#he did the hardest thing and couldn’t lock in to do the easiest

[yourstarstruckbeloved]

first glimpse of red

in which seishiro nagi veers dangerously close to the path of nihility.

content/warnings: 1.1k words, blue lock x hsr au??? cross fandom fic— this is not a shipfic!!! acheron is here purely as a guide, a LOT of discussion of nihilism and pointlessness and such, like two mentions of death, acheron might be ooc warning, if there’s anything i missed pls let me know

author’s note: i’ve been OBSESSED with the idea of nihility follower nagi— well, not an emanator since emanators of nihility technically can’t exist, so at least whatever acheron is. this is me trying to coherently put it all into words <3

seishiro nagi rubs his eyes and stretches, yawning as he does so. he boots up his PC once more, and shuts it back off when he realises that even playing another game would be too much effort. nagi is tired. sighing as he closes his eyes, seishiro nagi slumps on his chair. the time blurs into monochrome. 

reason.

what reason did nagi have to do anything at all? why does he wake up in the morning just to go back to sleep at night? he immediately discards the thoughts from his mind, concluding that it would be a hassle to think about them anymore. and unknowingly, he finds himself walking a step closer towards the edge of the looming blackhole in the horizon of existence. nagi isn’t someone who spends his time dwelling on matters like this— he’d much rather get to the root of a problem as quickly as possible and cut it right off, so it would never grow to be a bother again.

nagi doesn’t know what path he treads on. all he knows is he tends to choose those with easy exits and no catches. what does he even want? it just so happens that the easiest path nagi finds himself to be able to tread on is one of listless monochrome. a lot of people have asked him why he finds everything to be a hassle. he shrugs and says that he doesn’t know. it’s true that he doesn’t, but it’s not like he’s ever bothered to find the answer to the question. and it’s not like he’s asked himself why he doesn’t bother.

nagi doesn’t care. he’s been this way for as long as he could remember. 

he meets a purple haired woman in his journey through IX’s landscape. acheron is someone that accidentally stepped into the path of nihility and ventured a bit too far into IX’s shadow. for a fleeting moment, nagi wonders why she couldn’t just have steered course away from nihility, but realises he doesn’t care that much about the answer.

pointlessness.

it finally dawns on him, why he thinks of everything as a hassle. the answer had always been with him, he never had to go look. all of nagi’s actions stem from wanting to eradicate all burden and hassle from his life. he recounts this to acheron, and she comes to the realisation that she and nagi probably weren’t cut from the same cloth; they were two individuals on vastly different courses of life, that happened to intersect at this very moment. unlike acheron who happened to be thrown onto this path completely by accident, nagi seemed like he was destined to follow nihility since birth. he’d always found everything pointless, enough to feel disengaged from everyone and everything around him to some degree, at least. 

but then again, unlike acheron, nagi has an easier exit from this path than she does. she’s carved this one singular path for herself out of the hardest stone, in a resolve to reach the light beyond the black disc of nothingness, and to guide people who cross paths with her by making them pick a certain choice that she offers.

well… calling it a choice offered by her would be putting it in the crudest and vaguely inaccurate terms. she’s not the one steering their lives, even for this fleeting moment; she could never take credit for such a thing. she simply shows people possibilities, and lets them decide for themselves which one they’d like to walk towards.

nagi can articulate now that the basis of his attitude to most things in life is because of the pointlessness he associates with everything. so, what now?

but then this leads acheron to question if nagi truly was someone born for nihility, or if he was just another one of the poor souls that was led astray and accidentally ended up on IX’s monochrome path; because, well, no one’s point of existence could truly be to pursue nihility— anyways, it’s not like the answer to that question matters, she surmises.

there is nothing left for nagi to do in this reality except for think, and so he does. why did he keep pressing on until this moment despite the pointlessness of his existence? well, he wouldn’t say he particularly pressed on to live— had death come knocking on his door, he would’ve followed it out with a shrug of his shoulders. do you keep living despite the pointlessness of it all, or do you actively try to find meaning in your actions?

cut that out, the answer to that question is pointless— humans keep living on, regardless of their answers.

slowly, the pieces of the puzzle come together. some pieces are still missing, but he gets the wider picture. in a first, he asks acheron why humans strive to keep living despite the void of meaninglessness that the universe is based upon. she tells him that red is the colour of existence, and that it will be the first colour that will bloom, only for a fleeting moment in this monochrome universe. she asks him if he would roam in search of that first streak of crimson or if he would pick up a brush and paint it into existence. and when a choice is made, it shall reappear once more. in other words, will you search for meaning, or will you create meaning for yourself?

nagi wonders why her question wasn’t about following the halo of light at the end of nothingness— isn’t acheron a guide to those who walk this path? almost as if she hears his thoughts, she clarifies that it would be a pointless question for her to ask. his mouth opens to question her once more, but the word why? gets caught in his throat, as the realisation hits him like a speeding truck. every life is destined to end with the nihility, no matter what— it’s almost like a primal instinct, the way every being is naturally drawn to the light beyond the nothingness. perhaps, that is why a life that edges closer to death fervently approaches nihility, and further aspires to reach the end of it. so, will you strive to fill your life with meaning, or will you willingly thrust yourself into the meaningless pursuit of the primordial light, like acheron has?

he understands now. he picks up a paintbrush that lies fallen at his feet, streaks and blotches of red trailing with its bristles. he walks, but acheron doesn’t care to discern whether he’s walking towards the blackhole or not. she smiles wistfully, slashing her blade and tearing apart the spatio-temporal fabric of the horizon of existence. seishiro nagi wakes up in a cold sweat, finding himself in front of his PC once more, the words you died plastered in big red letters on his screen.

[alcarazcore]

now wait a minute… in challengers art (an american) supposedly won roland garros twice??? and has never won the us open??

[gloomysoup]

it's 1am, i'm bored, so here's a second snippet from the first draft of my one-shot in progress: the things that haunt me (in the middle of the night) aka steve under vecna's curse. warning: this HURTS. good luck :)

Steve had a feeling Eddie wasn’t just going to let it go. If it were anyone else, Steve would be the same way. However, he still wasn’t going to say anything. It had been a few days without anything happening, so for all he knew, it had just been his mind playing tricks on him. It wasn’t actually happening. He was just being stupid. He wanted to hold onto that. He wanted that to be the case. He didn't want to have to think about being around the kids and something happening to him. He didn't want to leave them with more trauma than they already had.

He started to pull away. Even if the clock and the chimes were gone, he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't return. He had to protect the others. He had to make sure they got used to him not being around. He had to know they were going to be okay without him. The hardest part was Robin. He could hardly bear to be without her. They had been attached at the hip since everything at Starcourt. She was his platonic soulmate, with a capital 'P'. He couldn’t imagine life without her anymore, even though he knew deep down she would have to live hers without him.

It was so hard to ignore their calls. It was hard to make half-assed excuses that he hoped they believed. He had to turn off his walkie. He couldn't stand not answering when they tried to contact him. He hated listening to their voices and knowing what he knew. He parked his car in the garage so they couldn't see it. He locked all the doors. He closed all the curtains and blinds. He kept the lights off. He tried to make it look like he wasn't home. Maybe they would leave him alone if they thought he was out of town or something. It didn't stop them from trying. The phone rang a lot. They came by the house often, knocking and calling for him. He never answered. He couldn't.

Steve tried to convince himself that he was protecting them. This was the best thing for everyone. They needed to learn how to get on without him. He needed to know they would be okay. It hurt so much, but it's what he had to do. It was a lose-lose situation for Steve. No matter what he did, people would get hurt. People he cared about. This was just the best he could come up with. The easiest way for him to protect them.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been. It was all back though. He wrapped a blanket around himself and laid in bed, staring at the wall. The clock ticked ominously. The chimes rang out, four on the hour, every hour. They echoed through his mind. The voices were louder. Some moments, he couldn't breathe. Some moments, he thought, this is it. This is the end. And each time, nothing happened.

[iconocon]

understanding | gasly | 2

summary: understanding him was as hard as loving him

warnings: angst, cheating, swear words

type: oneshot | word count: 2k | ⚔︎ ANGST

part 1 : permission

→

the more you sat on the hard tile floor it was as if the more confused you became, you couldn’t understand or even come to terms with just happened. the fact that he didn’t even give you a second look as he bent down to pick up his dropped keys or even the time he took to lock the door on his way out didn’t fucking make sense. he took the time to lock you in like he expected you to wait for him and sit pretty on his stupid fucking bed or even to ask him how his night was when he was the one who was abandoning you. leaving YOU. how was he so calm? didn’t he love you? didn’t he want to work this out? all this was making you more angry alone with all the questions swirling in your mind just didn’t add up as if what happened to the love in italy was a fluke or even the love from last summer where you were never more sure in your life that you give up everything to be with him.

there was no manual for how to love but you were sure what you were feeling at this moment was anything but love. you were heartbroken and sad and angry and you knew you didn’t deserve to feel this way. the ache in your chest matched the ache in your brain as you knew you couldn’t be in this suffocating apartment anymore grabbing everything you could find that was yours stuffing it into a backpack making sure to leave the things he bought you, hoodies, perfume, a necklace, all in a neat pile on his bed. through the house you found yourself doing the same fixing things you shouldn’t fix, even taking the time to put the plates from his dinner in the sink even as it made you sick to realize how complacent you have been in this relationship to still want to make sure things were nice for him when he returned. the last straw however was the string lights above the fireplace, the way they burned almost felt like they were mocking you symbolizing how far you have gone out of your way once again to just look like an idiot. the rage built up in you before you could even make it stop you didn’t even think enough to stop the fist that reached out for the white cord and yanking it loose from the walls. it all came crashing down in that second, the glass shattered, the tears fell from your face, and even the lights went out making the whole room another dark unhappy place for you.

leaving wasn’t the hardest part of that night, actually it was probably the easiest, the hardest was definitely when you opened instagram later that night and saw the story bubble on your boyfriend at a club with his best friend in the shirt you met him with now dancing with a beautiful blonde girl. he knew you saw it. you knew he saw you see it. it was all part of the game that you both started to play where you would get dressed up to go out and take videos/pictures/whatever would hurt the other person the most to make the other person realized what they missed. it felt like high school all over again yet you couldn’t make it stop. when asked at media events about you the french driver would just shrug, SHRUG. like he didn’t even have enough in him to make up the words or he couldn’t even find it in him to announce your breakup to the world making you once again look like the bad guy even when you were never the one to post the opposite sex in your comebacks. even in your breakup it seemed like a one sided affair as you constantly overthought every single little thing you saw on social media to the point you even deleted it all vanishing off every app to get rid of all validation you gave to your now ex boyfriend.

it was time to move on. it had been almost a month since your dramatic breakup and even though you did everything in your power to stay away from all things f1 or pierre you found him everywhere you went. he was on radio stations, he was in the newspapers, but you never expected to see him in person again.

imagine being forced to go on a date to some fancy restaurant in milan in some dumb tight red dress that showed off way more of you than you liked but for one night you decided to be someone else so there you were sitting across from someone you didn’t know drinking bitter wine when there he walked in. pierre never looked bad a day in his life you were sure of it and tonight there was no exception as your eyes drifting from the date in front of you to meeting those blue eyes you used to want to stare in for hours only making you sick. vowing not to meet his gaze the wine in your hand suddenly felt heavier than ever in your stomach as you found yourself throwing back whatever was left of the glass to the very last drop, laughing as your date comments on how keen you must be of it.

“so, what did you say you do again?”

“i’m an entrepreneur” boring, he was so boring what the fuck did that even mean?

“that sounds fun being your own boss and all”

“darling, being the boss is not fun”

this was one of the worst dates you have ever been on the hand on your own made your skin crawl. the fake ‘i’m better than you’ laugh followed by a stupid pet name didn’t at all make it better. however, the piercing eyes in the side of your head made you once again feel powerful playing up a flirty side of you to mean you didn’t at all care about; or a man you told yourself you no longer cared about. you were just as bad as he was in that moment as your high-heeled foot ran along the length of your dates calf almost giggling at the poor guys poor attempt to stop his eyes from drifting off your face to your breasts. showing him once and for all that the games were still on as they were never turned off

“excuse me” the french accent you heard felt as if it went straight through your ears and into your heart making the beats almost visble if you stared hard enough.

“what’s up man?” it was a pure movie moment as you watched your dates facial expressions as he stared at your ex boyfriend but your ex boyfriend did nothing but stare down at you. usually, this is a part you would skip if it was a movie that is because of how cringey it makes you feel. luckily enough for you though this was not a movie and you never got the chance to run away as you built up enough courage somewhere inside to finally meet his eyes.

“can we talk?”

“don’t have much to talk about do we”

“just 5 minutes. it’s all i’m asking.”

“pierre”

“wait you’re pierre gasly? bro what the fuck are you doing here? can i get your autograph?”

“i’m asking myself the same what are you doing here?”

once again his eyes never left you even as your date continued to fangirl over the famous driver that coincidently is the same that broke your heart. deciding against your best judgement you even found yourself wanting to hear what he has to say to even justify what happened in his apartment so rising from your seat without even a glance behind you quickly made your way to the hallway that connects the dining room to the bathrooms.

“talk and talk fast” the sigh that came out of your mouth was almost involuntary backing yourself up against the cream colored walls of the restaurant. with a little less than 3 inches between you and him it felt as if the walls were closing in on you even more so when he reached out for your hand.

“no”

“cherie you don’t understand”

“then make me understand pierre”

“i loved you i never stopped loving you” huh?

“what does that even mean? what are you saying?”

“you’re too good for me okay? you know that i knew that for fucking sake cherie charles told me everyday”

“what?”

“i was giving you an out.” he stepped closer and raised his hands slowly to another side of your shoulder like he was scared of your own response.

“what?”

“you’re too good to me i can’t give you what you need”

“wha-“

“if you say what again i will explode” speaking of exploding you felt like a shaken-up soda can as if every single atom in your body was about to blow its top. it still didn’t make sense you would’ve given up the world to make things right with him a month ago and now here he is with all the 'answers', it hurt. it hurt so bad to hear all these things that you could’ve fixed and once again it was your problem because you would’ve done anything for him but you didn’t know if you could keep doing that especially with someone who couldn’t talk to you until it was too late.

“I love you and it hasn’t been the same without you. it’s only you for me and I’m too selfish to let you go like this please cherie come back with me”

“pierre i-“

“please”

“you hurt me don’t you get that? how do i know you won’t do it again?” if the floor was to swallow you up in that moment you were almost sure you would thank the universe as you would rather be anywhere else but here. maybe that date wasn’t so bad?

“i thought i was doing you a favor i-“

“by leaving me? by posting on insta with girls? by-“

“i let it all get to my head, okay i know that now” he now moved even closer as 3 feet turned into 2 feet and now into 1 foot the cologne that wafted off his neck you were sure was the same one you bought him for your shared anniversary. “when you deleted your page and i no longer saw you i realized how bad i need you every day you make me a better man please i need you”

“i need time” you couldn’t think now not surrounded by him and all his glory. the smell of him, the feeling of him, the stupid way his hands felt on you absolutely in no way could you think of the best way to handle this. “give me some time”

“okay”

“okay”

for the first time that night you found yourself reaching out for him, almost wincing as the pad of your thumb reached his trimmed jawline knowing you didn’t have any resolve left from the night which you helped prove the next second as you guided him downwards towards you pressing the tiniest ghost of a kiss to his bottom lip. if you and he never became what you were ever again you were finally able to say you were happy with how it ended even as you peeled yourself away from him and left. at that moment when you stepped outside in the fresh air, you finally understood your place in his fast-paced life even if it didn't make it any easier the clarity let you sleep easier that night than you had since that weekend in september.

⏤

hi <3 hehe i did not read back at all so most def mistakes but how you enjoy it!

taglist: @primadonnasdream @ivegotparticulartaste @anathemaloren @ponyslayer (let me know if you ever wanna be in my taglist for the future)

[sleepless-in-starbucks]

I Want Us Both to Eat Well

Ao3

Summary: Remy might not be great with self-care, but they've got the 'taking care of Logan' thing down to a science. And Logan can work with that. Content: Overworking, mentions of poor eating/sleeping habits, caretaking, it’s pretty soft overall, nonbinary remy Pairing: Losleep

~

Despite what some may think, Logan didn’t have the most demanding of jobs within the mindscape. He wouldn’t call his work a walk in the park, of course, but when he was largely tasked with matters such as scheduling and memory allocation, versus such things as emotional processing or idea creation, Logan had no plans on complaining.

And Logan’s most complicated job? Even less complaints to be figuratively filled, given it was his favorite.

See, for a good while now, Logan had been dating Remy, a figment of the Imagination created by Roman for a one-time vine gag that somehow managed to get enough permanence for themself to function as their own being. For a bit, they had simply wandered about, teasingly flirting with not only the sides but Thomas himself. Something about Logan must have held their attention however, because soon enough he was the only side being ‘bothered’.

It didn’t take long for the feelings of ‘botherment’ to morph into amusement, which furthermore transformed into affection and soon even love. Remy had made a bad attempt at celestial flirting, and despite the inaccuracies, Logan had greatly appreciated the sentiment.

Appreciated it enough to allow “I love you” to escape both his thoughts and mouth, an acknowledgement that had left the two of them in similar states of shock for a whole ten seconds before Remy was in Logan’s lap and doing their damndest to kiss him breathless.

