#he didn’t like but found the closes available blonde ok

[vicontheinternet]

“He knew she like him but told her he was uninterested from the start” bye he kissed her he was giving her mixed signals the writers were just cowards

[dawnsedits]

Hamster Problems

Life isn't exactly normal with the Atlantean royal family, but Orm getting turned into a hamster? Yeah, that's a new one.

Shinorm ~ 2.4k ~ AO3

Stephen had gotten used to a lot of weird things over the last few years. He had a boyfriend who attracted every random cat within range because he always smelled a little fishy, for one thing, and who fell asleep fully clothed in the bathtub sometimes. He had to try a lot of food combinations that only someone with Atlantean taste buds thought went well together, too. Being treated with respect by the scientific community and being positively recognizable to the public at large was its own brand of strange, as was working closely with the Atlantean royal family, let alone befriending them. He didn’t really mind any of that, of course. All of it was fun, or something amazing beyond his wildest dreams. But his boyfriend being turned into a hamster?

Yeah, that was a whole new level of weird, and he very much did mind that.

Sitting at the lighthouse’s dining table, he rested his chin on his crossed arms, watching a round little Orm scamper across a tablet with digital copies of ancient Atlantean texts downloaded onto it, attempting to do his own research. His fur was the same blond as his regular hair, his eyes the same shade of blue, his expressions still recognizable despite having the face of a hamster. It was adorable, honestly, but, well, weird, and he couldn’t forget the way Orm was trembling when he dove into the shelter of Stephen’s hands for the first time since the transformation. He would feel a lot better about the situation if only they knew how to undo it.

He didn’t really know how it had happened. Orm had tagged along with Arthur, Mera, and Atlanna to investigate some sort of disturbance on a remote island that was at risk of destroying a few nearby Atlantean towns, and when they came back… his boyfriend was a hamster. Arthur was the only one who witnessed it, and he had little idea how to explain it outside of saying that Orm touched some sort of glowing stone, there was a flash of light, and in his place stood a hamster. Of all the concerns they’d had about him going, that definitely wasn’t one of them. So, ever since taking his boyfriend from his mom, Stephen had buried himself in research, looking into that area of the kingdom and any local myths and legends that sounded similar, hoping for a clue.

Insistent squeaking and a tiny nose prodding his arm drew him out of his thoughts. “Ok, ok, I’m paying attention,” he said, lifting his head and pushing his glasses up. “What did you find?”

Orm jumped back onto the tablet, hurrying to the middle of the screen and tapping something with his paw. Stephen hopefully pulled it closer, only for his heart to sink as he started to read. “Sorry, wangjanim,” he said heavily. “I already looked into that story. It was proven to be a hoax a long time ago.”

He glanced from the tablet to Stephen, letting out a half-hearted, questioning little squeak. “Yes, I’m sure,” Stephen told him, earning the most dejected look he had ever seen on a hamster in response. It was the first possible answer either of them had found in a while, and it once again meant nothing. He offered his hand, palm up. “Come here.”

Slowly, Orm shuffled his way over, hunkering down in the center of his palm and burying his face in the bump at the base of his thumb. “We’ll figure this out,” he promised, stroking one finger across the thick fur on his back. It was softer than his regular hair, actually. Another thing he could enjoy more if they knew how to fix this. “We’re doing the research here, and your family is out looking for answers in other ways. You won’t be a hamster forever.”

Orm stayed down. If he could still speak, Stephen imagined there would’ve been some sort of pessimistic retort.

“Don’t be like that, Orm. You’re gonna be fine,” he tried to little avail. Ok, if reassurance isn’t working, then it’s time to take a page out of Arthur’s book. “And hey,” he added as lightly as he could, “in the meantime, this is probably the best disguise you could ask for if the Fishermen come knocking.”

It got Orm to look at him, glaring daggers with a fire that almost managed to be intimidating despite the face he was working with. Almost. Genuine mirth bubbled to the surface, and Stephen quickly covered his mouth with his hand, struggling to swallow down laughter – right up until someone else entered the dining room. Their sudden arrival sent Orm scurrying up Stephen’s arm, down his torso, and into the shelter of his black hoodie’s pocket before the newcomer even reached the table.

“I didn’t mean to scare him,” Tom said, placing a bag of Quest chips and a small plate of grapes on the table beside Stephen’s glass and Orm’s saucer of water.

“You didn’t, I think. He just hates being seen like this.” Stephen put a hand in his pocket, finding his boyfriend and resuming stroking him. “This is a better alternative to him biting Arthur’s finger when he got too close earlier, at least.”

“I can’t blame him too much. It’s not exactly his finest moment,” Tom said good-naturedly. “Although it might be his cutest. Atlanna certainly couldn’t stop laughing when she told me about the biting incident.”

Stephen chuckled, feeling Orm huff indignantly against his hand. “I can’t argue with that, but he is.” Deciding to spare Orm any further embarrassment, he nodded at the food. “Is that for us?”

“Chips for you and grapes for the little guy,” he confirmed, which backfired a bit in eliciting another huff. Stephen tried to soothe the sting with a scratch behind his ear. “You two have been at this for hours. I figured you could use some fuel.”

“Thank you.” He pulled open his pocket, exposing Orm’s head. “Do you want to come out? You haven’t eaten in a while, and I’m not letting you do it in there.”

Stubbornly, Orm scooted backwards, retreating to the shadows. Stephen sighed, and Tom patted his shoulder. “Don’t push him. He’ll eat when I’m gone.”

Stephen let the pocket close, leaving his hand inside. After a moment, Orm let himself relax into the steady movements of his continued stroking. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything?”

Tom shook his head. “Not a peep, and they weren’t close to anything the last I heard. Looks like he’ll be dealing with this until at least tomorrow.”

Orm pressed into Stephen’s hand, his tiny body going rigid. Stephen wrapped his hand around him, which he supposed would count as a hug for now. “All right. More researching how to de-hamster my boyfriend it is, then.”

“Ah, the problems you face when you fall in love with a member of this family,” Tom joked, but there was concern in his eyes as he looked at his pocket. “I’ve gotta hit the hay, so I’ll leave you two to it. Good luck and good night, kids.”

Stephen murmured another thanks and an answering good night, waiting until he was well out of the room to say, “He’s gone, Orm.”

A reluctant noise somewhere between a huff and a squeak escaped him. His nose poked into the open, sniffing the air, and his eyes followed, glancing at where Tom had been standing.

“Yes, he’s really gone,” Stephen said. “Come on, I know you’re hungry.”

Warily, he crept out, ears pricked up, still searching for his stepfather. “Ye of little faith,” Stephen muttered, moving his arm aside for a moment so he could see clearly. “No one’s there.”

He lowered his ears with a relieved squeak. Satisfied that he hadn’t lied to lure him out, he turned his attention to the climb back to the table, stretching up and hooking his claws into Stephen’s hoodie. Far more clumsily than he had run down, he made his ascent, with Stephen’s hand hovering beneath him until he clambered onto the horizontal surface of his arm. Reaching the edge of his plate, he pawed at the nearest grape, shooting Stephen a disgruntled look.

“You’re tiny,” Stephen said, opening his chips, “and you have the digestive system of a hamster. No, you don’t get anything better than a few grapes tonight.”

Orm clawed it in frustration and immediately regretted it, based on the way he shook his paw out and frantically licked it, then looked disgusted with himself for doing that. Stephen bit his lip against more laughter and put a napkin beside him before returning to his research, crunching his chips while Orm gingerly worked out how to eat the grapes. A couple more hours passed after he’d eaten his fill and thoroughly wiped the juice off, both of them wading through story after story until he was nodding off on the tablet and the words were blurring too much for Stephen to read them. “Time for bed,” he decided aloud, turning it off.

Shaking himself awake, his boyfriend squeaked a protest.

“We’re both about to fall asleep at the table,” Stephen pointed out. This was perhaps the first time he had considered it unfortunate that sharing a bed together had fixed both of their disastrous sleep schedules. “We need to rest, and then we can look at this with fresh eyes tomorrow.”

Orm squeaked again, but there was no force behind it. He slumped onto his stomach, a tremor shuddering through him, and any humor to be found in the situation vanished again beneath the heartbreak of such visible fear. Stephen scooped him up, cradling him in both hands. “It’s ok,” he murmured, kissing his head. “I’ve got you. No matter what happens, we’ll deal with it together. Ok?”

He nodded wearily. Taking a breath, he found enough resolve to get back onto his paws. Stephen stood still while he crawled up his arm and stumbled across his shoulder to snuggle against the side of his neck. Atlantean or hamster, that was always his favorite spot, and a fond smile cracked through the darkness. “You know, it is kind of nice, being able to carry you for once,” he said, lifting a hand to keep him secure while he headed upstairs, stroking him again. “You have to admit, there are some things you’re gonna miss.”

Orm whacked him with one tiny paw.

Stephen laughed. “You’re really going to tell me that you don’t like hiding in my pocket or hitching a ride everywhere? You love feeling protected and you hate walking. If you look at it that way, this is kind of working out perfectly for you.”

Orm turned his back on him with a grumpy squeak, and Stephen gleefully nudged his shoulder. “I knew it.”

He hesitated upon entering their room, though, the happy bubble threatening to burst all over again when their normally comfortable bed suddenly seemed simultaneously too big and too small. He didn’t want to let go of his boyfriend, didn’t want to steal the comfort of each other’s presence from either one of them, but his Atlantean strength certainly hadn’t translated into this hamster body, and he had even less desire to risk testing his invulnerability by accidentally crushing him in their sleep. Orm shuffled back against his neck with a questioning glance, one paw kneading his hoodie nervously.

My hoodie. Hm.

He was generally the one who stole Orm’s hoodies, since he frequently only brought them anywhere when he knew Stephen would get cold, but maybe tonight… With a quick heads-up, he set Orm down on his pillow, where he was roughly the same size as the whales decorating their blue bedding. Then he took off his hoodie, holding it out to him. He had only bought it a few days ago, so he wanted to be certain that this part of the idea would work. “That smells like me, right?” he checked.

Orm sniffed it and nodded, looking at him curiously.

“It’ll work, then.” He pulled back the covers on Orm’s side of the bed and put the hoodie down, bunching it up into something that vaguely resembled a nest while Orm watched. He then moved Orm to the center of it, bunching it up a little more to make sure he was warm, folding part of it over him to give him somewhere to hide. “There. You can snuggle with me without snuggling with me.”

He tilted his head, considering the situation. He nudged a lump of fabric uncertainly, then flexed his claws and determinedly went to work, digging around and reshaping things to his liking, until he eventually squeaked an approval and settled down. Happy that he appreciated the solution, Stephen went through his bedtime routine, fetching a couple shirts to bulk up the nest, and returned to lay down beside him, placing his hand beside his boyfriend. All but hidden within the clothing, Orm nuzzled his finger in what he guessed was a kiss, and Stephen rubbed beneath his chin in response. “See? It’s not all bad.”

He huffed, but it was more light-hearted than his earlier embarrassed irritation at Tom. Counting that as a win, Stephen squashed down the urge to take a picture of this adorably ridiculous situation. “We’re gonna figure this out,” he promised him again. “Everything’s gonna be ok.”

Orm stuck one paw out, wrapping his leg around Stephen’s finger as much as possible. He squeaked three quiet squeaks that sounded like the hamster version of, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Stephen said. “And I vow to keep loving you, even if I’m wrong and you do stay a hamster forever.”

The barest hint of claws grazed his finger, Orm shooting a withering stare at him over the top of it. Stephen chuckled, patting his paw in a playful apology that he readily accepted. “Get some sleep. I’ll be right here if you need me.” With two more squeaks, one more nuzzle, and a quick squeeze of his finger, Orm disappeared into the nest. Stephen withdrew his hand, curling up as close as he dared. It wasn’t their usual habit of falling asleep in each other’s arms, leaving Stephen missing the nights of quite happily being half crushed beneath Orm’s protective bulk, but for now it was enough. He was safe and relatively content, even if he wasn’t entirely sound, and they were still beside each other. It was reassuring enough for him to easily drift off, mulling over potential next steps to the faint background tune of a snoring hamster until sleep overtook him.

[lovechildofem]

Fuck this shit

Eren thought as he walked into his trashed frat house. It stank, it was dirty and random people were sleeping on the last available surface they could find.

Why was he in here again ?

Oh yeah right because of his stupid family tradition as if he ever had a choice. To be fair it was an elite college and he didn’t need to worry about money but nothing could ever prepare him for living with literal pigs. Well not all of the guys were like that but most.

Hence how he found himself entering the shared house at 5 am in the morning after being stuck in traffic and missing the party.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt like a zombie and didn’t have the strength to deal with all of this, so he decided to search the comfort of his room and made his way upstairs.

He took out his key, grabbed the door handle, and was about to open the door when he found it already open.

Weird.

He was sure he locked it before leaving. Did Armin use the spare key he gave him? Maybe something happened?

He walked to his best friend's room to get some answers but found him with some small blond chick lying half-naked in bed and decided that maybe it wasn’t the right time to ask.

He shrugged and went back to his door. He honestly didn’t even care he was only looking forward to crashing on his bed.

Right?

Well if it wasn’t for a random girl sleeping on it right now. Wait was she wearing his favorite shirt?

What the fuck was going on?

He groaned in frustration and walked over to the side she was sleeping.

Oh.

He halted once she saw her up close for the first time. She was breathtakingly gorgeous. Shiny black hair with a soft complexion. Wow, she looked ethereal sleeping. Was he dreaming? No that didn’t matter right now.

Get a grip.

He kneeled to get on the same eye level and nudged her shoulder slightly. Nothing happened so he repeated it.

“Hey … psss… hey wake up,” he said softly as he continued trying to wake her up.

She whined a little, swatting his hand away but eventually opened her eyes.

“What are you doing in my bed sweetie?” He asked her while she sat up, sleepy eyes meeting his while trying to make sense of the situation.

“Ehm … Armin let me in. I’m Mikasa Ackerman,” she answered scratching her head and yawing. She looked adorable.

“Oh ok, I’m Eren Jaeger but how di-,“ before he could finish his sentence he got interrupted by her.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” she casually asked.

“What?”

“I asked if you have a girlfriend?” she repeated but this time with a little chirp to her tone.

“Ehm no? Why are you asking me that right now?” He swore to God he has never been this confused in his life before.

“Because that means, I’m gonna stay right where I am and continue sleeping in your soft bed and if you’d like to you can join me, Eren Jaeger.”

“What and if I wasn’t single you wouldn’t?” he laughed.

“As if! But you would have had to sleep on the floor and that would’ve been quite the bumper for such a handsome face.”

She patted his face and snuggled back into his pillow closing her eyes as if nothing happened.

Eren was left stunned.

He sure as hell was dreaming. No way this had just happened.

-

Happy belated unromantic Valentine’s Day ig 💘~

[jostepherjoestar]

* kicks in the door * Risotto, Prosciutto, Melone and Mista, Bruno, Giorno when they have to hide in a very tight place on a mission with fem member. Not too perverse, but a little, if possible ;)

Risotto, Prosciutto, Melone and Mista and Bruno having to hide in a tight place with fem!member HC’s

fem reader // suggestive (slight nsfw)

Ohohooo this one’s a good one!!! The flavour in this request? Immaculate! Also you’re getting us a new door ok? (btw I dropped Giorno from the ask since 18+ reader sorry friend)

Risotto

So much has gone amiss on this mission. Whatever could go wrong did, honestly it was the worst a hit has ever gone. Even for Risotto. It wasn’t even you guy’s fault. Your target just kept getting lucky and you two the opposite.

You were starting to get frustrated, sighing deeply whenever the target yet again evaded your attacks by just a hair. Risotto was getting antsy as well, but he had to keep his cool and focus. He finally saw and opening that would have a guaranteed hit. And oh god it did, finally your assignment was over.

Or so you thought. While leaving the building a whole parade of your target’s goons had showed up to finish you two. Time to run! Risotto was on the lead, making quick turns in alleys, jumping over obstacles like he’d been doing it all his life. You couldn’t help but be impressed and stare at his agility and the way his muscled body twisted.

In your distraction you hadn’t noticed he’d stopped in his tracks. You were headed for a fall until Risotto’s strong hand pulled you into his embrace into a small separation between buildings. Overwhelmed by the fast turn of events, being so close to your capo made your head spin. His smell was musky and woodsy but so refined.

Your head was pressed against his chest, the tightness of the split not really made to accommodate two. Both of you breathing heavy, starting to feel his large hand resting on the small of your back, holding you into him. Your capo didn’t say anything, he was still on the lookout for the goons that had been chasing you.

You didn’t mind your head having to rest on his chest but the way your legs were twisted was starting to get very uncomfortable. As you repositioned them, placing one leg in between Risotto’s, you accidentally brushed against a very sensitive spot of his. Risotto cleared his throat at the movement. “I think we’ve lost them. Are you ok?”

His voice reverberated in your ears from his closeness and you felt goosebumps rise on your skin. You could only muster a “Uhu.” in response. When you finally got out of the crevice, Risotto’s hand had moved to your hip. “Sorry for pulling you all of the sudden.” he said while letting go of you. “Oh... no. Don’t worry, it was nice.” before you realised what you said your face turned red from embarrassment as you saw his dimple appear in a satisfied grin. Maybe he’ll pull you closer more often if it meant he could see your embarrassed blushy face again.

Prosciutto

The closet felt tight around you, squished between luxurious coats and your colleague. You had been at a party, masquerading as each other’s dates. The fancy gala was but a front to a highly organised trade. A lot of Passione’s high ranking members were attending, thinking your capo had sent his two representatives to pay respects.

But in actuality you’d both been there on the job. There had been some betrayals and Prosciutto and you were the cleanup crew. But you’d almost been found out. Before they could, your blond haired companion pushed you into a coat closet filled with the fanciest materials. But it was so. freaking. tight.

Because of the situation you had to wrap your arms around his neck while he held onto your waist. You could feel his hands get warmer by the minute, if it weren't for the lack of light in the tight closet you’d be sure to see his angry scowl covered in blush.

Your breasts were practically shoved into his face, feeling his nervous breaths on your mounds. You couldn’t help but notice how nervous he was getting as time went on. Even teasing him by squishing his hair buns. “Hey stop touching those. My hairspray costs more than your dress, I’ll have you know!” he barked into a whisper.

It only made you laugh silently, the movement of your body only pressing you closer. You were starting to burn up too now, more from the warmth of the coats beside you. “Do you think it’s safe to go out?” you whispered. “No, just a little longer. They like to linger. Stupid drunks.” his hushed voice tickling your chest.

As you readjusted yourself as best as you could, you swear you heard Prosciutto whimper. It was soft but you heard it. Curious and not shy to find out you moved again in the same manner as before. Your tightly spun colleague hissing in reply. “Could you not do that please? Your leg is in a uhh.. special spot.”

“And you’ve practically moved into my cleavage but you don’t hear me moaning about it.” You scoffed in reply. That was the final straw, Prosciutto opened the door to the closet, quickly checked if it was safe and stepped out without helping you. As predicted he looked like an angry cooked lobster about to explode. The sight only making you laugh. Wait, did his pants get tighter... or is he just happy to see you?

Melone

Illuso forcefully pushed you into the to the small indent in the wall behind some curtains that reach all the way to the ceiling of the fancy home. Melone and you dangled into each other while Illuso closes the thick curtain before you two. “And be quiet, we can’t get caught. I’ll get you back when it’s safe.” With a big sigh he leaves you two, arms twisted into each other, faces only a breath away.

“He’s so dreamy, right?” you jabbed at Illuso to the slight lavender haired man in front of you. He huffed out a laugh, remembering all the insults the two have thrown at each other in the past. You’d only just began to notice how close you were to your partner. It was a three person mission this time but Illuso had taken the lead and asked, more like demanded, you two to hide in case of uninvited visitors.

It was the short and boring end of the stick. Although the situation you are in now, wasn’t that boring after all. Melone breathed into your neck unabashed letting out a soft moan. You’d grown used to his advances and didn’t really mind it. He amused you with his weird behaviour so you let him be. His cyan eyes staring at back at you, mischief behind them.

You tapped your foot impatiently against the floor doing your best not to make too much noise. “Why so tense bella? Is it me?” Melone playfully asked, something of a seductive tone behind his voice. He picked up a strand of hair that was resting against the side of your face, playing with it between his fingers. “No. I just want to get this over with.” you huffed in annoyance. “Well then, I’ll make it a little more enjoyable mhh.” he purred into your neck as he leaned in to kiss it. His soft lips pecking into your sensitive skin, moving to your collarbone.

Somewhat surprised at his forwardness but enjoying it none the less, you snaked your arm around his waist to pull him closer. You wanted to see how far this could go. You could feel him smile against your skin while he kissed it, knowing that his actions were allowed. His ministrations only going further, he made his way lazily onto your chest. Kissing along the edge of your top, his hands exploring the rest of your body. A stifled moan coming from you as he squeezed your behind.

Oh you didn’t mind at all. Your hands had also not been keeping still, roaming his hips and toned behind as well. Melone gently pulled away from your skin giving you a hungry look. He looked about ready to pounce. You returned the look letting him know this was happening. With a sly grin he moved to his knees, now gently holding onto your hips pecking soft kisses into your stomach.

He was on his way downward when the thick curtain swung back open. Illuso standing there, arms crossed with an unamused look. “You have got to be fucking kidding me! Now? Really?” he huffed out. Melone tutted while standing back up, no shame in getting caught. You felt yourself blush a little, trying to hide it behind a nervous smile. “Guess we’ll have to continue at a later time, unless you don’t mind watching Illuso?” Melone retorted. You smacked his head in response, still not sure if you’d be able to continue this little situation at a later time.

Mista

“Is it... because there’s four pigeons on that bench over there?” you asked in a singsongy tone. “No.” Mista replied in annoyance while sighing. “And stop guessing, it has nothing to do with THAT number. Stop saying it, it’s making me even more nervous.” he scolded you.

While waiting for the rest of your team to arrive, Mista and you got into a bit of a sticky situation. While out on a mission you got attacked by a standuser who had frozen you two in quite an unfortunate position so they could get away. Mista had fallen on top of you, his hands still holding onto you back, his cheek right beside yours as his body loomed over you. The stand’s attack was wearing off slowly but you definitely needed your team’s help.

Mista had been acting very nervous and you were trying to pull the answer out of him to no avail. “Are your arms getting tired maybe?” you tried one last time. “Yea sure, it’s my arms.” he sighed not even convinced of his own answer. You were on the receiving end of a more fortunate position. Just lounging underneath your colleague, enjoying the view of the sky.

Your warm cheeks were pressed together offering a bit of warmth, a chilly wind had been blowing all day causing the rest of your bodies to grow goosebumps. “I’m getting kind of hungry, you?” you tried to fill the silence. “Stop talking please.” Mista sounded like he was practically pleading. “Tell me why you’re so nervous and I’ll shut up till the others arrive.” you retorted confidently.

It was the longest sigh you ever heard come out of someone. Why was he dreading this so much? Was he in that bad of a position? Finally after the deep long sigh and some convincing on his side Mista finally spoke. “Every time you talk your boobs rub on my chest and it feels good ok! I’m not trying to be inappropriate but you smell nice and you’re pretty but still my teammate. I’m just... trying to keep myself calm and it’s hard when you keep talking and rubbing all over me!”

You let out a chuckle in response, wow. That was more than you ever thought there was going on at this moment. You felt a little bad for teasing him with all those questions but satisfied that he said those nice things about you. “Well... don’t you have an answer?” Mista nervously asked. “I thought I was supposed to shut up from now on?” you whispered in amusement. Get ready for the longest annoyed groan ever. When did Giorno say they were coming to pick you up again?

Bruno

While waiting for your mission to start and looking out for the guy you’d be meeting up with, your capo and you had been standing in an indent of a building down the dark alley you had stated as your meeting place. Your guest was late and the position you were in was growing a little uncomfortable since your legs were hurting from standing in one place for so long.

Bruno was squished against the back of the indent, letting you stand in front of him with his arms clasped around your middle. This was the only way that you weren’t showing yourselves if anyone other than the guy you were meeting would enter the alley. Your stand was out on top of a building above as a lookout.

It was comfortable to be leaning back into Bruno, his chin resting on your shoulder after you told him it was alright. Strangers might even mistake you for a sappy couple hugging in an alley. Comfortably giving off warmth to each other, you’d been silently talking with your capo about your lives, hobbies you missed, funny stories that happened.

A nice glass of wine and some snacks would have made it quite a fun date. But the closeness of your superior served just as well. While moving to lean on your other leg since your feet were hurting your behind rubbed against his groin, a soft sharp inhale coming from the man behind you. “Sorry Bruno, I forgot...” embarrassed and growing more and more red by the second.

It was just that his touch had grown so familiar. Maybe a little too familiar, you felt your thoughts go further and further. The dirtiest parts wanting to feel your capo’s reactions to your movements, his warm breaths in your ear as you hear him enjoy your ministrations, softly calling your name as he comes undone. But before your mind can wander any further Bruno’s hands let go and grip your hips on either side.

His hands holding on firmly, keeping you frozen in position. “You were still doing it.” he softly said, his breath tickling your neck. Shit. Your imagination ran wild and so did your thighs as they rubbed together against him. You weren’t sure if you’d reached the peak of your embarrassment.

It seemed like your meeting partner wasn’t showing up so you called back your stand and moved out of the indent. Finally being able to face your capo, you saw his rosy cheeks and chest. Smiling at his disheveled hair and look. “Here, let me straighten you out.” you said as you carefully put back the stray hairs. You swear you could see him melt into your touch, swallowing deeply as his blue eyes bore into yours.

[sharktoothedboys]

Lips Of An Angel, Part 2

Here it is guys!! Part two!! Thank you for being patient with me!! and because you asked nicely I tagging @marshmallow12435 because you wanted to know when I posted!! So here goes! Enjoy everyone!! 

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

Shot ran until he thought his lungs might give out, he was hoping he would catch up to you before you even made it to Katsuki’s, if that was where you were even headed? No he couldn’t think like that, He was going to find you there. 

There is was, just up ahead, Katsuki’s home, The lights were on, that’s a good sign right? It was almost 2am! Surely that had to mean you were there. He reached the door and began to hammer on it, Frantic, but he didn’t care, He needed to explain, or at least try to. 

A very disgruntled Bakugo finally answered the door. 

“She doesn’t wanna see you, Asshole.” He snapped a soon as he opened the door. 

Shoto was trying to catch his breath on the blondes porch.

“I don’t care what you tell me she said, i need to speak to her.” He managed to get out between breaths.

He tried to push his way past the explosive hero, but to no avail, Bakugo stopped him. 

“I said she doesn’t wanna see you.” He said eerily calm.

They angrily stared each other down at the front door, Bakugos grip on Shotos arm tightened, small crackles could be heard and the temperature in the room began to noticeably drop as the two heroes continued their stare down. 

“Katsuki...” Your feeble voice came from behind the mountain of a man, “Its ok, i’ll handle it.”

Shoto looked behind Bakugo, his eyes widened in shock and sadness as he took in your dishevelled hair, red eyes and puffy cheeks, he had caused all this hurt, you let out a sniffle and he thinks he feels his heart break, This was all his fault. He snatches his arm away from Bakugos grip and quickly makes his way over to you, reaching for your hands, only to visibly wince when you retreat them from his reach, not letting him hold your hands in his. 

“Say what you came to say, and leave.” You said, as you stared at you hands, picking at the loose skin around your nails, a habit of yours. “I already know all the important parts, so don’t try and play the victim here”

“No please, YN. I am not here to try and talk my way out of anything, what i have done is awful” He says sadly, “But please here me out.”

Bakugo interrupts. “I’ll be in the kitchen, YN if you need me to kick this guys ass, just shout.” He makes to leave, but not without harshly bumping in to Shotos shoulder first. Making you smirk a little. Petty, but you didn’t care. 

“Thanks Suki.” You mutter, eyes still glued to your hands, still yet to look Shoto in the eye. 

Shoto guides you to the sofa and sits down besides you, feeling the pain when you shuffle away from him being to close. 

“I love you...” He begins but is quickly cut off. 

“Don’t, Just don’t give me that bullshit, I don’t need you to lie to my face as well as behind my back, stop trying to make yourself feel better about doing something shitty. I don’t need your pity and your excuses, If that’s all you have to say then leave.”

“I can’t lie to you anymore, because I truly do love you, Please believe me.”

“WHY SHOULD I?!” You yell, forcing yourself to your feet to pace around, “Give me one good fucking reason as to why I should believe a god damn word that comes out your mouth! You have apparently done nothing but lie to me from the start! Everything you have ever said to me has been a lie, EVERYTHING!” 

“NO Y/N!! I never lied to you, everything i ever said was true, every compliment, every i love you, everything was true, just please let me explain.”

“And what? I am meant to be grateful now?” You spit back. 

“No, just please...” 

you looked down at his desperate facial expression, you could see it in his eyes, sincerity, maybe you should just let him explain himself properly.”

“You have 5 minutes.” You huffed as you sank back down in to the sofa. 

“Thank you.” He said, then silence engulfed the two of you, Where did he even begin? 

“4 minutes left.” You stated.

“Right” He sighed deeply, “Well as you probably gathered from the phonecall, there has been...”

“No shit Sherlock” You snapped, you were beyond sad now, Shoto turning up and taking his sweet time had just made you mad, in fact it made you furious. He blinked back at your bluntness, he wasn’t used to you not being patient with him or swearing so much, he was taken aback. You had never snapped at him before. “Just get on with it Todoroki or I swear.”

That was it, hearing his family name slip from your lips instead of the usual Shoto made him snap, tears threatening to pour down his pink cheeks.

“Don’t you fucking dare.” You snapped when you saw the tears.  “You have absolutely no right to cry in front of me right now.”

“I can’t help it, hearing you call me by my surname feels like the final nail in the coffin.”

“If you don’t get on with it we’ll both be in coffins.” You muttered, “Now just tell me what you wanna say.”

“There has always been someone else that has also had my heart.” He said, wiping the tears away, “She shrouded my mind and for a while she was all i could think about, even after we met, I just couldn’t seem to get her off my mind, But the closer we got, the more she faded away, eventually I found myself barely thinking of her, and smiling around you a lot more. Just as a I found myself fully falling for you, she clawed her way back in to my life, and it was like she had never left, like I was under some kind of spell for her. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you, I really was falling hard for you, But I also kept finding myself in her embrace, I am sorry for what I have done, truly, because after tonight’s phone call, I saw you were gone and I just instantly knew, I felt it in my bones that you were the one I needed in my life, the one i wanted and desired the most. The panic that washed over me at the thought of you not being in my life, Imagining not waking up to you every morning, No more loving kisses, no more breakfasts together before going off to work, no more evening cuddles while a forgotten movie played in the background, I couldn’t not have you in my life, and i promise to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, If you could just find it in your heart to give me one last chance, Just come home with me and forget any of this ever happened, to please, just forgive me and let me hold you again.”

A few tears rolled down your cheeks as you cupped his face with your hands, he automatically leaned in to your touch, he looked in to your eyes and gave you a small smile, which you returned, and he closed his eyes in contentment....

“Is that it?” You sighed

His eyes snapped open as you let go of his face, staring straight in to your stoic eyes that gave nothing away. Emotionless.

“Di you really think something like that pathetic little speech was going to get me to come home and welcome you back with open arms, when our whole relationship was built on a rebound that you didn’t even get over? You want me to just up and forgive you after 3 years of deceit? You think its gonna be all sunshine and rainbows? No, I don’t trust you and you want to follow you home like a loyal puppy and play happy families and pretend like none of this happened!!”

You stop to catch your breath, standing and running your hands through your hair, A speechless Shoto sat staring at you as you continued with your rant.”

“What? Nothing to say? Did you not prepare for the possibility I wasn’t going to return to you, what like I am so lucky in life to be with the great Shoto Todoroki? Well, as it turns out, I am shit outta luck! And so are you!! Tough luck Todoroki! TOUGH FUCKING LUCK! This isn’t some sappy RomCom where you say a few nice things about me and I come running back to you, I’m not some pathetic lonely woman who thinks she will never find love again, who thinks she has nothing else in her life worth living for because some asshole cheated on her, I am not someone who has no other options because some lying cheating scumbag bastard strung her along for 3 years, NO! Not me, I have a life still to live, and I don’t need you in it. But I do want an answer, so give me one. Who is she?” 

He stared open mouthed at your heavily breathing frame, Should he tell you? Would you kill her? What does he do now? Just as he was about to open his mouth the door opened and he suddenly didn’t have to say anything, In walked Camie, Bakugo’s long time girlfriend, and from the shock on her face and the look on Shoto’s as he stared at her presence, It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. 

“Sh... Todoroki... YLN.. what...what are you guys doing here so late?” She asked, a lump in her throat as she did.

You looked from her to Shoto, and you knew. 

“It’s you...” You said, “Its been you all along..”

Camie just stands there like a dear in the headlights, her gaze flitting from you to Shoto, begging him with her eyes for an ounce of backup. 

“ I....” Tears began to pour freely down her face. 

“KATSUKI!!!” You screamed.

“NO! PLEASE!” She lunges towards you, grabbing your arm.

“What? and just let my best friend continue his life with an unfaithful whore?”

You yelled at her as Bakugo shot in from the kitchen, just in time to witness you thro Camie from your grasp on to the ground.

“Woah!!” He yelled, heading for Camie, but you stopped him, “ What the hell is going on here?”

“It’s her” you said calmly looking down at the girl, who was now her knees, crying at your feet. “It’s her who has been fucking Todoroki for almost my entire relationship with him!”

Bakugo just stared down at her, eyes wide, His gaze turned to Shoto, who was sat on the couch, his face in his hands as his shoulders shook from silently crying. Bakugo saw red. His head lowered, his teeth grinding together, His Palms crackling loudly around his balled up fists, He was about to step forward until he felt your hand on his shoulder. 

“They are not worth it, either of them.” 

He calmed down slightly at your words and touch and looked you in the eye, you smiled and he returned the smile. 

“Just one question,” He stated boldly, looking down at Camie, “Di you ever love me? Or did you just choose me to get closer to this bastard?” 

She looked up at him, her silence speaking volumes, That was all he needed.

“Get the fuck out, both of you.” He fumed

“But where am I meant to go?”

“Do it look like i give a shit about where you go, end up in a ditch for all I care, why don’t you go to lover boys house with him, Whore.”

“She is no longer welcome at my place.” Shoto said as he stood up heading for the door, not without giving you one last apologetic smile.

“Katsuki, please.” Camie begged holding on to the hem of his shirt from he place still on the floor. 

“NO! You don’t get to call me that anymore, Now I aid, get out.”

He bent down grabbing her by the collar of her coat and literally throwing her out the door, Shot still stared at you sadly as the door was slammed in both thier faces. He had really fucked up, and he knew deep down there was nothing he do to fix it. 

He stared longingly at the door, until Camie tried to grab his hand, that he snatched away. 

“Don’t touch me, this is all your fault, I was just getting over you! I had found someone I could love, who I DID love, why did you haver to come back and ruin everything for me!? I am going home, don’t follow me.”

He storms off leaving her in the street alone to sort out her own situation, He was done with her, he wouldn’t let her ruin his life again. 

Back in Bakugo’s house you slumped down on the sofa, your head on your hands, tears wanting to fall but you not quite letting them. 

“He isn’t worth it.” Bakugo said in a calm voice, a hand around your back, drawing small circles along the small of it to calm you down. You look at him smiling and padding your eyes with your hands to stop the tears, “ You know I am right.” He smiles down at you.

“Yeah, you’re always right. Aren’t you?” You giggle back at him.

“You know it, sweetheart.” He laughs, “Now come one we should get some shut eye, we are both on patrol tomorrow. You can stay here as long as you need to.”

