would be an understatement. She even grabs her safety glasses from the desk (of course she’s keeping them around) on her way to meet Mr. Hood at the elevators. Just in case. He meets her with eyebrows raised. “You don’t have to come along.” he says, but he doesn’t sound opposed to it so she presses on.

“If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’d really like to. Do you know how jealous Ash- Dr. Irwin is going to be when he hears about this?” She’s got a clipboard in her hand to make her look professional, and it seems to work because he smiles at her and turns to the elevator.

Hood Tech is so badass. Aspen remembers when they came out with the remote hacking device that helped Gotham City PD take down Firefly a few months before she moved to the city. Obviously with Gotham’s problems with corruption in the government, it makes her a little nervous, but god, she’s really into the science behind it. She can’t wait to see what they’re planning to show Mr. Hood.

She practically vibrates all the way down to the 19th floor, where everything is black and chrome when they step out. Aspen is a little envious that these guys get the flashy decor while her basement lab is a symphony in beige, but she has to admit she loves the effect. Someone is waiting by the elevators to walk them there, a middle-aged man in a lab coat and khakis. He doesn’t say much as they head through the labs, at least not to her. Mr. Hood talks to him in low tones. Usually being ignored would drive Aspen mad, but she takes this opportunity to try to peer into any lab with an open door and glean something about the research. Most of the doors are closed, but she sees a shooting range, shiny lab benches, and what looks like an fMRI machine. She’s really digging it.

They’re lead into a room with more men in lab coats standing around, and a chair in the middle of the room. One chair. As they step towards it, both Calum and the guy in the lab coat hesitate. “Oh, don’t worry, I can stand. I’m wearing sensible footwear and everything.” She jokes, wiggling her business flats. “I’m Aspen, by the way, nice to meet you all.” She waves cheerfully. She’s been told it’s disarming.

She gets one awkward wave back, so she counts it as a success. Calum sits down. Aspen stands behind his chair and tries to prepare herself for the marvels she’s undoubtedly about to see. Hood Tech does not disappoint. They’re shown a robot the size of her thumbnail that holds a camera and microphone and hovers, and as soon as it gets a portable power source it’ll be a breakthrough in surveillance. Next, the team brings out a voice synthesizer and has Calum speak into it, and soon the entire room of scientists has taken a turn speaking in his voice. Aspen’s clipboard is dangling at her side; she knows they’ve saved the best for last, and she’s so anxious to see what it is. The scientists seem just as excited as she is; she can catch the bright looks they give each other while Mr. Hood looks over the voice synthesizer.

He can sense it too. “...And?” Calum says, setting the device aside.

Dr. Fox, the head of the team, grins. “And the Hive.”

Someone opens a box, and, yeah, it’s a swarm of drones that fly out to hover around Calum’s chair. Aspen, who’s standing right behind him, is also surrounded, but one of the robots around her beeps at her reassuringly. She thinks she likes it. No, she knows she likes it. “Autonomous swarm!” She exclaims, grinning.

Some of the researchers look surprised. Good, Aspen thinks. Let that be the last time they underestimate her.

Mr. Hood looks much less impressed, both with her and with the robots. “They certainly look good. What are the implications?”

“Well, as your, um, companion mentioned, it’s an autonomous swarm system that has many possible applications. The Navy has been testing similar systems for defence as well as offence, but we think that it could, for a start, act as security in the building while we improve its range.” Dr. Fox says, looking confident. “It’s just a start, mind you. I’d like to show you something more.

“The swarm can explore on its own, but it can also cluster around any object, moving or not. The nature of the swarm also has some… interesting features.” The good doctor pulls out a remote from his lab coat and presses a button.

Instantly, the whirring of the swarm’s motors changes to something sinister, and they start to move faster, tighter. They haven’t touched her yet, but suddenly they’re scary. Less like something from Star Wars, more like something from a nightmare. Aspen flinches, even though she knows it’s stupid.

Calum Hood isn’t immune to this, either. Aspen can hear it in his voice when he says, “Nicely done.” He’s uneasy. Even some of the scientists outside of the Hive look nervous.

Dr. Fox must press another button, because the swarm softens, retreats back into the box. “I’d like to discuss it more with you inside my office, Mr. Hood.”

Calum stands up and brushes off his suit. He doesn’t look shaken, but that doesn’t mean anything. “Excellent. Could someone show Aspen back to-”

“I can wait.” Aspen says brightly, brushing her hair back. She’s going to take a look at those drones if it kills her.

Her boss doesn’t look like he expected anything else. “Suit yourself.”

“I will!” She says as Dr. Fox shows him into the office.

As soon as the door closes, she makes a beeline for the box of robots, smiling at the scientists to show she means no harm. There are three of them now, in various states of apprehension. “You guys do great work here, I’m a huge fan. How’d you do that- with the- the aggressive Hive, or whatever?”

Aspen had thought that would be a nice icebreaker, but the scientist she’s direction her charm at just seems more nervous when she brings that up. “It was actually, um, some of Dr. Crane’s research, before he-”

“Ooh. Say no more.” That had been a scandal and a half. Well, scandal was the wrong word for it. Rather, it was a tragedy and a shame. Dr. Jonathan Crane had been working for Hood Enterprises as a researching psychologist when it came out that he had been performing unethical experiments on animals and on his own colleagues after hours. Very MKUltra. He had been fired and was now awaiting trial. This had all happened about a month or two before Aspen had gotten her job - she suspects it had a small part by scaring away some competition.

The man, dressed in a lab coat like every other schmuck in here, scratches the back of his neck and nods awkwardly. “Yeah, it was- not great for the project, I’ll say that much. But, uh, it means results, so we’ll keep getting funding. So. I’m Dr. Kaziman, by the way. Call me Nari.” He extends his hand to shake.

Aspen smiles and shakes. “Nice to meet you! I’m still Aspen.”

That usually gets a laugh, and it does now.

It turns out these guys have a lot more going on that what they’ve shown Calum, but some of it’s not ready, or it’s mostly just experimental. Once she explains her scientific background, they only take a little pressing to show her what they’re personally proud of. One of the engineers shows her one of his self-folding origami models - he hopes it could be useful for space travel, or some sort of biomedical shit, but right now he’s just trying to figure out how to make a little folded piano. The main programmer lets her look at the code for the Hive, which she adores but absolutely cannot understand. It’s not long until Mr. Hood re-emerges from the office, but by the time he does Aspen’s feeling just a little bit better.

He doesn’t say much of anything, just nods at her to follow as he gives a stiff wave to Dr. Fox. Aspen follows with a much more cheerful “goodbye!” Mr. Hood doesn’t say anything until they reach the elevator, and even on the way up he’s silent until Aspen decides to speak up.

“Thanks for letting me tag along. I hope I didn’t get in your way or anything.” She says, with her very best trustworthy grin.

He returns the smile, thankfully enough. “Not at all. You really enjoyed that.”

It is so not a question. “Well, yeah, cutting-edge technology... it’s so cool, what those guys are doing, sir. You can’t expect me not to get excited.”

Aspen thinks she hears a chuckle. “Autonomous swarm.” He repeats, running a hand through his hair.

“Autonomous swarm! And the voice synthesizer, and- like, it’s not my field and all, but I loved it.” She shrugs, pleased. “Oh, also your reservation at the Cactus Club with Mr. Lord is in half an hour.”

The elevator dings for their floor. “Thank you, Aspen.” Says Mr. Hood, stony-faced again, and he leaves as soon as the door is open. It’s abrupt enough to give her pause before she exits the elevator. It sounds like a dismissal.

Well, alright.

Maybe he just doesn't like Mr. Lord?

Aspen doesn't really get a lunch break that day. Mr. Hood gets her to make an appointment with the Mayor and also draft an email, and being on hold all that time decimates her chances at sneaking down and seeing her friends. She's back to miserable, and she sees Liam walk past her to the elevators with a smirk.

Things stagnate again.

It’s 4:30 when she calls Mr. Hood in his office to remind him of his fitting, and it says a lot about what she’s doing that that’s the most exciting thing that happens after her non-existent lunch. Mr. Hood says he’s a bit busy but he’ll do his best, and she says something vaguely respectful how it said it was very important in the book and not to let him be late. She’s still got to prove herself, after all.

At 4:45 she’s anxious to go and makes a few phone calls, just to look like she’s working a little while longer. Maybe she likes having a little control over this, too. She’s been following Mr. Hood all day, and it’s about time he had to stick to her schedule, and oh, it says at 5:26 she has to get home and immediately lie facedown on the couch for three hours. That’s non-negotiable.

She generously gives him until 5:01 to come out of his office. He doesn’t, so she knocks on the door and is already pushing it open when he says “come in”. “This appointment was underlined four times, sir.” She says, by way of explanation.

“You do good work, Ms. McMichael.” He says, all resigned, as he stands up to gather his coat. “I was wondering why Alfred was outside.”

Aspen is proud of that. “Yeah, well, I do what I can. Do you want me to carry anything for you?”

Calum seems like he has to suppress a laugh. “Eager to head home?”

Yes. “No, sir, just trying to do my job.” She says, smiling, because they both know it’s a lie.

Mr. Hood gathers some papers into a briefcase and tugs his suit jacket on. Aspen, unbidden, heads over to the coathanger and brings his coat over, helping him get it over his broad shoulders. “Thank you,” he says, quiet, and before she steps away he catches her shoulder and gives it a squeeze, just for a second. “You’ve done so well today.” He says, as he lets her go. “You should be proud.”

Aspen smiles. It’s nice to hear her terrifying boss say she did well. Of course, that doesn’t explain why the hair on the back of her neck is standing up, but she’ll deal with that later. “Thank you. Sir.” She adds, almost entirely on her own.

Calum Hood doesn’t look so scary when he’s smiling like that. “Thank you. And go home! Get some rest. Busy days ahead.”

Yes. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sir.” She smiles brightly as he leaves his office. As soon as she hears the elevator ding she catches her breath, runs a hand through her hair.

Well.

Aspen doesn’t know if she likes that Mr. Hood didn’t go out himself when he noticed the car - he waited for her to get him, instead. He’s probably a little spoiled. Plus everything is a test, she’s pretty sure. Even- that look he gave her as he left, the one she’d call tender if she didn’t know better, that was probably a test too. It’s done now, though, and she waves goodbye to Liam and Janice as she heads out.

Aspen’s first day was… not uneventful. But fuck if it couldn’t have been a lot worse. She expected to royally fuck up, get screamed at, to be sent back to the lab in disgrace. To be completely honest, she’s not sure if she’s pleased about that; sure, seeing Hood Tech was nice and all, but she sort of missed wearing a lab coat. Plus, Mr. Hood… he’s impossible for her to get a read on.

