#half of their poses would’ve made them look slightly uncomfortable

[tsubasagirl]

My second photo featuring one of my OTPs :3

(This goes out to the three fans out there ;u;)

[mellowswriting]

Sweet but Fierce S/O

**some of these are more blurbs than headcanons... what can I say, it got away from me

Mando: 

The duality is something Mando sees often with you, and he can’t deny that he loves it. You aren’t just sweet and soft with him, an experienced bounty hunter who by definition was the opposite of soft, but you were so good with the Child. You could get him to sleep like you had cast a spell over him, fed and played and talked with him as if you could actually understand his babbling. Soft and sweet wasn’t something Mando saw often in his life and now he can’t get enough of it.

But Mando is familiar with fierce, and seeing the way you protect the Child and his beskar-clad father? It honestly turns him on beyond comprehension. How can the same hands that provide comfort and care so readily also viciously break the bones in the wrist of someone unfortunate enough to have made a grab for the Child? How can the same hands that make warm, delicious food for your little clan (a habit you picked up after balking at Mando’s tendency to survive solely on ration bars) also steadily hold a blaster to the temple of an idiot who tried to remove Mando’s helmet?

As a Mandalorian, he is so used to the world being black and white, either or. Every bit of you is refreshing to him - the considerate gestures, the soothing touches, the biting need to protect those you love. It’s a precious quality. 

It’s also incredibly attractive. Mandalorian culture is based in caring for and protecting children, so seeing you so fiercely loving?? Basically it makes him want to rail you into oblivion, but that’s neither here nor there. 

Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales:

Frankie could use a little sweetness in his life. It’s been a tough time, coming back from all that shit that went down in South America. He was closer than ever with the boys of course, but something was missing. He needed something more. So when Pope introduced you to him at his barbeque, Frankie was beyond interested.

It was a whirlwind, falling in love with you. You changed his life in the best ways; taught him which yoga poses would help with his achy back, filled his house with soft blankets and delicious coffees, listened to him ramble on as he drove. And the way you talked about your work, your career? It’s enamoring. 

Your work is how he gets to see that fierce side. The two of you were out to lunch when your phone rang - it was one of your clients, apparently dealing with some sort of crisis. Frankie couldn’t deny you when you asked him to drive you to her home, especially since he had driven you to the small restaurant. Frankie leans against his car door as you go up to her house. 

Apparently her landlord was illegally trying to evict her. You have no issue getting in his face and telling him with a terrifying kind of calm that you have no issue calling the police and your company’s lawyers. You’ll have him buried in litigation and fines for the next decade if he doesn’t stop being a greedy piece of shit and go about his day elsewhere. If that wasn’t enough to have Frankie wide eyed (and drooling just a bit tbh), you seem to fall right back into your sweet self as you calm your client and reassure her that all will be fine. 

Hell, maybe Frankie could use a little spitfire in his life, too.

Javier Peña:

How? Just. How?

Javier doesn't understand how you've managed to be so sweet when surrounded by the shit you both worked with everyday. Your eyes are so bright and soft, your smiles easy and pure, every gesture full of unwavering kindness. Working in admin meant you saw all of the reports, all of the gruesome pictures of the aftermath of Escobar’s men. So again: how?

Christ, you always offer to get coffees for him and Murphy on those endlessly long days where every lead seems to fizzle out and he wants nothing more than to put his hand through a wall. Your presence is a bright spot in the office, even when the rain clouds hang heavy around his head. 

Javier seeks you out on those bad days. It isn’t intentional - usually, at least. He’ll tell Murphy he needs to go for a walk before he starts throwing things and will find himself at your desk with you looking up at him with those big, soft eyes and asking if you can help at all. If only he had the words to tell you that your presence was helpful in and of itself. 

Eventually Murphy gets onto him about it, tells him to just ask you out already because he’s tired of the longing. So Javi bucks up and makes his way to your desk with a surprising amount of nerves in his stomach. Fuck, how long had it been since he asked someone on an actual date and not just out to drinks as a prelude to fucking?

The sight of Agent Buchanan perched slightly on the edge of your desk gives him pause. The man is obviously laying on the charm and Javi is about to turn on his heel when he notices how uncomfortable you look. Javi’s eyes narrow because seriously? This dude is gonna fuck with the one literal ray of sunshine in the office? Buchanan leans forward and places his hand on your thigh and that’s when Javier is marching forward to break his spine in fucking half…

Before he can even get to you, you slip your fingers under his and give him that soft, sweet smile… and Buchanan’s middle finger is shoved back at a vicious angle. Over his pained sounds, Javier can hear the anger in your voice. “I said no thank you, asshole.”

Holy fuck. If Javier was interested before, he’s downright obsessed now. 

And as always, the honorable mention of Javier’s innocence kink. 

Ezra: 

At first Ezra thinks it's some sort of bluff, the charming and easygoing nature you portrayed. When you came across him in the Green wounded and in dire need of a new filter and probably a meal or two, you just… helped him. His very own partner left him for dead, and here you were, offering him a lifeline without expecting anything in return.

Yeah, no. That’s not something that happens, especially not in the Green.

He isn’t afraid to call you on it, either. This man is straight and to the point in every aspect of his life, might as well do the same in his death instead of getting jerked around. But you just… grinned, all conspiratorial, and whispered, “I’m actually just using you for good karma. This is a selfish act, don’t worry.” 

Huh.

It takes Ezra a moment to be assured that you aren’t playing some kind of long con as you nurse him back to health. You still clean his wounds and force him to take medication to help his lungs recover from the toxic air with confidence and ease despite his untrusting looks. Once he gets over his fears, there’s no getting rid of him. Ezra likes you. He likes the sweetness, the gentle touches. That’s why he offers you his partnership and beams when you accept.

Besides simply liking you, your kindness is a rarity that sparks a deep need in Ezra to keep you safe, protected. The idea of you harvesting on your own with no one to watch your back makes him feel sick to his stomach.

It’s the third day he’s out harvesting with you that he realizes you absolutely do not need his protection. You hear the duo approaching before Ezra does and immediately shove him into the raised, gnarled roots behind a tree - and the shot that would’ve caught him in the chest flies harmlessly past. Before Ezra can tell you to stay put and let him handle it, you’re scrambling out from behind the tree and he can hear the sound of your thrower discharging and a body crumpling to the ground. 

Ezra shoots out to help but you’re trying to wrestle the other man to the ground and Kevva damnit, he can’t get a clear shot with all that writhing about. Just as he goes to jump into the mix, whatever hold you have on the man straightens his arm out behind his back in a harsh, unforgiving line. The man’s thrower slips from his incapacitated hand and the sight of you snatching up midair and firing it right through his helmet has to be the most erotic thing Ezra has ever seen.

You can expect this man to wax poetic about the twofold of your personality for hours. Goes on and on about how he loves seeing the different ways you light up: in passion, in pleasure, in anger. It’s downright titillating. 

Marcus Pike:

Working with you gives leaves Marcus in the perfect position to see both sides. You’re so compassionate with the victims as you guide them through the legal processes but you also look ridiculously hot with a gun in your hand. Or while you pull on your bulletproof vest. Or when you’re strapping a holster to your thigh.

What can he say, Marcus can’t get enough of you either way. 

He loves when you give him that grateful smile when he brings you a coffee. The shoulder rubs you give him when he’s been sitting at his desk for too long leave him hazy with a mix of love and pleasure. The way you open your arms up for him to crawl into bed, still half asleep but still wanting him against you… it was pure heaven. 

Marcus also loves the hard edge in your voice when you’re interrogating a suspect. He loves the fire in your eyes when he wraps a hand around your throat and growls out exactly what he’s going to do to you, that bratty energy radiating off you and filling him with the need to break you down until he gets to see the pretty, begging glimmer of his sweet little thing again. 

Max Phillips:

Max is the kind of man who loves having a pretty, wide eyed thing beneath him, watching their face morph into that surprised pleasure. That’s exactly what he’s gonna get from you, too. He just knows it.

You’re the kind of person everyone loves working with, always offering a smile and kind words throughout the day. You work so hard and so diligently, that work ethic is something that leaves you offering your assistance when you’ve finished up before closing time. Max thrives on those moments where you peek into his office and ask if there’s anything he needs - maybe a coffee or some help with some paperwork. 

One day he decides, fuck it. Throws caution to the wind because hey, this is Max fucking Phillips we’re talking about here. So he waves you in when you pop by, lets you sit in one of the chairs on the other side of his desk, and whispers “You can help by bending that pretty little ass over my desk.”, his hands braced on either armrest. 

The last thing Max expects is a harsh smack across his face. He stumbles back, eyes wide as you stand and glare at him. “Go fuck yourself, Phillips.” 

Okay, yeah. He deserved that. The great thing about him, though? Max also loves the chase. And what could be better than slowly but surely convincing you that the best thing for you is letting him rail you into oblivion? 

Pero Tovar:

Before he sees that fierce side of you, Pero keeps his distance. He’s a sellsword for god’s sake, he feels he has no business around such softness. He’ll hurt you, he’s sure of it. But that doesn’t stop him from looking. Pero often sees you in the market and every time, you take his breath away. You could usually be found aiding an elder in gathering their shopping into their carts or kneeling down to speak with the local children running amok.

As a man who spent his life surrounded by battle and hardship, it was a nice change.

It wasn’t long until he caught your eye, and Pero floundered. He didn’t know what to do with that first small gesture - he just stared at you when you offered him a small bundle of cheeses and meat to aid him on his two month long journey he was about to set off on. Of course he later cursed himself for the stunned silence he offered in response to your well wishes and the small wave you gave before you left him standing like a fool next to his horse. 

Pero would thank you properly when he returned, that was the resolve he came to while away. You deserved to hear the words at the very least. He takes a moment to clean up before he sets out to find you, not wanting you to see him covered in grime, and as always, he spots you within moments of entering the village. Except something is… off. Your face through the shop window lacks it’s usual brightness, your eyebrows pinched together, something akin to fear replacing the brightness your eyes usually held. That’s when Pero realizes there’s a man holding a dagger to the shopkeeper and demanding the man's coin. 

By the time Pero has his own dagger in hand and shoves through the door, the man is already crumpling to the ground from the harsh kick you landed at the back of his knee. Pero watches in  awe as you take advantage of his confusion to snatch the blade from his hand and point it at him with your foot pressed firm to his back. 

Despite just how amazing you look like that, Pero takes over quickly, wanting you out of harm’s way immediately. The assailant is taken care of after a small struggle and when you rush towards him to make sure he isn’t hurt, a fire lights in his belly. As you fret over him, your soft hands searching for any harm to his scarred, calloused skin, Pero knows. He’s found his person, he can feel it in his gut, deep in his bones. 

[aminiatureworld]

A Sea of Fragments III

Part I here, Part II here

Word Count: 3,519

Warnings: Swearing

Author’s Note: This was originally going to be about twice the length, but then I checked the time and the word count and decided to split it in half. Sorry about the cliffhanger, but hope you enjoy!

The sound of a siren, or perhaps a very badly played instrument, shoved you out of your dreams, groggy and disconnected from the world around you. At first you moved to open a window and tell whoever was playing to fuck off, but the moment your eyes truly opened you were hit with the unfamiliarity of your situation. The tent was still alien, made almost uncanny by the familiar furniture, crammed this way and that, pulling into the sides of the tent, and you felt unease wash over you.

Groaning slightly you stumbled towards the tent opening. Peering out through a crack in the fabric you were met with the sight of what seemed almost like a stampede. Men and women alike, dressed in the same identical light blue shirt and black trousers, jogging this way and that, running into each other haphazardly while cursing those who ran into them in turn. It was a fascinating sort of spectacle, and for a moment you stood there hypnotized.

A woman seemed to notice this trance of yours. Smirking, barely pausing in her mad dash to wherever the hell she was going, she tilted her head slightly. “If you don’t get moving soon you’ll be late for breakfast.” Then she went dashing off, leaving you to try and put together the pieces in your mind.

Turning back around you pulled your clothes out haphazardly. Though you remembered what Scaramouche said about eating with everyone else, you hadn’t really thought the matter through, too distracted by his proximity then. Now your stomach twisted in knots, and you wondered if it would be too much work to sneak out during the day to eat. Immediately you threw away the thought. Even if you could find the time in between, well, whatever you were going to be doing, the idea of fighting with Scaramouche again was exhausting. Even a tenuous truce was better than all out war. With that in mind you drew yourself up to your full height, glancing back at your belongings once before running to join the crush.

The cafeteria was less of a cafeteria and more a complex of various tents, haphazardly pinned together. The noise was almost unbearable after the silence of living on your own, a contrast as well to the low murmurs of the inn. There was no attempt to keep voices low now, and the air was filled with shouts and curses and the sound of too many people shoved into too small a place. You hadn’t noticed how big the camp was before, too wrapped up in the melodrama between you and Scaramouche, too wrapped up in the odd emotions that still swirled around in your mind when you thought of him. Now you wondered how you could’ve possibly ignored something so large and so noisy.

Your hopes that you might be able to sit next to Scaramouche – as awkward as that sounded – were quickly dashed to pieces. Despite the disorder there was still somehow a sense of hierarchy preserved. The Fatui higher ups were seated in a tent at the back, almost completely obscured by the long rows of tables and underlings that sat between them and the place where the food was dished out for the majority of the troops. Though the light was still somewhat dusky, you could still tell that their tent had been cleaned better, as the off-white was still brighter than the rest of the tents, which could generously be described as the color of old egg yolks. Scaramouche sat at the center of the table, already surrounded by officers and other such people; though from his scowl he seemed hardly happier than he had when he was with you. Still the message was as clear as any, and you grimaced at the prospect of trying to find a place to sit now.

When your plate had been filled with food that seemed at least adjacent to edible you wandered aimless for a moment, overwhelmed by the number of the seats and the unseen order of it. Spying a table full of people in ordinary clothes you made your way over to the table slowly, dreading the odd looks and the stilted small talk that would inevitably accompany your arrival. As if on cue the chatter quieted down, as eight pairs of eyes fixated on you. Flashing an awkward smile to no one in particular you sat down, trying to minimize the noise of your chewing. Slowly the conversation trickled back to life, but still your arrival hung in the air. Though you tried to make yourself as small as possible you could still feeling eyes on you every once in a while. The gesture was oppressive, and while you knew that this was par for the course of being new, it didn’t stop the pit in your stomach from hardening, as the act of swallowing became steadily more and more difficult. How you wished you were still at home, at least then you could do something, get up and walk around, instead of being fixed to your spot on the bench.

Setting down your food you looked around you, studying the layout of the tents. Surely there was some way to sneak out, an opening that didn’t fit correctly, an out of the way gap in the fabric. Anything was better than staying here, even going the rest of the day with an empty stomach.

You were jolted out of your thoughts by the call of your name. Looking up you saw an unfamiliar man, one who seemed somehow just as uncomfortable as you were at the moment.

“Yes?” You managed to let out, ignoring the embarrassment that burned your face.

“I’ve been sent with a message.”

“Yes?”

“The Harbinger Scaramouche would like to see you in his tent after breakfast.”

“Is that it?” You asked, feeling like you’d just been told nothing at all. Where else would you go? You hadn’t been around the Fatui for more than an hour and already the impulse to bolt was growing harder and harder to ignore. At least Scaramouche’s berating was familiar, even if it remained unpleasant.

“Yes.” The man nodded awkwardly. Sparing a glance at the table where his message came from he bowed almost imperceptibly, before running off to wherever he’d come from.

The stares had returned, with sounds to accompany them. An “ooh” was audible from the very last person on the bench across from you, as if you were ten years old and had just been called for by your mother. A “good luck” was also heard, though you couldn’t quite tell if it was sincere or not. The rest melded into the rest of the crowd, though you didn’t truly mind that. Sighing you stood up, disposing of your plate and walking out of the tent. If you were going to make your way back to Scaramouche’s tent, then you might as well make a head start.

The camp was more of a maze than you’d initially thought, and by the time you’d managed to spy the familiar dark blue sticking out amid the whites Scaramouche and the rest of his lackeys had already gathered. Murmuring an apology that was ignored you slunk to the back of the room. Though you could see a variety of documents spread across a table in the center of the room, you didn’t really care what was said on them. Why would Scaramouche even call you here when he was dealing with other people? Surely you could have nothing to do with the topic at the moment.

Scaramouche stood with his back facing to you. Though he must’ve heard your entrance, he made no attempt at recognition. Though you were unsurprised by this, you also felt somewhat deflated. If this was how it was going to be then you’d rather just go back to sleep.

“Now that we’ve all arrived, I will explain what the next step is going to be.”

It was odd to hear Scaramouche’s voice so flat, as you normally thought of it as the most emotional part about him. Now however it was completely devoid of emotion, instead set at a monotone, though a hint of disdain still clung to the end of his words.

“As you all know there are two villages in proximity to our camp. The closer one, a trading post for the neighboring village and houses, has recently been discovered to contain no little amount of elemental particles, as well as a distinct elemental footprint. It’s strong enough to imply that there is something of no little magical value hidden away somewhere. Something that will surely be of value to the Tsaritsa and her work. It is our duty, as her trusted army, to aid her in this quest. Thus we will be launching a raid upon the village three weeks from now. It will be a night raid, as to give us the edge, and, if possible, we ought to apprehend this item without the villagers become aware. If we succeed I will send a group to Snezhnaya while the rest of the army remains here as to not arouse suspicion. If you all do as you are told then we will succeed.”

Scaramouche stood back for a moment, arms crossed over his chest. You noticed he hadn’t asked for any questions. Perhaps if he had someone would’ve protested, though you sincerely doubted it. Glancing around at the men and women around you there were a variety of expressions; eagerness, confidence, determination. None of it betrayed the mission they’d been given, to rob a village of something precious, and to care not for the wellbeing of those who resided within those wooden houses. And acidic taste filled the back of your throat, disgust rising. So many men and women, yet not one with any scrap of empathy for those who were not them.

“Scaramouche, Sir.” A voice rose up from amongst the crowd. For a moment your heart lifted, surely there was someone willing to pose any sort of question on the validity of this scheme, even if not outright.

“What.”

“This is a worthy mission, yet I have one question.”

“And what is that?” There was dissatisfaction in Scaramouche’s eyes, and his voice reached a familiar cadence, that of irritation.

“Is there any knowledge as to where this item might be hidden away? Surely it would be easier to deal with discreetly if we were given information on what this item was, or where it’s been hidden.”

“Of course.” There was a sneer on Scaramouche’s face, as if he couldn’t believe the stupidity of those around him. “It would be helpful to know of the item in question. Fortunately for us I have already planned for this.

Turning around Scaramouche’s eyes pierced through the crowd, staring right at your corner in the back. They were brighter than usual, gleaming like a cat. You felt a chill down your spine, up until now you hadn’t truly realized how disarming, how uncomfortable his gaze could be. As if on cue the others turned around to stare.

“This is my plan,” continued Scaramouche, not even bothering to refer to you by name, “they can see the future, or so they say. Using them we will certainly be able to locate such an item, for even if they were of no use in the current view of the future, we would still sniff the item out. This method, however, will require less effort.”

It was as if the air had been stolen from your lungs. Lied, you’d been lied too. He wasn’t disconnecting you from his Fatui work, he was sticking you right in the middle of it! To be a source of intrigue for a Harbinger was embarrassing enough; to be stared at by a whole tent worth of Fatui, each seeing you as no more than a tool, it was mortifying. More than that though was what you knew stood behind their eyes, behind Scaramouche’s words. They genuinely expected you to go along with this plan, to contribute to the suffering of others for no other purpose but greed.

It was all too much. Stumbling sideways, praying that no one was in front of the opening, you let a “no” escape your constricted throat, before whirling around and plunging out of the tent.

Stopping a few steps away from the opening you listened to the chaos behind you. There was a general rustling of voices, a few indignant cries rising over the rest. You listened for the familiar sound of Scaramouche’s voice, but was unable to hear it. Instead you felt an arm on your shoulder. Turning around you were met with the Harbinger, lips pressed together in a line, eyes smoldering beneath his hat. He said nothing, simply disconnecting his hand from your shoulder to meet your wrist. While doing so he dragged you towards the edge of the camp, silence an omen for the fight to come.

 -----

“What were you thinking back there!” Scaramouche’s voice had returned to its usual jumping about. “If you’re going to continue your incessant arguing, then at least don’t do it when we are surrounded by others.”

“How could I otherwise!” You let out, voice just as emotional. “You were asking me to do the unspeakable, to participate in the destruction of a village!”

“Are you deaf, or were you just not listening? I made it quite clear what the plan was. A midnight raid for a precious item. You’re acting as if I ordered them to burn the village to the ground.”

“You cannot guarantee that will not happen. If things go wrong, do you really expect me to believe the Fatui will just go running with their tail between their legs? Give me more credit than that Harbinger.”

“And why should we not do everything in our power to retrieve the item? After all it belongs to the Tsaritsa.”

“In what universe does the heirloom of a village belong to a god who can have no use of it other than to grow her own power?”

“It belongs to the Tsaritsa just as your vision does, or my position. The Tsaritsa has aided the creation of this world, the growth of Teyvat. Why should she not demand payment in return?”

“Her payment is her worship. She was given no rights over the belongings of others, others who she does not even know about. What does your precious Tsaritsa know about the every day lives of villagers? She knows as much about that as I do about the movements of the gods.”

“The Tsaritsa has aided in the creation of their villages. Of course she should know more about them than you do of her. She is an archon, you are nothing but a human with a little bit of magic thrown in.”

The words stung, and for a moment you stumbled back, unable to speak. Wrenching your eyes shut you took in a few deep breaths. You’d never given him the satisfaction of seeing you cry. After a moment you glared once more at the Harbinger, whose expression was the same as ever.

“You promised me, you made a deal. You said I wasn’t working for the Fatui, but for you.”

“And I am a Harbinger. What did you expect? You really have no understanding of the world.” Scaramouche’s sneer was all it took to drain the little energy you had remaining.

“You’re heartless. Absolutely heartless. No wonder you love it here. Here no one will notice that you don’t care about anybody, because no one here cares for anything except themselves! And… and to think that I thought there might’ve been some kindness in you.”

Saying nothing more to keep your voice from breaking you turned around. Walking back towards the cluster of tents you ignored the faint, still melodious, call of your name. Everything felt wrong, all wrong.

 ------

Scaramouche watched you go, anger rising in him as each call of your name dissipated in the air. For a moment he stood there, wanting to storm off, but quickly he realized he really had nowhere to go. His tent was currently infested with lackeys – lackeys who would certainly be wondering what had happened if her returned alone, even if they didn’t dare to say it. Nor could he simply stomp off to the woods, for there was still work to be done, and a useless soldier was a worthless one. Nor could he go wandering around the camp, for it he ran into you there’d certainly be more fighting, and the last thing Scaramouche wanted to do right now was keep fighting.

Still this couldn’t go on. This endless fighting, it was beginning to drive Scaramouche to insanity. Why, why could you not take one simple order? Why was it always fighting with you, always contradictions and refusals and in the end bargains, always bargains, with Scaramouche on the losing end. He wanted to scream, wanted to go up to you and make you understand who he was, that his word was as good as law in this camp, and that you couldn’t be an exception simply because you saw into multiple futures. Hadn’t he made that clear enough already in his actions, in his words? Why then did you continue to talk back to him?

The Harbinger stood there, pondering this question of why. It had occurred to him that you weren’t going to be as easy to pull around as a member of the Fatui, that you had not been trained to simply follow orders. To you a job wasn’t something given on the pain of death, wasn’t something that had a country leaning on it. It was done simply in the hope of getting paid. Yet were you always so surly with your other employers?

Heartless. You had called him heartless. Somehow that grated on him the most. Even if you had yelled, had continued on your insolent way, it would’ve been somehow easier to deal with than your stony accusation. Not that Scaramouche thought much of his abilities to empathize with people; but it wasn’t in his contract to do so. Why did it matter so much to you that he should be heartless? Why should you spit out the accusation as if saying he’d committed the greatest wrong? And why did it sit so low with him, the fact that you had vocalized something he’d already been well aware of?

It gave him a headache to think of all these questions, but then again when was he not in some state of agitation when it came to you. Ever since he’d met you he’d found himself in some sort of state. Even now, when he finally thought you might actually buckle down and start working, even now you resisted. Him breaking your bargain? No, it was you who were unwilling to see this through to the end. All because you could not see what was in front of you, could not see that there were things more important than you. If Scaramouche was heartless, than you were the most self-centered person he’d ever met.

Taking a few breaths Scaramouche reconsidered his last statement. No, no perhaps that wasn’t correct. It wasn’t a consideration for others you lacked, it was rather than you had too much of it. Perhaps that was why you called him heartless, because you cared too much about the hearts of others. It was sound enough, the logic. Yet discontent still floated in the air, and no matter how much Scaramouche told himself that you were the one to blame and that you were behaving illogically something about your words still ate at him. Heartless. Was it so bad then, to be without a heart? Scaramouche felt raw all of a sudden, almost as if you’d somehow reached deep into him and prodded at something, some soft thing he’d not managed to coat over. Heartless. The word echoed in his mind, rattling along with the sudden array of feelings you’d coaxed out.

Why did he care so much anyways what you thought? He’d never cared before. The only opinion that mattered was the Tsaritsa, and you were as different from her as one could possibly be, both in station and in opinion. So why then, why did he care? Scaramouche shook his head, knowing that he must look like a fool, standing there, expression surely revealing the turmoil he was feeling. And yet even as he continued to berate himself the feeling continued.

Looking around Scaramouche sighed, before making his way back into the camp. Somehow he knew that he was looking for you, even if the idea was unwise. But chasing after you had become a bit of a theme, and at this point he didn’t even attempt to hide the fact from himself. Besides, he needed to speak to you. Somehow he knew; if he spoke to you then he might find a way to once more tamper down on the emotions clouding his mind.

Even if he didn’t understand why.

[twistedlymad]

Hi!! I really love your Twisted Wonderland stories!! They make so happy!! I love the way you write the characters! If you’re still taking requests could I plz have a story of MC and the gang playing truth or dare where Grimm asks MC if she has a crush on anyone to get at the boys? And MC won’t tell so the boys try everything they can to see who she likes? I leave the ending in your hands! I understand if you won’t accept this request but if you do then I’ll be so happy!! Ok thanks YOUREAWESOME!!

Okay, let’s settle something first. And that is: I am NOT awesome.