“Shit, Patrol. My hero uniform and everything is all at that hom... Todorokis place.”

“Don’t worry, make me a list and ill swing by in the morning for your uniform, you have bought the essentials right?” 

You nod at him

“Right well I’ll get you some fresh sheets for the guest room, lets sleep.”

You yawned and followed him to the guest room and he got you the fresh sheets he promised and bid you a goodnight as he went to his room. 

The next morning, Bakugo was true to his word and went to Shoto’s house to collect your hero uniform and a few other things as specified in the list he asked you to write for him. He arrived, ringing the doorbell and waiting for an answer. He eventually opened the door, he looked like shit. 

“Bakugo.” He seethed

“Asshole.” Bakugo replied.

After they exchanged their greetings, Bakugo made his way inside, explaning you had sent him for the bits you needed. 

“Is she okay?” Shoto asked sheepishly.

“You don’t get to know that.” Bakugo spat back as a reply.

“Come on Bakugo, at least let me know she is okay?”

“You threw away the right you had to know anything about her or her life.”

Shoto stared down at the blonde as he packed a few of your belongings into the bag he bought with him. 

“Oh my god...” Shoto realized. “ You’re still in love with her aren’t you?”

“Always was, always will be.” Bakugo replied without missing a beat, he smiled up at the dual haired man, “ Your loss will be my gain.”

He zipped up the bag and stood besides Shoto. Shoto’s left side began to ignite a little out of jealousy and rage. 

“Go ahead IcyHot, do your worst, I’ll just go home and have YN patch me up while i tell her what a monster you are.”

With that said, his flames extinguished, He didn’t want you to think he was a monster, even though it is what he deserved.

“Just treat her better than I ever did.” Shot said quietly.

“That won’t be difficult.”

That stung.

Bakugo stepped past Shoto, leaving him behind with just his thoughts and memories. 

He made it back to his house, he entered only to be hit with the smell of bacon and eggs, a smile creeped on to his face, he could get used to this domestic life bullshit, coming home to a cooked meal everyday sounded great. He decided there and then that he wasn’t going to waste another second of his life with out you. He walked in to the kitchen gaining you attention.

“Hey Kats....” You were cut off by his lips slamming down on to yours, You were still for a few seconds while you figured out what ws happening, and then you melted in to his embrace as you returned the kiss, you felt his smile on your lips as the kiss deepened. 

He begrudgingly broke the contact.

“You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that.” He whispered against your lips that were still very close to his own, his arms tightening around your waist.

“Then show me, Suki.” You said as you returned you lips to his and kissed him with all the passion you had. 

You were sure he has the lips of an Angel

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

@marshmallow12435

There we go guys!! Part 2!!! I absolutely LOVED writing this story, so I hope you all enjoy it too. It deffo my new fave! Please like and follow I would be eternally grateful!! 

[hyunjilicious]

one more drink [henry cavill - one shot]

Summary: you and Henry attend a fancy party and you decide to be a brat and push his buttons to see what happens. 0,1% plot. SMUT. 3.5k. filth :) feedback makes my day, so maybe tell me what you thought? 

-

“Why don’t you put that drink down, hm?” 

His voice was loud and clear, lips mere inches away from your ear as he secured his arms around your waist to get you to stop dancing.

You were ready to sink into him, but as soon as you saw his intention was to grab the glass out of your hand, you pulled back, and turned to him with a disappointed frown, “Not a chance, Cavill”

“Don’t call me that” he sighed, his head falling to the side, “How much have you had to drink?”

“Not enough” you pouted, nonchalantly bringing your alcoholic beverage to your lips, looking lewdly into his eyes as you took a big sip, “And apparently neither have you”

Had he not been grinning that widely, you would’ve seriously believed he was mad at you. His frown was consuming your entire being, and the cold stare plastered on his eyes begged you to not push his buttons - at least not when there were so many people around, “Why don’t you give me that?” he encouraged, pointing to your tall glass.

You looked down and noticed your perfectly manicured hand and fresh bubbles that were still present in your beverage. In the inebriated state that you were, the aesthetic blew your mind. Without thinking twice, you pulled out your phone with your free hand and opened the instagram app, determined to post it on your story.

The light of the flash reflected beautifully against the intricate design of the glass, but the picture did not turn out as expected.

Just when you pressed the button to capture the image, Henry’s hand grabbed your wrist, snatching the phone out of your hand, “Are you dead set on pissing me off?” he questioned in a low tone, his ice blue eyes pinning you in place.

“I don’t get what the problem is” you whined, waving your hands around your body. Your eyes traveled around the room, scanning the atmosphere, “You think I’m embarrassing you or something?”

“Embarrass me, no? What?” Henry cringed, “But you’re crossing some lines”

“I’m just letting loose”

“Too loose if you ask me” he frowned.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Henry grabbed your waist, and effortlessly spun you around until your back slammed against his chest. He lowered his head over your shoulder, “I’ll let you figure it out”

In front of you, the party was in full swing. People were dancing, chatting, drinking their night away, and in your eyes, there was no problem with that, “Use your words, Cavill, I don’t get it”

“One-” he said in a deeply dominating tone, making all the hairs on your body stand up, “Don’t call me that, and two, I could make you a list of all the men in this room that think about fucking you as we speak, and the fact that you can’t tell who they are, means you drank to much”

There was an internal battle going on inside your mind. The way he put you in your place forced a lump to block your throat, but it would be a lie to say you didn’t enjoy the moment.

“I think you’re pushing it a little” you said, pulling away from his hold and turning to face him.

Henry narrowed his eyes, “If I leave, they’ll swarm around you”

“Then don’t”

“Let’s go sit somewhere” he suggested, nodding his head to the side of the room, where a few arm chairs were available.

“After you” you agreed, and he happily took your hand.

Henry led you to the sitting area, contempt thinking he won this round. But you just saved your cards for later.

When you reached your destination, Henry sat down and opened his arms, motioning for you to sit in his lap. However, you just grabbed his hands, and started swaying to the unfamiliar beat of the song that was playing, arching your back and lowering yourself in front of him.

“You have no idea what you’re asking for” Henry chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I’m asking for you to have some fun!” you belted.

“This is your idea of fun?”

“Dancing?” you asked, playing dumb, “Yes”

Henry leaned to the side. He propped his elbow on top of the arm rest, bringing his hand up to rub his chin, “Sit down”

“Yes, daddy” you eventually said, knowing just how little patience he had left.

His arms instantly wrapped around your middle, his breathing aggravated by the way you managed to rile him up. And, determined to do more, you started rolling your hips back and forth against his thighs, managing to apply just the tiniest bit of pressure to his crotch.

“The fuck’s gotten into you, hm?” Henry snapped. His hold around you tightened, shaking your entire frame. “Why are you acting like this?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” you rolled your eyes, bringing your glass up to your lips and scanning the room as you sipped your drink.

It was only a matter of time until he’d drop this overly patient facade. “Look at me when I’m talking to you” he commanded, sinking his fingers into your bare thigh.

“Ouch!” you pouted, despite pain being the last thing on your mind.

“So? The fuck is going on with you, hm?”

“Nothing’s going on with me, you just need to learn how to have fun!”

“Whoring around is your idea of having fun?” he fumed.

You thought about it for a second, and the nodded, fairly convinced, “Could be, yeah”

“Behave for 15 minutes” Henry nodded, his smile giving away just how sure he was you were never going to achieve that, “And then we’ll dance”

“That’s it?” you scoffed, and as soon as he responded - with a smile nod, you breathed out satisfied, “Deal”

Clear as day, he was waiting for you to cave. Henry leaned back in his chair, and with his head hanging playfully to the side, he kept his eyes trained on you. With absolutely no intention to make this easy for you, his burning gaze made your blood boil. Oh, how the tables have turned. 

You took another sip of your drink and then pulled out your phone, counting on Instagram to make the minutes pass faster. And maybe it would have been able to, with out of the corner of your eye you could see him. Black dress shirt hugging his body in a way that was so much more vulgar than any dance you could have come up with. 

A video was playing on your phone, two puppies rolling down a hill, yet your eyes drifted instantly to the side. Pretending to pay attention to the screen, you watched Henry trace the rim of his glass with his pointer finger. Your eyes traveled along his forearm and you could’ve sworn you actually felt your heart skip a bit when you noticed just how sloppily he rolled up his sleeves.

“I swear-” you sighed, eyes trained on the ceiling as you shook your head in disbelief, “You never looked hotter.”

“What was that, love?” Henry mumbled, bouncing one of his legs up for the sole purpose of messing with you.

“How much time passed?” you whined.

“A little bit over a minute, darling” he responded proudly.

You were fuming. “I’ll go get another drink, want something?”

As soon as he nodded no, you were out of there. Forcing your way through the sea of people, you eventually reached the bar, and even in the dried up smoke infused air of the room, you finally felt like you were able to breathe properly. With your competitive side on full display, as you waited for your drink to be ready, you gave yourself the epitome of a pep talk. With your arms crossed over the wooden surface of the bar, you soaked up the possibilities. At this point, you still weren’t sure whether you wished to prove to him that you’d be able to keep calm, or whether you wanted him to give in first.

The answer to this dilemma came in the form of a model looking 20 something year old man - the golden curls that framed his sculpted features and the seductive grin he decided to use as an introduction, were everything you needed. Dropping the nice girl act you didn’t even bother too much to adopt, you responded to the stranger with an overly sweet smile, and nonchalantly dragged him to the dance floor without exchanging as much as two words.

After finally settling face to face, you started dancing. Not keen on getting too close to him, but also knowing that was what you needed to get on Henry’s nerves, you decided to explain yourself, “Listen, I need to ask you something-” you yelled over the music, leaning against his chest to get as close to his ear as possible.

The man circled an arm around your waist, as he bowed his head with a smile on his lips, eager to listen to what you had to say.

“I know it didn’t seem like it, but I’m here with my boyfriend”

He instantly tensed up, but you continued. This time you pressed yourself against him, and lowered your voice, “You wouldn’t mind helping me get his attention, would you?”

He looked you up and down, “What are you offering?”

Knowing full well that Henry was probably already thinking about intervening, you decided there was no reason to hold back. “What’s on your mind?”

“Think he’d be into a threesome?”

The thought made you gag, but you played it nicely. “Depends on how convincing you are”

“He shared you before?”

As he asked this, you found it incredibly hard not to burst into laughter, as that was probably the last thing on earth Henry would ever do, but that was not what the man needed to hear.

“Yeah, but he’s usually reluctant when it comes to strangers, you know?”

How he didn’t figure out you were bluffing shall forever remain a mystery.

“Ok, ok” he nodded, licking his lips, “Let’s talk to him”

As you turned around to look in your boyfriend's direction, the man placed his right hand on the small of your back, ready to walk wherever you’d guide him. However, not even a step needed to be taken, as Henry was already marching towards you.

The crowd of dancing souls parted for him to pass. His eyes ablaze, he reached the two of you in no time. Henry didn’t waste no time paying attention to you, instead he went straight to the blonde haired guy standing beside you.

“Get your hands off of her, or I’ll break both your arms”

And the threat wouldn’t have been nowhere near as menacing if Henry wasn’t a head taller, and his shoulders twice as broad the man’s he approached.

“Listen dude-” the stranger tried to defend himself despite the pure terror that coated his features.

“Want me to break your teeth in too and don’t know how to fucking ask?”

“Jesus I just-”

“Beat it” Henry scoffed, grabbing the man’s shoulder to spin him around. He was probably ready to kick his ass too had the stranger not ran off, steam coming out of his heels. 

Instantly, Henry turned around to face you, the anger in his eyes making all the hairs on your body stand up. He didn't even bother to look at you, his stare trained somewhere in the distance, as he grabbed your arm.

"Henry, I-"

"You kind of lost your right to say anything, don't you think?" he groaned.

As soon as he finished his question, he looked down, his cold eyes finally meeting yours.

You opened your mouth to speak, but eventually decided against it. And he probably appreciated the fact that you didn't bitch any further, not that it would have made any difference at this point.

Without exchanging another word, Henry forcibly grabbed you by the arm, and dragged you from the dance floor. Despite finding it hard to keep up with his pace considering your attire wasn't made for rushing places, you again decided to keep your mouth shut.

You knew what was coming and there was no reason to ask any questions. It was what you planned all along, after all.

In a matter of seconds, you two reached the bathroom of the bar. Not even bothering to be civil about it, Henry kicked the door open with his foot, managing to catch the attention of everyone nearby.

You walked inside after him, didn't even get a chance to worry about the people already inside, as all that was needed to get them to hurry out of the room was the cold death stare Henry didn't bother to hide.

The girl that was reapplying her makeup in the mirror was the last to scatter out of the bathroom, and by the time she reached the door, Henry’s tie was already off and the first five buttons of his shirt undone.

Panting in anticipation, you found yourself leaning against the tiled wall, afraid to make the wrong move. When you were finally left alone, the sound of the bathroom door lock clicking was what forced your heart into overdrive.

“You proud of yourself?” Henry questioned, as he walked slowly in your direction, his tie stretched to the extreme in his hands.

“You’re the one who caved” you said and it was the last straw.

“Turn around” he commanded, nodding his head in the direction of the wall.

Despite not being anything less than riled up and aroused, you still hesitated.

What got you to move was the next step he took towards you. As if under a spell, you spun around on your heels, and prompted your hands against the smooth surface of the wall. However, Henry had other plans. In one swift but rough motion, he grabbed your wrists, pinning them up, against the vertical pipe that ran from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. Effortlessly, he bound your hands together, fastening them into place.

To no avail, you tried to bring them lower for better support, but the tie was so tightly wrapped that your blood barely had any place to pass.

“Can you-”

“Nope” Henry said, with a bit too much enthusiasm in his voice.

He lowered his head over your shoulder and spoke directly against your cheek, “Is it uncomfortable? Does it hurt your wrists?”

You nodded.

“Good” he concluded, along with an ardent slap against your ass.

The stinging sensation made you grit your teeth and suck in a deep breath. Just knowing this was only the beginning made your core burn with desire, and involuntarily, you pressed your thighs together, hoping that some pressure would alleviate the aching sensation that radiated all across your body.

With no remorse, Henry shoved his foot between your high heels, forcing your legs apart, “None of that, ok?”

“Fuck” you grunted, letting your forehead fall against the wall in front of you.

Completely out of your sight, Henry’s actions were unknown. However, the sound of his belt being unbuckled was crystal clear, as it echoed around the room. It was the only sound you were able to register. Not even your convulsive breathing had any importance.

Following this, the night reached a pace you found it really hard to keep up with. After Henry hiked up your black tight dress over your ass, your mind started blurring out every detail.

In a second, your lace underwear had pooled by your feet, and you were left completely exposed.

You didn’t have any time to feel your cheeks burn before the tip of his cock reached our entrance. He didn’t waste time probing you. After raking his nails across your scalp, Henry grabbed a fistful of your hair, and pulled hard. When your head fell back, he slammed his cock all the way inside of you.

A deep guttural moan rooted in absolute pleasure ripped your whole body in half. Your throat stung at the sensation that rushed to you. He was not far behind, his own pleasure - pure physical, consumed him.

Henry rolled his hips into yours with more aggression by the second, each time pulling his cock almost all the way out. With every passion infused slam of his body against yours, your whole frame rocked forwards, putting an immense strain on your shoulders.

Sinful, choked back moans burned your throat.

“Is this what you wanted, hm?” Henry taunted, his calloused fingers forcing your chin up. “To be fucked like a slut in a random bathroom?”

You just squeezed your eyes shut and sucked on your bottom lip, hoping it would be good enough of an answer.

“Didn’t hear that” he shook his head, forcing his cock balls deep inside your pussy, “Use your words, pet”

You swallowed thickly, digging your nails into your probably already bloody palms, “Yes”

“Yes, what?” Henry let your chin go for just a second, before returning with a wanton smack against your cheek, “Yes what, baby?”

“Yes…” you wailed, chest aching with every word, “I wanted you to fuck me”

Visibly unsatisfied with your answer, Henry let go of you, moving his hands to lay on your hips. His grip was steady and merciless, guiding your body for his own pleasure now.

“You think good girls get fucked like this?” he rasped, his voice breaking halfway through the sentence. No matter what he said or how he said it, he was just as weak for you as you were for him, and it showed.

“You had to act like a whore the whole evening, didn’t you” Henry chuckled in disbelief. “Might as well take my cock like one now, right?”

As he spoke, numerous smacks, varying in intensity consumed the sensitive skin of your ass, which was doomed to be left bruised and battered.

“Yes” you cried, “Yes…”

“You know daddy always gives you what you ask for” he said, “Especially when that means I get to use you like the set of holes that you are”

“Fuck, fuck… Henry-” you cried, arching your back and forcing your hips back against him. 

“Use that cunt to suck the cum out of my cock”

“Fucking god” you shook your head, the ecstasy of the moment overwhelming all your senses. The frustration of not being able to rub your clit and alleviate the pain translated into a plethora of moans and screams. “Please, please- I’m close, I’m-”

“No, baby girl” Henry commanded, sinking his fingers into your hips, “I cum first, hold it”

“I can’t fucking hold it!” you yelled, covering your face into your shoulder.

“Try harder, angel”

“Fuck”

Multiple layers of unshed tears coated your eyes as you struggled to keep your body under control, but your knees were already shaking. Palms wet and trembling legs - you were already too far gone.

“I can’t-” you shook your head in desperation, “I’m gonna cum”

“Think twice, darling” Henry taunted, delivering one last blow to your ass, that along with the merciless pounding he kept up, managed to send you over the edge.

Your mind turned to blur as you fell spiraling into an earth shattering orgasm, your body spasming uncontrollably. Your muscles had a mind of their own, as you enjoyed the feeling of his cock spreading your pussy open until it completely consumed you.

“Henry, please, I-” you cried, panting desperately as not even standing up seemed like an easy task for you.

With your body turned to jelly into his arms, you somehow managed to find still find pleasure in the way he kept fucking your overly sensitive pussy.

“Never fucking listen do you-” Henry called with audible disappointment in his tone.

His question was cut short by a grave groan that forced its way out of his throat. His thrusts became sloppy and irregulated, deep and forced by the orgasm that soon ended up consuming his self control.

He kept going, allowing your cunt to milk every last drop of cum, not stopping until he didn’t have the power to move anymore. His body collapsed against yours, trapping you between his massive frame and the cold bathroom wall.

In a haze, he pulled out and undid the knot that had your wrists bound together. Weak in your knees, you stumbled to the sink, leaning against the marble garniture as your breathing was just now starting to return to normal.

With his pants pulled up but still undone, Henry came up behind you, engulfing you in a loving hug.

“I’m sorry” you whispered.

“Why?” he asked, slightly concerned.

“I came when you told me not to-”

“Oh god” Henry laughed out loud, before lowering himself to kiss your neck, “You didn’t listen to a word I said the whole night, and that’s what stuck with you?”

You couldn’t help but smile, “You still love me though”

“I fucking adore you, angel” Henry shook his head, “Next time just maybe don’t make me traumatize some poor guy”

Continuing with the small talk, you two got dressed, and prepared to get out of the bathroom.

“You know he wanted a threesome?” you said as you fixed your hair and makeup in the mirror.

“Ha!” Henry laughed, before his face turning dead serious, “Never”

[heyitssmiller]

Clandestine: Chapter Eight

Ready for more angst?

@lumosinlove you’re my hero <3

So much thanks to my partner in angst, @donttouchmycarrots

CW: mentions of violence, blood, panic attack

Clandestine Masterlist

.

Logan paced the width of the hotel room; back and forth, back and forth, like a tiger cooped up in a too-small enclosure. Leo sat on Finn’s side of the bed and traced shapes into the plain white duvet, imagining that he was following the same path Finn’s fingers had taken just the day before.

Finn.

He bit down on the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood and looked up at Logan. Back and forth, back and forth. Sirius and Loops hadn’t been in contact for about thirty minutes now. They’d been trying to get a location on Finn via the tracker he’d had in his com earpiece. Well they’d found the earpiece, but it must’ve been thrown out the car window because the trail ended on the side of the street with a tracker that had been smashed almost past recognition. Leo was strangely relieved about it. It was better than the alternative that his brain had been all too quick to jump to.

They got a license plate number from one of the stoplight cameras, though, so they were running that through the system and hoping they’d get a hit. Seeing that it was the Snakes and that they had so much control over everything that happened in the city, Leo thought their chances were pretty slim.

Back and forth, back and forth.

“Lo.”

There was no indication that Logan had even heard him.

“Logan.”

Still no response.

Leo rose to his feet and crossed the small room to catch Logan’s arm, finally putting a stop to the relentless pacing. Blank green eyes finally met his and Leo sighed, aching at the sight. “Sweetheart,” he murmured sadly, pulling the fighter into a hug. He was tense for a while, not moving to return the embrace and just breathing shakily through his nose.

“Talk to me.” Leo urged simply, unsure of what else to say. This wasn’t ok, he couldn’t pretend like it was. And he knew this conversation was going to be hard – god, he was barely keeping it together himself – but they still needed to have it. There was no point running from it. The only thing left to do was to face the daunting cliff they were careening towards and jump.

“We missed our chance.” Logan whispered, voice breaking towards the end as he pressed his forehead against Leo’s collarbone and leaned heavily against him. He felt small and useless and helpless as he squeezed his eyes shut. We were supposed to talk to him tomorrow and now he’s not here.

Leo’s cheek came to rest on the crown of his head as a sad noise escaped from his lips. “You don’t know that.”

But they both knew it wasn’t looking good.

“This is exactly why I wanted a transfer.”

Logan realized his mistake a millisecond too late. Leo stiffened, then pulled away to look at him. “What are you talking about?” When he didn’t answer, Leo tilted his chin up to meet his eyes. “What do you mean, transfer?”

He jerked his chin away and refused to look into baby blue eyes. “It was a while back, don’t worry about it.”

“Logan.”

“What do you want me to say?” Logan demanded, his white-knuckled grip on his emotions quickly giving out. “My purpose on this mission was supposed to be backup if needed, but they hired me mainly to make sure the mission got done, even if things got messy. And once… once feelings entered the picture, how was I supposed to focus on the mission instead of on keeping the two of you safe? If it came down to it, choosing between the two of you and this op would be too easy to do. I knew it was putting the mission at risk so I asked for a transfer, but we didn’t have any other agents available.” He ran a hand through his hair roughly, breathing in shakily. “And now I’m living in one of my own fucking nightmares because this is on me.”

And if that wasn’t a knife in Leo’s chest. Logan deflated before his eyes, head hanging low, the picture of a man utterly defeated. “Finn’s gone and it’s all on me.”

The knife twisted cruelly.

“It’s not-”

“Bullshit,” Logan spat as he shoved Leo away. “Don’t even finish that sentence. I knew something was wrong, I knew it-”

Leo grabbed his hands firmly and pulled them against his chest, keeping him from moving farther away. “And I was the one who told you that you were worrying too much. If we’re going to be playing the blame game, you’re not shouldering it alone.” His eyes and nose were all red now, and Logan could feel the stutter in his breathing. “Sometimes it’s ok to not be ok, Tremz.”

“Peanut-” Logan watched as tears spilled over and down Leo’s cheeks, his lower lip trembling. He’d never seen the blond cry before and, oh, he hated it. His fingers twitched to reach for him, but he couldn’t help but hesitate. No matter how many times he’d managed to be gentle with Leo, Logan still wasn’t accustomed to it – he was used to callouses from training too long with a weapon, to split, bloody knuckles after a fight, to using those hands to hurt.

He never wanted to hurt the one standing in front of him.

“Come here,” he mumbled finally and reached up to wipe away a tear ever-so-gently, keeping the pressure feather-light against the delicate arch of his cheekbone. “Leo-”

Leo exhaled sharply as he collided with Logan, and it seemed like his entire body was shaking. Logan held him close, backed them up so that they were beside the bed and sat down heavily, guiding Leo down with him as his own eyesight got blurry. His hand came to rest in fluffy blond curls as they sat there and held each other and allowed themselves to ache.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed there, all he knew was that he practically catapulted himself across the room when his phone started ringing.

“Loops?” He demanded as soon as he picked up, putting the phone on speaker and returning to his spot next to Leo, who ran the coarse material of his sweatshirt sleeve against his cheeks and sniffled. Logan held the phone in one hand and used the other to tug Leo closer. They both needed the contact.

“The license plate was a bust,” Loops cut to the chase, words firm but gentle. “Luckily for us, though, we’ve got an ex-Snake on our side.”

Sirius’ voice reached them next. “I've narrowed it down to three possible locations where they could be keeping Finn.”

Logan didn’t hesitate. “So we send agents to all of them, plan a coordinated attack.”

“Tremblay, the mission-”

“Fuck the mission. And fuck the Snakes. This is Finn.” He snarled, pulling up short when he heard a sharp inhale beside him. He looked over at Leo, then down to the hand he was gripping way too hard. He dropped Leo’s hand in an instant, guiltily retracting his own to rest in his lap with a wince.

So much for being gentle.

Shit.

Delicate, nimble fingers traced along the tendons stretching across the back of Logan’s clenched fist and uncurled his hand. He watched as those same fingers laced their way between his and squeezed back just as hard as he had earlier – a strong, steady lifeline that Logan desperately grabbed hold of and clung to for dear life.

He barely listened as Loops started talking about how they needed to be careful and think this through – which was true, he knew that. But a big part of him simply didn’t care. He was done sitting on the sidelines, waiting for something to go wrong. Maybe it was time to be a little reckless. This seemed like a high risk, high reward situation if Logan had ever seen one.

“We’re going to get some analysts in and figure out what our next move is going to be.” Remus said seriously. “That doesn’t mean we’re sitting back and doing nothing, we just need to be smart about this. We’re not leaving him there. I promise.”

“His brother,” Leo whispered, his grip tightening. “Finn said he had a brother who’s a spy down in Florida. Has anyone contacted him yet?”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“He deserves to know.” Logan swallowed thickly, another crack forming in his heart. “If it was one of my sisters, I’d want to know.”

“We’ll call him.” Sirius vowed solemnly. Of all people, he was sure to understand that. “You two need to try and get some rest. We’ll be in contact tomorrow.”

Logan just barely held back a snort. Rest. That wasn’t going to be happening any time soon. He just knew he was going to be spending the night staring at the ceiling, all too aware of the glaringly empty space beside him.

God, Finn.

Leo moved suddenly to pull his hand away, startling Logan out of his thoughts and making him hold on that much harder, an instinctive action. For an irrational split-second he was convinced Leo was leaving him, too. Something written on his face must’ve given him away because Leo’s eyes softened and he scooted closer, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Sweetheart,” he sighed against Logan’s skin, staying close. Logan let his eyes close and breathed him in, free hand fisting in the material of his sweatshirt and pulling him impossibly closer. A car alarm started blaring in the parking lot outside, but neither of them moved. Logan didn’t even flinch at the abruptness of the sound. All he could think about was Finn, god knows where, alone. Without them.

They were a package deal. You weren’t supposed to have one without the other two.

But now one was gone and in danger and Logan was livid. At himself, at this situation, at this damn job.

He needed to fix this.

***

Remus sifted through another digital file, unsure what exactly he was looking for but pushing on nonetheless. Eventually, if he read enough, he’d find something useful. Being so far away from the action was frustrating – an uncomfortable itch under Remus’ skin. All he wanted to do was help, to rectify the situation that had turned south before he could even recognize that there was a problem. His nonchalance, his negligence had cost them an agent and a friend. There had to be something in those files somewhere.

“You need to get some sleep.” The familiar voice of his roommate said, forcing Remus to take his eyes off the laptop and squint up at him, his eyes taking a while to adjust from the screen. Sirius was in his pajamas, which made Remus frown. What time was it, exactly?

“It’s late.” Sirius answered his unspoken question, a hint of a smile gracing his face. “And you need to sleep.”

“I need to research-”

Sirius was at the table in an instant, closing the laptop firmly. “You’re of no use to them when you’re so tired you can’t think straight.”

Remus glared up at him, but he really couldn’t keep it up for long. He looked back down at the table and his tea, which was long cold, pigment settling to the bottom of the mug. He was exhausted. “Ok. Sleep.”

There was a soft look on Sirius’ face, warm and open and affectionate. Remus wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Sure, he had his suspicions about how the ex-Snake felt for him, but taking that next step was still daunting. There was still a lot stacked against them and no matter how much Remus wanted him – or how much Sirius wanted him back – it would still complicate things. Even then, he was tempted to just throw caution to the wind and say fuck it.

Some things were worth the complications.

“Sleep.” Sirius reiterated with a quiet laugh, then he gestured with his hand that he was keeping his eyes on Remus before disappearing into the bathroom. Remus smiled and shook his head fondly, taking his cup of cold tea and dumping it in the sink. He was living with a secret dork. He… didn’t hate the thought as much as he would have a few months ago.

After placing the mug in the dishwasher, Remus started his nightly routine – checking the locks on the front door, closing all the blinds, turning off the lights. He was walking down the hall towards his room when a head suddenly poked out around the doorframe to the bathroom, making Remus jump. Sirius stood there, toothbrush in his mouth, giving him an approving look.

There was no hiding the smile on Remus’ face. “Yes, yes, I’m going to bed. You don’t have to supervise me.”

Sirius’ next words were garbled by the toothbrush in his mouth, but the rough translation Remus got was “just checking”. That was the only translation that made sense, anyways. He continued his path to the bedroom and got ready to sleep, changing into a threadbare t-shirt and brushing his teeth before turning the light off and crawling into bed with a weary sigh.

Tomorrow. He’d start formulating a plan to get Finn out of the mess he was in tomorrow.

Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Sirius was standing in the doorway, looking almost hesitant.

“Just making sure you didn’t smuggle your laptop in here.”

There was a smile in Remus’ voice – even he could hear it. “I told you I was going to bed, and I am. You should, too.”

“Noted.” There was a pause, heavy with words unsaid and sentiments kept hidden in the recesses of their minds. Remus could just barely see him in the darkness – he was mostly just a dark silhouette, stark against the light from the hallway. Remus shouldn’t be doing this. And yet-

“Sirius.”

“Hmm?” He questioned, stopping in his motion of closing the bedroom door.

Remus only let himself hesitate a split-second. “Stay?” he blurted, ridiculously grateful for the cover of darkness so that Sirius didn’t witness his grimace. “I just mean – that couch can’t be comfy to sleep on. And… and I’m not sure I want to be alone right now.”

Even though he couldn’t see him, he could sense Sirius’ smile. “Sure.” He left for just a few seconds to turn off the hallway light, then returned without even stumbling once.

“Do you have night vision or something?” Remus snarked, shifting over on the bed to make room. The bed dipped and then Sirius was settling in next to him, radiating more warmth already than the heating system in the apartment. Remus refrained from moving in closer, but it was a close thing.

“Snuck into my brother’s bedroom all the time when I was a kid.” He mused, pulling the blankets up a little higher as he got comfortable. “Got pretty good at maneuvering around in the dark.”

Remus couldn’t help but smile at that. “Me too.”

They went quiet after that, Sirius’ breathing slow and even, a metronome keeping the time as they both tried to sleep. Remus really did try but he couldn’t seem to turn his brain off, constantly aware of just who was in his bed right that second. He sucked in a determined breath, then rolled onto his side to face his roommate.

“Sirius.”

“Hmm?” Sirius repeated, quieter this time. Even this close he still couldn’t see much, only what the not-quite full moon illuminated for him – a strong jaw, the slope of his nose, the glint to his dark hair. It would be so easy to just close the distance between them and kiss him. He wanted to.

On top of that, he was pretty sure Sirius wanted him to.

He’d always thought getting here would be complicated and confusing and require so much talking. Well, they were here now and they didn’t really have to say a word, which surprised Remus. But there was this… charge between them, polar and magnetic, that pushed the two together as naturally and easily as taking their next breaths. At this point it felt almost inevitable, no longer worth fighting against Remus’ better judgement.

He tasted like the toothpaste Remus always bought. The cheap, off-brand one he’d used as a kid and just kept on using as he grew up. Remus wasn’t sure he could ever use that toothpaste without thinking of him now, him and the way he tangled their legs together and ran his tongue across the seam of Remus’ lips, urging them open. Remus hummed against his lips and kissed him back; the only thought going through his head was finally.

Sirius threw a leg across Remus’ to straddle his hips and then moved to balance over him, a looming, faceless shadow in the dark.

And Remus froze, the feeling of being caged-in catapulting him back all those years ago to the floor of an otherwise empty warehouse, a fierce hand on his shoulder pulling and pulling and pulling-

“You good?” Sirius breathed, pressing a quick, careful kiss to the hinge of his jaw, nose brushing against his cheek as he leaned back to look at Remus. The soft, concerned way he said it brought Remus back to reality quickly.

He was ok. This was ok.

“Mmhmm.” Remus pulled Sirius closer by the hips, greedy for the contact, the knowledge that he wasn’t alone in some dimly-lit warehouse. There were cool sheets underneath him, the sound of his ancient heating system rattling away as it worked, and the taste of toothpaste in his mouth. The figure hovering over him was smaller, more compact. The eyes that gleamed in the dark were gray, not dark and feral. The hand gripping his shoulder wasn’t intended to hurt but to anchor, to soothe. He sighed into their next kiss and finally let himself relax against the pillows, safe in Sirius’ arms – a sentence he never thought he’d say, but he sure was grateful for evolving circumstances.

***

They were taking a break from bashing Finn’s face in, apparently.

He warily watched the two Snakes that entered the room, eyesight hindered by one swollen, puffy eyelid. They didn’t approach him, though, instead choosing to stand between him and the open door – a clear attempt at reminding Finn just who was in control of this situation.

He couldn’t help but smile sarcastically. If they had to use subliminal messages to come across as intimidating, they were getting desperate.

And Finn wasn’t cracking.

He was morbidly curious to see what they had in mind.

He leaned back against the wall and regarded them, feigning uninterest. “What’s on the agenda for this meeting, boys?”

Two identical glares were shot his way. Finn shrugged, stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankle while holding back a wince. “I’d like a printed-out itinerary, when you get a chance.”

“We just want to talk.”

Finn snorted. “That’s worked really well so far.”

“We’ve got some incentive for you this time.”

“Ooh, that sounds interesting.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Is this a guessing game? Because I’ve definitely got a few ideas brewing that would be great incentive: a large meat lovers pizza – extra cheese, please – oh, or a TV! It gets terribly boring when you leave me here all by my lonesome. A book would also be adequate.”

The two looked at each other. The shorter one on the right looked exhausted, and – to quote one Leo Knut, bless his heart. Finn grinned. He could practically hear the phrase in a sarcastic, too-sweet drawl. Apparently it didn’t always mean what most people thought it meant in the south.

As if they could read his mind the tired-one said, “Your partners. The ones that came barging into the restaurant and caused quite the scene.”

Of course they did, those dumbasses. Finn just knew Logan had been leading the charge; he was too hot-headed for his own good.

“They’re long gone by now,” he bluffed, although he knew better. They were still camped out in that hotel room, plotting. He was sure of it. He ached a little at the thought – a nauseating combination of worry and homesickness and knowing that they were hurting because of him and his inability to recognize that he’d been drugged, for god’s sake. Some agent he was. “So good luck finding them.”

“Really? That’s interesting,” The taller of the two crossed his arms over his chest. “Our sources tell us they’re still in the city.”

Tired-Snake pulled a picture out of the folder in his hand and handed it over to Finn. A blond and a brunet, pressed as close together as they possibly could and looking down at the same phone screen in a small hotel room. A hotel room he was all too familiar with, seeing that he was just there earlier that day. He could see his dress shoes in the exact same place he’d kicked them off after the gala, one still on its side. Finn wanted to see his partners again more than anything, but not like this – used like bargaining chips to get him to talk.