Remy only became more cemented in the inner workings of Thomas’s mind after that, likely a consequence specifically of how much time they were spending in Logan’s room. They were still a figment, but they were rapidly gaining actual responsibilities, things they had to do or else Thomas would directly suffer. Most were connected to sleeping- making sure the sides were rested, bullying Thomas to bed when needed, lining up memories as appropriate to be saved and stored during REM- but some were simply random, the misc assignments settling onto the not-a-side.

Usually, Remy could manage it all without much issue. They would complain heavily, sure, bemoaning the days when they were a free-spirit with nothing to do, almost sounding like Roman when they spoke of the cruelty of fate that such was the price of love, but as long as Logan was there to hum sympathetically and play with their hair, they were good.

Occasionally however… it was too much. Too many late nights and sleepless mornings convincing others to rest, too many memories to pick between and sort, too many tasks all piling up. Remy would get overwhelmed and end up overworked if no one stopped them in time.

Luckily for Remy… they had Logan.

Figuring out that Remy had hit their breaking point wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, the first step of Logan’s ‘job’ therefore being the most difficult. Remy, for all their bellyaching, didn’t want to be perceived as a slacker or irresponsible with their job. With sunglasses, coffee, and their devil-may-care attitude, they could normally fake being alright for a day or two past actually being alright.

But the facade always cracked in the end, and as soon as it did, Logan was there.

So, the second step, taken once Logan recognized those cracks: eat a good and filling breakfast. This step was especially important, and made the list to remind Logan that a coffee and crofters-covered bagel wouldn’t be sufficient.

Next, Logan went about assigning Remy’s usual tasks to the other sides. To Virgil and Patton, enforcing Thomas’s bedtime. To Janus, memory dealings. To Roman and Remus, whichever various misc tasks Remy had at the time. And top it all off with a lecture to the lot of them to sleep well.

(Logan always expected some resistance on this step, and was always surprised to find none. “If you say they need a break, they need a break.” Virgil said one time with a shrug. “We want to help where we can.”)

Then there came the final step: convincing Remy to take a break. To most, this would be the hardest step. Even when all their work was attended to, Remy would insist they had things to do, that they couldn’t just take a break, especially not one as long as Logan would suggest.

Logan wasn’t ‘most’.

Before Logan entered his room (or, more accurately, his and Remy’s room, the figment not having a place outside of the Imagination and therefore opting to move into Logan’s), he double checked that everything was ready.

Breakfast? Eaten.

Time? Well past noon.

Work? Distributed.

Tie? Loosened.

Shirt? Untucked.

“Hotel? Trivago.” (vocabulary cards!)

Logan let himself into his (now shared) room. Remy was sprawled across his (now shared) bed, flipping through their own notecards- the form memories took when viewed within the logical side’s room. Their sunglasses were set aside on Logan’s (now shared) desk, making it easy for Logan to spot the dark bags beneath their eyes.

They glanced up when Logan entered, cocking an eyebrow as they took in his appearance. “You’ve looked better, babe.” Remy commented lightly, though Logan could hear the concern in their voice. “You here to crash? I can move.”

Logan didn’t answer right away, instead walking over to stand in front of Remy. Before his partner could guess what he was doing, Logan had grabbed the memory cards they were sorting, easily willing them away.

Remy’s eyebrow only raised higher. “Alright, yeah, someone needs to take a nap.”

“And that someone would be you.” Logan replied. “Or, more appropriately, someone needs to take several days to rest.”

Remy chuckled. “You sure about that, sweetheart? I wouldn’t think you’d want me falling behind on work, especially for Thomas’s sake.”

“Your work is being handled, Thomas will be fine.” Logan assured, taking a moment to tenderly tuck some of Remy’s hair behind their ear. Remy’s expression softened at the gesture. “I have taken care of everything for you, save one thing.”

“Oh?” Remy prompted, looking vaguely amused by Logan’s approach. “And what’s that one thing, doll?”

With a smile, Logan settled himself in Remy’s lap, arms wrapping lightly around the back of their neck. “Myself.”

Remy’s brow furrowed at the answer, their concern returning full force. “Log-”

“I have not eaten since breakfast,” he neglected to mention it was a large enough breakfast the lack of lunch hadn’t truly affected him, “I am stressed,” he ignored that the stress was Remy-based, “and my appearance is unkempt;” he pretended this was not a very conscious choice, “therefore, I should be resting, and yet, I am not.”

“You do seem tired…” Remy murmured, one of their hands moving to rest steadily on Logan’s hip while the other gently cupped his cheek. Logan appreciated the moment as long as he could, lazily leaning into Remy’s touch while the overworked figment searched his face for more signs of exhaustion.

Then they squinted at him. “Wait. This isn’t some ploy of yours, is it? ‘Cause no offense hun, but this feels a bit too easy. Normally you go running when I try to stop you from working on bad days.”

“I admit I am usually more… difficult about such matters, but I assure you, my love, this is no ploy. That would imply only I benefit from this situation. I think we both would.”

“Oh? How so?”

Logan’s fingers traced random patterns on Remy’s upper back. “You prefer to see me in good health and enjoy taking care of me. I prefer to see you in good health and know that letting you take care of me will subsequently lead to you being taken care of as well.” He kissed Remy’s forehead. “We both benefit, for the sake of not only ourselves, but each other as well.”

Remy sighed, their attempt at annoyance falling rather flat, in Logan’s opinion. “I can tell you’ve planned this out, babe.” Their hand on Logan’s cheek slipped into his hair, lightly scratching at Logan’s scalp.

The logical side involuntarily let out a content hum at the motion, briefly letting his eyes close as he pressed closer against Remy, their hand now supporting more of his head than Logan was. “Mhm, the plan of self-care? I think it’s a good plan.” Logan partially opened his eyes to catch Remy’s gaze. It was fond and sweet, Remy having clearly been swayed by tired Logan. “Do you think it’s a good plan?”

“Yeah.” Remy agreed softly, Logan grinning as he realized he had ‘won’ (really, they had both won, seeing how desperately Remy needed rest, but for the intents and purposes of this particular situation… Logan had won). “It was a great plan, angel.”

Logan allowed his head to be transferred onto Remy’s shoulder, happily nestling it into the crook of their neck. He could feel as Remy shifted their position, clearly going to lay Logan down on the bed. However, the bed alone would not be enough, Logan locking his arms behind Remy’s neck when they tried to let him go.

“Oh, come on, sugar, I can’t- I need both my hands- oh, alright, fine, if you’re gonna be like that, I’ll make it work.”

It took a couple minutes longer than it might have if Logan had allowed Remy to let go of him, but soon enough Logan was being deposited in a proper pile of blankets and pillows, all packed in together and arranged in the corner of the bed that lined up against the corner of the wall. He released Remy this time, comfortably sinking into the heap.

“I’m happy you’ve deemed this arrangement of your bed more acceptable than the one you yourself made, sweetheart.” Remy teased even as they worked on tucking the pile closer around him. “I’m going to grab lunch now, alright? Don’t go anywhere.”

It was an unnecessary request, given that Logan’s master plan of self-care wouldn’t benefit from him making Remy hunt him down, but the familiarity of it made Logan snort. The blanket-pillow lump had a one hundred percent success-rate with dissuading Logan from escape, no matter the circumstance, but Remy’s consistency in reminding Logan to stay put was endearing every time.

Remy returned within a few minutes, carrying a plate filled with ham and cheese cubes and some bunches of purple grapes. They placed it on part of the bed not overtaken by the plush pile before carefully climbing over it, cautious to not make a mess as they joined Logan. They slid into place behind him with practiced ease, shifting Logan to be more in their lap and against their chest before tucking the blankets back in around them both.

Logan leaned back against Remy as they settled, resting his head at a tilted angle so that he could keep his eyes on Remy. Noticing this, Remy smiled softly, pressing a kiss to Logan’s forehead.

“Alright babe who hasn’t eaten since breakfast, time to eat.” Remy said, tugging the plate closer to them before picking up one of the cubes and offering it to Logan. He let Remy pop it in his mouth, swallowing it while Remy grabbed another morsel of food. The motions were easy and repetitive, and soon enough nearly half the plate was gone.

Breaking the skin on a grape, Logan caught Remy’s wrist as they went to offer him a ham cube. Remy raised an eyebrow. “Darlin��?”

“You need to eat too.” Logan explained, nudging Remy’s hand towards their own face. “I know how you get when you’re busy.”

“Well now you’re not even being subtle.” Remy teased even as they accepted their redirected ham cube. Alternating between themself and Logan, Remy returned to their work of emptying the plate, quickly finishing off what remained of it.

When there was nothing left on the dish, Remy gracelessly pushed it off the bed, Logan well aware they’d pick it up later but still rolling his eyes at the laziness in the gesture.

“Shh, I can hear you thinking, love.” Remy trailed a few kisses down the side of Logan’s face, their arms wrapping snugly around his waist. “It’s my mess, I’ll clean it up later. Don’t worry about it.”

“You could take care of it now though.” Logan argued weakly, already once-more melting into Remy’s hold.

Remy chuckled, peppering more kisses across his chin. “Then I’d have to let go of you, my lovely Lo, and I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon.”

“Mmm, fair point.”

“Plus,” Remy went on as they began to slide into a more horizontal position, laying Logan down with them and briefly releasing his waist so as to move his glasses from his face to the bedside table, “it’s naptime. Someone needs their rest.”

“You.”

“Which one of us is taking care of the other again? You’re the tired one.”

Logan laughed quietly at Remy’s rebuttal, rolling over and nuzzling his face into Remy’s neck. He wasn’t sure when the lights in the room had turned off, but he was fairly certain it had been Remy’s doing. “Fine. I am very tired. So tired I have completely forgotten what to do now. Remind me how to sleep.”

“Dramatic-ass.” Remy’s tone was too soft to match their words. They pressed their cheek against Logan’s hair, their breath as they spoke close enough for Logan to feel its warmth. “You’ve just gotta close your eyes and stop thinking about anything that isn’t your wonderful partner and their wonderful fluffy pile of comfort and relaxation.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Logan dropped a kiss on Remy’s collarbone. “I could do this for days and days and-”

“Shhhh, starlight. Rest.” Remy slowly ran a hand up-and-down Logan’s back, successfully distracting him from his poorly-veiled (but loving) jab at Remy. “Bully me later.”

Logan didn’t respond verbally, opting instead to hum in contentment and snuggle up closer to Remy. There was no way they’d be able to slip out of bed without Logan noticing- not that they’d try, not now, but Logan appreciated the assurance of proximity. Despite not truly being tired, Remy’s warmth and Logan’s relief at knowing they would finally be resting themself were enough to make his eyelids heavy, the idea of sleeping peacefully with his partner too tempting to pass up.

So, yes, Logan did have some difficult duties to attend to, the caretaking of Remy the most complicated of them all. But drifting off happily in Remy’s arms, Logan remained firm in his stance that it was his favorite duty.

[a-n-conrad]

Showers (Karl Heisenberg x Reader)

[Summary: You love Karl Heisenberg completely. And because of that, you are more than willing to put up with his quirks and flaws. However, you make sure to try everything in your bag of tricks to help him take care of himself a bit better and deal with his trauma. That means you have to come up with a plan to help distract him while he showers so that perhaps he can enjoy it a bit more. (They/Them pronouns)

Warnings: SMUT (18+), shower sex, oral sex (male receiving), swearing, depressed/traumatized Heisenberg, gender-neutral reader

Request: From my request survey (https://forms.gle/D9rsJtkERoBPaKvv8)]

Karl Heisenberg wasn’t exactly the easiest person to be in love with. You both knew it. He got angry easily. He would lock himself in his workshop for hours at a time. He was overly protective often, and wouldn’t let you wander without him there to protect you. He forgot to pick up supplies much more frequently than you’d like. And he was terrible at taking care of himself. He didn’t make it easy for you to care for him, but that never stopped you.

Part of it was that you were truly, unbelievably in love with him. There was no way that was changing over some minor annoyances. But part of it was that you were fucking stubborn. Karl had a habit of pushing people away. You didn’t know if he even knew it, but he seemed to try and push away anyone that got too close. You didn’t know what it was or why he did it, but you knew it wasn’t good for either of you. So you were far too stubborn to let him push you away like that.

So you got into the habit of helping him with all of these issues. You knew exactly how to help him calm down when he was upset. You’d find ways and excuses to drag him out of the workshop to take a break. You made sure to reassure him that you were safe whenever you went out. And you always made sure to gently remind him when you needed supplies. But the biggest thing that you made sure to do was to help him remember to take care of himself.

You made meals for him often and would bring them down to his workshop so that he didn’t have an excuse to not eat. You’d bring him water and other drinks, occasionally bringing him a chamomile tea or something of the sort when he had been avoiding sleep. You’d tend to any cuts on his hands, and you’d give his hands massages after he’s been working for hours, to help him avoid getting cramps. Your biggest challenge, however, was to get him to shower.

Heisenberg hated showers. It wasn’t the idea of hygiene that was the issue. It was a mix of a lot of other things. He was tired most of the time when he came back to the living area, far too tired to convince himself to go shower. His body ached, and the water pressure in his factory was, well, aggressive. And while he would never admit it, Karl was incredibly self-conscious. He hated having to look at himself while he washed. Part of it was that he didn’t like the way he looked, but most of it was the scars. A lot of those scars he didn’t quite remember getting. But he knew where they were from. And the thoughts of the experiments that Miranda did on him haunted him every time he had to look at his scars.

So you had to find ways to make showering a little less painful for him. You just weren’t really sure how to do that. There were a few little tricks that you had tried. You had tried getting him soaps in smells that he loved and that made him feel confident. You tried rewarding him for taking care of himself with extra cuddles. You had even tried getting him to shower with most of the lights off so he wouldn’t have to see the scars. None of that really seemed to work. So you were on to your last resort. Distraction.

- - - - -

“I’m back,” Karl sighed as he dragged himself through the door to the living quarter. He had just run for supplies after a long day of working on his experiments. You could tell that he was exhausted. And you also knew, from the layer of sweat, grease, and dirt clinging to his body, that there was no way that he was going to feel better until he took a warm shower and washed himself off.

“I’m glad you made it safely,” You responded, knowing you needed to ease him into the idea of a shower, “How was the supply run? Anything eventful happen?”

“Not really,” He sighed, setting the bags down on the table in the kitchen, starting to unpack the food and things that he had bought, “The Duke made me go to the middle of the village. My guess is that he was hoping for some drama from the villagers acting weird around me, but most of them just steered clear. I have no issues with them right now as long as they don’t get in my way, so there wasn’t anything to entertain The Duke.”

“I wish he wouldn’t use you for entertainment like that,” You sighed in response, helping him put everything away, “You have enough to deal with. You shouldn’t have to deal with him treating you like a circus animal.”

“Yeah, well, I’m used to it. It’s better than being a lab rat,” He responded, the bitterness in his voice being clear. All you could really do to respond was to nod, a slight frown on your face as you thought about his childhood once again. It always made you angry to think about, but it wasn’t helpful for anyone for you to get upset.

The two of you continued to unpack the supplies in warm silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. It rarely was when the two of you were together. It was just that neither of you had anything to say. You were just enjoying each other’s company, enjoying being near each other, without having to fill the air with mindless small talk. It was only after you had put everything away that you finally broke the silence.

“Why don’t we hop in the shower, and then we can relax a bit,” You suggested gently, “You’ve had a long week. We should take some time to relax.”

He looked a bit uncomfortable and unsure at the suggestion, but didn’t outright object. He just winced. He understood that he needed a shower, but the look on his face told you that it might take a bit more convincing.

“I’ll join you if you want,” You said, winking at him, “I could use a shower too, so perhaps we could make things a bit more fun.”

His eyes widened a bit at that, and you saw his thoughts get a bit conflicted. He still wasn’t excited about the idea of having to go shower, but he was never one to turn down sex. He was entirely enamored with you, he thought you were the most attractive person he had ever seen. You watched the debate happen behind his eyes, trying to decide if he hated showering more than he loved seeing you nude. Eventually the part of him that just wanted to touch you all the time won out, and you saw the debate end. And he nodded in agreement to your plan.

- - - - -

You got the showering running while he got himself undressed. You had figured out the temperature of water that both of you liked a while ago, so you managed to get it right much quicker than Karl could. You couldn’t do much to help with the insane water pressure, but getting it to a decent temperature made it a much nicer experience.

Karl hesitated at the edge of the water flow when you were both ready. Something about actually stepping into the shower was one of the hardest steps for him. Because of that, you made a point to help him with that. You grabbed his hand and guided him into the shower with you, pulling him a bit closer to you. You wrapped your arms around his torso, pulling him in for a quick kiss to distract him while he started to get used to the feeling of the water running down his body.

It took a few moments for him to adjust, but eventually you felt his muscles relax under your fingers as you ran your hands across his body. You took that as your cue to start getting him cleaned up. You started with his hair, which got greasy pretty quickly. You rubbed the shampoo into his hair, massaging his scalp in the process. He seemed to relax even more, enjoying the feeling of you playing with his hair. The feeling seemed to be doing well enough to distract him.

You normally try to get in and out as quickly as you can when it comes to helping Karl shower, and usually that means forgoing things like conditioner. But this time, you had a feeling that you had the time. So as you finished with the shampoo and slowly washed it out of your hair, never stopping your massages in the process, you grabbed your conditioner from the shelf. Karl didn’t use your soap very often, but sometimes when he was feeling especially sad, he liked to. It made it so that even if you weren’t right next to him, he could smell you.