You guys are the true awesome ones! You guys have so many ideas! My inbox is filled with requests of which I never knew could happen! Thank you all <3

Also, I have never fully immersed myself into a game of truth and dare :’) And now I’m writing a story on something I’ve played but not full heartedly. The irony is strong :’)

Thank you for requesting this story! I do hope it lives up to your expectations! Thank you again and have a lovely day!!

What if you played Truth or Dare? (Ft. Grim, Ace, Deuce, Sebek, Jack and Epel) (Riddle, Vil, Lilia and Ruggie are mentioned)

“Fgnaaaaa (Y/N), I’m bored.” Grim said while laying on your lap. You and him were doing your homework in your dorm.

“I know, but, when we finish, we can go out and meet up with the others. I’ll even throw in a can of tuna or two. How does that sound?” You said, trying to coax the furball into doing his homework.

“When you put it that way!! Fgnaaaa!” And the furball was more excited to do his work. You gave him a head pat and continued on your own work.

After about an hour or two, you two had finished your homework. You sighed and closed your book, you turned to see Grim dozing off to dreamland. You shook your head, giggling and gently nudged him awake.

“Come on you furball, it’s almost time to get dinner, we don’t want the others to worry about us right?” You said, picking Grim up and placing him on your head. Grim yawned a little before going to sleep on your head.

You had a nice little walk to the crowded cafeteria, when you arrived, you saw your friends sitting at a table not far from you. They were chatting with smiles on their faces while you went and grabbed yours and Grim’s food. After doing so, you went over to the table where your friends were sitting and sat yourself down.

“(Y/N)!!” The others called for you and you just shushed them. They were puzzled until you pointed to the sleeping furball on top of your head. They looked at each other before nodding and snickering. You smiled and slowly set the sleeping furball down on your lap and took a bite out of your dinner.

“So, how is everyone doing?” You asked your friends and multiple groans were heard.

“Riddle made me feed the flamingos wearing pink again today!!” Ace said with a sigh.

“I had to change the color of roses in the garden to white for the whole day.” Deuce said, taking a sip out of his drink.

“Ruggie-senpai dragged me around the whole school looking for Leona-senpai… Turns out he was sleeping in a tree at Main Street. I wasted a whole afternoon doing that.” Jack said.

“Hah! You guys don’t even know what is true hardship. Vil and Rook taught me on ‘fine dinning’ and ‘proper table manners’ the whole day! I don’t get it! IT’S FOOD SO YOU SHOULD JUST EAT IT.” Epel said, the last part in anger. You patted him gently as a gesture to calm him down.

“Malleus-sama was nowhere to be found when school ended, so me and that stupid Silver spent the entire day searching for him. We could’ve been done earlier if that human wasn’t so slow. I can’t believe he can let Malleus-sama out of his sight!” Sebek said.

“Ehh? Didn’t you also let Malleus-senpai out of your sight?” Epel asked the Diasomnia first year. The latter froze a little.

“N-No. Malleus-sama’s class wasn’t near mine at all today. It’s clearly that human’s fault.” Sebek said.

“Sebek, I’m sure Silver-senpai didn’t mean it. It’s just that Tsu- I mean, Malleus-sama likes taking walks around the school without anyone knowing, right?” You said, in hopes of calming down your friend.

“Hmm… Maybe you’re right, but still-” Sebek tried to argue but you cut him off.

“Sebek, it’s alright, mistakes happen all the time, let it go.” You said and sent a smile to him.

“A-Alright.” Sebek said, going back to his meal.

“You know what? Since you all had such a terrible day, let’s do something after dinner to clear your minds of it!” You suggested to your friends, their eyes lit up after you’ve said so.

“Yea!! But, what should we do?” Ace asked.

“How about a game?” Deuce said.

“What game?” Jack immediately asked. The 6 of you were brainstorming until Epel decided to speak up.

“How about Truth or Dare?” The Pomefiore first year piped up. You all took looks at each other before nodding.

“Sounds fun!” Ace said with a smirk.

“I’m in.” Deuce said, taking a bite out of his dinner.

“W-Well, it is just a game… I guess I’ll join since I have nothing better to do.” Jack said, his ears drooping slightly.

Alas, the only one who didn’t give a response was Sebek. So, you, Ace and Epel looked at him with the most adorable puppy eyes the 3 of you could muster. Jack was slightly confused but he has a gist of what you all were trying to do. Sebek looked at the 3 of you, his face slightly paling.

“W-Wha-“ Poor Sebek couldn’t even finish asking before you cut him off.

“Join our game Sebek!” You pleaded.

“It’ll be fun! We promise!” Ace continued after you. After the two of you had said this, you, Ace and Epel bombarded Sebek with the word ‘please’ over and over again.

“F-FINE! STOP YOUR PLEADING!” Sebek said, finally caving in to you, Ace and Epel’s chants of ‘please’. The three of you high fived each other and did a little cheer. Your cheering just so happened to wake Grim up from his nap.

“Fgnaaaaa…. What’s wrong with you people? Can’t you let a monster like me take a good nap for once?” Grim said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. You giggled and petted Grim.

“Sorry Grim, but we were just excited! We’re playing truth or dare later.” You said, running your fingers through the creature as if you were to groom him.

“Truth or Dare? What’s that?” Grim asked you. You let out a small gasp.

“Grim… You… You don’t know what’s Truth or Dare?” You asked back the creature. He looked at you tiredly and shook his head.

“It’s like, the most common game ever to play with friends! You must’ve heard of it before!” Ace said to the furball.

“No, I have never heard of such game.” Grim replied the orange-haired student with a yawn.

“Well, you can see us play around before joining in later.” You said, handing him a can of tuna. “I remember owing you this.” The furball’s eyes lit up with sparkles.

“Fgnaaaaaaa!! Yes!!!!” Grim did a little happy dance and started to work his way into the can.

“So, where are we going to play later?” Sebek asked you all.

“Not Heartslabyul.” Ace said. “I cannot imagine enjoying the game with Riddle there.”

“Not Savanaclaw either. We can’t have a peaceful moment to ourselves there.” Jack said, shaking his head.

“Definitely not Pomefiore, unless you want our game session to turn into a makeover session.” Epel added on.

“Diasomnia isn’t the best option either. I’m pretty sure Lilia-senpai would interrupt us constantly.” Said Sebek.

“Well, I guess that just leaves my dorm right?” You said, laughing a little. “Then it’s settled then! We’ll have a small game session at Ramshackle Dorm. Now, hurry up and finish your dinner guys.” You ordered the boys as you finished your own dinner.

When they did, you all walked back to your dorm together, along the way, you guys had a nice little chat about what Professor Trein’s homework and how Lucius has a big influence on the class. The cat couldn’t help but meow at the end of each of the professor’s sentence. Ace even made fun of Deuce who meowed along once because he was half asleep then. When Deuce tried to defend himself by saying it was actually Lucius who made the sound and not him, Ace fired back at him saying that he was literally looking at him while he made the sound. Poor Deuce immediately turned red as the rest of you laughed. It’s okay, you comforted him after laughing for almost a minute.

Soon after, you arrived at your humble Ramshackle Dorm. You let everyone into the lounge and you guys started to discuss about the game that you were going to play. You guys decided to draw sticks to see who will go first. In the end, you had drawn the longest stick therefore you would start the game first.

“Alright then, let’s begin! Epel, truth or dare?” You asked your first victim and so the madness had begun.

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

After a few rounds of Truth or Dare, you had ended up with Epel being punished to wear a pink dress and his hair was in an up-do. Ace and Deuce had been punished to switch places, their personalities, the marks on their eyes and even their clothes had been switched. Jack was dared to have makeup on his face, from mascara to lipstick, you name it, beauty products littered everywhere on his face, his tail was in a big braid as a dare. Sebek’s whole body was covered in glitter, everytime he moved, glitter would flutter off from his body, he was also punished to speak in hushed tones.

Yeah, let that sink in.

And for you, you just had to be in an uncomfortable pose. You were feeling pretty sore too, who would’ve thought you would have to do the game standing up with only one leg supporting you while one of your hands were stuck to your waist and the other on top of your head. This was a dare made by Sebek out of all people, and you can only leave the pose when someone else calls out your name. So, yeah, you were ABSOLUTELY SORE.

“I think I know how to play this game now!!” Grim suddenly yelled out.

“Final- I mean, good for you Grim! I have to be nice to everyone if I want to be an honor student!” Ace said to Grim, mocking Deuce who was clearly irked by this.

“Fgnaaaaaa! Why wouldn’t I know how to play? I am The Great Grim after all!!” Grim laughed out.

“Well, I guess you should get a turn, go on then, pick a student and ask them Truth or Dare.” Epel said.

“Hmmm… (Y/N) then!” Grim looked at you and you finally collapsed onto the ground.

“Thank you Gri-“ You were cut off by the furball.

“Truth, or Dare?” You looked at him with widen eyes.

“Hmm… I’m never doing dare again… So, truth!” You said, not moving from your position at all because you were too tired.

“Alright, Truth eh?” Grim said, putting a paw underneath his chin to make it look like he’s thinking of something. After a few seconds of ‘thinking’ the furball had come up with the question.

“I got it!!” Grim yelled. “Who do you have a crush on in this school?” Everybody froze.

Grim, no, you just… You just started a war.

“Hey! How about I switch okay? I choose Dare instead!!” You frantically yelled out.

But Grim already made up his mind.

“Alright then, I dare you to tell us your crush.” Grim said to you and your eye twitched. You got to hand it to the furball, that was one smart move.

“Argh! NO! I won’t say anything!” You said, crossing your arms and turning away from your friends.

“Hey! You didn’t let me do anything else than wear this stupid dress!” Epel argued with you.

“Guys, guys, no. If (Y/N) is acting so defensive, it must mean she has a crush.” Ace said. The boys looked at you while you slowly shrunk yourself.

“(Y/N), it is a dare.” Jack barely said for his face was too heavy with the amount of makeup on.

“Yeah (Y/N) come on, tell us! I as the troublemaker need to know because I’m dumb!” Deuce said, mocking Ace.

Truth be told, the boys treated each other like enemies when Grim asked the question as they each wanted to be your ‘crush’, they knew that everyone had spent their fair share of time with you and you must have a favorite, right?

So, with what Deuce had said, it seemed like a direct attack to Ace. And let me tell you, Ace was not happy at all.

“HEY! I HAVE BETTER GRADES THAN YOU!” Ace fired back to his dorm mate.

“SO?! IT’S NOT LIKE YOU’RE SMART IN YOUR EVERYDAY CHOICES!”  Deuce yelled back.

“GUYS STOP.” Sebek said, getting in between them.

“Fine! Just because I don’t want to be covered in glitter as well.” Ace said.

“Hmph! Me neither!” Deuce said.

“Wait… Where’s (Y/N)?” Epel asked out. Everyone turned to where you sat only to find air there.

You see, while everyone was busy watching/stopping the fight between Ace and Deuce, you had sneakily taken off and ran straight for your dorm’s front door.

“(Y/N)!!! YOU CAN’T ESCAPE!!” Epel yelled as he and the others started to run after you.

“NO! FREEDOM IS NEAR!” You yelled and opened the door and ran out of it. As you just left your dorm’s front yard, you saw the boys were already on their way chasing after you. Grim was also with them but he had a spot on Deuce’s shoulder.

So, you ran, with a bunch of ridiculously looking boys on your tail.

“Guys, we should circle her instead, so, split up!” Sebek told his friends. The others nodded and branched off. You turned your head to see only Sebek running at you at full speed. You gulped slightly before picking up your pace.

“(Y/N)! This could’ve been easier if you’ve just did the dare!” Sebek yelled at you.

“Over my dead body!!” You shouted back and took a sharp left at the end of a hallway, leading you to Main Street.

But when you arrived, you saw something pink slowly walking towards you. You widen your eyes as you realized that it was Epel in front of you. You turned your head to the left to find Jack slowly approaching you from that side. Your right was being approached by the two Heartslabyul boys so escaping from there isn’t an option. You also felt a presence behind you and you already knew who it was.

And with that, you were trapped. Escape was impossible then.

Or so you thought.

“Now, (Y/N), be a good little student who accepted a dare and tell us…” Ace said smugly.

“Yeah, no backing out (Y/N).” Deuce continued. You were overwhelmed.

“F-Fine! I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” You said, covering your blushing. The boys all thought you looked adorable in that state. Could you blame them? You were looking all flustered and red and adorable while hiding her blushing face. Nothing could stop them from blushing slightly as well.

“Okay…” You said, taking a deep breath. The boys leaned in to you, wanting to hear more of your slightly trembling voice.

“My crush is-“

Ah, you were cut off. By a few voices actually.

“ACE! DEUCE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IS IT?!”

“EPEL! IS THAT YOU?! WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE EVIL QUEEN ARE YOU WEARING?!”

“Jack!! I need your help back at Savanaclaw!! Leona isn’t helping me!!”

“My oh my, if it isn’t Sebek, you know, Malleus would be disappointed.”

Yes, two dorm leaders and two vice dorm leaders were slowly walking to your group.

“Dorm Leader Rosehearts!” Ace and Deuce yelled to a red-looking Riddle.

“You two! It’s already curfew! If you don’t get back to your dorm in the next five minutes… IT’S OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!!” Ace and Deuce’s eyes widen and ran at full speed to their dorm.

“Bye (Y/N)!! We’ll see you tomorrow!!” Ace and Deuce said as they ran back to Heartslabyul with Riddle following behind them, but of course Riddle walked slowly instead.

“EPEL!!!” Vil had yelled for his first-year. Epel let out a small groan before turning to look at Vil.

“What?” Your friend responded to his dorm leader.

“What in tarnation are you wearing?!” Vil questioned.

“Are you blind? It’s a dress.” Epel said with a straight face.

“Don’t make me slap you again. Come, we must go back to Pomefiore and get you out of this horrible outfit.” Vil said and dragged Epel away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow (Y/N).” Epel managed to say while being dragged back to his dorm by Vil.

“Jack! Didn’t you hear what I said?!” Ruggie was approaching Jack. “I told you that- HAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR FACE?!?!” Ruggie couldn’t help himself as he turned Jack around only to be greeted with a makeup filled face.

“Yeah, yeah, you need my help right? Let’s just go now.” Jack said, dragging a laughing hyena upperclassman with him. “Bye (Y/N).” Said the wolf to you.

“My… Sebek… What a sight to see you like this.” Sebek froze for a good few seconds before turning around.

“Lilia-sama…” Sebek muttered in a low tone.

“I wonder how Malleus would react to this.” Lilia said and Sebek’s eyes widen.

“N-NO, MALLEUS-SAMA MUSN’T KNOW!” Sebek yelled.

“Then, I suggest you better hurry back to your dorm before he catches you.” Said Lilia with a small smirk on his face.

“We will meet again tomorrow (Y/N)!” Sebek said before rushing back to his dorm.

“Bye (Y/N)~” Lilia said to you before going back to his dorm himself.

After everyone were gone, you let out a breath you didn’t even knew you were holding.

“Fgnaaaaa… I only played one round though.” Grim said, as he plomped himself on your shoulder.

“I think one round is enough for you.” You said and started to walk back to Ramshackle Dorm.

“But seriously (Y/N), who is your crush?” Grim asked with curiosity.

“I don’t need a crush, I have you after all.” You said to Grim, patting his head.

“But but!” Grim asked further.

“No buts, either you stop asking about my crush or you don’t get to have tuna for the next few days.” You said with a stern tone.

“Fine…” Grim said and the two of you slowly made your way back to Ramshackle Dorm.

[sorryimanon]

Character: Shouto Todoroki

Long distance isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Your boyfriend, Shouto, goes overseas on a special mission in America. Back home, you try to take advantage of the distance with a couple of pictures.

Warnings: 18+, phone sex

Word count: 4k

-

Shouto watched with somber eyes as you packed the last remaining suitcase into the trunk of the car, back still turned against him so he couldn't see your tears. Bakugou and Izuku insisted on driving to the airport together, taking into consideration that they were all traveling overseas to the same destination. The night before, you were being a stubborn brat, not liking the idea of sending Shouto off at the crack of dawn. He showered you with affection afterward, his body never leaving your touch. Making love didn't cross both of your minds. It would've hurt in the after glow knowing the distance that'll be between you for the months to come. The two of you decided to just lay lifelessly in each other's arms, limbs interlocking, fingers carefully tracing skin, and hearts beating in unison. Moments like that is what truly captured the relationship as a whole.

With your back still turned, Shouto saunters over and wraps his arms around your torso, along with his head resting on top of yours. You hummed at his subtle touch. Eyes drawn to a close, you ruffled his split colored hair, already imagining the smile forming on his stern face. It was always a miracle when you manage to witness Shouto genuinely smile without forcing it.

You turned on your heel and reposition Shouto's hands on your hips. "Call me as soon as you touch down in America. Okay?" you didn't care at how needy you sounded, anything involving Shouto and hero work gave you anxiety.

The arm holding onto your hip soon reached the bottom of your chin, tilting it slightly so your eyes can formally meet. His dark irises became glossy as you stared harder, trying to capture every feature before he leaves in case within those months you forgot what he looks like. Even though you had a separate album on your phone filled to the brim with selfies and funny pictures of him, mostly taking up your storage space.

"I promise sweetheart. Remember, this will be the shortest 6 months you'll endure. I'll be home quicker than you can say All Might," he said, tucking a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. The action made you blush and giddy, referring back to the ways he'd make you feel during U.A.

Subconsciously, you both lean in against each other, waiting patiently for who's making the next move.  Your lips hovered over his, unsure if he wants to kiss goodbye or stay wrapped in your arms. A minute has gone by and you two stayed cemented in the same position. Fuck it, you thought. Who cares if it'll make you miss each other more. You harshly grabbed his face and leaned forward, preparing your lips to come into contact. But the loud beep emitting from the car made you both jump out of each other's grasp, knocking you backwards onto the cold surface.

Bakugou's head popped out comically from one of the windows, eyes gleaming with rage.

"Oi! Hurry up you dumbasses! We were supposed to leave 5 minutes ago!" he hollered, spit spraying out from this mouth.

You overheard Izuku, who was in the passengers seat, trying to calm down the explosive blonde. A pair of calloused hands slipped behind the back of your neck, crashing your lips to mount another. There's no hunger in the kiss. No teeth or tongue battling it out. Just pure passion burning within the languish kiss. Feeling satisfied, Shouto released himself from your mouth, leaving you breathlessly staring back at him in awe. With one last romantic gesture, your boyfriend rubbed the outer part of your cheek and pinched it between his fingers, smiling at your reddened reaction and shuffled towards the side door of the car.

"I love you y/n," was all he said before sliding the door shut.

You mumbled the exact sentiment as the car revved up and maneuvered out of your driveway. Shortly after wiping away some dried up tears, the car soon disappears from your line of vision, leaving you all alone on the driveway.

“All Might...” you whisper to no one in particular.

-

About 3 months into the trial of long distance, you were already experiencing the symptoms of postpartum-boyfriend-syndrome. Constantly crying yourself to sleep? Check. Going through his Instagram to make sure he didn’t delete any of your pictures together? Check. Texting him every hour on any given day to see how fast he’d respond? Check. Also, the inevitable weight gain from stress eating? Double check.

A couple of your friends noticed the sudden mood change when Shouto arrived in America that first initial month of separation. Momo for example, confronted you in the locker room at the agency one day, spewing about how you almost got yourself decapitated by a villain when your guard was down.

“I’m sorry Momo. My mind has been in the gutter lately. Shouto hasn’t texted me all day since this morning. I’m just worried this whole long distance thing is going to ruin our relationship,” you admitted , wincing at how incredibly clingy you sounded.

Momo began undressing herself, her lips caught between her teeth, clearly taking in what you said. Once she shimmied our from her hero costume, a devilish smirk rested upon her face.

“If you feel like your relationship is going grey, maybe try to spice things up a little. Ya know? Use the distance to your advantage.”

Your hands stopped themselves from unzipping your tight suit. “Hah? What do you mean by that?”

Momo chuckled, amused by how innocent you were acting.

“Come on, you know what I mean y/n,” she slipped on her everyday attire and closed the locker. “You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.” With that she gave you a wink and left the room.

A picture huh?

Across from you was a massive mirror. Each end reaching the edge of the room, everything being showcased, including you. Sometimes you’d walk in catching a few of the prohero girls taking selfies. They all had one thing in common, confidence. Something you had before Shouto’s departure. It felt as if someone used an ice pick to cut away the very little self esteem you had left, leaving you with barely anything to offer anymore. You couldn’t help to compare yourself to the proheros Shouto has been working alongside with since being in America. American girls were a different breed. Everyone over there looks exactly the same but different somehow. You tried not to think too much as you resumed on unzipping your hero costume. Today you wore a plain black bra set underneath. You hardly put on anything skimpy or sexy since you’re practically on patrol everyday, resorting to your trusty sport bras.

You caught a quick glimpse of yourself in the horizontal mirror, gaping at the added fat in your chest area. All thanks to the weight gain, your boobs looked delicious in the bra. The lower half of your body was nothing to ignore either. Your ass filled up the small undergarments, cheeks teasingly spilling out.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Momo’s words enticed you enough to grab your cellphone from the pocket of your duffel bag. Work hours was over for everyone in the building, so you weren’t worried about someone walking in on this compromising state.

You tried to mimic the poses you witnessed from the times you watched the girls do it. One hand on the hip, the other behind your head, along with angling your ass to the side. The pose was uncomfortable. How did they manage to hold this stance for longer than ten seconds? You took some pictures anyway, ignoring how awkward you presented yourself in the mirror.

Each picture you swiped through didn’t meet the criteria. Were these even good enough to send off to Shouto? He loves you no matter what, he reminded you everyday in fact, but your stomach dropped of the thought of him being revolted at these images. You quickly deleted all of the them and sighed in defeat. One more try.

Dropping down to your knees, you held the camera above your head, showing off every part of your body. You spread your legs a couple of inches, your cloth slit on full display. To add even more, you leaned forward a little bit to have your boobs almost spilling out from your tight bra. Through the camera lens, the top part of your nipples were visible. Surly Shouto wasn’t dense to not notice.

Your mouth was agape as you stared at the pictures you recently took. This person in the frame didn’t look anything like you. If you were to show this to Momo she’d be a proud mother.

Without hesitation, you sent a couple of the pictures to Shouto, leaving a cute little message at the bottom once they finally delivered.

Missing you extra today :) xoxo

You didn’t wait for his reply and started packing up everything in your area. Hopefully Shouto won’t be angry at your sudden bluntness, but he left you no choice. An acute noise came from your duffle bag. The blood rushing through your veins suddenly became very cold. It must be a message from Shoto, it has to be. You waited till you arrived safely home to check what he responded with. To your dismay, it was a reminder for next weeks meeting. You shuffled out from your car and headed straight to your shared apartment, a pout currently prominent on your face due to the failed mission.

On the other side, Shouto sat stoic in a plush chair listening attentively to one of the leaders reporting about the current mission. Next to him was a grouchy looking Bakugou, who was currently falling in and out of sleep in his seat. By no surprise Izuku was the only one in the group wide awake and full of energy. The trio has been traveling across the nation helping out with smaller hero agencies in hopes for there to be a stronger allegiance between the USA and Japan. So far it’s been excruciatingly draining on not just their bodies but minds as well. All Shoto wants is to feel the familiar warmth of your body pressed against his. His touch starving tendencies wandered into his personal life when Bakugou caught him snuggling the hotel pillows one night, mumbling your name over and over again. Pathetic as it is, he misses you so much. Although, he wouldn’t admit that out loud, he tried to keep you updated on everything that’s been happening. He has a hard time expressing his feelings, especially when it comes to you. So when he felt his bottom pocket vibrate, he half expected it to be a goodnight message from you, since you’re a couple of hours ahead of him. Nothing prepared him for the promiscuous photo you shared of yourself plastered on his screen, looking back at him with dilated eyes and flushed cheeks.

Blood rushed to the lower region of his pants as he pinched the screen to get a better inspection of you. He thought you looked absolutely beautiful in this vulnerable state, not to mention how your body perfectly clings to his favorite pair of underwear, every curve and beauty mark showcasing before him. Below the plethora of lewdness, a short message from you was attached.

Missing you a extra today :) xoxo

Stifling a groan, he began to type out a reply, stumbling on his words even in text. Before he could press send, someone slapped Shouto’s shoulder and dragged him to his feet.

“Come on half cold bastard the meeting is over. We’re free to go,” Bakugou grumbled as he pushes Shouto out of the cramped room, having Midoriya to follow suit. Bakugou shifted his gaze to Shouto’s phone, gazing at the gross nickname for you on the screen. Shouto angles his phone away from Bakugou’s peripheral vision, praying that he didn’t see your half naked body.

Shouto stuffed his cellular device into his back pocket again, awaiting for the right moment to text you back. Knowing the dynamic of the relationship, his silence is nothing out of the ordinary, so maybe you weren’t thinking too much into this.

Hours later and still no reply from Shouto. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, you figured he probably hasn’t seen it yet, but the “read at ___” has your heart twisting in a knot. You knew he was a couple of hours behind, but would it take for him to at least send a well thought out compliment. Maybe he’s in the midst of an intense battle? Or worse, hooking up with one of the American colleagues. No, Shoto isn’t like that. Being unfaithful is uncharacteristically unlike Shouto. You mentally slap yourself for painting your loyal boyfriend in a different light, all because of some stupid pictures.

Clearing your mind from anymore self sabotage, you did your nightly routine to get ready for bed. As you tucked yourself in, the bright light from your phone flashed, indicating a notification. Everyone in your contact list has already gone to sleep. Everyone excluding Shouto. Frantically, you reached over to grab the phone, swiping across the screen to view his message. The following text shot daggers through your chest.

Call me now

No mention of the photos you sent hours ago. It took him this long just to conjure up a cryptic message. Although, you were curious to see what he'll say to you once he picks up. You pressed the phone icon on his profile and waited, the ringing making you sweat with anticipation. He answered on the third ring.

There was an uncommon silence hanging in the air. On the other end of the call, you can hear the faint acute breathing coming from your boyfriend. You laid frozen in bed, cowardly holding in your breath to prevent any noise.

Shouto broke the silence and said, "I'm sorry for not texting you all day. There was an immediate emergency that lasted longer than we expected."

You nodded your head, but then caught yourself after realizing he can't see your movement over the phone, and let out a grunt instead.

"So..."

"So?" It came out more aggressive than you wanted it to be, but the constant cat and mouse game of today set you over.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked.

No. Not in a million years could you ever be angry at him. Yes, sometimes there's things he did that you wish he'd do better, like expressing himself instead of sheltering back in his shell. Or the way how you envied the relationships your coworkers had, their partners showing them off like it was second nature. Not once did Shouto verbally express his sexual desires. As selfish as it is, you wanted to explore more with him than just regular mundane vanilla sex. Sadly you knew his response was probably going to be lackluster. But no, you weren't mad, just jealous.