He could use this, though, if he played his cards right. So he let his eyes widen and over-exaggerated the trembling of his hand as he held onto the picture too tight. The fear was real – he didn’t have to act too hard this time. The words he said, however…

“I don’t know what you want me to say. They were backup, that’s all.” Technically not all a lie, but definitely not truthful either. “I was supposed to go in, gather as much intel as I could, and get out. That’s it. What else would I have been doing in a public place like that?”

The Snakes looked at each other, then back at Finn. They were at this strange impasse – they didn’t know that Gryffindor was going after the flash drives, and Finn wasn’t supposed to know about the flash drives in the first place. Neither of them could bring them up without revealing how much they knew.

“What were you going to use the intel for?” Tired-one asked finally. “What are you planning?”

“You expect me to know? I’m just a field agent. I get the intel, then immediately hand it over to the analysts and let them do their thing. I’m at the bottom of the food chain, dudes. I don’t know shit. Just-” he hesitated for longer than he needed to, reeling the Snakes in with his performance – the battle of conflicting emotions on his face, the nervous tapping of his foot, the way he bit his lip and winced when he remembered that it was already split. “Just leave them alone, ok? They don’t know any more than I do about all this.”

The taller Snake grabbed the picture from him, watching Finn hesitate to give it back. “Cooperate, and that won’t be an issue.”

As soon as the door closed behind them, Finn relaxed his control over his expressions and glared like he’d been wanting to for so long. Because really. How dare they threaten his boys.

They should’ve known that would only give him more incentive to throw them as far off the trail as he possibly could.

***

Logan wasn’t sleeping, but that didn’t change the fact that he nearly jumped out of his skin when Leo sat bolt upright in bed with a sudden gasp.

���Nutty, what the hell-”

“I just thought of something.” He rushed to say, voice deep and scratchy from lack of use. He threw the sheets off, scrambled out of bed, and let all the cold air in as he turned the light on and hurried to the tiny hotel closet. Logan glared after him, grabbing the duvet and tucking it up around his chin again.

“What’s up?” He watched Leo hesitate at what he came across in the closet – a dark suit haphazardly thrown on a hanger, tie hanging from the hook. The tiniest of reminders of who used to be there with them – who should still be there with them. The blond took a deep breath and moved it aside, reaching for his own gray suit and digging around in the pockets for something. Logan sat up as he watched, brow furrowing. “Nutty?”

“Regulus slipped me his number at that party.” Leo explained, finally finding what he was looking for and pulling out a small business card. “Why didn’t I think of this earlier? If he knows anything, maybe he’ll tell us.”

Logan sighed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to tamp down the hope threatening to well up. “If they’re not keeping tabs on who he’s calling and messaging, what he’s saying.”

“He’s high up – why would they doubt him?”

“Because he’s got a brother who got out.”

“He thought Sirius was dead.” Leo pointed out, flopping back onto the bed and grabbing his phone from where it was plugged in on the nightstand. “So why wouldn’t the rest of the Snakes?” The glow from the screen illuminated a look of such blind optimism that probably hurt Logan more than it should have. Because one of these days, Leo would only be disappointed.

“He’s on our side, according to Sirius.” Leo continued as he tapped out a message. “I think he’ll help.”

Logan figured it was worth a shot. They were running low on options and he was willing to try just about anything if it meant getting Finn back. He rolled onto his stomach and peered over Leo’s shoulder at the screen right as he hit send.

Regulus looked down at his phone as it buzzed, seeing a text from an unknown number.

Is he ok?

He let out a long-suffering sigh, puffing out his cheeks as he did so. He’d only given this number to one person recently and that was quickly proving to be a mistake. They were going to do something stupid, weren’t they? And that put him in a very uncomfortable spot. Did he help them and risk getting caught, or did he let them try some half-assed plan on their own – because they would, he had no doubts about that – and risk never being able to get out of here?

Both options were unappealing.

“Everything ok?” Finn questioned around a bite of the food Regulus had smuggled in for him, quickly bringing Regulus out of his thoughts.

Well I’m currently debating on helping your boyfriends bust you out of here. Does that count as ok?

“None of your business.” He said instead, not sparing Finn another glance. If Finn had any idea what was going on, he’d try to put a stop to it. Regulus knew the type – self-sacrificing idiots. He’d rather sit there and get beaten to a pulp than put the other two in danger. Best to save him the extra stress and just not say anything.

Plus, this could be his chance to get out too. Instead of trying to get out on his own and then having no safe connections outside the Snakes besides his brother, he’d have a group to travel with. Safety in numbers, and all that. People who actually knew where they were going and who would watch his back. They would owe him after this, and that meant a leg up. It meant a safety net.

Regulus unlocked his phone again and started typing.

Listen carefully.

[janedoe-eyes]

Neighbors in a Mask

This is my Secret Santa gift for @theatreandcomicfreak - I hope you like it! I had the help of a wonderful Beta who made this infinitely better😂. Merry Christmas! @maribat-secret-santa-2020 -  I’m also posting it on ao3 😁

“Ok - ok, you can do this! This is just a friendly introduction, what could go wrong? New town, new place, new start.” A wet nose nudged her hand in agreement with her little self-pep talk, and she smiled at her furry companion. Marinette squared her shoulders and knocked on the apartment marked ‘655’, the mantra ‘new town, new place, new start’ ran on repeat in the back of her mind. She fidgeted listening for signs of life on the other end of the door.

She jumped when the door suddenly and silently opened to reveal a man her age - half-dressed, extremely attractive, and wearing the least welcoming glower she’d ever seen.

“Yes?” He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“I… uh… next door… chest moved in… shirtless - I mean!” She sputtered, face resembling a tomato and she barely managed to grab the plate of macaroons she’d lost her hold on while  she flailed. Holy hell, I haven’t sputtered  this much since…

That thought sobered her right up, and she shook her head to clear the nervous clutter. She took a big breath and started again.

“Sorry - I just moved in next door,” she jerked a thumb to her left, indicating the other condo in the pair. “I wanted to bring these over and introduce myself - I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and this is my dog Squishy.” She gestured to the cream-colored Pit Bull, and he glanced down for a half a moment. “I just moved here from Paris! I’m a fashion designer and novice gardener-”

“Look, I have a lot of work to do,” He cut her off with an exasperated sigh. “I am not interested in whatever you are selling - whether it is a product, business deal, or yourself.” Her jaw dropped. “I do not socialize beyond what is forced upon me by my family - so you have wasted your time. Good day.” He nodded stiffly at her and shut the door.

What the fu…

She stared at the same spot on the forest green door until Squishy whined and nudged her hand. She looked  to see the dog leaning on her leg and slowly wagging her tail.

“Squish… did you hear him say what I think he said?” She asked, looking at the door. She received  another nudge, this time from her purse on her other side.

She peered down to see Tikki’s blue orbs looking at her  with  concern. Marinette  smiled in reassurance.

“I’m fine Tik -  just rebooting.” A small giggle sounded from the bag, and Mari’s smile grew. She gave the door one last look and huffed.

“Oh well,” She shrugged. “Might as well head home.”

She stepped off his stoop and strolled over to her own, her deep red door already decorated with a spring wreath - little ladybugs hidden throughout. She shut the door behind her and caught  the plate  for a  second time when  a black blur zipped right in front of her face.

“Hey Bug, I overheard your  little exchange… want me to phase over and cataclysm his TV or something?”

“Plagg! What have I said about startling me? You’re gonna give me a heart attack!” He ignored her, floating in lazy circles near her ear. She continued to grumble about the cat as she continued to the kitchen - Tikki flying out of Mari’s purse to join her other half.

“No cataclysms!” The Luck God scolded him, crossing her paws. “We can’t risk anyone becoming  suspicious of where the guardian is - anyone who knows  the temple returned will be on the hunt!”

“Please,” Plagg scoffed. “I can pop  in and out without him noticing and not leave a trace - it’d probably at least annoy the hell out of Mr-stick-up-his-”

“As much as I’d like to get him back for his rude  comment - seriously, where does he get off?!” Marinette interrupted with a sigh and a small smile. “Tikki’s right, and it wouldn’t be very guardian or Ladybug-like of me besides.”

“Fine - but the offer still stands.” The little floating cat huffed, flying over to where Squishy cuddled  in her bed by the window, watching her owner for signs of needing her.

It was odd how well the dog and cat god got along - Plagg refused to acknowledge he was fond of the Pit Bull, but they were found more often than not sleeping curled  together on Mari’s bed at night, and Marinette suspected he snuck  her treats.

“As long as we don’t see each other much beyond going in or out of our places - it shouldn’t be a problem.” She shrugged, popping a cookie from the plate in her mouth and handing one to Tikki who happily accepted. “With how ‘busy’ he alluded to being - it shouldn’t be hard.”

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

Turns out -  easier said than done.

She saw him the next day in line at a coffee shop accompanied by  a man a few years older than him who looked as if  death had warmed over. Mr. Grouchy made eye contact with her and scowled before turning away with a tsk.

She rolled her eyes and focused back on the barista. “Hello,” she smiled as much as she could manage at the buttcrack of dawn. “It’s a longshot, but do you happen to have any ‘Black Insomnia’ or ‘High Voltage’?” The blonde behind the counter paled.

“Not another one.” She whispered, her eyes darting over to the man being tugged along by her neighbor.

Marinette tilted her head in question, and the barista seemed to shake it off.

“We are well stocked with Black Insomnia, what size will it  be and how would you like it made?” She asked, her customer service smile  strained.

“The largest you have - as black as you can make it.” She smiled back and took her receipt, walking over to a booth, overhearing her call out for a “Suicidal Wayne” just as another worker called out for the same drink.

The older boy, the one who looked in desperate need of a good night's sleep, leaned on Mr. Pissy as if he was the only thing keeping him upright - but at the mention of the order, his eyes snapped over to her. He gave her a small wave, and she returned it with a quirked brow. He looked close to  moving  over, but Sir Scowls-a-lot stopped him with a hand on his arm. He spoke in a low voice, and the tired man’s face melted into a mix of disappointment and exasperation. The man shot her an annoyed look and turned back to the front.

She wanted  to go over and demand to know what he could  possibly say   having met her once for five minutes, but the barista called out three names - hers, ‘Tim’,  and ‘Damian’. She walked  up before the two could move and grabbed her cup, thanking the woman, before brushing past ‘Tim and Damian’ on her way out. She was in a rush - there was a show coming up next week and she had fittings all day, she didn’t have time to deal with her asshat of a neighbor and his friend with good taste in coffee.

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

As the days passed, they continued bumping into each other. Their dynamic well-past talking, favoring annoyed glares and eye rolls. He wanted to scare her off (the Wayne lawyer way or Robin way - he hadn’t decided yet), but his father and brothers refused - insisting she hadn’t done anything deserving of any kind of action.

Yet. His mind supplied.

There was something off about her - the sixth sense he’d acquired through his life was never wrong, and she set it  off like fireworks whenever she was near. He couldn’t get a read on her intentions, but he wasn’t one to wait for the other shoe to drop - he planned to keep his eye on her.

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

He saw her again on patrol a week and a half after she first knocked on his door.

He was in costume uniform tailing a group of five men who  had recently left a warehouse that  belonged to  the Penguin. Red Hood stationed  across the street following parallel to him.

The men turned the corner on Hood’s side, and Robin signaled he would wait until they were out of earshot before grappling over. Hood nodded and continued trailing them.

Robin waited for a beat, then shot his hook out to grab the highest ledge available.

“Shit.” Hood’s voice through his comm made his hand jerk and his grappling hook missed the mark. He released his own curse and reshot as soon as the cable  fully retracted.

“Report, Hood.” He snapped, flipping at the arc of his swing and sailing over the first building.

“They’re targeting a girl - she looks  your age, tiny, at least partially Asian,” Hood grunted lowly.

Damian groaned.

“Acquaintance of yours, Demon Spawn?” Red Hood teased.

“No names in the field, Hood.” He hissed. “And it’s  my new neighbor - she keeps popping up like a bad penny.”

“The one you said tried  to butter you up with cookies, and drinks the same motor oil as Replacement?” Hood asked. Robin landed beside him, leaning over the ledge to watch the girl’s progress as she leisurely strolled down the street with several shopping bags.

“<Tt>, idiot,” Robin muttered under his breath. “That’s her.” He glanced at Hood who nodded.

“You know - I still say you might have misjudged the situation - Timmy said she didn’t seem the cozy-ing up type and seemed  kinda openly pissed at you.” Red Hood mused.

“No. Names. In. The. Field. Hood.” Robin grit out, tired of this conversation - he’d had  versions of it with his family ever since the coffee shop incident.

Everyone insisted the  Dupain-Cheng girl was trying to be nice - but he looked through her records, and found  an unprecedented amount of bullying accusations against her in high school, and she’d quit her job at ‘Agreste’ with no warning - but that was oddly heavily-guarded information. He had been locked out of many of even the simplest social media accounts and public records - especially anything to do with the Agreste brand founder. A  familiar itch on the back of his neck told  him he was onto something big - and his suspiciously friendly neighbor was connected.

Hood took a breath as if to continue the conversation when Robin put a hand up and signaled downward.

They both looked to see the tiny girl turn sharply across the road and into a dead-end alleyway. She’s even stupider than I assumed , Robin mentally groaned as he and Red Hood scrambled to follow.

They dropped to street-level and ran over to the alley, prepared to find the young woman in need of saving, only to see three men passed out near the entrance.  A dented trash lid resting nearby.  The small girl, who looked like Red Hood could lift her with one hand, flipped  a fourth over her shoulder with ease.

“Holy Mother-” Hood gaped at the scene and  sidestepped  the flying body - it landed behind him on top of the others.

Robin didn’t flinch as the man sailed past and ruffled his cape. His eyes were fixed on the girl as she high-kicked the last man under the jaw - knocking him out immediately. He couldn’t stop the words ‘almalak almuharib[1]’ from slipping past his lips in an awed gasp. He’d never seen anything so beautiful in all his life.

He shook himself, scowling at the foolish thoughts that rose unbidden. Perhaps she is a shaman or spell caster. That is it - this must be a  spell. He reasoned to himself.

He watched, still unable to move, as the girl dusted off her clothes and reached into her bag.

“Are you two gonna help, or do you plan to stand there with your mouths open like a couple of fish.” She asked as she turned around with a handful of zip ties, eyebrow quirked.

“You have  one hell of a kick, kid.” Red Hood broke the silence, moving forward to grab a few of the proffered zip ties (even though he had plenty of his own).

“It was nothing.” She brushed off the complement with a wave of her hand and a light rose dusting on her cheeks.

Red Hood scoffed, “Whatever kid, that was the most badass take-down I’ve seen in a while - and I know Wonder Woman.” He extended his fist for a bump.

Her smile fell  from her face as if she’d been slapped - her eyes fixated on the proffered fist and starting to water.

“Uh…” Red Hood lowered  his arm, “I ain’t trying to hit you kid… you guys have fist bumps in Europe, right?” He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck.

“I… It’s nothing - you just... reminded me of a friend.” She whispered, taking in a shuddering breath and turning  sharply to secure the last guy she knocked unconscious.

Robin shared a look with his brother (an odd thing to do through a helmet, but they knew each other well enough for  it to work) and shrugged, before taking out his own zip ties and turning to the pile of three large men.

As they finished  with the other four, Marinette walked past them with her bags and a quick “I’ll leave them to you, then” - and left the alleyway, disappearing from sight.

“That… was weird, right?” Hood said, staring after her. “Shouldn’t we make her stick around to give a statement?”

Robin shook his head slowly. “I think… it would be best to let her go... this time. We have both seen that look before.” In the mirror every time we lost a teammate in battle, he glared   where he’d last seen her retreating figure, and puzzled  over the new information.

“Wait, wait, wait, I agree she can fight  and all, but are you really saying that the little pipsqueak...” He choked out in surprise, Damian could tell his eyes were bugging under his mask.

“I’m not sure, but she’s certainly no average civilian.” He cut his brother off with a shake of his head. “I suggest we keep an eye on her.”

“Hey, if you two have finished your little intrusion into the poor girl’s life and traumas, the police are  a minute out.” Barbra, or rather, Oracle’s voice sounded from their earpieces.

Damian took one last look at where she’d disappeared to before turning away with narrowed eyes and a “<Tt>”.

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

Marinette withdrew following  the encounter in the alley - barely acknowledging her surly neighbor, Squishy refused to leave her side, and Plagg and Tikki often needed to call her name several times before she’d respond… The  Kwamii were worried.

“Tik… we only just pulled  her out of the slump she was in back in Paris after…” Plagg’s normally light and expressive face fell, his tail, ears, and whiskers drooping.

“I know… It’s never easy to lose one.” She whispered with a pained wince, past memories flashing in front of her eyes. She floated over to her other half and pulled him into her, petting the back of his head as stuttering purrs overtook  his shaking.

“If she continues to relive it, we’ll lose her too - remember  Keket.” Tikki shuddered at the reminder of the young girl.

“No… we can’t let that happen again,” Plagg growled, the memories of the long lost kitten painful even all these years later. They couldn’t let that happen to Marinette. Tikki nodded firmly into his shoulder.

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

Marinette stretched out under a large oak tree in the city gardens, her sketchbook open on her lap and Squishy laid  over her legs - keeping guard. She stared at the blank page with unfocused eyes, memories swimming  in her head out of order and distorted.

“*Sniff* Mommy... Daddy…” A small voice sobbed, pulling her from her musings. She closed her book and set it aside. Squishy took that as a signal to get up and look around, her ears swiveling alertly.

“Where is it coming from, Squish?” She reached  to rest her hand on the dog’s back, Marinette stood  and looked  around intently.

Her dog gave a soft *wuff* and tugged on the leash. Marinette turned and allowed the Pit Bull to direct her. As they neared the bushes the sound came  from, Marinette stopped  short at the sight of a familiar well-kept head of dark hair and moved her and Squishy to peek around them to the bench beyond.

From her position, she saw  her prickly neighbor crouching next to a boy of about five or six whose cries turned into soft giggles as a Great Dane licked at his face, tail wagging wildly.

“Alright Titus, let the boy breathe.” The man grunted, tugging lightly on the large dog’s collar. “Now, have you calmed enough to tell me your name?” He asked in a surprisingly gentle voice, turning his attention to the boy. The kid nodded, sniffing and reaching out to pat the dog - who happily leaned in.

“E-Ethan… My name’s Ethan Sorensen, Mr. Wayne.” He said shyly.

“Ah, you recognize me?” The younger boy nodded, still stroking the dog.

The Wayne Heir returned the nodd. “Good - at least you didn’t talk  to  a complete stranger. You should be more careful though, the world - and this city especially - are dangerous places for someone  young and inexperienced.” He scolded with a frown.

The boy shrunk in, and Titus nudged further into the boy, whining slightly. The temperamental man sighed and hesitantly put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“I do not mean to be harsh - I am merely  glad I found you first.” He gave the boy a strained smile and it received a laugh from the kid. His eye twitched in annoyance.

“<Tt>,” He groused, pulling back and taking out his phone. He tapped a few times before placing the phone against his ear. “Gordon, I have a boy named Ethan Sorensen alone in the Southeast end of Robinson Park, have there been any missing child reports?” He nodded at whatever response he received. “Good, let your father know we will wait  for them on a bench... Yes, of course I plan to remain with him! He is no older than six!... Yes, yes, I will stay behind to issue a statement to the officer… Goodbye Gordon.” He hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket before turning back to the boy.

“Your parents are on their way, would you like to play fetch with Titus until they arrive?” He received a shy nodd in return and handed over a yellow batman-themed ball which was enthusiastically chased  once thrown.

Marinette watched a few more throws before retreating to the tree where she had left her bag and packed up.

“So he can be sweet,” she mused to Tikki under her breath.

The Kwamii poked her head out of Mari’s pocket and giggled. “Though he didn’t seem super comfortable with the situation, he went out of his way to be kind to the boy. He stepped  up when needed.”

“Yeah, I guess our grumpy-goose next door can act like a human - now and then.” Marinette laughed, turning toward the park’s exit, a light flutter in her chest  after watching her awkward frenemy do something kind.

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

That night, Marinette seriously considered  donning her mask for the first time in over a year.

She couldn’t explain why, but watching Damian’s secretly sweet nature peek through had  lifted her spirits. She felt more like her old self than she had in a long time.

The dark and handsome man was obviously out of his comfort zone in interacting with the boy, but his desire to help another person outweighed his own discomfort. Mari’s guardian senses could see the effort it took to overcome the deep-seated parasitic darkness that latched onto his being. .

Her bones buzzed with an energy that had been absent for  a year. She didn't call for a transformation though - her Guardian duties came first, and she needed to understand the city as a healer before she could take on an active protector role.

Using the recovered energy, she took back up a project she'd been working on - knitting hats, gloves, and scarves with needles Wayzz helped her infuse with a warming charm. She planned to give them away at the shelter she volunteered at on weekends when the weather turned in a few months.

She had four sets of mittens done and adjusted the needles to start on a fifth when a loud crash sounded from the other end of the wall. She jumped up and grabbed the retractable baton she stored in her crafting room, sliding into a crouching position. Tikki and Plagg flew over from the cushion they were lounging on to hover next to her.

They waited in suspense  - listening for clues as to what was going on beyond the wall.

After a few moments, a pained groan sounded along with another, smaller crash.

Was it… her surly Wayne neighbor?

She shared a glance with Tikki and Plagg, and the three nodded. Plagg phased through the wall, and Tikki flew to Mari’s shoulder. An anxious minute later, Plagg returned, stifling laughter with his paws.

“Oh yeah - he’s gonna need some help,” He snorted. “And what is it with you attracting all the weirdos?” He cackled, flying over to the mini-fridge she kept stocked with Kwamii food and phasing through.

“You’ll want to bring the first aid kit,” he continued, exiting the fridge with a small wheel of cheese and taking a large bite before continuing. “Probably keep the baton with you in case there’s trouble - the kid may not be much help  watching your back.”

That snapped her to attention, and she rushed off to her bathroom to grab the enormous first aid kit she collected over  years of hero work. She pulled on a coat - Tikki slipping into a pocket - and shoved her feet into her deep red combat boots, quickly tying them before rushing out her front door and over to the stoop she’d glared  at in passing for weeks.

Marinette  took a deep breath to calm herself before testing the door - which was of course locked. She huffed and pulled out the lock-pick set she stored in the inner lining of her boots. She unlocked  the door after two frustrating minutes - it seemed her neighbor wasn’t satisfied with the standard locks that came with the condos and installed his own.

Once inside, she closed the door behind her and re-locked it  - noticing a blinking red light on a small black box along the side of the door.

Probably a silent alarm, she mused, No matter - I’m here to help and have no intention of harming… Oh geez, I don’t even know his name - what will the police think when they arrive  here?! What names did the barista say  at the coffee house? - Tim and… Damian? Gah! It doesn’t matter - he still needs help! She shook herself and continued along the hallway with the first aid kit in her left hand and the baton in her right - raised and ready for trouble.

“Um… Hello?” She called out, deciding it was better to alert any robbers than to scare her injured neighbor. “It’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng - your neighbor next door? I heard a crash and someone in pain, so I let myself in…” Having cleared the first floor, she turned to the stairs at the back of the house past the kitchen. “Mr. Wayne?”

A pained grunt sounded from the top of the stairs and she tensed further, not foolish enough to rush  ahead after the warning Plagg gave  - even if it wasn’t bad enough to insist on coming himself.

“Is that you, Mr. Wayne?” She called, narrowing her eyes as she reached the top of the stairs.

“I...in here...” A deep male voice coughed from the last room to her right, and she heard a low growling as she entered the room.

“I’m going to turn on the light.” She called a moment before she did.

Muttered cursing sounded at the light and drew her eyes to the floor under the window where the young Wayne lay on his side, clutching a gash over his chest, and surrounded by glass. The  man was dressed in a ripped Robin uniform she’d become familiar with due to all the merch that littered the city.

“Oh…” Marinette  whispered, Plagg’s comment on attracting weirdos now making sense. She heaved a deep sigh.

“His name is Titus, right?” The dog twitched at his name, and his master nodded stiffly. “Will he  let me take a look at your injuries?” She retracted the baton and set it on the ground slowly with the kit, keeping her movements slow, and returning to a standing position with her palms empty and up.

“Titus, hda[2].” The dog slowly relaxed his tense position and looked back at the boy on the ground behind him. “Rahab[3].” The man said,  nodding toward her, wincing as it pulled at one of his many injuries.

Though she didn’t understand the language of the commands, their meanings were obvious - she sank to the floor again and turned to her side, slowly offering her hand for the great black beast to sniff. He cautiously approached her and watched her body language intently as he snuffled at her hand - leaving a cool trail behind, which would have made her giggle in  another situation.

Finally deciding to trust her , he licked her cheek and released a whine - tugging her jacket sleeve over to his injured master. She reached back to grab her kit and allowed the dog to pull her forward.

“Where are you hurt most severely?” She asked, kneeling beside him, ignoring the few pricks of glass in her legs as she did so.

“The gash on my chest is the only one that needs looked at immediately... the others are superficial.” He wheezed lightly, his voice strained.

“Was your head or spine injured to your knowledge?” At the slight shake of his head, she carefully slid her arms under him and gently lifted him into a princess carry. He let out an indignant and surprised manly squeak and she tried to hide her smile.

“Your partners, do you want me to contact them?” She asked, entering the connected bathroom and flipping the switch with her shoulder.

“My communicator and tracker are busted - though if you came through the front door, they were alerted and will send someone to check when  I do not respond.”

She nodded and set him into the tub as gently as she could, shooing Titus away from sticking his head in as close as he could get it to the man. She set her kit on the floor and pulled out a pair of scissors. He snorted at the sight.

“Those will not even make a scratch in -” She grinned at his stunned silence as she nearly glided through the material, snagging  a few times on previously patched parts.

“...” He stared at the scissors as she shifted to cut the sleeves. “This is the highest grade kevlar… how in the…” He turned to meet her laughing eyes and quirked an eyebrow.

“I have my secrets,” She gestured to the suit she was tearing into. “And you have your’s.” He pinned her with a look, but she raised her own brow as if to ask ‘you don’t actually expect me to tell you, do you?’

He scoffed and turned to the wall.

She laughed and moved the last of the material out of the way - turning back to her kit to gather her supplies.

“I don’t suppose you’d let me give you any Lidocaine?” He gave her a ‘what do you think?’ look. “That’s what I thought - want something to bite on?”

“I’ll be fine.” He grumbled, turning away again.

“Alright tough guy, I’m gonna just dive in - if you need a break or want to change your mind, let me know.” He nodded, and she threaded the hooked needle, glancing at him once more before starting in.

She was amazed at how little he reacted - a few face twitches at most - and she made sure to get through it as quickly as possible. After tying it off, she cleaned around the wound and taped gauze over it, and nodded to herself in satisfaction.

She turned  to grab more alcohol swabs, only to find the injured hero unsteadily climbing  to his feet.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” She asked, exasperated.

“The rest is livable - I will be fine. Thank you for-”

“Thank me when I’m done patching you up, you stubborn fool.” She rolled her eyes, pushing him back down.

“How are you so strong?!” He huffed. “I don’t know of many civilians who could lift a grown man without an issue…” He left the statement trailing like a question, and she laughed.

“I grew up in a bakery - I’ve been lifting bags of flour my whole life.” She shrugged, taping up his finished arm and moving onto another gash.

“Sure…” He scoffed, not believing for a second that was all there was to it. She shrugged in response.

They sat in silence until she finished , tapping on the last square of gauze.

“Alright,” She helped him to his feet  and over to his bed. “Is there anything else you need?”

He shook his head, giving a soft ‘Thank you’ - reaching out to catch her hand as she began walking over to retrieve  the baton she’d left by his door.

“Truly - I… I would have been in trouble if you had not found me when you did. The others are in the middle of a fight and my beacon was broken before I could activate it… there might  still be  time before they worry.”

“Happy to help.” She smiled, patting his arm. He nodded, breaking eye contact again and patting Titus who jumped on the bed  to snuggle  the man.

“By the way…” She started. “What is your name? I know your last name is Wayne - that’s what the boy at the park said anyway, and I think it’s either ‘Damian’ or ‘Tim’ - because those were the names the barista gave at the coffee shop…”

“Wait,” He stopped her. “You… don’t know who I am?”

“Um… should I? The way the boy said it made it sound  as if you’re well known here - but I’m only familiar with Parisian celebrities.”

“Oh, then… I believe I may owe you an apology.” He scratched the back of his head, still avoiding eye contact.

“Yes, yes you do - but what are you referring to?” She started with a irked look, and he had the decency to look abashed.

“When you first came to my door… I thought it another instance of someone trying to get in my good graces because I’m a Wayne. My father and brothers have warned me against social climbers, and I find it best to avoid encouraging them by making my disinterest known right away.” He still refused to meet her eyes and she reached out to touch his shoulder.

She waited until he met her eyes before speaking. “I appreciate and accept your apology, and  I understand. ” He raised a disbelieving brow.

“No,” she chuckled, “Really. Back in Paris, I had a few friends who suffered from  the same problem - an Olympic fencer, a model, a rock singer…” She shrugged. “I get it… but I’d also like to start again if you’re up for it?”

He stared at her for a moment, taking in her sincerity, before he slowly nodded and extended his hand.

“Hello… I am Damian Wayne.” She grinned and grasped his hand.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

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

Dick burst into the apartment moments after Marinette returned to her own home - leaving her phone number behind with strict instructions to call if he needed anything. He explained what  happened - causing Dick check for a concussion when he openly admitted to misjudging her - and was taken to the cave.

Alfred was impressed with Marinette’s stitch job, and only needed to re-bandage the wounds he’d checked. His father had interrogated him for several hours when he found out a near-stranger  knew at least Robin’s identity. He was talked down from all-out kidnapping the girl for answers only because Damian insisted on it - and he rarely stood up for his family, let alone strangers. So, they decided to keep a close eye on her when she went out (Damian living directly next door kept them from over-bugging the outside of her home).

They discovered she worked  in a small boutique in the Fashion District, and volunteered  at a shelter. When she wasn’t at either of those places or running errands, she wandered the city for places to sit and sketch. They had the sneaking suspicion she knew of their presence , but hadn’t caught her looking directly at them yet.

They were all  wary of her but eventually  eased up on their suspicions the more they were around the little - but strangely strong - ball of sunshine.

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

A few nights later, Damian awoke to the sounds of muffled cries. He instinctively jolted out of bed and reached for the sword next to his nightstand. Listening, he found the sounds came from Marinette’s apartment. He popped open the door to his balcony located  on the same wall as hers.

Leaping over - narrowly avoiding knocking over one of the many pots strewn on  every surface - he slunk over to her door and peeked inside, expecting  a struggle and looking for the best opening to intervene.

What he saw was his small neighbor (friend?) curled  on her bed, tangled in her blankets, with tears streaming down her face. She thrashed, a whimper loud enough for him to hear through the glass slipping through her lips.

He sighed and set his shoulders - he’d seen enough night terrors from his brothers, the Titans, and even members of his grandfather’s League to know he wouldn’t leave her to suffer, but not looking forward to explaining how he entered .

Working on  the simple lock, he slid the door open silently, and closed it behind him, leaning his sword against it where she wouldn’t notice it unless she paid attention. .

A whine halted his approach, and he paused, noticing the butter-colored Pit Bull at the foot of the bed - having obviously knocked off in her mistress’ movement - and reached a hand out. The dog sniffed hesitantly, her tail stuck firmly between her legs, and her ears flat against her head in worry.

“It’s alright, girl, I am here to help.” He soothed, rubbing at her ears until her tail uncurled and began to half-heartedly wag.

“NON!... CHAT!” The girl on the bed sobbed, her arms flailing as if reaching for something.

He was at her side in an instant, grabbing her arms and readying himself in case she fought him.

“Mari!” He called, shaking her none too gently, “Mari! It is a dream! You need to wake up!”

It took several tries, but soon her eyes shot open.

She sat up, latching onto the first thing she found, and as he still held  her wrists, (and her dog was on the floor) he found his arms full of a sobbing Marinette. She gasped, muttering in French  how sorry she was, how she should have been stronger, how it was her fault…

He held her, as his brothers did for him for months after he came back from the pits and awoke from his own nightmares. He started to rock back and forth - smoothing her hair, and she cuddled in closer, her cries pittering out.

The city’s ambience filled the room - interspersed with the slight creaking of the bed at Damian’s continued rocking motion.

“Do you wish to talk about it?” He asked after what felt like both a moment and an eternity.

She hesitated, before starting in a small, frail voice.

He learned  what  transpired in France with the villain the League had been forbidden from interfering with. She told him of  the emotional trauma - having to police your own emotions, watching loved ones be used, watching them die horribly, only to have them come back with no memory of the fact.

And then - she told him about Ladybug.

She didn’t swear him to secrecy or threaten him if he told anyone - it spilled out with everything else.

She had been alone.

As a civilian, she was isolated, and as a hero - she had no one to lean on, especially once  entrusted with the Guardian title. She had only her Kwamii (whatever that was - she made it seem like some  all-powerful sprite) who knew her identity, and she couldn’t properly vent for fear of becoming ‘akumatized’.

She told him about the final battle. How it turned out to be the father of a friend who terrorized  everyone, how her partner had nearly fallen apart in grief - as it was his father - and how her partner, her friend, had died saving her from his father’s blade. The blow caused his own power, a "cataclysm" to defensively implode, destroying everything in the vicinity - even the bearer of the ring. Marinette's saving grace was her own power, the ultimate balance to destruction, which shielded her from the blast.

She sobbed into his shoulder after the tale was done until she eventually fell into a deep sleep.

He set her back into the bed gently and covered her with the blankets. Moving to the chair in the corner he  slumped down,  head in his hands,  absorbing  the emotion and information her story had left him with.

A wet nose nudged his arm, and he looked down to see her dog slowly wagging her tail and giving him sad puppy-eyes. He gave her a small smile.

“It’ll be alright…” He shifted to search for a tag to find  her name - not remembering it from Marinette’s initial introduction.

“It’s Squishy.” A small, high voice called. He jerked his head up to watch a red fairy-bug…thing float down to rest on the dog’s head. “Mari found her rooting through some trash in an alley a week after the final battle - they’ve been inseparable  ever since.”

They eyed each other for a moment before he broke the silence.

“...Tikki… right?” That was the name from Marinette’s story. She nodded, her big sky-blue eyes analyzing  his soul.

“I am Tikki, Kwamii  of Creation and good luck. Thank you for helping my chosen tonight - Plagg and I couldn’t wake her.” She drooped. “This one was particularly bad.” He nodded, and another sprite floated over, this one pitch black with a tail, small pointed ears, and ancient, acid green eyes.

“I’m Plagg - Kwamii of Destruction and bad luck - and I won’t hesitate to cataclysm you into oblivion if you hurt my Bug with the info she trusted you with tonight - or at all, for that matter.” It should have been impossible, with all of his experience, to be frightened of such a tiny being, but Damian found himself shuddering at the fierce protectiveness all the same.

“Understood.” Damian nodded.

“Good.” And just like that, the eyes were half-lidded and looked bored. “Do you have any fancy cheese at your place? The Bug cut me off from the good stuff after I tangled  her  expensive yarn or whatever.” He rolled his eyes and crossed his ‘arms’.

“Plagg! Can you not think of your stomach for once?!” The red sprite cried, exasperated.

“I spent the whole night watching Spots and trying to wake her when the dream started, then I threatened the birdboy - that’s a long time!” He pouted, and Damian huffed in amusement at how much the tiny cat reminded him of Todd’s bottomless pit of a stomach.

“There’s blue cheese and brie in the fridge.” He pointed down and to the side where his kitchen lay, and was shocked as the cat passed directly through the wall without a word.