You massaged the conditioner in, taking extra care to note exactly what motions made him relax extra. You took the opportunity to detangle a few of the knots in his hair as well. Using your fingers to gently pull the knots apart. Before long, his hair was soft and detangled, and he had been fairly relaxed the whole time. He hadn’t said anything, still fairly on edge, but he was much less tense than usual.

It was once you had moved on to the body wash that you could feel the tension returning to his body, despite your effort to massage his tight muscles. His whole body tensed each time your fingers ran across a scar. You watched every muscle in his back turn hard as your hand ran across a large scar on his hip. You needed to find a way to help him relax, before the calm mood was ruined completely.

You ran your hands across his chest, turning him to face you and taking a break from washing him off. He looked at you, a bit confused as you did. You just smiled at him, a smile that you knew made his heart melt a bit. The kisses you left softly on his neck did wonders on distracting him as well. He seemed tough, rigid like the metal he worked with, but when you were soft with him, he melted in an instant. So you just had to be soft.

You continued your care, leaving soft, small kisses across his collar bone. His hands started to wander, grabbing at your body as his own started to relax a bit. You finally felt his shoulders relax as one of your hands began to wander as well, sliding from his chest to just above his belt line. One of his hands raised to your face, pulling you by the chin into a kiss. It wasn’t rough like his usually are, but it was passionate in the soft and loving way.

As he pulled you closer, careful not to make you slip on the wet flooring, you felt something poke your leg, his erection catching your attention clearly. You had implied something a bit more intimate to bait him into the shower, so perhaps it was time for you to make good on that promise.

He raised his eyebrows as you slowly lowered yourself to your knees, sliding your hands down his chest as you did. You made sure to add a few kisses to his chest and stomach on the way down as well, your lips catching a slight taste of soap, but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t ignore. You looked up at him through your eyelashes, a small smirk finding its way onto your face as you started to slide your hands a bit lower, following the path of his hips to where his legs meet.

He was watching you intently, his mind far removed from the normal complaints of a shower. The only thing he was thinking about right now was you. He watched carefully as your hands moved to his cock, handling him gently at first. You gave him a few light pumps, getting a feel of just how aroused he was. The small drops of precum that appeared almost instantly were a pretty clear sign of just how much he wanted you. And you weren’t about to deny him what he wanted.

You started with a broad lick across the length of his cock, swirling your tongue around the head when you reached the tip. He groaned loudly, his hands finding their way to the back of your head in an instant. You took his tip into your mouth, still swirling your tongue around him. You could feel his impatience as his fingers started to dig into the back of your head as he tried to resist the urge to push your head down further.

Teasing was never something that he handled well, getting impatient quickly. He liked to take control, taking over completely if you teased him too much. Normally, you enjoyed it, but this was meant to distract him, meant to give him a chance to relax. So you yielded to his need, taking him a bit deeper into your mouth, making sure to maintain suction as you started to bob your head up and down.

“Fuck, (Y/n),” He groaned, pushing your head down just a bit more. You couldn’t help but savor the look of him, practically melting in your hands. His eyes were almost rolling back in his head as you took him all the way into your mouth, fighting your gag reflex as he reached your throat.

You moaned in response, the vibration making him groan again. The taste of his precum in the back of your throat was bitter and acidic, a sharp contrast to the clean smell of the soap clinging to his body. However, all you were truly thinking about at that moment was making him feel as good as you possibly could. You wanted to make him come undone completely in your mouth. And you were going to do just that.

You had to take a moment to breathe after a while, though, pulling him out of your mouth completely to do so. You looked divine, though. That was all Karl could think of as he watched you. The line of saliva trailing from your mouth to the tip of his cock, the look of your chest raising and falling harshly as you tried to catch your breath, the water clinging to your skin, all of it was perfect. You were perfect.

He almost lost it completely when you took him into your mouth again, the feeling of your tongue and the inside of your mouth wrapping around him was almost too much. You could feel it in the way his dick twitched in your mouth, and you hummed a bit to add a bit of extra sensation. He was getting close, so you would encourage him, edge him closer until he broke his resolve.

The hand on the back of your head was helping you along, setting a pace that he was enjoying as he pushed your head down the length of his cock. You made sure to keep the suction, and to continue to curl your tongue around him. He was cursing under his breath as you did, clearly losing his control. The shaking in his legs was another clear sign that he was reaching his finish. You were just enjoying turning him into putty in your hands. The sounds he made were music to your ears.

“(Y/n), I’m gonna- fuck,” He groaned out, giving you a bit of warning. You hummed in response, a sign that he had permission to spill himself into your mouth. And he did just that, the hot, sticky substance shooting straight into your throat and he held your head in place, his eyes screwed tightly shut.

Saliva and cum dripped out of the corners of your mouth as you pulled your head back, letting him fall from your mouth. The line your saliva formed, connecting your mouth to his cock was clear. It only broke when you closed your mouth again, swallowing deeply to clear your mouth out, but never breaking eye contact with Karl.

His pupils were still blown wide as he watched you catch your breath. He never took his eyes off of you. But his body was relaxed, the tension in his muscles had entirely dissolved, and instead of the normal far-off look in his eyes that he usually had when he was trying to stay calm, they were entirely focused on you. Your plan seemed to have worked.

“We should do this more often,” You said, an amused grin clear on your face.

“I agree,” He replied.

(A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I hope your guys enjoyed it. Don't forget, tips are welcome at Venmo: Al3x13l if you'd like to support me with my writing.)

[your-highnessmarvel]

From Bleak to Bright Part Four

All other parts on on my masterlist, link provided below.

AN: OOOOH the development of this story makes me so excited for the rest!!! Loki is def in this part babies;)

Warnings: angst, language

Enjoyed this and want more? Send in your requests!

Request Guidelines

MASTERLIST

PART FOUR

The evening sun bore down onto the horizon, coloring the sky a myriad of blue and yellow and pink. Like vagabond brushstrokes upon the canvas of the sky. A few, wandering birds called from a distance, lazily gliding in the wind. 

The door behind you opened and closed. You turned away from the darkening horizon and saw your brother offering two cups of steaming chamomile tea. 

“Steve says they might have a point of entry for you,” he said, but his tone wasn’t into it, as if the week’s dealings bore on his shoulders alone. 

When Tony had announced your role as the bait, Bruce had thrown himself at your side. No one would hurt his baby sister, he’d said.

“I don’t think he’s going to fall for it,” you said halfhearted. 

Bruce sighed, handing you the cup. You wrapped your hands around the burning warmth. “I think you still don’t fully understand the soulmate bond,” your brother said.

“Huh?”

He sipped on his tea, clearing his throat. “At least for men, it’s not really about how you feel towards that person, albeit that yes, there’s passion.” He scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly coughing. “It’s more the protection you want to have on this person. Their wellbeing is of utmost importance. It’s hard, sometimes, to differentiate between protection and possession.”

A lump formed in your throat. Possession?

“And knowing Loki,” Bruce went on. “Knowing his nature of envy and greed, he’s for sure feeling the effects of the bond as just that - possession. He feels like you belong to him.”

Astonished, you turned away from your brother, both to hide your flaming cheeks and the awkwardness forming between you. 

“Has he made anymore...” you hesitated, “demands?”

Bruce shook his head. “No.” Then he looked at the horizon. “But he’s looking for you. He went to your apartment. Your daytime job. Even the school you used to go to part-time in the summer.”

That seemed like so far behind. Like someone else. Not you. That life you’d had barely more than two weeks ago, when you’d accepted to help Bruce. That girl, living alone in a somewhat nice apartment, going to work on public transport, and studying in the summer - that girl seemed like a stranger now. The girl who used to see in black and white.

“So what happens when he finds me?” you asked tentatively. 

“We swoop in,” Bruce answered. “We get him. We hand him over to Thor, and he brings him back to Asgard and makes sure he never comes back.”

That word. Never. It rung like a Cong inside your brain. The prospect of never seeing Loki ever again, never talking to him, stroke a cord in you that you wished you could ignore. 

During this whole week of scheming, no one had asked you how you felt about all this. He was your soulmate after all. And the idea that, after all this time, you’d finally found him and he was bound for eternal life in prison made you want to scream.

Bruce put his hand on your upper back, as if sensing your discomfort. “Let’s go to bed,” he said soothingly. “Tomorrow is a big day.”

Yes, tomorrow was a big day.

***

You strolled through downtown New York, trying your hardest not to look over your shoulder. It had been a week since you’d been in a huge crowd, and returning to the crammed streets of the city made your belly buzz.

Nat sounded in your ear. “Make it look authentic,” she said. 

Right. Because luring a thousand-year-old demi-God into a quiet corner to trap him was the easiest thing in the world. Nat had tried to teach you a few things when they’d all cooped up at Tony’s secret forest getaway, but now, living it, you couldn’t remember how to act benign. 

You tried to pretend to be listening to music, the airpods in your ears actually being comms with the Quinjet hidden overhead. You stopped at Starbucks. You pretended to look through the windows of clothing stores. You stepped into a bookstore and bought a novel. 

It had been an hour that you were “baiting” and nothing. 

Not even a glimpse.

You sighed in defeat, pushing your hair behind your ears. The day’s heat was boring down on you, and you knew your nose was burnt. Your tank top was soaked, your jeans sticking to your legs. Totally uncomfortable would be an understatement.

You saw a glimpse of something gold in the Macy’s window and looked over your shoulder. 

“Y/N,” Bruce sounded in your ear. “Come in.”

You remained silent. The crowd before you changed, people walking past you in a hurry. You turned back to the window, muttering to your brother, “I’m fine.” 

“Get away from Macy’s, you have enough clothes,” your brother muttered back.

You couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s funny?”

You jumped, yelping, staring up into Loki’s green gaze. Heart hammering, blood roaring in your ears, you tried to focus on calming yourself. Your hands were sweaty as you reached up to take out one airpod.

He smirked. Under the sun, he was glorious in an all-black ensemble, his raven locks freshly cut beneath his chin, pushed back behind his ears. 

“Fancy a stroll?”

You gulped, looking at the elbow he offered. Something shimmered there, around the edges of his forearm. As if he glowed.

He’s not really here. 

You remembered from your briefing on Loki, that Thor had said the jester loved his illusion tricks.

“I presume I have to pretend to hold your arm?” you answered, feeling the knot of anxiety dissolve in your belly at the sight of his grin.

“Clever.” He retreated his arm, looked around at the crowd swiftly moving past him. “May we talk somewhere private?” he asked. 

Nat had told you he’d say that, and your job was to not look too eager. He’d smell a trap before you’d even agree.

You forced yourself to frown. “You want to get me alone?”

He huffed, his lips pulling into a dashing smirk. God, he really was beautiful. The sun, so warm and overbearing to you, seemed to grace his entire being as if he’d been crafted by the hands of the gods themselves. 

“If I wanted to get you alone,” he said, dropping his voice to a lower octave, stepping closer to you, “I would have gotten you out of Tony’s little wayward cabin much sooner.”

He stood close, not close enough to smell him, but close enough that you had to tilt your head to keep eye contact. 

There was a quiet turmoil building inside you at his words, someone whispering “Shit” in your airpod. A slight tremor began at your core, echoing out into your limbs. He’d known where you were. He knew what you were doing.

At the sight of your face - you, who could barely hide your emotions - he grinned wildly. 

“I am the God of Mischief, or did you forget?” He tilted his head, squinted his eyes. 

Your mouth was dry when you answered. “That’s why you’re casting yourself as an illusion?”

“Clever,” he said, again. Then he licked his lips, erasing the comical expression on his features and replacing it with something akin to stone. “You’re mad if you think you can fool me.”

“Takes one to know one.”

He would have laid hands on you if he wasn’t incorporeal. His eyes darkened, chin dipping so that he stared at you along the length of his nose. 

“You’re a chipper little thing,” he said, voice laced with venom. The tone, his expression, the way his illusion made the edges of him tremble instead of glow, made your heart speed with fear. “I’m sure the Avengers trained you well. I’m sure your brother thinks he can save you.”

Bruce whispered in your ear, “Son of a bitch.”

Loki’s unmoving expression slipped enough for him to smirk maniacally. “In fact,” he said, “tell him right now that I’ll win. I’ll win this battle of wits. This fucking planet. And I’ll win his sister.”

And then he vanished, leaving you to hear nothing but your drumming heartbeat, like a sea of swarming insects. The only thing that lingered behind was the smell of pinewood.

I PROMISE PART FIVE WILL BE LONGER!!!!!!!!!!

Tags:  @subtlemalice @yallgotkik @buckyandlokirunmylife @kaz11283 @legolas-bromance @shylittlemountain @tofeartheunknown @feelmyfckngsoul @kind-of-crazy-butthatsokay @caffiend-queen @tomhollandsslilslut @lady-loki-ren @nathan-no @rosaline-black @abundanceofcarolines @my-own-oracle @it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream @marvelouslovely @drbaureid @bored-as-hell-666 @youhavemyfantasticbeasts @theinfinitenerd @toe-vind-ek-jou @ink-and-starlight @blank-bakabane @sunshineonloki your tag doesn’t work bb

[etherrreal]

“drunken love”

Pairing: nishinoya x gn!reader Genre: fluff Prompt: “I love you.” “Tell me that when you’re sober.” Word Count: 803 Warnings: reader being a drunken mess A/N: so close to having 2 works being named after beyonce songs lol ; but writing this was one of the easiest things i’ve ever done. like, i’m shocked by how quickly I wrote this one and how much I like it despite that? y’all better enjoy it because it ain’t ever happening again lmaoo -Luna

Nishinoya was woken up around 1:30am by the sound of his phone ringing, your unique, personalized ringtone blaring loudly from the corner of the room. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and picked up the phone, your best friend's voice coming from the other end.

“Hey Noya! I’m sorry for waking you,” she began. There was a brief pause during which he overheard her hiss for someone to sit down, and then she was speaking again. “Your pain in the ass partner–” another pause, this time accompanied by a shout that sounded suspiciously like your voice, followed by a deep sigh from your friend, “my bad, I mean your, uh, ‘little love muffin’ –whatever that means– got a liiiittle too drunk at this get-together. I think it'd be safer for you to come to drive her home.”

He heard your voice faintly in the background, commenting on someone's hair. He could only imagine what you looked like right now, and if your friend didn't sound so light-hearted, he would've been more worried about your well-being.

"Damn, she sounds far gone," he joked. "But alright. Just send me the address, and I'll be there as soon as possible."

The call ended with a click, his phone pinging soon after with the address of the bar you were at. Noya hopped into his car quickly, following the GPS directions to the bar only 15 minutes away.

He walked into the building and found it was pretty empty, servers wiping down cleared tables and beginning to sweep the floor. You were sitting at the bar next to your best friend, peeling the plastic label off the water bottle in your hands. When you heard the chime of the bell signaling that someone walked in, you looked up, locking eyes with Noya and letting out an ungodly screech.

You jumped up from your seat, stumbling into your boyfriend's arms. Incoherent words were falling from your lips, muffled by your face being smushed into his neck. He looked up to see the exasperated look on your best friend's face, biting back a laugh and offering her a winning smile. "Thank you for looking out for her! I'll be taking it from here,” he said, waving goodbye with what little movement he was allowed. “Get home safe!"

Noya waddled out of the bar with you dangling from his body. It was difficult getting to the car when you insisted on staying glued to him from behind, wrapping your arms tightly around his middle. He barely managed to get you to the car without tripping and eating concrete, walking over to the passenger side door to seat you first.

Unsurprisingly, you made getting into the car just as difficult as walking to it. You wriggled around non-stop, trying to reach for Noya to give him a kiss or to pinch his cheeks. He finally managed to sit you down with the promise of uninterrupted cuddling once you got home and into bed.

You sat in the passenger seat, body finally relaxed and head resting against the back of the seat. You were staring directly into his eyes while he reached around for your seatbelt, a permanent smile etched onto your face. Your eyes were shining with drunken glee and your expression reminded him of how you used to look at each other constantly during your honeymoon phase.

"What?” he asked, chuckling at your lovestruck expression. “What's with the face?"

"I love you," you blurted out.

He couldn't ignore the way his heart almost leaped out of his chest at your words. He so badly wanted to say them back to you, to believe that you meant your confession whole-heartedly, and while he knew that you felt strongly about him, just like he did about you, he also knew that you'd hate for this to be the way you confessed that to him.

"Tell me that when you're sober," he joked, clicking your seatbelt into place over your squirming body.

Brushing off your confession was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, but he knew that when you woke up the next day, head pounding with foggy memories of the night before, you'd appreciate that he’d spared you the embarrassment. Relationship milestones meant a lot to you, so he wanted to make sure that you, as a couple, could make this one special.

As much as you drunkenly whined and pouted about him not returning the sentiment, even going as far as repeating it several more times, he knew that you'd thank him in the morning.

And the next morning, after Noya brought you a greasy sandwich and a fresh cup of coffee, you told him you loved him like it was your first time doing so, and he knew that when he said it back that he made the right choice.

Written by: Luna

[fortisfiliae]

Promised Part 15 - Tom Riddle x reader

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Masterpost | Masterlist

Summary: In this story, Tom didn’t grow up as an orphan, but with his grandfather and uncle. Reader’s sister got very sick and the Gaunts offer their help. But not without asking for something in return.