"I'm not mad Shouto. Just...very disappointed in you."

In the background, the definite click of a lock from a door rattled your ears. He's in his hotel room, you thought.

"Is this about what happened earlier today?" he started, dragging his tired feet to the hotel bed. "You know, the pictures-"

"Right, the only pictures I put any effort into just for them to be completely ignored by my own boyfriend."

The line went silent again. Even though he isn't here, if he was, he'd be glaring at you with his intense stare, those bi-colored eyes never wavering away from yours.

"You really want to know how I truly felt about those pictures you sent?" His voice dropped a lower octave, sounding as though he dipped himself in pure molasses. Rich as it is, his sudden change of tone aroused you, sending an involuntary wave of pleasure through your body, tipping to the peak of your sex. The only time you heard him sound like this was either when he's livid to the core or about to completely wreck your shit. Both would coincide with each other on special occasions.

He didn't give you enough time to answer, figuring you were too stubborn to reply, and voiced his inner thoughts.

"The fact that you even think I didn't appreciate the photo's is quite silly sweetheart. In fact," you can hear the clanking of metal on the other end. "It makes me sad that I'm not there to worship every inch of that body. Was that your plan all along? To get me worked up by how much I miss your touch?" Shouto struggled removing his pants, the tent forming beneath them restricting him to smoothly slip them off.

You tried to keep your excitement down by squeezing your legs together, almost to the point where they crossed. Soon your breathing became sporadic. Just picturing Shouto touching himself while you both were on call gave you an adrenaline rush. Knowing you couldn't touch him but just yourself intensified your arousal even more. Slowly, you dragged a lazy finger from your sternum to the area around your belly button, tracing small circles on the skin.

"What would you have done to me if you caught me in that moment? Taking those pictures," your sultry tone boomed through his speakers, almost taken back by your approach.

Shouto raised his hips and shimmed out from his tight work pants and started palming himself through his briefs. "Sweetheart, id do nothing but ravish you. Taking my sweet time with you....fuck...I miss you so much," he couldn't hold back the whine he trapped in his throat as soon as his finger swiped over his clothed slit. The sound alone triggered a warm sensation spreading down below, already feeling the wetness coating your panties. By now, Shouto’s fingers would be disappearing inside of you, scissoring and messaging your velvety walls till you broke out screaming, but you had to make do and resort to playfully teasing yourself.

"Ngh...I miss you too...S-Shoto."

"Are you touching yourself love?"

Both of you were far too gone in arousal, there was no point in holding back your sexual pleas.

"Y-Yes, but I wish it was your fingers instead."

Hearing those words coming from your lips encouraged him to shove his entire hand down his boxers, gripping the base of his cock with ease. A small gasp left his lips feeling the crisp, cold air of the hotel room hit his exposed member. He shifted his hand vertically, giving light tugs to it before pumping it vigorously. The sensation strained him to close his eyes, seeing nothing but you doing the work for him. Late nights in the various hotel rooms consisted of him getting off to memories of all the intimate moments you two shared together. Of course it was lonely, but he never resorted to surfing the internet of lewd videos of random girls. They just weren't you. But tonight, he could finally relieve himself to the sweet ambiance of your moans. And he definitely wasn't going to regret it in the morning like usual.

"Listen to me, go faster for me baby," Shouto instructed, "Imagine it's me touching you."

Your cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, fully coaxing your face in heat. You followed through and dipped your fingers into your sex, feeling the warm texture of your walls petting them. All those months without any sexual relief built up so much tension that the tightness within you restricted from anymore movements. After a few strokes, you loosen and manage to reach in far enough to the peak of your knuckles.

Meanwhile, Shouto's hand never grew tired at the tedious strokes, pre cum dripping till it reached his inner thighs. Your name kept spewing out from his throat like a mantra, like you were the only thing he prayed for at night. Despite his lack of moaning, he grunted with each pump, the built up causing him to breathe heavy as well. Generously, he held the phone close enough for you to hear the continuous slapping of skin, along with the combination of wetness. You didn't restrain yourself from moaning though. Every whimper, moan, and groan reverberated across his empty hotel room.

"You wanna know something?" He tried to keep his breathing at a normal pace, but he hastily kept pumping at quick speed. "Everytime I go to one of those dull meetings, I can't help but to imagine you riding me in front of everyone...ngh!"

The confession elicited a moan from you, along with your legs shaking due to the stimulation. Your head flew back and hit the pile of pillows, mouth agape as you added in another finger.

"I miss the feeling of being inside you. So...fucking...bad,” he was beginning to lose his voice , sounding as though he was in constant pain. Poor boy.

"I never took you as being so up front Shouto, what happened?" You challenged him through the phone.

"I guess you really don't know me baby," Shouto shot up from the bed and bent over, not once removing his hand from his member. "Fuck fuck fuck...I can't wait till I come home, so I can finally taste you."

The coil within you was beginning to snap. Snaking your fingers underneath your shirt, you started flicking your thumb over one of your perked nipples, still immersed into the idea that he's actually the one touching you instead. Toes curling and arms bunching up the sheets, you knew you were about to climax. Just by hearing his speech pattern, you can conclude he was close as well.

"I'm about- I'm about to cum S-Shouto!" You pathetically whine.

"Cum with me baby. I've been holding off for you."

Even during intense moments like this, Shouto's gentleman persona didn't fade away over the course the relationship. With the knowledge you have now, knowing he's been on the verge of relief, you pumped your fingers in sheer brutality, never once missing the g-stop. Throwing his head back, Shouto was now on his knees pleading for mercy from the pleasurable pain shooting up through his member. He let out an exasperated whine.

"Now baby, cum for me."

Then you felt it, the knotted tension within you disappearing. Everything around you looked white, like someone snuck in and painted your room a different color. You can faintly hear Shouto orgasming on the other end of the phone as you calm down from yours. He's heard you climax many times before, but hearing your angelic screams over the speaker made him cum harder.

A few minutes later and you two were now recuperating from the intoxicating session, harsh breathing overlapping each other. It felt like years later when he detached his hand, now coated in his own fluids and cramped up. You loosened yourself and removed the two fingers finally. They glistened with your fluid as well, giving off the impression it was just sweat.

"Y/N? Are you still there?" Shouto's voice alerted you awake, almost forgetting you didn't manifest him to finish you off. You grab the phone after cleaning your drenched fingers and propped it on the pillow next to your shoulder.

"Wow that was-."

"Amazing?" He finishes.

"Took the words right out of my mouth."

He mischievously chuckled, "I know. I heard it loud and clear a minute ago."

You audibly groan loud enough for him to hear while snatching the nearest pillow to smother yourself with.

"So, are you planning on sending any more pictures like that during these last 3 months?"

His innocent inquiry made you break out into a grin that stretched from ear to ear. Those pictures sprouted a future of appraisal from your boyfriend, who you thought would never voice his inner thoughts till the day he dies. You two also found a secretive kink to phone sex as you continue to explore with him during these periods of loneliness. Once he arrives home, he assures none of that is just a “phase” as you two kept venturing beyond to sext each other during important events.

A picture really is worth a thousand words.

-

(Truthfully, honestly, this is possibly the worst thing I wrote but someone asked for a cute little passionate session with Shoto specifically. I hope you enjoyed (?)

[ddarker-dreams]

Do Well. Yan Dabi x Reader [COMM]

warnings: dabi is just a huge asshole, emotional manipulation, implied panic attack word count: 2.6k.

“Would you be a dear and wait here for a few? I need to take a call.” 

Dabi tilts his head alongside his words, glints of amusement present in his sapphire eyes. You’re certain the bastard picks up on every subconscious movement your body makes at the question, feeling like an open book before him. Despite your valiant efforts, human biology doesn’t operate in your personal interest. The challenging premonition causes your lips to curl down, fingers twitching on the wide straw of your milk tea. Pausing mid sip, you pull back, eyelashes fluttering. It’s the subservient behavior he wants to see, and considering the alternatives, you’re tripping over yourself to give it to him.

“... Of course. I should just stay here, right?” It’s more of a question posed for your sake than his, information vital to keep your head above water. Any movements on your behalf that even hint at disobedience could lead to dire consequences, ranging in severity. The worst of which is being confined back to his dingy apartment, with nothing but your thoughts to entertain yourself. All the faux smiles, carefully timed giggles, and strategic brushes of skin against skin would be for naught. You worked too hard for these trips outside for it to fall through your fingers like sand. 

Your captor makes a point of giving you a once over, lackadaisical visage a front for a predator in waiting. Condensation builds up against the plastic container in hand, making it tricky to tell if it’s your hands growing clammy or the drink. Time passes by at a snail’s pace, neither of you making the slightest of movements. People go about their lives in happy-go-lucky bliss, none the wiser to the potential harm that Dabi poses. Feeling finally returns to your body as he stands, seemingly content with the exchange.

He shoots you a coy look over his shoulder, a crooked smile spreading across his face. “Don’t miss me too much.” 

Dabi snickers at how your nose scrunches up, waving and slinking off with his phone in hand. You watch his retreating figure, still in disbelief over the unfolding events. This would be the first time since being kidnapped that you’ve been on your own in public. These special little outings were a privilege, one that you had worked diligently for. Consistently being on your best behavior, day after day, in the presence of someone you abhor from the depths of your soul is no easy task. A rush of adrenaline shoots through your body when he’s out of sight, eyes darting around in excitement.

This is a prime location to make an escape, the outdoors of a crowded mall in the afternoon. Everyone ranging from families, to couples, and employees on their lunch break are walking around. Lively chatter fills your ears, and you observe every possibility as if it’s your last. While it’s likely a futile dream, the rush your quickening pulse brings demands attention. Lithe fingers shake by your side, every ounce of your strength devoted to keeping yourself from unraveling at the mere concept of being free. He has to be watching. You know him well enough that he wouldn’t have offered the opportunity to escape on a silver platter, there’s got to be measures in place. 

There’s no way he isn’t keeping an eye on you now, making sure that you hold true to your word of behaving. 

Your shoulders slump at this cruel reality. The act of looking around excitedly would be too much of a give away, an observation he’d surely bring up later. An eruption of goosebumps dot your skin, even in the sweltering summer heat. Taking another sip of your drink, you abandon hope of escape, certain it’d be a mistake should you try it. Though he’s purposefully kept you in the dark on most of his relationships with the League of Villains, you can safely assume he’s interconnected with enough unsavory figures to locate you should it be necessary. In contrast to the sugary goodness that coats your tongue, a sour taste in your mouth develops at this blatant flaunting of power. What an asshole. 

To be so self-assured that even in the event of your escape, hunting you down and bringing you back into his loving arms is still within the realm of possibility. Your eye twitches at this realization, mentally flinging numerous curses towards him. He didn’t have to make it so obvious, rubbing salt on the theoretical wound of your pride. Too preoccupied with festering thoughts of resentment, you fail to notice a figure taking a seat next to you on the bench. 

“Is the drink not good or something?” A light, masculine voice asks from your left. Darting around immediately at the interruption of your venomous thoughts, you spot a man around your age. Sporting messy brunette hair and a casual get up of a tee with a pair of jeans, it tugs painfully on your heart to see someone living an uninhibited life as you used to. This envy mutates into horror, as you realize being caught speaking to a stranger is going to land you in boiling water. Dabi’s consciousness is a minefield in waiting, daring to blow at the slightest wrong movement. 

What do you do? It might leave a wrong impression should you not say anything. The current times are plagued by high tension.  Numerous League of Villain attacks have rendered the surrounding regions on constant alert, news anchors telling folks to be wary of anyone or anything suspicious. Weighing your options, you decide to dismiss the stranger in kind as fast as humanly possible. 

Just act natural, act natural… “W-why do you say that?” 

Shit. Your first conversation with someone other than Dabi in over half a year has left you thoroughly horrified, pupils no doubt dilated and voice meeker than a mouse squeak. The stutter has you wincing, your naive companion undoubtedly picking up on it. You want nothing more than to shoo him off, but in fear of drawing unwanted attention, attempt to suppress your frayed nerves. You’ve been through worse than a strained conversation and made it out relatively unscatched, but this feels like a different type of battle. 

“You just seemed to be making quite the upset face,” he chuckles, reminiscing on the thought. He must’ve been referring to the glowering thinking about Dabi brought out from you. “I swear I’m not a creep or anything. I was just waiting to pick up my little sister, and happened to catch you scowling.” 

“The name’s Ryota. And you?” 

Suppressing panic that threatens to drown you, you swallow thickly. “I’m uh, Hina. The drink is fine… I just have a lot on my mind.” 

The lie is seasoned with enough truths that you hope it isn’t too transparent. Giving away your actual name could hint back to missing person’s cases, the thought of which would greatly displease Dabi. Besides, if it had been as simple as going to the police, you would’ve done it by now. You’ve grown uncomfortably familiar with Dabi’s workings, killing off a few people or bribing them would be one of the least heinous things in his portfolio. You figure the best case scenario here is that this well meaning Ryota character leaves you be, or else dire consequences will come to fruition. 

“Good to know, Hina-san. My lil sis talks about boba often, but I’ve never gotten that into it. I figure since the store’s right here, I should surprise her with a drink. What would you recommend?” 

You can’t help but greedily soak in the normalcy an interaction like this brings with it. The irritation from being drawn into a conversation is replaced with pity, a stronger resolve to keep this bystander out of harm’s way blooming. There’s no time to be wasted on the warmth erupting in your chest, or on the first genuine smiles in months that’s settled on your lips. To see the best humanity has to offer, after being subjected to the worst, is a much needed breath of fresh air. While it may be greedy to fixate on these aspects, you find yourself wanting to savor the moment of being a regular person. 

Surely, Dabi would understand your logic. 

“It depends on her tastes. If she likes sweeter drinks, I’d recommend Thai milk tea. If you’re not sure, classic milk tea is always a safe bet.” You’re proud of how you’ve been able to pull yourself together, speaking like you used to. With this, he should be set to leave, or at least you want to believe this. Unfortunately for you, life is never so easy. He doesn’t seem interested in going anywhere anytime soon, crossing his legs and leaning slightly closer to you. Realizing your mistake of radiating friendliness, your muscles go taut. 

You need to do something about this before it’s too late. 

Ryota scratches his head, mulling over your advice. “I’ll keep all that in mind. I appreciate your insight.” 

“It feels nice to be able to chill and talk like this every now and then. If I’m being honest, I was somewhat against my sister coming out to hang with friends,” Ryota’s tone takes a turn for the somber, face looking crestfallen. “With all the chaos that’s been around, y’know. It feels like everyday I wake up to more of those League of Villain stories. It feels like it’ll just be a matter of time until something happens near here.” 

“I’m sorry that--” 

“Things sure are rough,” A voice that brings out every negative emotion possible speaks up from behind you, Dabi’s familiar figure slithering into sight. He takes a seat on the bench, close to your person, wrapping a tight arm around your shoulder. “I hate to interrupt, but I need to borrow her for a bit. You mind?” 

Neither of you were expecting the sudden interruption, Ryota trying to piece everything together. “Oh, uh, not at all.’

Everything hits you like a ton of bricks. From Dabi’s rich cologne that mixes in with the smell of ash, his hair brushing against the side of your face, to the possessiveness of his grip. He squeezes your shoulder, looking from Ryota to you. It takes a moment to register what he’s communicating, but you’re able to decipher the gesture. In a last ditch attempt to salvage this situation, you confirm Dabi’s statement before things get ugly. Nodding your head, you watch with bated breath as Ryota looks from Dabi to you. He gets up from his spot on the bench, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets.

“It was nice talking to you.” 

Ryota heads off towards the mall doors, leaving you in the clutches of the devil incarnate. You feel how terribly warm Dabi is next to you, words wanting to spill out to justify the actions that led up to this moment. Before you get the opportunity to ramble out your thoughts, Dabi places a finger on your lips, looking at you with the same grin as always.

“Making some new friends, hm?” He inquires, drawing out the syllables. His finger goes south, lifting up your chin, and holding you close to his face. “Awe, babe. You look like you’re aboutta cry. Don’t give me that look.” 

You’re not sure if you should feel horrified at his sudden spike in talkativeness, or relieved over not having to speak your piece yet. The words wouldn’t be able to leave your mouth even if you wanted them to, a lump forming in your throat to coincide the dryness of your tongue. Dabi makes a point of emphasizing his engulfing height, having to tilt your head up to maintain eye contact. Not wanting to make a scene, you do everything within your power to still the tears that are threatening to spill out. There’s no visible signs of wrath, not that you can pick up on. He watches with great interest as you calm yourself, releasing the grip on your face and leaning back into the bench. 

When you appear sufficiently soothed, he speaks up once more, voice grating your ears. “So tell me, doll. What was all that about? I knew you’d be hurting for company in my absence, but I didn’t think you’d be so bold as to speak to someone else.” 

“I… I was approached, and… I swear, nothing happened. He just-- just wanted to know about a drink for his sister, and--” 

Dabi gently flicks your forehead, unable to stifle his cackling any longer. “I’m just messin’ with ya. I saw everything.” 

It doesn’t settle in immediately, the hypothetical cogs and gears of your head turning in slow motion. Your heart is pounding so violently that you hear it in your ears, your face erupting into a bright red. Humiliation, indignation, and finally, loathing take turns dominating your mind. He’s always had the best of times playing with you at your own expense, poking and prodding to see what reactions he can get. There’s a knee jerk reaction to want to slap him, anything to let out these overflowing feelings. Knowing that getting bothered is what he finds the most pleasure in, you’re further motivated to gain control over yourself. 

A deep breath. Inhale, exhale. You continue repeating these steps, biting your tongue to the point it stings. Dabi rests his head on his fist, watching you calm yourself down through lidded eyes. You really do get yourself worked up so easily, it’s endearing. He wants to pinch your cheeks and tease you more, but is feeling generous enough to give you this time to gather yourself. There’ll be plenty of time to play with you later, occupying himself with this cute sight placates him for the time being. When you finally reopen your eyes, you’re met with the deplorable sight of Dabi’s crooked grin. 

“Can we just… go home? Please?” You hate how weak your voice sounds. You hate everything about this situation, about the life that you’ve been forced into living. How you have to adapt to unspoken rules, subjected to twists and turns that never let you lower your guard. Most of all, you hate the person who has done this to you. His touch, his scent, his voice, all of it. You want nothing more than to scream at him at the top of your lengths, ripping that satisfied looking off his flesh and ridding yourself of this turmoil once and for all.

“Hm? Already? I thought you were hoping to get some dinner out tonight.” Dabi keeps up an air of nonchalance, likely wanting to hear you repeat yourself. Not willing to give in outright, you instead bunch up the fabric of his jacket with your hand. 

“Dabi…” 

It’s a low plea. You know you’ve gotten your point across ages ago, but he’s deriving too much pleasure from seeing how you squirm. The painful utterance serves you well, earning the slightest bit of reprieve as he gets up. On shaky legs, you follow after him, head downcast. Fixating on the tops of your shoes, you wonder if distracting yourself might do anything to ease your tormented soul. The events of the day have left you thoroughly exhausting, and nothing sounds better to you than sleeping for as long as he’ll allow you.

“Alright, alright. Let’s head on back,” he snakes an arm around your waist, pulling you close to his side. No longer having strength to muster up in retaliation, you let him do as he pleases, still fighting down sniffles. “Don’t bother your pretty little head about this.” 

You don’t bother honoring him with a reaction. 

Dabi takes a final glance over his shoulder, spotting the pesky man from before, who is still waiting against a wall. He takes a mental picture of the notable features, lips settling into a deep frown. How troublesome. Before you notice anything, he picks up his pace, continuing the walk back to his apartment. Ideas and resentment swirl within his mind like a tornado, pent up frustration begging to be released. 

All in due time, he thinks.

[kiiiiiim]

The Bus Scene

Being forced to take public transportation with your best friend, who you're currently fighting/angry/maybe a little in love with(?) is... awkward, to say the least.

AO3 link if you feel so inclined

Lena has never ridden on a bus before, that much is obvious.

A year ago Kara would have giggled at the sight of Lena death-gripping the chrome-colored pole in the center of the aisle, her fists clenched so tightly that her neatly manicured fingers have turned white. She would have teased her for the ridiculous pose she’s chosen to utilize for optimum stability: legs slightly bent at the knee, feet flat on the floor, every muscle stiffened as she fights to keep a semblance of balance while they hit pothole after jarring pothole. Kara would have made jokes about how the only thing capable of thwarting the brilliant mind of Lena Luthor was the mechanics of a National City bus route. She would have asked, all-too innocently as she smothered a laugh, if Lena would like to make this a recurring thing that they did instead of coffee and lunch dates, since she seemed to be enjoying herself so much.

A year ago, Lena might have narrowed her eyes and smirked. She might’ve gone along with the teasing and replied that no, the Luthors never rode in vehicles that didn’t already come with a personal driver, to which Kara might’ve said, “Well, buses do come with drivers and your tax dollars help pay for transportation in the city so you could technically call that "personal," so… I guess you don’t have a valid excuse, huh?” And maybe they would’ve stared each other down until they burst into a laughing fit that made half the bus roll their eyes and the other half smile in secret at the two women who were obviously close and dear to each other’s hearts.

A year ago, under better circumstances and in a world where they had made less mistakes, maybe these things would’ve happened - but it’s not a year ago. It’s now, and Leviathan is looking for her and Lex is involved and Kara can’t use her powers and she needs a Kryptonite suit, a suit that only Lena can build for her in the lab that’s oh so not conveniently located on the other side of the city - so they’re taking the bus, and Kara has never been more uncomfortable in her entire life.

The bus is packed with people of all sorts; businessmen and women who missed the easier, smoother ride of the subway but still have enough practiced balance not to need to clutch at the hand-holds above them, mothers and fathers placating their toddlers with varying degrees of success, a couple of twenty-somethings with backpacks and bleary-eyed expressions that can either be explained by late-night partying or last-minute studying as they head to class, several tourists, and even a few aliens towards the back of the bus who can only be identified as such by the six-foot tails that snake around an entire bench of seats. 

The vehicle had already been heavily occupied when Kara and Lena boarded, with no seats available and no one willing to give theirs up. Even the standing room was limited, but people shuffled around to allow the two women access to a single pole; Lena looked at it and then at Kara with a question in her eyes, asking permission to be allowed in her space. Kara responded with a tiny nod and loosely wrapped her right hand around the bottom of the pole while Lena took the top half with both hands, and the awkward thirty-minute ride began.

Kara tries not to think about how close they’re standing, how easy it would be to turn and say the three little words that would start them on the path to healing, I forgive you. But then she remembers the weeks of lies, the betrayal of stealing Myriad, the kryptonite coursing through her veins - and the hypocrisy of her own anger, which somehow makes Kara feel worse than anything Lena has done to her.

I’m angry at you, but I'm even more angry at me because I’m angry at you, and I don’t know what to do or what to say except that I miss you…

And I wish I could’ve flown us to your lab because I hate the stupid bus and more than anything, I wish we could laugh about that.

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

Lena has never ridden on a bus before, and now she knows why. It sucks.

She understands the purpose of the system - it’s inexpensive, convenient for those with no personal vehicles, and easy to understand. Lena knows it’s a perfectly acceptable way to travel no matter how high up the proverbial ladder you were born to, and she would never go so far as to say that she was above anyone who used it as their main source of transportation.

But, oh my God, she hates it.

For one thing, it’s a lot bumpier than she’d expected. It feels like they hit a pothole every twenty feet, and she has half a mind to make a sizable donation towards the city’s roadway construction budget because it is obviously sorely lacking in funds. For another, Lena is fairly certain that their driver is unaware that a speed bump’s primary function is to slow down the vehicle in question - not to transform the bus into a wannabe stunt car. Her hands are starting to cramp from clutching the security bar  and she knows she looks ridiculous squatting there like a football player bracing themselves for the hike. Thank God she wore pants today.

The sheer number of people a bus could hold had exceeded her expectations as well. It seemed like with every stop the bus made more people got on than got off, which didn’t add up to the calculations she made in her head concerning the volume of the space and the mass of those who occupied it - they had to have at least hit the weight limit by now. 

Lena wishes she could talk to Kara and ask questions: Were buses always this crowded? Surely all this fuel exhaust isn’t good for the quality of the air? Is it possible to file a complaint against Richard Petty up there? But she can’t - the tension between them is so thick, and Lena doesn’t know how to break it without potentially setting Kara off.

She'd told Lena this morning that she didn’t want to talk about the rift between them, that they needed to focus on Lex and Leviathan. Lena knows she should be thinking about the anti-kryptonite suit she has to build in record time, but all she wants to do is try to atone for her mistakes. She would go back in time and take them all back if she could - she would go back to the moment her brother lay bleeding on the floor, planting those seeds of doubt in her mind. She would take her own face in her hands, wipe away her tears, and tell her past self, “Do not listen to him. Hear her well when she tells you why, and believe with your whole heart that truer words have never been spoken.”

Lena tries not to think about how close they are, and yet so far away. There’s no calculation she can’t solve, no solution that eludes her except for this one: how to fix what’s been broken between them. Lena can pick up the pieces on her side, but they’re useless unless Kara meets her halfway - and from the way things are going, Lena wonders if she’ll ever be willing to do so.

You’re angry with me, and I’m angry at me, and I’m still a little angry at you too, but I understand now and I want to make things right. I don’t want to lose you… I don’t want to have already lost you…

And I would give anything to be able to laugh with you about how absurd I must look right now, clinging to this pole on this stupid bus.

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

Twenty minutes into the ride the bus makes a stop that takes longer than usual, and Lena thankfully takes the opportunity to rub some feeling back into her hands, which have adapted into a claw-like shape. She rises from her hunched position and sighs as the muscles of her legs stretch gloriously, glancing around to see if she can discover what the situation is. Still no empty seats available, but surely someone will vacate one soon? She hasn’t looked directly at Kara once the entire time, but can feel an almost palpable energy emanating from her body that radiates discomfort, and Lena knows Kara must hate standing so close to her like this, after everything she’s done. Maybe a little distance will help.

Lena hears a slight creak and sees Kara’s fingers gripping the bar below, bending the metal as easily as if it were an empty soda can. Lena tries her best to block the scene with her body from any wandering eyes behind them, and touches Kara with hesitant fingertips, barely making contact.