“Sorry about him ,” Tikki said with a fond sigh. “He’s worried about Mari, and pretending he doesn't care is how he copes.” She took on a serious look and pinned him with it.

“I know you’re  a hero and used to keeping secrets, but the miraculous are the most powerful artifacts in the world. We existed  before the dawn of man, and we will far out-live your kind.” He stared at her, the ancient power from the cat now pulsed  from her, telling him she wasn’t to be trifled with.

“Mari is all alone in this, and we planned  to convince her to seek help from your “league of heroes” soon, so this is not entirely  inconvenient - but she trusted you. She is  gifted with excellent instincts - both as a Ladybug and a Guardian - I don’t oppose her choice, but I warn you - should you cause any harm to befall her, you will answer to me.” Damian shuddered for the second time that night - the second time in years - and nodded solemnly.

“I understand.” She searched his eyes for another minute before her own softened.

“I see  you do. You’ve  endured your own trials.” He looked at the lump on the bed to avoid her stare. “I think you will be good for each other.” She mused, rising from Squishy’s head and floating over to the wall connecting his home to Marinettes’.

“I’m going to make sure Plagg hasn’t eaten everything you own.” She giggled, and phased through the wall.

He released a shuddering breath and slumped down from his stiff position - reaching over to pet Squishy’s head as she leaned in and began to thump her tail against the floor. He smiled softly at the sight and sunk further back into the chair with a deep sigh.

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling, trying to sort through how to help the neighbor he’d assumed was after his money and name. He winced at his previous misconceptions. He  needed more practice at  learning to accurately read people - perhaps he could convince Cass to coach him in nonverbal cues.

He shook his head, helping Marinette build  a support system was top priority. He’d always bemoaned his family getting in his way - but at least he’d never been left alone. From her story, it seemed like she’d run  the entire Paris operation on her own the four years Hawkmoth had been at large.

The first step was to involve  his Father and siblings  - they’d know how to execute a plan  - but he felt it had to come  at her own pace. From what she said, she’d had no choice but to play catch-up during her entire battle - since she was twelve.

He continued to chase his thoughts  in a dizzying dance until he eventually succumbed to sleep, not noticing when the kwamii crept back and snuggled in alongside Marinette.

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

Three months later - a tiny girl in a dark red and black ensemble was spotted running on rooftops alongside Robin, Red Hood, and Nightwing, her light, bell-like laughter ringing out into the Gotham night.

The local media pages blew up - the people of Gotham fell  in love with their ‘Ladybird’ and her sweet nature which  opposed the stoic and gruff bats. It was interesting for them to see her banter and fight alongside the other members of the team -  especially Robin, who became  her shadow, rarely leaving her side.

She had several blogs dedicated to her feats and theories about the miraculously healed injuries and repaired battle sites. It didn’t take long for people  from France to find the numerous articles, and start the rumor she was once their ‘Ladybug’, but there was no solid evidence. The two looked and acted completely differently.

Ladybird was free-spirited and light of heart, whereas Ladybug was serious and professional. Many speculated the  Ladybug miraculous  traded hands, but, as there was no supernatural Cat seen, it  remained an unlikely theory.

Unfortunately for the bloggers, it was hard to snag  a good look at the bats, as they thrived in the darkness. Others  commented on Robin’s costume change, but Ladybird’s appearance  took the spotlight.

If they had caught a closer look, they would have found Robin’s red and yellow colors gone , and the forest green was replaced with a more muted-toxic tone. Thankfully, his hood hid the most significant changes as he now sported two small velvet ears that reacted to sound and emotion, and his usual katakana now had a pitch-black blade with green detailing on the hilt.

In completely unrelated news,  the youngest son of Gotham’s resident billionaire was  in the news frequently as he’d taken to hanging around a petite Asian-French girl who was rumored to be a famous designer from France. She was photographed numerous times on outings with Damian and both their dogs - who got  along even better than  their owners.

Due to her kind nature and enchanting  smile, she quickly gained the  nickname  ‘Sunshine of Gotham’ and the tag trended frequently  on Twitter.

During an interview with a fashion magazine, she was asked if she’d ever leave the city of crime, and the answer she’d given was proudly displayed in the Gotham Gazette the next day.

“The people of Gotham have heart and spunk which  can’t be matched - I was welcomed here after a difficult time in France, and I don’t see myself growing tired of being challenged and cared for in the way only Gotham can.”

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

[1] Almalak almuharib - ‘Warrior Angel’ in Arabic [2] Hda - ‘calm’ in arabic [3] Rahab - ‘greet’ in arabic

[shotokimchi]

Bunny

Pairing: Dabi x Fem!Reader and a pinch of Hawks x Reader

Summary: Dabi goes to a club and a naughty bunny seduces him.

Warnings: Smutt *cough cough*

Alcohol and lust filled his senses, it was all Hawks’ idea to go to a famous bar filled with sexy girls wearing bunny outfits. They entered and quickly found an empty table to sit, then a man with a white dress shirt appeared. “Welcome, who would you like to serve you we have six girls who are available right now, would you like to check the catalog?” Before he could protest Hawks beat him to it “Sure!” Dabi sighed and rolled his eyes, then the waiter handed them a catalog with girls on it, the girls had numbers next to them. “What are these numbers stand for?” Hawks asked the waiter and he pointed to the first girl who had the biggest number “These are the rankings of our waitresses, as you can see Y/n is on the top so she is the most preferred one.” Hawks hummed in content and turned towards his friend “What do you say, which one should we choose?” He clicked his tounge then eyed the h/c haired girl, she was wearing a lingerie set and by the looks of it, it was something expensive. “If she’s number one then we’ll get her.” Dabi’s comment excited the blonde and he nodded towards the waiter. The waiter chuckled “But Y/n is the most expensive waitress, are you sure about this?” Hawks smirked “Yeah, we are getting her.” The waiter nodded and smiled “Ok, she’ll be here when she’s ready.” Then he left.

Y/N POV

“Y/N! Table 6 is waiting for you hurry up!” My boss yelled, after finishing my makeup and eyeing my reflection on the mirror, i took a deep breath and started to whisper encouraging words to myself. Yeah this is my job but meeting new men and satisfying their needs is not an easy thing. *you can do this” “I’m coming!” 

I grabbed a silver tray and placed three cocktails on it, then my eyes landed on table 6, there was a blond guy with a flirtatious expression on his face and beside him sat a guy with scars and beatiful turquoise eyes. At least they dont look old, tonight is my lucky night. After wiping the nervous look and putting a small smile on my face, i started to walk towards them and swayed my hips for their attention. The blonde one noticed me approaching them and whistled. “Damn.” It was a whisper but i managed to hear it. The dark haired one tried to look uninterested but i caught a glimpse of curiosity in his eyes. “I’m Y/n and i’ll be at your service tonight, hope i can entertain you guys~” I winked and sat between them and crossed my legs, the blonde one tensed a little and i giggled. “No need to be so nervous, golden eyes~ Can i have your name?” A small blush covered his cheeks and he smirked “Hawks.” Then i turned towards the dark haired one, after catching my eyes he huffed “The name’s Dabi.” I nodded and handed them the cocktails.

 After chatting with them for a while, they noticed the funny side of you. You had a good sense of humor and listened to their things. Then the club music changed to a suggestive one and you got on the table, their eyes widened a little but they tried their best to stay collected “Ohoho~” Hawks chuckled and you started to sway your hips with the rhythm. They made you learn different kinds of choreographies, being number one needs hard work after all. You grabbed their hands and placed them on your exposed stomach, the lingerie you were wearing was an elegant gray one with shiny diamonds and glitter on it. “Shit” Dabi sighed under his breath and started to explore your body with his hands, he tugged at your bra and your breath hitched in your throat, then an idea popped up in your mind. You slowly got on Dabi’s lap and he placed his hands on your hips, you didn’t want Hawks to be left out so you grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. Your hips started to grind on Dabi’s while your lips were leaving open mouthed kisses on Hawks’ lips “Holy fuck” Hawks groaned and licked your bottom lip, asking for your permission. After opening your mouth for his tounge to enter, both of you started to fight for dominance, his tounge started to explore your mouth. 

Dabi felt a little jelaous while watching you two make out. He caught a glimpse of your exposed neck and a smirk appeared on his face, his tounge licked your pulse and before you could process, his teeth made contact with your smooth skin. “Nghh” Hearing your little whine only turned him on. His pants started to get tighter and tighter for him, he bucked his hips, trying to get some friction. He was certain, he wanted to be the one to fuck you tonight.

You pulled away from Hawks and meet Dabi’s beatiful eyes. The wetness between your legs made your tighs tremble. You were trying to get off while grinding on him. He leaned closer and whispered in your ear “I know you want me to break you, lets go somewhere quiet.” Your heart pounded in your chest and you licked your lips in a seductive way “What about your friend over here~?” His eyes found his blonde friend and he ‘tched’ “I’ll handle him.” Then he grabbed the bottle of alcohol which was standing on the table, he filled Hawks’ glass and handed it to him “Drink.” Hawks looked at him with a confused face but accepted anyways, after a couple of drinks Hawks was a stuttering mess. Dabi looked at his friend’s messed up state and grabbed you by the waist. He pulled you on his lap and pushed his tounge in your mouth with ease, you started to grind you hips with more force and he tugged at your panties “D-Dabi, what about your friend?” He sighed “He passed out and the club lights are pretty dim no one can see us.” Then he started to unbuckle his belt, you got off on his lap and got on your knees. His eyes widened a little but he quickly recoverd and chuckled “Sexy little slut.” You giggled and tugget at his zipper, after freeing his shaft, you started to leave little kisses and kitten licks on his tip, he growled and his fingers found your hair. “Don’t tease me baby girl, be a good little girl and suck.” You clenched your thighs and welcomed him in your hot mouth, the strong sucks pushed him towards the edge and he started to fuck your mouth. “S-shit, get up baby.” You got on his lap and he immediately pushed your panties aside “Sit.” You excitedly sat on his long dick and started to bounce, your fingers found his black locks while he sucked on your neck. “Nghh, Dabi~” His hands grabbed your ass cheeks and his hand landed a harsh slap on the right one, you yelped and tried to muffle your moans “There you go~” both of you lost yourselves in pleasure, he squeezed his eyes shut and quickened the pace. “Dabi, im g-gonna-” You couldnt get to finish and climaxed. His hands started to abuse your cheeks and at that moment you realised that he has a fire quirk, he activated his quirk and landed merciless smacks. “Good girl, good girl~” The overstimulation was too much, your e/c eyes watered. “Dabi!” You let out a loud scream but luckily, the club was shaking with music so the chance of getting caught was pretty low. As an employee you cant have sex with the customers but it didn’t matter, you loved Dabi’s scent, his eyes, his smirk and the way he fit inside of you. “You look sexy~” His voice was filled with lust while he was admiring the hickies on your neck and after a couple of harsh thrusts he came inside of you with a scream “Fuck!” Both of you trembled while embracing each other. His hot seed was making your walls throb with pleasure. He pulled out and sighed with content, then you started to kiss his face. You wanted to savour this moment, you wanted to feel every inch of him. “Dabi~” His breatch hitched and he chuckled “Dont use that tone, you’re gonna give me a boner again.” You giggled and nuzzled your face on his shoulder, he closed his eyes “Don’t wanna leave but i have to.” You pouted and looked at his captivating eyes “Will i see you again?” He squeezed your abused cheeks and kissed your temple “After having a taste of you, i can’t let you go.” Your cheeks got red and the comment made you happy. A sincere smile appeared on your lips and you cupped his face with your hands “Please come again, Dabi.” A small smile crossed his lips and he nodded and sealed the silent promise with a hot, needy kiss.

After dragging Hawks out, Dabi turned and looked at the bar. This night took an unexpected turn but he was content with the result. “Until we meet again.” He said under his breath.

A/N: OOP, feedback and reblogs appreciated

[cmfan3]

The Perfect Gentleman

Pairing: Jennifer Jareau X Emily Prentiss

Warning: Language

Words: 3.6K

Sorry for making you guys wait for this one. I’ve been a bit busy, but I haven’t stopped writing and I do have more works in the process. Thanks for reading !

The team had just wrapped up a new case in New Orleans with the help of detective Will LaMontagne, Jr. The team made their way towards their SUVs, splitting in two groups. Rossi, Reid and Hotch decided to head to the precinct while Prentiss, Morgan and Penelope waited for the other blonde to finish her conversation with Will.

The detective glanced back at the remaining members before turning towards JJ with a flirtatious glint in his eye, “and now you're leaving? How will I survive a woman like you going so far away?”

Her mouth twitched in amusement, “well, despite what you may have heard... Cell phones can be very good for your health.”

Will smiled confidently as they exchanged numbers, being sure to send a wink her way as she walked back towards her waiting team, prompting a giggle to escape her lips.

Emily’s face dropped as she had watched the whole scene unfold, causing Penelope and Derek to look at each other with concern. “Hey sweetcheeks, don’t think too much about it. It’s just a phone number,” the blonde reached back and softly squeezed the older woman’s hand.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, Derek noticed that Emily avoided eye contact, “listen princess, she’s right. It’s not like they’re dating or anything. They’re just friends.” “For now,” the brunette mumbled as she began to chew on her fingernails.

Realising that JJ was on her way to the SUV, the three let the subject drop, but the tension in the car was definitely noticeable. The communications liaison jumped in the back next to Emily, not paying attention to the way all three members tensed as she entered with a bashful smile on her face.

Unnoticed by JJ, who was too busy typing away on her phone, the brunette’s shoulders sagged and her head fell back against her seat. Morgan started up the car and began driving back to the precinct, occasionally glancing back at the older woman with worry shining in his eyes.

After a couple minutes of tense silence, Emily decided that she had enough. Dropping her head slightly and peeking at the phone, she questioned, “so you and detective LaMontagne?”

The question made the blonde’s fingers hover over the screen for a split second before they continued their typing. She didn’t respond to the question, but the blush that rose on her cheeks was enough for Emily’s heart to clench.

The rest of the drive was silent except for the occasional sound of JJ’s fingers clicking away at her phone.

Seven months later and the team was somewhat shocked that the detective and their communication liaison were still in touch. Although JJ tried to stay secretive about it, the team knew where she was going when she was “visiting her mother” every month.

Realizing that the blonde was completely head over heels for the detective, Emily decided that she needed a distraction and tried to find a companion. She brought up the idea to Penelope, causing the peppy woman to let out a series of excited squeals.

Penelope insisted that the older woman should get a cat and so they spent countless days visiting shelters but it was to no avail. Two weeks after the idea was brought up, the team solved a particularly rough case, which caused Emily’s desire for a companion to increase.

The brunette stopped by Penelope’s room before leaving and popped her head through the door, “hey, PG. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I’m going cat searching again today. After that case, I definitely want a friend to come home to.”

“I hope you know I’m definitely coming with you,” the tech analyst jumped out of her chair and began grabbing her stuff, “I can’t believe you were about to go cat searching and not invite your best friend.”

Emily playfully rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle, “yea, yea, I won’t do it again. Buttt, I’ll be in the car. Don’t take too long or I’m leaving without you.” Penelope let out a gasp and called over her shoulder, “Emily Elizabeth Prentiss, you wouldn’t dare. Your credit score is on the line.”

The brunette laughed and began walking away, “ok fine. But hurry up and get your cute little butt in the car. I’m waiting.” The younger woman turned and sent a playful wink, “oh don’t worry sweetcheeks, I won’t keep you waiting too long.”

True to her word, Garcia jumped into the passenger seat only a few minutes later. The older woman reached forward and turned the key in the ignition, starting the car while the tech analyst connected her phone and picked music.

Penelope set her phone down and clasped her hands together excitedly as they pulled out of the parking garage, “we’re gonna find the one. I can feel it.” “Whatever you say PG,” Emily shook her head as her lips quirked up in amusement.

Garcia’s scream rang out across the room, scaring a few passerbys, “OH MY GOD- E! Come look at this cutie! He’s absolutely perfect and don’t even think about convincing me otherwise.”

Emily cautiously made her way over, scared to see what Penelope had decided on, but when her eyes landed on the black cat, she knew that her friend was right. He was perfect. “Alright then, he’s the one,” the older woman chuckled as Garcia’s grin got even bigger.

Emily bent down and picked up the tomcat. Her heart swelled with affection when he pushed into her and started purring softly. Seeing the way her friend was already falling in love with him, the blonde did a little happy dance, causing Emily to give a lopsided grin as her eyes twinkled.

“So, Pen,” the brunette passed the cat to her friend, “what should we call him?” Penelope’s mouth dropped and her eyes widened, “you want me to name him? Em, he’s your cat.”

“He’s our cat,” Emily smiled gratefully at the woman in front of her, “you found him, did you not?” The peppy woman smiled and hugged the cat to her chest as she rattled off names, “Houdini? Loki? Shadow?”

Noticing the way Emily’s features slightly scrunched up, Penelope thought for a moment before she lit up, “Sergio.” The older woman smiled softly, repeating the name to herself before responding, “I love it.”

Emily hadn’t even had the cat for more than a day before she started telling her team all about him the next day. She was talking to Spencer and Derek when JJ walked in, hearing the last few parts.

“You guys have no idea. I absolutely love Sergio. He’s the perfect gentleman. I don’t think I’d ever have found him if it weren’t for Garcia. He always listens and never makes a mess-”

JJ cleared her throat, letting her presence be known to the group of three, cutting their conversation short, “we have a case.” The three looked at each other awkwardly before they got up and headed towards the conference room, the blonde following them.

Why am I upset? It’s good that Emily finally found a man. I have a boyfriend who loves me and I love him. I love Will. So why am I bothered that Emily-

Not realizing that her team members stopped walking, JJ bumped into the older woman’s back, causing her to fall forward. Before Emily could hit the ground, the blonde’s arms snaked around her waist, holding her upright.

Feeling how JJ’s arms wrapped around her, Emily’s breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat. The younger woman’s brain seemed to malfunction and she didn’t move until she heard someone cough awkwardly. Damnit Spencer.

JJ jerked her arms away bashfully while a blush was already creeping on her face. She cleared her throat and walked to her chair while Emily took her seat, both avoiding eye contact but still aware of each other’s presence.

Penelope watched the scene unfold and her brain started wracking for an explanation as to why JJ became as flustered as the brunette. Her eyes widened, it hit her. JJ is in love with Emily.

Realizing that the team was waiting for her to start the presentation, she grabbed the remote and turned on the projector. Before turning towards the screen, she gave Emily a not so subtle wink.

The blonde profiler looked between the two women, taking in how the tech analyst waggled her eyebrows and the older woman’s forehead creased from what seemed to be confusion. I need to talk to Pen later.

“Wheels up in twenty,” Hotch’s voice called out. The team members gathered their things and began heading out but before Penelope could leave, JJ placed her hand on her shoulder, “can we talk?”

“Of course, goldilocks,” the tech analyst sat down, pulling her friend with her, “to what do I owe the pleasure?” JJ suddenly became shy, squirming in her seat, “I just overheard Em talking to Morgan and Spence. I guess I just wanna make sure that he’s treating her well.”

Penelope’s eyebrows knitted together, “what? who?” JJ’s hands wrung each other out, “Sergio? Em was telling the boys how she loves him and he’s the perfect gentleman. So I guess what I’m trying to ask is, is he good enough for her?”

Realizing that her friend had no idea that Sergio was actually a cat, Penelope bit her lip to keep from laughing, “yea- yes. He’s good enough for her. More than good enough. He’s what she needed. Don’t worry about it, goldilocks, he’d never hurt her.”

The peppy woman was somewhat shocked to see how her friend’s shoulders seemed to deflate and her face fell for a split second before a forced smile took form. JJ silently got up and patted Penelope’s shoulder before walking out and going to her office.

As soon as she walked in, she shut the door behind her, not bothering to lock it as she fell onto the couch, the tears already building. Come on Jennifer. Why does this bother me so much? I can’t have feelings for Emily, can I? I love Will. We’ve been toge-

Her thoughts were interrupted by Penelope barging in and hurriedly closing it shut behind her. The tech analyst sat on the couch next to her friend and grabbed her hands. Penelope waited until JJ calmed down and sat up before she questioned, “Jen, do you like Emily?”

JJ let out a long sigh, thinking before she answered, “no? Yes? I don’t know, Pen. I have Will. I love him.” Penelope tilted her head and looked at the distressed woman, “but you’re not in love with him… Are you?” The tears that broke free and travelled down JJ’s face were enough of an answer.

The tech analyst gathered her friend into her arms and began rubbing circles on her back, “tell her how you feel.” JJ pulled back in surprise and wiped her tears away, “Pen- no. I don’t know if I can. I don’t want to ruin what she has. What about Will? How do I break the news to him?”

“Take it one thing at a time. Tell Emily first, you’ll deal with the rest of it as it comes,” Penelope insisted. After a few minutes, she nodded to herself, deciding that her friend was right.

JJ reached out and squeezed her friend’s hands tightly, “thank you,” she whispered. The peppy woman smiled, “anything for you, goldilocks. Now go get your woman.” “After the case,” JJ smiled gratefully.

The case had only taken two days and the team had just gotten back to Quantico. The members were each getting their things and going to their respective cars, ready to head home for the night.

Realizing that the conversation she was about to have would be better in private, JJ decided to head to the brunette’s penthouse. Penelope saw the determination on her friend’s face and she couldn’t be happier at how things were playing out.

Emily had just gotten settled on the couch with a cup of red wine and Slaughterhouse-Five. Sergio was sleeping on her lap when she heard knocking on the door. Glancing at the clock, she was confused as to why someone was knocking on her door at 10:27 PM.

After the knocking wouldn’t stop, she called out, “coming!” She set the book down on the table and softly moved Sergio off her lap before she made her way towards the door.

Swinging the door open, the older woman was surprised to find JJ standing there, nervously tapping her foot. Emily questioned, “JJ? Are you ok? Is something wrong?” The blonde took a deep breath before answering, “yes, actually. Something is wrong.”

Emily opened her mouth to respond, but JJ continued before she could say anything, “I know you just met someone and I don’t want to make anything harder for you. I overheard you talking to the boys and how you met this amazing man named Sergio and how you love him, and well- I guess it made me realize my feelings for you.”

The brunette felt like she was in a dream, but she bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing at the confusion. She nodded her head softly, indicating to her friend to continue.

“I know I have Will. He’s amazing. I love him. I really do. But, I’m not in love with him,“ the younger woman explained. Emily’s eyes widened in realization, but JJ continued, “I’m not in love with him because I’m in love with you, Emily Prentiss. I don’t expect you to feel the same, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least tell you.”

The older woman was frozen in place, unable to process what she just heard fast enough since her brain had turned to mush.

JJ searched Emily’s eyes for some sort of answer before she turned and began walking away, the hurt in her voice evident, “it’s ok, you can just forget about it. I’m sorry.”

Seeing that the woman she loved was walking away from her was enough to spur Emily into action. She reached out and grabbed the blonde’s hand, squeezing it softly. Unable to meet the brunette’s eyes, JJ stared at the ground. Emily’s eyes twinkled and a smile tugged at her lips, “I have a confession too. Sergio is actually… my cat.” JJ’s head snapped up and she frantically searched the older woman’s face, her heart swelling with hope.

Laughing at the reaction, Emily slowly pulled the smaller woman closer, placing a hand on her cheek, “and I’m in love with you too Jayje. I have been since I can remember.” The corner of JJ’s mouth quirked up and she turned scarlet, “if this is a joke, it’s not funny Em.”

Smiling softly, Emily leaned in, placing a light kiss on the blonde’s lips before pulling back, “I promise, it’s not. I’m in love with you, Jennifer Jareau.”

JJ wrapped her arms around the brunette’s neck, pulling her in for a more passionate kiss. Emily’s hands reached down and gripped the younger woman’s hips as their lips melded together.

But before things could escalate, JJ jumped back and nearly screamed when she felt something furry rub on her legs. Emily quickly looked down and loudly laughed when she realized it was just Sergio. She bent down and picked him up, “speak of the devil. Jayje, this is Sergio.”

The blonde reached out and scratched him behind the ears, his purrs reverberating through his body. The older woman watched how the woman she loved fell in love with the black tomcat.

JJ’s heart promptly melted from the affection he was showing her. She glanced up and became shy when she saw how Emily was staring at her like she was the only person in the world.

The brunette’s eyes crinkled as a smile stretched across her face, “how about we go inside?” The younger woman leaned in and placed a light kiss against her lover’s lips before speaking regretfully, “I would love to, but I need to go talk to Will and tell him everything.”

Emily nodded understandingly and bent down, setting Sergio back inside before she gathered the smaller woman in her arms, kissing the top of her head, “I’ll be here waiting. I love you.”

JJ’s eyes closed as she hummed in response, leaning into the embrace, “I love you too.” The two separated after another minute, each going their separate way, hearts full and hopes high for the future.

Hearing the front door open, Will leaped from the couch and practically ran towards it. As soon as JJ stepped inside, he gathered her in his arms and sighed a breath of relief.

The blonde backed out of his embrace, noticing how he didn’t give her the same feeling of safety that she got when she was in Emily’s arms. His features formed into those of hurt, “ma chérie?”

“Will, we need to talk,” the profiler sighed as she led him to the couch. She sat down and placed her hands in her lap, quietly thinking about the best way to approach it while he searched her face for some kind of explanation.

JJ took a deep breath before making eye contact, “the first thing I want to say is that you’ve been nothing but amazing to me and I wish I didn’t have to do this because I really do love you, Will.”

“Then don’t do this,” he pleaded while the hurt was evident on his face. Realizing that she was the one causing him pain, tears began to pool in the blonde’s eyes.

She squeezed his hands as she continued, “Will. I love you. I do. But I’m not in love with you.” The detective pulled his hands from her grasp and began pacing and his mood seemed to completely switch, “who is it?”

The profiler looked taken aback, “I- I don’t- what are you getting at, Will?” He continued pacing as he threw his hands in the air from frustration, “you know what I’m talking about Jennifer. Who are you in love with?”

JJ averted her eyes as she whispered, “Emily.” Will stopped pacing and stood in front of her, letting his arms drop to his sides, “you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

The blonde’s head snapped up, her feelings of guilt being replaced with those of anger, and her eyes narrowed, “excuse me?”

“Yea, excuse you. That’s disgusting. You have a man who cares for you. Loves you. And you wanna go and be a dyke? You should be disgusted with yourself. Fucking pathetic,” Will nearly shouted, the malice in his voice clear.

Letting out a breathless laugh as she got up and gathered her things, JJ replied, “and to think- I loved you once. Well I’m glad you showed your true colors, detective.”

“Get the fuck out,” he spat. “With pleasure,” the profiler walked out and slammed the door behind her. As she started her car, she knew exactly where she could go, she pulled out of the driveway, glad to finally be able to love the older woman freely.

Emily was curled up in her bed with Sergio when someone pounding at the door woke her up. She glanced at the clock. 1:13 AM Fucking hell. I swear to god, if it’s anyone but Jennifer-

Her thoughts were interrupted when the knocking continued, causing her to get out of bed and pad towards the door. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” she called out and when the knocking didn’t stop, she yelled, “hold your goddamn horses! I’m coming!”

Upon opening the door, her anger faded into worry, “Jen-” When suddenly, she was cut off by the younger woman practically jumping forward and passionately connecting their lips.

Pulling away for a breath, Emily saw stars behind her eyelids and a smile ghosted her lips as she let out a shaky breath. JJ’s face broke out in a carefree grin, “I’m sorry, I had to.”

“It’s not like I’m complaining,” the brunette laughed and pulled her lover into a soft kiss before leading her inside and shutting the door behind them.

The two women were cuddled up in Emily’s bed. The older woman had her arms wrapped around JJ while the blonde laid with her head on Emily’s chest, listening to her heartbeat.

Emily ran one hand through the blonde hair while her other hand lightly travelled up and down JJ’s spine. Feeling safe in the brunette’s arms, JJ wrapped her arms around the other woman’s torso.

The younger woman cleared her throat, “I just wanted to tell you that me and Will are officially over.” Not able to see her reaction, JJ focused on how she heard Emily’s heartbeat quicken and how the brunette smiled into her hair.

Emily audibly swallowed before she questioned, “how did the conversation go? And what does it mean for us? I definitely want to build something with you Jen, but I want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

The smaller woman looked up and made eye contact with the chestnut eyes she’s always loved, “it definitely didn’t go how I expected, but it’s over. And I want to build something with you too. That’s all I want. I want to grow with you. I want to love you for as long as you’d let me, Em.”

Leaning down, the older woman placed a gentle but loving kiss upon JJ’s lips before she pulled back and caressed her cheek, “I can’t think of anything that I’d want more, Jayje.”

“I love you,” the two women simultaneously declared with goofy but loving smiles on their faces as they got comfortable in each other's arms and let the exhaustion of the day overtake them.

[btsslowburnfic]

The Arrangement Ch 12

Series Summary: Desperately in need of money, you answered the questionable ad. AKA-Arranged marriage AU featuring Y/N and Yoongi.

Chapter Summary: Work work and meeting the lead Fashion designer at BigHit Previous Chapter here You arrived back at 1802 and put away the groceries. True to his word, Yoongi had let you carry all the bags back while he stuffed his cold hands deep into his coat. 

“What’s tomorrow’s schedule look like?” He asked, collapsing down onto the couch.

You took out your phone. “You have a meeting with Adora at 10 am. It looks like the conference room on the 24th floor has already been reserved by Jiwoo. Other than that, not much. You have your afternoon blocked out.”

“Cool.” He scrolled through his phone.

You walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out your leftovers. “Do you want anything while I’m in here?” You asked.

“No. I don’t eat a lot.” He responded. 

You put your food on a plate and positioned yourself at the barstool. “Do you know the person who is retiring on Saturday?” You asked right before taking a bite of your food.

“Just casually. He’s been here forever. He was BPD’s assistant for a long time and then took a less intense position these past couple of years. I think he works in the gallery as a docent.”

“There’s a gallery? Jesus, this building has everything.” You said amazed.

“It has a lot. I haven’t been. They change the exhibits every few months.”

You took your phone out and researched the gallery a bit. How interesting. You added your meeting with Jimin to your calendar and added a few other personal items for next week. 

You got up and rinsed your plate and then set the coffee maker for the morning. “Alright dude, I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the groceries.” 

He looked up from his phone. “You’re already going to bed? I thought you were a night owl?” 

You shrugged. “ I think I’m making up for years of sleep deprivation honestly. I’m sure I’ll be back to it in no time. Plus you know, mild panic attack earlier.”

“Ah right. Sorry about that again. Good night,” He said.

You gave a small smile and realized about halfway down the hallway that your heart was racing. Hey. Calm down. You’re the one in charge here. 

Yoongi got up from the couch. He wouldn’t be tired for hours. He would normally go back to the studio, but after your confession earlier he didn’t want to leave you alone in case Jin’s crazy girlfriend was still around and going to start screaming again. He sighed and went up to the loft area, pulling out his laptop. He could work some from here he supposed. 

----------

You woke up and threw on your robe. Shuffling out to the kitchen you saw that coffee was missing from the pot, indicating that Yoongi had already started his day. You grabbed a mug and headed back to your room to get ready. 

When you arrived at your desk you were pleasantly surprised to see some stationary had been left on your desk, as well as a small plant. Huh, cute. You sat down and answered the usual round of emails, confirmed events, and made a list of things you would need to check with Yoongi before answering. 

Y/N: Hey! I have some questions I need to ask you before I answer some emails. Are you available? Also do you need me to attend the 10am with you? 

Y: come in. 

You smiled and walked around the corner to the studio. You tried to turn the handle and it was locked. You smirked and keyed in the code. 

"Good morning," you said, closing the door behind you. 

"Did you sleep OK?" he asked, not turning around from the computer monitors. 

"I did. Thanks. I didn't bring coffee, would you like me to go grab some?"

"No, it’s fine." He responded. 

You walked closer and perched yourself on the edge of the couch closest to him. You sat down your pen and paper. He was clearly in the middle of something. 

He pushed a few more buttons on the console and hit play, a beat suddenly filled the studio. It sounded good to you, but all you knew about music was that you liked to dance to it. You watched as he listened to it with his entire body. He hit stop. 

"Ugh… It's still not right. Fuck." he slid his hands down his jeans 

"I can come back later if it's better for you. I didn't want to interrupt." 

He spun around in the chair. "No. You're fine. What did you need to ask me?" 

“Namjoon sent a list of artists who have expressed an interest in collaborating with you. He wants you to pick your top 3. Here," you handed him the list. 

Yoongi took the paper and looked over it boredly. So many people were just interested in collaboration for their own sake; using him to get their music recognized. People always fucking using him. He could feel himself starting to get angry and took a deep breath. 

"Hey. We can do this later, ok? What do you need from me for your meeting? Anything?"  You could tell this was bothering him but had no idea why. 

Yoongi looked up at you. Weren't you also using him? For the money? The idea flashed across his mind for a moment before he told himself to shut up. 

He cleared his throat. “Sorry. Here. " He got a pen and circled 3.

You took the paper back. "Oooo Post Malone? That would be sick. I actually haven't really listened to your music yet," you mused as you looked at the other two artists he had circled.

Yoongi felt himself relaxing more as you began to talk. "No?" he made a tch sound, "You'll have to listen sometime." 

"Oh yeah?” Your eyes flicked back up to him. “Make me a mixtape. Your ‘best of’." 

Yoongi rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling like he was in middle school. "You want me to make you a mixtape?" 

"Yep." You smiled. "OK. Your meeting with Adora is in fifteen minutes. What do you need?" 

He thought for a few seconds. "I just need my laptop and some headphones. You don't need to come, she and I will just be listening to music. If we end up back down here I'll let you know." Yoongi got up to start collecting his things. 

"Alright. Sounds good. I'll see you later." You let yourself out and emailed Namjoon Yoongi's choices. You watched as he walked past you to the elevators. 

Yoongi tried to make sure he didn't look at you as he walked past. He didn't want to seem like a creep. But last night, the more he thought about what you had told him, the more upset he got about it. While his family wasn't supportive of his goals, theirs was from a place of concern. And they were never violent or even the type to yell. 

Yoongi knew there was nothing he could have done. He didn't even live in the same city as you growing up. He didn't know you when you guys were kids. But he found himself wishing he did. That there could have been a way for him to have protected you from that. He sighed, remembering that this morning the first thing he thought about was you, and if you were safe. What was happening to him? He got on the elevator and headed on up to his meeting. 

You responded to Jiwoo's email regarding personalized stationery. You had selected your initials with the Genius Lab logo in the bottom. The sample version you designed made you feel proud. You had asked if Yoongi also had stationary and he did not. So you ordered some for him as well. 

Before you knew it, your stomach was growling. As though your mind was being read your phone pinged. 

J: There's Food trucks out front. Let's goooo! 

YN: what kind? 

JK: I'm stuck at a shoot, grab me something and bring it to the 11th floor and I'll love you forever 

YN: Is this a group chat? 

J: welcooooome. Meet me in the lobby! 

YN: Ok. 

You took the elevator down and saw Jimin’s beautiful blonde locks from across the lobby. 

"Happy Friday, gorgeous!" he greeted you. "On Fridays food trucks sometimes park along this street." He explained, gesturing through the glass windows to several food trucks waiting. 

"Oh my God. Is that a crepe truck?" you asked. 

"Yep. Let's get a few different things and share. V just texted and he's saving us a seat in the cafeteria." 

All of a sudden you wanted to cry. You had friends that texted you and wanted to eat with you? This was too good to be true. What was the catch? You found yourself wondering. 

"Hey. YN. Are you ok? Here, we can use the company card if you're worried since you just started here." Jimin tried to guess what might be bothering you. 