Unfortunately for her, she’s tenacious in nature, which means she wants to see how this all plays out. The pay is good, too, especially for the amount of work she does.

Whatever.

She’s going to eat her body weight in pizza when she gets home.

#calum hood series #calum hood fic #calum hood au #ch series #ch fic #my writing #the devil wears kevlar #tdwk2 #tdwk #5sos fic #5sos series #batman!cal #ceo!cal

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lotustories · 6 years

Text

Lie To Me

Part 8

Chapter Navigation

Summary: Years of friendship with 7 boys, yet you were madly in love with 1. It wasn’t a secret to anyone, except him. He never saw you that way and until he got a girlfriend, you thought he did.

Pairing: hoseok x reader / yoongi x reader

Type: fluff / angst / smut (sometimes)

Cautions: This chapter mentions the use of alcohol, heights, stitches, blood, and glass if these things are triggers for you please do not read. As I stated, when I first posted before Lie To Me, I explained I would warn when I felt needed. If I ever forget to put a caution/trigger warning, I sincerely apologize as I may not always know certain things can be triggers.

“What the hell took you guys so long?” Seokjin yelled at you both as soon as you had entered their apartment. “I had to get ready, I don’t look this cute in 10 minutes.” Your reply only made seokjin stop in his tracks to glare at you. “you literally dressed the same as always,” he retorted, your hand flying to your heart as you faked a gasp. “nice hickeys,” Seokjin walked off, your hand flying to your neck as you turned to yoongi. “They bruised already?” His face showing nothing but a smile. “It’s not funny,” you smacked him lightly and he grabbed your hand and turned you around. His body against yours as he made you walk to the kitchen. “literally, a minute without touching.” Seokjin groaned as he watched you two enter. “You’d probably combust but please for my sanity.” He added and yoongi pulled away. “You should get someone.” Yoongi mocked seokjin, his eyes staring at yoongi like he was gonna smack him if he said another word. “y/n!” Jungkook entered with the biggest smile on his face. His poor eye still black from a few weeks back. “Ah, your damn eye.” You lifted yourself off the stool. “It’s really fine, it doesn’t hurt” He was lying, you knew it from the way he winced when you barely touched him. “gguk,” You pouted and he relaxed as you examined his face. “it was my fault, I shouldn’t have spoken about her that way.” He admitted and you turned to the others. “What even happened?” Your hand still holding Jungkook’s face. “She was talking badly about you, about the issues between you and hoseok,” namjoon explained quietly. “Jungkook wanted to be brave, defended you and there you go.” He snorted as he motioned to Jungkook. “the result.” You turned back to him and he gave you this soft smile. “thank you, but try not to get punched next time.” You teased him. “anyway, where are the others?” Jimin, taehyung, and hoseok were nowhere to be found. “They’re all outside I think,” Seokjin answered, carrying the tray of food as he walked with you to the balcony. “Look who finally showed up,” Seokjin called to their attention. “y/n! please never leave for that long again,” Jimin got up to hug you, squeezing you as tightly as he could. “Oh! Can’t breathe,” You groaned and he let go, his eyes trailing down to you neck but not saying anything. He only smirked and turned away. “Shut up,” You yelled after him, Jimin putting his hands up in defense. “I got you a present,” taehyung jumped up, handing you this book, an album really. “It’s photos I’ve taken from the day we met, til now pretty much.” He had the biggest smile on his face. He was proud of this. He loved taking photos, he loved art, and you loved that. You were always his biggest supporter and because you always supported him, always believed in him. Taehyung applied to an art school, “Tae these are beautiful,” You said flipping through. Memories flying back, the tears forming in your eyes as you reached the last page. “That one is for today,” he tapped it, “I’ll take it later.” You closed the book and pulled him into the tightest hug, his arms squeezing you tighter but you’re too happy to care. “Thank you for believing in me,” he whispered and you could only hug back. You noticed hoseok not there, “where is he?” Your voice grew quiet. Taehyung turned to see who you meant and quickly realized. “His room.” And so you went, finally deciding to let it go. You knocked once and entered, finding a sleeping hoseok sprawled out on the bed. “Hobi,” You whispered, careful to approach him. You got closer caller again, “Hobi.” Still nothing, but when you started walking away he grabbed you hand and pulled you to him. His body now sitting at the edge of the bed with you extremely close to him. “Asshole you scared me,” You wanted to hit him but his hands had a hold on both yours. He pulled you in for a hug, his head resting below your breast as you wrapped your arms around his head. “I fucking missed you so much.” His voice muffled in your shirt. “I missed you too.” You answered back and he pulled away to look at you. His eyes soft under the semi lit room. “Come on,” You tried pulling him up but he pulled you back to him. “Can we lie here for a minute.” He pleaded, but you shook your head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” You answered and his eyes flew to your neck and chest. His hand slowly letting go of yours. “you and yoongi are pretty serious, huh?” He moved his gaze away from you. “Yeah,” hoseok nodded before giving a smile, he lifted himself off the bed and motioned to the door. “Well let’s join the others,” His voice now chirpy and forced. You returned to yoongi eating, which surprised you. “Ah, you’re eating?” He turned to you and smiled, shoving the pieces of meat into his mouth as he held a piece of fruit for you. “I need my energy back.” He teased. “Baby, That was nothing. Next time will be even more tiring.” You whispered into his ear and he choked on the piece of meat he had in his mouth. “your all bruised up,” he peeked at your breast, his fingertips tracing one of his marks. “Yeah, I didn’t think they’d bruise that fast.” You pulled your shirt up a bit to hid it and he jumped off the stool. “I can lend you one of my shirts,” He led you to his room, handing you a long sleeve shirt. His eyes watching you strip in front of him. “damn,” he breathed out, his body sitting up with the support of his elbows. “so perfect. All mine.” Your glared at him and climbed on top of him, his hands going to your ass as he gripped you. “I really like you,” his voice a small whisper. “7 years of friendship you better fucking like me.” You joked but he only shook his head. “this,” He said sitting up better so that his face was close to yours. “This is different, it feels different.” His hand creeping up to the back of your neck to pull you down and press his lips to yours. “I like you too.” His bedroom door opened and the only thing you could hear was a groan. “I said for my sanity.” Seokjin stood there, the tiny furrowed brows expressing his feelings. “That’s on you for not knowing how to knock.” You climbed off yoongi. “It’s my house!” He shouted as you walked past him. “I practically live here.” Your answer made seokjin snort. “I’d like rent then.” You joined everyone in the kitchen, hoseok making himself a drink and the others eating the food that was lying around. “First I’m not here enough, then I’m here too much.” You rolled your eyes and Jungkook joined. “I like when y/n is here. She helps me get away with things.” He snickered, Seokjin keeping his unamused expression. “Anyway,” You interrupted. All there attention turning to you. “We need to take the photo for my album. Taehyung made me this photo album of the 7 years we were friends.” You whined as they rolled their eyes at the thought of a photo. “He’s the only one who bought me something. I love him only.” Taehyung smiled and walked over to hug you. “I’m fucking cooking for you,” Seokjin whined at you. “Oh, yeah.” You fake pouted and yoongi wrapped his arms around you, placing his chin on the crook of your neck. You saw a flash go off and both you and yoongi turned your attention to taehyung and Jungkook who had their phone and camera pointed at you. “I’m sorry, it felt like something to remember.” Taehyung put his phone down and Jungkook pulled the Polaroid and handed it to you. You both stared at it before yoongi pressed his lips to your cheek. “Ya!” Seokjin turned the water on and pointed the sprayer at you. “I will use it.” He threatened. Yoongi pulling away laughing. “Get someone and maybe me kissing my girlfriend won’t annoy you.” Yoongi sat next to you. His hand teaching for yours.

The night went on with everyone talking and eating, hoseok and namjoon drinking, and it was a good night. Things were going smoothly, at least they were. “Where is hobi?” Taehyung asked. Noticing the missing body in the living room. “Oh, i thought he was here.” You peered around and lifted yourself from the couch. “I’ll go find him.” You tried the bathrooms, the kitchen, the rooms, but you couldn’t find him. “What the hell.” You sighed, you couldn’t find him. You noticed the back door for the balcony open and you made your way outside. “Hobi,” You called out, finding him leaning over the rails. “What are you doing?” You went to him, pulling him back and when he realized it was you he pouted. “oh it’s you,” He mumbled, pushing you away slightly as he went back to the rails. “what’s that supposed to mean?” You whined, again pulling hoseok away from the rails. “go back to your boyfriend. Let me finish drinking.” He yanked his arm away. “Come inside it’s cold and you’re drunk, lets go.” You tried grabbing his hand off the railing and then you felt your back hit the railing. “do you love him?” he slurred, his face so close to you. “hobi, lets go inside.” You tried getting him to move. His hand going to your chin and making you look up at him. “or do you still love me?” He was staring into your eyes, you didn’t know what was happening. “Hobi, stop.” You moved away and he groaned in response. You dragged him inside and he went straight to the fridge, grabbing another beer from the fridge. “Hobi, I think you’ve had enough.” But he pulled back as you tried to grab it. His hand hit the cabinet and it caused him to drop the bottle, his body immediately going to the ground to pick it up. “Hobi, stop! You’re gonna hurt yourself.” Both your hands touching the glass as you tried stopping him, the glass penetrating both you. Hoseok’s hand bleeding and yours still having the piece of glass stuck in it. “What the hell happened?” Seokjin came in, rushing to assist both you and hoseok. “Fucking hell, you’re both bleeding.” He didn’t know who to help first so he cleaned the glass instead. “Yoongi!” He called from the kitchen, yoongi rushing in to see and rushing to you. “What happened?” He carefully held your hand, trying to carefully lift the glass out. “It’s fine,” yoongi’s eyes flickering to a very drunk hoseok. “they both need stitches,” Seokjin holding hoseoks hand to stop the bleeding.

After the hospital, when you both got your stitches you quickly returned home. your hand throbbing from the pain. Yoongi on his bed as you struggled to undress to sleep. “I can’t,” You whined, your hand hurting too much as you tried. “Come here.” You walked to yoongi, his hands flying to your waistband as he slowly unbuttoned them, slowly sliding down your body as he pulled your pants down. “let me see your hand.” He held it, examining the stitches in your hand. His lips gently pressing against your wound. You winced but then relaxed as he pulled you closer to him. “you keeping this on too?” He pulled at the shirt. “Mmm, you just want me naked.” He only smiled and pulled you onto the bed slowly. Careful not to hurt your hand. You lied there trying your best to fall asleep but you couldn’t stop thinking of hoseok. Wondering why he was asking if you still loved him. Why was he so drunk? So many things running through your head, but the one thing that wouldn’t leave. Did you still love him?