“Kara,” Lena mutters. “The bar…”

Kara seems to snap out of whatever trance she was in and quickly jerks her hand away; her breath is harsh but she seems to come back to herself fairly quickly and her eyes refocus. She clears her throat. “Sorry. Panic attack.”

Lena’s brow furrows in surprise at this new piece of information. It seems there are still some things she doesn’t know about her (hopefully still) best friend. She tries not to feel relieved that the negative energy she’d felt from Kara hadn’t been about her - tries, and fails.  

“I… I didn’t know.” Lena says quietly.

Kara leans a little closer, resting her forehead against the cool metal and closes her eyes. “I don’t like close spaces. Being crowded. Feeling...trapped.”

Lena has to bite her tongue to keep from pressing her, even though she desperately wants to know what caused this claustrophobia, when, and why. She pushes her questions down and nods towards the back of the bus, where a few people have finally let off. “I think I see an empty seat. I could go over there, if you want - give you some space-”

“No,” Kara replies quickly and opens her eyes, reaches for Lena and drops her hand a millisecond too late for the gesture to go unnoticed by the human eye. Lena’s heart thuds and hope wells up within her before she can reign it in and keep it from showing on her face. Then Kara glances away and pops the dent in the bar back into place with one quick squeeze of her fingers. She clears her throat again, a little more forcefully this time.

“I mean, no, it wouldn’t matter - someone else would just take your spot anyway. Besides, it looks like we’re gonna start moving now. I’m fine.” She says this curtly, and the tiny ember of warmth in Lena’s chest fades back into the blackness. She doesn’t see the grimace of regret in Kara’s turned face, nor the reflection of that guilt in the grimy plexiglass window.

The bus suddenly lurches forward with no warning and Lena’s fingers slip from the bar, grasping at nothing but empty space as she falls backwards. Kara reacts without thinking, reaches forward and gently wraps her hand around Lena’s left forearm with a practiced fluidity that goes beyond human reflexes. She pulls Lena back into an upright position, her free hand coming to rest behind Lena’s right shoulder blade in an effort to keep her steady as the bus turns a sharp corner. The whole scene has taken place in less than a second, and the bus’s occupants are focused on the good-natured alien couple in the back who are letting several small children climb on their tails like a jungle gym. No one is looking at Kara and Lena, who are standing much too close to each other and feeling very much like the Earth has stopped rotating in its orbit.

Lena can feel the heat of Kara’s fingers through her coat, keeping her firmly grounded on the turbulent surface without using a hint of the strength she knows those muscles are capable of. She can’t help but marvel at the gentle touch that feels almost intimate, even though her rational brain insists that this is how Kara has to handle a human in order not to break them. There’s nothing special about this moment - at least, not for Kara. She must perform these little saves dozens of times a day. Lena wonders if those people know how lucky they are.

“Thanks…” Lena says, her voice low and full of emotion. She doesn’t know how her hand ended up on Kara’s collarbone, but it’s there and she really doesn’t want to move it because this is the most contact they’ve had in months and she’s touch-starved from her own self-imposed isolation. God, she misses Kara’s hugs.

Kara is the first to break away, of course, but she hesitates before dropping her hands from their anchor points on Lena's body. She nods her head in acknowledgement, unable to dislodge the lump in her throat and thrown by the way her body is thrumming with electricity. Was that always there, or is she just tense from the aftereffects of her panic attack? Kara swallows heavily and shoves those thoughts away - no time for that. Besides, she’s still angry and not ready to talk about it - or that - not yet. 

Lena grabs the pole just in time before the bus comes to another lurching stop, and she recognizes the building in front of them. “We’re here.” It’s an unnecessary statement, but Lena doesn’t know what else to say. They start to edge their way to the bus’s double doors, squeezing past people with murmured apologies and side-steps.

Finally - sweet, sweet air. Lena exits the bus with Kara close behind, who sighs with relief. Lena gestures for her to follow, her hand just barely missing Kara's. Neither of them notice; they're all business now, with a mission that needs their undivided attention. Still, one thought lingers on both of their minds as they push through the doors of the building and head towards Lena's lab:

Maybe the bus isn't that bad...

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

Thanks to @sapphic-luthor and this post that served as inspiration, and to @captaincartervalues for helping me choose what to write when my brain couldn't make up its mind lol

[kaekiro]

The Taste of Rainwater

Pairing: Eren/Mikasa II Rating: T II Words: 2654 II [AO3] Warnings: none A/N: Because ngl I was disappointed with the short story about EM taking shelter from the rain and also because I like writing first kisses/eren looking out for mikasa 😊

At first, she mistook the droplet that slid from her bangs to her cheek as her own sweat. She felt it run down to her jawline and watched it seep into the clearing of dirt at her boots, thinking nothing of it as she adjusted her grip on the wooden ax and swung it with precision. A slight sting at her palm made her pause to look at it, and she sighed, the red and irritated skin of her upper palm tender as she flexed her hand. Blisters would form if she didn’t stop soon. After setting the newly split logs onto the sizable pile she had going, she lifted a forearm and wiped away remnants of the droplet. As she stood to her full height to relax her arms and back, the pent up tension released and dissipated like steam, leaving behind the beginnings of sore muscles. It was relieving to feel the breeze in her hair, how it rustled the looser parts of her clothing and cooled her skin. But it suddenly got colder, stronger, carrying thicker droplets that splashed directly on the tip of her nose and exposed forearms. The tree branches swayed sporadically, warning her of the kind of storm that was coming but the distinct scent and sounds of thunder rumbling in the air were confirmation enough. She tried to move fast to gather a good amount of logs to keep dry for later, yet it was of little avail. Before she knew it, she was running through the rain with the ax in one hand and a pitiful number of logs clutched at her side. Though it would’ve been ideal to go inside the cabin where the wood was needed, the icy water that was beginning to soak her hair and seep through her clothes forced her to temporarily shelter in the stables housing the few horses they had. 

She had huffed out an irritable breath the moment she stepped beneath the old roof of the stables, both at her small dilemma and at the mix of dirt and rain that left a burning sensation in her eye. She promptly dropped the wood on the ground, trying to blink away the feeling when his voice nearly made her jump. 

She looked over her shoulder, relaxing as she recognized him and said his name in greeting. He stepped forward and pulled down the cloth covering the bottom half of his face, abandoning his broom alongside the pitchfork leaning against a splintered stud. Eren eyed the ax in her hand, then the logs at her feet as he removed his gloves and haphazardly pocketed them, meeting her gaze again when he was an arm’s length away and she turned to face him properly. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I just… got caught in the heavy rain. I meant to go inside but…” 

She falters as the burning sensation at her eye persists, making her close it tight in a feeble attempt to get rid of it. She raises a hand, intending on using the back of her bandaged wrist to rub at it but he stops her before she can, using his grip to lower her wrist back at her side. 

“Your bandages and hands have dirt, don’t rub at your eye.”

“But—”

“Here, I’ll help you.” His clothes rustle, and he produces what looks like a handkerchief. 

“Try to keep still,” he quietly instructs, and though his voice is low, would have otherwise been inaudible beneath the sound of the pouring rain, she seizes up in a way that makes it hard to focus on anything else. He curls his fingers over her shoulder as a way to keep her steady, and through the thin cloth pressing against her face, she feels the paralyzing heat of his hand. Reflexively, she tenses as the cotton carefully swipes over the inner corner and just beneath her lash line, drying her watering eye as gently as possible until it finally soothed. She blinks a few times, relieved until she realizes how close he has leaned in, his bright eyes focused on hers. Involuntarily, her gaze flickers between his eyes and mouth.

“Better?” 

She swallows around the dryness in her throat, opting to stare down at the laces of his shirt and simply nod against the hand at her face, murmuring her thanks.  Seemingly unaware of the effect his proximity has on her, she feels him give a nod of his own. As Eren takes a step back, the bit of warmth she felt moves away with him and leaves her unable to help the slight shiver that goes through her body. 

“Are you also working alone today?” she asks as casually as she can manage, walking towards a stream of rainwater leaking through the roof to clean some of the dirt from her hands. The cold temperature of it hurts, but she bears with it, eventually moving back to her original spot near Eren when she’s done. Her arms cross and she loosely grips her biceps, rubbing them to try and keep warm. Both of them watch the rain come down. 

“I had Connie here with me. But he left a little while ago to grab other tools we needed to take care of the horses… he’s probably waiting out this downpour somewhere nearby.” 

“Oh,” is all she says, half distracted by the messy pile of logs. A lone log sits at her side and she nudges it back towards the rest with the tip of her boot. His snort startles her a bit, and he nods towards the wood when she gives him a questioning look. 

“I’m surprised. Is that all you were able to chop today?” 

She sighs. “No, I had more. But I couldn’t grab enough of them before it started pouring.” 

He does it again, breathing out a small laugh that she hasn’t heard in some time. He seems to be in a better mood for some reason, and she nearly points it out but quickly decides not to.  She didn’t want to make it seem like it was a strange thing to smile and laugh, or make him self-conscious about it. It felt better to just simply witness him act a bit more like he used to.

“I’m not trying to make fun of you, I just can’t believe that Mikasa Ackerman, one of humanity's strongest soldiers, lost a battle to some rain and logs.” 

She hums, amused. “Yeah… I barely made it out alive.” There’s a sense of accomplishment as her remark makes his grin broaden, but it falters completely when a flash of lightning draws their attention back to the storm outside. A gust of wind blows through the stables, causing the old structure to creak at its weakest points. Her eyes screw shut and she hugs herself tighter, fighting off the chill that worsens with her wet clothes. She breathes out shakily once it passes, focusing so much of her attention on trying to still her shivering hands that she doesn’t notice him taking off his hooded sweater. The long black material is wrapped securely around her shoulders and she touches it, looking up at him curiously. He scratches the back of his head. 

“I didn’t realize that you were cold until just now, sorry.” 

She smiles softly, choosing not to pose a question at the kind gesture. Instead, she shakes her head, pushing her arms through the sleeves and tugging the ends of his sweater tighter around her. “Thank you.” 

They lean on opposite sides of a post supporting the aged structure, one that stands just before the opening of the stables, and they talk. They share a few stories of things that happened while the other wasn’t present, talk of upcoming plans for the scouts, stuff they and Armin should do on their days off, make mentions of little unimportant things in between, and to her pleasant surprise, Eren cracks another small joke. They chuckle, and she decides that the sudden storm wasn’t a misfortune after all. She steps over to his side to respond once they quiet down, yet the sight of him struck something within her. This time, there’s nothing to keep him from smiling, and she knows it's completely genuine in the way it softens and lifts his features. The mere fact of it has her own smile widening. She stares at his smile adoringly, stares and wishes she could see it more often until she closes her eyes and notes how sweet it feels against her own lips. The sensation lasts for half a second though, because his initial reaction quickly alerts her of her mistake. His breath stutters and his body goes stiff at her sudden romantic gesture, causing her to drop the hand gripping the front of his shirt. She doesn’t even remember reaching for it. Their lips part and she blushes intensely at the sound. 

They look at one another with wide eyes, her fingers partially covering her mouth in shock. 

“U-um,” she begins clumsily, unsure of what exactly she intends to say or how to explain herself. Should she apologize? Why did she even do that? While she did feel more at ease and comfortable with him at that moment… that’s how she usually was when they spent time together. What was different this time that made it feel so natural to kiss him the way she did? And what was he thinking? Could it be that he was upset at her? 

“I don’t…” she says slowly, shrinking under his gaze. “I don’t know why I did that…” 

His lack of response is anything but reassuring, gives her all the more reason to leave with her pitiful pile of logs. Ashamed, she averts her eyes and takes a step backward, thinking it best to give him space and talk about it later, if he even wanted to see her later after what she just did. But he is quick to stop her by hooking his fingers into the hood just before she moves out of his reach, coaxing her to look at him by tugging on the crook of her elbow when she keeps her back to him. Hyper aware of the single touch between them, the firmness of his grip, she lifts her eyes from the ground and looks over her shoulder. 

“Did you mean it?” 

They do not react to the clap of thunder that begins to agitate the horses, or to the chilled gust of wind that threatens the old structure of the stables once more. She is uncomfortably warm as they simply stare at one another, and her heart beats louder in her ears when she finds that she cannot decipher his expression. He begins to pull, guiding her closer and, being as flighty as she is, she resists. He recoils slightly, hurt glinting in his eyes as he releases her arm. Through her addled thoughts, she realizes that she accidentally conveyed the wrong message. She mentally curses, feeling guiltier and looking even more helpless. His question echoes in her ears again. Yes, she thinks, yes I did mean it. But there is a disconnect between what she wants to say and what she actually does, which has her panicking a bit because she senses that something is beginning to slip away the longer she stays quiet. It’s enough to make her momentarily cast aside any reservations and the need for words, to boldly step out of her comfort zone and back into his personal space. Balancing on her toes, she pushes her lips against his, unmindful of her fierceness in her state of desperation and panic. She gives him a hard and rather quick kiss, immediately pulling back to gauge his reaction and perhaps apologize, but she doesn’t get the chance because his hands are suddenly hot on her face and bringing her back to back to him. 

Bit by bit, the tension within her unravels and she starts to relax, consciously leaning more into his touch and body. Eren thumbs away the trail of rainwater that dripped from her bangs to her face, pausing to comment how cold her nose and hands are before muffling her apology with his lips. He holds each kiss for a long second like he’s savoring them, eventually moving to trail his hands down the column of her neck and across her back. He clutches the dark material of his sweater and breathes shakily against her mouth when she fills the last bit of space between them. As they strike a rhythm, the intensity of their kiss increases as does her sensitivity to his touch, an airy sigh of his name escaping from her mindlessly. He grips her harder at the sound and she’s gasping, both in surprise and for breath. It’s almost too much, and yet she can’t help but reciprocate by slipping her fingers beneath the neckline of his shirt and wrapping an arm tight around his shoulders— 

A loud curse cuts through the air, followed by the noise of items falling into one another in equal volume. She and Eren jump apart, breathing heavily as a lone metal bucket that has fallen on its side rolls into the stables, coming to a stop between the two of them. An irritated Connie trudges in soon after with his arms full of miscellaneous tools and one side of his body completely coated in mud, the other drenched with rainwater. 

“Sorry I took so long, Eren, I was going to wait out the worst of the storm but the Captain noticed and —” he yelps and wobbles, nearly tripping over the logs she abandoned on the ground. He wonders aloud where they came from, kicking them in further agitation until his eyes land on her. All three of them freeze. 

“Mikasa?” 

She jolts slightly when he calls her name, mentally scrambling to find something to do or say to take his attention off of her. 

“Connie…” she starts, looking pointedly at his clothes and evening out her breath as subtly as she can. “What happened to you?” 

To her temporary relief, Connie remembers why he was upset and bitterly explains that he was running through the rain trying to come back, but slipped and fell into the puddle of mud just a few feet away. 

“Are you alright?” she responds, briefly wondering why Eren hasn’t spoken up yet. 

“Yeah, I’ll live. I just don’t know why the Captain is in such...” Connie’s grimace from pulling at his own clothes fades as he looks at her, finishing his sentence a bit absently, “a rush...”

She remembers that she’s wearing Eren’s sweater as Connie stares at it directly, and it takes everything to keep her expression neutral as she awkwardly slips it off her shoulders. She holds it out for Eren to take, and her composure nearly breaks at the sight of him. The tips of his ears are burning red, his mind clearly somewhere other than in the present and she has to push the sweater into his chest for him to finally snap out of it. 

“It’s uh, it’s probably because it’s getting late in the afternoon, Connie,” Eren manages after clearing his throat. “He… probably has other plans for us tomorrow, or something.”

Her heart races as their friend doesn’t reply and instead looks between the two of them with a weird expression. 

“I should probably get those logs inside,” she says aloud, more to herself and as an excuse to escape. It’s so uncomfortably silent between the three of them as she prepares to leave, and she struggles to ignore the weight of Eren’s and Connie’s eyes on her when she uncharacteristically fumbles with the logs and ax. Careful to avoid the puddle Connie slipped in, she eventually makes it back to the cabin, well aware that the speed of her breath and pulse has nothing to do with her running through the rain.

[buckybarnesthehotshot]

i hate you but ii: i need to talk to sam (bucky barnes x reader)

i hate you but masterlist

summary: bucky and y/n can’t stand each other, but y/n needs help with her sister’s kids (enemies to lovers au)

word count: 2181

warnings: swearing, arguing, death, and this is not proofread

taglist is CLOSED

A/N: so uh this chapter kind of focuses more on y/n’s relationship with her sister and the kids. there’ll be more Bucky in the next chapter, dw

       “I’m on my way,” y/n sighed before dropping the call.

       y/n had never rushed out of the compound as quickly as she did that day. Hell, even on missions—much to everyone’s distaste—she took her precious time to make sure she had everything she needed with her. She slipped on a sweatshirt and a pair of sandals before bolting out her bedroom.

      The next thing she knew, she was in the elevator, asking FRIDAY to bring her to the basement level of the compound, anxiously gripping her phone on her side.

       With a ding, the elevator doors slid open and y/n, once again, ran as fast as her legs could take her, and got into her car (which thankfully, was voice activated) and drove away from the compound and towards the precinct.

       y/n, her thoughts spiraling, gripped tightly onto the steering wheel as tears obstructed her vision. She was having difficulty coming to terms with her sister’s death. Yes, she hasn’t seen her sister—or any of her kids for that matter—but it was difficult to deal with. How the hell was she supposed to deal with the fact that her baby sister, the one she didn’t visit for the purpose of keeping her safe, was gone.

       Was it all because of HYDRA? Was it because of some illness y/n was never made aware of? Her thoughts were starting to get the better of her until she was snapped out of her trance by FRIDAY’s voice telling her to “turn right.”

       The compound was a fifteen-minute ride away from the precinct. She arrived at the slightly run-down police precinct. Parking the car and slamming the door behind her, she speed walked into the precinct only to be stopped by a man sitting at the front desk.

       “Name and purpose?” he questioned her, staring up at her expectantly, his dark brown eyes boring into her e/c ones.

       “I’m looking for Elise Jones and Mike Jonas? I’m Cassy Langdon’s sister, Y/N L/N” she spoke to the man stationed at the front desk. He looked up, handed her the logbook and a pen, and spoke.

       “I’m going to need your I.D, ma’am,” the man questioned, holding his hand out. y/n huffed, with the rush she was in, she forgot to bring along anything other than her phone. “I don’t think I have my I.D on me right now, officer,” y/n shook her head.

       “Well, that’s too bad. I’m afraid I can’t let you in without your I.D, ma’am,” the officer shook his head.

       “Officer, I just received a phone call telling me that my sister’s dead and I have custody of her children. I don’t think you want to test me,” y/n chuckled, her voice raspy and tired.

       “That’s sad and all, but I still need your I.D,” the officer narrowed his eyes at y/n. She took a deep breath before speaking words she’d heard Tony Stark say a handful of times while trying to enter bars.

       “You need an I.D? y/n l/n, look me up because this face is my I.D,” y/n smirked, signing her name onto the log book. Once again, the officer narrowed his eyes at her before directing his attention to his computer screen and typing something into it before his eyes widened.

       “You’re an Avenger?” the officer’s eyes widened, scrambling up to his feet to salute.

       “I wasn’t in the military like the other Avengers,” y/n stuttered, shaking her head repeatedly, “a simple ‘oh hey, you weren’t lying about your identification, you can totally enter the precinct’ would do.”

       “Of course, ma’am,” the officer nodded, returning to his seat.

       y/n made her way further into the precinct and she saw what she assumed to be the waiting area since there were quite a few people seated in the room.

       “Miss L/N, over here,” a familiar voice came from one of the corners of the room. She looked over to the source of the voice and saw a woman, based off how she looked, she must have been in her late forties or early fifties, clad in a blue pantsuit with a matching blazer. y/n made her way to the woman, ignoring all the stares she was getting from everyone, and taking a seat parallel to her.

       “I’m going to make this quick, why am I the one taking custody of my sister’s three kids? What happened to their dad? You know, what’s his face?” y/n’s brows furrowed, unable to recall her brother-in-law’s name. After all, she never liked him for her little sister.

       “Mr. Langdon is currently in a holding cell,” Elise explained, smoothing out her pants as she readjusted her position on the seat.

       “That son of a bitch killed my sister, didn’t he?” y/n chuckled sadly upon hearing Elise’s words.

       “Well, your sister died in a drunk driving accident. Mr. Langdon was driving and the investigators are currently taking Ethan and Olivia’s statements on what happened and from the looks of it, Mr. Langdon could be charged with homicide,” a man interrupted her, also making his presence known.

        “You’re taking the kid’s statements? Wait, they weren’t in the car when it crashed, were they?” y/n panicked, her eyes widening in concern.

       “Ethan and Olivia weren’t included in the half of the population that went out with the blip. I don’t think they’re as young as you remember them,” the man explained before a look of realization found its way to his face, “I almost forgot, I’m Mike Jonas, your sister’s lawyer.”

       “y/n l/n, but you already knew that,” y/n shook his hand before continuing, “what about the other one; Jackson, my sister’s youngest?”

       “There’s a room in the precinct for the younger kids. Cassy’s kids who were affected by the blip are there. Jackson’s in there with his younger sister, Allie,” Elise smiled reassuringly.

       “So, there’s four of them, now? Damn it, I can’t believe my sister had another kid with that prick,” y/n rolled her bloodshot eyes in disappointment. Her mind flashed back to when they were teenagers and would talk about their futures.

       “I want a big house, a good husband, and a big family so the house would never feel lonely. I want you there too, y/n. Oh my god, the kids are going to love you!” Cassy smiled up at y/n, her e/c eyes beaming with excitement.

       “Cass, don’t you think your husband would hate it if I lived with you guys? Plus, I don’t think I’d be good with children anyways,” y/n chuckled, shaking her head.

        “Can you at least promise you’ll visit us often?” Cassy’s e/c eyes pierces into y/n’s e/c ones.

      “I promise,” y/n smiled, locking pinkies with Cassy.

       Her eyes glossed over with tears as her mind wandered to that memory. She knew damn well broke that promise. There was a point in time when y/n kept that promise and she visited Cassy’s house every week, always bringing along gifts for her niece and nephews.

       “You spoil them,” Cassy chuckled as Ethan, Olivia, and Jackson tore off the wrapping paper from the boxes she handed them.

       “It’s not my fault I’m the cool aunt,” y/n winked in response, pulling an eyeroll from Cassy.

       Those visits only ever stopped when y/n’s position as an Avenger began to pose as a threat to the family’s safety. What if HYDRA caught her during one of her visits to the house? What if she couldn’t protect them when HYDRA decided to use them against her?

       She couldn’t have that on her conscience, so she abruptly cut off all communications with her sister and her family. She didn’t want to put their lives in danger.

      To her, it’d been two years since her last visit. To Ethan and Olivia? It must’ve been seven years. Damn Thanos and his mission to “help” the universe. y/n began to feel uncomfortable in her seat. Would the kids recognize her? Would they accept the fact that they had to live with her now?

       “Your sister, she once discussed you getting custody of her children if she and Mr. Langdon were to pass. She wrote about this in her will,” Mike explained, handing y/n a manila envelope.

       She opened the envelope and she pulled out one crisp piece of printed paper—y/n assumed this was the will itself—and six envelopes. She was surprised to find one with her name written in her sister’s handwriting too; even after she’d abandoned her, Cassy still left y/n something.

       “What’s this?” y/n questioned, holding up the envelope.

       “Cassy wrote you a letter. She made sure to put emphasis on the fact that you don’t have to open it immediately. She said you would’ve taken a while before you decided to open it,” Mike explained, earning a nod from y/n as she tucked the envelope back into the bigger one as she read through the will.

       There, in the section concerning the wellbeing of Cassy’s children, y/n saw her name and the conditions of which y/n would take custody of her children.

       “If, however, my husband, Eric Langdon, is somehow unfit (an example of it being under the influence of alcohol for 2-4 days a week) or unavailable (an example of this having him jailed or god forbid dead), I entrust the custody of my four children, Ethan Langdon, Olivia Langdon, Jackson Langdon, and Allison Langdon, with my older sister, y/n l/n.”

       “Well, when can I meet the kids?” y/n smiled sadly, tucking the piece of paper back in the envelope.

       “They should be done questioning Olivia and Ethan in a few minutes. For now, I need to talk to you about how living conditions are going to be with the kids,” Elise requested, earning a nod from y/n.

       “I’d like to think I have more than enough to support them without needing to dig into the funds my sister left for them. The only issue I have is that my apartment’s a two-bedroom apartment and I think the kids are going to want more space than that, so I swear I’ll try finding a better place. One with more than enough room for the kids,” y/n explained, earning a nod from Elise. y/n remembered how big Cassy’s dreams were. Sure, she liked being with family, but she also wanted her kids to have space to move around, to play. y/n owed it to Cassy to give the kids the life she wanted for them.

       “It sounds like you have the living conditions under control. I like how you didn’t mention letting them move into the Avengers Compound, though I am aware it’s where you’re currently living?” Elise raised a brow expectantly.

      “My apartment, it’s for when I need to get away from all the hero stuff. I don’t think it’d be great for the kids to be exposed to everything going on in the tower,” y/n chuckled, the events of earlier flashing through her brain.

       “I see. But I want to discuss your involvement in their lives. Their mom just passed and their dad’s getting incarcerated. I know being an Avenger can be demanding, but I’m telling you now that you might need some time off for them to get used to having you as their guardian,” Elise explained, earning another nod from y/n.

       “I’ll let my teammates know I’m taking a break now, if you’ll excuse me,” y/n nodded out, getting up from her seat and finding a more secluded area in the precinct to ring up her colleagues.

       “Hello?” a gruff voice responded and y/n groaned internally. Of all people who could pick up the phone in the tower, why did Bucky Barnes have to pick up?

       “Barnes, I need to talk to Sam,” y/n was quick to cut the chase.

       “Why? Did you burn down another kitchen?” Bucky quipped, pulling an eye roll from y/n.

       “No, but this is really important so can I please talk to Sam?” y/n strained, her jaw clenching.

       “Whatever you’re going to tell Sam, you can tell me. I’ll let him know,” Bucky spoke in a suspiciously innocent tone.

       “I don’t trust you with relaying information, so not a chance,” y/n, for the second time in two minutes, rolled her eyes at Bucky’s antics.

       “Alright, fine. Sam! y/n burned down another kitchen!” Bucky called out.

       “I didn’t burn down ano—” y/n started only to get cut off by Sam’s voice.

      “Chill out, I know you didn’t burn down the kitchen, but why are you calling? Can’t you just leave your room and talk to us like a normal person?” Sam chuckled.