"What?" you asked, confused for a minute. "No. I'm sorry. I'm just so happy you guys included me, I was frozen with happiness." 

Jimin laughed. "You are too cute. I don't know why Namjoon thinks you're secretly a dominatrix". He walked over towards the exit. 

"Wait what? Your boss called me that?" you chased after him.

Jimin kept laughing "No no. Just how he's glad someone's finally whipping Yoongi into shape. I added the dominatrix part." The two of you lined up for crepes. 

You felt a little annoyed. You weren’t making Yoongi do anything. "Pshhh, whatever. I'm just nice to him. I ask him nicely to do things and he does them if he wants to." 

"Sure, sure." Jimin teased. "Hey let's split up so we can get food twice as fast." 

"Sounds good," you agreed. 

You felt your phone vibrate and you took it out. 

Y: Hey. Still in the meeting. We won't be breaking for lunch and I don't want you to wait on me. Not that you would. But just in case. 

Aww how nice of him. 

YN:OK, thanks! Make sure to eat something this afternoon. You didn't eat dinner last night. 

Y: k 

You ordered several crepes and waited for Jimin to meet you back by the lobby entrance. He had gone to a kimchi truck , ordering many different food items as well. You made your way to the 3rd floor, home to the cafeteria and gym. It seemed so evil to have these two on the same floor you thought.

You guys walked in with Jimin looking around for V. Having found him, the two of you walked over. He already had a sizeable amount of food on the table. 

“Hey guys.” He smiled, reaching out to take some of the food from your hands.

“This one is for Yoongi,” You said as you sat down and placed one of the containers next to you, away from the center.

“That’s so sweet of you.” V said.

“It’s nothing. Oh, aren’t you supposed to take food to your other friend?” You asked Jimin who had just returned from grabbing napkins and chopsticks.

“Yeah, he’s still in the shoot. We’ll just take him a few bites from each dish. You haven’t met Jungkook yet have you?”

The three of you started divvying up food onto bowls and plates. “No. I’ve seen pictures of him in magazines and stuff, but I haven’t had the honor yet.”

“He’s a good kid.” V said.

“He’s a grown ass man.” Jimin retorted.

V rolled his eyes. “The point remains. He’s coming to the party on Saturday so I’m sure you’ll meet him then.”

Silence filled the table as you all started to shovel food into your faces.

“So what dorm did they put you in?” Jimin asked through bites of food.

Shit. You did not want to tell them that you were living with Yoongi. For so many reasons. But you didn’t want to lie to your new friends. 

“I’m in a private room. I think since Yoongi keeps unconventional hours they wanted me to not bother the other girls.” You said and then stuffed a crepe into your mouth.

“That makes sense. A lot of the models are also in private smaller apartments too since we have to fly in and out of the country at strange hours,” V said. “Jimin and I live across the hall from each other on the 20th floor.”

“That’s how we became such good friends. We kept running into each other on the way to the gym and cafe. It was…” Jimin took a deep breath and dramatically paused, “DESTINY.” He reached out his hand. V laughed and the linked pinkies for a split second.

“Alright, I have to get back to work. I’ll see you later Jimin. See you tomorrow Y/N.” Tae said as he gathered up some of this trash and stood up.

“Later.” You waved.

Jimin packed up the rest of the food and some utensils to deliver to JK. “Alright, let’s go deliver some lunches.” 

The two of you exited the cafeteria. “Ugh. Why is the gym next to the cafeteria.” You lamented once more.

“I know. In the morning they make bread and it’s all I can smell when I work out. I hate it.” Jimin stepped onto the elevator with you following. “What did you get Yoongi?”

“Kimchi crepe. I had one as well. It was good. If he doesn’t want it, I’ll eat it.”

The elevator arrived at the 11th floor. “Alright babe, see you in a little while.”

“Thanks again for the lunch invite.” You smiled as the doors closed. You sighed and took out your phone.

YN: I grabbed you some food from the food trucks. I’m getting ready to put it in the break room unless you want it somewhere else. I have a 2pm meeting but will be available by text. 

You dropped the food off and stopped by your desk. You answered more emails and soon it was almost time to go meet Jimin again. You went back to the apartment and changed into leggings and a tank top. You threw a sweater on over it and headed down to the 6th floor. 

The first thing you noticed about the 6th floor looked like a rainbow vomited all over it. The colors were all over the place, you looked around for Jimin and not seeing him you sat down on a large orange sofa under a large graffiti-style painting that said JHOPE FASHION.

You heard the clack of heels a few seconds later. 

"Yoongi's assistant! " A voice happily shouted, belonging to the man who had escorted you to your apartment a few nights ago. Today he was dressed in an immaculate pinstripe suit that looked normal, save for the psychedelic dress shirt poking out from under his jacket and the lime green socks you could barely see. 

You stood up, "Hey. Nice to see you again." 

"I'm so sorry. I forgot your name." He said.

"Ah. Same actually. I'm YN." 

" Hoseok. Jimin is running a bit late but he told me you would be stopping by  Come along." he quickly turned and headed down the bright hallway. 

You followed him down the kaleidoscope-inspired hallway and entered a bright open room. There were several other people in there. The room was lined with mirrors and pedestals. People who you could only assume were models were having alterations done. 

You followed Hoseok over to one of the empty pedestals where he stopped to turn and look at you.

"Alright, do you have other clothes? Because I can not see your figure with that sweater on." He got straight to the point. 

"Oh. Yes of course." You awkwardly removed your garment. He took the sweater from you and sat it on a small purple chair.

"Stand." He gestured to a small pedestal and offered you his hand 

You climbed up on the raised platform while Hoseok studied your body. It felt invasive and awkward, but at the same time, normal because everyone else in the room was having the same thing done. You felt almost like a model for a few seconds.

"Hey girl. You're getting the full JHope experience today I see." You heard a familiar voice. You turned your head and saw Jimin walking over holding some Boba tea. 

He handed one to Hoseok. He looked up at you, "Sorry. No drinks near the merch." 

"She's not getting the full JHope experience, I would never do that with Yoongi's assistant." Hoseok teased Jimin. You weren't quite sure what he was talking about, but you could take a guess. 

He continued his lap around you, eyeing you predatorily. He paused for a moment, staring at your backside more intently. 

" Hey, get away from my ass." You scolded. Jimin lost his shit and started cackling. 

Suddenly very serious, Hoseok remarked, "I have to figure out which cut of jeans will look the best in that ass so I'm going to look at it. If you want me to style you, you have to be prepared, Y/N." 

"Sorry, he's a little intense. But he also just said he's not going to try to sleep with you, so your ass is safe." Jimin said, having regained some of his composure. 

You scowled. "Oh yea? Is that what the full experience is?" 

"You two need to quiet yourselves." Hoseok was back to looking at you.

You blinked for a second, suddenly putting two and two together. 

"You're THE JHope of JHOPE fashion house." 

Hosoek’s eyes flicked up to you. "One and the same."

JHope fashion was known for its mixture of traditional clothing with bold and colorful patterns. 

"Well then, please sir. Look at my ass." You teased. 

To your surprise, he started to laugh and clapped his hands. "You are funny. OK. Step down. You and Soojin are about the same body type. Let me pull her wardrobe and see what we have." He walked back towards a bright green door and disappeared behind it. 

Jimin smiled while looking around the room. “So. What do you think?”

“I feel like I’m in a Kdrama to be honest.” You responded. “Small town girl moves to big city. Boy feels bad for her and gives her clothes. Girl begins new life. You know the genre.”

“Haha yeah. Are you from a small town?”

“No. I’m from Busan and I’ve lived in Seoul for the past 7 years.” 

Hoseok walked out the door carrying a few clothing items. “Here. I don’t have time to do alterations or anything but take these home and try them on. There are samples of different styles of clothes: jeans, different styles of skirts and dresses, shirts, jackets. For Saturday try on some of the printed dresses. It’s a barbecue restaurant so if you spill sauce you want it to be on a pattern so it blends in better and doesn’t stand out.” 

“Ok, thanks.” you stepped down and took the hangers from him. “When should I return these by?”

“These are marked as trash. So if they don’t fit you, you can donate them. If they fit you, keep them.”

“Really?” You asked, still in disbelief. “Like. For free. Just take these?”

“Yep.” Hoeseok said. “Just don’t go around telling everyone in the building. We get a tax write off for defects so we can’t have all of the clothing walking off. This is because Jimin said you’re cool.” 

You looked over at Jimin who was blushing slightly. “Thanks Jimin.”

“It’s nothing. Hey, do you have my clothes ready?” He asked, seeming to remember that he also came here for something.

“No. JK’s shoot went over. He’s been working out too much and he busted out of one of his shirts. We had to remake one on the fly and it took my free time. I’ll bring it by tonight.”

Your eyes bugged out slightly and you tried to not imagine the model who you had only seen photos of busting out of a shirt. It didn’t work though.

“You're so lucky.” Jimin pouted.

“I was too busy being annoyed to appreciate his physique.” Hoseok retorted. “Anyways, I need to get back to work. I’ll see you two tomorrow. Now shoo.” He gestured over to the door.

You grabbed your sweater off the chair and headed back towards the elevators with your new stash in tow. Next stop: your closet.  NEXT CHAPTER @lidda​  @anpanman-sonyeondan   @firefairy1  @cuteipat​  @sugaslittlekookies​  @janeelizabeth1216​ @deeepvibes​ @gxldenhunny​

[mimiwrites2000]

If The Stars Could Speak

a one shot

AO3 ~~

Pairings: Armin x Annie

Words count: 5284

* spoilers for chapter 131 and up

Summary:

One life time is not enough. Maybe two or three. They would relive their lives, over and over again. As long as they met again, under the same sky, beneath the same stars. But the stars sometimes opted to play, and one time, the stars entertained them being enemies in one of those lives. However, it is said that fate can pivot the stars malicious plots, deciphering them and blowing them apart in the vastness of the black sky. With a careful eye at the clear sky, reading between the glimmering dots, fate found the way to bring them together, where they belonged: by each other’s side, in that life, and every following one.

This is a two chapters fanfic, wrote by mimiwrites2000 (@mimiwrites2000) and XianKar, (@xiankar) it's a part of the Summer Fic Exchange (July - 2021), under the prompt: Stargazing in a Field

Chapter One

Myths weren’t something Armin believed in, however, in his training days, through the after math of the war, he only got to wish for these myths to be true. Annie, didn’t know of the truthfulness of these myths, but what she knew was her inevitable answer.

written by : mimiwrites2000

After a whole day of training, jogging, running, climbing, a bed of rocks would be a luxury.

Trainees sprawled on the ground, each barely covered in their sleeping bags. A hot summer night. Sweat, despite its pungent smell, cooled their bodies. It couldn’t be compared to the drizzle of a hot shower, but in the shadows of the uneasy night, it took their minds off that exhausting day.

However, Annie’s work wasn’t over.

Curled on herself in the sleeping bag, her eyes scanning her surroundings; laying her eyes on each cadet, reciting their info, their full name and what they assume their goals were, where they were from and any extra notes about them. 

She had been in the training corps for only a few months, but she had already memorized every trainee and every single detail about them.

As much as it would heave a weight off her shoulders, asking Reiner and Bert for help turned to no avail, or more like to actually work on the mission, but for whatever reason, they weren’t cooperative with her. She had to do that all alone.

If she wanted to go back to her father, then she couldn’t wait for them to snap out of their daydream, she had to do it on her own. 

Three bags spread closely together caught her attention, whispers emitted from them. Annie found herself listening intently, convincing herself that it was for mission’s purposes only, of course.

“Go to sleep,” a girl's quiet, tired whisper. Annie connected the voice to a stoic girl with outstanding, remarkable skills. Silk black hair; Mikasa Ackreman. 

“No! Do not tell me what to do!” a boy retorted, she immediately knew who he was as well; Eren Jeager, the brunette, the boy who saw his mom being devoured by a titan.

“I didn’t mean to…” Mikasa said, her tone hurt.

“You saw him as well, didn’t you? He held that finger to me, that finger, Mikasa! Shadis didn’t see him!” 

“If you don’t tone down your volume, he might as well hear you,” a third voice joined their conversation. 

“You saw him! Didn’t you, Armin? You did, right?” Eren exploded in a loud whisper.

Annie was sure everyone in camp heard him.

Armin Armin Armin… she heard that name before...

“Yeah…” 

“Yeah? And? Armin please...” Eren turned in his sleeping bag, facing Armin.

Annie was sure she memorized everyone in the training corps.

Armin Armin Armin…

“I’m not sure you can do anything about it,” Armin concluded, his voice… labored.

“What?” Eren half shouted, Annie glimpsed Mikasa nudging him with her elbow, “Ouch Mikasa that hurt!” then with a lower voice, he continued: “is that all you got to say?”

“Eren… please… just pay it back to him, tomorrow, give him the finger, ok?”

“Only that?” Eren replied, disapproval evident in his voice.

“Look, I’m tired, I’m going to sleep, goodnight Eren, Mikasa,” Armin turned his back to them, ending the conversation. Eren followed with a frustrated muttered rant that Annie couldn't catch a word of, before it quietened down, trailed by the slow breathing of the exhausted trainees.

No more conversations could be heard from around the camp. Annie was about to call it a night and try to get a few hours of sleep, when ruffles shook her awake.

The sound coming from the third sleeping bag beside Eren and Mikasa, Armin.

He stood up, slowly pushing the sleeping bag while watching his friends’ faces.

Ah, that Armin.

She remembered him, the blonde, the poor guy whom the constructor made fun of his name on the first day.

Now that she thought about it, he never shone in any training whatsoever. No wonder she couldn’t remember his face.

As sneakily as possible, he carried his military boots, being extra cautious to not drop them, and while keeping an eye on Eren and Mikasa, he prowled away.

Soon enough, he disappeared in the forest, behind trees and bushes.

None of her business, maybe he just wanted to relieve himself or something.

None of her business. 

Of course.

 As sneakily as she could, Annie followed him.

 Fortunately, due to her harsh training since her childhood, stealth was like a second nature to breathing for her.

Step after step, careful to not crush any especially dry twig; any undesirable sound could wake up the whole forest at the quietness of the night.

At first, she thought she lost him, but then, a particularly loud hiss was uttered from some place nearby.

Timidly, she walked towards the sound.

And there he was.

Sitting on a boulder, with his back facing her. His military jacket draped beside him, he seemed to be checking something out.

Annie swiveled her head around, tilting it up and down, trying to steal a glance at what he was doing-

Oh

His arm, drenched in red, a bunch of tangled, brown-spotted bandages on his lap. She could only see the side of his face, but it was enough to indicate the contours of pain on his expression.

He hissed and groaned, dabbing at the wound with another fabric that was rapidly dying red.

She swallowed, half of her mind telling her to turn around and go back to camp, the other half encouraging her to stay and watch what he would do.

She shoved the marginal voice telling her to offer help to the back of her mind.

She looked up, the moon creeping from between thick branches, clouds covering it up every now and then, swathing the whole forest with pitch black darkness, before they unveiled it again.

A serene night, Annie thought,

She turned her eyes back at him.

His attempts to heal himself would make a toddler laugh.

Shrugging, she stepped forward and said: “You’re doing it wrong.”

If the show he was putting on a moment ago wasn’t funny, then the way he jumped would be hilarious.

He flinched, turning around so fast that he lost his balance and fell to the ground. Thankfully, he didn’t fall on the open wound.

Annie didn’t move, standing there awkwardly. Did she have to go help him up? Or maybe just leave him there?

A hiss followed by a groan fixated her legs to the ground.

She looked around, no one was there. With tentative steps, she made her way to him.

“Are you alive- oh” 

Sprawled on the ground, Armin gazed at the dark sky.

Annie tilted her head up, trying to decipher what exactly paralyzed him.

The dark sky adorned with small lights scattered on it, the moon shining in the middle.

Just like any other night.

“Oh hi Annie,” he said, his voice breathy, as if air was knocked out of his lungs.

Annie glanced again at the sky…

Well, as she gazed longer at it… she noticed something… different.

Despite the moon shining brightly in the middle of the darkness, the stars shone just as bright.

The moon’s glow didn’t overthrow them. They tingled as if they had the sky all for themselves, harmonizing in a symphony of a quiet beauty.

“You know, they say stars are other worlds,” he said, “they say other lives, where we’re reborn over and over again. Each star is a different world where we live a different life.”

Annie blinked, slowly.

One 

Two 

Three

“You can’t get up.” she said.

“I can’t,” he replied.

She looked at him, a small smile, pulled at his lips. She sighed; he looked like a small kitten in need of rescuing. Stretching her hand to him, it took him no time to take it.

One single pull, and he was staggering on his feet, hissing.

“I didn’t pull you from your injured arm, right?” Annie asked, surprised at her question.

“No no no, it’s just that… you know my whole body is sore after training, that’s all,” he covered his injured arm, trying to put on a smile but failing miserably.

“Go to the medics,” Annie said, already turning her back to him.

“W-wait!” he tried to reach out to her, hissing in pain at his unexpected jolt.

She halted, looking at him over her shoulder, waiting impatiently for him to continue.

“I… uh…” tilting his head down, looking at his feet, “can you… not mention any of this… to anyone...?”

His voice was so quiet, it almost drifted with the wind, going unheard by Annie.

She started towards the camp, throwing a simple sure over her shoulder, not turning around.

“I don’t believe in those myths by the way…” he muttered. Annie heard him, she stopped in her tracks for a second, before continuing.

“Nor do I,” she said under her breath, unaware that he heard her.

When she covered herself again with the sleeping bag, the hot summer night seemed to have mercy on them and cooled down a bit. She replayed her encounter with Armin, thinking of all the astronomical myths people entertained back in Marely…

That was when she realized that she didn’t introduce herself, but he knew her name anyway.

~~~

He thought he would sleep for three days straight after everything ended.

He never expected that sleep would depart his eyes for such a long time. He decided that getting used to the fatigue accompanied by the unbearable headaches would be much easier than forcing himself asleep.

Insomnia wasn't a foreign guest. Sleepless nights of sore muscles and whirling thoughts frequently happened to him. But that night, for the first time since he was born, worry of the titans evaporated with no trace behind it, one less burden to overthink.

Armin looked down at his hands, scratches aggravating them. He somehow managed to get enough scratches to leave marks within two days without healing powers.

He had to get used to it, he must be more careful.

Two days since it ended.

The ending of a new beginning.

He tried to swallow, his mind like an over-inflated balloon that would pop at any moment.

Taking in a shaky breath, his chest tightening on his lungs, and the breath he took clustered within his ribs, pushing against his throat.

Armin buried his face between his knees, secluding his eyes from the flattened earth surrounding him.

Thinking of the rest he left behind in military forts, each with their own thoughts. He doubted anyone was asleep, perhaps they fell in and out of pulsating naps, shaken awake with dripping cold sweat and bile in the back of their throats.

Instead of flipping through one nightmare to the other, he sat on the cliff, with his knees hugged to his chest, watching the horizon braced in dark blue tinges, stars shimmering above, oblivious to what their gleam fell upon.

On his left, the ground flattened, as if no life ever existed, on his right, traces of buildings, vacant of any life, fighting to stay erect.

As he sat on top of Fort Salta past midnight, he finally got a moment for himself, away from the chaos, just for a few moments.

He wasn’t aware of the blue pair of eyes watching him from afar.

Annie stood still, gazing at Armin’s hunched back.

She’d been standing there long enough for her legs to go numb, but she didn’t move an inch, nor did Armin shift.

These moments in which she wished approaching others wasn’t as hard.

She couldn’t sleep, obviously, just like everyone else, but her mind befell to be… less chaotic.

She had her father, she got rid of her titan’s powers, and now she would live the rest of her life in peace.

Or as peaceful as the following days would allow her to.

Annie wanted to comfort Armin, tell him everything would be ok, an obvious lie, but perhaps it could lift an unremarkable weight of his shoulders. However, she knew no words could help him out, especially that relief evidently showed on her since the war ended.

It’s like that one person who fakes sympathy, or at least that was how she saw herself.

“Annie?” she flinched. She didn’t see when Armin noticed her presence. He turned his head, watching her, surprised, he clearly didn’t expect to see her there.

“Armin,” she acknowledged, not knowing any other way of responding.

After a moment of silence, Armin pressed his lips together, before he said: “Do you want to take a seat?” patting the ground beside him.

She swallowed, as she took a step closer to him.

Annie had no idea what to talk about, she didn’t know from where to start. She had many questions, questions that she knew Armin was the only one who held the answers to.

She wanted to know about their next move, were they safe? Where did they stand? Where should they go? Would they go back to the island? 

One look at his face, and she decided that all these questions would have another time to be answered. He had enough on his shoulders, and he certainly wanted a moment of peace. She contemplated going back to the tent, to leave him alone with his own thoughts, in his own world.

“Come on, sit down, aren’t you tired?” he asked.

She sat down, on the spot beside him. 

A serene night, Annie thought. The breeze cool and soft on their skin. No crickets could be heard. A peaceful night, charged with tension and the buzzing thoughts in their minds.

It reminded Annie of these nights she spent on the island, the summer camps they had in their training days. They would spend nights in the wilderness, passed out after a long, exhausting day.

“I don’t know where we should start,” he muttered, his voice echoing in the quiet of the night, “I don’t know if we should go back to the island, or… I don’t know.”

She wondered if he could read minds.

“Don’t think about it,” came her answer, while she watched the sky.

“I’m the commander, if I don't think about it, then who would?” he shook his head, a strangled chuckle left his lips, “I don’t even want to think about how Commander Hanji tolerated all these years…”

A commander.

If he earned the title in different circumstances, she would’ve been so happy for him.

She watched him from the corner of her eyes, his head bowed down, scrutinizing his feet. His back hunched, curved with all the burdens in the whole world, all pressed into a humongous boulder, sitting right in between his shoulders.

No matter how she looked at him, every single way, in her eyes, he seemed to be missing something…

It was then that Annie realized… Armin was far from complete without them.

Eren and Mikasa.

A piece of him lost forever, a wound that could never be healed.

They completed him, and he completed them.

One was gone forever, and the other… Mikasa’s whereabouts remained unknown.

The question at the tip of her tongue, but he bet her to it.

“Mikasa said she was going back to the island, to give Eren a proper burial,” he grazed the ground with his military boots, leaving divisions in the sole’s trace, “I have no idea how she’ll manage to go back on her own… but she looked like she had a plan.”

She didn’t.

Annie almost said, but held herself back, there was no need to make him overthink more than he already did. If she knew him well enough, then he had thought about that enough for his brain to burn into a char.

“So,” he said, straightening his back, contemplating the horizon, trying to fill the silence, “how is your dad?” 

Annie bit the inside of her cheeks.

She felt guilty. She was, with no doubt, the least burdened, and she admitted it to herself the same night the war ended; she reunited with her father, a long happy life waiting for her with him. That was all she ever wanted and what she finally got.

Talking about being fulfilled and happy sounded as bad as being proudly selfish.

“He’s ok,” she concluded, that would be the best answer.

He hummed, tapping his foot twice: “I’m happy for you.” 

She swiveled her head, only to be met by his smile. An exhausted smile that didn’t reach his eyes, but still a smile nonetheless.

“Thanks…” she retorted, looking away, putting a strand behind her ear.

Silence swathed them, not an awkward nor a comforting one, but the tensed silence fraught with many questions and words, suppressed inside of their heads, waiting to be unleashed.

She tilted her head up, scrutinizing the stars; they were bright, so bright that the moon, with all its light, couldn’t overthrow them.

Just like that night, the first night she met him.

She wondered if he could remember…

“I sometimes wish for it to be true,” he said, Annie turned to him, “if the stars are different worlds… you know, I think I’m up for another life, with better circumstances.”

Annie hummed, holding back a smile, so he did remember.

“What about you?” Armin asked, watching her.

She thought about it, tapping her toes, before she sighed and said:” I don’t think I want to go through getting to know whole lot of people again.”

Armin snickered, and Annie found that she could live of that sound.

“What if you only meet us all over again?” He inquired.

“You think so?”

“I don’t know, I’m just saying.”

“And if so? You think I would remember you?” She asked.

Armin went silent for a while, before he said: “I’d hope so…”

There was something in his voice, the way he said it… hope. Too scared to hope, too scared to even think of a higher expectation. The anticipation, the thoughts, the imaginations that one could never dare unleash, keeping them encapsulated withing their minds. These hopes hurt, yes, but the pain is a hundred times more bearable than if it went out, to the outside world, under the danger of others eyes.

And then they fell into silence, both thinking of the possibility of living another life.

Too scared to wish for another life.

“Astronomy classes in training were false, by the way,” she said, casually.

The hasty turn of Armin’s gaze on her made her recite what she said, in case she said something wrong. His face didn’t indicate anything though; his face perplexed, with a hint of surprise, before he inquired: “what do you mean?”

“Well…” she looked up, the stars looking down at her. They whispered words of encouragement to her, or so she imagined.

She started off, talking and talking. First starting with the false information from their training days, then correcting it based on Marley’s advanced technology and science, and the classes they had in the warrior training’s unit.

At that time, when she was nine, she thought these classes were as useful as a plastic gun in a war. What use would these classes be in battle?

She never imagined she’d be telling a guy, from the island of the devils, this information she once thought was unusable.

He listened intently, nodding his head, inquiring about details, as if it was the first time he heard about them. He didn’t tell her that he already read all that she said from books he got his hands on in Marley. He kept listening to her poor explanation, hiding a smile, each time she came short of a sentence she just flailed her hand and assumed he understood.

The soft breeze brushed her hair on her face and he imagined caressing it behind her ear.

He wanted to tell her, over and over again, how he would be forever grateful that she was out of the that damned crystal. To obliterate every single memory of that clear hump of rocks, and every single memory of Annie lifelessly floating amidst it.

Sitting beside him, her cheeks dusted with life. Her blue eyes peeking through her lashes, shinning with life. Her warmth, beside him, radiating off life.

He wanted to feel this warmth, to press her against his chest, kiss her head, run his fingers through her hair. To Hear her words whispered in his ear. Her skin against his. His fingers on her and her hands on him.

He wanted to be with her.

And he finally could.

Armin shivered at the thought.

“Are you ok?” 

Armin nodded; words clogged in his throat.

Then it turned silent again, but a different silent, a comforting one, where they knew they stepped over a line in their life. From that moment on, they turned a new page, a new life.

The beginning of a new story, a new chapter. Overwhelming for all it was indeed, the novelty of this new world, this new responsibility.

They gazed at the horizon, words ceased through the night, until the thin line of dawn broke from afar, a shy orange harbingering itself to the darkness of the sky, ready to take over.

Through the night, Mr. Leonhart would check on his daughter, from afar, watching her, scrutinizing her gaze on the man sitting beside her.

Annie never looked at anyone like that before.

With the way she was looking at Armin, Mr. Leonhart would’ve thought she changed into a totally different person. 

But no.

It was her, but with a change of heart.

The countless questions in Mr. Leonhart's head could overflow out of his skull, who was he and how did they meet? Is he good for her? What did she think of him? What did he think of her? Was he good enough for her?

He had enough time to ask her all that.

But in that moment, he relished in the light his daughter found. The comfort she showed around that man.

Annie went through way too much.

Mr. Leonhart made her go through way too much.

And if that man, Armin, lightened her life while she was on the mission, then Mr. Leonhart should thank him until his throat turned dry.

When the sun shimmered in the warm morning, Mr. Leonhart walked out of his tent, only to find out that Annie, his daughter, the former female titan, one of the best warriors in the whole world, had her head on Armin’s shoulder, snoring softly, as he wrapped his arms around her.

Both fast asleep.

Mr. Leonhart bit back a laugh, wondering if he should wake them up, or let everyone else witness this moment with him. 