#jung hoseok #hoseok au #hoseok angst #min yoongi #yoongi au #yoongi angst #bts au #kim namjoon #kim taehyung #Kim seokjin #park jimin #jung Jungkook #bts

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mandowh0re · 6 years

Text

Trust

CH 3

Requested: No

Fandom: Avengers MCU

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Enhanced!Female Reader

Summary: Reader meets Bucky while on a mission with Steve and Natasha to bring him back to the States and makes an unexpected connection with him.

Word Count: 2177

Warnings: Some swearing

Comments: I will be explaining past events as flashbacks for background as the story continues, this will be written in italics. Some details are purposely left out, but will come to light later in the story. Also, I paired Thor x Bruce in this fic because I honestly think they’re cute. Their pairing is lightly mentioned and not a large part of the story, but if that bothers you then please don’t continue to read this story. If things don’t make sense, you have an idea for the story, or a request of your own, please don’t hesitate to message me!

BIG shout out to @this-swede-loves-superheroes for being my amazing beta!

Happy reading!

Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 7/ Part 8/ Part 9

Everybody turned to look at the two super-soldiers standing in front of the elevator. Bucky was slightly behind Steve with his gaze on the floor.

Steve sighed, “Could you guys not freak him out by looking at him like he’s the new kid at school?”

“Why don’t you introduce us? Are you joining us for dinner?” Tony stood up and began walking towards the pair, spouting off questions per usual.

“Tony…” Steve warned.

He held his hands up in a defensive manner, “Hey, I just want to meet him. I’d like to know the guy staying in my compound.”

Steve’s jaw tightened but Bucky stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay Steve, I’m not going to spontaneously combust or anything.” He gave a half smile before turning to Tony, “James Buchanan Barnes, but I go by Bucky. Thanks for letting me stay here.”

Tony looked at Bucky for a moment, as if trying to read him before extending his hand to meet Bucky’s already outstretched one, “Nice to meet you Bucky. I’m Tony Stark, in case that wasn’t evident. And it’s no problem. Plenty of room. Steve will give you the rundown of the place after dinner. I mean, that is if you want to join us. (Y/N) is making homemade lasagna and garlic bread,” He gestured to you, who was currently helping Wanda put the mixing dishes away while Peter was pulling out plates and silverware. You looked up and met Bucky’s eyes before Tony continued, “But you two have already met, so I suppose we should get you introduced to everyone else as well.”

Tony turned to the rest of the crowd in the room and began to list everyone off one by one, “The one with the blonde hair braiding the ginger’s hair is Clint. The ginger is Natasha, but you’ve also met her. The guy next to them with the book is Sam. The big guy in the corner seat is Thor, and the smaller guy sitting in front of him is Bruce. They’re kind of a thing. The guy sitting on the end of that couch there is James, but he goes by Rhodey which should make things less confusing for the both of you.

“The redish-purple-looking guy with the yellow jewel in his head is Vision. He and Wanda,” Tony turned back to the kitchen, “The crazy redhead are also a thing. And the child there-”

“Mr. Stark! I’m not a child!” Peter whined.

“Of course you’re not, spider-baby.” Tony called back, but Peter just crossed his arms and walked back to the living room, dropping on the couch next to Rhodey. Despite his resistance of Tony’s use of the word ‘child’, Peter was pouting and looking very much like one, “That’s Peter.” He raised his voice slightly, “Everyone, this is Bucky. Play nice, or Spangles here will have your ass, and I’m not gonna step in to save you.” He waved a hand in the air and walked back to his previous spot in the room.

Wanda followed Peter back into the living room, claiming her place beside Vision. You looked at Bucky and saw that he was nervous, probably overwhelmed with all of the introductions. So you decided to try and distract him.

Waiting until everyone was back into their normal conversations, you walked up to Bucky, placing a hand on his right forearm, “Bucky?”

He whipped around to you, obviously startled, but relaxed the moment he saw you, “Oh, hey.”

“Would you like to help me set up dinner? I could use some help.” You squeezed his arm just slightly in an attempt to encourage him, along with flashing him a warm smile.

Something in him seemed to crack, and he immediately relaxed, the tension he had been carrying since he walked into the room vanishing. “Uh, yeah. Sure.” His lips curled into a small smile and your heart fluttered in your chest. You had decided months ago, back in Wakanda when you had dropped him off for deprogramming, that you would make it your life’s purpose to make him smile whenever possible.

“Have you seen my teammate (Y/N)? Pretty short, long (Y/H/C) hair, (Y/E/C) eyes, probably walking around in jean shorts and an oversized purple sweatshirt?” Steve asked one of the Wakandan guards stationed in the palace. She shook her head, so Steve kept walking. He and Natasha had already checked your room, the kitchen, the common lounge, and he knew you weren’t in the lab because he had just come from there.

“Hey, T’Challa found her. She’s in the garden with one of the guards.” Natasha’s voice came through the comm in his ear.

“Thanks, can you go get her? I need to get back to Buck. He’s really on edge.”

“On it.”

You were walking in one of the most beautiful flower gardens you had ever seen in your life. There were colors and scents everywhere that were overloading your senses and it was wonderful. Every flower you could imagine was there and in full bloom. You wanted to dance around in the garden, but that would make you look silly, since there was a guard accompanying you.

Of course you had seen this place in passing the last time you were in Wakanda. But you were only here so that you and the team could learn as much as possible about your mutation and capabilities.

You found a patch of fully bloomed yellow Gerbera daisies, one of your favorites, and on a whim asked your company, “Could I pick one?”

She smiled for the first time since you had spoken to her; when asked her if you could visit the garden and she insisted on accompanying you.

“I thought you would never ask. Go ahead.”

You nearly squealed in excitement, and picked one of the Gerberas, and put it in your journal for safe keeping.

“(Y/N)!” You jumped at Natasha’s voice, not expecting her to find you out here. Since you were kneeling down and already unstable, the small jump you did caused you to fall flat on your back.

Huffing, you answered, “Yes?”

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you, why didn’t you tell us you were going somewhere?”

You pulled yourself up to a sitting position, but kept your eyes locked on the ground, “I… I did not think it to be a problem. Steve has been with James this whole time and you with Okoye.”

You saw her figure move down towards you and felt her hand grab your shoulder, “(Y/N), we aren’t mad. You’re fine to come look around. We just wanted you to come to the lab. Bucky wanted to see you before going into cryo.”

You felt butterflies suddenly take up occupancy in your stomach as you looked up at your friend, “Really?”

Natasha rolled her eyes, “Yes, now come on.”

When you made it to Shuri’s lab you had to take a calming breath before walking in. But that breath did nothing to prepare you for what you saw when you walked inside.

There, sitting on top of a metal examination table, was Bucky Barnes with no shirt, sweatpants, and hair loose around his face. You could have sworn your heart stopped in that moment.

What was that feeling in your stomach?

Wait.

What was that feeling??

Before you could continue your inner thoughts about what the hell your body was doing at the sight of a shirtless Bucky, he suddenly caught sight of you and met your eyes.

That was it.

This man was going to kill you by cardiac arrest.

You felt a nudge, and turned to see that it was Natasha pushing you, silently telling you to stop acting so weird.

So you walked towards Bucky and smiled, “Hello James.”

“Um, hi.”

“Are they sending you into cryo soon?”

“In about an hour.” He raised his right arm, motioning to the IV he was connected to. It was at that point you noticed his left arm was gone.

Must have been too distracted by everything else.

You nodded back, then gestured towards the open spot next to him on the table, “May I sit?”

He seemed slightly taken aback by the question, but agreed nonetheless.

“How long will you be here?” You asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Shuri said six months at the least.”

“How much of that time will you be in cryo?”

“I’m not sure, she said it depended on how well I was responding to the deprogramming.” You nodded, but before you could say anything else Bucky spoke up again, “You ask a lot of questions.”

Your heart suddenly dropped, “I am sorry, I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. I just… I mean…” You were beginning to flounder and made a move to get off of the table when you felt a form grip around your wrist, and looked up to see a confused Bucky.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Sorry, I should have chosen my words more carefully. I meant that I like that you ask questions. You don’t act like you’re walking on eggshells around me, like I’ll break with the wrong word.” You raised an eyebrow at him and he scratched his head, “Okay, not my best analogy. But, back in Bucharest, you walked right up to me even while I was still holding that gun, powers be damned.”

You giggled at the memory, “Yeah, Steve is going to ground me for that one.”

Bucky then raised an eyebrow, “Ground you?”

You laughed again, “Yes, I am the second youngest member of the team, though I am not an official Avenger yet. I am an adult, but because I am small and have a “baby face” they like to talk as if I am a child.”

Bucky huffs out a short laugh next to you. “Steve’s a punk. And a hypocrite. I seem to remember he was a lot worse of than you at an older age before he became Captain America.” He felt his stomach become feather-light at the genuine laugh that you made, “How old are you anyways?”

“Twenty-two,” you answer proudly. “I can legally drink, so I am not a child.”

“Of course not, doll.”

“Okay you two, kiss goodbye or whatever, I need to finish prepping Bucky.” Shuri called from where she was standing with Natasha. T’Challa, who had been talking with Steve, facepalmed.

“Shuri…” T’Challa warned.

“Everyone was thinking it, I just said it!” Shuri defended, never once looking from the holo-screen in front of her.

By now you could feel the heat in your face and you were desperately hoping Bucky couldn’t see.

You jumped off the table and turned to Bucky to say goodbye, despite the fact that you were sure your face was the color of a tomato. But you noticed he was completely drained of color, “Hey,” stepping forward, you folded your hand over his. “Is everything alright?”

He looked down at you and you could see the terror in his eyes, and that his chest was rising and falling too quickly.

You felt the air get knocked out of your chest and you had the abrupt realization that the last time he went into cryo was with HYDRA.

“Hey,” you gently squeezed his hand in an attempt to pull him back to reality. “You are safe here. Nobody will hurt you. We trust these people. I trust these people. They helped me when I first came to the team. You trust me, do you not?”

You could see his eyes begin to refocus back on you, the distant look leaving his gaze. He nodded.

“You trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” You opened your journal and pulled out the Gerbera you picked earlier. It was flattened, but still beautiful. “This is one of my favorite flowers. It reminds me of the sun. And everyone needs a little sun in their lives.” You placed the flower in his hand, and placing your hand on top of it whispered, “I trust that you will bring this back to me James.”

There was a beat, and then suddenly the biggest and brightest smile you had ever seen lit up the man’s face. And you decided it was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

He nodded at you, and you nodded back. Clutching your journal you turned and began to walk away when he spoke again, “Bucky.”