Disclaimer: Please be aware that I don’t condone any of this in real life. (GIF is not mine)

A/n: This chapter is written from Tom’s pov. Reader will be addressed in third person.

Warnings: Arranged marriage

Word count: 2k

Part 15 - A Dagger for a Devotee

Now that all of the ingredients for the antidote were gathered and added, the potion was as good as finished. It just had to simmer on for a while. If the instructions were correct, it would be finished on June 29th, which was the last day of school. Graduation day. One day before the wedding. 

The wedding. Tom thought about it a lot. It would happen. That, he knew. The plan was to give Elsie the antidote on their wedding day so that she would be completely healed and they could still keep a low profile towards Marvolo and Morfin. Their wish would be fulfilled then, and even if the Gaunts were going to ask for more, they wouldn’t know that Elsie wasn’t under their might anymore. Tom was sure they were going to try to pressure him by threatening to hurt Elsie someday, even when he was married. That was just in their nature. They would never be satisfied.

He wondered how long it would take them to figure out that she had been healed. Weeks, months, years? And how they would react then. Were they going to take out their anger on him? The more he thought about it, the less he cared. He had even fantasised about it if he was honest. That Marvolo would lose his temper and would attack him. Tom had waited so long for an excuse to pay his Grandfather back, his fingers were itching just thinking about it. Oh, the things he would like to do to him were unspeakable and the grin on his face only widened the longer he envisioned them. He would welcome the opportunity with open arms. 

Some nights, when he lay awake and couldn’t just fall asleep yet, Tom wondered if his life would have been different, if he would have turned out to be another person, had he not been brought up by the Gaunts. He didn’t wish for it, like his fiancée had mentioned so often, no, but he still couldn’t help but wonder. Was there a possibility for a different Tom Riddle to exist? One that would live with parents, one that wasn’t as cold and narrow-minded, one that could crack a real good joke to his friends? A funny, warm, kind version of him? His stomach squirmed at the thought. Disgusting. 

He could have turned out like Benjamin Hilt. Merlin’s sake, what a nightmare that would be. To act like him, so loud and bothersome. Head in the clouds, mouth always open and never thinking about any consequences. Hilt had it so easy. But nevertheless, Ben’s attitude was intriguing. Annoying yes, but intriguing. Tom wouldn’t have thought Hilt would be able to keep his muggleborn mouth shut and keep the pact a secret, but he hadn’t told anyone about it yet, as far as Tom was aware. And he didn’t seem to keep his word out of fear, but rather out of belief. Ben wasn’t the type to have deep thoughts, by the looks of it at least, but he had his priorities set. And for that Tom respected him. Everything Ben did seemed to come so easily from within, not wasting one too many thoughts. It was something so deeply ingrained that it must have come naturally. 

He was so different compared to Tom’s friends. Or whatever word one would use for people like Avery, Lestrange and the others. They were nothing more than followers, blind and mindless. They wouldn’t just offer their help to be a good person. They always wanted something in return, even if it was just Tom’s recognition. And he knew, if someone else were to take his place, they would drop him in an instant. Their loyalty was superficial and egoistic. Just as his own. He would drop them too if someone more useful were to show up and solicit themselves. 

That was how it always had been. How he had thought friendships were meant to be. A mutual agreement, quite similar to business. Be polite, make use of a person as much as you can, make sure they’re intimidated enough to keep their knowledge to themselves and wish them well on their way out. Simple, beneficial and most importantly efficient. 

But what his fiancée, Ben and Camille had was so different. He had waited for Camille and Ben to ask for something in return. Weeks had gone by, where he had anticipated for them to come up and ask for a favour. A note from the head boy to get out of detention, or something else. But they hadn’t. They had helped to steal the Banshee tears and were still tending to the potion in the Come and Go Room every day. For nothing? He couldn’t fathom it at first, and only when he thought about it again, it came to his mind that this could be what real friendship was like. 

He didn’t like how much it churned him, how much consideration it had taken to come to this conclusion, when apparently for other people, that was the most natural thing in the world.

Tom obtained a much greater deal of wit than Ben, without a doubt, but yet, Hilt possessed so much more emotional intelligence than Tom could ever dream of. And he was jealous of him. That Ben could just walk through life, listen to his gut and trust that whatever it would tell him would be with good intent. Tom could have made real friends too then. He could have developed that trust to his gut too, if he hadn’t been fed those vicious thoughts by the Gaunts his whole life. He could have even gotten to know a muggle for all he knew, if he hadn’t been told, day after day, how worthless and irrelevant they were. That’s what they had always said. But the Gaunts had lied so often, maybe they had lied about that too. He had believed them for so long that he couldn’t even tell which opinion was his own and which one had been planted in his head by someone else. 

And then came three people who acted against all his values, showing him a glimpse of what life could be like. Everything he knew, his view of the world, as well as his belief, had collapsed in a matter of months. He had learned so many new things, he wasn’t even sure if he knew himself anymore. 

Had he changed? He must have, somehow at least. It was ironic, how the Gaunts’ plan to marry him off to a pureblood witch, who they thought would bring their family safety and respect, turned out to result in the complete opposite. Nothing, not even Marvolo’s paranoia and obsession for being a step ahead had come of use. They all had turned against them in the end, and for what? The faint idea of power and reputation? What worth did those things even have when everyone who bowed down to you only did so out of fear? They would take the first chance they got to stab you in the back with the very dagger you had given them. If you can’t trust your devotees, why bother?

Trust was something he thought of a lot, too. Did someone truly trust him? His fiancée for instance. She had put her faith in his hands several times in the past, yes. But would she trust him with her life? Had he done enough to earn her deepest trust yet? Or would she let him fall too when the opportunity arrived? When the deal was sealed, her sister was free and the Gaunts were powerless. Would she leave him, or would she stay? It kept him up at night when he thought about being alone again. Not because he depended on someone to be there, he was fine on his own. But he couldn’t change the fact that he wanted her to stay. And only her. No one else would do.

No one else had ever awoken that part of him before. That part that wasn’t as selfish, as calculating and cautious. And he knew no one else could. There was something about her, that slight brush of a hand when she touched him, or that unintentional notion of a smile she wore so often that broke out a whirlwind of emotion inside of him again and again. And he still didn’t even know what it was that he felt. It was nerve-racking, this mixture of nervousness, excitement and joy. If he had been able to, he would have buried those feelings long ago, deep down somewhere where they could have never disturbed him again. But he hadn’t. And he was glad about that. No matter how irritating it was, he craved it now. 

He craved to see her as often as possible, the sound of her voice, the touch of her fingers on him. Her mind, her body and everything in between had him longing, thirsting for even more proximity. He ached for that bond so much, it had become a hassle and he needed to suppress it to prevent himself from shying her away. 

But it was hard to feign composure when all he wanted was right there before him and she was so willing to accept his bid. It took all his might not to do what he most wanted and lock her up in a golden cage, where she would remain for him alone. His secret, his very own jewel. But most importantly his.

He couldn’t do that to her, he knew, she wouldn’t allow it. And he wouldn’t dare. He would never dare to add imbalance to the fragile structure they had built over the last year. She had come back to him eventually, day by day. He just needed to remind himself of that. Wait and improve his patience. Trust that she desired him as much as he did her. And by all accounts, she must have. Why else would she treat him the way she did? The idealist in him feasted on the way she acted towards him. How fearless and comfortable she was. How her mood could swing from gentle to feisty in a second, never dreading his reaction. Her honesty, which was the easiest, as well as the hardest thing to give someone, was what he most cherished her for.

Never before had he experienced something so close to perfection. The purity of emotion, so vibrant and raw it nearly hurt. But its absence was even worse, like a bottomless hole that sucked him in and ate him up from the inside. He had become addicted to the feeling and he would do anything to keep it. 

He would marry her, yes, and willingly so. He would do anything she asked from him. But if she was to leave him then, if she would take that dagger and push it into his heart, he knew it would destroy him.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Masterpost | Masterlist

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[svnarintaro]

any other way mr. boom boom man

a/n: this is for yssa’s birthday,, she is one of my best mutuals ( @katsuhoee )

my birthday message for her: thank you for not only being a good mutual and total icon for the bnha tumblr community you are one of my greatest friends and i think i could never have express how thankful i am to know you :") to be your friend is a privilege and i thank you for putting up with me 🤧💕

synopsis: bakugou has been so busy with trying to figure out how to start his own agency after you guys graduated and that was all he had on his mind. so after you get forced to hang out with your best friend on your birthday you knew that he had long forgotten your special day.