~~~

~~~

Three years had passed since the ending of the war. On their way back to the island, Annie had trouble sleeping on the ship.

Her room was vast, with all necessary elements of leisure; a big comfy bed, a silky nightgown, a bath with dozens of oils and fragrances that Annie could never pronounce their names, however, she didn’t find it in herself to fall asleep.

So, she got up, going to the highest deck, watching over the ocean.

A bucket of darkness, with gleams of the moonlight reflecting off it, creating an endless cascade of glimmering diamonds, scattered upon the vast black.

It wasn’t intimidating.

If anything, it took her breath away.

A hypnotizing black.

“Mind if I join you?” a voice called from behind. She didn’t have to turn around to know who the speaker was, she memorized his voice like the back of her hand.

“I’d love that.”

Approaching her, he rested his hand on the lower of her back, and she turned her head, expecting a kiss on the lips, but instead, he kissed her forehead.

Something was off.

She raised an eyebrow.

He smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a scared smile, a nervous one.

He averted his eyes from her, escaping her questioning eyes.

“Do you remember…” he started, tilting his gaze up, watching the starry sky.

“I do, of course I do," she sighed, "first time I met you,” she completed his sentence, her gaze following his. 

He smiled, a genuine smile, not a timid one.

“It was a night similar to this, the moon was out, but the stars…” he shook his head, the inside of his lower lip curling outside.

“Shiny,” Annie concluded.

It was this simple. The moon out, despite its strong light, the stars remained unaffected, unbothered.

"Do you ever wonder..." Armin started, "if myths, perhaps, were true?"

Annie took a moment before she replied: “Are you thinking of the many universes out there?"

"Yeah..."

Armin talking about myths and legends would be, perhaps, a sight no one believed unless they witnessed it with their own eyes. The rational, logical Armin, who always finds a reason behind everything, speculating if he could live another life on one of these stars.

"Do you believe in it?" He asked, eyes scrutinizing one star after the other, as if he looked close enough, he would see himself, in another life, waving at himself.

Annie thought about it for a second, wondering if it was true, if she could really live another life, in a different world.

"I'd love for it to be true..."

"Do you?"

"Yeah..."

A star after the other, Annie found herself observing them as well. 

"Would I find you in my other lives though?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

Armin glanced at her, holding back a chuckle: “Find me in whatever place that world have books in, I'll be there waiting for you."

In a monotone voice, she replied: “You wouldn't look for me in a donut shop?"

At that, Armin threw his head back and laughed. Annie smiled, bubbles of proudness fizzed in her stomach, proud that she made him laugh.

“Yeah…” Armin sighed, as the laughs ceased, his eyes fixated on the stars, never wavering off of them. His intense concentration made Annie think that he was deciphering a new language out of the stars' alignment.

“Annie…” Armin swallowed, finally swiveling his eyes to her.

Her heart skipped a beat or two, his nervous eyes and shaky hands…

“Can I ask you something?”

Annie nodded, too scared to try out her voice.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while…” Armin was doing his best to not chicken out, and to keep his eyes on Annie’s.

He sighed, clearing his throat, shifting on his feet, averting his gaze.

He already ruined it.

But that was when Annie clamped his head in her hands, fixing him in his place, making him look in her eyes. A dust of a blush on her cheeks, as she gazed into his eyes.

In the darkness of the night, his eyes weren’t much different than the ocean they were sailing in. a bottomless, endless blue, with a highlight of a white glint in them. The moonlight reflecting off them. 

Like the stars above, Annie thought.

The endless blue that she fell into, and she was falling falling falling.

She let herself fall, knowing that, even though she dove in the deep of the unknown, she was safer than ever.

“Armin,” she whispered, his breath warm on her face, contradicting the chilly ocean breeze.

If he didn’t have anything to say, she would’ve captured his lips, kissed him until her lungs gave out.

Armin must’ve seen that in her eyes, and to make sure he gets to end his words fully, he grasped her wrists, pulling away.

Holding her hands in his, he took a deep breath, and started before he could get nervous again: “I’ve known you for so long, and…”

He stopped.

Whatever words he wanted to say vanished from his mind, completely erased.

Annie sighed, and from her reaction, Armin assumed that he looked like an idiot.

Until she laughed.

Her laughs echoing on the waves and through the empty horizon. Those rare laughs that she kept only for him. Those rare laughs that he never got to hear in their training days.

But after the war, and after they got to spend more time around each other, Armin got lucky enough to hear her laugh most often, blessing his days and nights.

Her laughs a little bit louder than a quiet sound, but it was enough to lift his heart, and make his breath hitch in his throat. Enough to make him want to kiss her lips, only to elicit more giggles from her. But not this time, he had to hold himself back from kissing her, determining his mind to finish what he came here for.

No distractions.

When her laughs ceased, he found himself mesmerized by the moonlight on her skin.

Her skin velvety under the moonlight, soft, smooth, elegant. Her hair framing her face, moving with the breeze, as tender as silk. The nights he held her close to him, kissing her head, running his fingers through her hair, these moments he got to spend with her, having her all for himself, and she having him all for herself.

And her eyes.

The only ocean Armin would willingly drown in, and never ask to be rescued, because it’s the safest place he would ever be at, surrounded by her, in an endless dream that he lived, bit by bit, entirely true.

The feelings he gets when he looks in her eyes, the tingles, his heart skipping a beat, all never ceased. No matter how many mornings he wakes up beside her, all the nights he sleeps in the same bed with her. The feelings ignite in him again and again, coming stronger than before, like an avalanche taking all over him-

“Annie, will you marry me?” he said, the words slipping out of him, casually, as if they danced on his tongue for so long, a mantra, that reiterated in his mind for so long, echoing in his mind, waiting to be out, and the time for it, finally, ticked.

Annie froze, caught off guard for a second, before she launched herself on him, capturing his lips, kissing him like it was the first time.

It always felt like the first time.

Her lips, his touch, her scent, his skin.

Always like the first time.

The fire, the warmth, the comfort, the passion.

Always like the first time.

She couldn’t step far from him after they pulled away, resting her forehead on his, her arms around his shoulders, she repeated one word over and over again,

“Yes, yes, yes…”

Each yes for every life they would live, in every universe.

Peppering kisses all over her face, her cheeks, her forehead, her eyebrows, the corner of her mouth, all the while she’s giggling, Annie Leonhart, the love of his life, giggling in his arms-

He froze.

Still in a fit of giggles, Annie asked what went wrong.

“I don’t have a ring.”

She blinked, slowly blinked, before she said: “Would you think that would change my answer?”

He shifted his weight from one leg to the other: “I mean…”

She kissed him again, swallowing whatever words he wanted to say.

They spent the rest of the night sitting on that deck, overseeing the ocean, while they held each other.

Every now and then they would laugh; they just got engaged.

It was those moments that made them push forward, to keep going.

Stars watching over their love, their only witness to their stolen kisses and touches, love confessions and hugs.

If it was for Armin, he would relive this moment for as long as he lived.

Under the same sky, under the same stars, in different lives.

And Annie’s answer will always be yes.

  In Armin’s cabin on the ship, a letter was left open on the desk, the date on it went to two weeks prior. In a messy writing, smudged by tears, Mr. Leonhart gave Armin his blessing, agreeing to marry his daughter.

.

.

.

well, I hope you enjoyed it! this was for the lovely XianKar, amazing writer and an incredible friend, I'm so glad I got to meet you! feedback, comments, kudos, are all appreciated! thank you so much for reading!

[anastasiabeaverhousen87]

Fever Dreams

NOTE: Sorry guys for the delay but work kept me from having free time but I was able to come up with this. someone requested a sick baby Danvers getting a fever after some stressful event and then being taken care by her sisters. Hope you like it, I now figured out I cannot do small stories or prompts. I kept writing until I saw the number of pages lol anyways, enjoy. 

word count: 5937

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You were discussing some ideas with your boss, Regina, she laughs at something you said when suddenly she received a call. She holds up her hand signaling for you to wait for a moment so she can take the call.

Regina: “yes? , yes she is here. Oh, I see. Yes, I understand. Ok, I’m sending her downstairs right away. No thanks are needed.” - her smile fell and started at you with sorrow in her eyes.  She walks to you and holds your hands looking straight into your eyes-

 Y/n; “was that about me?” - you asked afraid of the answer.

 Regina: “ y/n I need you to listen and don’t panic. There was a situation involving your sisters. I don’t know the details, but you are needed downstairs. Lena Luthor is here for you; you need to go with her. Don’t worry about work, please take off the time you need and don’t forget that whatever you need I’m here for you”

 At the mention of situation involving your sisters, you pale and basically ran from your boss’s office to the reception area where Lena Luthor was already waiting for you, her face hard and imposing. Not really reflecting any emotion. So, you couldn’t really get how bad the situation was.

 Y/n: “please tell me they’re are okay?” - you tear up not knowing what to expect.

 Lena grabs ahold of you and hugs you hard and in very calm and soft voice for only you able to hear says: “they’re alive. They were taken to the DEO. Their condition is unknown, I came for you as soon as I found out. Come on sweet girl. We need to go”

 You just nod and let Lena drag you into her car. Your mind and heart running a hounded miles per hour thinking of all worst-case scenarios possible. You are even dreading one them is dead or worse both and you are not being told the truth. You feel your anxiety rise and your hands are a tremble mess.

Lena notices but when you look at her, you schooled your emotions and try to look detached from your thoughts, you need to be strong for your sisters. You need to focus on them, and you can’t let Lena or anyone else worry over you on top of everything. So, you just swallow and bottle everything up.

 Y/n: “I’m okay Lena, I just need to see them” - you say in a monotonous tone and hold your hands in your lap.

 Lena: “I’m worry too sweetheart. But we are almost there” - she gives your arm a  gentle squeeze and turns to look at her phone. You know she must be running all possible scenarios and outcomes in her head; Lena is a very analytical person. You take a deep breath and try to comfort her; Lena needs you too.

 Y/n: “you know we are talking about the two most stubborn and powerful women we know. They are highly trained and one of them is basically indestructible. And the other is pretty much a ninja” - you give Lena a warm smile and you can see a hint of a smile on her and you grab her hand in yours.

 You both arrive at the DEO and you are immediately received by Jon and lets you know what happened and the current condition of both Danvers sisters.

 The mission was compromised, and Alex was taken out of the location unconscious, blood in the back of her head, a contusion and is currently in the intensive care unit because they are monitoring her heart. The worse of the attack was inflicted upon Kara. Somehow the unsubs got ahold of green Kryptonite lined spears and Kara was hit with 6 of them. She lost a lot of blood and she was currently in a coma due to the severity of the injuries and blood loss.

 Lena asked to be able to see Kara and foresee the blood transfusion with the blood the DEO was able to get from Kara previously and she kept guarded in her lab for situations such as this.

 You let her, not quite ready prepare to see Kara in such state. You also didn’t want Alex alone, so you asked to be taken to her.  They were in different areas for their treatments and would take a while before they could be placed in the same room.

 You are now siting next to Alex in the ICU, she has some bruises and cuts littering her arms and face. A bandage on the back of her head, she looks peacefully asleep. However, there’s a bunch of wires and tubes everywhere and they are keeping close watch on her heart rate and they have her under sedation. After a while of you holding your big sister hand, the door opens, and you can see Lena on the other side. you walk out of the ICU room to speak with her. She gives you a rundown of the status with Kara, and asks you if you want to see her while she stays with Alex. You nod and walk to your blonde superhero sister medical room. You steel yourself, prepare for what you are about to see and make sure you don’t show any anxiety or discomfort you sister can pick up on. They need to focus on healing, no worrying on their baby sister. You again put on a brave face and keep walking.

 When you enter the medical wing where they have the sunlamps installed, you are face with the vision of your powerful and bubbly blonde sister, she looks so still and small in the bed, she is covered with a white blanket but you can definitely  see bruises on her, bruises!!! She never bruises. She looks so pale, and there’s a bag of blood next to her arm, the transfusion they mentioned before. And you take a shuddering breath and walks further into the room, you place a gentle kiss on her forehead and sit next to her. You take her hand in yours, and you note she feels cold and she is never cold. She is quite the opposite; she is a furnace all the time. But her hands are cold, and she looks pale and she has bruises and cuts on her arms. You feel so sad and lost, she is supposed to be almost indestructible and somehow someone made sure to have available the one thing that could bring Supergirl to her knees, to hurt her …to kill her.

 You push your worries and anxiety away and try to calm and look this the positive way, they are here. They are both alive and they will recover from this. You stay with Kara for a long time, you are not sure how long, but after a while you are being asked to step out so they can check on Kara and move Alex from the ICU to Kara’s medical room.

 For the next two days you stay strong, keep a brave face and make sure to leave and get food and coffee for Lena and the team taking care of your sisters. You need to feel useful, make sure you don’t crumble under pressure and anxiety at looking at your sisters so beaten up. Alex woke up after 12 hours and she was very out of it for the concussion and looked terribly exhausted. Kara was doing better the sunlamps working their magic, but she did end up blowing off her powers and she was healing slower than usual, but on the mend. she was mostly recovered after 36 hours but was kept at the DEO anyways.

 You walk into one of the labs Lena is working on some samples to bring her lunch. She’s been working nonstop on getting a suit or artifact to make sure Kara never gets affected by kryptonite like this again. She has her tablet on her hand and looks furious.

 y/n: “knock knock… hi Lena, here I brought you lunch., I noticed you haven’t left this place so here. Salad, a chicken wrap and iced tea. Healthy enough right?”

 Lena changes her demeanor instantly and covers her tablet, facedown on the table.

 Lena: “Hi sweetie, you’re a Gods send, no I haven’t eaten so I’m starving. Thank you so much.” – she is about to dig into her food when there’s a phone call to one of the phones in the lab. She perks up immediately.

 Kara: “Kara woke up from her nap, do you mind if I go and say hello?  and then you can stay with her ill come back and eat lunch and you can have yours with Kara”

Y/n: “Of course, I don’t mind your dork, Ill stay here while you say hello and then we will switch spots.”

 Lena almost runs into the med bay to see Kara and she forgets to lock and take the tablet with her. You notice the tablet and got curious, whatever Lena was watching seemed to make her very mad, so you decided to be nosy and took the tablet. It was a video, you hit play and what you see is the worst things you could’ve witness.

 Is the footage from the mission, you can see how Kara is getting attacked by the spears, embedding into her skin like butter. She shouldn’t be hurt that easily and you see your sister bleed from different spots. Then there’s movement and lots of people getting hurt and all of sudden Alex and Jon run into the place Kara is kneeling and bleeding. Jon is now trying to control de attacker, Alex notices something and her eyes go wide with worry and gets in between whatever she is seeing and Kara. A sort of electric wave or shock hits Alex and she becomes airborne and then hits the floor hard, she is now unconscious on the floor. You can hear the most painful and devastating scream coming out of Kara, who is desperately trying to move to get to Alex the best she can with kryptonite om her body. She Is screaming Alex’s name and what follows makes your blood run cold.

[[Kara (voice from the video) “ Nooo  Alex!!! Jon help her heart just stopped!”-Jon finishes to subdue the enemy and runs towards Alex and you cant look away from the footage. Jon is shouting orders and he is doing CPR and Alex. Some agent runs with a black box and looks to be a defibrillator and they began to work on getting Alex back. She is basically dead; she has no heartbeat. They shock her 4 times before you can see Jon’s shoulders sag with relief and then Kara goes limp next to Alex. ]]

 You stop the video and lock the tablet. You have tears running down your cheeks, what you saw its just awful, you know your sisters are okay now, but they could’ve been killed, and they barely made it out there with their lives this time. how many times has this happened before? Are they always getting hurt like this? Would they die eventually on missions? Many scenarios began to pop up In your mind and how any day now you could lose them and become completely alone in the world. They are everything to you and now you just saw how bad things can get for them. You can breathe you feel like all air is leaving your lungs. So, you run, you don’t want for Kara or Alex finding out your saw that or that you need help, they don’t need to be looking out for you. You run to a led lined room and try to control your panic attack. You fall to the ground and pull your legs up towards your chest and try to control your breathing, you force yourself to steady your heart rate. You must control it; you need to shove it inside deep inside and don’t let it show. For them, you need to keep this from them.  After a very long time you feel yourself drifting out from exhaustion and then you sit there alone until you can feel more normal.  

 You find a restroom and clean your face and then you look at your reflection, you look haunted and exhausted. You wash your face and try to compose yourselves. You leave the room and then you see Lena walking towards you.

 Lena: “There you are! I’ve been trying to find you for almost an hour. Are you okay? Are you sick or hurt?” - Lena is looking at you from head to toes trying to see what’s wrong. You need to control it.

 y/n: “I’m fine Lena. I was waiting for you, but I was starting to get sleepy, so I just left to walk it off for a bit and clear my head. I guess time slipped from me”

 Lena didn’t press much, but you could see she didn’t buy it completely she looked suspicious of you but let it slide for now “Ok, that’s okay. Kara and Alex have been asking for you. Why don’t you go see them? They will be able to go home tomorrow”

 Y/N: “Yeah totally I’m om my way and finally and can’t wait to have them home. Are you coming or what?”

 You and Lena spend the afternoon with the Danvers sisters and Alex noticed something was off with you, so you tried to deflect and avoid getting any attention from them, they needed to focus on themselves. Not you.

 Alex: “Kiddo you look tire why don’t you just jump in bed with me and sleep for a while? Come on!”- the red head pats the bed next to her and you want it so bad, to lay there and be comforted by your sister but you can’t. You need to show them you are strong and can be the one looking out for them this time.

 y/n:”I’m not tired Alex, I’m okay. Do you need anything water, food or a snack?”

 Kara: “Sweet girl stop, we are good. But you do look a bit run down. You been here for days and you haven’t slept or eaten enough. Just rest for a little; if not with Alex come on, you can sleep with me, Please? I really could use on of your certified hugs? - Kara gives you the best puppy eyes she can muster.

 Alex “Hey, I asked first, and I want a hug too” – she pouts

 You chuckle at her antics and you can see Lena looks quite suspicious of you and is looking more at you than any of the remaining Danvers in the room. So you walk to Alex and  give her a hug and a kiss “I love you, but I will lay down with Kara because you still have burnt marks on your chest and I don’t want to hurt you”

Alex just pouts but she doesn’t really care about who you end up crashing on, she just wants you to rest and sleep for a while. So, you comply. Besides you lied, because you know Kara is always running hot, she hardly notices when you are running a fever and you can feel yourself getting a headache and you do feel a bit warm. But you think is just stress and if you sleep for a while it will go away.

 Kara opens her arms and smiles broadly “Come on little one, jump in and give me some sugar”

 You walk to Kara and get comfortable next to her and you inhale her scent, you can always find comfort in their smell and their touch. You let yourself drift off and then, you’re out like a light. You might be more tired than you pretended no to be.

 The room becomes silent for a few minutes.

 Alex: “Is she out?” - she asks Kara who nods in approval.

 Kara is running her fingers through y/n hair and Lena walks towards Kara and y/n.

 Lena: “She is out. Something is off with her. She’s been extremely quiet, not in a bad way but like she seems to be trying to avoid breaking down or look too preoccupied. She took into herself to run food and drink errands for everyone, trying to keep busy at all times. Even when she was siting with any of you, she would look a little detached.”  

 Alex: “she is deflecting, and she does looks exhausted. Poor thing. I bet it was awful on her getting both her sister hurt. She needs to rest too, and we will make that happened”

 Kara just hums in approval; she is too preoccupied looking down at y/n running her fingers through her hair and hummin softly a song. Lena just keeps watching Kara make soothing strokes on y/n.

 Lena: “well, I leave for now to make sure the fridge is stocked up and have your beds ready with fresh sheets. Alex, Kara and I think its better if you stay at Kara’s and Y/N for a few days.  y/n said you can have her room, I will stay with Kara and even tough y/n said she was taking the couch, she is most likely than not be using  you as her human teddy bear and sleep with you”

 Alex: “ yeah, I guess that’s the best. I want to keep a close eye on y/n. make sure she really is okay. And she will feel better if she has us around for the next couple of days”

 Y/n moves in her sleep and scrunches up her face in disapproval of the noises in the room.

 Kara just hums and keeps the soothing patterns “Shh sleep little one. You’re okay”

 Lena whispers “Ok I’m leaving I’ll be back in the morning to take you all home” – she then gives Kara a sweet kiss on her lips and runs down gently her fingers on y/n temple. –“Sleep good sweet girl”

 Kara “Good night baby. See you in the morning”

 Alex: “Good night Lena, thank you for everything. See you in the morning”

 Lena: “None needed Alex, it’s my pleasure besides who kept everyone motivated and going was here our sweet y/n. She deserves the credit for keeping us sane and fed.  Now she deserves a good night rest”

 Alex and Kara nod and say goodbye and continue to watch over y/n during the night. In the morning Lena arrives early so they all can leave. But she is concerns when she sees that y/n still asleep.

 Kara: “good morning my love. We are ready. I´ll carry the goober here I have pretty much all my strength back so I’m good to go. She woke up a little while ago to eat some fruit and a jell-O. But she pretty much passed out after that. She is completely exhausted”

 Kara is now wearing pants and looks like she just took a shower. y/n is passed out on the hospital bed slightly snoring next to Kara.

 Alex walks into the room also wearing DEO issued pants and carrying a small bag. “I’m ready to go”

 They all arrive at the Danvers apartment and settle down for the day. Kara carries y/n to her own room to let Alex in y/n room rest for a while. Being human she is not at 100% like she is. Lena and Kara end up in the kitchen deciding on lunch and Alex is now napping for a little bit as well.

 A little while after Kara walks into her room to check on y/n, she is still asleep which is now a bit worrisome.

 Kara: “y/n baby. Wake up. Come on, just wake up for a little bit to eat something”

 You began to stir in bed and give a cute yawn and waking up a bit more. You feel a headache and you don’t feel so good. But you remember what happened and notice you are in your sister room. You bolt upright.

 y/n: “what happened? what time is it? Why I’m I in your room?- you look frantic.

 Kara: “Calm down kiddo. We’re home. You were so tired, so we just let you sleep for a while. I brought you here to let you rest more.  And Alex took your room. Are you hungry?”

 y/n: “ohh ok, I guess I was more than tired than I thought. Yeah, I could eat”

 You walk to the kitchen next to Kara and you see Lena there platting some food.

 Lena “Hi there sleepy head, feeling better?” – Lena approaches you and gives you a peck on your cheek.

 Lena frowns at the warm feeling on your cheek and touches your forehead and cheeks with her hands.

 Lena: “Sweetie you feeling okay? You are a bit warm and your cheeks look a bit flush”

 Y/n: “I’m good, just tired. I think I’ll grab a bite and sleep some more”- you sit on one of the chairs at the counter and slump yourself on the table.

 Kara looks worried at you and she then looks back at Lena. “how warm, should I bring the thermometer?”

 You just grunt- “No Kara, I’m fine I just need food and more sleep. I’m okay no need to worry. You and Alex are the ones that were attacked and are recovering. I’m just sleep deprived”

 Kara: “y/n, don’t lie to me baby girl. Or I will go and get Alex to make sure you are really okay”

 y/n: “NO!!!, don’t bother her with this. Let her sleep, she needs it. I’m fine but if it does make you feel better bring the thermometer but just let Alex sleep”

 Lena and Kara look at you, confuse at your outburst. You seem to be a little on edge.

 Alex: “No need to worry about me sleeping. I’m up. What’s this all about?”

 Lena: “y/n feels a Little too warm and she seems tense”

 You give Lena a dirty look – “No I’m not, and I’m FINE. I just need more sleep to feel better and that’s all”

 Alex approaches you and feels your forehead and cheeks. She also puts her lips to your forehead, and you sigh in appreciation of having your sister near you. You rest your forehead on her shoulder and Alex just hold your near her.

 Alex: “You are a little warm, but nothing too bad. I’m giving you Tylenol for the headache and mild fever. Just eat something first”. - she hugs you for a little bit more and kisses your head and sits down next to you.

 After lunch Alex gave you Tylenol and the four of you ended up in the living room watching a movie. You avoided mentioning anything in regard the attack and the injuries your sisters sustain no wanted to let them know you saw what really happened to them. However, the movie you were all watching, was a Sci-Fi movie. Alex and Lena making remarks on how bad and unreal the effects were and you felt yourself tense at the images. There was one in particular, where a laser beam was aimed towards someone and you could see Alex being hit and then lying down on the ground dead. You couldn’t keep watching that it was all too raw. You could feel the anxiety and stress of those couple of days and you just turn into Alex to hold her close and hide your face in her neck, not wanting to keep watching or listening to the movie.

Lena noticed your demeanor change as well as your sisters. Kara got back her powers and could feel your heart rate increased and she paused the movie.

 Kara: “You okay little one?”- she asks but you just shrug and hide further into Alex.

 Alex is combing her fingers through your hair, but you nudge a bit to hard and you can feel Alex stiff a little and hiss in pain. You accidentally touched one of the burn marks on her chest.  You sit up and release your hold on Alex.

 You have tears in your eyes and feel so bad for hurting Alex: “I’m So sorry Alex. I, …I forgot you were still healing I didn’t mean it. I’m just tired.  I think I´ll just go to sleep; I don’t feel like watching the movie anymore. I’ll get the air mattress so you can still watch the movie or whatever you want. And whenever you are ready you can take the bed Alex. Good night” - you rambled nonstop and try to leave as fast as you can, but Alex grabs you by your waist and pulls you into her and prevent from you to run way.

 Alex: “hey hey none of that, you didn’t hurt me. It was an accident and I’m okay. Please calm down for a bit, take a deep breath. That’s it, deep breaths.” Alex holds you near and rubs up and down you back in a soothing way – “Don’t shut us out. You don’t have to pretend that what happened didn’t affected you and to be strong for us. We are okay, we are here with you and I know see us like that wasn’t easy for you. We know the risks but it’s different for you. So please let us in.”

 And that’s too much for you to handle and you just break down completely all the fears and anxiety you been building up for days now comes out through Gut-wrenching sobs that tore through your chest and you cling to Alex like a lifeline. You try to follow Alex’s instructions, but you just can’t, you feel tightening in your throat and you take short intakes of breath.  You starting to feel lightheaded and you faintly can hear her voice and now Kara’s, not sure who’s.

 You feel your legs being swept from under you and you know its Kara strong and caring arms carrying you.

 Alex: “Take her to the bedroom I’m getting her inhaler just keep trying to calm her down a little. Lena can you grab a cold compress and bring it to her room, please” – Alex says in a hurry and everyone moves.

  Kara: “Little one, I know I know please try to take a deep breath”- and you try but you start to cough and try to take a breath, but you keep choking.

 Alex: “I got it, here baby please take a puff” – you feel the inhaler being pressed to your mouth and try to get in the medication. You fail the first time and choke on air. “That’s Okay sweetie try again, here we go, breath in…” – this time you can get the medication in and you give rest to your burring lungs. A second time and you feel like you can breathe again.

 Kara: “that’s it little one, slow but deep breaths. Just like that” – Kara soothing voices echoes through your head as well as Alex’s.  You feel something cold being pressed to the back of your neck and forehead.

 You feel the relief of been able to breathe properly and you began to calm down a bit. Your sobs turn into sniffling and you are limp against Kara. But then you are being moved one more time, you feel a second pair of arms, Alex. Her soft and firm arms are embracing you and you feel more relaxed now. You want to apologize for the outburst, but you feel so very tired you can barely keep your eyelid opens anymore.

 Alex: “go to sleep sweet girl. We are here, you’re not alone and we are not going anywhere okay”

 Kara” Just sleep baby.”- you feel Kara fingers in run through your head and neck. And then you are out like a light.

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You can see Alex lying on the ground dead, her eyes wide and void. No life in them. Just Gone. And Kara next to her barely alive, you run to her and put her head on your lap. Tears are running down your cheeks and you feel your chin trebling. Kara is so pale and cold; she is barely breathing.  and you can see her eyes are so sad, she knows Alex is gone and now your about to lose Kara too. And then her eyes start to close. And you cant stand that,” Kara no, no, no,no,no please wake up. You can leave me, please hang on wake-up Kara”- but Kara is too weak and tries to give you a small smile “I’m sorry sweet girl…” and she is gone…

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y/n: “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!” – You bolt upright screaming and great tremor overtake you. Body wracked with an onslaught of sobs and tears. You try to move and then you feel arms around you.

 Kara runs into the room followed by Lena who notices you are being cradled by Alex and you look to be completely out of out of it. Sweat pouring down your face and body. Your cheeks red and blotchy.

 Alex: “her fever spiked, pass me the thermometer please”

 Lena presses the device to read the temperature on you and when there’s a beep 104°F Everyone’s eyes go wide with worry.

 Alex: “Kara take her to the bathroom; we need to lower her core temperature STAT”  

 You are mumbling incoherent things through choked sobs “No Kara, don’t leave, Alex dead. Please No…” -you keep crying and Kara takes you into the bathroom while Alex works on getting lukewarm water running in the bathtub, she steps inside and signals to Kara to lower you on her lap. You sister stripped you down to your underwear. You feel water on your body, and it feels like icy pricks all over and you try to move and scape the cold, but you can’t. you are being held down.

 Alex: “y/n baby please calm down; you are going to be fine. I’m here. We need to bring your temperature down” -she keeps holding you and trying to sooth you while Kara keep pouring water down your head, back, neck and arms. You stay in the water for a very long time, you are not sure for how long.

 y/n: “Why did you leave me Alex?” – you mumble softly and hide you face into the crook of her neck, Tears welled from deep inside and coursed down your cheeks.

 Alex and Kara look at loss, obviously they know their sister is hallucinating from the high fever.  

 Lena: “I Noticed something was off since that day at the DEO and I couldn’t find her. I forgot my tablet at the lab, and she was there. I wasn’t sure if she saw the footage but guessing from how she thinks you are dead; I think she took the tablet and watch the video from the mission”

 Alex nods and keeps trying to calm you down and bring down the fever “That’s okay sweet girl, I’m here. I’m here with you, I did not leave you” -she keeps her mantra of soft words and holding you.  “Lena do you have the a FeverAll suppository.?”

 Lena nods.

 Alex: “Okay, Kara I need you to take y/n I’m going to dry myself a little bit. Take her into her room and change her into a clean set of under wear and just gently remove the excess water, don’t dry her completely. That will keep her cool enough. Don’t put any pajamas on her, maybe just a lose tank top.  Lena if you could bring more cold compresses and water or if we have Pedialyte.  And just leave the medication in her night stand I will administrate that in a moment”

 Kara paces you in you bed and Lena walks in setting the things Alex requested on the nigh stand while touching your cheeks and forehead and you feel cooler to the touch. “She feels more cooler now, I’m going to leave the suppository here and the water. I´ll be in your room, so Alex and y/n have a little privacy for her to administrate the medication”

 Kara: “poor baby, she hates those. But they better for her. Ok Love I’ll be there in a bit. I just want to make sure she is okay and comfortable after Alex gets here”

 Lena: “Of course baby. Let me know if you need anything else”- Lena leans down to kiss your forehead and then kisses Kara and leaves the room.

 Alex walks in and checks y/n temp. still a mild fever, but not in comparison to what it was before the bath in lukewarm water.

Alex: “She is definitely cooler now, but I need to administrate the fever reducer suppository. Lower her underwear and Can you move her to lay on her left side please, and just bent her upper leg towards her abdomen?”

 You tense at Alex words; you really don’t like this kind of medication it’s too uncomfortable. You try to move away. Kara keeps you steady.

 Kara: “I know you don’t like them, and you don’t need to be embarrassed, this will help you feel better soon.” – you just looked at her with glazed eyes and sniff, resigned you knew she is right. But still you don’t like it.

 Alex put on a rubber glove and a bit of water-based lubricant on her finger to make things easier for you.

 Alex: “This will be quick I promise sweet girl just relax take a slow deep breath through your mouth”-you feel Alex push your leg a little bit more into your abdomen and Kara holds you still. You take a deep breath and you feel the uncomfortable sensation of the intrusion of a foreign object being pushed into your body that way. Alex is very gentle and does a quick job and waits a moment to prevent the expulsion of the suppository and then removes her glove and goes to wash her hands.

 Kara: “That was all. You did great little onel. Now close your eyes and relax, go back to sleep”

 Alex returns to the room and you are almost asleep on Kara, but when Kara sees Alex walk back into the room she moves you so you can still be lying down on your side but this time near Alex. The red head in turn gathers you in her arms and begins running a hand up and down your spine so you can relax and fall asleep. You feel Kara move from the bed and you tear up.

 Y/n: “Sissy can you stay too? Please, just tonight”- you don’t feel good and now you are definitely not trying to prove anything to anyone, you feel like shit and you want your sisters.

Kara: “Of course I can stay. Just let me go and say goodnight to Lena and I’ll be right back”

y/n: “okay”- you say in small voice and you began to move more into Alex. She holds you near and presses a cold compress to the back of your neck and face.

Alex: “Close your eyes baby, Kara will be right back. We are here and we are not leaving you sweet girl”- she keeps the soothing touches and you start to feel the heaviness of sleep and you are almost asleep when you feel the bed dip and a second touch on your temple.

Kara: “Lena says good night sweet girl and she promised to make chocolate chip pancakes in the morning, Yaaay” – Kara keeps her touch light and you feel her near, but not as close as Alex. They don’t want to overheat your skin and you feel their presence near you to be just perfect and you drifted-off into a dreamless sleep.

note II: all mistakes are mine, its late and I just finish this and post it like that. I need sleep.

[nemesisadraste]

Daily bug.

From : Nemesis Adraste 

To : @cosmomugen

Setting : Lyoko, sometime during season 4.

Pov : Omniscient.

It was a normal day for the warriors. They woke up, took a shower, had breakfast, and then X.A.N.A. attack! The only less usual thing is that they were missing a warrior cause Ulrich was out on a scholar soccer tournament for the weekend. But it's not like that never happened before. They can handle it.

When Yumi arrives at the factory she finds with no surprise that she was the last. Her house was less close to it then Kadic after all. She always feels bad about having to lie to her parents. This feeling had worsened when they stopped using RTTP systematically because her parents actually remember those lies now. But it was for the best. For theirs and Hiroki's safety. Though considering how often they almost… that she almost… Was it really?

- Hey Yumi! Welcome to the party! Said Odd as soon as the elevators' doors opened at the lab level.

- Good morning! Replied Yumi, her dark train finally stopped. What's in it for us today Jérémie?

- Oh nothing special really. X.A.N.A. activated a tower on the mountain sector and hasn't shown himself on earth yet. If you hurry you might stop him before he actually does something so you three go down there asap!

Yumi, Odd and Aelita went in the elevator down to the scanner room and entered in one, ready for the virtualisation. The virtualisation went perfectly as usual… except for one little tiny detail…

- Odd?... What happened to your outfit? Asked Aelita.

Odd looked down at his outfit to realise that his all new all good lyoko outfit has been replaced by his old one that he never really liked. I mean the cat thing wasn't complete without hears and the old outfit wasn't well adjusted to him. It has elephant pants strapped with knee protection, big gloves instead of literal clawed arms, his shoulders weren't covered and for lyoko's sake it had Kiwi peeing on his chest like seriously?!! 

- Einstein what's going on?!! Why do I have my old outfit back?! Is that a joke of yours? Cause the girls still have their new outfit on!

- I have no idea Odd… It must be a bug. Explained Einstein. You sure have a way to collect them.

- Or maybe X.A.N.A. is messing with you, said Aelita with her gentle laugh that'll make anyone forgive her anything.

- Well either way you have to fix this Einstein! I can't go on with my lyoko life with this old stuff on me.

Would you stop over dramatising for a sec Odd? I will fix this when I'll have the time I promise, but right now we have a tower to deactivate so focus on that ok? 

- Ugh fine. There is no reflective thing on the mountains anyway so I'll try to forget that I'm badly dressed.

- You're too kind, sarcastically replied Yumi. 

- I know, I know… Now let's get over it! The sooner we finish, the sooner Einstein can get my good outfit back!

- If Ulrich was here he'll probably tell you how well placed your priorities are. Remind the princess.

- Well he's not here so it's too bad. 

- I can take a picture and send it to him so he doesn't miss out on this. Offered Aelita. I'm sure he would enjoy it!

- Don't you dare! 

- Oups… too late! Bluffed Aelita.

- Unsend it! I won't hear the end of it if he sees it!

- Don't worry I was just kidding! Assured Aelita. I'm not evil.

- I'm sorry to interrupt you, but there are monsters coming your way. Warned Jérémie.

The rest of the mission went fine. They killed monsters and deactivated the tower without any damage done on earth. Not that they were aware of at least. So no need for RTTP. Too bad. Odd would have loved to see Ulrich's reaction when he would have suddenly gone back in time without warning.

That night, like almost every night, Jérémie didn't sleep. His work didn't end with the missions. He had to find new stuff against X.A.N.A., made sure the upgrades went perfectly with the current codes and system, worked on how to free William from X.A.N.A. and found Hopper, and as if this wasn't enough, now he had a bad outfit day to take care of. To be fair he understood Odd's frustration, but this was just a ridiculous glitch he would have gladly passed on. He still hadn't found the solution when Aelita entered his room.

- Still not sleeping I see. She said caringly.

- You neither. Observed the genius blond.

- I had another nightmare and I knew you would be awake all night over Odd's fashion problem so I thought I'll come to give you a hand. She said while gently crossing her arms around him from behind and kissing him on the check.

- Guess I can use the help. I kinda miss having you on my screen to talk through my insomnia. Admitted Jérémie.

- I miss those conversations too. Admitted Aelita. I also miss not having nightmares, she added. But you know I'm always here for you anyway right? I might not be available 24/7 on your computer screen anymore, but as much as I can I'll come help you and talk to you anytime you need it. And so are you friends. You don't have to do this alone.

- I know. I guess I'm just used to being alone. Just my computer and me you know. I'm the only one on the team except for you that know how those things work. It would be unfair of me to ask for their help for this and you have been through enough already without having to deal with a fashion crime on a computer.