You stopped in your tracks and turned to him, head tilted. “I am sorry?”

“Bucky. Please, call me Bucky.”

You felt confused, because you liked the name James. It was a pretty name and a formal name. But he still had that dazzling smile on his face and you couldn’t say no to him.

You wondered if you would ever be able to say no to him.

So you simply said, “Bucky.” and walked off.

And that night when all you could dream about was Bucky’s smile, you made it your life’s purpose to make that man smile whenever possible.

-------

Tag list: @cutiepiemimi13 @serenity-schuyler @animegirlgeeky

117 notes · View notes

fweeble · 6 years

Text

Episode 7: The Rich Boy

So if my predictions are on track, everyone will want a friend available to hold their hand this episode, but especially next episode. This is your early warning detection system Fwee working just for you. Pick a calming friend.

*hysterical laughter* THE MUSIC. Shorter, my love, please. I die without oxygen.

Ibe popping out at the last second to take this snapshot is the cutest thing. Weh.

Shorter, no. Are you taking pictures of her. That’s rude. Also, what’s with this bizarrely off-model hands-and-arms action going on, Mappa???

That poor lady.

Please have some pity, Ash. He was in a very emotionally taxing custody battle over his son and now you are all heading to his ex-wife’s. And Jessica is to be feared and respected.

I’m awful and I’m laughing so hard at the fact that Max nearly hurling is what causes the car to careen away from the lady. Good job, Max. Stop Shorter from being skeevy.

*cries* Eiji and Ibe are so cute in this. My heart.

Holy shit, Jessica, your house is gorgeous. I want to live in a house like that. And in the LA area.

Y’all are heartless. Poor Max. At least offer him a bottle of water. His poor nerves.

*screams* IT’S MICHAAAAAAEL.

My heart. Max’s happy face at seeing his son. Q vQ <3

THIS IS EXACTLY MY FEELINGS.

JESSICA PLEASE. GUNS ARE DANGEROUS AND YOUR SON IS NEAR YOUR TARGET.

Just gonna casually slide these panels in:

Truth in television: most child abductions are by family members (particularly parents if they are separated).

I’d hide behind the car too. Look more worried, Ash.

*cackles at Max’s face*

*even louder cackling*

I love Jessica.

Fair enough.

Max’s adopted kid and his biological kid: side by side.

They tactfully left this conversation out. = u= Poor Michael.

My heart. You’re such a good child, Michael.

ASH. WHY. LOOK AT IBE AND SHORTER’S FACES.

Have I mentioned how much I love Jessica.

The phone book interruption is marginally better than asking for mustard. @ v@

Oh, Ash. My heart. Why the lighthearted music, this is actually super painful

*clutches chest* This is super rude. Q AQ

Apparently they don’t discuss Abraham with Jessica, huh.

Max, Jessica’s gonna knee you in sensitive bits if you keep that up.

*cries*

Usually I’d be blowing kisses at Mappa, but all I can think about is I want this house, I could have some dogs run free in the front yard.

Shorter, why do you walk like this. You’re gonna kill your back.

*cries over their protective stances* Sweet children.

*high pitched distressed noises*

I always forget this line. Personally, I never found them very similar. Looks or otherwise.

*screams* STAY HIDDEN ALEXIS, STAY HIDDEEEEN.

They also totally cut out an additional scene in NY with Charlie and Jenkins.

I really love how they don’t bring up Ibe or Eiji, since they both, without a doubt, know that they’re in violation of their visas. Q uQ You’re good people, Charlie, Jenkins.

I LOVE JENKINS SHOWING OFF HIS DETECTIVE SKILLS. Q vQ <3

SHORTER WHY MUST YOU STAND AND WALK LIKE A YANKEE STRAIGHT OUTTA SOME 80′S MANGA. YOU’LL HAVE BACK PROBLEMS BEFORE YOU’RE 30.

*cries* I really do have a type when it comes to favorite characters. Yankees.

Eiji is so impressed. I miss the scene where Ibe and Max are the ones astounded. Good ol’ 80′s.

Criminal geniuses, Max please. Eiji isn’t one.

*cries over how much Ash trusts Shorter* I love these two so much.

GOOD INSTINCT!!!

VERY GOOD OBSERVATION, ASH!!! That’s why you’re the boss.

...of your own gang.

BULLSHIT. I’m clumsy as fuck. I’m like a bull in a china shop. *cries* I will never be called twinkle toes unless it’s an insult.

Bless you, Shorter, for being an inelegant asshole as well.

Nooooooooooooooo. They cut so much ooooout. But, fair enough. More time for better things later!!!! (Please keep in my two favorite scenes, please!!!)

He had to meet some friends. *emotional*

I LOVE THIS SCENE SO MUCH. Sassy asshole Ash is always my favorite Ash. u vu <3 <3 <3

Eiji is basically Daphne. He finds all the good clues.

Which makes Ash Velma, since he puts those clues to good use. u vu

AWW LOOK AT THESE TWO. They’re gonna develop their own high five. Please give me a scene where Eiji and ash also have their own secret thing. Maybe a handshake that involves hip-checking. Please.

Look at a certain someone about to spontaneously combust with envy. That’s totally the face of envy and not... outright confusion.

Holy shit, Prof Dawson. Still using XP!

Nope. It truly isn’t.

*whispers* Essentially, Nanner Fish is primarily shrooms and LSD.

Prof Dawson, who keeps notes like this. Please revise your notes. At least add commas. And work on formatting.

*blows kisses at Mappa* Marry me.

This answers my giant question I’ve wondered about for years. Hong Kong, huh. No wonder they spell their last name with Lee. I’ve always wondered why a clan part of the Chinese mafia would use Lee instead of Li.

Hong Kong is one of the few places (besides Taiwan and Macau, I think?) that uses that variation. (ANWAYS, back to the Nanner Fish anime...)

Shorter. Please. Your back. Just take the phone from him, look at it, and return it.

Oh, my heart.

THIS IS NEW AND SO FUCKING RUDE. EXCUSE YOU. *crying* Shorter without his sunglasses. I’m crying. Nadiaaaaa.

*ugly bawling*

FUCK.

*screaming*

*uncontrollable sobbing*

Sonny... Q AQ

Fuck you.

TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HIM.

(Don’t look at me. I’m fucking. Nooooo.)

Ooooh, I like this change. Instead of switching between Max-and-Ibe and Max-and-Ash, it just starts with Ash and Max working on the Nanner Fish research together. Nice.

Ooooh, is this a callback to the vivisection password?

*noises* Griff.

*whispers* Papa Max. I don’t care what anyone says. I like to believe that Max guilt-adopted Ash as a son in his heart. He meant to think of Ash as a baby brother, but paternal instincts are strong.

Listen to Max, Ash. Please.

*distressed dying manatee noises*

*loud wounded hippo noises* Just leave me to die.

My heart... *lies drowning in endless sea of salt and tears*

They’re really trying to make him so much more sympathetic in the anime. He was a lot more aggressive and confrontational in the manga. A sample:

*cries* Max...

I tried so hard to get a nice picture, but it was panning so quickly every one of my gyazo shots were blurry. God. How much did this kill Shorter?

CMSKDLFJOIEWJFLDSKF. FUCK YOU.

*HIGH PITCHED SCREAMING* YOU ARE TOO GOOD, TOO PURE AND THE LEE CLAN TOO CORRUPT AND CRUEL.

SHORTEEEER.

FUCK YOU WITH THE LARGEST BASEBALL BAT WITH THE RUSTIEST LARGE NAILS HAMMERED INTO IT. HOW DARE YOU MAKE IT A RACE THING. ESPECIALLY IN THE 10′S. FUCK YOU.

CMLKSDMFLSDF. YUT-LUNG. FUCK. *cries over the opening*

MAPPA YOU ARE SO UNBEARABLY RUDE.

Please. Just kill me now.

*cries* I’ve always loved this lovely mood whiplash exchange. I prefer the manga version of it, though. It’s more... slapstick?

Poor Sonny. Q nQ

Why would they put the mark there. That’s not easy to conceal.

I think they should’ve stuck with the bracelet. Yeah, someone could steal it, but still a lot more subtle than a huge black dragon tatt on Yut-Lung’s neck.

Yup. *sigh* Sadly...

*whispers* And this is why, no matter what people say later on, why I will always hold a grudge against Yut-Lung. Shorter...

Consider this: No. Fuck you.

Oh, my heart. Since Shorter made the comment that Yut-Lung looks like Eiji... I wonder if this is why he makes that comment. Because... Because...

You’re a kid too, Shorter...

*whispers* This is important.

*continues to stage whisper* Also important.

I love the effort Mappa put into all the details. The strangely Chinese-esque artwork hanging on the wall considering this is Alexis Dawson’s house and he’s not connected to the Lee Clan.

Good job, Ibe!!!

Especially since the anime doesn’t bring up your visa status.

m so glad Ibe doesn’t have to fully entertain the notion that he might just have to kidnap Eiji (and how he’ll have to do it). Bless Ash for volunteering earlier.

Poor Ibe. Eiji, you’re gonna make him age 30 years in 3 months.

Also, bonus Max being hot-headed and totally not reading between the lines.

*cries* That’s not true, Eiji! You helped solve the computer’s password! ...In the manga...

YEAH. AND THAT. I totally didn’t forget. *sweats*

*strangled noises* Ash...

What about Shorter. Q AQ

Excuse me as I curl in the fetal position, crying about letters and mountains and leopards and how everything about this is so much more painful in hindsight.

Eiji... I just... *aggressive hands* All these feelings and nothing I can do about anything.

On one hand: I like the art direction taken.

On the other: Why you gotta be like this, Yut-Lung?

*whispers* They left this out. Truly toning down Ash’s tsuntsun nature.

Every time I read these panels, all I can think of is Shorter internally screaming for Ibe and Eiji to get away. To fly to Japan and never come back.

If y’all have your friends on hand like I suggested... lucky you.

@freykugel...

Because I’m in pain...

I love how Max has a higher EQ* than he does in the manga. He truly misses a lot of emotional cues that he doesn’t in the anime.

I miss Max rubbing it in, though. Manga Ash was a lot more emotional and hot-headed. Until...

...

*really fucking loud crying about epilogues*

I really appreciate how much emphasis is put on Max’s guilty conscious in the anime. My heart.

Cmkalsfsadfljkasfd. NO. Yut-Lung. Just. No. NOPE.

I’m sad they cut out my son’s snark, though.

Rebel! Rebel in every tiny way possible, Shorter! No matter what happens, what anyone says, I know you tried. And I’m so proud of you.

There’s a very valid reason why...

Cmkalsdmflasfd. I just want to see his eyes. I want to see Shorter’s face after he’s been order to commit another betrayal.