word count: 1.4k

bakugou katsuki x !fem! reader  

(i made this gif :”))

~~~

“Y/NNN let’s go somewhere you lucky birthday gal!!” mina’s loud voice rung out in your house. after the graduation you just felt kind of empty, school was over and a new chapter in your lives. mina was hanging out in your room on your birthday, she came early in the morning to deliver you a box of cupcakes and your birthday present. “i would love to mina but.. i was planing to visit katsuki..” you held your head down low in disappointment and you checked your phone for the tenth time in the given hour.

mina internally panicked. it was her job to keep you occupied as katsuki was at his house getting things ready with the rest of the bakusquad, she needed to get her whole act together but she needed to make it seem natural, "you know your boyfriend is literally an old man in a teen body, he barely has his phone on."

a wave of disappointment fell over you. 'she does have a point. and besides katsuki hates birthdays anyways.' you sadly smiled and asked mina if the two of you could go to a specific grocery store to pick up a specific type of popsicle. "WAIT THERE ARE SUCH THINGS AS BOBA BARS?!" mina screamed out.

"yeah! i mean.. todoroki said something about there being boba bars a while ago and i thought tat you would be one of the people that would try it out with me." your mouth practically had a bucket of drool with how much you wanted the popsicle. "can we open the box once we get one?" mina asked as she skipped alongside you. you were happy that throughout all three years at U.A she was there to be a shining light of positivity. your head nodded at her request.

meanwhile

"I TOLD YOU GUYS TO GET OUT OF THE DAMN KITCHEN," bakugou screamed in pure anger as he was trying his hardest to concentrate. "bakubro calm down a bit, knowing mina she can probably find a way to distract your lovely girl friend for a while." denki assured the angry alpha male in the kitchen.

he wasn't under the pressure of time. he was more angry at the fact that he had three imbeciles helping him for y/n's special day. "I KNOW PINKY IS VERY CAPABLE UNLIKE A CERTAIN DUNCE." the aggressive blond continued to stir the living daylights out of the whipping cream he bought for the icing. the three other boys were there to help with the decoration of his house. "damn who knew bakugou was such a simp for his girl-" sero whispered but the moons the mutters the words 'his girl' his face was met by a wooden spoon.

"guys don't make fun of him. this is a day about her not a day about him being doting for her so calm down." kiri places his hand on his heart as he was about preach about 'how manly' his best friend was for doing this for his girlfriend. in full honesty bakugou never really celebrated birthdays. he was always with his parents on that day and refused to see anyone else but the moment he had you his whole life changed so he wanted you to be happy on your day.

mina went on and on about her old dance performances, even breaking out into dance when she wanted to show you how the dance went. "you seem pretty cheerful today mina~ what's up with that?" you were growing a little suspicious since on the way to the market she wanted to film around 3 tik toks and they all were posted privately, "nothing i just really like hanging out with you." her arm was hooked around your shoulders and she ruffled your hair.

"alrighty mina. operation boba bars shall now commence." you clapped your hands as the two of you dashed towards the frozen isle. you scanned for a black little box that had the bars that you needed, while mina was on the other side texting bakugou asking how much longer did she need to stall for the boys to get ready. 'calm down i just need thirty more minutes racoon eyes.'

mina got the message as she put her phone in her back pocket and started her search for the popsicles. 'if it takes ten minutes to get to bakugou's place from here and approximately 5 minutes until the bars melt with this type of weather, i will opt to eat half of the box so the boys can have the time they need.' and as if it was magic mina found the box and she grabbed it and went to the other isle to find you.

"y/n!! i got the.. bars." you were looking at a group of first years getting together. the nostalgia felt surreal to you. "y/n.. are you okay?" mina tilted her head to see your face more clearly, you were crying. "sorry it's just.. ever since graduated our lives are now beginning, we are moving so quickly and i don't even know where to start.. i just remember how much time has gone by.." you wiped your tears to show a smile. "but i know one thing is for sure! is that i want you, bakugou and the rest of our friends to stay friends for the rest of our lives."

you felt sad but you knew you had to let go from being seventeen and jumping onto eighteen. "alrighty princess let's get your crown back on your head. we are going to eat these and then we are going to barge into bakugou's place and yell at him." the classic mina smile made your solemn feelings melt away and you nodded. "and as your ultimate bestie i will have he obligation to pay for you."

after the two of you payed you opened the box to have the popsicles. it was a hot day after all, so the two of you started to head to the bakugou household. "okay but like why do these absolutely SLAP." you laughed as you enjoyed the cold treat. "todoroki knows what's up-" you laughed out and you smiled thinking about how far todoroki went from being the most awkward boy in the class to on of the most easiest people to talk to.

the two went on and on about how good the popsicle was and recorded each other for your snapchat memories.

the moment that you got to your boyfriends house struck some true terror in you. "alright here it goes.." you walked up the pavement with mina at your side and you knocked on the door only to see it open as if it weren't locked.

you were confused and walked in. "katsu? where are you the door was open.." your head was filled with the worst case scenarios. as you walked into the house even further the lights were turned on and you heard a loud 'surprise'. you saw not only the rest of the bakusquad but the rest of your friends from your graduating class of 3-A. "guys.." you brought your hands to your face to wipe the tears off of your eyes.

you saw bakugou in the middle with a cake that had an elegant icing job.

"you thought we forgot? bold of you to assume the the great bakugou could ever forget his princess' birthday." he held the cake in front of him as he took large strides towards you. "i wouldn't miss this for the world."

he urged you to blow the candles out so you could hang out with the rest of your friends before you got to open your gifts. you got greeted and you talked about random topics with the people you haven't seen since graduation; deku and uraraka were getting married, todoroki went to europe, jirou got scouted by numerous agency's and so much more.

by the time the party died down and the presents were exchanged bakugou came up to you and wrapped his arms around you. "happy birthday love.. i have something for you." he pulled you outside to gain a little more privacy. "i know we have been through so much and that our lives are beginning to change before our eyes. i know we aren't going to be friends with everyone in the class once we begin our careers but.." he pulled out a lanyard with a key on it. "i will never let you go y/n. and i swear by that. so could you do me the honour and move in with me in my new apartment?"

you couldn't believe it, you could finally live with bakugou and actually have free reign of the place. "i wouldn't have it any other way mr. boom boom man." you smiled as you pulled him in for an kiss.

[awhitehead17]

Universal Signs

Epilogue / Previous Chapter

A/N: This is the final chapter and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read this story, who has stuck by it from the start and to everyone who interacted with the story. It's all greatly appreciated, so thank you.

Also on AO3

Enjoy! :D

After slapping a sticky note on the fridge Tim heads out into the gardens of Wayne Manor. He feels the need to be alone and plus he wants some fresh air, the garden is a great place that provides him with both of those things. The note just happens to be letting everyone know where he’s gone off to. It wouldn’t be the first time its happened so they know to leave him be.

Tim walks through the grass and heads into the cluster of trees at the back of the property. Over the last few months, this area has become his escape for solitude. It’s peaceful, hidden away from the manor and no one else goes there. There’s a small gap in the grove, it’s big enough for him to settle on the ground, the tree roots emerging from the ground provide a good support to lean on and the grass there keeps it somewhat comfortable.

He comes here when he needs a break and today is no different. Being inside the manor is suffocating him and Tim just needed to get out, he needed to get away from the same walls in attempts to try and clear his mind.

Settling down on the ground Tim lets out a sigh and takes a moment to observe the nature around him. The leaves on the trees are slowly beginning to turn into a mixture of reds, oranges and browns, a clear sign that autumn is on the way. There are birds chirping away in the trees. There’s an occasional rustling of leaves where there are squirrels hurrying along the branches above him.

After a while he closes his eyes and leans back against the tree root he’s come to favour over time and lets his mind wonder.

It’s been six months since he’s returned home from being in space. At this point he’s somewhat adjusted to being back however there are plenty of times when he struggles with it. There are as many good days as there are bad days, they seem to balance one another out with how often they each occur.

The first month had been the hardest. His emotions were all over the place, everyone was on high alert, there were so many things Tim needed to catch up on like events in the world and even just his family relationships. Tim’s mental health went downhill, not alarmingly so considering what had happened but it was still a cause of concern for his family. He was constantly hit with anxiety, paranoia, disorientation, nightmares and insomnia.

Tim absolutely refused to go to therapy. No matter how much his family tried to convince he just outright refused, even straight up walking out of the room when the word was mentioned. He knows it would be good for him, however what the fuck was he supposed to say? How would he describe about being kidnapped by aliens? They would think he's insane and would probably try to lock him up in an asylum! The easiest way to avoid that is to simply avoid therapy.

He did find though once he told Dick and Jason what happened things became a little easier. A weight disappeared from his shoulders and he could be open with his brothers. Not about everything that occurred but most things and that alone made a difference.

Things stayed rocky throughout the second month and it wasn’t until the third month that things started to improve. Tim started to handle his mental health better, it took some time but he came across a variety of resources online and used those as guidance. While he didn’t magically heal overnight and still had problems, they slowly became less severe and easier to handle.

When the fourth month came around they let the public see Tim for the first time since he returned. That had been a mistake. The Wayne’s are well known in Gotham City (and somewhat the world) so there had been spotlights on them from the moment it got declared Tim was missing. While the spotlight lessened over the course of the two years Tim had been gone, once Tim’s return made it to the news the family were instantly highlighted once again.

Bruce and his team kept Tim out of the way, they kept statements and quotes pretty vague and anonymous. Of course there were lots of conspiracies on what had happened to Tim, where he had been that entire time and how he had managed to return home. If Tim was being honest some of the theories were pretty hilarious, though not one of them even came close to the truth.

The time they decided to get Tim out in public was during the annual charity event that took place in city hall. Majority of his family were attending meaning Tim wouldn’t be alone, the spotlight would theoretically only be on him for a few moments until the next celebrity showed up. Tim had been reluctant at first but after reassurances from his family he said yes. After all if he made an appearance the media may calm down and leave them alone.

The moment Tim stepped out of the limo they arrived in he had been bombarded and it didn’t let up the entire night. Even with his family there and the bodyguards no one really left him alone. The press were savages hunting for food.

Before getting kidnapped Tim could handle the press well, he knew how to play the game, how to avoid and deflect questions and answers, but this time he couldn’t. It was all too overwhelming, his emotions and mind went into overdrive and panic. He couldn’t help the panic attack no matter what, fortunately his family caught on to what was happening and managed to get him away somewhere private by the time the attack happened. They supported him through it and then called it a night. He hasn’t been in public since.

The fifth month had been a mixture of month two and three. Tim had his ups and downs but he was handling it the best he could. His family were always there to support him no matter what.

During the fifth month Tim decided to tell Bruce what had happened. He sat down with his adoptive father, Alfred too, in his office and Tim told him everything that had happened. Tim had been a nervous wreck and it took encouragement from Dick and Jason for him to finally do it.

Both Bruce and Alfred seemed to take it in stride. At first they seemed like they didn’t believe him but after a couple of days thinking about it they said to him they believed him, why would Tim make up something like that? On the other hand his story seemed to only encourage Bruce to try and get him a therapist even more and once again Tim blatantly refused. He argued he was handling it and so on. With reluctance Bruce dropped the topic but Tim knows it’ll come up again soon enough.

Now though, at six months, Tim thinks he’s doing okay (besides the obvious). He would like to believe he’s doing okay. There’s not a day that goes by where he doesn’t think about the aliens that saved him, or some of the events and adventures that had happened when he had been with them.

If there’s anything positive that’s come from his experience it’s that he's decided on a career change. Before getting kidnapped Tim had been working at Wayne Enterprises in the offices doing a mixture of roles. At the time he had been looking into the future of helping Bruce to run the company, he was well on his way to do it too despite his age. However his trip has opened his eyes up and he’s decided a career change seems suitable. He’s now going into astrophysics. A job in the sciences and looking at space, time and the universe.

Tim has only recently started up online courses because he needs to work on getting a degree in the field before moving onto getting an actual job in the area. He’s smart enough for it, and now that he has the interest and even first-hand experience in the area its all the more interesting. He finds it particularly fun when the question “is there life on other planets?” come up.

Apart from the online classes Tim’s time is spent catching up with things and generally chilling around the house unless he's dragged into something by one of his siblings.

Oh, doesn’t that make him think of another major adjustment he’s had to come to terms with. Damian. Bruce’s biological son. Tim knows his story of arriving to the Manor but he doesn’t fully know the details of his past. There was tension between them but they were civil to one another any time they cross paths. It certainly took time, and still is taking time, to get used to that he has a younger sibling. On the bright side at least he’s not the youngest anymore!

It was also thanks to Damian that Tim learnt that his universal translator works on Earth too. Upon his arrival back home, Tim had completely forgotten about the little device installed in his teeth and the remote that came with it. His mind had been on other things after all but it wasn’t until Damian spoke in his native tongue, Arabic, that Tim realised the translator is still implanted in him and it works with Earth languages too.

After that discovery Tim spent a good five hours on YouTube watching a range of videos in a variety of languages. It blew his mind that he could understand every single one of them. However, even though he can understand them, he can’t speak the languages nor can he write or read them. It had been an interesting discovery, now any time Damian speaks Arabic and Tim hears him, he can’t help but snicker at the teen’s language and the kinds of names he calls their siblings.

He sighs again, feeling oddly unsettled. His life seems almost rather dull now in a way. If anyone heard him say that after knowing everything he went through they would call him insane, but it’s like his “space life” had always been one adventure after another, always something to do, or a danger to be aware of. Now that he's back on Earth where there’s not so much of that it feels strange.

With that pleasant thought in his mind Tim opens his eyes up and starts to make a move to leave. He usually comes out to this forestry area to clear his mind but unfortunately today that doesn’t seem to be the case, his mind doesn’t seem to want to shut up. Tim trudges back to the Manor through the gardens as the sun begins to lower signalling the approach of the evening.

The next few days seem to repeat themselves until the weekend rolls around. It’s Saturday when Dick decides he wants to take Tim shopping. It’s a risk going out into public like that, as Tim pointed out to him, but Dick argues it’ll do him good to leave the Manor and how it’ll make a change of scenery for him.

Tim only agreed in the end when they compromised they’ll only be out for no more than three hours. Dick wanted more and Tim would prefer less, three seemed to be a good balance for them. Apparently his brother wanted to get himself some new clothes and there was the fact he needed to get Barbara something for her birthday that’s quickly approaching.

Together they go to the closet mall and Dick drags him into about five different clothing shops. The man gets himself a variety of new autumn clothes and even grabs Tim a fluffy sweater and a new jacket. Tim really did have to stop him when he tried to by an elephant onesie though, Dick may like the damn things but that didn’t mean Tim did.

After clothes shopping Dick decided to duck inside a jeweller’s shop on the way out of the mall. While Dick is inside buying who knows what, Tim choses to wait for him outside the shop. He stands  by the door, leaning against the frame and people-watched as they walked by.

No one paid him much attention as they went about their days. Each person, family, couples all absorbed in whatever activity they were doing or what shop they wanted to get to. It still was bizarre to Tim, even after six months, that everyone here just goes about their days without the slightest bit of clue to what’s out there above and beyond. It makes him wonder what and where he would be if he never got kidnapped.

Tim shifts his position against the frame, propping his back up against it more as he continues to look around. He freezes however when something catches his eyes at the other end of the mall. There’s a small group of people who were stood off to the side by the wall out of the way from everyone that catches his attention. Their heads were ducked together as they spoke to one another and they all had their backs to Tim so he couldn’t see their faces. Tim doesn’t look away though because there’s something about them that seems familiar.

He’s not sure how long he stares at the group of three but they don’t move from their position in that time at all. He doesn’t think they’re up to anything as they don’t seem suspicious but there’s a tugging feeling inside of Tim that’s telling him there’s more to the group.

When one of them turns their head around to observe the surroundings as if trying to find something, Tim gasps. Surely that can’t be…

“Tim!”

Tim blinks and looks away from the group to find Dick standing next to him looking at him curiously.

“What’s gotten into you? You okay, I was calling your name for ages.”

Tim blinks at him again before looking back over the group, he sucks in a breath when he finally sees all three faces of the group. He watches with wide eyes as they start to move from their position and Tim knows he needs to go after them.

Without saying anything he pushes off the door frame and heads in that direction as the group starts walking in the opposite way. If Tim doesn’t catch up to them now then he’ll lose them and that isn’t an option.

However he doesn’t get more than a couple steps away before he's stopped as his arm is caught in a tight grip by his older brother. Tim tugs his arm roughly as he tries to get Dick to let him go. He frantically looks between his brother and the slowly retreating group.

“Dick, please, let me go… I need to go.” Tim begs. He could feel the desperate need to go and approach that group, he could feel his heart pounding and even some excitement stirring inside of him.

Dick’s grip only tightens. “What the hell you on about Tim?” His words are stern but Tim could hear how they’re said with an anxious tone.

Tim tugs his arm again, this time reaching out with his other to shove Dick away. “I’ll explain, I promise, just let me go…”

“No, not until you tell me what you’ve seen.”

When Tim looks over the group was now almost out of sight and Tim could feel his heart dropping. This was his last chance just to make sure he hadn’t been seeing things. Knowing Dick wasn’t going to let him go, Tim shoves him hard and yells at him.

“Let me go!”

In either shock or panic, Dick lets him go and Tim couldn’t be more relieved. As soon as his brother’s hand is off his arm Tim is shoots off in an instant, he ignores all the eyes now staring at him as he runs by them in the direction the group had disappeared from.

Miraculously he manages to catch up to the retreating group. He spots the three familiar figures manoeuvring their way through the crowd heading towards the other end of the mall where an exit is. Tim rushes forward, not caring about how manic he looks as he passes by strangers, and as soon as he’s in hearing range he shouts to try and get their attention.

“Kon! Kon, Cassie! Guys. Bart!”

The shouts get him a few more weird looks but he continues to be oblivious to them as he’s tunnel visioned on the three people in front of him. Thankfully his shouting gets the attention of the right people because the group stop and turn around in their place.

Suddenly Tim couldn’t breathe. There in front of him were the aliens who he thought he would never see again, the aliens who saved his life numerous of times and the ones who returned him home.

Kon, Cassie and Bart stand in front of him staring back seeming just as shocked as he is. For a long time none of them move as they all take in that they’re actually seeing one another again. If Tim weren’t so surprised by their appearance he would be questioning it, but he’s too elevated to give it much thought in that moment.

Without realising it Tim is moving and so were they. They meet in the middle and Tim finds himself wrapped up in a group hug. He breathes deeply, wondering why the action feels so familiar, and even safe, when he hasn’t seen them in six months.

He pulls back and looks wildly between the three of them. He can’t believe they’re here. Could this be a dream?