- The same can be said for you, you know? Laugh Aelita. Also, fixing a little glitch is exactly what I need to forget my nightmares and the more the merrier right! Together we'll fix it in no time!

- If you say so. Accepted Jérémie. Ok let's give Odd his new outfit back before the next mission or he'll be worse than X.A.N.A. to deal with.

- Hmm… said Aelita… while we're on it, maybe we could also upgrade it a little no?

- What do you mean? Asked Jérémie.

- I mean… And she whispered her idea in the blond ear who had to contain himself to not burst laughing and wake up the entire floor and gladly accepted her Idea.

The next mission happened 5 days later. This time, everyone made it to the factory and when Odd got virtualized, he looked at his outfit, happy to see it exactly like before the bug. But that's because he couldn't see the back of it… When Odd started walking, turning his back to the others, they all started laughing. 

- What's so funny? Asked the cat-boy.

- It's a shame you can't see your back, sais Ulrich, because you have an amazing portrait of Einstein with a crown saying "fashion king" in it 🤣🤣🤣

- WHAT?!!!! You're serious?!! How dare you?!!

- Don't blame him, it was my idea. Admitted Aelita. Don't worry Jérémie will take it away in a sec I just wanted Ulrich to enjoy this bug story too. 

- Ha ha very funny… everyone had their laugh so you can take it away now Einstein.

- Wait! Scream Ulrich. Before you do this… Aelita, can you send me a picture of it please? I wanna make it my wallpaper. 

- No problem answered Aelita

- NO! Screamed Odd. Einstein take it away now! He ordered while making sure that Aelita couldn't see his back and took a picture.

- I'm trying but I don't remember how too… I was really tired last night you know… give me a minute or two...

- Hurry!

Like I said, it was a normal day for the warriors. There were a lot like them in the past, and there will be a lot more in the future.

End.

Hi Cosmomugen! Here was my gift for you for the Code Swap project. I hope you liked it! Your prompts was Odd in his original lyoko outfit, Yumi and Jérémie X Aelita so I did a mix of the three… Tell me what you think of it and have a nice day!

[womenstan]

I See You When You Run From The Light (within your eyes) - Chapter 3

Ao3 Title : The end of the line Chapter :

When he woke up, the first thing Robbe felt was warmth. It was all-enveloping, seeping through his every muscle. He felt so relaxed and at peace that he found himself wishing he’d never have to get out of bed. Just lay there forever wrapped up in the covers that were hugging him close. He snuggled a little deeper, trying to get a hold of the covers to bring them closer to his body, only to lay his hand on something far too hard to be silk.

Robbe’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as he tried patting the surface, trying to understand what was thrown over his stomach, but feeling far too lazy to open up his eyes and be attacked by the sun rays.

“Why are you feeling up my arm?” A voice chuckled, deep, next to his ear.

Robbe startled, opening both his eyes at once, only to lay his eyes on the blonde body next to him. Sander, of course . He’d forgotten they’d both gone back to his place after the party last night, Sander insisting until Robbe caved under his adorable mimics.

Laughing, Robbe switched to softly caressing Sander’s arms, making him smile softly. “Royal secret. If I told you, they’d have to kill you.” He said, trying to sound serious, but ending up barely containing his laughter.

Sander snorted, playing along. “They? Do you have body guards then?”

“Oh yes, only the best ones in the whole country. From the King’s own personal army!”

Sander smirked, in that way that told you he was about to crack a joke he was particularly proud of. He lifted his hand up, bringing it on Robbe’s biceps, “Good, there’s no way you’d be able to defend yourself with such small arms anyways.”

Robbe scoffed indignantly, swatting Sander’s hand away. “Me? Small arms? I’ll show you small arms”, Robbe said, before launching himself on top of Sander, trying to immobilize him. Sander laughed, pushing back. They kept pushing at each other for a while until Robbe decided to show off a little.

In one swift motion, he got one leg over Sander’s hips, effectively straddling him and preventing him from moving away. Sander let out a small gasp of surprise and Robbe used that momentary confusion as an opportunity to grab both his wrists and pin them down to the mattress.

Chest heaving, Robbe smiled, lowering himself over Sander, pressing his arms further into the covers. Sander was panting too, even more so than Robbe was.

“Still think I’m too weak to defend myself?” Robbe teased, proudly.

While Robbe had been expecting more teasing, Sander’s face softened and he relaxed his body under Robbe’s. “I think you’re perfect.”

The fondness in Sander’s voice took Robbe by surprise and, for a moment, he wasn’t sure how to respond. If it’d been anyone else… but it wasn’t. This was Sander and he was like this, always affectionate and saying things like this without realizing what they sounded like.

So, Robbe laughed, brushing the remark aside with a soft ‘idiot’, which only made Sander’s smile widden. He rolled off of him, laying back on the bed and sighing deeply.

“I don’t want to get up, like, ever.” Turning his head towards Sander, he added, “Can we just stay here forever?”

Much to Robbe’s confusion, Sander shook his head. “No way”

Getting up on one elbow and turning his whole body towards Sander, Robbe asked, “What? Why not?”

Sander didn’t answer at first, throwing his feet off the bed and onto the floor. He got up and turned towards Robbe expectantly.  When he didn’t hear any sound coming from Robbe, Sander threw his hands up in exasperation, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“ Because , Robin, I’m going to make you the best breakfast you’ve ever had”

Robbe hesitated, chuckling slightly in case it’d been a joke, but Sander seemed dead serious, extending an arm towards Robbe.

“Allez, come”

Robbe sighed, putting his hand in Sander’s and letting himself be tugged up. “Sander…”

Robbe’s whining didn’t deter Sander however, as he led them to the kitchen.

“Ok, get me a pan, some bread and, hm… Ah! Cheese” Sander said, dropping Robbe’s hand in favour of feeling around on the counter to find the stove.

Robbe squinted his eyes at him, slightly worried this wasn’t going to end well. “Sander… Can you even… Like, since you can’t…?”

Sander turned towards Robbe. “Since I can’t see? I’m twenty years old, Robbe, I’ve used a stove before. Don’t worry, just get me the ingredients, you’ll see.”

Still uncertain, Robbe walked slowly towards the cabinets, bringing one over to Sander.

“Ok, I’m going to trust you Sander, but if you burn down the apartment, I’m telling Milan it was your fault” Robbe added, only half-jokingly.

Sander waved him off, before starting the stove.

After a while, Robbe caught onto what Sander was making him.

“Croques? Really? Is that even breakfast food?”

Sander tutted him disapprovingly. “Robbe, everything can be breakfast food if you eat it at breakfast.”

“I don’t think that’s how this works Sander, but whatever you say…” Robbe teased, sitting up on the counter next to where Sander was cooking.

Sander sighed, reaching for a knife and cutting the first croque in half. He took it in his left hand, reaching it out to Robbe. “Stop complaining and try this”

“I’m not even com-” Robbe began, before being interrupted by Sander quite literally shoving the croque into his mouth. He made a noise of complaint, but bit into it anyway, determined to scold Sander immediately after.

Only, as soon as he began to chew, Robbe felt his taste buds explode with joy. The flavour was perfect, the crispiness impeccable, every single bite into the food felt like a whole experience of its own. Robbe couldn’t help but let out a very satisfied hum, making Sander’s face beam with pride.

“Good, right?” He said, clearly already aware of the answer.

Robbe finished swallowing his bite before he answered, sounding bewildered. “Good? Sander, I’m convinced this is the best croque ever made”

Sander blushed a little under the compliment, dipping his head downwards. “I mean, I told you I wasn’t going to fuck this up”

Robbe smiled, extending his arm to ruffle Sander’s hair fondly. “I know, I’m sorry for doubting you. My mind is truly blown right now. I’m going to force you to come over every day to make me breakfast from now on”

Sander only raised his head, softly letting out a “Anytime”.

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

The rest of his weekend passed by in a happy blur, his time spent between joking around with Sander and catching up on his homework. But, as all things do, monday eventually came around the corner, and with it came university.

In all fairness, this time, something else was exceeding his dread of having to go to class: the thought of seeing Noor.

She’d been texting him all weekend, but he’d managed to ignore her easily enough by staying busy. In school though, it would be a lot harder to avoid her.

The worst thing was that he knew he’d promised Sander he would break up with Noor. And it made sense: all they did lately was argue and get mad at each other. So, the problem wasn’t that Robbe didn’t think they should break up, but rather that he would do literally anything to avoid confrontation.

He hated it more than anything else. He didn’t want to hurt Noor, although he supposed ignoring all of her messages and calls was probably also hurting her. If he’d listen to himself, he would simply fire her a breakup text to get it over with, but he wasn’t that shitty.

So, while he was trying to gather the courage to walk up to her and get this over with, his plan was to avoid seeing her at all cost. The good thing about them being together for a while was that he pretty much knew her schedule by now, so he could try to take alternate paths to his classes or hang-out in different spots during his breaks.

It wasn’t exactly convenient, but it wouldn’t be for long anyway. Robbe was going to break up with Noor soon enough and then everything would go back to usual. Or, well, almost everything.

At least, that’s what he told himself Monday, as he had to take a five minutes long detour to get to his first class just so he wouldn’t run into Noor, who had a class next to him.

Coincidentally, it’s also what he told himself Tuesday. He was going to hang out with the guys in the cafeteria for lunch, as they had a common break. Only, as he’d made his way towards the cafeteria, he’d seen Noor exiting the girl’s bathroom and walking in the same direction. He’d quickly fired a text to the boys with a dumb excuse about having forgotten a textbook at home and ran the other way. He ate outside.

On Wednesday, Robbe had been determined to do it. He’d even drafted a little ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech the night before. So, he was ready, right? Except, he’d barely made two steps in Noor’s direction before he was stopped by Yasmina who needed him now , and ‘ no, Robbe, it can’t wait ’.

Turns out one of her friends was into Aaron - which, really? Aaron? - and they needed Robbe to subtly figure out if Aaron could be interested too.

“Yasmina, it’s Aaron . As long as she’s got two eyes and a heartbeat, I’m pretty sure he’ll be up for it.” Robbe sighed, trying not to appear as aggravated as he was. Seriously, did she need to have such a shit timing?

That led him to Thursday, at which point Robbe was almost convinced the universe was against this break up. He’d waited for her before his first class, but to no avail, as she didn’t even show up.

They had one break in common that day, around 1pm, but Thursday afternoons were reserved to hang out with Sander, and Robbe was not about to cancel on him just so he could break up with Noor. So, Robbe decided it would have to wait until friday, as he threw his bag over his shoulder and made his way towards the library where he knew Sander was waiting.

Robbe stopped at the tiny student coffee shop on his campus, ordering for both Sander and him. While he waited in line, he quickly shot Sander a text message to let him know he was done with his class and on his way to him, smiling dumbly at Sander’s answering ‘:D’.

He’d been so busy between school, first trying to avoid Noor, and then trying to find her, that he’d barely had time to text Sander since the weekend, let alone see him. He was glad they could still honour their Thursday tradition, just the two of them hanging out without having to worry about anything - or anyone - else.

The barista handed Robbe the two cups and Robbe hurried to the table where he knew Sander would already be sitting, all of his books and material spread over the table. Sander would probably be hunched over some paper, drawing, that concentrated look on his face. He would slightly stick his tongue out, sitting in between his teeth, his eyebrows furrowed and his hair falling in front of his face. Robbe had to admit it was quite the sight.

At first, Robbe had wondered how Sander could be an artist, seeing as he was blind. He’d always just assumed blind people had no way to draw, since they couldn’t see the paper, the colours or the drawing itself. Sander had simply snorted at that, before patiently explaining his method to Robbe.

He used mostly textured art, like pastel or paint. He’d draw with one hand, alternating between tracing the surface of whatever he wanted drawn and the surface of the paper with the other one. Robbe’s curiosity had pushed him to ask for a demonstration, and Sander had gladly obliged.

It was a fascinating process, and the respect and appreciation Robbe already had for Sander’s talent grew tenfold in the space of a single drawing. He’d just looked at Sander, moving seamlessly across the paper and found himself speechless. The only thought that came to him was that Sander was clearly in his element, that he belonged to the arts.

Still now, every time he’d had the privilege of catching Sander drawing, he’d been overwhelmed with this feeling of pride and warmth, watching entire worlds take form on the blank pages under Sander’s touch.

Sometimes, Robbe found himself thinking that Sander had the ability to make everything he touched turn into art. From the dull beige paper cup of coffee that could rival Albert Anker’s Coffee Drinking once it was held in between Sander’s fingers, to Robbe’s own pale skin that shined bright pink under Sander’s soft strokes.

Or the way he was stroking his hand through his hair right as Robbe walked up to him, pulling it back off of his forehead. That was true art.

Robbe shook the thought out of his head as he scraped back the chair next to Sander and sat down, slowly pushing Sander’s coffee to his hand.

“Robin! Finally!” Sander exclaimed enthusiastically, making Robbe chuckle.

“Missed me?” Robbe teased, taking a sip of his own coffee.

“Obviously,” Sander answered, sending him a beaming smile

Robbe laughed, getting his books out of his bag and carefully placing them next to Sander’s stuff on the table.

“What are you drawing?” He asked Sander, trying to peek into his open sketchbook.

Sander smirked, closing his sketchbook before Robbe could properly distinguish the shapes.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, huh?” He teased, making Robbe drop his head to the side in fond exasperation.

“Yes,” Robbe sighed, “I would like to.” He tried to sound annoyed, but he couldn’t help the smile slowly etching its way up his face.

“How badly?” Sander asked, his growing smile indicating he had a joke ready to go.

Robbe rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. “As bad as-”

“Robbe fucking Izjermans!”

Oh . Oh no .

Robbe whipped his head towards the voice, while Sander visibly startled on his chair, dropping his smile instantly.

Robbe mentally groaned when he saw he’d been right about who this voice belonged to. From the library’s entrance, Noor was storming his way, a visible scowl on her face.

Why was it that when Robbe was trying to find her, she was nowhere to be found, but as soon as he’d wanted a moment of peace, she suddenly showed up? What had Robbe done to get such bad karma?

“Noor,” Robbe sighed, “What are you doing here?”

Noor raised an eyebrow, coming to a halt in front of Robbe, arms crossed in front of her chest.

“What do you think I’m doing here? You’ve been ignoring all of my texts and I couldn’t find you anywhere!” Noor half-screamed, earning them a few dirty looks from nearby students.

Before Robbe could answer, Sander scoffed loudly.

“What? You got a problem?” Noor asked him, clearly offended by his reaction.

Sander sighed, bracing himself on the table as he got up to properly face Noor.

“Look, I get that you’re pissed, but Robbe dumped you. He doesn’t owe you anything.” Sander said, keeping his voice levelled, although Robbe could hear the hidden layer of frustration.

It took Robbe’s brain a few seconds to properly realize what Sander had just said, and when he did, it was already too late.

Noor made a surprised noise in the back of her throat, halfway through anger and disbelief.

“Dumped me? What the hell are you talking about?” Noor said, chuckling humourlessly. “Don’t mistake your dreams for reality, Anders.”

Robbe stood up at once, feeling all the blood drain from his face.

“Noor, come on, let’s talk in private.”

Robbe made a move to step towards Noor, but Sander’s arm shot up in front of him, barely missing his face by a few centimeters.

“Robbe didn’t break up with you?” Sander asked, turned in the general direction Noor was in.

Robbe didn’t know what hurt more, the anger in Sander’s voice or the look of pure disappointment on his face.

“Sander, look,” Robbe began, desperately trying to diffuse the whole situation.

Noor’s laugh cut him off, loud and obnoxious, clearly meant to irritate Sander. It seemed to work wonders, as Sander’s jaw clenched in response.

“I don’t know what kind of fucked up fantasies you’ve got going on in your head, Sander, but this is the real world. I guess you might be too crazy to understand what that is.” Noor spit out.

The words hit Sander the same way a punch would have. He stumbled a little backwards, dropping his arm. He turned around, hastily threw all of his stuff inside his bag in a jumble, picked his bag up and walked away without a word.

“Sander!” Robbe yelled, cringing at the desperation he could hear in his own voice. “Sander, wait!”

Robbe started putting his papers back into his own bag, determined to run after Sander, but Noor’s fingers settled around his arm, pulling him back softly.

“Come on, Robbe. Let him be, he’s not good for you anyway.” Noor said, smiling as if Robbe’s world wasn’t falling apart in front of him.

Robbe gave a sharp tug on his arm, freeing himself from Noor’s hold. He shook his head at her, feeling rage boiling up inside of him and threatening to overflow.

“You know what, Noor? We’re through. Over, done, finished!” Robbe yelled, too angry to find it in himself to care that the entire library was witness to their spectacle.

Robbe threw his bag over his shoulder and stormed towards the entrance, where Sander’s back had disappeared barely a few seconds ago.

“What the fuck, Robbe? Do you not love me anymore?” Noor asked, her voice high-pitched and frail.

Robbe sighed, turning back around to face her one last time.

“You’re cruel, Noor. You’re just cruel.” He said, voice tired.

He didn’t wait around to hear her try to convince him he was wrong and that Sander had somehow manipulated him, instead choosing to take off after Sander.

Robbe’s heart was beating so fast that he feared it might fly straight out of his chest. His mind was immediately going to the worst scenarios, telling him Sander would never forgive him, that it was over, that there was no point going after him... But Robbe knew better than that.

He knew that Sander was probably the best thing in his life right now and that he wasn’t going to let him walk away.

So, out he ran, the heavy library doors shutting behind him with a loud ‘thump’ .

Robbe looked around frantically, trying to spot a patch of blond hair in the sparse crowd of students, but to no avail. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging a little at the strands in frustration.

That’s when he heard a loud crash coming from the boys’ washroom, and something clicked inside his head. He ran towards the room, which warranted him a couple side-looks, but his attention was focused on one sole thing: getting to Sander.

Inside, there didn’t appear to be anyone. All the stalls seemed closed, and the general area was empty. As Robbe stepped further in, he heard a small sniffling sound that broke his heart at once.

He put his bag down against the wall and walked along the stalls, softly pushing the doors open. When he reached the third to last one of the row, the door didn’t open, locked from the inside.

Robbe sighed softly. “Sander?”

The sniffling stopped.

“Sander, please. I just want to explain.”

Nothing but silence.

Robbe leaned his forehead on the door with a small thud.

“I’m sorry, Sander. I really am. I… I should have told you,” Robbe began, unsuccessfully trying to swallow the lump in his throat. “I did mean to break up with her.”

A scof came from the stall, turning into a sob halfway through, and Robbe wondered if there was any piece of his heart left to shatter.

“Sander…” Robbe whispered, worry seeping through his tone. “I’m not lying. I spent the week looking for her too. I couldn’t do it over text, that’s just… I’m not an asshole. Or, trying not to be.” Robbe explains, “I broke up with her just now. What she said to you…” Letting out a frustrated sigh, Robbe shakes his head at the memory. “She’s so horrible. I’m so sorry Sander”

“Don’t be.” Sander’s voice came from the stall, muffled. “She’s right,” He laughed, but it was a bitter sound.

“Sander, no. She isn’t.” Robbe said, a little destabilized at Sander’s sudden lack of self-confidence.

He heard Sander breathe in deeply inside the stall, and Robbe prepared himself for the worst.

“I’m fucking crazy, Robbe, ok? I’m bipolar.” Sander yelled, but he didn’t sound angry. All Robbe could hear was pain, and fear. Just so much fear. “So, yeah, she’s right. She’s right and you should probably go before I fuck up your life too.”

The silence that hung between them after Sander’s declaration was heavy. Robbe felt suffocated under the weight, and he could only begin to try to imagine how Sander was feeling.

“Sander,” He said, keeping his voice low but firm. “Let me in.”

Time stood still as Robbe waited for Sander to make a decision. Seconds passed by, maybe even minutes, Robbe wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, forehead against the door.

Slowly, he stepped back, prepared to argue his way into the stall, when he heard the lock slide open. The door didn’t budge, but Robbe wasn’t mistaken. This was Sander’s way of letting him in, both literally and figuratively.

Robbe took a deep breath, slowly pushing the door open. Sander was leaning on the opposite wall, head hung low and turned away from Robbe, in an attempt to hide his distress.

Robbe slowly closed the door behind him, locking it, before turning back to Sander. The stall wasn’t big and with the two of them, the space was definitely cramped. Robbe took that to his advantage, merely raising his arms to be able to graze Sander’s shoulders.

Sander stiffened, but didn’t move away. Robbe took that as an encouragement and, little by little, wrapped his arms around Sander’s now-trembling form. As soon as Sander’s chest collided with Robbe’s, Robbe felt Sander’s entire body give up on him.

Sander hid his face in Robbe’s shoulder, body limp in Robbe’s arms. As for Robbe, he had one arm caressing Sander’s back in large, circular motions, while the other was stroking his hair softly. He could feel Sander shake through his sobs, but Robbe ignored the urge to make him stop crying.

Sander needed to let it out, and Robbe would be there for him, even if it killed him to see Sander suffering.

Robbe whispered a steady stream of ‘it’s ok’, ‘I’m here’ and ‘let it out’ into Sander’s ear, and slowly but surely, Sander relaxed against him and his sobbing subdued.

When Robbe felt like Sander had calmed back down, he took his chance.

“Sander, you’re not crazy.” Robbe started, making Sander snort humorlessly. “You’re not. Having bipolar doesn’t make you crazy, Sander. And it’s definitely not going to make me go away.”

Robbe tugged Sander back, just enough to look at him as he said, “You’re not some kind of monster, Sander, and you sure as hell aren’t ruining my life. You’re like, the best person in my life right now.”

Sander’s eyes glistened with tears that threatened to fall, but the corner of his lips lifted up a little at that.

“I don’t care what happened between you and Britt, and I care even less about what Noor thinks of you. I know you, and I know that you’re an amazing, caring and talented person that I want in my life for as long as you want to be.” Robbe said, all at once, like the words were spilling out of his mouth the same way Sander’s tears were spilling out of his eyes. Out of his control, filled to the brim with emotions, but, oh, so liberating.

Sander stayed silent, a thunderstorm of emotions hidden in the quiet. Robbe was suddenly glad Sander couldn’t see him, because he was pretty sure his face looked like an open book, and he wasn’t ready to confront what was written on it yet.

He didn’t know why exactly, couldn’t pinpoint what it was about this moment specifically, about Sander’s stare, but it felt like something had shifted between them. Like there would be a before this, and an after this.

Robbe smiled at Sander, stroking his hair one last time before unwrapping his arms from around him.

Sander laughed, wiping at his wet cheeks in embarrassment. “I can’t believe we had this conversation in the school’s bathroom.”

Robbe chuckled, shaking his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sander. I have all of my heart-to-hearts in school bathrooms!”

Sander raised an eyebrow, a teasing look on his face. “The empty paper toilet dispensers and the vague urine smells really do it for you, huh?”

Robbe tried to suppress his smile, keeping his tone serious. “Oh, yeah. Big time!”

Sander wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Robbe responded by giving him a light push on the arm. They made their way out of the washroom, while Robbe avoided the stares of curious students wondering what all the fuss had been about (and probably questioning the tear streaks on both of their faces…).

When they reached the front doors, Robbe hesitated a moment, holding Sander back with a hand to his forearm. Sander stopped, turning back in Robbe’s direction.

“Do you maybe wanna go hang out at my flat?” Robbe asked, cringing at how fast his heartbeat had gotten at the simple sentence. He never got anxious when he asked the boys to hang around, although he hadn’t done so in a long time. So, why was it that whenever he had to ask Sander to hang out, Robbe’s hands got clammy and his heartbeat increased tenfold?

Sander just snorted in response, which only served to make Robbe even more apprehensive.

“You scared me! Of course, I do.” Sander said, now smiling brightly at Robbe.

Robbe wanted to be a little mad at Sander making fun of his hesitation, but he couldn’t help but beam in response, a comfortable warmth settling in his stomach.

They walked to the flatshare, arms locked at the crook of their elbows (if anyone asked, Robbe would say it was to guide Sander, despite them both knowing that Sander didn’t actually need it).

It was a sunny day, and it would have been too warm for Sander’s leather jacket had there not been a chilly breeze flowing through the air. Robbe wasn’t much of a fan of warm days, but when he saw the way the sunlight hit Sander’s face, perfectly illuminating his side profile of a golden hue, he figured he’d like them a lot more from now on.

Robbe couldn’t make himself look away from Sander’s face, intoxicated by the way it looked under the daylight. From the curve of his nose, to the way his eyes glistened, everything about Sander’s face had Robbe in a trance-like state.

He did eventually turn away, after he’d stumbled over a crack in the pavement and Sander had made fun of him, asking ‘who’s the blind one, huh?’ Sander had only been teasing, but Robbe figured it might be smarter for them to have at least a pair of eyes on the road.

Once they reached the apartment, Robbe didn’t even have to unlock the door to know that everyone was home. The sounds of cheers and laughter came through the door and resonated all the way to the staircase, warming Robbe’s heart instantly.

He barely had time to open the door and usher Sander in, before he was attacked by a swarm of bodies.

“Milan, you’re kind of crushing me” Robbe croaked out, the strength of Milan’s hug pressing all of his internal organs together painfully.

Milan loosened his arms immediately and stepped back, an apologetic smile on his face.

“So, what? Robbe gets all the love and I get none?” Sander asked, with a small (irresistible) pouth.

“Sander! Of course you do, come here!” Milan exclaimed, practically jumping in Sander’s arms. Zoë followed suit immediately, eyeing Senne, who just shrugged before joining in. Robbe laughed, moving to take his shoes off before they could attack him again.

“Come on guys, don’t suffocate him to death!” Robbe said, which got him a snort from Sander in response.

“You’re just jealous Robin,” Sander said, winking. The group hug slowly dissolved, as Milan let out a ‘ooooh burn!’ that made Robbe shake his head, amused.

“Sure, I am. It’s not like I’ve hugged you a thousand times before already” Robbe teased, while everyone returned to whatever they were doing in the kitchen.

Sander bent down to untie his shoes, shaking his head. “See, that’s precisely it. I’ve got you addicted”

Robbe laughed, sending a small ‘you wished’ Sander’s way, seemingly unaffected, despite his heart that skipped a beat in fear at Sander’s words.

They navigated to Robbe’s room, where Sander immediately laid down on the bed in a star shape.

Robbe went to his desk and took his books out of his bag, while Sander groaned in the background.

“Sander? You ok there?” Robbe asked, stifling a laugh, his back to Sander.

Sander sighed, hard. “Yeah, but I hope you realize that I’m never leaving your bed again. I’ve melted into the mattress.”

Robbe threw him a glance, seeing Sander had somehow snaked his way under the cover.

“Suit yourself, just don’t steal all the blankets,” Robbe answered, to which Sander scoffed.

“I would never do that! I’ll have you know that I’m a perfect blanket gentleman.”

Robbe hummed, sitting down to start working on his essay. He was quickly bored though, and with Sander in his room, Robbe didn’t really feel like slaving away doing homework. He turned to face Sander, only to find him fast asleep, his mouth open and squished against the pillow.  

Robbe chuckled under his breath, getting up to take a closer look. Once he got within reach of Sander, he slowly caressed his hair. The gesture made Sander frown a little, before he buried himself closer to the pillow, sighing happily.

Robbe smiled fondly, before moving away and to the end of the bed. He still didn’t feel like working on his homework, so he grabbed his controller and decided to game until Sander woke up from his impromptu nap.

After his third loss in a row, Robbe threw his controller aside and figured he was too out of it to keep playing. Looking at his phone, he saw that Sander had been out for a little over thirty minutes, so Robbe figured he might as well join him.

Taking his hoodie off, he walked to the other side of the bed in his shirt and jeans. He laid down next to Sander, who had turned to face Robbe’s way at some point in the past half hour.

When he was awake, Sander’s face always transpired a panoply of emotions. Even his eyes would glisten, darken and light up in the span of a single conversation. Robbe had always thought that blind people’s eyes wouldn’t hold much emotions, but he was clearly wrong. There were more emotions in a single one of Sander’s pupils than there was in most people’s entire face.

Robbe was pretty sure that’s what made him so fascinated with Sander’s face (because, let’s admit it, he was absolutely obsessed with it). He’d read somewhere that eyes were the window to someone’s soul, and while he was more inclined to think it was pure bullshit at first, since he’d met Sander, he’d come to understand the meaning of those words.

Robbe brushed a strand of hair that had fallen over Sander’s face, softly, trying his best not to disturb Sander’s peaceful sleep. Robbe didn’t know how to describe the swelling that overtook his chest as he watched Sander’s body raise and fall with each breath he took. He’d never felt this before, this peaceful yet gut-wrenching feeling that was filling up his heart.

There were a lot of feelings that Robbe had never felt before he’d met Sander. He didn’t know what it was about Sander that provoked those strong, undecipherable feelings that swallowed Robbe whole, but… He would be lying if he said he hated them. Whatever was causing this, Robbe didn’t mind. He liked Sander and he liked feeling like this, giddy in a way alcohol could never provide, yet rested in a way no amount of sleep could bring about.

He rested his hand in between his body and Sander’s, laying his head down on the pillow. He could feel Sander’s hot breath hit his cheeks from how close they were laying, but it didn’t annoy him. On the contrary, it made Robbe feel safe, content even, as he slowly drifted in and off of sleep.

His state of semi-slumber was interrupted when he felt Sander stirring awake next to him. Sander’s hand stretched and fell down on Robbe’s chest, which made Sander startle.

“Robbe?” He asked, voice still full of sleep.

Robbe hummed in answer.

“What did I just hit?” Sander questioned, his eyebrows furrowing as he felt around Robbe’s chest for clues.

“Chest” Robbe answered, chuckling at the concentrated look on Sander’s face.

“Ahhhh, all good then. Sorry for that,” Sander said, giving Robbe’s chest one last apologetic pat before rising to sit up. Robbe followed.

“Hey, what time is it?” Sander asked, sounding a little stressed all of a sudden.

Robbe looked around for his phone, finding it near his desk. “Hmmm, just about four, why?”

Sander rose to his feet so fast that Robbe feared he might fall down when he started swaying. “Shit! I have to be back home by four thirty to babysit, I’m so sorry. I promised my mom and-”

Robbe interrupted Sander, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Sander, it’s chill. Don’t worry”

Sander nodded, but didn’t seem convinced, as he chewed on his lips. He mumbled something under his breath, too low for Robbe to hear.

“What?” Robbe prodded, curious.

Sander sighed, running a hand over his face. “I can’t believe I spent our time together sleeping. I’m so sorry, Robbe.”

Robbe sighed as well, but a little more tenderly. “Sander, I swear it’s fine. I slept too. Besides, we can always hang out tomorrow, once we’re done with classes, right?”

That suggestion seemed to enchant Sander, whose eyes immediately lit up. He snapped his fingers as if he’d just had an illumination, a smile spreading on his face.

"What? You look like you’ve just had a moment of genius.” Robbe teased.

“Even better! I’m going out with friends from uni tomorrow night.” Sander said, excitedly.

Robbe couldn’t help but feel his face fall at that. “Oh. Ok, I get it”

Sander shook his head. “No! No, you don’t. I meant to ask you this earlier, but forgot…” He took a breath, as if steeling himself. “Would you want to meet them? Tomorrow?”

Robbe was stunned into silence, staring at Sander, his mouth hanging open. Sander wanted to present him to his actual friends? He wanted to include Robbe in other parts of his life?

“How is that even a question? Of course I do!” Robbe said, getting just as excited about the idea as Sander.

“Yeah?” Sander added, his smile ever growing.

“Yes!” Robbe said, adding, “Since when do you even have other friends?”

Sander stuck his tongue out at Robbe. “Ha. Ha. Very funny, Robin.”

“Thank you, I think so too”

Sander grabbed his stuff after that, promising he’d send Robbe the address as soon as he’d be home. Robbe suggested walking Sander to the tram, but Sander declined, insisting he could get there on his own.

When Sander was gone, Robbe closed the door and leaned his back against it, slowly sliding to the floor. He was going to meet Sander’s actual friends. He was going to meet Sander’s actual friends! Fuck! Why had he accepted the invitation? This was such a bad idea, they were probably going to hate him and-

Groaning, Robbe lowered his head on his knees.

“Woah, there. Someone’s having a crisis,” Milan said, to which Robbe only grunted in answer.

“Come on, Robbe. What’s on your mind?” Milan asked, sitting down next to him.

“Sander invited me to meet his other university friends tomorrow night.” Robbe sighed.

Milan blinked at him, confused. “And?”

“And, I said yes!” Robbe half-screamed, exasperated by his own actions.

Milan chuckled, looking just as puzzled. “How is that a bad thing? It’s good that he wants you to meet them!”

Robbe groaned at Milan’s incomprehension. “They’re gonna hate me Milan! They’re probably all cool art kids and I’m…” He gestured vaguely towards himself, “not!”

Milan sighed, patting Robbe’s back sympathetically. “Come on, Robbe. You’re smart, interesting and super cute! There’s no way they won’t fall in love with you the second they see you.”

Robbe threw a glance Milan’s way, “Thanks Milan.”

Milan nodded, “Good luck! You’ll be great,” He said, getting up and walking away.

Robbe’s worries were far from gone, but he was glad that Milan thought so highly of him. If all else failed, he knew he’d always have the flatshare to fall back on. That was a constant Robbe was so grateful to have in his life, he didn’t think he could ever find words to express it properly.

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

The next day passed by so slowly that it felt painful. It’s like time had decided to mock him, by prolonging his suffering.

Robbe hadn’t registered a single word from his lectures, spending the hours looking back and forth at the clock, so much so that he feared he might end up with a torticollis by the end of the day. If the end of the day ever came, that is.

The second his last lecture of the afternoon was dismissed, Robbe had pounced on the door, practically running all the way back to his flat.

Sander had, as promised, texted him the address the night before. They were meeting at a local bar, nothing too fancy, but Robbe’s usual ‘jogging and sweater’ school attire would probably be too lowkey.

Robbe tried rummaging through his closet, throwing about half of it out before giving up.

“Milan! Milan!” He screamed, hoping Milan would be willing to help.

A second later, he popped his head into the room.

“You called for me?” He asked.

“Yes. Milan, can I please borrow something of yours for tonight? Everything I own is just… wrong” Robbe sighed, pleading Milan with his eyes.

Milan seemed to mull it over, before he threw the door wide open. “Of course you can! Come with, I’ll turn this pumpkin into a prince!”

Robbe laughed, following Milan around the house. “I’m pretty sure the pumpkin gets turned into a coach, not a prince.”

Milan stopped dead in his tracks, turning back to Robbe with a warning finger.

“Do you want my help or not?”

Robbe nodded vehemently.

“Then don’t question my Disney knowledge, Robbe! Flatmates rule #35!”

Robbe raised his hands in surrender, laughing, before Milan started back towards his own room, Robbe on his heels.

Milan did deliver on his promise, after all. Robbe was dressed in a nice long-sleeved shirt with fitted jeans, nothing too flashy, but classy enough to look like he’d put an effort into his outfit (which he, or rather Milan, had).

The bar wasn’t far from Robbe’s home, so he decided to simply walk there. He figured he could shake his nerves out on the way there, and, hopefully, be a little calmer once he’d reach his destination.

The breeze was nice, flowing through his curls. He had been smart enough to bring a jacket, in case the night grew colder as it got later. Despite the atmosphere and his precautions, Robbe couldn’t help the hammering of his heart against his ribcage. He felt even worse than he had that one time in second grade when he’d been called out in class to make a presentation about a book he’d never bothered to read.

Soon enough, he reached the bar, which seemed to be busy with customers. Robbe closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. He tried to tell himself that everything would go smoothly, that Sander’s friends would like him, and that he’d get out of this alive and with his pride intact. If the shaking in his hands was anything to go by, he wasn’t very good at convincing himself.

He sighed, shaking his hands out, before walking into the bar. A radio was playing in the background, just barely covering the noise of the chatter. Robbe walked a little further in, immediately spotting Sander in the corner, sitting at a table with three other people.

Robbe took another deep breath for good luck, and made his way to their table. All three pairs of (functional) eyes were staring at him as he walked, more curious than austere, which reassured Robbe a little.

A blonde guy was the first to signal Robbe’s arrival. “This must be the famous Robbe!”

“Yeah, hi!” Robbe said, nodding in everyone’s direction.

Sander’s whole body whipped towards Robbe when he spoke. “Robbe! You’re here! Sit, sit,”

Sander fumbled with the chair next to him, making space for Robbe to sit next to him. Robbe thanked him, sitting down, trying not to be too unsettled by the looks Sander’s friends kept throwing each other.

Sander’s right hand came to rest on Robbe’s left shoulder immediately.

“Did you find the place easily? I think it’s pretty close to your place, isn’t it?” Sander asked, with the same considerate tone he took every time he wanted to make sure Robbe was ok.

Robbe figured he could probably sense his nervousness. Hell, anyone in a five mile radius who took one look at him could probably tell he was shitting his pants.

“Yeah, it was fine, don’t worry Sander” Robbe answered, smiling.

Sander smiled as well, more to himself, but Robbe still caught it and it made him feel a little more at ease.

Only a little though, because the same boy from earlier decided to clear his throat at that moment, making both Robbe and Sander turn their head towards him abruptly.

He had both of his eyebrows raised, and a knowing smile floating on his face.

“Sooo, Robbe, what are you studying?”

The night went on pretty similarly. After the initial interrogation, Robbe stayed a bit more silent, observing how Sander interacted with his friends.

At some point, Robbe was listening to a drunken story from one of the girls, Marie, while tapping the fingers of his hand on the table. He hadn’t even noticed the nervous tic, before Sander’s hand came to rest on top of it. Robbe’s eyes were instantly drawn to their overlapping hands.

Sander squeezed once in reassurance, and it made Robbe smile. Even in social situations like these, Sander always had a way of knowing exactly how Robbe was feeling, and exactly how to make him feel better. Robbe squeezed back, before Sander slowly took his hand back.

The night wasn’t much different from Robbe and Sander’s regular nights, in that Sander acted exactly the same way he always had with Robbe. When something really funny made him laugh, he would softly knock his forehead on Robbe’s shoulder, hiding his face as he giggled. When he couldn’t remember where he’d placed his glass, he’d lightly tap Robbe’s hand with his own, a silent signal that Robbe had long learned, and Robbe would silently pass Sander’s glass over to him. And when Sander felt Robbe become too antsy, he’d place his hand on Robbe’s bouncing knee, tapping fingers or shaky hands.

Before knowing Sander, Robbe hadn’t been used to touchy people, but now that he was, he found Sander’s small, mindless gestures calming, in the same familiar way that your childhood beddings or your mama’s hugs appease you.

After a while, the blond guy, Max, sipped the last of his beer, knocking it back against the table.

“So, who wants what? This round’s on me!” Max said, already pushing to get up.

Sander stood up at once, surprising everyone at the table.

“No! I’ll go. It’s my turn with the tab, anyway.” Sander said, sounding sure of himself.

Robbe furrowed his eyebrows, but said nothing when he saw Max sit back down and cheer Sander on. Everyone passed their orders and Sander repeated them once before expertly making his way to the bartender.

“How does he navigate so well everywhere?” Robbe asked out loud, to no one particularly. Max probably assumed the question was directed to him, since he took it upon himself to answer.

“Oh, that? It’s like his little superpower. Bring him somewhere once or twice and he’ll know the place by heart.” Max said, earning a few chuckles from the girls and a curious glance from Robbe.

If Sander was so good with directions, then why did he always let Robbe guide him by the arm? Robbe had never really thought about the fact that Sander could seemingly perfectly get back home by himself, but required Robbe’s assistance in the flatshare or when they went out somewhere.