God dammit, why do you have to live a billion miles away. I seriously need someone who knows what’s about to happen to be close enough to hold my damn hand already. *weeps*

FUCK YOOOOOOOU.

CMSDKLFMLSDF. FUCK YOU SO MUCH, YUT-LUUUUUUNG.

HOLDING NADIA HOSTAGE.

Oh god. Seeing Shorter’s eyes doesn’t make this better. Cmklsamfdlsafd.

Ohmg, yes!!! They kept this bit in!!!

(How dare Mappa add this expression. How dare they try to make me sympathize with Yut-Lung any more than the manga already tries. How dare.)

This is so much worse than I ever thought it could be.

Shorter.

WHY DO YOU LOOK SURPRISED. WHY.

*strangled sobbing* I wonder if this is a reason why... Yut-Lung obsesses so much... about...

*intense feelings about Yut-Lung and his feelings towards himself and his family*

Why add this totally unneccessary scene about Yut-Lung noticing Shorter’s tears, Mappa you bastard. *cries*

The same scene in the manga because I’m emotional and I’m totally not biased for Shorter and hoping people don’t start dumping my boy in the trash... Honestly...

(I live in constant fear...)

THIS IS SO CRUEL.

I’m so torn between: EEE! Michael with his surprise present (that didn’t show up in the manga! Since there wasn’t an excuse of “It’s Michael’s birthday”). Cutest child to ever cute.

But also: Fuuuuuuuck. I was secretly hoping they’d get off scott-free since Jessica doesn’t know anything about them heading to check out Dawson’s house. Whyyyyyyy.

Why you gotta be so observant, Jessica. Q vQ

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Nonono. No. NOOOOO.

I said NO.

SOMEONE SAVE THEM.

Lay me to rest. Play If I Die Young at the funeral and send me off like like Going Merry. I’m done.

I’m not quite sure how they’re handling the pacing, especially since it seems like my projections are a little off. Still so worried how they’re gonna fit 19 volumes in 24 episodes... especially since it looks like The Episode I Fear the Most won’t be happening next episode like I originally estimated but episode 9 instead...

*Emotional Quotient: google it if you’re curious

<<Episode 6 Masterlist Episode 8>>

#Fandom: Banana Fish #Banana Fish #Nanner Fish Liveblog #spoilers #tw: spoilers #long post

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fallen-imagine-angel · 6 years

Text

Burns (Peter Parker x Reader) - Part 7 of 12 Days of Christmas

Notes: Part 7 for Peter Parker’s version of 12 Days of Christmas! I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am so far! Tag lists are always open and the part 8 for both versions will be up sometime tomorrow!

Summary: You get asked to homecoming by someone and Peter confronts you about it which leads him to discovery.

Burns

Peter Parker x Reader

12 Days of Christmas Series

Word Count: 1,721

Warnings: uhh...angst and burns.

It’s the next day and you’re feeling much better. You have a slight headache, but it’s nothing too worrying. Oh, and also some burns extending from the inside of your wrist all the way to your shoulder.

“Hey, (Y/n).” Peter starts to walk next to you. The headache increases in pain.

“Hey, Pete. You excited for Homecoming?” You murmur, rolling your eyes.

“Very. Do you think you’ll get asked?” Peter asks, not noticing her sour mood.

“Probably not, if I’m being honest. I’m new, after all.” You shrug, not really in the mood to talk about your love life, considering the person you wanted to be with is currently already taken.

“Oh, come on. Any guy would be lucky to have you.” He nudges you with his shoulder, trying to make you feel better. It doesn’t work.

“Thanks, Parker.” You give him a fake smile as you sit down between him and MJ for your first class.

~+~

It’s finally time for lunch. You grab your tray and sit down next to MJ, across from Peter and Ned.

“Hey, (Y/n)!” You hear a voice behind you. Groaning, you turn around to see Flash slowly getting closer to you. You turn back around, wishing he’d go away.

“What does he want?” Peter seems annoyed.

“Does it matter? I just want him to be gone.” You growl. Then, you feel Flash sit down next to you.

“Hello, darling.” Flash purrs, grabbing your hand and kissing the back of it. It takes everything in you not to vomit right then and there.

“Flash.” You nod curtly, taking your hand from his grasp.

“What are you doing sitting here with these losers when you could be sitting with me and my crew?” Flash sneers, slinging an arm around your shoulders. You roll your eyes.

“Please, Flash, as if I’d sit with you if I ever had the chance.” You scoff, trying to shrug his arm off your shoulders, to no avail.

“Oh come on, baby. How about a deal, huh? You and I go to homecoming together, as a date.” Flash grins at you, making you stop cold. Then an idea comes into your head. Homecoming, with Peter’s greatest enemy? Perfect revenge for him going to homecoming with yours.

“Alright. It’s a date, then.” You smile cruelly, looking over at a surprised Flash. He quickly recovers, though.

“Okay, then. I’ll pick you up at six.” Flash presses a chaste kiss to your cheek, making you want to throw up again. You refrain, though, and send him a smirk. Flash walks away.

“What the heck was that?” Peter growls, grabbing your wrist to gain your attention.

“What on earth do you mean, Parker?” You smile knowingly at him, a mischievous glint in your eye.

“You’re hating him one second then accepting his offer to homecoming the next? He bullies me, (Y/n), you know that.” Peter frowns, hurt that you’d go with Flash of all people.

“Maybe I can get him to stop bullying you.” You shrug.

“If anything, you’d join him and his posse.” Peter scowls.

“Do you think me weak-minded, Parker,” You hiss at him, leaning in to whisper the next part, “You of all people should know I am not. With my father being who he is, of course.”

“Whatever.” He gets up and throws his tray away. The bell rings shortly after and you get up, not bothering to run after him. True, you had hurt his feelings, but it’s a small price to pay after he so dearly crushed yours.

~+~

There’s a knock on your bedroom door, interrupting your quiet reading.

“Come in.” You answer. Your door slides open and Peter steps in, a frown on his face.

“(Y/n).” Peter stops at the foot of your bed. You get off your bed and stand to face him.

“Peter. To what do I owe this pleasure?” You quirk an eyebrow at him.

“I want to know why you said yes to Flash today at lunch. Knowing you, knowing your father, there has to be some ulterior motive you’re not telling me about.” Peter sighs, wanting so desperately to know why you said yes to his enemy.

“I told you the ulterior motive, Parker. To get him to stop bullying you.” You answer simply, picking up the book you were previously looking at. You stare at it, finding this conversation pointless.

“We both know that’s not it.” Peter steps toward you, now only a couple of feet away.

“Oh, but it is.” You look up at Peter through your lashes, only to realize he’s much closer than you thought. You take a step back and set your book down on your side table, your back grazing the wall as you do so.

“Tell me the truth, (Y/n).” Peter grabs your wrist, stepping forward again. He has trapped you between him and the wall, his hand seizing one of your wrists.

“I have told you the truth. Repeatedly. You just refuse to accept it.” You seethe, watching as he takes the last step forward, his body practically pressing yours against the wall.

“The truth.” He demands, his face so close to yours you can feel his breath hit you.

“You already have it.” You breathe out, forcing yourself not to glance down at his lips.

“You’re lying to me. Don’t do that again, (Y/n), you’ve already tried lying to me once.” Peter chuckles and you feel his thumb ghost over the inside of your wrist, making you gasp as he brushes over your burn. Well, that and the fact that this is a seriously compromising situation and he’s not helping.

“My ulterior motive was to get a date to homecoming and to not look like a loser, standing there alone.” You hiss, bringing your face as close as you dare, never actually touching him. Peter releases you, finally happy with your answer, and you immediately clutch your wrist close to your chest, pain written all over your face.

“I didn’t hold your wrist that tight, did I?” Peter is suddenly very concerned.

“No, it’s not--” You try to console him but he’s already taking your wrist. He pulls up your sleeve to see the burns there.

“What is this from?” Peter gasps, staring at them as he traces them with his eyes. You tear your arm from his grasp.

“None of your business.” You snap at him.

“None of my business? (Y/n), I’m your best friend, I think I deserve to know!” He furrows his brows in frustration.

“Freak cooking accident.” You lie, throwing your hands up in defeat.

“Bull. That’s a bad burn, plus you don’t like to cook that often.” Peter points out.

“I don’t know what to tell you, then.” You shrug, sitting back down on your bed. Peter catches sight of the door leading to your lab and looks at you quickly before making a break for it.

You jump to grab him but he narrowly escapes you and runs into the lab, coming face to face with your ice chamber.

“You have powers. Fire powers.” Peter whispers, looking at your ice chamber.

“No, I don’t! You’re delusional, Pete.” You hiss, rolling your sleeve back down.

“You wish. I’m right, aren’t I? You have fire powers and that’s how you burned yourself.” He narrows his eyes at you, crossing his arms.

“Just drop it, Parker.” You growl, feeling your hands grow hot.

“I thought there were no more secrets between us. I told you I was Spider-Man. I thought we had finally gotten past hiding things from each other.” He scoffs, shaking his head.

“I said drop it.” You close your eyes, feeling fire lick at your fingertips. You want to stop it so badly but you can’t.

“You can’t stop hiding things from me. What’s it gonna be next? MJ’s your sister?” He rubs a hand through his hair. A tear slides down your face but it quickly evaporates from the heat.

“Please, Peter, get out of here. I need to get to my ice chamber.” You start to walk slowly toward your ice chamber.

“No, I want answers, (Y/n).” Peter stands in front of the ice chamber, blocking you from it.

“Peter, please. Get out of my way. I’m begging you.” Your voice breaks as you struggle to get to it.

“Answer me and I’ll let you through.” He begs, not moving. You feel yourself about to combust.

“Get out of the way!” You scream. Peter looks visibly shaken by your outburst but stands his ground.

“(Y/n), tell me what’s going on.” He looks concerned more than angry now, realizing that you’re in pain and that this is more serious than just an argument.

Confused and angry, you grab his arm and quickly pull him out of the way, slipping into your ice chamber and slamming your hand onto the ice button.

You feel the cold air flow over you and everything calms down. You look through the glass of your chamber to see Peter on the ground, observing his now burned arm.

“Oh my gosh, Peter.” You gasp, putting a hand on the glass. He looks up at you, eyes wide. You feel the glass burn at your touch, causing you to recoil from it.

“(Y/n)--” He gets up, reaching out to you. You hit the lock button on your chamber, determined to not let him get close to you again. You can’t hurt him again.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You sink to your knees, your tears turning into ice on your face.

“It’s not your fault, (Y/n), I’m not mad. You just have an unstable power. Let me help you.” He puts his hand on the outer side of the glass. You look up into his puppy dog eyes, shaking your head lightly.