“Tim! We were just looking for you!” Bart grins brightly.

Tim shoots him a look, then glances at the other two. “Looking for me? Why what’s going on? Wait, wait, wait, how are you guys here? Why are you here?”

Bart’s smile falters a little at Tim’s rapid questions. “Because we wanted to find you.”

Tim shakes his head, feeling a little guilty that his questions came across wrongly. “No, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just completely surprised to see you that’s all. This is totally unexpected.”

“Tim, as wonderful as it is to see you, do you know a place we can talk privately and not in the middle of… this place.” Cassie says glancing around cautiously.

Tim copies her and he finally realises how many people are looking at them funnily as well as giving them a wide berth as they pass by. Tim nods his head in understanding, this isn’t the kind of topic a group of people can discuss in the middle of the mall.

Just as Tim was thinking of a place they could go for privacy a shout gets his attention.

“Tim what the hell!” He turns around and is met with a furious Dick marching up to him. “What the fuck were you thinking running off like that?”

Tim huffs and rolls his eyes, he gets why Dick is worried but at the end of the day he is in fact an adult and not a toddler. “Dick it’s fine, I’m sorry but this is important.”

Dick studies him for a moment before his eyes flicker over to the three aliens standing opposite them looking awkward at the sudden appearance of his brother.

“Right so, Dick, this is Kon, Cassie and Bart,” he points to each alien in turn, “guys, this is my oldest brother Dick.”

There is a pause between them all and while the aliens look confused he could see the wheels turning inside of Dick’s mind. As if it’s clicked, Dick turns to Tim with wide eyes, “Are these the ones that saved your life?”

Tim smiles, feeling pleased that his brother has remembered his story and those involved. “Yeah that’s right.

“What are they doing here?”

Tim shrugs and turns to the others. “What are you guys doing here, beside looking for me?”

“Can we go somewhere else first Tim. Like away from all the eyes.” Cassie says pointedly.

Next to him Dick looks confused. “Tim what did she say? Wait, how do you understand them? That isn’t any language I’ve heard of.”

Tim blinks trying to comprehend everything going on. The aliens that saved his life are on Earth and he doesn’t know why, his brother is clearly confused and the others are looking at him expectantly. Tim is starting to feel pretty overwhelmed by it all.

In attempts to control his thoughts and emotions Tim takes a deep breath. “Right lets go somewhere else. Then everything can be explained.”

The private place they end up going happens to be a nearby park. It’s a large open space, where people are scattered over the place, it’s private in the sense that no one is paying them any attention and unless someone walks directly next to them, no one can hear their conversation.

The five of them settle down on the grass in a circle, the aliens and even Dick all look a little apprehensive for the choice of location but it’s not like there’s many others. It’s not like Tim and Dick can return home with the aliens in tow and expect Bruce to be okay with it.

“Right,” Tim says getting everyone’s attention. He glances at his friends, while still feeling  completely gobsmacked by the fact they’re here, and gets down to business. Tim needs to find out what’s going on.

Now they’re all sat down Tim blurts out his questions without restraint. “How are you guys here? Why are you here? I thought you were all being punished or put on probation? Did you complete it, did it end and now you’re free to do as you please once again?”

None of them respond to his rapid questioning, they each look at him blankly like they couldn’t understand what he’s saying. When the silence drags out for too long Tim is about to repeat them when Kon speaks up for the group.

The Kryptonian sends him an empathetic look and with patience says, “Let us just explain what’s happened that’s brought us here, hopefully the story will answer your questions.”

Tim has to retrain himself from firing out the questions again. He wants answers! He can’t believe they’re here, he thought he would never see them again but here they are!

Next to him Dick lightly smacks his shoulder to get his attention. “Tim what are they saying? What’s going on?”

His brother is looking awfully confused and concerned. Tim can’t exactly blame him. He’s dragged Dick with him to sit down with practically three strangers and is now witnessing a one-sided conversation because he can’t understand the other three.

“They’re about to explain why they’re on Earth. I honestly thought I would never see them again, I’m just as confused as you are.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea Tim. What if it’s some sort of… trap or something?”

A surge of anger rises inside of Tim at the accusation. He understands Dick’s worries but this isn’t a trap and he knows it. They wouldn’t do that to him, not after everything they went through together.

“Dick shut up for a moment.” Tim snaps at him after a pause once he’s got his emotions under control. “Also they can understand you too, so watch what you say. If you don’t like it, go away and I’ll come find you later, or sit here and be quiet, it’s your choice.”

Dick stares at him, clearly taken back by the aggression of his words. But Tim isn’t relenting. He narrows his eyes at his brother, daring him to say something. In the end Dick raises his hands up in surrender and stays where he is. Once he’s delt with Tim turns back to the aliens.

“Sorry about him, there’s just a little misunderstanding. Please tell me what happened and how you’re here.”

Kon launches into the explanation of what happened after they took Tim home. Apparently they returned back to Krypton before finishing off their collection job, what they had originally been doing when they first met Tim. Once they completed that they were put on probation and were kept under watchful eyes for a long time. They weren’t allowed on any missions, they had to go back to the basic training skills and from there build the trust back up with their so called leaders.

Once some trust was established they were allowed on missions but only with other older members of their squadron, they described it like someone was babysitting them. They also had to report back on anything and everything during the mission. Because of good behaviour from the each of them, they were then allowed out on missions independently as a team some time later.

After more trust had been built, after they had once again proven themselves apparently Kal approached them for a very specific mission that would suit their abilities and past experiences.

Kal had given the three of them the mission of doing recon and observing humans on planet Earth. Apparently their files and databases don’t have enough accurate information on humans and after the fiasco with Tim, it’s about time they start taking human beings into consideration and start learning about them properly.

The three of them were to stay on Earth for an extended period of time to gather the data they need and to regularly report back to the leaders with their findings. They didn’t go into detail on what it is they need to do or what they need to observe but Tim can easily overlook it because at the end of the day they are in fact here on Earth and with him.

“So Kal sent you here on Earth to ‘observe’ humans because of you guys knowing me?” Tim asks just so he’s clear on it all.

The three of them grin and nod in response. Amused, Tim snorts softly. He settles back on the grass, using his elbows to keep him propped up. “Surely he knows that as soon as you land you would try and find me. By the way, how did you find me? I thought I was unable to be tracked?”

“We parked the ship where we dropped you off. We’ve hidden the ship from anyone seeing it or anything detecting it. Once we’ve found a more suitable place we’ll move the ship.” Cassie explains waving her hand around subconsciously as she talks. “Knowing that the city next to it is the one you said you lived in, we took a chance and started looking for you. As you pointed out, we can’t track you, so we’ve been relying on nothing but hope and chance in bumping into you.”

Tim shakes his head in disbelief. So it had been by pure chance that they happened to be in the same part of the city, in the same mall, at the exact same time as Tim.

“I’ve always wanted to come to Earth, especially after meeting you Tim. It’s strange, different from other planets we’ve visited before. Also why are the days so short? Everything is bright because the sun is out and you’d practically blink and it would suddenly be dark, but after that you’d blink another time and it’s light once again.” Bart starts rambling from his position in between Tim and Kon. He looks around curiously, taking in everything and Tim could see him shaking in place, it’s like it’s taking all of Bart’s self-restraint to not go speeding off into the city in his excitement.

Tim laughs at his comments, Bart is just the same as he remembers. They all are really and it fills Tim with a warmth he can’t describe.

“How have you been since you’ve been back? Is everything alright, run into any trouble?” Kon asks him sounding concerned. Tim notices the way his eyes drift over to Dick who is currently on his phone not paying them much attention. Tim gets the feeling Kon may be feeling a bit protective of him, especially after seeing how Dick had unintentionally treated him earlier.

Tim shrugs, pulling a face as he looks around the park. “No more than what was expected to be honest.” He looks back at the alien. “So far, and touch wood, I haven’t run into or even seen any League members. There’s been my own personal stuff I’ve had to deal with but nothing like what you’re thinking of really.”

Cassie sits up straighter, she’s also eyeing Dick like he could be a threat of some kind. “And him there?”

Tim rolls his eyes in response. When will everyone stop treating him like a kid that constantly needs to be protected? “He’s fine. He gets a little over-protective and after not seeing me for a couple years, especially after what happened, he wants to make sure I’m fine. He’s not a threat.”

Both Cassie and Kon don’t seem satisfied with his answer but they let it go. Tim lets out a long breath. “So what now? You guys are here, what did you have in mind once you found me? How are you planning on completing your mission?”

“We were hoping you would be able to show us things about the human life.” Bart says looking at him hopefully. “After all, you know what you’d be talking about, there’s also the matter of fact no one can understand us except you because of the translator.”

“Yeah okay, I think I’d be able to help you. After all, it’s the least I can do since you saved my life several times. However I won’t be able to be with you all hours of the day, I have commitments to deal with as well.” Tim points out. He would love to help them out but he can’t just drop his life to do so, not that there’s really much going on but that’s not the point.

The three of them nod in unison, clearly understanding what Tim meant. “Any help would be great Tim, thank you.”

They get talking about a few other bits, like what they have discovered since being on Earth for themselves. During that conversation there were a lot of snarky comments made about how underdeveloped humans were, surprisingly those comments no longer annoy Tim, he simply rolls his eyes and moves onto the next thing.

Tim’s broken out of the conversation after Dick nudges him to get his attention. Tim blinks at him, completely forgetting he was even there to begin with. “Tim it’s getting late, we should probably get heading home.”

Tim glances at the clock on his own phone and is surprised to see the time. They’ve spent hours talking and catching up.

After a brief conversation about where they could meet up the next day, they settle on a time and place before parting ways. Once they were out of hearing range Dick puts his attention on Tim. “So they were the aliens who saved you? I didn’t expect to meet them, they don’t look like what I expected them to.”

Tim rolls his eyes. “I have described to you before what they look like Dick, not all aliens are huge and green with tentacles, antennas and multiple eyes.” He certainly isn’t going to tell Dick that there are in fact aliens that look exactly like that.

Dick laughs at his sarcasm. “You know that’s not what I meant. They each have a different language yet you spoke to the three of them with no problems.”

“Yeah that’s because of the universal translator I have planted in my teeth. Its one of the first things they did when they found me. Once it was implanted I was able to understand everything they said, it’s how they all communicate out there.”

The two of them finally reach the car and climb inside.

“So what are they doing here on Earth?” Dick asks as he starts the car up and begins driving them home.

“They’re here because they’ve been sent to do recon on humans, they need to report back their findings to their leaders. While being here they decided to come and find me, they have also asked if I could help them out. Since they saved my life, agreeing to help them isn’t an issue, it’s the least I could do.”

Dick asks him a few more questions about what they discussed, his brother is still put off by the fact they all have different languages and yet they can all understand one another, but on the most part he seems okay with them.

It makes Tim wonder if he should let his family officially meet the aliens, if he did how would it all play out? Communication will obviously be an issue, Tim will have to be their translator but it may be worth considering in the long run. The aliens showing their powers to the family would certainly be interesting and with how private Wayne Manor is, they could get away with it and not be spotted.

Those thoughts remain in Tim’s mind for the rest of the day, into the night and stay with him until the next day when he meets the aliens again. Tim makes sure to keep them all away from too crowded areas (they ended up in the park again) and makes sure he’s prepared for anything that may go wrong. It’s one of the first times he’s left the grounds on his own since returning home and he’s nervous. His anxiety does calm down a little when he finally meets with his friends but he stays alert just in case.

They have a brilliant day together. Tim answers as many questions as he can when they each ask him stuff, he also shows them what he could, stuff that really helps humans in their day to day lives, for example his mobile phone. Alongside that Tim introduces them to the internet. Witnessing them using google for the first time was as amusing as it was painful to watch.

Don’t even get him started about when Bart tried to talk to Siri.

When their day starts drawing to close, Tim’s earlier thoughts come back to the fore front of his mind. In the end he decides to bite the bullet and turns to the aliens.

“How would you all like to meet my family?”

There's a pregnant pause between them and before anyone could reply Tim starts rambling on. “I know that communication may be an issue but we can get around that. I think it would be good for you to meet the ones I spend most of my time with. Not only that, I can then also show you what human family life is like, how homes operate and what gardens can be like. It may be worth considering?”

When there’s more silence Tim winces, curing himself for his eagerness. It’s stupid, of course they wouldn’t like the idea. Why would they –

“Yeah okay. That sounds interesting, of course only if you’re sure about it.” Kon says eventually looking thoughtful.

Tim whips his head around and stares at him. “Really? You want to?”

Kon shares a look with the other two, who nod in response, and turns back to Tim. “Like I said, if you’re sure about it, yeah.”

“Okay, okay…” Tim mumbles now getting equally excited and nervous about this happening. After they agreed Tim called Alfred up and asked the butler to come and pick them up. While on the phone Tim explained to Alfred the situation and how he’ll have company with him. God bless his soul, Alfred took it all in stride. While he seemed dubious about it, he agreed to let them come back to the manor.

Once Alfred arrived Tim took the others to the car and guided them inside. He greets Alfred before diving into an explanation on how cars work.

The journey back to the Manor is a short one and Tim has the fantastic opportunity to watch the awe expression cross his friends faces as they see the manor for the first time. Despite how many places they have travelled to, it seems like this really captures their attention, something that’s truly impressed them and Tim couldn’t help but feel slightly proud of that.

Once they’ve parked up, Alfred goes ahead first, probably with the main intentions of warning everyone what’s about to happen. Tim hovers behind for a while as he lets his friends stare at his home and the surrounding gardens. When more time than necessary has passed, Tim gently nudges them up towards the stairs, saying he’ll take them on a tour later on.

When they enter the manor they’re greeted with the sight of Alfred, Bruce Jason and Cass standing in the hallway watching them come in. Once they were all in Tim closes the door behind them and moves so he’s standing in front of his friends and faces his family.

Tim shuffles uncomfortably in his place, he’s feeling the apprehension of this meeting now more than ever. Taking a deep breath he addresses those in the room. “Everyone I would like you to meet Kon-el of Krypton, Cassandra of Themyscira and Bartholomew of Keystone. These three are the ones who saved my life while I was gone, without them I would have died long ago and never would have returned home. I owe them everything.”

Tim stares at each family member in turn, observing their reactions. Alfred of course is aware of them already and seems pretty neutral, Jason narrows his eyes at the aliens in distrust but doesn’t comment, Cass looks at his friends with curiosity which seems to be on the more positive side of things and finally Bruce seems stoic as ever, Tim couldn’t really tell what he’s thinking.

Eventually the thick atmosphere in the air is broken when Bruce steps forward, eyeing each alien carefully until a smile takes over his face and he relaxes his posture, letting go of what Tim could describe as the ‘alpha’ persona (the one where Bruce tries to make it clear he’s the one in charge and has all the dominance in the room).

“Thank you for helping my son and bringing him home. If I could ever repay you please let me know.”

Of course the aliens could understand Bruce but if they spoke then he wouldn’t understand them. In return to Bruce’s words, they each smile appreciatively and duck their heads. Bruce doesn’t seem bothered by the lack of verbal response, he resumes on as normal.

“Since we have guests how about something to eat. Tim, I’m sure your friends would be interested in trying some of our food?”

Tim glances at the trio, raising an eyebrow in question. They each look back at him and shrug nonchalantly, clearly not bothered either way, or at least that’s Kon and Cassie, Bart on the other hand looks as eager as ever to try food.

Tim turns back to Bruce. “Yeah they’ll eat. I hope you have a lot because Bart will literally eat everything in  the house. He’s a Speedster and naturally eats more than the average person.” Tim laughs letting his adoptive father, and even Alfred, know in advance.

“There’ll be plenty Timothy, no need to worry about that. Now if you would like to follow me, I’ll show you where we will be eating.”

Without waiting Alfred turns around and heads into the depths of the manor. After sending a glare at each of their guests, Jason is quick to follow Alfred. Cass smiles politely and trails behind Jason with Bruce behind her.

The trio glance at Tim, clearly waiting for his cue before doing anything. Tim rolls his eyes and gestures on ahead, “Go, it’s going to be fine. Plus you’re going to absolutely love Alfred’s food, it’s the best.”

“If you say so…” Cassie mutters walking ahead.

Bart is about to speed off down the corridor but Kon catches his arm just in time to stop him from doing so. “Bart. Be careful, this isn’t somewhere you can easily run around in.”

“After we’ve eaten I can show you the gardens Bart, its plenty big enough outside for you to have free reign.” Tim says, knowing the Speedster’s way of dealing with his energy. Bart rapidly nods in response and starts after Cassie, not in a run but certainly a quick walk.

Then it’s just Kon and Tim left. They share a knowing smile. “It’s good to see you again Tim and it’s great to know that you’re still safe.”

Tim grins, feeling warmth rise up inside of him. Before saying anything he gestures for them to get walking, as they do he speaks up. “I missed you guys too. While I don’t particularly miss space and everything out there, I miss being with you three on the ship. I certainly wasn’t expecting to ever see you again.”

Kon shrugs, a sheepish smile playing on his lips. “Well we, or rather I, planned to visit you from the moment our probation was mentioned. I knew as soon as we had free reign again, we were going to come and visit you.”

Tim’s eyes widen at that. So even before they parted ways, Kon and the others had wanted to continue seeing him. “Well I’m glad you’re here, and that you’ll be here for an extended amount of time too.”

When they reach the dining room, they stop just short of the door. From inside loud sounds where being made and Tim dreads what kind of chaos he's about to walk into. It’s just another usual family dinner at this stage, there’s always some kind of drama going on. He turns to Kon with a thought, before he enters the room he shoots him a sly look, unable to help himself. The Kryptonian has no idea what he’s about to be in for.

“I’ve experienced your life Kon, now you get to experience mine. It’s probably going to be the wildest adventure you’ve had yet and that’s truly saying something, I hope you’re prepared.”

As he walks into the dining room, Tim leaves behind a bewildered looking Kon. For the first time since everything had happened, Tim is actually forward to what the future will bring. He knows that ups and downs will happen but he’s also excited to see what’ll occur with his new friends by his side as they learn about his way of life. It’s certainly going to be an experience.

[thewritewolf]

After the End Chapter 25: Study

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@marichatmay

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

“So is this everything you’ve got from daddio?”

Adrien looked at the mountain of paperwork, spread across folders and binders and ledgers, stacked precariously in his father’s old office, then looked back at his best friend with disbelief.

“Did you want more to go through?”

“Chill, bro. Just tryin’ to get the lay of the land, ya know?”

Alya put a hand on both of their shoulders. “Don’t worry, this is more than enough to work with. Let’s just start going through all this with an eye for detail and see where it takes us.”

“I just don’t know what we’re hoping to find.” Adrien let out an exhausted sigh as he pulled up a seat and grabbed a stack at random. “I’ve been pouring over this stuff for months now. What else could there be to find?”

“Adrien, my chaton, I think the world of you, but you don’t have a deceitful bone in your body.” Marinette took up a spot near him and took a ledger. “Besides, you haven’t exactly been in the best mindset while you’ve been on your own.”

“Having a bunch of extra eyes lookin’ at this stuff is only gonna do us some good. I’d bet my hat on it, bro.”

“I’m hoping you’re right.” Adrien’s eyes went distant for a moment as he frowned at a paper in front of him. “Otherwise, I don’t know how we’re going to tackle the Gentlemen.”