       “Because I’m not in the tower. I’m at the 87th precinct which is about 15 minutes away from the tower and I might need like 2-4 weeks off,” y/n explained, hearing a gasp from the other side of the line.

       “You got arrested?”

       “No, but I have this family emergency and it might take a while to deal with. I’ll explain it when I get back, but for now, I’m letting you know I’m taking a break,” y/n explained before ending the call and tucking her phone away in her pocket.

a/n: this has nothing to do with this but ughhhh theres this steve oneshot im having a hard time writing

i hate you but taglist: @sarcastic-britt / @kmuir1​ / @shower-me-with-roses​ / @justab-eautifulmess​ / @thomasthetankson​ / @x-abi-sharp-x​ / @intovert-gone-wild​ / @brittanymcsharry​ / @leaving-the-past-behind​ / @xoxabs88xox​ / @valeriiaaass​ / @mylifeiscrazy0423​

Forever tags: @spatium-viatorem​ / @sxphiiwrld​ / @strangersstranger​ / @nerdy-bookworm-1998​ / @cutie1365​ /

MARVEL TAGLIST: @captainamerica-is-bae​

BUCKY TAGLIST: @missmidnightxo​

[alyasgf]

Startrain Adrinette April Day 12 -Seatmates

Previous || Next || All

Summary- Alya and Nino conspire to get Adrien and Marinette to sit next to each other on the entire Startrain ride. Friendship ensues. (Startrain rewrite)

Excerpt- “What did you think of the storyline that they know each other outside of the mask?” He asked her, intrigued to see what else she thought of Paris’ heroes.

“Extremely far fetched.” She replied, crossing her arms and turning towards him slightly. “Of all the teens in Paris, the chances that they’d know each other and not recognize the other is insanely small.”

Word Count: 1509

Notes- catching up on Adrinette April, Day 12 seat mates! I just love an Adrinette friends fic were Adrien fails to realize his feelings toward Marinette are 100% not platonic,,, enjoy

AO3

Begin

It was Adrien’s first trip far away from his home and he was shaking with anticipation. They were taking a class trip to London.

He had been there before, but it had always been for work and under his father’s strict eye. This time he could actually enjoy some time with his friends and he could hardly wait.

As they all gathered near the train he couldn’t help but notice Marinette was missing. Not that he was paying any extra attention to her of course. He would notice if any of his friends were missing.

Just as they were boarding the train Adrien noticed Marinette slip in out of breathe. He smiled fondly as he saw her pose to take a picture with Alya.

“Did you hear anything I just said?” Nino asked, elbowing him.

Adrien jumped slightly. “No, was it important?” He rubbed his arm where Nino’s blow had hit.

“I said I wanted to sit with Alya during the ride. She didn’t want to leave Marinette alone so she suggested you ride with her. Is that okay?”

Adrien thought about it. Nearly two and a half hours beside Marinette? That was more than enough time for them to finally bond!

“Sounds great!” Adrien replied, clasping his hands excitedly.

Nino smirked knowingly, and Adrien gave him a confused look.

“What? I just want to get to know her more. You know how she acts around me. Maybe a little talking could change that.” Adrien said defensively.

“Well it could definitely change a few things.” Nino teased raising his eyebrows up and down.

Adrien shouldered him playfully.

Just then the girls walked up.

“Hey Adrien!” Alya said with an excited buzz in her voice.

“H-hi Adrien.” Marinette squeaked out quietly.

“Hi Nino.” Nino mocked. “Nino’s here too.”

Alya took a quick look at him before laughing.

“Sorry Nino guess pretty boy outshined you.” She said playfully before hugging the boy.

“Hey guys.” Adrien blushed, as he often did when people complimented him.

“So Marinette, did Alya tell you about the new seating arrangements?” Adrien asked, addressing the unusually quiet girl.

“What new seating arrangements?” She jumped and shot Alya a look.

“Well I figured I could use some time with Nino and you could use some time with Adrien. Y’know, go get to know each other.” The brunette smirked.

Marinette went red. “I think me and Adrien know each other well enough.”

Adrien’s mood dampened a little. Did she not want to spend time with him?

Marinette noticed the change in his demeanor and straighten immediately.

“But I’d love to get to know you more!” She added. “I-if that’s alright with you?”

She asked that last part unsure of herself and a little quieter.

“I already agreed.” Adrien said, a smile now returning to his face.

“Good, now that everyone’s okay with the seats let’s get on before we miss the ride!”

Alya dragged Nino in behind her, leaving them alone on the platform.

“After you, Princess.” Adrien said with an exaggerated bow.

Marinette blushed as she was walking forward and tripped on the doorway.

Adrien’s reflexes kicked in and he grabbed her by her waist from behind. He pulled her steady and removed his arm.

“You okay Mari?” He asked, adopting a concerned look.

Bright red she answered, “Better than ever!” before entering the train. Adrien followed curiously behind her.

———————————

They spent the first 10 minutes of the ride in silence. Not to say they didn’t try, it’s just every time they spoke they ended up speaking at the same time.

Marinette seemed uncomfortable at first, but once they settled into the silence she relaxed. Adrien swore he could even hear her begin to hum.

“Oooh is that the theme song to the new Miraculous movie? I loved it!” He said as soon as he recognized the tune.

Marinette jumped a bit, and then she giggled. It seemed genuine, unlike her usual nervous giggle.

“Didn’t you voice act in the movie? You’d think you’d get sick of hearing it.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry! Was that rude?” Her nervous nature returned.

Adrien laughed a laugh he swore only Marinette could bring out of him. “No you’re right, I should be. Its just so catchy you can’t help but love it.”

Marinette sighed in relief before agreeing. “Yeah, I didn’t really like how Ladybug and Chat Noir were portrayed in the movie but I couldn’t help liking the song.”

Adrien smiled. Finally he broke the ice and found some common ground!

“I totally agree!” He gushed. “Ladybug isn’t nearly as helpless as they made her out to be. She’s the brains of the operation while Chat Noir goofs around.”

Marinette took on a certain look in her eye. “Chat Noir does so much more than that!” She exclaimed. “Ladybug would never be able to defeat any akuma without him, he’s the reason why she can figure out her plans anyway, he buys her time.”

Adrien blushed. “I guess you’re kinda right Marinette.” Who would’ve pegged her out to be a Chat Noir fan?

“What did you think of the storyline that they know each other outside of the mask?” He asked her, intrigued to see what else she thought of Paris’ heroes.

“Extremely far fetched.” She replied, crossing her arms and turning towards him slightly. “Of all the teens in Paris, the chances that they’d know each other and not recognize the other is insanely small.”

Adrien gasped. “I disagree. Maybe it’s not true but it made the movie so interesting! The idea they’re right under each other’s noses. Although I have to say, if I was in their shoes I think I’d definitely recognize the other. They see each other nearly every day! How wouldn’t they know?” He ranted.

“Agreed! If they hadn’t spent the entire movie dancing around each other maybe they would have defeated Hawkmoth sooner.” Marinette laughed as she said this. “Unfortunately movies aren’t real life, no matter how fun they are.”

They settled into another silence, this one far more comfortable.

“So you’re a Chat Noir fan, huh?” Adrien brought up, noticing how she blushed. Absolutely adorable.

“I, uh, yeah you could say that.” Marinette stuttered.

“What’s your favorite thing about him?” Adrien knew it was wrong to prod, but he was curious and it was nice to hear his friend unknowingly talk about him.

“Definitely his humor.” Marinette froze for a second. “At least from what I hear in the interviews and akuma video!” She added hastily.

Adrien laughed again and this time he noticed how Marinette softened. The closer he got to her the more familiar she felt.

“Well my favorite thing about Ladybug is her determination to help people. You can just really tell there’s good in her y’know?” Adrien said with a sigh.

Marinette blushed. “So you’re a Ladybug fan?”

“I thought everyone knew? I’m an insanely huge fan. That’s one of the reasons I agreed to do the movie.”

Marinette nodded and they went back to their peaceful quiet. Adrien could hear all their classmates around them, and strangely enough all he could think about was how nice it was to be with Marinette.

Then a new sound was added to the mix. Marinette let out a loud yawn. There was a pause in the surrounding noise before everyone let out lighthearted laughs.

“Girl you need to remember to sleep.” Alya said from across the aisle before turning back to Nino.

Adrien smiled fondly as Marinette turned to him with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, late night studying.” She said sheepishly.

“It’s okay I didn’t sleep much either last night.” He said in response. Truthfully there had been an akuma late last night and he couldn’t sleep due to anticipation of this trip.

When it was clear their conversation was over Adrien put in an earbud and turned on his Mandarin lesson. He put in the earbud opposite of Marinette and at a low enough volume that he’d hear her if she spoke.

A couple of minutes later he noticed a soft snoring. He turned to see Marinette asleep against her seatbelt. She was leaned forward at an odd angle and Adrien could tell she’d be sore if she slept like that for too long.

He brought his hand up to softly pull her to rest on his shoulder. She seemed to sigh in content. Adrien smiled before closing his eyes and falling asleep as well.

He didn’t fully fall asleep, instead he listened to Marinette’s little intakes of air and felt the way her shoulders rose and fell with each one.

As he was drifting off he felt her stir and hoped she hadn’t woken up. Truthfully he hadn’t felt this comfortable in a long time, despite being sat in a slightly stiff chair. Thankfully she seemed to fall back asleep and Adrien followed her shortly after.

When they awoke, Alya and Nino wouldn’t stop showing the pictures of them cozied up together.

Adrien had to admit, they did kind of look nice together.

End notes- hopefully I’ll be back later today with another one but let me know what you think in the replies and dont forget to reblog and like if you enjoyed :)

@adrinetteapril

[random-mha-thoughts]

Long Distance (Midoriya x Reader)

Pairing: Midoriya x Reader

Genre: Fluff/slight angst, no quirks AU

Summary: Long distance relationships an be equal parts exhilarating and equal parts difficult.

Inspo: "Face to Face" by Ruel

Word count: 1,777

Tags:  @liviitehe @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog  @bunnythepipsqueak @yuki-osaki

a/n: Who’s not a sucker for fluffy Izu?  Come on, you love this freckled face

Since this is 3rd person and I wanted to keep it gender neutral, I used they/them pronouns instead of you.  The ending scene of this was originally supposed to be Midoriya's Valentine's Special for Just One Day, and it would've been more fitting, but it was too angsty for what I wanted to put out for Valentine's Day, but I held onto it for the past month so I could expand on it and spin it into something more substantial and emotional.

Sorry for the messy and rushed ending, I'm still recovering from my sickness that was handicapping me for the past few days and I'm falling asleep writing the end of this.  But I'm better for the most part!  Which hopefully means one or two more posts before I have to reconfigure my entire schedule doing online classes next week...  I hate school.

Also huge thank you again for 700 follower guys, you’re too much for me to handle.  Thank you sosososoooo much!

The past few months for Izuku have been both exhilarating and miserable.

While at an anime convention last summer, he'd stumbled around alone because Katsuki didn't want to be anywhere near nerd culture with his nerd friend.  Izuku had been disappointed since it was his first con and didn't want to go alone, but it couldn't be helped.  He cosplayed as his favorite hero from his favorite show, resolving to hopefully meet some new friends while he was there.

Izuku was easily overwhelmed by the gigantic venue and the endless number of people in attendance.  It was something like a dream, but at the same time gave him anxiety.  How was he supposed to navigate something this enormous alone without getting swept up somewhere?

For the first half of the first day, he managed to survey the layout of the center, taking pictures with a few cosplayers he knew and almost emptying his wallet on some merch.  He found himself losing energy fairly quickly and resolved to search for the rest area.  The tired boy buries his nose in his map, mumbling how he hopes he doesn't end up getting lost.

His view being obstructed by the unfolded paper, he bumps into someone's back.  Izuku fervently apologizes, prematurely thinking he had bothered them and now they wish to kill him.  Instead, he was met with a wide toothy smile and even wider, excited eyes.  The boy looks them up and down, realizing their cosplay is of his character's sidekick.

The other person breaks out into a haughty dialogue fitting their character, using the hero's name to ask what was the matter.  Izuku, after some stumbling, breaks out his amazing mimicry skills to play along with their new game, responding that he's looking for the rest area.  Staying in character, the sidekick leads him in the opposite direction Izuku was going.  The two recite more lines from their characters' show until they reach their destination.

The stranger finally breaks character with a hearty laugh, settling in a couch with Izuku.  They hit it off immediately, bonding over their shared love of their favorite show, how amazing each other's costume looks, and repeating their favorite lines of other franchises they enjoy.  Izuku feels like this is exactly what he wanted to find in a con: someone who shares the same love and passion for his favorite thing.  Finally, he won't have to be alone navigating this giant complex.

The two continue bonding over lunch, getting to know each other more personally, though their personalities were so compatible their conversations flow naturally.  Izuku finds out that his new friend is around the same age as him, and this isn't their first con.  They ended up coming alone because their friend bailed on them at the last second because of a sickness.  Unfortunately, they live in a different country; they just couldn't miss the panel with one of their favorite voice actors at this con.  The freckled boy can't say he wasn't disappointed that someone he'd hit it off so perfectly with was from somewhere else, but at least he found someone he can spend the rest of the con with.

And they did have the funnest time together.  They shared so many memories eating, posing for pictures, filming their own videos, and just talking; at the end of everything, Izuku felt like he'd known them forever.  Actually, he felt himself falling for his con companion, which is why parting ways on the last day was the hardest thing he thought he would have to do.

Thankfully, his new friend also found it hard to say goodbye, so they proposed the idea of staying long-distance friends.  It was such an obvious progression that Izuku almost slapped himself for not thinking of it.  The two exchanged messenger information and hugs before finally parting ways.  The freckled-cheek boy rejoiced, bouncing the entire way home and buzzing with excitement.  Until post-con depression hit him, and with it came the fear that his new friend and crush would lose interest and never contact him.

But he was wrong.  They texted religiously all day every day, keeping each other updated on all the details of their daily nerdy lives.  A flicker of hope burned inside Izuku that his crush was interested enough in him to keep in contact.  They both kept up with each other's social media posts and commented on all of them.  They even video chatted at least twice a week.  It made Izuku feel his life had a purpose, and it was apparent to everyone around him.  Even Katsuki would gruffly question why he was always smiling at his phone.

But the initial glamour eventually wore off.  There would be days when Izuku's friend wouldn't respond to his messages and the boy would fly into a frenzy, wondering what he did wrong and retracing their entire conversation.  Even though they would reply again a few days later and apologize about leaving Izuku in the dark, it would bother the boy a little.  It sobered him up to realize he spends a lot of his day talking to a screen, and he still has no idea if they feel the same way as he felt in his heart.  There's a small amount of jealousy he feels as he stalks their social media responding to other people.  He dislikes that pettiness, but he only does it because he's head over heels for them.  There are moments when his heart would race at the prospect of them exhibiting the same feelings as him, but he would immediately second guess those thoughts as him simply getting ahead of himself.

Izuku would scroll through the pictures and cosplay videos of them daily, smiling at them as he imagined what if they would meet face to face again as his heart longs for them.  He wants to be able to confess in person, feel their warmth close to him, hear their laughter free of digital filter.  Is that too much for him to ask?

.

Izuku practically bounces in a bundle of anticipation and nerves as he stands in the crowded airport terminal.  He didn't imagine his wishes coming true so soon, but here he is.  Ever since a week ago when his crush had surprised him with their flight itinerary, casually asking him to pick them up, the broccoli-haired boy couldn't have been more excited for anything in his life.  

And as with everything the sometimes-neurotic boy does, he planned heavily for their arrival.  They were only visiting for about a week while visiting family, coinciding nicely with Izuku's school break.  He searched for countless highly-rated restaurants specializing in different foods, photo spots that tourists agree yield the best social media photos, and even a few theme parks to visit.  He complied all of these spots into a giant list and was about to send them to his crush when they messaged him before he got the chance.

"Don't go overboard planning like I know you do, Bean, I just want to spend quality time with you :)"

Izuku's heart soared with that text, although it rendered his hard work and stress slightly useless.

And now he's waiting impatiently for them to come from their plane ride, craning his neck every which way in hopes to spot them before they find him.  His entire body has washed over in anxious, feet-tapping cold.

"Izuku!"

Looking to the side, he sets his eyes on a figure steamrolling towards him dragging a suitcase as they bound up to him.  All his anxiety fades as soon as he lays eyes on them.  He outstretches his arms, ready to welcome them in a hug.  "(Y/n)!" he mimics their excited giggle-call.

Izuku underestimated how much force they were putting into their hug, effectively being knocked off balance as both of them fall backwards to meet the floor beneath them.  Despite the strange glares from onlookers, they laugh at the less-than-graceful greeting they shared.  To Izuku, it was the perfect heartfelt greeting.

Catching his breath for a moment, his heart rejoices, relishing the almost romantic moment.  It's strange to see them, the person he's seem through a screen for most of the time, in his arms.  The last time they saw each other in person, they were in slightly uncomfortable costumes that didn't allow for too much mobility and hid most of their true faces.  It's almost like meeting a complete stranger in person for the first time, yet they know each other so well.

"I'm so happy you're this excited to see me."  He sits up, still embracing his crush in his lap.  He's so close to them, sharing their personal space.  If only he can brush his hands through their hair lovingly and embrace them close to him as he's craved for months.  "I was so worried it would be too awkward, and you wouldn't want to hug me and-"

"Why wouldn't I want to absolutely tackle you, Bean?" they squeeze him tighter, the grin still plastered on their face as they gaze up at Izuku.  They reach behind the boy to retrieve the red beanie that fell off his head at their landing.  "You're my favorite person in the world!"

Izuku freezes at the words, letting them tug the knitwear over his fluffy hair.  He knows yet another part of his heart was just stolen.

"Oh, before all the adrenaline suddenly flushes out of me and I lose all confidence to do this-"

They place a chaste kiss on Izuku's lips, rendering the boy flustered and speechless as a bolt of electricity zaps through him.  Did they really just-?

"I really like you, Izuku," they confess in earnest, doe eyes boring into his emerald pair.  "I've been waiting to say it in person because it's so lame and impersonal to say it over text or in video chat.  Please tell me you accept me."

It takes the boy a moment to formulate proper words, the only thing pouring out of his mouth is sputters.  He's floating on Cloud nine right now.  He should've known that his crush not only holds the same feelings for him, but also has the immense confidence to suck it up and confess first.  With a chuckle and almost teary eyes, Izuku sniffs out, "Y-You beat me to it!"

They erupt into a fit of satisfied squeaks.  "I knew I would!" they beam as they nearly knock the boy over in another tackle-hug.  "Now, at least we get to do everything we wanted to as a couple, not just as friends."

Izuku can't agree more, admiring how they always manage to take the words right out of his mouth.

[nekokoaa]

Wolves Among Us - Bakugo x Reader (XV)

Wolves Among Us – Bakugo x Reader

Series Warning: Fantasy AU, Fluff, NSFW

Chapter Warning: Slight nsfw

(Chapter XV/??) All chapters in AO3 and masterlist

Wow, a few more chapter left of season 1, huh? Can’t believe it XD Enjoy, loves!! I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter!

Taglist:

@freedom-for-bum@reallyfuckingangrylatina@risarisarisaa @ashherssss@mels-heart@xa-dia@shanty-lol@amkxh@chims-kookies@fantasticapple@thalia-luna-hawthorn​@skzero-99@marvelobsessedteen@thenezuko@icythotsenpai

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

XV: Deep in Heat

There was only one week left until the wedding and like all brides, you were growing anxious each day. The pack was bustling with energy despite them not liking who their future leader was marrying. The wedding ceremony was something they were all looking forward to because you have learned from Mina that the wolves loved to party regardless of the circumstances. Mina had been the one to tell you about the pack, allowing you to break out of your shell around them. She would always bring you along whenever she went to talk with some of her friends. They weren’t fond of you at first but with Mina’s encouragement, they began asking you random questions, mostly about human lifestyles. And of course, you were delighted to answer.

That night you had dinner with her family was a lovely one. It felt as if you two had been friends for a long time and had been reunited. She joked and laughed about silly things, was affectionate not only in words but physically as well. She was a wonderful mother and wife who cared deeply about her family and those around her, if just one person was feeling down, she would do everything in her power for that person to be right again. If that wasn’t an amazing person, you didn’t know what else would fit that description.

Katsuki had hung out with Eijirou and someone else named Hanta that night. He had black hair that stopped at his chin. He was tall, lanky and whenever he smiled, his teeth looked incredibly straight without any flaws. He seemed like a nice man. He treated you kindly and expressed his happiness for Katsuki for finding a woman like you to marry. Katsuki went back to normal after the moment you shared by the river. It was like he never had that moment of weakness and he also never brought it up again. You assumed it was still difficult for him to talk about it, so you left the topic alone for another day.

You looked in the tiny mirror that was attached to the cave wall and you dipped your finger in a jar before bringing it to your lips to paint them red. It completed your look from the blush on your cheeks to the kohl liner around your eyes.

“Oooo~ you’re looking sooooo beautiful,” Mina gushed, tail swaying as she suddenly appeared on your right. She was hunched over your shoulder peering into the mirror to gaze at your reflection. “Katsuki isn’t gonna let you walk in the morning!”

You flushed at her words and she laughed. You began to take her in, eyes roaming her figure. She was wearing the shortest skirt you’ve ever seen with a fitted cropped shirt that exposed her muscled stomach. The skirt at least flowed with her movement and wasn’t skin tight, but it accentuated her figure, giving her the illusion that she had larger hips. The color of it had clashed with her skin tone but in a good way, purple and turquoise in a camouflage like pattern drew the attention of her flushed skin. Large beads hung around her neck and jingled when she moved. She even has some around her hips and wrist.

Your clothes weren’t as revealing hers, but it was a burgundy dress that stopped slightly above your mid-thigh and hugged at your form. Your legs that were usually covered by your long skirt was now exposed. Your neck and collarbones were shown as the collar of your dress shaped around your breasts and plunged into a heart shape. Your neck was also decorated with the golden necklace Katsuki gave you and golden bangles jingled on your wrists to match it. You borrowed it all from Mina for tonight’s celebration and you couldn’t be more grateful to her.

The wolves always held a celebration the week before a wedding. It was a tradition but, honestly, you just thought it was an excuse for them to have more parties. So, you were getting ready at Mina and Eijirou’s cave. You could already hear the music blasting, drums being beaten, tambourines jingling, flutes sounding and other instruments you couldn’t quite name. It sounded like it was right outside their cave, but it was really in the courtyard where the wolves had already gathered in the late evening.

“You guys are going to kill all the men who look at you,” Ochako said, grinning from the corner of the room. She was already done, wearing a pink dress that was fitted to her form at the top but blew out at the bottom. Lately, you haven’t been seeing Ochako around. She’s been sneaking out these past last couple of weeks, not telling anyone where she’s been going so you were happy to hang out with her tonight. You wanted to catch up.

“All of us! We’re gonna make them faint!” Mina started checking herself out in the mirror, twisting and twirling around as she posed. Her reflection was being blocked by your body, yet she still pretended she could see her entire body.

“Careful, Mina, wouldn’t want baby number four to happen,” Ochako laughed and Mina shrugged.

“Wouldn’t mind it!”

“So how long is the party going to last?” You began fixing your hair, trying to decide whether to leave it down or put it up.

“How long? Pfft! We’re partying until dawn, ____!” Mina shot a finger in the air. She was a little too excited for this.

“You sure you aren’t drunk already?” Ochako placed her hands on her hips.

“No! But I seriously need a drink. I’m ready to party! Eiji’s gonna take care of the kids tonight so Kiri and I are basically free! Do you know how much free time you get when you have kids? None! Zero!”

You decided to leave it down, brushing your hair for a bit before you fluffed it to add volume.

“And yet you want to have a fourth one?”

“I said I wouldn’t mind, wouldn’t mind!”

“Okay guys, I’m ready,” you stood up and Mina whistled when she looked you over, ogling you in a way that would’ve made you uncomfortable if she was an older man.

“You sure you wanna wait till the wedding night? Cause Katsuki gonna pounce on you when he sees you.”

You laughed, “It’s not up for discussion. We already decided to wait and we’re both okay with that.”

“Gooosh, I couldn’t wait. You’re strong, ____,” you didn’t know if that considered you were strong on the account of you never experienced the feeling of sex. Maybe it was easier for you because you were in the unknown about it. Mina went on with expressing how excited she was about this party. You were just as excited as the last time you’ve been at a party. It was in your village during a festival. You remember the smells of food and the sounds of music, people dancing and having fun. You went with Izuku and his mother and it was the most fun you ever had. You were hoping it would be the same this time. Yes, the pack was still against the marriage but because of Mina, you had some women who tolerated you and actually spoke with you. This party was an opportunity to get to know them even more.

You followed Mina and Ochako out of the cave, saying your goodbyes to Eiji, Minato, and Mie as you passed by them. The sound of beating drums grew extremely loud the closer you came to the courtyard. The sun had completely set and the deep blue carpet with twinkling lights unraveled above you. The moon hung off the middle with half of it shrouded in dark. It was a mild night, not too cold and not too warm, which could only mean that winter was nearing its end. The snow had nearly melted from the surface, revealing the mountain’s stone flooring that clacked whenever your heel met with it. There was a path being lit up by totems on each side that led into the courtyard and the closer you got, the more excited Mina became while Ochako seemed to be looking around for something.

And when you reached the courtyard, your eyes widened in awe. There were so many wolves around, chatting, dancing, eating. There were tables set up that were occupied by some of them. Men were the ones at the drums, taiko drums, to be specific, and they pounded at them with bachi sticks, releasing a powerful sound that echoed into the air. Flutes were also being played flamboyantly, the players dancing to their own beat as they entertained the crowd dancing along with them. You assumed in the middle in front of the instrument players was the dancing area because wolves of all ages and genders were jumping, stomping, some clapping their hands, shaking their hips, hands in the air like they just didn’t care. These wolves know how to have fun!

“Oh! The bride is here!” You heard a booming voice. The music had stopped at once and soon all eyes were on you.

You gulped, not liking the attention.

But in place of drums were the wolves clapping, some howling at your presence. Mina and Ochako also began to howl as a signal of your arrival. You felt… touched. Even if some wolves did ignore you and continued what they were doing, most had greeted you with either an applause or a howl. And then the music returned, and the wolves resumed with their partying. It wasn’t long until you spotted Katsuki. He was sitting at the table in the center of all the tables, just staring at you. Eijirou was the one waving towards you which had Mina bolting over. Hanta was also there and a few other faces you haven’t seen before. But Katsuki stayed staring like he was a statue. You frowned. Was he… not impressed?