“I can’t have you get close to me only to get hurt again. I’m sorry Peter.” You whisper, pushing yourself as far away from his side of the glass as possible.

“I’m not leaving here.” Peter insists, sitting down in front of your chamber.

“Then I will.” You press a few more buttons on your keypad and your chamber shoots up to the roof. You tumble out of it and sink to the floor of the roof, sobbing into your hands.

Peter won’t get hurt again.

Not if you can help it.

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my-emotional-self · 7 years

Text

New Beginnings Part 6

Pairings: Chris Evans x Reader

Word Count: 7,136

Warnings: Swearing, Mild Smut (mutual masturbation),Scott is Here!, Anxiety, Scary themes (I don’t want to spoil anything here!!!)

Ratings: R

Summary: After your grandparents pass away, you find out they leave everything to you, including a large sum of money. Deciding to take the advice of your grandparents, you live your life to the fullest; which means moving to Boston and bumping into Chris Evans.

Part 5 Part 7

Over the next two weeks, things were finally starting to come around for your new business. Mary, your business partner, went over everything that needed to be done, and certain people that needed to be hired.

The first thing you did was come up with a name for your new bookstore and coffee shop. You knew you wanted a catchy, yet funny name for your new business. In the end, you came up with Bean There, Read That. After coming up with the name, you made sure to trademark the name so nobody else could take it.

Once that was finished, you had to get a state registration to open the business. Luckily, all that took was a quick trip to the courthouse and all was said and done.

You got in contact with everyone Mary recommended. She said you needed to hire a business lawyer, an accountant, and someone for Human Resource.

It only took two days, but you hired everyone you needed to start running your business.

Three weeks since Chris had been gone was when things finally started to fall into place with Bean There, Read That. You met with a construction company that specialized in renovating small business. As you walked around your space with Tim, the owner of the construction company, you told him your ideas as he jotted everything down.

As your lawyer looked over the contract Tim had drafted up, your lawyer, Cooper, gave you the go ahead to sign it. As long as everything would be done on time and there were no distractions or any problems, they would be done with renovations in three weeks; just around the time that Chris would be back home from filming.

You were really starting to miss him. Each time you talked to him on the phone, or over Skype, your heart yearned for him; wanting him to be close to you, to hold you and kiss you. But even though he was thousands of miles away, he was still giving you advice and praises for doing what you dreamed of. It made your heart leap with joy each time he told you how proud he was of you.

After the first week of Chris being gone, you each started sending pictures to each other throughout the day, and before long, your phone held dozens of pictures of Chris. Each night, you would go through your phone and look at each picture, your smile becoming bigger and bigger with each passing picture.

~~~

The next morning, you arrived at your shop to let the construction crew in. On the main floor of the building were four offices. You decided to make the biggest office the break room for employees. The smallest of the three left was for you, Human Resources, and your accountant. You let Greg, your accountant, and Holly who was Human Resources do with their offices as they pleased. Luckily, there were already desks in each of the rooms.

As the construction crew got to work, you started to set up your office. Pictures of your grandparents and parents were arranged gracefully on your desk: your laptop sitting right in the middle.

The day went smoothly as you found yourself doing some more online shopping, but this time, for your business. You found bookshelves, coffee tables, chairs, lounges and so much more.

Tim popped his head into your office alerting you that there was a delivery for you. Confused, you got up and walked out to the main area. What could possibly be here for you now? You hadn’t ordered anything yet.

“Delivery for Y/F/N Y/L/N?” the delivery guy said as you came into view.

He looked familiar to you but you had so much on your mind the past few weeks that you didn’t think too much into it. As you walked up to his very tall frame, he handed you a clipboard to sign your name; his shaggy blonde hair falling over his face.

“I’ll go grab your stuff” he said before walking out. The minute he left, you felt something like a mild punch in your stomach; something that didn’t seem quite right. It was that gut feeling you would sometimes get as a child before something bad happened. Most of the time, it wasn’t serious; it was maybe a skinned knee, or even a thunderstorm. But you always trusted your gut instinct.

The delivery guy came back with a large package. “Be careful, it’s kind of heavy” he said as he handed it over to you. Damn, it was kind of heavy as you struggled to hold it in your arms.

“Thank you” you stated, giving him a weary smile. The delivery guy turned and walked away as you sauntered back to your office, laying the package down at your desk.

You noticed your phone light blinking and turned it on, a text message from Chris appearing on your screen.

My Romantic Dork: I woke up hard as a rock today. I dreamt of you last night, and you did some pretty amazing things with your mouth…..not gonna lie.

Reading his message, you broke out in a smile, but also your face heated up. It seemed as if the distance between you two made you become bolder while talking to him. You would sometimes dirty talk with him on the phone late at night, getting both of you hot and bothered. It hadn’t gone as far as phone sex, but you were seriously starting to think about doing something like that. You crossed your legs, needing to put some pressure on your womanhood as thoughts of Chris touching you invaded your mind.

Y/N: Well I can’t help what or who you dream about now can I :p

Almost instantly, he replied to your text.

My Romantic Dork: Doesn’t matter sweetheart. I wake up hard and lonely. I can’t wait to be back home with you

Clenching your thighs even more tight, you imagined Chris’ rock hard cock straining against his pants. While you weren’t in too much of a rush to have sex with him, you still wanted to have fun, and damnit, after this conversation, you needed a release.

Opening your eyes, you looked at the package on your desk; completely forgetting about it with your naughty thoughts of Chris.

Grabbing a letter opener, you cut into the taped package. Your ass wiggled back and forth as you opened the box; you were just as giddy as a kid opening presents on Christmas day.

Moving the shiny silver paper to the side, you gasped at what you saw. With shaky hands, you reached in and very delicately picked up the book. It was a first edition of “Gone With the Wind”. Looking back down at the package, tears started to brim your eyes as you noticed there were more books, all first edition. “Pride and Prejudice”, “Jane Eyre”, “Sense and Sensibility” and “Emma” were all the rest of the books in the package.

At the very bottom and underneath all the books was a piece of paper. Gently, you sat down the books onto your desk and grabbed the letter.

Sweetheart,

I am so proud of you. With all the tragedy and sadness you’ve had in your life, you overcame that and started a new beginning; not only with me, but with your new store. The minute you told me you were opening your own book store; I knew I had to find some first editions that you could display with pride. I hope I picked out some good ones for you. By the time this reaches you, our time to see each other will be cut in half. Until we see each other again.

Chris

By now you were a blubbering mess as you sat in your chair in your office. Your hands covered your face as you cried, quite literally, like a baby. Chris had just bought you five first edition books; not only first edition, but very romantic first edition books. The books you read as a teenager growing up, some of your absolute favorites.

The construction crew continued to hammer their way out in the main area while your sobs subsided into mere hiccups. Taking your phone into your hand, you found Chris’ contact and hit “call”.

The phone rang a few times before he picked up and as you heard his voice, you started crying again.

“Y/N, sweetheart what’s wrong?” Chris asked, his tone very concerned.

“I-how-you” was all you managed before succumbing to your tears again.

“Breathe Y/N, just breathe for me alright” you heard Chris speak softly through the speaker of your phone.

Taking his advice, you took inhaled deep breaths before letting them out; counting to five each time. It seemed to work relatively fast and before long, your breathing returned to normal and your sobbing ended.

“Good sweetheart. Now, mind telling me why you were crying so much?” Chris inquired on the other end of the line.

“A package was just delivered to the shop” you spoke softly.

“Hhhhmmmm, and what was in the package?” Chris requested with a mischievous tone to his voice.

You let out a chuckled sigh, “You damn well know what was in the package Chris. I can’t believe you bought these. I-I don’t even know what to say. They’re amazing. You’re amazing.”

A soft laughter came through the speaker; a smile lighting up your face.

“You deserve them sweetheart. I was thinking you could maybe get a nice glass display case and show them off in the bookstore. I just knew I had to get you something. I’m so proud of you Y/N.”

You couldn’t spontaneously combust just from pure happiness and joy could you? It really felt like that was what your body wanted to do as your heart skipped a beat at his words.

As your conversation with Chris continued for a few more minutes, an idea came to mind; more like a reward for him and his amazing gift to you.

“Will you have a date with me tonight?” you asked.

“A date? How do you propose we do that?” Chris questioned.

“Tonight, on Skype. Let’s watch a movie, or eat dinner together.”

In your mind, you had something else planned and it made your clit throb in anticipation, making you squeeze your thighs together tightly.

“Is 10pm your time alright? Or is that too late?”

A smile lit up your face as your plan started forming. “10pm sounds perfect. Bye Chris.”

“Bye sweetheart.”

The rest of the day dragged on and you finally closed up the shop at 8pm after the construction crew, Holly and Greg left.

Walking up to your front door, you noticed a single flower lying on your Welcome mat. Thinking it must have been blown by the wind, you shrugged as you unlocked your front door.

Racing up the stairs, you took a fast shower and instead of putting on your comfies, you put on your fluffy robe instead; throwing your hair up into a messy bun.

You sat cross legged on your bed; your laptop opened in front of you waiting for Chris to call via Skype, and a bottle and glass of wine on your nightstand along with a book. Pouring a glass of wine, you opened your book when you realized you had a little bit of time before Chris would be calling.

A half hour later, and almost the entire bottle of wine gone, Chris’ call via Skype came through and you answered.

“Hello handsome” you said with as much seduction as you could.

“Faahhkk, hello sweetheart. You are looking even more beautiful than ever” he stated, his Boston accent showing through, making you wet almost instantly. You never realized just how hot and sexy an accent could be, until Chris’ started to come through more and more.

A blush crept up and onto your face; his accent and gaze lighting your body on fire, sending tingles straight to your core.

“So, what movie did you have planned to watch?” Chris inquired.

A giggle escaped your mouth, as he had no idea what you were planning on doing. The bottle of wine giving you the liquid courage you would need seeing as you’d never done this type of thing before.

Slowly, you unfolded your legs and spread them on either side of the laptop; your robe still covering up your lady bits.

Biting your lip, you gave him a wink. “What if I told you that’s not really what I had in mind?” you questioned as you moved part of your robe up higher, exposing more of your leg.

Chris gulped and you could physically see his Adams apple bob in his throat. “Wha”, he stopped to clear his throat, “What did you have in mind?”

You could tell that Chris was already in his bed in the hotel room; his laptop sitting on his legs as his back was leaned against the pillows and headboard.

“Have I ever told you how turned on I get when your accent shows through in your voice?” you asked as you raised the robe higher up on your other leg.

Chris let out a breath he was holding as he shook his head at you; his eyes glued to the screen where you were.

“Well, it does. What if I told you I wasn’t wearing anything underneath this robe?” you probed again as you bit your lower lip and tilted your head to the side.

“Fahk” Chris said in a breathy tone as he repositioned himself on the bed.

Your placed your right hand on your leg and slowly slid it up your inner thigh; your head thrown back before slowly tilting it forward again to face him on the screen. “I wish you were here with me Chris. I wish this was your hand” you lusted out as your hand trailed higher.

“Jesus. Fahk baby I wish I was there with you right now.”

Using your other hand, you untied your robe and let it fall off to the sides. You were full exposed to Chris as your legs were still spread right in front of the camera for him to see.

Chris must have knocked his laptop off of him because he suddenly wasn’t there on the screen. “Shit” you heard him cuss as he came into view again.

A soft chuckle escaped your lips when you saw how flustered Chris looked. “If you were here, what would you do to me right now?” you seductively purred.

His mouth was agape and you knew exactly what he was staring at as your hands gently skimmed the softness of your inside thigh; so close to where you needed to be touched.

“First, I would play around with those perky nipples of yours” he husked out causing you to bite your lower lip.

You took your left hand and cupped your left breast; your fingers tweaking your nipple as you moaned out in pleasure; imagining it was Chris doing this to you.

“Mmmmm it feels so good Chris” you purred.

Your head rolled back and your eyes shut as you continued to twist and pull on your hardened nipple. When you opened your eyes again, you noticed Chris readjusted himself on the bed. This time, his laptop was on the bed and his boxers were lowered to his knees; his erect dick in his hands. Seeing him like that only made you more wet and your clit throb harder.

“What else Chris? Tell me what you want me to do” you whispered out. The sensations you were feeling all over your body was astounding and you couldn’t imagine how much better it would feel if it were Chris doing this to you. You craved more of the little taste he gave you before he left for filming.

“Rub your clit sweetheart” he groaned out. You did as he asked and you let out a loud moan as your fingers came in contact with your aching clit.

“Fuck Chris” you moaned out as your hips bucked up to meet your fingers. You kept rubbing in circles and adding pressure when needed as your eyes locked on the screen with Chris’. His hand rubbed up and down his large cock as his breathing became ragged.

“Slip a finger into that pretty pussy of yours.”

You didn’t need to be asked twice and you did just that. Naturally your fingers didn’t feel as good as when Chris’ fingers were inside you but it would have to do. At this point, you were so turned on you knew your orgasm would be reached rather quickly; especially with his dirty talk.

“Yeah baby, just like that. Fahk you look so sexy right now” he rasped out as your breathing became heavy.

You inserted another finger into your wet pussy as you spread your legs further and bending them at the knee, making it easier to hit your sweet spot. As you found it was ease, your panting quickly turned into moans. “I’m so close Chris” you keened as you felt your walls starting to tighten around your fingers.

“Me too baby. Cum with me” he groaned out and all you could do was nod your head as you tried to hold on as long as possible.

“Now Y/N” Chris moaned and you came on demand at his words. You cried out in pleasure as your walls clamped around your fingers; your chest heaving up and down as you could hear Chris’ moans from the speaker.

As you both came down from your high, you brought your fingers to your mouth and sucked them clean; Chris’ eyes going wide at your actions.

“That was so fahking sexy baby. You’re killin me here” he said with a smile on his face.

You pulled your robe over yourself as you snuggled into your bed and under the covers; Chris doing the same.

“Will you stay with me like this tonight? At least until I fall asleep?” you asked as you stared longingly into his eyes.

“Of course sweetheart.”

The two of you talked about your days and before you knew it, you had fallen asleep from exhaustion; Chris’ face the last thing you saw before closing your eyes.