The next hour was spent with each of them pouring over documents from the elder Agreste, from anywhere between fourteen years ago and a month before the battle that ended his life. Despite his fears that it would be another tedious slog like it had been the first time, the off and on conversation with his friends kept things lively. At least, as lively as they could be while they were digging through his dead dad’s stuff.

With Marinette sitting so close to him, he was the first one to realize that something was up. He noticed that she was flipped back and forth between two pages, her nose crinkling in the way that he’d long come to associate with intense focus while she was in the mask.

He craned his neck to look at what she was, but it just looked like some internal memo from a couple years ago. There were vague memories of him looking through it weeks ago but it was just another dreary Agreste communication.

“Something up, m’lady?”

She held up one finger without looking up. By this point the others had started paying attention to her. All three of them waited for her to finish whatever it was she was doing. After a few minutes her eyes widened and she gasped.

“That’s it!” Her eyes locked onto his. “There’s some kind of message hidden here!”

“Wait, are you sure?” Adrien leaned over her shoulder but didn’t see anything out the ordinary.

“Yes!” Marinette pointed out a couple words in the middle of the memo. “There are a couple letters that have been randomly capitalized here.”

“Well, Nathalie was usually pretty overworked so I’m not too-”

“But its not just that! There is a lot more paragraphs than what a tiny memo like this would really need. And if you pull out all the capital letters from each paragraph…”

She sketched some notes on the side. Spaced out like she said and with the letters in place, they almost looked like a small sentence. A sentence with completely jumbled up words, but still.

“Okay…” Adrien felt a spark of excitement. He hadn’t expected to find something so quickly. “What do we do now then? It doesn’t make any sense like it is right now.”

“That’s where we come in.” Alya took the paper from Marinette’s hand. “Nino, M - keep digging through those memos. Adrien, find as many of those as you can to pass to them.” Alya pulled out her phone and began typing furiously. “And can you give me any important words that your father might have used as a cipher?”

After another hour of frantic work, they’d compiled a few whole papers of transcribed secret messages. They’d even pinned down that the only ones with messages were memos on the Wednesdays of each week, for whatever reason. And eventually Alya cracked the code - naturally, the magic word had been ‘Emily.’

Working as a team, they managed to get an entire one sided conversation decoded.

“Any idea where the other half could be?” Adrien said as they finished up.

Alya shrugged. “No clue. But these were internal memos, right?”

“Yeah…”

“So the Gentlemen had to have at least one person on the inside of the company.” Alya frowned and tapped at her chin.

“I’d bet that he also had them respond from the inside then too.”

Nino gave him a confused look. “What makes you say that, bro?”

“He was a control freak. There was no way he’d let it go out into something he couldn’t control, like the newspaper.”

Alya frowned in thought. “You might be onto something there, but we don’t know for sure right. We’ll have to make do with what we have right now.” She looked over at Marinette, who was pouring over the notes that they had made. “So… what’s it all worth, M? Was it worth two hours of our time?”

Marinette nodded slowly and looked up at them with her lips pursed into a thin, pale line. “This was without a doubt worth the effort to get it.”

“Well don’t keep us in suspense, girl! Spill the beans!”

“They’ve been working on this for a while, but basically?” Marinette took a deep breath. “They’ve got pieces of the old Guardian monastery and are using that to turn off kwami powers.”

They exchanged looks with each other.

“You’re… gonna have to explain that to us, girl.”

Marinette rubbed her temples. “Okay, so the Guardians are responsible for taking care of the miraculous, right?”

“Yeah…” Adrien glanced at the other two, who were just nodding along.

“Well, Hawkmoth wasn’t the first time a chosen has gone rogue. So they made their main base out of stuff that was pretty resistant to the powers of the miraculous. Or, well, they enchanted their stained glass and masonry to be that way.” She looked at Adrien. “If you tried to Cataclysm their building at the height of their power, it would have absolutely no effect.”

“But didn’t they get wiped out by an amok?”

“Yes - the powers of an amok, not the miraculous itself.”

“Seems like a pretty big flaw,” Alya said, crossing her arms.

“To be fair to them, those powers are both the hardest to account for, and have the miraculous holders easiest to take out in a one on one fight. After all, the butterfly and peacock miraculous don’t help much in a direct battle - they’re only good for attacks from a distance.”

“So - what?” Nino rubbed his temples. “They nicked some old rocks and that makes ‘em supes powerful?”

“Something like that.”

“Wait.” Adrien held up a hand. “Didn’t the old monastery get restored by the Ladybug cure years ago? Wouldn’t the monastery have resisted that?”

“Apparently the enchantments wore off a lot, and they had to spend years restoring them.” Marinette smiled. “But you’re right - the monastery is back. Which means they won’t be able to get more pieces of it, at least not without fighting a bunch of mystical warrior monks who know this stuff way better than they do.”

“But where does that leave us now?” Alya asked, elbows on her legs as she leaned forward.

“It means two things.” Marinette held up one finger. “First, it means that we know what these… let’s call them lodestones will look like. Old masonry, maybe something glass or jewel-like.”

Adrien’s eyes flew open. “Like that egg the Gentlemen dropped to get out of the alley!”

“Exactly! And two,” she held up a second finger. “Once their current stock is gone, they have no way of getting more. I’m also going to bet that they won’t be keeping all their lodestones in one place - between each one being a huge source of protection, from what I understand of Guardian magic, having them charged like this and too close together would break them. ”

“So… where do we start, then?”

“The lodestones need to be activated to work, and I doubt they’re going to keep them turned on all the time even though we know where they are.” Marinette started pacing. “And we know that since Chat’s transformation didn’t immediately drop that powers active before the lodestones are introduced are unaffected.”

Marinette stopped and grinned at them.

“I have a plan.”

[goldentournesol]

Let It Die

(Spencer Reid x Reader)

The one where Spencer and Reader fall out of love with one another.

A/N: Request: let your music playlist pick a random song. Complete a fic based on the lyrics (Mgg or Spence x female! Reader) please ;) Excited to see what comes out of it!! Xoxo I LOVED THIS IDEA! thanks for requesting! so...much..ANGST! (does NOT have a happy ending) </3

Length: 1.4k

masterlist

Let It Die - Three Days Grace (this song is basically the embodiment of angst)

We had fire in our eyes

In the beginning, I

Never felt so alive,

In the beginning...

Falling in love with Spencer was the easiest thing Y/N ever did. In the beginning, their love was passionate and truly unbreakable. Their love made people envious of them. It seemed as if they were attached. They understood each other when no one else bothered to understand them. 

Y/N remembers a time when loving Spencer was pure bliss. She remembers the late nights filled with giggles and laughter. She remembers the way his face used to light up when she used to bake him his favorite cookies. She even remembers how he used to delve straight into her arms upon his arrival, having been completely and utterly ripped apart from his emotionally and physically draining job. She, of course, knew and expected the difficulties of his job, but then, everything began to change. 

His smile seemed to have been permanently cut in half from where it used to stretch across his face and reach his ears to barely showing itself. His demeanor around her had muted itself. The once shining and eccentric Spencer had died down. She would have attributed his withdrawn behavior to his job, but when he was around his work family, the Spencer she fell in love with returned. It was only when they were alone would his responses become cold and dry. He’d stopped looking her in the eyes unless he absolutely had to. Spencer was a man of very many words, but lately, he couldn’t find any to say to her.

She confronted him time and time again.

“Spencer, I don’t know what’s been going on with you lately. But I’m here for you, you know that right?” he’d only hum in response.

“I made dinner, do you want to eat together?” he’d make up an excuse, saying that he already ate or that he just wasn’t hungry.

“Bad day today?” she’d ask, hoping to spark a conversation, but he’d just nod.

She didn’t know why he was avoiding her, but soon it became exhausting. They slept on opposite sides of the bed. When he was away on cases, she’d often find herself crying. Crying because he was so distant. Even when he was around he was so close, but still so far away. Crying because he stopped putting in the bare minimum. They had lost their spark and they both knew it. Neither of them was willing to admit it. Y/N kept it to herself in hopes of reigniting the fire they once had and Spencer kept it to himself because he knew that she would be devastated.

Spencer was currently on his way back home from an especially difficult case and Y/N hadn’t realized that he’d be returning today. Communication between them was challenged. 

She’d found herself scrolling through old photos of them together. Their eyes and smiles were so bright, so full of life and love. Her heart ached at the loss of that. Before she knew it, the tears falling from her eyes turned into waterfalls. The sadness she’d tried to lock away was overflowing as the sobs fought their way out of her body. She wondered if he felt the same. She was so lost in her sadness that she’d barely heard him come home.

Spencer had walked in and heard her sobs. A sigh left his lips as his heart shattered for her. He found her curled into herself on the couch, swiping through old pictures of them. He placed his bag on the floor and cleared his throat, resulting in a startled scream from her.

“Relax! It’s just me.” he said, lifting his hands up. He wished to see a sense of relief when her bloodshot eyes met his, but instead he was met with frustrated huff that very obviously hid behind a plethora of emotions. He wished he could read her body language but he couldn’t place exactly what was going through her head.

“Oh...I didn’t know you were coming today.” she spoke softly, turning back around. She was slightly ashamed that he saw her in such a vulnerable state but then she remembered that she shouldn’t be thinking that way. It was Spencer after all.

“Yeah, um...I figured you’d be asleep.” He stood at the door awkwardly, his hands shoved in his pockets. His heart yearned to make her sadness dissipate, but he knew he wasn’t able to anymore. 

He approached her slowly, “Do you...do you do this a lot?” She didn’t know whether he was referring to her bawling her eyes out or looking through the photos, so she just shrugged, avoiding his gaze. He took a seat near her and she felt new tears escape when the familiar scent of soap and coffee hit her. A scent that used to bring her comfort now made her throat close up, as if she were allergic to it.

I swear, I never meant to let it die

I just don't care about you anymore

It's not fair when you say that I didn't try

I just don't care about you anymore

“I just wanna know why.” she asked, her voice laced with heartbreak and confusion.

“Why what?” he asked.

“Why did you let it die?” she sniffled and turned to face him, “why did you let us die?”

He was so taken aback by the loaded question, that he didn’t even know what to say, and Spencer always had an answer for everything.

“I swear I never meant to let it die.” he stated. Her greatest fear had been confirmed, but she wasn’t convinced. She was so fed up with his actions, or...lack thereof. 

“I want to scream at you right now, Spencer Reid. I want to fight with you! I want you to talk to me! Eat with me! Hell, even look at me! Where have you been?!” he was about to answer but she interrupted him, “No! Not physically! When you’re with me, you seem absent. When you’re with me, I miss you! How is that even possible?! It’s exhausting, it’s like you don’t even want to try!” He watched her as her hands balled into fists at her side, not knowing where to put her emotions.

“It’s not fair when you say that I didn’t try, Y/N.” Spencer says, feeling his chest close up. It felt like he had given his all, but to her it just wasn’t enough.

“The hell do you know about fairness?!” she yelled at him, “You have no idea what it’s been like for me these past few months, Spencer!” He knew she was right, but it was like something snapped inside of him and he’d just lost all ability to empathize.

You blame me, but

It's not fair when you say that I didn't try

I just don't want to hear it anymore

“Please, can we talk about this later?” He’d already felt so drained by the day to the point where he didn’t know if any combination of words even existed in English language that could possibly make her feel better.

“Later? Later?! You mean there’s going to be more of this?!” she gestured between them angrily, “No, no. I’ve had enough, Spencer. Even now, you don’t even want to try! Try it, Spencer! Fight with me, damn it! Let me know that I’m worth a single ounce of emotion to you!” Y/N stood up, stomping her foot on the ground.

He stared up at her with empty eyes, despite being filled with tears of his own.

 “I just don’t care about you anymore.” 

He hadn’t meant for it to come out that way, but he couldn’t have been more clear. Somehow, it made sense to him that the clearer he was, the less she would hurt. He was proven wrong when her breath caught in her throat and she physically took a step back as if he had stabbed her. The look on her face was enough to make his own tears escape from his eyes. 

That right there was the worst thing that had ever been said to her. It was at that moment that they knew their relationship became irreparable. Falling out of love with Spencer was the hardest thing Y/N ever did.

[ilovefandoms102]

Oh Boy-Part 7

Summary: JJ and you try to plan a date when it backfires...

Taglist:

@ma10427 @lasnaro @certainstatesmantoadartisan @iamaunicorn4704 @riverdaleserpent04 @justcallmesams @sspidermanss @tangledinsparkles @jellyfishbeansontoast @hurricane-abigail

Part 6  Part 8 

edited by author

=====================================

=====================================

JJ and I were sitting in my room after a hard days work for the both of us. Me smoking a cig, reading some of my dads old findings, and JJ rolling a blunt (what a surprise).

It was a hot day in the outer banks and our air conditioning decided to go out. Neither JB or I had money to fix it, so we suffered through the heat. JJ strolling around shirtless with a pair of khaki shorts, and I in my bikini top and jean shorts.

If I had to run anywhere I threw on a cropped tee, but I wasn’t planning on leaving the chateau unless it was to go to the beach, or someone was dying. 

“Ya know sweets, we haven’t been on a real date yet,” JJ said, blowing a puff of smoke in the air. 

“What did you have in mind?” I asked, hoping he didn’t think he had to do anything fancy for me.

“I was thinking a day at the beach. Just us..no Pogues.” JJ suggested, looking over at me and shooting me his pearly whites.

“Sounds good to me, as long as you provide the beer,” I laughed.

“You know I got us babe,” he said, scooting closer towards where I was sitting on the floor, starting to play with my hair.

“When are we doing this?” I asked, looking up at him.

“You work tomorrow?” he asked.

“I work the early shift, so I get off around 3,” I said. 

“Perfect, we’ll go have a day at the beach after you get off then.” JJ smiled, leaning down to kiss my head.

“JJ, what do you think about the whole JB and Sarah thing?” I asked.

“I don’t know..I really don’t like the idea of her being involved..” JJ shrugged.

“I mean she’s already a Kook, practically has money falling out of her dads ass. Has never had to work a day in her life for anything, and she has the audacity to try and slither her way into this.” I said, getting up from my spot, starting to pace around the living room.

“Babe..”JJ sighed, knowing I was overwhelming myself worrying about my brother and his new found love with a Kook.

“Of all people JJ it had to be fucking Sarah Cameron, Princess of the Kooks. And I mean, what if we don’t find this gold? Then what? Is she just going to leave? God, John B would be heartbroken.She-” I rambled on.

“Sweetheart, you’re working yourself up over nothing.” JJ assured, coming to stand in front of me. He put his arms around me, hugging me to him. I buried my face into his neck, feeling my tears coming to the surface.

“You don’t know that J, people like us don’t get happy endings.” I slipped out, regretting it immediately. 

“Shit..” I whispered when I felt JJ grow tense.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” JJ asked, pulling away from me.

“I-” I started, but JJ didn’t let me finish.

“So how long were you going to let this go on before you cut me loose then, huh!?” he yelled.

“Baby, please, I didn’t mean it like that. It just slipped out!” I cried.

I couldn’t look at him knowing what I said cut deep.

“Don’t even baby me” JJ said through gritted teeth. 

“I’d take a fucking bullet for you, and you have the audacity to sit there and say we don’t get a happy ending?” he yelled, pointing his finger in my face, coming so close to me I had to take a step back. 

“JJ please! I’m sorry I-I didn’t mean it like that you have to believe me!” I sobbed, trying to reach out to him, but he back away with a disgusted look on his face.

“What because I’m not rich I’m suddenly not good enough for you? Is that it?” JJ asked angrily, his face becoming redder by the second.

“It’s because of me JJ it has nothing to do with you! I’m not good for you!” I screamed, now it was my turn to get in his face. 

“I have an insane amount of problems that will never go away! My mom left, my dad is dead, and my brother is on the same path. I have no money, no way of going to school, and I can barely keep this house now. I’ve got nothing going for me J..” I confessed, finally letting out what’s been bottled up for so long. 

“Sweetheart..” JJ whispered, realization hitting him.

He relaxed his shoulders, trying to put a hand on my face when I stepped back from him.

“Nothing in my life has ever gone right J..and I’m terrified every single moment that I’m going to lose you, my brother, the others..you can have any girl in the world you want. So why would your happy ending be with me?” I explained.

We started at each other for what seemed like hours. I couldn’t take it anymore and started to make my way past him to go to my room.

JJ’s hand shot out and caught my arm as I was about to walk by him. I looked into his baby blue eyes, he was so beautiful..any girl would be lucky to have him.

Not just for his looks, but for his heart, JJ has the kind of heart that when he cares, he cares deep. That’s what I love about him. He was perfect inside and out.

“I don’t want anyone else..” JJ said, staring deep into my eyes. “I want you, all of you, the good, and the bad...I want all of it baby...because it’s you” he said, staring intently into my eyes. 

“JJ-” I started, leaning my forehead against his.

Suddenly there was a big bang right outside the door, both JJ and I jumped at the sound. We waited for a second before someone started pounding on the door.

JJ started towards the door, dropping my arm in the process. I snatched his hand before he got too close to the door.

“Are you insane?! Have you not seen any kind of horror movie?! You don’t just walk to the door at a potentially dangerous situation!” I whisper yelled at him. 

Then we heard, “COME OUTSIDE YOU DIRTY POGUES!”

Kooks. No surprise there.

“Please tell me you didn’t leave the gun in the van JJ.” I said, squeezing his hand.

“Ok I won’t tell you,” he agreed, and I smacked him over the head for that.

“The one time we need it!” I yelled.

The banging got louder, we both stared at the door. We took off to my dad’s office since it was the closest room to us. Shutting the door, I locked it and stood with my back against it.

I called my brother, telling him we needed back up and to get here as fast as humanly possible. JJ was trying to get the window open, but was having trouble. I went and tried to help, both of us pulling with all our strength.

“Fuck, it’s not budging!” I yelled.

Finally the stupid thing caved and we got it open. JJ climbing out first, I followed behind. We took off towards the HMS, running into none other than Rafe and his goons. 

“Well, well, look at what we have here guys.” Rafe smiled wickedly.

“Why are you here Rafe?” I asked, grimacing at his creepy smile. 

“An eye for an eye,” he said.

“What the fuck does that have to do with us?” JJ asked, snatching my hand and pulling me behind him.

“You see, your brother little pogue, beat my boy Topper here pretty badly over my sister. So, I figured, what a better way to get back at John B than to come after who he loves most...and that would be you little pogue.” Rafe shrugged.

My eyes widened looking at each of the Kooks he had brought with him. I noticed Topper sporting some nasty scratches and bruises on his face. We didn’t have a way out with the Kooks surrounding us, I just prayed that my brother would get his ass here soon along with the others.

“So we’re not even going to do this fair and square? You had to bring your goons for one girl?” I taunted Rafe.

“If I had thought you’d be alone little pogue, I would had definitely came by myself.” Rafe said, looking me up and down. JJ took the few steps separating us from Rafe, their chests bumping together.

“You better watch your mouth talking about my girl Kook,” JJ said through gritted teeth.

Rafe just laughed and motioned towards his goons. Circling us in, two guys getting JJ in a headlock, and Topper and Kelce holding my arms. I resisted as much as I could, but trying to fight against two guys who were twice my size was not the easiest thing to do.

“Stop this Rafe! This is so stupid! I have nothing to do with my brother and your sister!” I screamed.

“I need you to be quiet, it’s very disrespectful to talk while someone is trying to hit a ball.” Rafe said nonchalantly, acting like he was lining up a golf club.

“Very brave of you Rafe! Five on one?” JJ sneered.

“Aw JJ ya know, you look really bad man. You’re starting to look more like your dad.” Rafe said laughing. JJ spit in his face in response. “Oh shit” Rafe exclaimed.

“Rafe please!” I pleaded.

“You just wait little pogue, I got major plans for you later” Rafe winked.

I fought the urge to vomit right then and there.

Then Rafe took his first hit at JJ, and I couldn’t help the tears that flowed. I screamed and pleaded with Rafe to stop. JJ not wanting to seem like it bothered him, taunted him more.

“Come on man is that all you got” JJ laughed, blood coming from his nose and mouth.

Rafe then took JJ by the shoulders and threw him on the ground. Rafe and the other Kooks holding him starting to kick and punch at JJ. My heart broke into a million pieces. I felt so helpless, I fought my hardest against Kelce and Topper to no avail. 

“RAFE PLEASE STOP! PLEASE! JJ!” I wailed. 

“Shut the fuck up you stupid bitch!” Topper yelled backhanding me.