Katsuki’s brain stopped working the moment he saw you. Fuck! Damn! Shit! And all the curse words he could thought of was the only thing his brain managed do. Was he not impressed? Oh, he most definitely was impressed. He knew you were a beautiful woman but seeing you in these clothes? Hot damn. It was making him sweat. He downed the drink in his hands, giving his head a quick shake to spell the burning feel away. He watched as you made your way to him and watched how your hips swayed. Fuck! You were a Goddess. He was already praying for Fenrir to calm his heart… and his loins.

“Hey Katsuki…” you looked shy, shoulders erect, when you greeted him. A whistle sounded from one of the men at the table.

“And this is the bride I’m hearing so much about! Now I know why Katsuki’s marrying you!” He stood up, reaching over the table to hold out his hand towards you, nearly knocking over some drinks but Hanta was quick to move them. “Denki! Pack leader of the Kaminari clan. We’re allies with your pack!”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, slapping his hand away before you could take ahold of it. Denki yelped, rubbing his hand as it grew red from the abuse.

“What the hell, man, can’t greet your wife?”

“Just sit the fuck down,” Katsuki growled. Eijirou and Hanta snickered. Mina then plopped herself on Eijirou’s lap and kissed him deeply to greet him. Katsuki wondered if you would do the same but you stood there, awkwardly like you weren’t comfortable in your own skin. He wasn’t expecting anything of the sorts, he knew you weren’t comfortable doing such things in front of people. Ochako just looked like she was looking for someone, but she was the least of his worries.

“Come sit,” he pulled you by the arm and into the space next to him. He was still holding onto your arm, looking you over faster than you could notice. Goddamn. Those thighs. “Dress suits you,” he really wanted to say you were fucking hot, but he’ll save it for later.

He watched you flush, relaxing slightly, eyes fluttering around to make sure no one was watching. “Thanks. You look good too.” Katsuki took pride in how you took him in, eyes lingering longer on his exposed chest. Since it was milder tonight, he decided to go without a shirt and wore his black cargo pants and white boots. He still wore fur but only around his shoulders as the rest of his cape was a red battered cloth. Several necklaces hung at his neck, like painted fangs of predators he had hunted turned into decorations for his neck. And part of his arms was covered by orange and black arm warmers, leaving his upper arm and hands exposed.

“Heh, thanks.” Katsuki smirked, wolf ears flickering, then he poured himself a drink. “Ever drank before?”

You shook your head. “First time.”

“I’m taking a lot of your firsts, huh?” Your blush spread as your eyes widened at his daring words. Thankfully he said it under his breath for only you to hear. He passed you a cup before you could say anything more. “Drink it fast.”

He watched you with his head against his knuckles. You stared down at the cup. There was only a small amount of alcohol in there compared to the size of the cup and you had glanced at Mina, watching her knock her head back to down the alcohol, shivering slightly before she laughed at something Hanta and Denki said. Ochako had already disappeared so she wasn’t present to watch you drink. You then watched Katsuki and he did the same thing this time without wincing after and after staring at the cup for god knows how long you drank it, attempting to knock your head back. But the alcohol still didn’t fall as fast and you tasted the bitter flavor on your tongue before it burned and went down your throat. You started coughing, spitting up some as your eyes began to water. Katsuki was quick. He already gave you a tissue and rubbed his hand on your back.

“That was… disgusting. How do you drink this stuff?” You spoke through your coughs and wiped your mouth clean of saliva. The bitter flavor still lingered on your tongue and you grabbed a piece of bread off the table and shoved it in your mouth to rid of the taste.

“You get used to it.” Katsuki was already on his third drink and he didn’t seem like he would be getting drunk any time soon.

Mina drank another shot before she asked you to dance.

“We’ll be here. Go have your fun!” Eijirou said before he gave Mina another sloppy kiss. You told Katsuki you would be back and gave his arm a squeeze. He waved at you, wishing he had kissed you instead.

Mina pulled you into the dance area. Just before she started dancing she asked you where Ochako went but you had no clue, so she shrugged and began to move her hips rhythm of the drums. She grabbed your hands, wanting you to join her in her dance. You weren’t much of a dancer, but the beat of the drums and the sound of the flute was doing something to you internally that you were already tapping your feet as soon as you had touched the dance floor. You decided to let go, moving your arms, feet, and hips to the beat.

“Yeah, ____! Shake that ass!” You could barely hear Mina over the drums but her large smile told you she was enjoying this. The wolves were dancing so close together that you were getting touched all around, but you didn’t seem bothered by it and neither did the wolves. They were too concerned with getting lost in the music, some of them too drunk to where all they could do was dance and not be bothered that you were next to them. They pushed against you, rubbed against you, as well as Mina’s body. You didn’t want to admit it but maybe that one drink loosened you up. You weren’t exactly drunk, but you were definitely feeling a little buzz within you and it was enough to make you forget your worries.

Katsuki watched you in the middle of the courtyard. Sometimes he would lose sight of you because the crowd was overwhelming at times but when you would appear again, he would watch you shake your body. Your hips, your waist, your everything. You moved like it was your last night alive, like Fenrir’s spirit had took ahold of you and made you wild. He liked this side of you. It was different from the tamed girl he came to know you as. He was happy to know that even humans had a wild side.

“Your wife, Kacchan, damn.”

A vein popped across his forehead when he heard Denki and he growled lowly. “If you don’t stop looking at my woman… and don’t fucking call me ‘Kacchan’”

“I know, I know, gosh, you’re forgetting I’m happily married,” Denki had a cocky grin on his face while he flashed his necklace. Katsuki didn’t know why. There was nothing to be cocky about. He was getting married next week.

“That don’t mean shit.”

“Yes, it does… besides…” he drank from his cup, gold eyes up and still well on your body. “Nothing wrong with lookin’”

Katsuki slammed his fist down on the table and it caused all the cups and plates to jump on impact. His snarl was nasty, lingering until he couldn’t hold his breath any longer. His crimson eyes as sharp as his baring fangs. “Unless you wanna fucking go home blind, then I suggest you get your eyes off of my woman!”

“Relax, child!” He slammed a second fist down when a hand slapped the side of his head. He turned to look behind him already prepared to claw up whoever dared to attack him. He wasn’t surprised to see his mother and it didn’t lessen the anger he was feeling. “Don’t go threatening our allies, especially for something so minuscule as looking at your woman.”

“Don’t fucking touch me! Shit! Why are you even here?!”

“Someone has to stay sober and watch over the celebration. You can never be too careful. As future leader, you should know these things but instead you’re sitting here yelling at our allies.”

“Then go watch over the celebration somewhere else! I’m trying to enjoy my night!”

Mitsuki’s face crinkled up. “You ungrateful child! You dare speak to your mother that way!?”

“Shit, if you don’t like it then go somewhere!” Katsuki downed another cup. “Fuck, I gotta go use the bathroom.” He then got up and brushed past his growling mother, heading straight for the bathrooms. There was a cave designated for it somewhere around the courtyard. He relieved himself and as he was making his way back, he stumbled upon something that made him confused as hell.

You and Mina danced until you couldn’t dance no more. You needed a break and something to eat. So, Mina suggested to hang out with her friends. You’ve met them before. Momo and Tsuyu, but a new woman that you’ve never seen before was sitting with them at a table not too far from Katsuki’s. You couldn’t help but glance at his table while you passed by but saw that he wasn’t there. You were soon distracted by the warm faces of Mina’s friends to wonder why Katsuki wasn’t at his table. They were weary of you when you first met them but within time, they warmed up to you with Mina’s help.

“Momo! Tsu! Kyoka!” Mina gave all of them hugs and you greeted them with a wave. Kyoka looked scary from afar. She wore all black, had dark purple hair and gave off this don’t-talk-to-me vibe but the moment you greeted, she looked warm, smiling softly along with Momo and Tsuyu. It wasn’t long until you found out she was the wife of Denki, second leader of the Kaminari pack. Which surprised you at first because of how energetic he was but as you got to know Kyoka, you realized out how great they matched each other.

Together as a group, you moved to the food table, grabbing a plate and looking to see what to take. Your mouth was already salivating from the aroma and you began filling your plate with different proteins like chicken, rabbit, deer, and a bowl of rice. Lastly, you grabbed utensils which had a large pile of them left. Most wolves do without them and eat with their hands.

Mina already had her plate full of food in one hand and a large bottle of alcohol in the other. She was really trying to get drunk tonight.

Back at the table, you ate together, and they talked about random things that had happened to them in their daily lives. Mina talked about her children and how fast they were growing each day. Tsuyu talked about her interest in frogs. Apparently, she had a slight obsession with them, love to go out and study them. Momo was discussing about her recent find in tea leaves during her walks in the forest and Kyoka talked about a new song she was writing and couldn’t wait to sing. And you talked about your interest in pack which led to the girls asking about your first meeting with Katsuki.

You explained, feeling a little giddy. You haven’t told anyone about how you two met and just talking about it was making you relive some memories. You explained everything from when Katsuki chased you and then spared you and healed your wounds to you bringing him some food to help him to when you two got attacked by the hunters and chose to protect Katsuki ultimately getting you exiled from your village.

“That’s so romantic…! You guys belong together!” Mina started to slur, and her cheeks were pinker than normal. She might be already drunk.

“It’s truly a wonderful story, though I can’t help but wonder why Katsuki decided to heal you instead of… well, he was hunting you, yes?” Momo held her chin in thought.

“It does seem odd,” Tsuyu looked up with a finger to her chin, probably thinking the same thing.

“It’s love at first sight, I tell ya!! Love at first sight!!” Mina yowled, making a heart shape with her hands.

“I asked him why he did when we met the second time, but he never gave a straight answer,” Mina passed you a cup and you stared at it, contemplating if you should drink it.

“Yeah, typical Katsuki, never giving straight answers, just yelling,” Kyoka downed her drink. She looked a bit flushed as well. You assumed she was drunk, thankfully not the rowdy type like Mina.

“____! Drink! Drink!” Mina urged you when she noticed that you were taking too long to drink from your cup. You glanced down at it. Should you try it again, or should you ban yourself from tasting something so disgusting ever again? You looked back at Mina and she was making an upward motion with her hand before she began to pout, wolf ears falling down and tail drooping. She was so dramatic even when she was drunk. You downed your drink as fast as you could, shivering after at the taste and burn. It wasn’t as bad as the first time, that’s for sure.

Mina instantly refilled your cup and you waited for the burn to settle before downing that one.

Katsuki kind of didn’t know what he saw as he just saw a glimpse of it, but it looked like Ochako was hooking up with some guy in a shadowy corner of the courtyard, away from the party. He didn’t take her to be the type and he doesn’t remember whether she drank or not. Well, he didn’t care for long. He stumbled out of nowhere, there was nothing around him to make him to do so except for his past actions. Was he already drunk? Fuck, maybe he had one too many drinks. He wasn’t planning on being totally wasted tonight because he didn’t want to wake up feeling sluggish.

By the time Katsuki came back, his mother had already vanished, and he felt relieved.

“Katsukiiiii, welcome back…!” Hanta was already drunk and he was still drinking. He had an arm around Denki’s shoulders who also was bright red in the face. They were swaying together, big idiot smiles on their faces and hands full of their cups. They started singing and Katsuki could’ve sworn his hangover came early.

“Dude, they’re gone,” Eijirou laughed, no doubt feeling the buzz from his drinks because he began bobbing his head to their voices like it was actual good music coming from them. Katsuki sighed heavily at them and emptied his cup, cheeks hot from the alcohol rushing in his veins. The world began to spin in front of him and he closed his eyes to stop it. His eyebrows furrowed as if he were in pain, but it was because there were too many sounds happening at once. He didn’t know what to focus on. The voices all around him? The drums? Or the flutes? Or the pathetic singing of Hanta and Denki?

He opened his eyes. Everything looked fuzzy. He saw double of everything including the cup in his hands that Denki just refilled. He didn’t hesitate to drink it, humming at the warmness and mistaking it for the burn that simmered down his throat and chest. He felt something heavy fall on his lap and its weight pressed against his chest as something touched his shoulders. Denki, Hanta, and Eijirou all looked at him like he had two heads.

It took Katsuki a moment to realized that ‘something’ was you. You had plopped on his lap the same way Mina did to Eijirou and your arms were resting on his shoulders while your fingers lightly twirled in his hair. You were staring at him dead in his face with a distinct flush blossomed on your cheeks. Damn, were you drunk?

“Hey Katsuki…” you purred, pressing a wet kiss that had too much tongue on the corner of his mouth. Yup, you were drunk. Otherwise you wouldn’t be doing this in front of his friends, you probably wouldn’t even being doing this if you two were alone.

“Hey baby, what’sh… going on with you…?” Katsuki’s words were slurred and you cut him off with a heavy kiss to his lips, smacking your smiling lips against his. It was sloppy, loud, and tasted of bitter alcohol.

“Nothin’… I just missed you…” You breathed, and his hand moved to stroke your exposed thigh. Your dress has been riding up since you sat in his lap.

“Ya… same,” a sharp inhale of breath sounded from the both of you before your lips collided, tongues already in each other’s mouth, swallowing each other’s breath and saliva. A heavy moan left him, finally achieving what he wanted to do the moment he saw you. Katsuki squeezed a part of your thigh before he had his hand slip up your dress, daring to tread on areas he hadn’t felt before. And all in front of his friends.

“Hey, get a room!” Eijirou frowned, not wanting to see his best friend doing things that should be in the privacy of his cave.

“Nah, lemme enjoy the show…!” Denki waved him off, pushing him even. His grin grew wider and wider the longer his eyes roamed. Katsuki noticed and he immediately grew frustrated, breaking the kiss with a loud wet smack and growling in Denki’s direction.

“What the fuck did I say?!” You nearly fell off his lap when he suddenly sat forward but he wrapped an arm around your waist in both to save you and to flaunt his possession.

But all Denki did was laugh, not a hint of fear in his eyes when Katsuki bared his fangs.

You suddenly got off of him, pulling your dress down before you grabbed his hand and tugged his arm. “Come on...” you stared down at him, blush deepening to the point where it couldn’t just be the alcohol. Katsuki stared, almost dumbfoundedly. He then stood up immediately, the fight with Denki forgotten as he followed you away from the party. The tail behind him shaking excitedly.

Katsuki growled playfully when he thrown you against the wall, arms pinned to it as his lips instantly slobbered around your neck, alternating to your right side then left side with such haste you shivered and quaked under his hold. You gasped and felt the weakness in your knees, melting against the wall and his body as his arm around your waist held you up. One of your hands were dug into his side, desperately clinging on to anything you could feel. Katsuki kissed you to quench his hunger but it never was fulfilled. The more he felt your lips, the more he wanted it, drinking your moans, groaning and growling, grinding against your body as if to fuse with it.

His hands circled your hips, loving the feel of your smooth skin under his fingertips. He slid his right hand around your hip to your thigh, eventually placed it under your knee and lifted your leg to hold it around his hip. You continued kissing him regardless of his bold act, a hand buried in his hair while the other moved from his side to caress his muscled stomach, each individual ab a rocky hill to his clenched terrain. You continued moving north and palmed his pecs, his nipple rubbing against your hand no doubt erect cause of the pleasure brewing in him. He responded with his own knead of your breasts, engulfing one of them in his hands and giving it a firm squeeze.

He grunted softly and pulled away from your lips with a wet suck. His crimson gaze as fiery as the sun, beaming heavy with lust as they scanned your face. He loved all of your expressions, but this had got to be his all-time favorite one. You looked absolutely needy. Your skin was heavily flushed from the alcohol and the relentless assault he had on your lips. Your lips were apart, and your eyes looked hazy with the certainty that you were undeniably, incontestably, indisputably horny.

And if you would let him, he would be more than willing to help you to quell the ache between your legs.

You were convinced. Alcohol was the devil. It talked for you, thought for you, moved for you without making you realize any repercussions of your actions. It eliminated all amounts of your super ego and purely motivated your id. So of course, when Katsuki lifted your dress and pulled your underwear to the side, you pulled him closer, looking down when his fingers tread lightly on the lips of your vagina, and although you couldn’t see well because you were in a dark corner, somewhere against the mountainside near the caves, you surely felt it. You also felt that this was something you shouldn’t be doing. It went against all of your morals, having a man touch you before he even claims you, but you were too intoxicated to care, too obsessed with exploring this desire. You revisited that moment of when Katsuki first touched you when he licked your wound. That shiver you felt. The very thing that made you all too curious.

“Nn…” you bit your lip, feeling his fingers go between your folds and soon becoming slick with secretion when he neared your entrance.

“Already this fucking wet for me…” he said huskily, a smirk on his own face with reddened cheeks. But he did nothing except tease you with his words, mumbling about what he was going to do to you and how you were going to take it. It felt like he was rambling to himself, sounding nonsensical as his fingers moved slightly north in search for something. And when he found it, it had your legs trembling, the one being held up by his hand squeezed against him like you wanted to close them, toes curling in your shoes. You gritted your teeth and watched as Katsuki rubbed his fingers on your clit in a motion that was not too gentle.

He saw you watching, and he uttered out, “see this?” You looked up into his eyes. “I’mma fuck you this rough. Right here. Right now.”

“Nnngh… Ahn…” and when you dug your nails into his arm, it made him quicken his pace. Your eyes rolled, and you bit your bottom lip and started to move your hips to his rhythm, like it was his own beat of his drum. A low growl sounded, and he pressed his lips to your neck, groaning heavy with a salty after taste on his tongue.

“You’ll like that…?” He stopped to whisper, lips moving hot against your ear. You couldn’t even answer, just a string of incoherent, jumbled words that were slurred out in between gasps and moans was all you could muster out and Katsuki took that as a yes.

“Lookin’ so sexy in that goddamn dress. Fuck…”

He continued holding up your leg but with his other hand he began fumbling with the zipper of his pants. His bulge, outrageous in shape, that you thought most of it was an illusion caused by the shadows. He was so clumsy with his hand that it took him ages to zip down his pants and reveal his fuzzy blonde pubes.

“F-F-Future leader…!” The both of you froze, hearing a woman’s yell before she gasped. Katsuki didn’t even turn around, his next words came out in a roar.

“Whaaaat?!”

“I-I’m sorry to interrupt but-but… there’re a few drunk men causing a scene and they might fight,” you could see the woman behind Katsuki’s head. She stayed a good distance away but anyone in their right mind would’ve known what was happening between you two by one glance. The blush on her face was a good indicator that she knew exactly what.

“Then get the old hag—I’m busy!!”

“We can’t find her. We assumed she retired for the night,” Katsuki resumed pressing kisses on your neck and jaw, fingers on your clit moving yet again, earning a purr of his name from you. The woman gulped, not knowing whether to walk away or to try again. She was feeling ballsy tonight.

“F-Future leader…?”

“Just give me a damn minute!!” A delayed gasp left you when Katsuki’s hand left and suddenly slammed his fist on the wall next to your head. He then fumbled with the zipper of his pants, his fuzzy pubes disappearing behind the waistband. “I’ll be back for that sweet ass. Just wait for me in our cave…” he husked with a smirk so wide and handsome that your clit throbbed without a single touch. But what was more criminally was when he brought his fingers that was coated with your wetness into his mouth, licking and sucking on it, gaze held strong against your own as he commented how delicious you were. You nearly died.

He then turned around a little too fast to where he almost lost his balance, but he regained it just as quickly before murmuring to the woman:

“Now show me the way so I can knock those idiots out.”

As the Katsuki and the woman left, you saw that she glanced back at you with eyes of slight envy and adoration. You soon straightened your underwear and pulled your dress down, licking your swollen lips. You remained on the wall, in a daze as the world around you felt like it was underwater. The sound of drums and people voices were merely a muffle to your ears. The sight before you spun when you pushed yourself off the wall and swayed with every step made.

You didn’t even recognize your surroundings and wobbled into the first cave you saw. Going down the narrow curve of the hallway that was only dimly lit by the wall lanterns, you felt a stirring in your stomach with a dull ache. Your inner cheeks became lathered with saliva building up and a gag that heaved your body forward was suppressed by your hands that slapped over your mouth. Ugh. You wanted to vomit. But you swallowed back whatever nearly came up and held onto the wall before moving. The first cloth makeshift door you felt out was immediately enter by you with no warning, no notice, just an idea that you thought it was your cave you were entering in.

So of course, when you stumbled upon the sight of a nude Ochako bouncing on the lap of your childhood friend, Izuku, the alcohol in your system was enough to have you shrieking.

Ochako hurled herself off of him with a scream and Izuku yelped as his dick flung out of her. He quickly gathered the sheep wool covers, first covering Ochako and then himself with his own clothes. Just what the hell were you seeing?

They both stared at you with wide, glossy eyes in what made seconds of silence feel like hours. And when they couldn’t handle the pressure of being stared at, they both stammered out, frantically.

“I-It was my idea!”

“I invited Izuku!”

You didn’t stay for them to explain further. You ran out, stunned at what you saw but was too drunk to comprehend it, you just knew you walked into something you shouldn’t have.

You followed the walls out of the cave and the urge to gag returned, feeling the saliva building again and you suddenly hunch over, and vomit surged from within you and splattered on the floor. Ugh, it’s brown with chunks. You wiped your mouth with a grimace.

“Hey, you okay?” You then felt a hand on your back. “Is this your first time drinking? And that bonehead son of mine left you alone?”

It was Mitsuki, bending slightly and peering into your face as she began to rub your back. She looked concerned, but you saw her knitted eyebrows and frowns as ripples like you were staring at her reflection in the water and then you threw up again.

“Come on, let’s get you to your cave,” Mitsuki wrapped her arm around your body to hold you up when you were done and slowly guided you in the right direction.

Katsuki was practically growling as he settled those rowdy wolves who were trying to fight each other. He didn’t even know what the issue was about. Once that woman pointed him to the right direction, Katsuki punched them square in the face and they fell to the ground, holding their cheeks. He yelled at them until they ran with their tails between their legs.

He was furious. He was seconds away from being buried between your thighs and out of all times, the pack needed his help. What kind of bullshit was that?

He bared his teeth to the starry skies, snarls stuttering through gritted teeth. Whatever. At least he could look forward to you waiting in his cave, legs sprawled and hopefully as needy as he left you. He waddled in his steps, swaying on his wobbly legs. He was moving as fast as he could, but it felt like he was traveling through the forest to get there.

When he finally entered the cave, thrusting through the hanging cloth with so much gusto that it nearly tore off, it wasn’t a surprise to find you in bed but what he wasn’t expecting was for you to be sleeping, deeply, snoring lightly with your arms and legs sprawled out and it definitely wasn’t in the way he initially thought of it.

“Fuck… are you serious?”  It felt like he missed the moment of a lifetime. You actually changed your mind and wanted to have sex. Although you were drunk and probably weren’t in the right state of mind to answer, Katsuki, being in that same boat, also just wanted to purely act on his desires. Looking so hot in that dress had awakened something in him and he knew that this final week before the wedding was going to be a cruel one.

He sighed softly, shrugged his cape from his shoulders and kicked off his boots. He pulled his pants until he was down to his underwear and joined you in bed. He slipped his arms around you and couldn’t resist kissing your neck lightly when you snuggled close to him. You mumbled something, but it wasn’t a sign that you were going to wake up. He growled lowly. He would just have to be patient. One week left. Just one week.

At dawn, a skull-splitting headache was there to greet you and it made you sensitive to everything around you, the candle lights, your slight movements, even Katsuki’s voice that sounded low, not really knowing what he said but knew it was full of concern for you.

The memories of last night came to you in bits and pieces. The first one being you discovering Izuku and Ochako’s relationship and the very last one being Katsuki fondling you against the wall. If you weren’t too busy dealing with this throbbing pain, you probably would’ve thrown yourself out of Katsuki’s arms and ran out the room in embarrassment.

After promising yourself to subdue these emotions until the wedding night, you nearly failed and allowed Katsuki to do such naughty things to you. You buried your face in your hands and he took that as you trying to get closer to him and slid his hand under your knee, pulling your leg until it hooked around his waist. You hope this wasn’t going to become a habit for him. Sure, you were pretty bold last night but you didn’t know if your heart could take feeling so exposed to him.

“I guess it’s true. Humans get these so called ‘hangovers’ after drinking,” Katsuki was softly stroking the back of your head.

“Ughhhh…. I’m never drinking again…” you whined, and he laughed, hand moving south to tread along your back.  

[gloves94]

Sunburn [Prince Zuko] 39

Warnings: Cursing Rating: PG-13  Pairings: Zuko/OC  

Sunburn Chapter M A S T E R L I S T My fan fiction M A S T E R L I S T

It had been three days since the end of the One Hundred Year War.

Parts of the Fire Nation Capital had been burnt to ash during the sibling’s conflict for the Nation’s crown. Traditional red roofs had been turned into charcoal black and were missing walls and tiles.

Regardless of it all it was a beautiful morning and the Fire Nation people seemed eager to welcome their new Fire Lord and for the war in which they gained yet lost so much to be over.

Tsai stood on the Capital’s entry docks, her arms crossed over her chest. Wind swaying her hair lightly. She held her arms lightly embracing the comfort of her recovered hidden blade gauntlets. Who would’ve thought Azula had kept them as some type of sick trophy all this time?

The warship approached and she stood with her back straight ready to welcome her guests into the nation. The ship docked and after several moments two figures emerged from behind a several escorts.

“Welcome to the Mainland- the Capital- I mean- the Fire Nation? I still can’t get used to these terms.” She said nervously holding the back of her neck awkwardly.

“Home will do,” one of the emerging figures said dully.

“How do you jail birds feel?” She laughed nervously unsure of how to interact with Mai and Ty Lee.

She was taken aback when she was engulfed in a tight hug. She looked down at Ty Lee uncomfortably.

“Tsai, your aura is golden! Oh! It just makes me want to hug you!” The brunette cried out dramatically. “Yeah,” the other dead panned. “It’s because I’m the sun.” She explained awkwardly slowly leeching her hands from around her.

“Is it true?” Mai asked, her pose mirroring Tsai’s proper one. “About Azula?”

“Yeah…” She trailed off. “Physicians said she had some type of schizophrenic meltdown. She was also badly burnt. Most of the right side of her body suffered second to third degree burns.” She paused for a brief moment and a shiver went up her spine as she remembered Azula’s horrifying screeches. “She’s been committed to a mental health ward where hopefully she’ll get the help she needs.” She offered the princess’ ex-friends a small sad smile.

“And Fire Lord Ozai?” Ty Lee asked bringing a hand to her chin in a pensive pose.