~~~

Another two weeks flew by in haste, your new business keeping you very busy which was what you wanted to happen with Chris being gone. The renovations were coming along smoothly without any problems which only made things that much better for you.

You and Holly had interviewed dozens of people over the last week and you finally hired everyone you needed to. In the end, you hired two full time employees and five part time employees for the bookstore, and three full time employees and seven part time employees for the coffee shop. Each person you hired for the coffee shop already had experience so there was no need for training there. As for the employees that would help in the bookstore, well, that was your area of expertise so you could train them if needed.

The men on the construction crew were very nice and helpful and even decided to help you move in all the new furnishings you had bought.

It was only one week away before Chris came home and you got that strange feeling in your gut again one night as you got ready for bed; those weird flashes appearing in the night sky. Trying to be brave, you walked to your window where the curtain was open and peered out, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Yet you couldn’t ignore the feeling that something seemed wrong.

The next morning you called Lisa and explained your gut feeling and she suggested that you have Dodger here with you, at least during the night as she insisted it would make you feel better. You couldn’t say no to that offer and planned to have Dodger at your house overnight, and in the mornings when you went to work, you would drop him back off at Lisa’s place.

Chris didn’t mind the idea at all, but he was still concerned for how you felt. At his insistence, you let him call the same security company that he used for his mom’s house and they would be coming to install a state of the art security system in your home that weekend.

“Come on Dodger, lets get you back to Grandma’s” you said in a high pitched voice, Dodger wagging his tail as he walked behind you.

It was Friday morning and you were in such a chipper mood. The security company would be installing the system tomorrow, and Chris would be home on Monday. Chris said he was coming straight here to see you when he got home, but you persisted that he go home to see his mother and siblings first. Of course he whined about it, but you wouldn’t back down. You told him he didn’t need to stay for hours; he just had to drop in and see them first before coming over here. Naturally, he agreed with you and you internally praised yourself for being right about it.

After dropping Dodger off at Lisa’s you made your way to your shop, the construction crew already under way for the day.

“Hey Holly, is everything going good so far?” you asked as you peaked your head through Holly’s door.

She smiled at you as she nodded her head. “Everything seems to be running smoothly. I have all the employees lined up and ready to go with their paychecks and direct deposit. Uniforms and name tags are on order and will be here next week.”

“You are amazing!” you said gleefully before heading back to your own office.

Mary, your business partner had practically saved your life. You knew nothing about how to start up and run a company but she practically did all the work and told you the best of the best to hire. With everyone helping you, things were running perfectly and you couldn’t wait to open.

A knock on your door startled you as you moved your head up to see who they were. You didn’t know him by name, but you knew him. It was the delivery guy that had been delivering your packages and flowers. While you felt a bit uneasy around him, you still smiled as you stood up.

“Hi, how can I help you?”

“Umm. I umm, saw the sign last week out front that said you were hiring” he quietly stuttered out; his shaggy blonde hair practically hiding his face.

“I’m sorry, but all the positions have been filled already. If you leave an application with Holly next door, we can keep it on file for the future” you stated as positively as you could.

He muttered something under his breath that you couldn’t hear before he turned around and walked out.

Sitting back down on your chair, you let out a shaky breath. Something just didn’t sit right with you when that guy was around. You made sure to jot down on your to do list to talk to the security company tomorrow and see if they could install a security system for your new shop sometime soon.

Your phone lit up and you opened it to see a text from Lisa.

Lisa: I have to take Dodger to the vet for a checkup tonight. Is it alright if I just drop him off at your place later tonight?

You felt a bit unsettled having go to back to your house tonight without Dodger, but you decided to just stay as long as possible at the shop.

Y/N: That works perfectly fine with me

You drowned yourself in work for the rest of the day; Chris texting you silly pictures and sweet words, making your heart bound in your chest and always lighting up your face with a smile. Three more days and he would be back home. Three more days and you could wrap your arms around his toned body. Three more days until you could feel his lips on yours. Distance does really make the heart grow fonder.

He would be home for the holidays, but then he would be right back to work again. The thought made you sad, but you knew the two of you would be able to work through it. Now that you had your little shop, it kept you busy and your mind off things. You could also easily go and visit him on set, you were sure he wouldn’t mind that.

It was dark out by the time you locked up your shop and headed home. There were a few people scattered along the sidewalks of the small shopping area, but that didn’t stop you from feeling uneasy again. As you turned around, you saw another flash of light in the distance and it chilled you to the bone. Glancing around the street, nothing looked out of the ordinary so you quickly jogged to your car before slamming the door shut and locking the doors.

Your heart hammered in your chest as you drove home, hoping that having a security system set up this weekend would make you feel more at ease.

Pulling up your driveway, you forgot to the leave the outside lights on and it looked quite ominous in the cool fall night. There were barely any leaves left on the trees and you scolded yourself about the lights not being on.

Using your flashlight on your phone, you unlocked your front door and turned on the outside and inside lights. You wanted to make sure when Lisa dropped off Dodger that she would be able to see things clearly.

Not long after being home, your doorbell rang. It startled you at first, but then you realized Dodger was being dropped off and you happily made it to your front door.

Upon opening it, you saw Dodger standing there, but it wasn’t Lisa holding on to his leash.

“You’re not Lisa” you blurted out on impulse.

The guy holding his leash gave you a “no shit” look before laughing hysterically.

“No, no I am not. But I am one of her spawn. I’m Scott” he stated with a friendly smile.

You slapped your hand on your forehead feeling like an idiot. Both Lisa and Chris had shown you pictures of Scott before but with everything going on in the past few weeks, realization never hit you when you saw him.

“I am so sorry. I feel like an idiot” you said as your face became hot with embarrassment.

“Pffttt don’t sweat it” Scott said as he waved his hand in the air, “When my mom said she was bringing Dodger over here, I told her I would do it. I have been DYING to meet you!” he finished with enthusiasm.

A smile appeared on your face as you opened your door wider. “Well then, by all means, please come in.”

Scott bent down to grab a big paper bag and you quirked your eyebrow at him. “What? I heard you were a delight to chat with so I brought food and beer. Hope that’s alright?”