My head snapped to the side, my ears starting to ring. I could taste blood in my mouth, and I turned back towards Topper. I looked him in the eye and spat in his face, the blood from my mouth splattering across his face.

This caused him to let go of me, and I took that chance. Somehow I managed to yank my arm from Kelce and sprinted towards JJ. I jumped on top of him, turning to look at Rafe.

“You’ve done enough Rafe!” I yelled, holding on to JJ for dear life. My poor boy was unresponsive to my touch, so I assumed he had to of passed out. 

I heard a car pulling up, hoping that it was my brother and the other Pogues. My prayer was answered as I saw my brother, Kie, Pope, and Sarah running towards us.

I looked down at JJ and lost my breath. His beautiful face was so bloody and swollen I hardly recognized him. I put my head to his chest and thankfully he was still breathing.

“JJ? Baby, can you hear me?” I asked, my tears falling onto his face. I brushed his hair out of his face. I sobbed harder, my shoulders shaking, I bent my head towards his. 

“I’m so so sorry baby, I never wanted this to happen to us. I hate myself for thinking that we couldn’t have our happy ending. This can’t be the end for us. I’m falling in love with you JJ Maybank, so please don’t leave me now.” I sobbed into his shoulder.

================================

Hope this was worth the wait! I loved how this turned out! 

[forever-rogue]

“I never meant to hurt you”+ : “ First one to make a noise looses.” For Cassian Please??

Oh, my sweet Cassian. The light and love of my life. I am eternally soft for him. I hope you enjoy.

»»————-　♡　————-««

You never thought you'd be the one running back to Cassian. Once you'd...ended things with him, you had vowed to basically avoid him all together. It was supposed to have been easier...simpler. You'd even gone so far as to seek an appointment in a different area, leaving Cassian's squad and resorting to doing menial work on the base. It was a far cry from the exciting work you had been used to doing, but it kept you away from him. Which made it slightly easier. Not much...but it helped.

The fact that things ended badly was not lost on you. The lingering looks and pointed comments that Cassian gave you still caught you off guard. They were never mean, or cruel...just different. Sad. Hurt. 

You knew from the start that it was...risky to get involved with him. He was after all technically your superior, and on top of all that, he was Cassian fucking Andor. A quiet, somber man, hardened early on a child, now grown into a soldier. His mind rarely left work, and he was more business than anything else, and no one seemed to really crack into him. Until you. For some reason he trusted you more than anyone else and opened up to you, fully and completely. He'd warned you to stay away, that it would only lead to pain, but insisted you could handle it. Insisted that you could handle him. 

And it had been bliss...for the first while anyway. Cassian as a lover was a sharp contrast to Cassian the soldier. He was gentle, warm, kind, bewitching you heart and soul with the sweetest smile and best laugh. He was everything you didn't realize you had been missing.

But, as with most things, the honeymoon phase had to end at some point. Not that things went...sour per se. But the evenings were more tense, you bickered about the smallest things, and even your time alone became...too solitary. You didn't blame, or yourself. It was a stressful life you led, and things like this were bound to happen.

You loved Cassian Andor, fully and completely, with every fiber of your being. That's exactly why you had come to the conclusion that the only way to preserve what happiness Cassian had was to break it off. It was both the easiest and hardest decision you had ever made. He didn't even try and fight you. He didn't try and get you to stay. When you had left this quarters, he had quietly closed the door, leaning against it and listening to the silence for a long time. He hadn't bothered to wipe away the tears had that fallen down his cheeks. He'd tried to keep it all together, and for the most part he did, but a part of him felt like it was never the same.

»»————-　♡　————-««

Knocking lightly against his door, you wondered if it was even loud enough for him to even hear. Maybe he did hear it and he just didn't want to speak to anyone. A million maybes swirled around in your mind, but after a small period of silence, you decided to give up.

Turning on your heel, you were ready to scurry back to your own quarters but stopped when you the sound of your name, "Y/N?"

His normally warm voice was stilted, containing an edge you couldn’t quite place, but it still set your heart on fire. Like it had the first he’d spoken it when you’d met, like it had the first time he’d whispered it before he kissed you, like the first time he moaned it as you made love. It would always have that effect on you.

“What are you doing here?” he opened the door further and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest as he tried to figure out why in the galaxy you had come to him. It was you that had ended things, after all.

“I...” you trailed off, throwing your hands in the air to signify that you didn’t really know why you were there. Something had just compelled you, “I don’t know, Cass. I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to bother you.”

You were about to walk away, the same pang of sadness hanging in the air as when you had first left him. It was somehow harder the second time around, because a part of you wanted him to stop you. You wanted him to force you to look at him, to speak to him, to tell him why. Why had you just left? Why had you just ended things? Why?

But before you could get to the end of the hall, you felt a hand grab your wrist and stop you. He’d been silent, making no noise as he caught up, a skill acquired from a lifetime as a soldier and spy. You met his soft, dark eyes, searching his face for an answer, some sort of...something.

“Cass?” his nickname easily fell from your lips, tasting as saccharine as ever. He brought his hands to your face and tracing his thumb along your bottom lip as he tried to find answers in your soft expression.

You didn’t know who broke first, but his lips found yours and your arms wound around his neck and you held each other like it might be the last time you were got to do so. It was fervent and feverish, a mess of tongue and teeth as you moaned against him, and he held onto you for dear life. It was, of course, highly inappropriate for the two of you to be engaging in such behavior, especially where anyone could see. But it didn’t matter. The only thing that matter was Cassian, and how it felt to have him back in your arms.

“Cass,” you pulled back from him, trying to catch your breath as he rested his forehead against yours. His eyes were closed, and he hummed in content against you, “I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know,” he said as he let out a shaky breath, giving you a small nod, “I know why you did it, it’s understandable. But it didn’t make it any easier.”

“I shouldn’t have walked away,” you sighed as he took your hand and started to lead you away towards his quarters from his potentially prying eyes. Despite how open and affectionate he was with you, he was still largely a private man and preferred to keep things out of the public eye.

When you returned to his room, he quickly shut the door and made sure it was secure so no one could possible intrude. He sat down on the edge of his bed and gave you a long, hard look; it was determined, but still gentle. Almost without thinking you went over to him and sat in his lap so you were facing him. He stripped off your jacket and you rested your head against his chest, listening to the steady, strong rhythm of his heart as you inhaled his warm smell. He always smelled of beautiful, sweet spices.

“It’s okay,” he reassured you as he felt you clinging tightly on time, “I’m here.”

“I’ve missed you,” you murmured against him, your lips finding the exposed skin on his neck and peppering a few kisses along the column of his throat, “I’m so sorry, Cassian.”

“It’s okay,” he promised softly, “it’s okay, I’m here.”

You nodded as he pulled back and put a finger under your chin, turning your face up to his. He smiled at you, that same smile you had fallen in love with all that time ago, before crashing his lips onto yours. Pushing gently against his chest, you forced him flat on his back against the bed, so you were laying on top of him, “I love you, Cassian.”

“I love you,” he repeated as he pulled you tightly against him. You sighed contently at the familiar feeling of his body underneath you as he kissed you, “do you want to play a game?”

“A game?” you asked as he nodded with a devilish little glint in his eyes, “what sort of game?”

“First one to make a noise looses,” he said as laughter bubbled up in your throat. You’d always added these little types of challenges into everything you’ve done, just to one up each other, and because you were both so competitive, “what? Are you scared you are going to lose?”

“No,” you insisted, “I know I am going to win. I’m just trying to think of how to punish you when you lose.”

“I can think of a few ways that would be fine...”

“Oh my stars,” you playfully rolled your eyes at your dark haired lover, “just shut up and kiss me, Cassian-”

“Happy to oblige-”

“And get ready to lose.”

“Never,” he insisted as he grabbed you and turned you, so you were pinned underneath him, “I think you’ll be losing tonight.”

“Okay,” you grinned at him, taking a hand and running it through his dark locks, “I’ve missed you, Cassian...I just...I...”

“I know,” and then he kissed you again. And he kissed you more. And then some more. And then-

You lost.

[smolbeandrabbles]

Driving Home For Christmas - Johnnie x Reader (Prime Mover)

Holiday Fic 3! 🚛🎁

@wltz-bby​ @happyskywhale​

Author’s Note: Sooooo... this song was just staring me in the face and I didn’t even clock that this was the easiest connection until super late. When I sat worrying about how the heck I was supposed to fill all my December slots!! 🤦‍♀️🙈

As a warning, this one is certainly Christmas related, rather than winter related. As the next one will be

This is also the same relationship as in ‘End Up With You’ and ‘My Oh My’.

Disclaimer: Prime Mover & associated characters not mine / I capped the cap! / lyrics not mine.

Premise: Everything seems to be going too well for Johnnie on his last run of the year, until he hits traffic...

Words: 2331

Warnings: Swearing / all the joys of your parents hating your S/O during the festive season / sexual connotations look I told ya

_____ I'm driving home for Christmas Oh, I can't wait to see those faces I'm driving home for Christmas, yea Well I'm moving down that line

And it's been so long But I will be there I sing this song To pass the time away Driving in my car Driving home for Christmas

It's gonna take some time But I'll get there Top to toe in tailbacks Oh, I got red lights on the run But soon there'll be a freeway yeah Get my feet on holy ground

Driving home for Christmas With a thousand memories I take look at the driver next to me He's just the same Just the same

Top to toe in tailbacks Oh, I got red lights all around I'm driving home for Christmas, yea Get my feet on holy ground So I sing for you Though you can't hear me When I get trough Oh and feel you near me Driving in my car Driving home for Christmas

---

This hadn’t exactly been the plan. Nowhere near the plan. In fact, if you had it the way you wanted it, Johnnie wouldn’t even have been pulled out on this last run of the Holiday season. He was supposed to have got back and been done roughly a week ago. Only a few days ago, as he’d been kicking around the garage to hang out with you, Phil had hauled him into one last over-nighter. Johnnie could probably have said no, and afforded to. And you, staring helplessly at him, hoped that he might. But he didn’t - and part of you knew that he wouldn’t. Johnnie would take work when he could get it - that’s what he always did. You let him know how unhappy you were about it, but he had calculated for this, and all he did was smile, showing you his worked out route: “It’s okay! I’ll be home! I’ll be home!” He was due back mid-afternoon Christmas Eve and you had held him to that. In fact, Johnnie had been running pretty well up until about lunch time, he’d got all the way there in relatively light traffic and made good time - the final drop off was complete and now he was driving empty back home he could at least lay on the gas a little. He made sure to update you every chance he got - and you always reminded him to take rest breaks. Johnnie bent the rules often enough, you didn’t need him in trouble just before the holidays - especially not REAL trouble. By the way you’d both calculated it, he might have been back even earlier than expected. And that got your hopes up. Unfortunately, as the day had worn on, Johnnie realised that he was not the only one going home… everyone this side of Australia seemed to be heading in the same direction. And suddenly he found himself stuck in tailbacks and holiday traffic. “Aw… Geez…” The radio was playing the appropriate festive music, only - sitting in the Australian summer heat - Johnnie couldn’t really say he was feeling the lyrics when all they talked about was winter wonderlands and wrapping up warm. No thanks. The one upside was, with only minor movement, he could message you a little more. But he didn’t want to worry you too much and stress you about traffic. So he let you know that he was in it - but nowhere near how bad it really was. It couldn’t be this terrible all the way back home, right? It had to let up eventually… Johnnie would have nothing to worry about. And worrying you any further would just cause him unnecessary problems. *** Your original idea was to wait for him at the depot until he arrived and then head over to your parents. But as it got later and later, he was nowhere to be found and you were pretty much the last person standing - realising the futility when even Phil started switching the lights off - you understood that you should be heading off yourself. In reality you didn’t think Johnnie or your mum would mind this predicament so much, considering how much they despised each other. But as you’d been telling both of them all week to ‘please be nice to each other! It’s the holidays!’ you figured you’d completely wasted your breath. Well… then again, you probably would have anyway. You checked your phone once more as Phil practically had to drag you out as he locked up. Nothing. You sighed gently; hopefully that meant he was at least moving again. You just hoped Johnnie wouldn’t do anything reckless… You knew better. Tapping out a quick text, you slipped into your own car, turning on the ignition and hoping you weren’t met with traffic of your own. The wrath of your mother at this time in the evening, considering it was already dark, would be bad enough. ‘I’m heading out to my parents now. See you back at home! Stay safe babe, I love you xx’ *** You barely got the chance to knock at the door of your parents’ house before your mother wrenched open the door. Her eyes were narrowed at you standing alone and she peered out onto the driveway, expecting to see Johnnie exiting the car or standing a little way off looking reluctant to be a part of this. When she realised he wasn’t there, her face softened and she looked back to you. “Hi Mum…” Your hands were in your pockets, “Happy Christmas-!” “Come in, come in!” She opened the door wide and as soon as it was closed behind you, she started, bustling passed you, her finger jabbing the air: “I TOLD you he was useless! I TOLD you he wouldn’t get home and he’d make my little girl cry-!” You weren’t crying, but you supposed you couldn’t exactly hide the disappointment on your face. Rolling your eyes you scoffed, trudging in after her, “Mum, he’s just running late. He says there’s really bad traffic. I’ll have him back this evening… You don’t want him here anyway-!” “No, and you should stay the night! Have Christmas with us!” “Mum.” You were firm as she turned back to you, “You know I can’t do that to him.” “I don’t know what you see in him.” “I don’t think there’s anything I could say that would persuade you to see anything in him.” And that was the honest truth, Johnnie could turn into a full-blown Saint and your mother would probably still hate him. You’d long since given up trying to change her opinions of him - after all, hers weren’t changing yours. Sure, there was some truth - and legitimate reasoning - behind her concerns. But making it her personal vendetta to hate him hardly helped the situation. Sometimes it just made you hold onto him a little stronger. And perhaps you would argue with her, but it was Christmas, and that was the last thing you were going to do. Besides, you were growing pretty tired of this type of bickering. Your dad appeared in the doorway, “Hey sweetheart!” “Hey dad!” You gave a genial wave. You were never exactly sure where he stood with the trucker you dated. You thought the appropriate word might be ‘tolerated’... He also peered around, “I thought Johnnie was coming?” You watched your mother instinctively glare at the mention of his name and shook your head; you had told them you would call in as soon as he was back. At this point you’d regretted planning anything. “Yes, but he hasn’t returned yet and it was getting late. I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t going to stop by.” “Ahhh… He got caught in that big smash up?” As if that was any help with your panicking about his safety, ever. “What!?” “It’s caused back ups everywhere in the region, he’s probably in traffic there. It was all over the news.” “Still bad? On Christmas Eve – that’s just… that’s horrible is everyone okay?!” You father shook his head, “No. All clear now. Seems to be no major injuries.” Thank goodness for that, you breathed a sigh of relief; “Good, I hope he’s moving.” Your mother scoffed, “Probably at some bar somewhere-” “Mum, Please. It’s Christmas!” You tried your hardest not to snap at her, it took a surprising amount of control; “I know he’s not here, but please can we talk about something else?!” She stepped forward and took your face in her hands with a concerned sigh, “Oh, Y/N… One day you’re going to see what I see… and you’ll realise…” “...Maybe, but it’s not today Ma. Today Johnnie’s still my boyfriend and I still love him. And I want him home!” She let you go, and pushed passed your father into the kitchen, “Well now, both of you sit! What was the point in me preparing this food if we’re not going to eat it!?” You shrugged yourself out of your jacket, throwing it on the coat stand and ran a hand through your hair, groaning. Hopefully that was the definitive change in subject that meant Johnnie wouldn’t be brought up for the rest of the evening. And you’d certainly be praying on that one! *** Johnnie rolled the truck into the depot just as the clock ticked around to midnight. It would certainly be Christmas Day before he got back home to you. He was exhausted and he parked up, sat in his cab for a minute, head against the steering wheel groaning. At least that would be it for this year. He could relax for the next week. Clambering out of the cab, he gave his truck the once over, it looked fine - and it wasn’t like anyone was around to check it anyway. He yawned as he strolled slowly over to his car; the only one left on the lot. Rubbing his eyes, he slid into yet another driver's seat and turned on the ignition. This journey wouldn’t be so bad though, all he had to do was drive across town to your place. He fished his mobile out of his pocket - Johnnie had felt the vibration before, but had opted for simply getting the journey done instead of pulling in anywhere to check it. Aside from a bunch of Christmas well wishes, there was one from you saying you’d left for your parents. Well, now he was here that much was obvious - Johnnie thought for a minute, would you still be there? You could well be, but what would be the point in going over? He doubted they would want him crashing the party. Best to leave you to it, especially as they weren’t his biggest advocates. Instead Johnnie opted to drive home, and tapped a text back: ‘Ok, at depot, see you at home. Also sorry I couldn’t be there x’ Throwing his phone back in his pocket he pulled the car out of the lot and breathed a sigh of relief. He was almost home, he was almost back to you. You checked the text as soon as you received it, with a little smile. He could apologise for not being there all he wanted, but you really knew he’d only have been with you begrudgingly. In reality the traffic meant both your mum and Johnnie had dodged a bullet tonight. And, whilst you were a little disappointed not to have him back on time, you thought that might have been better for all of you. Finally you might have a nice peaceful Christmas - and not an argument to be had! You didn’t even bother texting him back, he’d be home before he got it anyway. And you couldn’t wait. *** When Johnnie pulled into the drive, he was almost surprised to see lights on in the house. ‘Oh? She’s back?’ Your parents didn’t want to keep you for Christmas then? They had released you! Johnnie smiled gently, at least that wouldn’t mean waiting up for your return. Although he realised you were probably waiting up for his... He opened the front door with a yell: “Babe, I’m home!” Expecting to have to catch you into a hug as you ran to him. Instead he was greeted with a call of “Welcome home!” from elsewhere in the house. He waited, but when you still didn’t appear, he frowned. That was odd; was one night away simply not long enough for you to enact your signature move? Nah, surely not! Johnnie moved through the house slowly peering into each room trying to figure out where you were - making you eventually call out again, “I’m back here!” He paused, and tipped his head with a little smirk; Oh. Bedroom, right! You probably were really waiting up for him then - and if you were comfortable in bed, he could understand your unwillingness to get out and run to him. Opening the bedroom door, Johnnie understood everything, and bit his lip a little too hard at the sight he was greeted with. Instead of being tucked up in bed you were lying provocatively across it, in fairly sheer - and festive themed - lingerie. The little look on your face was playful as your eyes met his. He tried to hold your eyes for a moment before he swept your body - the artwork of all your tattoos on full display. About the only places you didn’t have any were your face, neck and hands. Other than that, your body was a canvas of gorgeous intricate patterns. He knew the list of stories for each piece was endless, and even Johnnie didn’t think he’d heard all of them yet. You sighed seductively, rolling onto your stomach, propping your head up on your hands and swaying your legs in the air, waiting on him to make a move. “You got any new ones?” You laughed through your nose; “In 2 days? No. But I wouldn’t object to you kissing all your favourites.” “They’re all my favourites.” “Mhm?” Your tongue ran out across your lips as his eyes met yours again. “Is this my Christmas present?” You smirked, “Noooo… but you can have that if you’re good.” Johnnie took a step forward, wicked glint in his eyes as his smirk matched yours; “Well I can’t promise you I’m not about to do something that’ll get me put on the naughty list.” That only made you smirk even harder, and you knelt up, pulling him to you by his jacket. Johnnie’s hands rested on your hips for about half a second, before he started running them over your body. It felt so good to have them back on your skin. You grazed your lips to his, pulling away teasingly when he attempted to deepen the kiss, whisper seductive: “Aw, well, you should let me be the judge of that. I certainly won’t tell anyone.”

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Thank you for reading! On the home stretch now-! 3 to go!🎉