“He’s alive as well. Imprisoned. The Avatar succeeded and took his bending away, so he won’t be able to hurt anyone any time soon.” Her smiled widened slightly.

“That is not going to go well. I can assure you my father is not happy about that. I’m assuming yours won’t be either.” Mai sighed sounding irritated. “I wouldn’t count on the Fire Lord to sit pretty and still on his cell…” She trailed of.

“Yeah,” her tone lowered enough to match Mai’s. From what she had heard Ba Sing Se had been taken back by the Earth Kingdom with the help of the White Lotus. The Fire Lord had been defeated by the Avatar and Yu Dao had been taken by her brother who was rumored to sit as the new Vice Royal Governor of the colony. “I’m still waiting to hear back from my brother. It sounds like things went… well as well as they could go.”

It was then that a lightbulb went off in her head as she remembered something she had been pending.

“Speaking of-,” She said reaching for a scroll she kept tucked in the back of her sash. “My brother asked me to give this to you Mai. I’d more than understand if you want nothing to do with it, or him.” She rolled her eyes lightly and handed the girl the scroll just as she had promised.

Mai starred at the scroll with a dead expression that was first natured to her. She had no reaction to this. Man, she really was hard to read. Ty Lee on the other hand bounced eagerly and snatched the scroll from her best friend’s hand excitedly opening it, breaking the seal.

“Mai! Is that the dreamy rugged boy with the body scars and the green eyes you were telling me about? Wait- he’s your brother?” She gaped for a moment. Tsai’s sighed lightly irritated. “’Mai, I just wanted to say-’” Ty Lee began reading and slowly her face grew from pink to red to marron.  

“Woah,” She fanned her face. She turned to Mai with a sheepish expression. The other girl simply took the scroll with a stoic expression and hid it inside her sleeves without much enthusiasm. “You colonials are something else,” Ty Lee giggled.

“We all know the stereotype,” she shrugged with a lazy smile. “Also, we’re going to the Earth Kingdom tomorrow. To Ba Sing Se for King Kuei’s coronation and to regroup with Uncle Iroh, my brother and everybody else. You two should come. You’re more than invited.”

“Really?” Ty Lee clapped her hands together, eyes shinning in excitement. Mai quirked an arched eyebrow as if testing her.

“Of course,” she responded timidly. “You’re both Zuko’s oldest friends. I know he’d want you both to be there.” She paused and looked at the onyx haired girl. “And Mai you’ve been a friend to me too, so I want you to come as well. I also never thanked you for saving my brother and my friends at the Boiling Rock. It must’ve been a hard decision to make. Considering your dad’s political post and your uncle’s... So, because of that I thank you. She stretched out her hands and reached for the other girls which she gave a light squeeze.

Mai simply nodded averting her eyes away from the girl. Maybe she didn’t smile back but the gesture might as well have been the same.

Regardless, it was an accepting one.

Xxx

The former banished prince stood on a parlor room. The massive balcony windows allowed him to the city. His city. The nation that he was now responsible for, his empire. Ha gazed at it lost in thought as he attempted to dress in his ceremonial robes.

The room was traditional with a red carpet that sprawled out across from one wall to the other. Giant lanterns hung at the top from the ceiling. The entrance doors were carved with golden arches. Four story, red, velvet curtains adorned the large windows.

He let out a low hiss when he picked up his robe and attempted to slip it on. He grimaced slightly at the slight pain he felt on his chest. Struggling he managed to get one arm through one sleeve. The other proving to be more challenging.

“Need a hand?”

He turned excited a rare smile on his features. The smile stretched as he drank up her ceremonial appearance. She wore a golden ochre long-sleeved traditional dress with a golden trim. Both of her hands were hidden inside of her sleeves just like she wore when they first met. Her hair was clean and parted to the side, worn half up. She wore a small diadem composed of thin golden rods which resembled a sun’s halo.

“You look… nice,” he struggled to find his words.

She approached him and walked around him helping him put his robe over his arm and tied his robe. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Better than nice,” he added gawkily.

“You look…” He said tenderly really struggling to find the perfect word.

She accepted the unsaid compliment and interrupted him by placing a deep kiss on his lips, both smiling through it. “Thanks.” She knew he meant well.

“How do you feel? Your Lordness,” She joked resting her hands on the neck of his robe lightly stroking the fabric.

“I still can’t believe it. A year ago, my whole purpose in life was to hunt Aang down and now it’s like I’m in a completely different place.”

“We both are.” She agreed. “A year ago, my purpose was to unite the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. My grandfather was still alive…” She sighed. “But now that I think about it, we probably wouldn’t have met if it weren’t for the funeral.” His uninjured arm snaked around her shoulders bringing her close. “Do you remember? The same funeral in which you were extremely rude to my family?” She poked.

He rolled his eyes slightly. She was never going to let that go was she?

“You didn’t even say anything when I introduced myself to you! You just walked away!”

“I didn’t say anything because I was nervous,” he admitted sheepishly. “You’re an awful liar.” She laughed pushing away. Who did he think he was fooling? He had been simply and plainly terribly rude.

“So, what are we going to do now?” He asked her as she walked back to him holding a different part of his Fire Lord armor. “You could… move here?” He suggested brashly. “You could have your own room. Your own everything,” he added apprehensively, swallowing a nervous knot that had formed in his throat.

“About that… I actually wanted to talk to you and Aang.

Xxx

Aang was sitting against one of the walls outside of a Royal Balcony, the one which lead to the Royal Plaza just where Zuko and Azula had had their face down Agni Kai a couple of days ago. He sat with his legs crossed underneath, a solemn expression on his face as he meditated on the events that had transpired the last couple of days. Despite the time he felt as if his trek from Ember Island to this moment had been one very, very long day.

He heard light laughing from the distance and looked up to see Zuko dressed in his new Fire Lord armor. His hair was combed and pulled back in a traditional Fire Nation topknot and he seemed genuinely happy as he made his way down the hall that lead to the coronation temple. His girlfriend walked next to him laughing at some comment he had just said. He wondered just what he could’ve said to make her laugh like that. Let’s be real, Zuko was known for a lot of things and being funny wasn’t one of them. Both looked regal as they walked down the hall together standing tall in their elegant robes.

Aang felt a pang of jealousy hit him. If the war was over then why- why couldn’t him and Katara be like them? ‘Ugh…’ He thought irritated.

The couple stopped walking and stood before Aang. Zuko smiled faintly at him and paused before the curtain that lead to the balcony.

“We were just talking about where we were a year ago. I still can’t believe a year ago my purpose in life was hunting you down." Zuko commented with small shake of his head, "And now..."

Aang opened his eyes and looked over at his friend with a smile, "And now we're friends."

"Yeah." The Fire Nation prince agreed with his own smile, still kind of amazed at all the growth and development they had accomplished. "We are friends."

"Well," Aang pushed himself to his feet and stood in front of the couple. He shrugged and smirked slightly, "I can't believe a year ago I was still frozen in a block of ice. The world's so different now."

Zuko walked towards Aang and put his hand on his shoulder, "And it's gonna be even more different. We'll rebuild it together."

Aang smiled and hugged his friend warmly, Zuko easily returning the embrace before they separated.

“That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you two about…” Tsai stood at a close distance both hands hidden inside of her sleeves. “But it’ll have to be some other time.” She smiled at the two.

“Good luck Aang.” She turned and gave Aang a hug. “Good luck handsome,” she kissed her boyfriend’s face.  

She walked away, making her way to meet the others on the Royal Plaza. Aang noted the lovesick expression the Fire Lord wore on his face. Toph was right those two, they were just way too much sometimes… ‘Fire Nationers.’ He shrugged to himself.

“Uh, shall we go?” Aang interrupted Zuko’s lost train of thought.

“Y-Yeah!” He said his cheeks turning slightly pink in embarrassment of being caught distracted.

The Fire Lord cleared his throat composing himself and brushed the curtains aside stepping through them, Aang following in a moment later.

Xxx

Tsai made her way outside, wavering through the heavy crowds sticking her head up trying to find any familiar face in the crowd.

“You’re that girl,” a burly man in the crowd suddenly said looking down at her. She looked at him oddly. “The Blue Spirit, the one that freed the Avatar and took down the Pohuai Stronghold.” He stated his expression blank. She was about to respond when his expression shifted into an angry one. “You’re the one that costs us the siege of the North!” He accused pointing a finger at her. “My brother died because of you!”

She gave a small step back feeling unsafe wanting to create as much distance possible between her and the threatening man.

“Tsai! There you are!” She turned just in time to see Suki reaching out to her from the crowds. She exchanged a look with the man who made a vulgar gesture to her with his hand before spitting at the floor. Without another word she parted with an uneasy feeling taking Suki’s hand.

“Hey!” She greeted with a cheesy grin. “Everyone ready?” She asked excitedly.

Everybody was there: Sokka, Katara, their father, Toph, Suki, Ty Lee, the Kyoshi Warriors, Mai, some of the people that had been with them during the in the Western Air Temple and even some swamp people and others she had never seen before.

Just in time.

All eyes turned towards the Royal Balcony when a Fire Sage stepped forward and struck a gong three times. She smiled proudly as she watched Zuko cross to the front of the stairs. The crowd loudly cheering and applauding to their new Fire Lord. The only person that was missing was Iroh. She still couldn’t believe he was missing his nephew’s coronation.

“Please,” Zuko spoke to his people raising an arm. The noise diminished as the people quieted hoping to hear their Lord speak. “The real hero is the Avatar.” He said stepping to the side. Aang stepped from behind him wearing a pair of elegant robes which were shaded in the traditional colors of Air Nomad fashion.

"Today, this war is finally over." Zuko declared. Again, the crowd went wild in cheer and applause. The people in the plaza raising up their arms in pomp. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will," He continued with a serious expression. "The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided." Zuko looked over at Aang who was looking back at him. "But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right back, and begin a new era of love and peace."

The crowds cheered in applause once again and Zuko inclined his head bowing to his people and others. Aang stepped to the side. A Fire Sage stepped forward holding up the Fire Lord’s headpiece crowning artefact in his hands.

He lowered his body coming down on one knee. The crowds held their breaths waiting for the coronation. Tsai watched with her eyes peeled holding onto Suki’s arm tightly with emotion. She hid her proud smile behind a half-closed hand she had brought to her lips.  

"All hail, Fire Lord Zuko!" The Fire Sage said loudly, his voice carrying across the entire Royal Plaza. He lowered the headpiece officially crowning the banished prince.

The crowd went wild. The Fire Nation specially. It was obvious that his own people loved him. The girl from the colonies cheered loudly raising both hands up in the air proudly. Suki grimaced and lightly clapped, just happy to feel the circulation in her arm once again.

The Fire Lord rose to his step and walked towards the stairs that lead down to the Royal Plaza. He paused for a moment and looked over at his friend, the Avatar, motioning him forward to join by his side. Aang returned the smile and came to a stop behind him also marveling at the cheering crowd.

“So, how does it feel to have your boyfriend he the new Fire Lord?” Sokka teased a certain red head in the crowd nudging her side. “Ha!” She said to him giving him a flat look. “You should ask him what it’s like having me as a girlfriend.” She said with an arrogant chuckle.

Xxx

Sometime after the coronation ceremony, Zuko somehow managed to slip away from his friends and girlfriend and snuck out of the palace grounds. He took a path that was much too familiar to him, the one that lead to the Fire Nation’s Prison Tower. He walked alone; his brow twisted as he was determined to get answers to questions he had had for years.

Guards opened the metal doors of the cells and he walked inside the narrow, humid hallway, coming to a halt before bars at the end of the room in the secluded isolation corridor.

All of his life Zuko had been tormented by the sight of his father, but now. Looking at him down and disheveled with his hair loose, oily and tangled around his face, he looked like a completely different person. He looked like a slimy, small man. Not the terrifying man he had once feared.

His father’s golden eyes narrowed as they flickered towards him. "I should count myself lucky. The new Fire Lord has graced me with his presence in my lonely prison cell." Ozai grimaced.

"You should count yourself lucky that the Avatar spared your life." Zuko replied coolly, standing his ground. He ignored his father's scornful sarcasm.

"Hmp." His father scoffed looking away from him.

"Banishing me was the best think you could have done for my life." Zuko admitted after a moment. "It put me on the right path. Perhaps your time in here can do the same for you."

Perhaps there was some redemption in his father’s future. Ozai glanced over at his son in disinterested and asked in an almost weary voice. "Why are you really here?"

His scarred son certainly hadn’t come to grace him with his lordy presence on the day of his coronation.

"Because you're going to tell me something." Zuko said and leaned closer to the cell bars continuing in a low, unforgiving tone.

"Where. Is. My. Mother?"

Ozai remained silent. He simply glowered at his son. The man had nothing else to lose. Why would he surrender the last clutch of power he had over his son?

“Ran your tongue out?” Zuko pressed.

An evil smirked graced Ozai’s gaunt features. “Tell me Fire Lord, do you still keep that filthy half-blood around for entertainment?”

“That’s none of your business.” Zuko snapped defensively. He never wanted to hear mentioning of her or her name coming from his father’s tongue. It unnerved him and made him feel ill. As if it was something was his and only his, something private. His father let out a low malicious chuckle as if holding back a cruel inside joke with himself. His laughter mocking, almost haunting.

“What’s so damn funny?” The young Fire Lord snapped.

“Your forefathers are probably rolling in their tombstones. As if you couldn’t bring enough shame and dishonor to the crown. To your name. The one thing you could’ve done to redeem yourself and this nation... You don’t. A colonial…” He scoffed. “Let alone a mudblood with tainted Earth Kingdom blood sitting on the throne! This… Her… You… It’s the worst thing that could’ve happened to our nation.”

“Worse things have happened.” Again, he responded cooly in his best attempt to maintain his cold composure.

Again, the man began to cackle.

“Enjoy it while you can…” He threatened his words ominous.

“What are you going to do about it? Nothing-bend at her? You better watch yourself or she’ll break your nose again.”

His smirked edged further to the sides of his face. It was vile, evil, threating and heavily filled with menace.

“I wouldn’t be so careless if I were you or your blushing moll Fire Lord Zuko.”

Struck, he faltered his emotions betraying him. “Guards!” He called. “Take him to the dungeons! Where he’ll be placed in isolation. I don’t want this man to see the light of day every again!”

Zuko excited the prison his mind racing with violent thoughts as he made his way back to the palace. His mind now corrupted flooded with concern at his father’s empty threat. He told himself it was most likely a mind game the man was playing, that there was nothing he could do to bring any actual harm to him or his – what had he called her again? Moll. Whatever the fuck that was it didn’t sound complimentary. But- today was not the day for that. He forced himself to push those thoughts to the back of his head.

After all, today was a day of celebration.

The war was over.

Xxx

Team Avatar found themselves enjoying lunch in the Royal Dinning room. The friends laughed and shared roast duck, apple tarts and pork dumplings toasting with cranberry juice and others with some fine wine.

They had been here for a while and the Fire Lord himself was nowhere to be found.

Tsai was currently sitting in between Sokka and Toph. The three currently bickering if a duck’s quack actually had an echo or not.

“Lady Tsai!” A courier suddenly stormed in making quite a dramatic entrance. Everybody froze, stopping in their celebrating, looking up to see the panting man holding his rising chest with one hand, on the other he held a sealed scroll.

“Urgent message, from the colonies,” he said breathlessly. “News from my brother!” She clapped her hands before excusing herself from the room with a poker face. ‘Finally, a word from the man…’

Once outside the room she took the scroll from the courier’s hands and as if it were on fire, she ripped the Vice Royal Colonial wax seal open and read her brother’s messy handwriting.

‘Tsai,

Word of Zuko’s and the Avatar’s triumphs over the Fire Lord and the Nation have reached Yu Dao. And I have to tell you. It has not been well received. The colonies, not just Yu Dao, are in turmoil. People are protesting in the streets revolting in uprisings.  The news of Ozai’s fall has not been well received by most and people are scared of the uncertainties the future brings.

Our people, some don’t know if to embrace a Fire Nation identity, others want the territory to be reclaimed by the Earth Kingdom. I know mom does... Mom is well, I’m with her. She wants you to come home as soon as possible. She’s not even mad anymore, she just wants you home. Dad on the other hand well… It’s best if I explain in person.

I wish I knew what to do, but you’re the diplomatic genius. I am simply the muscle. I feel so lost. I know I told you to go back to the Mainland, but I need you here. Your city needs you. Now more than ever.

Be well and travel safe, things are about to get very ugly.

I’ll see you on the other side of the pond. - Mecha’

You knew it was serious when he didn’t even mention Mai or the scroll, he had asked her to give to her. She guessed going to King Kuei’s coronation was out of the question too…

She took in a deep breath and rolled the note up tightly, squeezing it, hugging it against her chest still holding that deep breath.

Of course, it wasn’t over.

“Lady?” She blinked back the tears that had welled in her eyes and looked at the courier with a frightful look. “Oh, um...” She fished out a coin from her back pocket and thanked him quietly dismissing him.

She would take care of this tomorrow. Today was not the day for this. She forced herself to push all thoughts of fear and concern to the back of her head.

After all, today was a day of celebration.

The war was over.

Xxx

The celebrations continued well into the night.

Presently the Fire Nation’s people gathered outside in the streets of the capital toasting, cheering and celebrating the end of the war and the coronation of their new monarch.

Fire Nation Dragon costumes composed of rows of people underneath filled the streets in celebration. Children ran around laughing loudly holding sparklers. Fireworks set off continuously dazzling the skies with sparkles of red and gold. From all the celebration you’d think the Fire Nation had won the war…

The group was currently gathered in the Royal Plaza. Paper lanterns were about to be released into the night skies. A celebratory tradition in which people wrote and burned notes with their good wishes and hopes that were supposed to elevate the paper lanterns into the skies. Tsai looked around concerned. She hadn’t seen Zuko since the crowning ceremony at noon. She guessed he was busy with his new Fire Lord duties, but she was beginning to grow concerned. She looked at Aang, Toph and Katara who were getting ready to light their own lantern. Then at Sokka and Suki who were also nearby.

‘Where on Earth was he?’ She shook her head lightly and ascended to the top of the stairs that lead to the temple above the plaza where the crowning ceremony had taken place earlier. She hoped she’d be able to gain a better look at the mingling crowds and spot him somewhere in between.

“Sorry I’m late,” she heard a mumble next to her. She turned to see Zuko descending from the steps. “There you are.” She let out a worried breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. The stress from the news she had received earlier getting the best of her.

“Do you have your wish?” He placed a hand on her waist, and they stepped forward standing directly under the skies as the fireworks ceased once again painting the skies black, ready for the lanterns to float. “Yeah,” She smiled slightly holding the folded note up between her fingers.

“What did you wish for?” She nudged nosily.

“You can’t say what you wished for. Then your wish won’t come true.” He shot back defensively. “I’ll tell you what I wished for if you tell me,” She again nudged his side a sly look on her features. “No,” he responded irately.

“Well, I wished for-“He removed his hand from her and covered his ears. “Don’t say it Tsai.”

“I know, I love you too,” she reached for his arm affectionately lowering it slightly. She couldn’t help but laugh a little at their inside joke about not saying certain things. “I wished for times of peace to come and here we are. So, in a way it already came true, right?”

He couldn’t help but look back at her with a dumbfound expression. “That’s what you wished for? World peace?” The irritated expression becoming more pronounced, almost laughable.

“Yeah?” She raised a brow. “Now, are you going to tell me what you’re wishing for?”

He remained silent for a second and turned away from her hiding his folded paper in a hand behind his back. “No,” he said self-consciously. “Fine,” She rolled her eyes lightly with a small smile caving in, accepting he wasn’t sharing and that it was okay. She walked towards the closest balcony railing placing the paper lantern on it as she got ready to light it.

He looked at her and then at the small paper he was holding his hand and sighed in defeat. He approached her and without saying another word held it up in front of her between his index and middle fingers.

He looked away from her sheepishly. He would never admit it to her, but he had spent hours pondering on what to write and then actually writing it. It was one of those things he felt he just had to do right. She took the note from him and a moment later upon hearing weak sniffling turned to see her struck expression. Her eyes were wide and pooling with a cocktail of emotions.

“Y-You can’t burn this,” she managed weakly starring at the seven words that were written on the small paper with large, watery eyes.

“Are you… crying?” He asked confused. How had he royally managed to fuck this up now? He knew that words weren’t his forte, but he wasn’t expecting her to react in such a way. She wiped away a handful of fat tears and shook her head lightly. “I’m keeping this,” she said holding it against her chest.

“No. You have to burn it,” he insisted.

“This isn’t even a wish!” She exclaimed her voice cracking with emotion.

“It-It’s not the words. It’s the intent behind them,” he argued back.

She opened the note again and quickly glanced at the words that had shook her to her core savoring the sentiment in them.

‘Tsai, My heart burns for you. Always.’

Again, for somebody that was terrible at communication and overall painfully awkward Zuko still managed to surprise her.

“I’m keeping it.” She said in defiance turning away from him. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever given me.” She said tucking the paper inside one of her sleeves for it to be hidden away forever.

He was about to protest but was interrupted as she turned back just as quickly. “I have an idea.” She said a wide smile stretching across her features. She reached into her pockets and pulled out a small charcoal twine. What else did she keep hidden under those sleeves? She unwrapped her paper and leaned on the railing to write.

“Why don’t we share our wish?” She smiled at him brightly. He couldn’t help but smile back. They were late. Everybody else had already let go of their paper lanterns which currently hovered in the air illuminating the night sky and their surroundings with hundreds of warm lights.

“Together, we wish for a new era of prosperity, peace and love.” She read out loud holding the wish in her hands.

“It’s perfect,” he said taking her hands in his. Both holding on to their wish. He firebended a small flame and both held it, together, in their hands. The flame was small and beat like two heartbeats as one as it slowly consumed the parchment paper.

They placed it inside the paper lantern making it lightly glow with a heartening warm light. Together the two released it.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into his body resting the back of her head on his shoulder. She held onto his arm tenderly. Both looked up content enjoying the moment, enjoying each other as their hopes, dreams and wishes elevated into illuminated sky of the night.

The End?

xxx

Here’s the link to the short Sequel: Kingdom of the Sun MASTERLIST

Xxx

Sunburn Chapter

M A S T E R L I S T

PREV https://gloves94.tumblr.com/post/623698183927758848/sunburn-prince-zuko-38

AN: AHHHH!!!! I am so emotional. I can’t believe we have reached our ending. I know what some of you are thinking. WHAT is this the end----?

Yes. It is the end of Sunburn. However, the people have spoken, and I read what you guys wanted to see/read so here’s what’s going to happen. I felt like I couldn’t make a lot of things happen because let’s be real they’ve known each other for less than a year and they are both 16 (17, at the most.)

Soooooooo I’m making a short sequel 10-15 chapters at the most called Kingdom of the Sun.

In the sequel both of these dorks will be in their 20’s. And we will have: - A very awkward proposal - A Who-dun-it type of murder of a main character - And a Zutsai mission field trip (yay) - A revolution - Plenty of NSFW activities *clears throat*

I’m really excited for what’s to come and thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

Love,

-       G

[more-pokeimagines]

Stone Cold Body [04] - Chapter 3

A/N: I’m terribly sorry that it took me so long to finish this chapter, and I really hope your still interested in the series because I enjoy writing it so much. However, there’s not much going on in this chapter since I wanted to focus on the reader’s thoughts but I promise there will be a bit more action in the next one. Have fun reading! Feedback is always appreciated.

Warnings: none

Present

You still had no idea what was going on. Just one minute ago you were absolutely sure that there was nothing magical about the statue in the middle of a pretty park but the fact that the people around you stared at you like you had three heads made it almost impossible to deny that something of great importance had happened.

Well. In fact, you knew exactly what had happened. Even though you had always thought that it was just a stupid story to attract tourists, you couldn’t deny that the statue was no longer there. And the body in your arms definitely felt human.

You didn’t dare to look at his face, not even when he groaned quietly as he tried to sit up. It almost felt like you were rooted to the spot, as if you couldn’t move your arms and legs, even if you wanted to. His light grey, military style jacket was gold-embroidered and while it was dusty and ripped in some places, it still looked pristine and expensive.

You noticed that his hands were shaking and that his already pale skin looked almost translucent in the bright sunlight. His eyes, an unusual purple color you had never seen before, were full of confusion and panic.

And suddenly, the realization hit you like a brick. He was the statue. All the stories about the enchanted prince had been true, and now he was sitting here right next to you, trying to figure out what was going on and why everyone was staring at both him and you.

A murmur went through the crowd of tourists surrounding you when they finally realized what was going on: you had lifted the curse, the prince was back, and he was alive. In this moment, even you found it hard to believe that magic wasn’t real anymore.

Cameras started to click all around as the people tried to get a good photo of the scene right before them.

The boy stared at you, his mouth slightly agape. When your eyes met you held your breath for a moment, not quite sure if you really were ready to face the consequences of your actions. The next second, a wave of hatred washed over you. You didn’t understand why but you loathed him, even though you were dead sure that you had never met him before. And yet, here you were, staring at the allegedly dead prince of Galar and trying to resist the sudden urge to slap him across the face.

But before you could do something incredibly stupid, Gloria knelt down next to you and gently touched your arm, snapping you out of your weird thoughts. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Your fall looked a bit painful.”

“I’m fine,” you replied automatically, even though it was technically a lie. You felt weird and you still didn’t understand why you reacted so hostile towards the boy. There was absolutely no reason for your behavior but there was something about him that made you furious.

You watched Gloria bringing her attention to the boy. The prince, you corrected yourself. She let out a shaky breath as she examined him, her glance moving back and forth between him and the spot where the statue had been before you had touched it. Piles of crumbled stone surrounded him, a direct proof that he truly had been trapped in the statue – at least until you had put your hand on his shoulder and freed him.

“Holy moly,” Gloria mumbled to herself. “The stories are really true.”

You darted a cursory glance at the prince. He still seemed to be a bit disoriented but at least he wasn’t as pale as death anylonger. When he returned your look, you noticed that the panic in his eyes had subsided as well, replaced by something you couldn’t really put your finger on. Disfavor, maybe?

You turned your head to avoid his gaze and finally got up from the floor, shaking the dust off your clothes as soon as you were on firm ground again. Then, you offered your hand to the prince to help him up, even though you were really reluctant about touching him. Thankfully, he ignored your outstretched hand and struggled to his feet on his own. He adjusted his jacket, deliberately avoiding looking at you, despite the fact that he was standing right next to you.