Your eyebrows rose in not only shock, but also in pure joy. “You are my hero right now Scott!” you beamed as he followed you inside your house.

~~~

Three hours later, you and Scott were giggling on your couch as you were waiting for your mud masks to harden. The pizza was gone, and between the two of you, the case of beer was gone too. You both talked about anything and everything. He had learned your whole life story and you his. Scott even told more stories about him and Chris growing up and your stomach, yet again, hurt from laughing so hard.

“You look so fucking funny” you laughed out, looking at Scott’s face caked in his mud mask.

He rolled his eyes at you and smiled, “You’re not looking much better!”

Just then, your phone started to ring as Chris was calling you. “It’s my boyfran!!!” you said in a sing-song voice as you were a bit drunk.

Scott grabbed the phone from you and answered it but didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned it to video call and waited for Chris to turn his on too. You could hear Chris through the speaker calling your name in confusion. Scott came to sit next to you, both appearing on the screen and giggling at your appearances.

It didn’t take long for Chris to realize you had switched to video call and his far appeared on the screen. Both you and Scott giving him goofy faces making Chris spit out his drink in realization.

“Scott? What the hell are you doing there?” Chris questioned in confusion which quickly turned into laughter as you and Scott kept making silly faces; your mud masks covering your face.

Scott rolled his eyes at Chris before speaking. “Well, seeing as you and mom can’t STOP talking about this beautiful lady right here” he said motioning to you, “I just had to come see and talk to her for myself. And must I say Chris….she is a KEEPER!” Scott shrilled out. Thank god your mud mask was on because your face was pulsating from the heat at Scott’s compliment.

A small chuckle came from Chris’ throat as a smile appeared on his face. “Like I told Ma, I already know she’s a keeper Scott.”

“Alright my mask is well formed, I’m going to leave you two to talk while I scrub this off my face” Scott said as he got up from the couch and strolled to the bathroom, singing a random song softly.

Turning back to face Chris, you gave him a shy smile. “I really like Scott” you said as you peered at Chris through your lashes.

“He’s a pretty good guy” Chris responded to you, eyes locked on yours. “I really miss you sweetheart. I can’t wait to see you in a few days.”

Your smile grew wider but you found it difficult as your mud mask was formed, making your facial expressions pretty restricted. “Three more days” you sighed in content.

“How is everything going with the shop?”

“So well Chris. Everything is running smoothly. Everyone I hired to help me out are wonderful and making things so easy. The construction crew is almost done and they’ve been so helpful!” you beamed in excitement.

“And that creepy guy?” he asked with distaste.

You let out a deep breath at his words, feeling disturbed. “I don’t know. I mean, he delivers things so I see him around the different shops nearby. I just have this weird feeling about him Chris. I don’t know how to explain it” you said solemnly.

“The security system will be up and running tomorrow sweetheart. There is no way anybody or anything will get through that alright? And I’ll be home by Monday and I can stay for as long as you want me to.”

Your heart jumped in your chest as you thought of Chris staying with you more often. Lets be real, you wouldn’t mind him staying over more often, but you didn’t want to ruin the honeymoon phase of your relationship too early, especially if these gut feelings about that creepy guy turn out to be nothing.

“I appreciate that Chris. I think Scott is actually staying over tonight. We may have had a bit too much to drink” you giggled out as you hiccupped.

Chris smiled at your giggling form as his hand reached up to scratch at his beard. Damn that beard. You were so happy he didn’t have to shave it just yet as you wanted to know what it would feel like on your thighs, hell, on your whole body. You clit tingled at the thought of Chris ravishing your body and you had to clench your thighs.

“I’m going to let you go sweetheart, I’m gettin pretty tired here. I’ll see you in three days ok?”

“Alright Chris. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight sweetheart.”

~~~

You scrubbed the mask off your face and showed Scott one of the guest bedrooms for him to sleep in. As you made your way to your room, you stumbled around a bit, the drinking really starting to take effect. Dodger hopped up on your bed as he eagerly waited for you to climb in and cuddle with him.

Finishing your bathroom duties, you stripped off your shirt and walked back to your bedroom to get a clean one; the shirt you were wearing had some remnants of the mud mask on it. A few bright flashes caught your eye but at this point, your mind was in such a haze you didn’t even think anything about it. Putting on a shirt, you climbed into bed as Dodger cuddled up next to you.

~~~

The weekend flew by quickly. Your security system was up and running by Saturday afternoon and you had an appointment with them during the week to set up a security system for your new shop. They showed you how to work the system and you were relieved to realize just how easy it would be. You already felt a bit safer in your house.

Saturday afternoon you and Scott took Dodger for a walk and then went to dinner in town. Per usual, the conversation flowed effortlessly and the laughing almost never died down.

Sunday was spent as a lazy day indoors. You cleaned around the house as you wanted to make sure you wouldn’t have any chores to do for when Chris came home. You wanted to spend as much of your free time from the shop with him once he returned.

Monday morning you awoke with a smile plastered on your face. Chris was coming home today and you couldn’t be more happy. Looking at your phone, you saw a text from Chris from about four hours ago saying he was on the plane and heading your way. His flight would be about five hours and you jumped out of bed and started spazzing around your room; your arms flailing around as your feet took you off the floor. Dodger just stared at you as if something was wrong. Chris must have switched to an earlier flight since he wasn’t supposed to be home until later this afternoon.

“Your daddy will be home in a little bit Dodger!!” you squealed as you rushed towards him, scratching his head and belly as his tail wagged freely. “Do you have to go potty?” Dodger immediately gave you a bark letting him know he did and the two of you raced down the stairs. You had so much energy filtering through your body.

Opening the front door, Dodger raced out to the lawn to do his business. Looking down, you noticed there was a small bouquet of flowers on your front step, along with an envelope.

“That’s weird” you said to yourself as your face scrunched up, “Why wouldn’t they have just rang the doorbell?”

Your immediate thought was that the flowers were from Chris of course and another letter from him. As your heart started racing from the excitement of what Chris’ words would entail on the letter, you and Dodger made your way back inside.

The bouquet of flowers was very small compared to the ones Chris normally got you so you hitched it under your arm as you tore open the letter.

Your heart stopped in your throat as your arm holding the flowers gave out and the vase dropped to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. Dodger, in alarm, ran upstairs from the loud noise as your shaky hands started going through the pictures.

They were pictures of you, all of them. The first few were of you outside, leaving your shop, walking Dodger around the neighborhood, playing outside with Dodger. The next few were of you driving your car, to and from your shop, leaving Lisa’s house, Scott in the passenger side from when you went to dinner. The last few made your heart drop to your stomach. You were topless, in your room.

Your breathing started to quicken as your hands shook with such ferocity; your mind fuzzy as you fell to your knees, glass shards tearing into your skin. You felt as if you couldn’t breathe, like someone was blocking your oxygen from getting into your lungs as tears formed in your eyes.

In the state you were in, you didn’t know what to do, who to call. Chris was on a flight so his phone wouldn’t work no matter how hard you tried. You didn’t even think of calling the police in your haze; instead, you called the only other person you could think of.

“Hello?” Lisa’s soft voice answered on the other end of the phone. As much as you willed it to, her voice did nothing at this point to calm your frantic state; you couldn’t even speak. All you did was try to breathe, as best you could as tears flowed, your sobs evident to Lisa.

“Y/N? Sweetie what’s wrong? Are you alright?” you could hear the panic in her voice as you tried to form words.

“Li-Lisa” you managed to cry out.

“Are you at home?” Lisa questioned in panic. You nodded your head but soon realized she couldn’t see you.

“Y-yes” you choked out as you heard rumblings around on the other end of the phone. “SCOTT!” you heard Lisa shout, but it was drowned out by the blood pumping through your ears. “Scott hurry, you’re coming with me! Y/N, we will be there soon. Just breathe honey, breathe in and out” Lisa said as reassuringly as she could.

You did your best to take your advice but it wasn’t working so well. Your chest heaved, trying to get air but nothing was happening. As your head became fuzzier, the tears came tumbling down your face like a waterfall. Lisa stayed on the phone with you, trying to keep you as calm as you could.

You faintly heard the sound of paws on hard floor as you looked up. Dodger was standing in front of you, but far enough from the glass to not get hurt, his whimpered voice coming out in concern for you.

It didn’t take long before Lisa and Scott came barreling through your door in haste; gasps coming from each of their mouths as they saw you sitting on the floor near the shattered vase; pictures of you scattered everywhere.

“Shit” Scott whispered as he came near you and carefully helped you to your feet. You cried out in pain as your knees locked into place, blood soaking through your pants from the glass. He picked you up, bridal style as he brought you to the living room; Lisa fresh on his tail.

Your breathing became somewhat normal but you were in too much shock to say anything.

“I’m going to call the police alright sweetie?” Lisa said as she moved to the kitchen.

“Chr-Chris…Chris” you gasped out as your eyes became wide and your body shook.

“Shh…it’s alright Y/N” Scott cooed trying to ease you down. He checked his phone before glancing cautiously at you. “His flight is probably landing right about now. I’m going to call him and tell him to come straight here ok?”

“Please do-don’t tell him wh-what happened. I don’t want hi-him to be wor-worried while he dr-drives” you managed to hiccup out between short breaths and shakes.

Scott just gave you a sullen look as he nodded his head at you. He got off the couch once Lisa sat down next to you, not wanting to leave you alone by yourself. Lisa placed the photos on the table in front of you as she gathered your hands into her; your sobs taking over your body again as you leaned into her touch.

“Ssshhh, I’ve got you sweetie. You let it out” she said as she soothingly rubbed your back.

Why was this happening to you? This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. You just wanted to move here, and start a new beginning. Things were going great with Chris, and you had a new business. But now, you didn’t know if you even wanted any of that. You didn’t want to put Chris in danger, and now you didn’t even know if you would have the courage to step a foot outside.

Holding onto Lisa for dear life, you continued to sob and not once did you feel awkward about it. Lisa had practically taken you in as a daughter, and you were grateful for that. You didn’t know what you would have done if you hadn’t met her, or Scott for that matter.

Before long, the police showed up. Scott took the initiative to talk to them, letting you take the time you needed to calm down in Lisa’s arms. You were a mess and you knew it. This wasn’t the way you wanted to greet Chris after a month and a half apart.

The police understood how scared and frightened you were, so they decided to take fingerprints and pictures; letting you take the time you needed to gather yourself before talking with you. They saw you were in good hands with Scott and Lisa.

You heard a “ping” go off and your droopy eyes glanced up to see Scott look at his phone. Your mind still fuzzy and hazed, trying to process everything didn’t notice Scott lean down to whisper something to Lisa. She continued rocking you back and forth in her arms, not even caring that some of your bloods from your knees were getting onto her.

Scott met Chris outside when he pulled up as he wanted to explain why there were a bunch of Police cars parked outside.

“Where is she!” Chris’ voice demanded from outside, causing your eyes to open while you were still in Lisa’s arms. Your heart rate spiked at his voice, knowing that he was here.

Carefully, you lifted your now sore neck and looked up, seeing Chris standing there in the entryway looking at the mess on the floor. He started moving slowly around the broken glass, towards the living room where you were. As his eyes landed on you, he froze. His eyes wide stared back at you as his hand went to cover his mouth.

Tears started forming immediately in your eyes again as you took him in; tears of relief that Chris was here; tears of sadness that he had to witness you like this.

“Y/N” he whispered out as he removed his hand from his mouth, staring at you in shock before his feet willed him to move closer to you.

A/N: AAnnnnddd major cliffhanger there guys. I’m sorry! I wanted to give a shout out to @potterhead1265 for some ideas she gave me for this chapter!

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