After a few more moments of silence, you cleared your throat and finally asked, “Are you okay?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“I wanted to know if you’re feeling fine,” you repeated, your tone already getting more impatient. In Galar, royalty wasn’t relevant anymore, so you didn’t really care about the fact that you were technically speaking to a prince. “Or if you need something. Water, maybe.”

He shook his head. “I’m alright,” he answered stiffly. And then, as if he suddenly remembered his good manners, he added, “Thank you.” His voice was a bit hoarse, maybe because he hadn’t used it in such a long time, and much to your horror, you realized that it actually sent a shiver down your spine. Damn it. You didn’t want to like his voice. You didn’t want to like anything about him.

“Your grace,” one of the girls in the crowd exclaimed, rushing forward to get a better look at him. “It’s an honor to meet you. Me and my friends always believed that the legends about you were true, so we came here every year to see if there was something we could do for you.”

Once again, he raised his eyebrow but you weren’t sure if it was because of the girl’s impertinent attempts to get his attention or because she mentioned the spell he had been under. Or maybe there was an entirely different reason, and you quickly reassured yourself that you really didn’t need to care about it.

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about,” he finally said. The girl beamed at him, obviously happy about the fact that he decided to start a conversation with her. “About the legends surrounding you. Some people always believed that your soulmate would be able to break the curse and bring you back to life.” She blushed, almost as if it embarrassed her that she hadn’t been the one to free him, especially since she clearly had tried it so often.

“I see.” It was evident that he didn’t believe her at all, and for the first time since you lifted the curse from him you asked yourself if he even realized that he had been trapped in stone for centuries. If he even understood how much the world had changed since then, or if he believed to be in some sort of weird dream in which people dressed strangely and didn’t know how to approach him properly.

Before you even knew what you were doing, you suddenly found yourself right next to him, placing your hand on his arm once again. “I guess there’s a lot we need to explain to you.”

*

It wasn’t much fun to walk around Wyndon with an enchanted prince by your side. The news that the statue had been destroyed by some stranger had already spread like a wildfire, and you felt like almost everyone was staring at you, a mixture of deep respect and utter confusion in their eyes.

You tried to convince yourself that they weren’t gaping at you but at the prince instead, especially since he was still wearing his light grey royal outfit. It suited him well, no doubt, but it was a bit too eye-catching for your liking, especially since it was pretty messed up. He really needed some more ordinary looking clothes if he didn’t want to stand out like a sore thumb, so it was probably best to head for the nearest clothing store to get him a shirt and a pair of jeans.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find a shop that wasn’t overly crowded and also not as expensive as some other stores in Wyndon, and only twenty minutes later, the prince had exchanged his noble attire for dark pants, a pair of black sneakers and a sweatshirt that had the exact same color as his eyes. It was obvious that he felt uncomfortable in his new clothes but at least he understood that it was necessary to look as ordinary as possible and other than a few complaints about the scratchy material of the sweatshirt he remained silent.

The prince didn’t talk much in general; he seemed to be completely lost in his own thoughts while he followed you and your friends through the city, and he kept his head down, almost as if he didn’t want anyone to notice him. Occasionally, Gloria tried to talk to him but the answers he gave were so brief and succinctly that she gave up after a few minutes and started a conversation with Hop instead.

As made your way through the small alleys to get back to the old town to grab something for lunch, you listened with half an ear as your friends talked about the plans for the next few days. Originally, you had planned to spend way more time in Wyndon but since you had an enchanted prince by your side now, they weren’t sure if it really was a good idea to stay here. Surely tourists would recognize him sooner or later, especially when those who had been in the park with you earlier on started to post their pictures to social media, and you wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without having a bunch of people surrounding you because they wanted to catch a glimpse of the prince.

You couldn’t deny that they were probably right. The people here in Wyndon had always been convinced that something magical would happen some day, and now that they had been proven right they were going to make a huge deal out of it. Heck, they probably wouldn’t hesitate to pester you with questions too since you had been the one who broke the curse,and just the mere thought was enough to annoy you. This was all Gloria’s fault. If she hadn’t insisted that you touched the statue while posing for a picture, none of this would’ve had happened and you would’ve been able to continue your road trip the way you had planned to. But no, of course things had to get out of hand.

You still thought about it when you arrived at a small restaurant twenty minutes later. It wasn’t a coincidence that Gloria had brought you here: only a few tourists knew about this restaurant, and the dining area was so small that only a few tables fitted in it, so it was actually a pretty private place which was absolutely perfect today.

While Gloria placed your orders at the counter, you found yourself examining the prince once again. There was a slightly arrogant line around his mouth you hadn’t noticed before but what really surprised you was the innocent expression in his eyes as he returned your look. “Do you like what you see?” he asked, his voice as smooth as silk as he raised an eyebrow. It was obvious that he was trying to mock you, so you quickly put on an awfully nice smile and shook your head. “No. I was just wondering if you realize how rude it is that you haven’t introduced yourself so far, Your Grace.”

You somehow managed to make the title sound like an insult but much to your surprise, he didn’t even seem to be bothered by it. Instead, his lips curled into a smile. “Correct would be Your Highness,” he said softly. “But you may call me by my given name”

“And that is-?”

“Bede.”

Your smile grew a bit wider. “There we go. I’m (Y/N), this charming guy right here,” you pointed at Hop who was sitting next to you, “is Hop and the lovely lady at the counter is Gloria. Very nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Bede replied automatically, a wee bit of sarcasm in his voice. You knew that he probably only tried to hide his insecurity about the whole situation underneath his cool exterior but you rolled your eyes nevertheless. Apparently, it was beneath his dignity to at least treat you with some respect.

Luckily, Gloria returned with your drinks and spared you from answering. You had no idea why you got so angry about trivialities when it came to Bede, especially since it wasn’t the first time that he managed to make you livid, but on the other hand, you really weren’t obligated to like him just because you saved him.

Well. At least that’s what you tried to tell yourself because you knew exactly what everyone else would think about the fact that you managed to undo the spell. Everyone who knew about the legend would believe that Bede and you were soulmates; some kind of star-crossed lovers who belonged together, even though you basically knew next to nothing about each other – and if it was up to you it could stay this way forever.

Masterlist / Next

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, a-wolf-and-his-boy!

For @a-wolf-and-his-boy. I hope you enjoy this work, I had fun writing it.

Read On AO3

*****

A Summer Night's Ball

Chapter 1 - The Ball and Garden

“Come on, Stiles. Everybody is going to be there and who knows, you might run into your mate!” Scott said. He was (unsuccessfully) trying to tug Stiles from his bed without ripping any blankets. “Sitting in a ball of misery isn’t going to help things. So Lydia isn’t the one for you, so what? You’ll find someone just as good.”

Stiles poked his head out of the cocoon of blankets he’d made to say, “Scott, there’s not going to be anyone as good as Lydia and I’m probably doomed to be alone for the rest of my very short life. Just because you met your mate at the masquerade ball doesn’t mean I’ll meet mine. Why is that even still a thing? There are better ways to meet people than dancing with a bunch of masked strangers that you’ll never see again.”

Scott made a grab for Stiles’ head, getting a handful of hair before Stiles could retreat back into his cocoon. “It’s the biggest event in the country and plenty of people go to see if they might find their mate.” Scott grew claws on the hand not holding Stiles and slowly brought it closer to the chunk of hair in his grasp. “So get out of bed or you’ll be getting a new haircut this minute.”

“Don’t mess with the hair, dude!” Stiles tried to toss the covers off, knocking Scott off-balance who ended up falling on top of him.

“No crushing the Stiles either. Get off of me.” Stiles shoved Scott to the side, who ended up on the floor given how small the bed was. Stiles got up and reached for his closet doors only for Scott to stop him.

“Dude, my mom and your dad got something for you to wear to it so go to the bathroom and change into the clothes hanging in there and then we can go.” Scott turned Stiles around and shoved him out of his bedroom. Stiles mumbled as he walked to the bathroom about the traitor keeping him out of his own kingdom, got in and saw a full suit hanging. Never had Stiles felt so betrayed since that time in school when Scott refused to watch Star Wars with him, only to end up watching it with Allison later that year. After changing into the uncomfortable outfit, Stiles got out and saw Scott in a similar suit, though thankfully not matching like a couple. Both of them were wearing half-masks covering only the upper half of their faces, one of the more traditional choices. The bright red mask Stiles wore was slightly less traditional but he’d already given in to wearing appropriate clothes, he wasn’t going to wear a boring white mask too. He’d worn it to every ball and he wasn’t going to break that streak for anyone, luckily it looked like their parents knew that since the mask matched with his suit.

“Well, let’s get going. Sooner I’m done with this, sooner I can go back to my den of despair, misery and hopeless pining.” Stiles said.

“That’s the spirit! Who knows, I still think you might meet someone.” Scott said.

“And that’s why I have you, a ball of infinite optimism and sunshine.” Stiles said. The pair got into Stiles’ old beaten jeep and went to the old castle near the center of Beacon Hills. The country’s royal family lived elsewhere (nobody sure where the Hales currently lived after their last home burned down. Luckily, none of them were hurt.) but the castle itself was still used for major events like the Annual Ball that happened in the summer on the solstice. Being a spark, Stiles knew it was one of the major days of performing magic and the ball was originally a ritualistic event performed by the community to shelter them from anything evil. Nowadays, there were quicker, easier and safer methods so the ritual itself had stopped but the gatherings took on a new purpose. They were a chance for people to get together and possibly meet their mate or let people gossip about the latest incident or talk business. It was a day devoted to love according to the romantics like Scott or business to the less romantic like Stiles.

They pulled into the designated parking lot, almost full because it had taken Scott a long time to drag Stiles out so the pair were late since it started at six pm and it was close to eight and sunset. Stiles was feeling a little jitterier than normal, his spark was acting up a little but he put it down to what always happened at this event. It wasn’t like that last year when part of the Hale family didn’t show up but that was a coincidence as far as Stiles was concerned. After walking past the security, they entered the crowded ballroom.

“I’m supposed to meet Allison near the refreshments table so I’ll be heading on over. Go socialize a little, maybe dance a bit. My mom should be floating around if you are really bored but I think she finally got your dad off for one of these things and invited him.” Scott said.

“Dude, you should’ve told me that earlier and I would’ve come without a fight!” Stiles said. He gestured a little too strongly and almost hit a woman next to the pair. She glared at him and walked away so he turned back to Scott. “We’ve been trying to get them together for ages now, I thought it was agreed we tell each other any developments pronto.”

“I thought you already knew! You always seem to know everything before I find out so I thought you knew about them coming together too. Look on the bright side, we might be brothers soon!” Scott held his hand out with Stiles giving him a high five. Scott turned and his face took on a dopey grin.

“Guess I can’t bother Melissa then. She’d kill me if I ruined her chance.” Stiles noticed Scott was no longer paying attention to him. He shoved Scott and said, “Go on, I know where your mind is.”

“Thanks, Stiles. I’ll see you in a couple hours. My mom said we could be out as late as we want so don’t expect me to ride back with you.” Scott blurted out and then took off running, knocking a couple people over in his rush to get to his mate. Stiles shook his head and walked the opposite direction, the band switching over from the high-paced song they had been playing when the pair walked in to something slower. Stiles spotted his dad and Scott’s mom on the dance floor, swaying to the song, his dad in a similar suit to him and Scott while Melissa was in a matching dress. It was obvious they have been planning this for some time now and Stiles was pretty disappointed he hadn’t seen this before Scott.

The area near the dance floor was crowded as can be, a mix of people leaving the floor and trying to get on causing a traffic jam with no end in sight so Stiles gave up on dancing after trying for a few minutes. Spotting an exit nearby, Stiles took it to get some fresh air and maybe see what else he could see in the castle. While it was generally open to the public, there were still some parts that were off limits that he might be able to see this time around, even though he’d tried last year and failed so badly his dad had to bail him out. The exit he took led to a hallway he’d been in before, with less guards around to block him from snooping luckily. He peaked in a few doors only to see empty rooms with no furniture. Some had obvious cobwebs in the doorways and dust stir after he opened the door so that was a major disappointment for Stiles. He’d been hoping for something interesting given he was never allowed in but the rooms were filled with nothing after nothing after nothing.

His last hope for anything of interest was the last door at the end of the hall. With a quick charm, he was able to unlock the door and exit into what must have been a garden. He hung his jacket from a nearby tree branch and placed his mask on top of it, glad for some cool air after being inside the hot room. Most of the gardens were open to the public so he figured he’d probably seen this place before during daytime. He turned to leave until he noticed the large white wolf statue in the center straight ahead on the path from the door. That was something he had never seen before. Stiles approached the statue, noticing that the fur was extremely detailed, every strand was lovingly carved. The wolf was posed as if to threaten any intruders, teeth bared as if in anger.

He was almost to the statue when he heard a growl which he jumped and thought came from the statue itself until he heard it again. Turning around, he saw a large black wolf, eyes glowing a haunting yellow, staring right at him and felt a shock at the sight from his spark. He froze and saw the wolf do the same before it took a deep breath and softly whined at him. Stiles had no clue what to do about the obvious werewolf and stood still, slightly trembling. The wolf crouched down and approached him, Stiles wanted to back away but doing that now would be a giant mistake. He had to hope that the wolf wouldn’t do anything to him for obviously trespassing on Hale property.

“Nice sourwolf. No need to get violent. I can go back to the party and we can forget I ever did something this stupid, okay?” Stiles held his hands up in surrender. The wolf was almost to him, still taking what he thought looked like a submissive stance, before it reached him and shoved its nose up against him and loudly breathed in. “Whoa there, don’t you think that’s a little too personal? Buy a guy lunch before you start sniffing him like that at least.”

The wolf rolled its eyes before it gently grabbed his vest and tugged him away from the statue and away from the door he had come from. He followed along since he didn’t have much choice, ending up approaching a small bench that was hidden further into the garden. He saw a basket full of clothes next to a small bump on that side of the bench but ignored it as the wolf shoved him at the bench. He flailed for a moment before landing on the bench, mostly upright. “Hey, be gentle! You could have nudged me and I’d have sat down.” The wolf turned, grabbed the basket by the handle with its mouth and walked behind a bush. “Oh, so that’s for you to change back. Might actually get to talk to the man behind the wolf, huh? Don’t take too long.”

A couple branches shifted and one cracked loudly while he waited, probably the wolf turning back into human form while crouched down, Stiles guessed. A hoarse masculine voice said, “You aren’t in trouble for coming back here. I didn’t expect to find my mate here but I’m glad to see the white wolf is still looking out for my family.”

The man came out fully only in a shirt and jeans, eyes no longer glowing a bright gold. It was hard to tell what his looks were from how late it was getting until the man walked right by Stiles and pressed something on the other side of the bench and lights sprang to life in the garden. The gentle glow illuminated all the flowers, breathtaking in how they were arranged like rays of the sun coming from the center where the wolf statue was vaguely seen from where they were.

Stiles looked the man over, his shirt was tight against muscles he’d love to see, stubble he’d love to rub his face against but the eyes were the man’s best feature. They sparkled in the light, flecks of gold and possibly other colors glittering within. His admiration of the man’s perfect body halted when he registered what he said. “What do you mean, mate?”

“Can’t you feel the bond? I knew from your scent you were my mate. I have been catching your scent at these things for years, today was the first time I’ve seen you. I never expected my mate to be the local sheriff’s son.”

“And who are you? You’re obviously a werewolf, you are allowed back here and are an unmated man so you have to be a Hale but there are a couple it could be.”

“Derek Hale.” Derek stepped forward, hand out for Stiles to grab. “Grab my hand and you should recognize the pull if you haven’t already.

Stiles looked at him, eyes slightly squinted, before grabbing Derek’s hand and felt his spark leap out of his skin, reaching deep inside the werewolf to embrace Derek, both man and wolf. Stiles lost his footing but Derek pulled him close, holding him steady against his chest.

“Now do you feel it?” Derek said.

“Yeah.” Stiles breathed out. It took a couple moments for him to steady himself but he didn’t leave Derek’s embrace. “So what do we do next?”

“I was hoping you can come meet my family, they’ll be thrilled to see I’ve found my mate. It will have to be after the ball ends, could I convince you to stay until then?”

“I think that can be arranged.” Stiles said, pulling Derek down to sit next to him on the bench. “Why don’t we sit here and get to know each other a little before you drag me in front of your family.”

“Deal.” Derek said. “But can I have a kiss first so we can seal the deal? I’d rather do that here under the stars, in the garden, with nobody around to see.”

“Fine with me, dude.” Stiles said.

“Don’t call me dude.” Derek said.

“I’ll call you dude if I want, sourwolf. Guess you’ll have to shut me-” Stiles said before Derek interrupted by kissing him, slightly too forceful and at an awkward angle that soon changed to something much more enjoyable.

Derek pulled away and said, “Good to know that works.” He kissed Stiles again, the garden hiding the pair from other eyes while they found ways to entertain themselves while waiting for the party to end.

TBC On AO3!

[charlesoberonn]

Ms. Mailbox - Part 1

(This one turned out long so I’m splitting it up into parts. I’ll write the rest soon)

It all started when I busted up her mailbox. This isn’t a euphamism for sex, I mean it literally. I drove by with my buddy and smashed her mailbox with an aluminium baseball box.

That turned out to be a bad idea almost immediately. The bat was bent all out of shape, and my wrist was all mangled and sprained. The mailbox was bent too, but only barely. Overall an unproductive session of vandalism.

My friend drove me to the hospital right away. I remember thinking as I was waiting in agony about how awful everyone around me in the waiting room were. How much more deserving of treatment I was. I didn’t even think about what I did to bring this on myself.

After staying home for a couple of days, my parents finally scraped me off the living room couch and got me to go back to school, injured arm and all.That morning, I walked through the hall with a sour face and an armsling. When an athlete boy does it, his friends all support him, but I didn’t have friends in this school.

Before first period I was summoned to the principal’s office. He was a stern man, yet at the same time it seemed like all the life had been drained from him and he didn’t give a single fuck anymore. He told me that he knew how I got injured like this. It wouldn’t be my first act of “hooliganism” as he said, but he couldn’t prove it. So he assigned me somebody who’ll help take notes for me.

That’s when I noticed Ms. Mailbox waiting outside. She was a year younger than me, and quite a bit shorter, somebody who could easily escape notice if it wasn’t for her beautiful golden hair and her pretty doll face.

I didn’t know she was Ms. Mailbox at the time. I had no idea whose mailbox I smashed that day. But thinking about it now, I think she did know, even back at the principal’s office.

The principal gestured her forth and she went inside, quickly and politely sitting beside me. She turned to look at me and introduced herself with a smile. But there was something weird about that smile, it clashed with poorly concealed bags under her eyes.

She went to shake my hand with her right hand. Since my right hand was currently in a sling, I shook it with my left and we had an odd and unsymmetric handshake. Afterwards, the principal unceremoniously drove us out of his office. I was happy to leave.

I didn’t need to be introduced to Ms. Mailbox, I knew who she was and she. And she knew who I was. As we exited the office, a third girl was waiting for us. Taller than me, with blue highlights in her hair and an eyebrow piercing. With no warning, Ms. Mailbox and Bluebird kissed, right in front of me. I almost gagged and looked away in second-hand embarrassment. Though I don’t think there was any first-hand embarrassment in their embrace.

It was hard being one of only 3 out lesbians in the whole school. Even worse than 3 being such a small number, it’s an odd number, and I was the one left out without a date. Not that I liked any of them. In fact, in that moment I decided I hated them. Especially Ms. Mailbox. That hate wouldn’t last til the end of the day, as I would later find out.

She kept waving her girlfriend in a flirty way as we walked to my first class of the day. I just sighed under my breath. As if I wasn’t in enough pain already.

First period was fine, I didn’t have to do anything in terms of writing, but the teacher kept eyeing me to make sure I’m listening, which was a bit awkward. My eyes darted towards Ms. Mailbox, she worked fast. I figured she would just write stuff down and then give me a copy, but she actually wrote everything twice. First in her notebook, and then while everybody was still copying off the board, she copied off her own writing in my notebook. It was crazy.

I wanted to comment on it, but the teacher’s hawkish stare made me a bit scared to even open my mouth to yawn, so I just looked. After a while, the mesmerising sight of Ms. Mailbox’s quick and neat handwriting got me in some sort of daze. My eyes drifted upward to her face, her eyes which darted about the page, and her pink painted lips, which were slightly apart as she wrote, and closed again when she looked up.

Near the end of the class, she turned suddenly to look at me. Almost gave me a heart attack. I instinctively used my hand to hold the table, not remembering that it’s injured. I winced in pain. And the bitch giggled at me.

Later after class I told her I was impressed with her. Then I clarified I meant her handwriting after she gave me a long pause. She smiled, and I sheepishly smiled back and thanked her. Blegh.

The next period was gym, where she wouldn’t be of much use, but she insisted on coming along to help me anyway. I told her it was pointless, and she should go to her own class, but she told me back that she had no use of going to class anymore. I was perplexed, but I let it slide and let her come with me.

The gym coach told me that even though my arm was injured, I could still do some leg exercises. I bullshited to her something about my wrist being too hurt to move and got a full pass, though I’ve been warned that I would have to make up whatever exercises I missed. I scoffed. To my surprise, Ms. Mailbox scoffed with me.

We sat on the bleachers and watched the other girls play. I was bored. My phone had to be placed in the box when we entered the gym. I tried leaning on my healthy arm but couldn’t find a pose that didn’t get in the way of my sling.

“Here, you can lean on me.” I heard Ms. Mailbox offer me. I gave her a weird look and declined.

“What’s up with you?” I asked her, in an admitedly very impolite way.

“What do you mean? Can’t I offer a girl in need a place to rest her head?”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Yes? What? Ew, no. Not like that. Thank you very much.” she scoffed again. “I just want to be helpful.”

“You already are helpful.” I told her.

“Thanks.”

“Wasn’t a compliment, just stating a fact.” I leaned back and rolled my eyes.

“Facts can be compliments.”

“Do you want it to be a compliment?” I raised an eyebrow at her.

She paused. “Ew.”

We sat in silence a bit, I half heartedly glanced at the girls playing volleyball. It was almost hot, looking at their bodies bouncing up and down and getting sweaty. I would’ve been hot if they didn’t all suck at volleyball. Not like I could complain, though. I couldn’t even hit a mailbox right.

I yawned and leaned back a bit too far, my butt sliding off the narrow and slippery bleacher and I stumbled. I tried to grab at the next seat with my foot but I slid right under it, I was going down. But only until I was caught by a surprisingly sturdy grip from Ms. Mailbox, who grabbed at my armpit and helped me back up.

“Thanks.” I said, my voice a bit unstable from the jump the near-fall gave me.

“Is your arm alright?”

“What? Oh yeah.” I checked on it. She went to check on it as well, but I swatted her hand away. Gently.

“May I ask how you got it?”

“You may not.”

“Okay.” she seemed a bit disappointed.

I paused, thinking for a bit. My eyes were wandering again, down her face from her pretty blue eyes and slightly puffy cheeks.

“Only if you tell me why you don’t go to class.”

“Oh!” she perked up immediately. “Well...... I do study. Just not here. I study at university level.”

I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel immediately incompetent in comparison.

“University level?”

“I finished all high school exams last year, more or less. So they let me go to uni from Monday-Wednesday.”

“But until the academic school year starts you’re stuck here with the rest of us.”

“Very observant.”

“Thank you.” I paused again. “So like, do you have university friends and stuff?”

“What? Oh yeah, I do. Wanna see some pics?” she pulled out her phone. I immdiately went to hide it.

“Wait, not here.” I pointed to a loose seat that led to under the bleachers.

She nodded, and we quietly scooted over to it and down under. Ms. Mailbox helped me down the narrow hole by supporting my slinged arm.

It was cosy in there, the only light coming from screwless screwholes and her phone screen. She showed me pictures of her friends. Most of them seemed pretty boring. Dudes and dudettes in vest and glasses sitting in study halls and buried in their books or on the computers. Even more than people, she pictures of statues there, and trees, and the buildings themselves.

“Damn girl, did you take a pic of every branch on campus?” I whispered.

She giggled in response. “Only the interesting ones.”

We made sure to get back up and sit idly in place for when the coach came back to dismiss us and give us our phones back. Then we moved on to the next period laughing among ourselves at pictures of amateur student art projects that Ms. Mailbox took.

The rest of the day went smoothly. We mostly just talked, often during class, which pissed off the teachers but I found hilarious. To my surprise, Ms. Mailbox found it funny too. I didn’t know that at the time, but I was already rubbing off on her. We tried keeping our chats down low, but by the end of the day neither of us gave any fucks and we were talking quite loudly. Needless to say we were kicked out of the class.

As we were waiting outside the classroom for the bell to ring so we could take our bags and go home, Ms. Mailbox asked a question.

“Hey, how did you sprain your wrist? You said you would tell me.”

“I did.” I shifted a bit uncomfortably, becoming suddenly aware of the little to no distance between us.

“Was it as bad as the principal said?” she elaborated.

“Pretty much.” I answered naturally, as thought I’ve known her for years. I kind of regreted being so open a moment later, but at this point it was too late, I was already mid-answer. And I did sort of promised her. So I spilled the beans.

“Yeah, it was bad, I guess.” I soft-balled. “I smashed a mailbox with a baseball bat out of a moving vehicle. Thought the mailbox would break. Turns out I broke first.” I chuckled, trying to pass it off as a no-big-deal. Just a funny anecdote.

“I see.” was all Ms. Mailbox said.

There was a silence between us, and I felt a strange uncomfortable feeling I haven’t had since I was a child. I felt like I was being judged, and more than that, that I cared about the judgement.

“You s-” I wanted to make a snarky a remark, but just at that moment the bell rang.

We both hurried back into the class before the torrent of students spilled out of it. The teacher was the last to leave before us, and gave us a stink eye as she went out the door. It was just the two of us now.

The tension from before hadn’t gone away, in fact it was heavier.

“You’re not surprised?” I turned my head down. “You had me all figured out for a Bad Girl already, huh?” I tried picking up my backpack with my healthy arm, but getting it to stay on my back was a challenge. It was kind of ruining the cool apathetic vibe I was going for.

Ms. Mailbox put on her backpack and reached up help me. She put on the straps on my shoulders with efficiency and gentleness. I could swear I felt her rub my shoulderblades a bit as she did.

“No, that’s not it. I just deduced that’s what you did.” she explained.

“Deduced?” I asked like a clueless idiot.

“Yeah.” she walked out of the classroom and looked back at me with a pair of beautiful eyes. “It was my mailbox you smashed.”

With that, Ms. Mailbox became Ms. Mailbox. And the seeds of something between us were starting to sprout.