His thoughts were interrupted by Marie.

“Say, you two are pretty close, huh?” She asked, her smile telling Robbe that her question covered a hidden meaning.

“Yeah, sure, he’s a good friend.” Robbe shrugged, smiling politely.

Marie and the other girl, Anne, exchange an amused look.

“Yeah, I bet you must be really good friends,” Anne added, laughing.

Robbe’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“I don't get the joke” He said, a little annoyed.

Max sighed, like an exasperated parent. “Robbe, haven’t you noticed that Sander is a little…” He looked towards Marie, “touchy?”

Robbe frowned. “Yeah? He’s blind, touch is, like, his way of seeing.”

Max nodded. “Then, why does he only ever touch you ?”

Robbe could feel his features harden. He wasn’t dumb, he could clearly understand what Max was insinuating.

“He doesn’t.” Robbe answered, his tone sharp and severe.

Max smiled, as if he could clearly see through Robbe’s bluff. He held Robbe’s gaze.

“He does, though.”

Robbe thought back to all the times he’d been with Sander and other people. He did accept Milan’s group hugs, but even when he came over to eat at the flatshare, he wouldn’t purposefully brush his hands on Milan’s, Zoë’s or Senne’s. If they went to catch a movie with the boys, Sander would only ever lay his head on Robbe’s shoulder, curling up into his side. Even at Sander’s house, Robbe couldn’t remember Sander being so tactile with his mother or his sister. He always did stuff himself, and if he needed them, he’d call them out loud instead of touching them to get their attention the way he did with Robbe.

And tonight. Sander had kept a free seat next to him for Robbe. He’d touched Robbe, almost constantly in one way or another. But he’d never even accidentally brushed against one of his other friends. He wasn’t cold towards them, and you could see the friendship that was linking them together, but still… No touch.

If Sander was truly that tactile, then wouldn’t his childhood friend, Max, and his other uni friends notice he’s tactile as well?

So, if Sander was only ever tactile with Robbe, then why? Was it funny to him? Did Sander think he could try and see what he could do, how far he could go, before Robbe would catch up?

The befriending, the breakup, the mysterious past with Britt… Everything was making sense, now. Robbe had been played, hard. He didn’t know why, what motive Sander could possibly have to make a fool out of Robbe, but he’d succeeded.

Robbe felt angry, betrayed and ashamed. But most of all, he felt pain. He could sense his heart cracking and falling into tiny pieces, as more and more worries overtake his mind.

Whatever he had left of pride was holding back his tears from rolling down his cheeks. He got up, grabbed his bag and coat.

“I... I have to go.” Robbe told the group of three, hurrying towards the entrance like his life depended on it (and at the moment, he felt like it truly did).

He slammed the door open, stepping outside as the first tear streamed down his face. He tried to wipe it away, but it only got replaced with even more tears. He walked down the small steps and leaned against the wall, his head tilted to the sky.

He was furious. He wanted nothing more than to go back in there, make a scene and demand explanations from Sander. But even more than that, he was humiliated. It wasn’t the first time he’d been made fun of, but this time, it hurt a lot more and a lot deeper. What he felt with Sander…

It’s true what they say, he supposes. Ignorance truly is bliss.

Robbe heard the doorbell of the bar ring, but he didn’t pay attention to it.

“Robbe? Robbe!” a voice shouted from his right.

Sander.

“Fuck off, Sander.” Robbe said, getting ready to walk away, but Sander was quicker in grabbing his arm. Robbe sighed tiredly, too exhausted and hurt to fight. “Let go,”

Sander shook his head firmly.

“No. No, Robbe, come on. I don’t know what they told you, but whatever it was, it’s definitely not what you think.” Sander pleaded.

“I don’t care, Sander. Whatever little game you were playing, I hope you had your fun. I’m out.” Robbe said, trying, unsuccessfully, to shake his arm out of Sander’s grasp. “Let me go, Sander!”

“Robbe, Robbe, listen to me. Please. I wasn’t playing any game, I swear, I can explain. Please.” Sander was practically begging, and Robbe could see tears forming in his eyes. He turned his head away.

“Let go,” was all Robbe said, trying to appear cold and composed.

Sander loosened his grip, and Robbe thought he’d finally listened.

A second later, Sander’s hands were cupping his face. Another second later, and Sander’s lips were on his.

Robbe was frozen in place at first, his brain unable to process everything that was happening.

The warmth from Sander’s hands on Robbe’s cold, wet, cheeks. The warmth of Sander’s mouth against his own. The explosion of heat pooling in his stomach. The explosion in his own brain.

Sander was… Kissing him?

Robbe brought his hands up to Sander’s shoulders, pushing him back. He felt a little bad when he saw Sander stumble backwards, not realizing how hard he had pushed him away.

“Sander… I…” Robbe started, unable to form a single coherent thought.

“I like you, Robbe. A lot. A lot more than other people. So, that’s why. I wasn’t playing you.” Sander said, a sad smile dancing on his lips.

Robbe took a small, tentative step back. He could feel his body shaking, badly, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped well under zero.

“Sander… I don’t… I’m not…” He swallowed painfully, “I don’t like you, not like that .”

The word was said with a bit more venom than Robbe had been shooting for, and he could see the second it hit Sander.

Sander’s face crumpled, as he whispered a small, desperate, “What?”

Robbe tried to breathe in, but even his breathing was shaky. “I’m so sorry, Sander. I’m… I have to go. I just… I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Robbe threw Sander one last apologetic look, turning on his heels and walking away.

The last thing he heard were Sander’s first sobs. His own followed soon after.

As soon as Robbe turned the corner, he let his tears flow freely as he took off in a run. He didn’t even know where he was going, or where he was, but he didn’t care.

His whole world had just fallen apart and the most important person in his life was gone.

[aliendes]

Natural Borns - Chapter Four

Banner made by @thebannershop​

Series info/genre: Angst, fluff, (possible) smut NSFW due to darker themes

Pairings: ot7 x fem reader (eventual)

Warnings: mentions of sadness, indecent thoughts? maybe, if you squint. it gets a little steamy, I suppose, but mostly just fluffy sadness, if that’s a thing. This series will have different trigger warnings listed for each chapter (if there are any), but as a whole, this series will include violence, mentions of depression & other mental illnesses, cursing, abuse, drugs/alcohol, some shitty medical descriptions because i am NOT a doctor, self-esteem issues, fluff, and possible smut in future chapters (but that’s undecided). i will add more warnings/tags in the future if there are any.

Description: In the year 2613, over half of the world’s population are what scientists consider ‘designer babies’. YN is a small town girl who is a true natural born, someone born naturally without he help of a lab or gene splicing. Her DNA is greatly sought after, but what is she willing to do to protect it?

Word count: 8k~ (whoops so sorry. if you like longer chapters like this, let me know!)

A/N: *deep breath* ok here is chapter 4. things are starting to heat up, but i cut this chapter in two because it was like over 12k long.... i go back to work tomorrow, so updates may start slowing down, but i’m hoping to post updates every Sunday night. i was feeling a little bit bogged down last week, not seeing as much influx with chapter three than i have with the other chapters. if you enjoy reading, please reblog so others can see it, too. thank you, as always. xx - Des

Updated: 8/9/2020

But the second he took one look at you, standing outside, wet and bloody, saw the look in your big beautiful eyes as he so heartlessly demanded things from you, he knew he stood no chance. 

Yoongi sat in his makeshift office on an old torn recliner they found in the warehouse. Surprisingly, the warehouse had been decently furnished when they found it. Granted, it was all old, worn furniture, but furniture nonetheless. The building was incredibly old, but it was also very large and had a lot of empty rooms on two levels. The entire place was made out of concrete, meaning it hasn’t seen much weathering over the years. It was a place they could call home for now. 

Yoongi leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and stared at his beloved laptop in front of him. He wasn’t trying to think about you, no, in fact, he wanted nothing more than to erase the memory of you. Try all he might, his thoughts kept wandering back to the scared, small girl he saw earlier tonight. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, letting his head loll back. 

The blonde man was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of footsteps outside his door. He picked his head up and spun around in his seat right as Hoseok came through the doorway. 

“Hey,” Hoseok said, leaning against the doorframe, “I heard they found her.” His tone was indifferent, not happy, nor sad. Hoseok didn’t really have an opinion on you yet, voicing to Namjoon he didn’t really mind either way if they found you or not.

“Have you seen her yet?” Yoongi asked the red head knowing he hadn’t, as his demeanor would’ve changed the moment he did.

Hoseok shook his head, confirming Yoongi’s suspicions. “Good,” was all Yoongi said in response.

Hoseok gave him a puzzled look, cocking his head to the side. A bright grin started to take over his face as he took in the disgruntled look on Yoongi’s. “Are you letting her get under your skin that quickly, Yoongs?” He asked the older man in a teasing voice. “Is that why you’re hiding away while they fix her up?”

Yoongi’s blonde head snapped up at Hoseok’s words. “What do you mean ‘fix her up’?”

Hoseok’s smile started to slowly fade from his face, leaving a knowing smirk in its place. “She was pretty banged up from what Jungkook said. Poor boy was distraught when he came running into my room earlier.” Hoseok watched Yoongi’s face closely as his lips pursed into a thin line and he tried to act as if he didn’t care about you. Hoseok could see right through him.

Yoongi tried to keep his breathing steady and stared Hoseok right in the eye. “Who cares,” he shrugged as he turned back around in his chair and started typing away at his laptop. 

“Who cares?” Hoseok asked rhetorically, “I think you do.” The red head walked over to Yoongi’s chair and put his hands on the back of it, pulling it down a bit so he could look into Yoongi’s eyes. He raised a questioning brow at the hacker, waiting for some kind of response.

“I don’t care about her,” he scoffed, “I don’t even know her.” Yoongi looked away from Hoseok as he spoke, knowing his closest friends would be able to see his lie. He didn’t want it to be a lie, what he was saying he wanted wholeheartedly to be true, but he knew it wasn’t. Why did he care about you? He really didn’t know you. But as Hoseok chuckled and walked away from the chair with a breathy ‘yeah right’, Yoongi’s thoughts just drifted to you.

“Please stay still,” Jin pleaded with you for the third time. You were currently laying on what you assumed was his bed while he took a look at all your wounds. He was looking at your bruised, and possibly fractured, according to him, ribs. It was painful and you weren’t sure how he expected you to stay completely still. 

You had been laying here for the last twenty minutes, staring up at the ceiling, going over your conversation with Namjoon prior to letting Jin take a look at your wounds. You had learned that the five of them had been staying here for the last three weeks. They stumbled upon the place when exploring the surrounding forest. It was devoid of life, but a lot of furniture and supplies had been left from workers or from kids who threw parties here in the past. They made it into a base of sorts, where they could live and work. Work, you learned, was mostly Yoongi trying to hack into Big Hit’s, and other companies, systems, while Namjoon dealt with contacting people and said companies to get more information. Apparently, they had found out about you through Jimin, who had overheard some of the lab techs talking about a female natural born living on the outskirts of Seoul. You still weren’t certain what exactly made you all ‘special’, but Namjoon had said it had something to do with the markers in your DNA that made you desirable to these designer baby companies.

Namjoon had also told you that they were planning on going to Big Hit soon, in hopes of getting Jimin and Taehyung out. As they helped you limp to Jin’s room, he told you that he and Jungkook were going to help Yoongi and Hoseok with the planning tonight, and told you to get some rest.

When you first got to Jin’s room, you were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of it. For an old warehouse, they really tried to make it feel homey. Seokjin’s room was small and looked like it used to be some kind of office or file room. There was a small double mattress in the corner, which you were currently laying on, a small desk on the opposite side of the room, a small wooden end table, and a couple of backpacks and duffle bags laying about. While everything in the room looked old and worn down, it still smelled nice. It smelled like Jin, like pine and soap. Speaking of soap…

“Hey - how do you guys have lights and running water here?” You were curious, previous experiences made you think this place was totally abandoned. 

Jin looked up from poking at your ribs, “Oh - Yoongi. He was able to get the electric and water companies to turn stuff on under a fake name,” he trailed off after noticing the apprehensive look on your face, “I know it’s not the most ethical way to go about things, but we don’t really have much of a choice right now.” The solemn look on his face told you that he regretted their actions, but truly had no other choice. 

You nodded at his answer and jumped a bit when he went back to putting cream on your ribcage. “Please - stay still YN.”

“Sorry, sorry. It just hurts,” you groaned out and he finished his work. Jin let out a short sigh before pulling your shirt back down your torso. He picked up one of your hands and started to unravel the bandages to clean and rebandage it. 

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll try to be quick,” he gave you a quick smile and gently ran the back of his knuckles along your bicep. You tried to ignore the way his action made you feel, he was just trying to comfort you, right? He was a caring person, and he probably just felt bad seeing you in pain. That’s what you told yourself anyway.

You went back to staring at the ceiling, biting the inside of your cheek and Jin disinfected your cuts and scrapes. The feeling of his hands on you leaving you confused. 

Once Seokjin had finished tending to your wounds, he gave you an old t-shirt and some sweatpants to change into before giving you a little privacy. After you had changed, you hobbled back over to the mattress and sat down. You stared around his room for a moment, finally letting the events of the day sink in.

You inhaled a deep breath as you thought back to everything that had happened. In just a few short hours, you had met these strange men who took you out to a forest and made you question your entire existence, witnessed your father make some kind of deal or exchange with a man who was likely trying to take you away, and ran away from your life, your family, and your friends. You didn’t even know who you could trust anymore, aside from probably Mina and Woo, but who knew when, or if, you would ever see them again. The thought alone made tears prick at the back of your eyes. You looked up to the ceiling to try and stop the hot tears from falling, to no avail. What were you getting yourself into?

As you felt a tear roll down your cheek, you heard a knock at the heavy door of Jin’s room. Quickly, you wiped the back of your hand at your face with a sniffle, before telling whoever was knocking to come in. 

To your surprise, it was Jungkook who walked through the door, not Jin or Namjoon like you had expected. You blinked owlishly up at him for a moment as he shut the door and ventured into the room. He took a few steps in your direction, hands behind his back, and looked even more shy than you had seen him earlier. 

“H-hey, noona?” He timidly asked, eyes locked on the floor.

Your eyes softened at his hesitancy. You made a sound of affirmation, urging him to continue speaking. Slowly he brought his hands from behind him back and extended them in your direction. He was holding a water bottle and a container of what looked like pain relievers. “Jin-hyung wanted me to tell you to take two of these,” he started, walking towards you with his hands outstretched like he was feeding a tiger, “and to drink the whole bottle.” 

You gave Jungkook a small smile as you took his offering. He seemed so sweet in that moment, you couldn’t stop yourself, “Jungkook?” Your voice made the poor boy jump a little, but he relaxed as soon as he saw your smile. His big doe eyes somehow got slightly bigger as he nodded his head at you. “How old are you?” You asked him, head cocked to the side.

“Twenty two,” he said easily. He’s only a year younger than you, it was odd to you he was so timid, almost childlike at times. You hummed in approval. You truly did want to get to know these men, and Jungkook seemed like such a sweet guy. He was shy, but you could tell he had a kind soul. You wondered what had happened to him to make him so quiet. You hoped you would find out with time. You had a sort of affinity toward him. Maybe it was because he had literally carried you through a forest without so much as a complaint. You weren’t entirely sure. 

The boy hesitated for a moment before turning around to walk out of the room. Just as he was about to reach the doorknob, he stopped and turned around to face you. “Noona?” His voice was so small, you almost asked him to repeat himself. Instead, you made a noncommittal noise, urging him to continue. “How old are you?” You wanted to coo at how cute Jungkook looked right now. Cheeks rosy, head slightly cocked to the side, eyes wide with mirth, almost like he was thankful for a reason to speak to you. 

You gave the boy a bright smile before answering, “Twenty three.”

Jungkook stared at you for just a second longer, before nodding once and leaving the room.

“Who the fuck is Pearl?” 

Hoseok shrugged his shoulders, not even looking up from the game he was playing on his phone. 

“Are you even listening to me Hobi?” Yoongi was aggravated, to say the least. Namjoon, Seokjin, and Jungkook brought you to their base last night and he hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep. Namjoon brought him your phone, asking him to remove data from it so it couldn’t be tracked. He did so immediately, but the damn thing was burning a whole in the back of his head while he tried to sleep on the old, black leather couch in his room. Eventually, he got up from tossing and turning, and decided - against his better judgement - to look through the device. He knew it was wrong, knew it was a huge invasion of privacy, but he didn’t particularly care for you. Besides, he was curious, who could blame him?

The red head, currently sitting upside down on Yoongi’s couch, just huffed in response. Yoongi just rolled his eyes and spun around in the old, squeaky rolling chair. He had your phone open on his desk. It was early in the morning now, he figured you and the rest of the boys, aside from Hoseok, were probably still asleep. Hoseok tended to be an extremely early riser, yet still went to bed late at night. Yoongi never understood how he had so much energy with so little sleep.

Yoongi had already looked through your apps and photos. You didn’t have any social media that he could tell. Your apps were incredibly boring, just a few games and a notepad app that he found some of your notes on. Mostly things like grocery lists and dreams that you had. Nothing too interesting. Your photos weren’t very exciting either, mostly pictures of trees and fruit. You had some photos of your mom and dad and a couple of animals he assumed were yours. You seemed to live a pretty boring life, based on what was on your phone. The cynical side of him wanted to tell himself this meant you were a boring person, but he knew that was an unfair assumption.

The last thing Yoongi decided to snoop through, were your text messages. While he hadn’t found much there, aside from conversations with your mom, dad, and a group chat with someone named “Mina” and “Woo”, he did notice how everyone seemed to refer to you as ‘Pearl’. Aside from when your mother called you by your name yesterday, you were almost always referred to as Pearl. This piqued Yoongi’s interest, but he wasn’t sure why. Maybe this was evidence as to why the others shouldn’t trust you? It’s a simple nickname, but Yoongi was suspicious of you from the beginning. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he knew he was looking for reasons to hate you, to make the others hate you. 

Yoongi nearly jumped straight out of his skin when the door to his room was swung open with such ferocity it slammed into the wall. Hoseok jumped straight up from the couch and Yoongi nearly fell out of his chair at the noise. “Jesus kid!” Yoongi yelled as he righted himself.

Jungkook had the graciousness to look ashamed as he entered the elder’s room. “Sorry hyung, I- I didn’t mean to,” he murmured without meeting the eyes of his older friends. 

Hoseok sighed and relaxed a bit before pushing a hand through his bright locks and announcing he was going to ‘find something better to do’. Jungkook nodded at him as he left and took Hoseok’s previous spot on the couch. Yoongi surveyed Jungkook as he sat down. He looked tired, like really tired. He could see the small bags forming under the youngest’s eyes, a purple tint to his nearly perfect skin. Yoongi also noticed how skinny the kid was looking these days. He narrowed his eyes at the boy, “You doing ok, kid?”

Jungkook lowered his head into his hands and rested them on his knees, shaking his head back and forth slightly, “No hyung. I- I miss them,” Yoongi could hear the tears that were threatening to fall. He always did have a soft spot for Jungkook. He rose from his seat and sat down gingerly next to Kook on the couch, making the leather creaked beneath him, and slung his arm around the dark haired boy.

“I know, I miss them too. We all do,” he bagan, running a soothing hand up and down Jungkook’s upper arm, “we will get them back, Jungkook. I promise.” Jungkook lifted his head and looked at his hyung, eyes glazed over. He believed him, he really did, he just missed his best friends. 

Jungkook nodded his head as he worried his bottom lip between his teeth. Yoongi thumbed at the younger’s lip sweetly, prompting him to release it. He knew Jungkook’s stress, he understood it. He missed the twins too, and he was working his hardest to get them back. Soon. He could feel it. 

Last night had gone about as well as you thought it would. After Jungkook left you alone, Jin never returned to his room. You took the painkillers they offered you, but you thought for sure someone would be back to check on you, and you didn’t feel comfortable enough to wander around the place. You also felt a little bad for taking Jin’s bed when he had been so gracious to you. So after a while of waiting - and mentally hoping - for someone to walk in, you tried your hardest to fall asleep, to no avail. You tossed and turned in Jin’s small bed for what felt like hours, but you didn’t really know how long it had been. There was no clock in the room, you didn’t have your phone, and there were no windows. You guessed you finally fell asleep sometime in the early morning and had a very short, fitful rest before Jin was coming in to wake you.

“YN?” You heard Seokjin’s soft voice from the doorway. You blearily blinked away sleep as you tried to fully regain consciousness. As you rolled over in bed to face the door, you saw Jin standing there with a plate of something that smelled absolutely delicious. You hadn’t realized how hungry you were, but your stomach was beginning to rumble at the sight of food. You remembered the last time you ate anything was yesterday morning at breakfast.

Jin walked a little further into the room and sat down at the edge of the bed. He wanted to laugh at how entranced you were by the food in his hands, and at the erratic way your hair was sticking up. “Hungry?” He asked, arm outstretched towards you with the plate. You let out a small yawn and reached your arms above your head with a small pout. The large t-shirt you were wearing - Jin’s t-shirt - rode up slightly as you stretched and Jin thought you had to be the cutest thing he’s ever seen. As you finished your much needed stretch, you nodded your head with one eye open, taking the plate. 

“Thank you, I’m so hungry,” you mumbled, voice still thick with sleep. Jin’s plump lips upturned into a bright smile as you started to eat a piece of toast from the plate. “You’re able to cook here?”

“There’s a small kitchen,” Jin nodded as he spoke, “it looks like it was an old staff lounge or something? We aren’t entirely sure what this building used to be, but it seemed like some people used to live here. There were beds, couches, even an old television when we got here.”

Now, feeling a little more awake, you nodded along with Jin, “Where do you get the food?” 

Seokjin didn’t even miss a beat before answering, happy you were coming out of your shell a bit, “I go to the market at least once a week,” he smiled, “I take Jungkook with me sometimes…” he started to trail off a bit, looking away from your eyes, almost like he was embarrassed. “That’s actually how we found you.”

You stopped chewing, mid-bite of scrambled egg, “Found me?” You mumbled, mouth full. 

Jin nodded, looking bashful, “Jimin told us he overheard people at the lab talking about a girl, a natural born living in this town. We honestly didn’t think we would find you here,” Seokijn rubbed the back of his neck as he continued, still avoiding your gaze, “We came out here and found this warehouse, it ended up being perfect for us to stay in,” as he continued his eyes finally met yours, he mentally noted how cute you looked, cheeks puffed out with food staring at him, “we needed food, so me and Jungkook went to the market. When I saw you, I knew.”

Your stomach was doing flips at Seokjin’s admission, and you weren’t entirely sure why. They were harmless words, maybe even a little reassuring. They weren’t stalking you, they happened to stumble upon you. So you weren’t sure why you were suddenly feeling so shy. His words almost sounded like a love confession you would hear in a blockbuster movie about soulmates. You could feel your cheeks heat slightly as you finally swallowed the eggs. “What do you mean, you knew? I don’t remember seeing you, or talking to you,” you prodded for some more information.

For a moment, Jin just stared into your eyes, and you thought he wasn’t going to answer you. Then, his plush lips parted as he quietly murmured, “Well, YN, you’re breathtakingly beautiful. I hope you know that,” he never broke eye contact as he uttered his next words, “and now that I’ve gotten to know you more, I can say you have a beautiful soul, too.” You were reeling. Were you the female lead of this made for TV movie your head conjured up?

You stared back at Seokjin with wide, glazed eyes, lips slightly parted in shock. No one has ever said anything like that to you, aside from Mina telling you how beautiful you were and how jealous she was of your skin. Jin was gazing at you as if you were the only person in the world, and you would be lying if you said it didn’t make you feel incredible. You were high on his attention, you loved the way your stomach was erupting with butterflies. 

You were still seated on his bed, legs crossed and hands sitting in your lap, food forgotten next to you. Seokjin was still staring intently into your eyes, with an intensity you’ve never felt before. Slowly, ever so slowly, he lifted his hand and went to lightly brush his knuckles against your cheek bone. The action made you flush, eyes closing at the soft feeling of his hand. Just as you were leaning into his touch, a soft smile on his lips, the door to his room opened, causing both of you to jump backwards, eyes shooting towards the person intruding on such an intimate moment. 

“Jin,” Namjoon looked slightly embarrassed, cheeks pink realizing what he walked into, “we need you in Yoongi’s room.” He bowed his head once at you both before turning on his heels and walking away. 

Seokjin cleared his throat and you found it endearing how his neck and ears were turning a beet red. “S-sorry,” he sputtered out, “I - I’ll be back in a little bit?” He sounded unsure as he scrubbed a hand down his face. You gave him a small smile and nodded, a little sad at the loss of companionship you were just starting to get used to. You couldn’t quite place the emotion you were feeling, but you knew it was nothing like the platonic friendship you felt for Woo or Mina. Jin stood up from his bed, making his way towards, before giving you some parting words, “I’ll have Jungkook come show you where the showers are.” 

After your encounter with Jin this morning, you were reeling from the onslaught of emotions you were feeling. You weren’t given much time to think too much about it though, because once you finished your breakfast, Jungkook came to give you a short, and rather quiet, tour of the building. 

Like Seokjim promised, Jungkook showed you where the one bathroom was located, which looked more like a gym locker room than a bathroom. There were shower stalls, benches, and a couple of toilets and sinks along with a wall of lockers. It looked to be a changing room for employees of the mill. Jungkook had brought with him your black linen pants, washed by Jin according to him, and another large t-shirt. He didn’t want to admit it was his this time, and blushed fiercely as he handed them over to you, along with a clean towel.

Jungkook kindly showed you how to work the showers, helping you turn one on because of your hands. He also sweetly helped unwrap your hands and feet so you could properly shower and clean the cuts and scrapes. After he was done, he turned away, telling you he would wait on the benches for you to finish. As he was retreating, you reached out your hand to grab his forearm, “Wait - I- I can’t really lift my arms up,” you mumbled, warily looking up into his wide deer-in-headlights eyes, “can- can you help me?” You’ve never been shy about your body or nudity, but something about Jungkook seeing you nearly naked, made you feel like a shy teenager again. 

You thought Jungkook was about to spontaneously combust the way he was staring at you. His shoulders were squared and nearly meeting his ears, lips pursed into a tight line, and eyes the size of dinner plates. You almost laughed at his expression, but then remembered how awkward this situation was for the both of you.

“I- I - ye- yes,” Jungkook was a stuttering mess, but wanted to offer you his help regardless. He felt like he was on fire with the way his cheeks and neck were heating. Slowly, you retracted your hand from his forearm when you felt like he wasn’t about to bolt out of the room. Jungkook carefully reached for the hem and your shirt and you turned around so your back was facing him to make this all less embarrassing. The boy audibly gulped as he slowly pulled your shirt upwards removing it from your head first, pushing it towards your front. He stepped closer to you so there was barely an inch of space between your now bare back and his front. Reaching his arms around you, he gripped the shirt and slid it down your arms, removing it from you completely. His fingers ever so slightly brushed the skin on your arms and made a shiver run up your spine. Jungkook didn’t miss the way you let out a strangled breath, almost inaudible.

 He needed to cool off, quickly. 

You quietly thanked him, quickly covering your breasts with your arms, as he turned away still holding Jin’s shirt and made his way out of the bathroom without another word. 

After your much needed shower you struggled to dress yourself, but you would rather cut off your own arm than go through the embarrassment of finding Jungkook to help you again. Once you were finally decent, you found Jungkook sitting on the benches outside of the shower room, just like he said he would be. He has visibly calmed down, now wearing a calm expression. When he noticed you walk into the room, he gave you a small smile. “Feel better?” 

You nodded enthusiastically, happy to feel clean again.

Next, Jungkook showed you the small kitchen that Jin spoke of earlier. It was more like a kitchenette, almost like an employee break room. It had a tiny refrigerator, cabinets that were filled with dry goods, a sink, and one electric burner. The building was so old, you were shocked to see the kitchen in such great condition. At the shocked look on your face, Jungkook told you that Jin really loved to cook and worked really hard to clean it up and keep it that way. Your face flushed at the reminder of the older man who was making your heart feel things just this morning. The thought of him caring so much about his kitchen, moving about in here cooking the delicious food you ate for breakfast, made your stomach twist in a pleasant way. 

The last place Jungkook showed you was a mostly empty room on the second floor of the building. He told you that they didn’t use the second story much, considering the state of disrepair of the place, they didn’t want to risk getting hurt up here. But this room, Jungkook told you, was his favorite place to hang out. It was a rectangular concrete room that had a large expanse of windows on the far  wall. Some of the windows were broken, allowing the breeze from outside to enter. In front of the windows sat a small tan sofa that looked like it had seen better days. Jungkook led you over to the windows, and you quickly realized why he liked this room so much. 

You could see the entire quarry from up here. It was beautiful. At the bottom of the quarry was water that took on an incredible aquamarine color, turning almost green in the sunlight. The water was completely still, no disruptions on the surface, making it look serene. Along the bank of water, there were lush, green bushes and trees swaying slightly in the wind. On the other side of the quarry, you could see a small patch of yellow and purple flowering plants. Along the steep sides of the cliffs, you could see the smooth surface of exposed marble. Over the years, the marble has become weathered and looked smooth to the touch. The late morning sun, high in the sky, was reflecting off of the stone in a way that made it sparkle. It was an incredible sight, and you were surprised you’d never seen it like this before, having been out here in the past. 

As you stood there, taking in the breathtaking scenery, Jungkook was taking in you. You had a look of mirth in your eyes, and he mentally patted himself on the back for bringing you up here. He took in your side profile, admiring your sharp features that looked as if they were carved from the very marble you were currently staring at. He loved the way your soft lips were forming a small pout, eyes focused on the sight in front of you. He didn’t realize he was grinning at you, until you turned around with a look of shock on your face.

A grin spread across your face as you saw Jungkook’s smile for the first time. It reminded you of a bunny, large front teeth on display for you to admire. You stood there for a moment, smiling at each other before you both started giggling. “Thank you for showing me this, Jungkook,” you crooned once the laughter had subsided. He just smiled at you in return before looking back out towards the quarry. You stayed in a comfortable silence after that, before Jungkook deemed it time to head back downstairs. 

Downstairs, Jungkook led you to a room that was right in the middle of the long hallway that contained all the other rooms. “This is Yoongi-hyung’s room,” he cautioned, hand on the door, “don’t worry, Joon-hyung told him to be nice,” he rushed out, seeing the fearful look on your pretty features. 

You were still uncertain, but nodded at Jungkook anyways, prompting him to open the door. Jungkook waited patiently for you to enter the room on your own with no pressure from him. You peeked around the corner to find the occupants of the room all staring right at you. You purse your lips into a tight line and avert your gaze to your newfound safe harbor, Seokjin, who was sitting on a black leather couch. His eyes softened at your uncomfortable look before scooting over to make room for you on the couch, patting the seat next to him, inviting you over. You hesitantly walked over and plopped down on the soft cushion.

Jin rubbed a large hand on your shoulder briefly to calm you down before placing both hands in his lap. As you felt yourself relax a bit, you took in your surroundings. Jungkook was still standing near the door, leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He looked oddly stoic, shedding the shy persona he usually wore. The room was fairly large, or at least, larger than the rest of the rooms you’ve been in. Against the right wall was the black leather couch you and Jin were currently sat on, and to your right against the far wall were two arm chairs, one of which was occupied by Namjoon. Sat in a desk chair in front of what looked like an old corporate desk, was Yoongi, with multiple laptops and devices sprawled out in front of him. Leaning against the wall behind Yoongi was another man, one you didn’t recognize, but you assumed was Hoseok. He was staring intently at you. His expression was unreadable, not cold, but not welcoming either. He looked intense with bright red hair, a sharp jawline that looked like it could cut diamonds, dressed in all black. He was a little intimidating and not at all like the golden retriever type boy Namjoon had described to you last night.

As you took in the men around the room, you hadn’t noticed Yoongi and Namjoon discussing a possible plan to break the twins out of Big Hit. “Jimin said there might be a window of time where no one is around,” Yoongi scoffed, “but you remember what happened last time he said that.”

Namjoon nodded his head. Now you were listening intently to their conversation, as were the other men in the room. “We need to trust Jimin, Yoongs. He’s the one inside there, he sees what’s going on, we don’t,” Namjoon sighed, running his hands over his knees, apparently a self-soothing mechanism, “if you think you can get in and knock out the cameras, we might as well give it a shot. We will make sure we’re better prepared this time.” Namjoon seemed defeated. You weren’t sure what happened ‘last time’, but it didn’t sound good.

“It doesn’t matter how prepared we are, he was wrong about the window last time. By two hours. If he’s wrong again we could get caught, or killed,” Yoongi snapped, anger apparent in his eyes, “I’m not willing to risk you guys again.”

“What about her?” This time, it was the redhead who spoke. You hadn’t noticed his eyes on you throughout the entire conversation, assessing you.

“No!” Both Jin and Jungkook barked at the same time, making you jump in your seat. Jin set a soothing hand on your shoulder as you looked at him, and then at Hoseok with wide eyes. Jin shook his head aggressively before looking at Yoongi and Hoseok, “No way. She’s never been there, she would have no idea what to do. You’re not willing to risk one of us, but willing to risk her?” He snarled, you haven’t seen him angry before, and you were positive you didn’t want to be on the receiving end of his anger. 

Over by the door, Jungkook had uncrossed his arms and was walking towards Yoongi’s desk. “You can’t send her in there, hyung,” he started, placing both hands palm down on the desk, “please.”

Yoongi looked up at the maknae with soft eyes before pursing his lips and sighing through his nose. Behind him, Hoseok raised his hands in surrender, “It was just a suggestion,” he sighed out passively, “we’ve all lived there at some point or another, they would recognize us immediately, just like last time.”

“They know her too. Hyunwoo has been scouting her for months, according to Jimin. We can’t let her go in there.” It was Namjoon who was being the voice of reason this time, causing both Jin and Jungkook to let out a collective sigh of relief. The five men continued to argue while you got lost in your thoughts. Hoseok wanted you to navigate Big Hit? Alone? You mulled it over in your head for a minute, remembering Yoongi’s words. If he was able to hack the cameras, they wouldn’t be able to see you, right? You felt so grateful towards Jin and Namjoon, and even Jungkook, for helping you, you wanted to contribute in some way. You wanted to help them, ease their pain at the loss of their friends.

With this thought in mind, you spoke up, “I could do it…” you trailed off, voice quiet. All five of the men’s heads snapped towards you, most with looks of disbelief on their faces. Even Hoseok hadn’t expected you to agree, he was testing you, to see how you would react. Yoongi looked at you curiously, waiting for your next words. He couldn’t deny the clench in his heart at Seokjin’s words. No, he wasn’t willing to risk you, but if you were offering... “I mean.. I want to help,” you hesitated, looking between Jin and Jungkook who were now looking angrily at you. You shrunk in on yourself a bit, awaiting their response. 

“Then it’s settled,” Yoongi remarked. He was trying hard to contain the fear he felt at allowing you to enter Big Hit alone. He knew it was dangerous, and he really wanted to not care about your well-being, but try as he might, he was terrified of allowing you to do this. He assumed he hid it well though, because everyone bar Hoseok was looking at him with incredulousness. 

“No way,” Seokjin spoke first, his tone leaving nothing up for discussion, “this conversation is over.” Jin stood up abruptly, looking directly at Namjoon, “You aren’t ok with this, are you?” The look in his eye was intense, and Namjoon could feel it. He could feel the emotions Jin felt towards you, that he was going to do whatever it took to protect you. Namjoon would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t feel the same way.

Namjoon let out a short sigh and closed his eyes before setting his gaze on Yoongi, “We can figure this out without involving YN.” 

“You heard her,” Yoongi growled, “she’s willing to risk her life. Who am I to tell her no?”

From there, the argument got even more heated, Jungkook even getting involved at one point. You were starting to feel uncomfortably hot in this cramped space. You understood both sides. You wanted to help, but you also knew that whatever you were volunteering yourself to do was dangerous. You needed air.

Suddenly, you stood up from the sofa announcing to the others that you ‘needed space’ and bolted out the door. Jungkook turned to run after you, but Hoseok, who was now standing next to the youngest, put his hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Let me go Hobi-hyung, I need to make sure YN is ok,” Jungkook rushed out, turning to the elder.

“Let her go, Kookie. This is probably a lot for her,” Hoseok told the boy, who looked like his heart was breaking at his words, “She’ll be ok, give her time.”

In your haste to remove yourself from the situation, you missed the look of absolute devastation on Jin’s face. He didn’t want you to feel like you had to do anything to repay them. He didn’t want you to feel like you owed them. He couldn’t believe how strongly he felt for you after only one day, longing for your presence next to him, now that it was suddenly gone. He could see that Jungkook - and to some extent, Namjoon - felt similarly. 

Namjoon’s heavy sigh could be heard by everyone in the room, even over the loud chatter between the boys, as he slowly rose from his seat. As he made his way over to the door, he looked over his shoulder at the hacker. “Fix this.” His words held a finality that made Yoongi gulp. The blonde had a stoic outer shell that was hard to crack, but no one in this building could deny Namjoon was the one in charge, the one they wouldn’t defy. Yoongi nodded, biting the inside his cheek to hold back his retorts as Namjoon left the room. 

After you burst out of Yoongi’s room earlier, you ran towards the big metal door that led outside the warehouse. You didn’t really want to go home, you were way too scared of what might be waiting for you there, but you did need some fresh air and some time to process everything that has happened to you since yesterday. 

You made your way down the long winding path that led back to the fork in the path at the edge of the forest. You were thankful Jungkook had found you a pair of slippers earlier and you were no longer barefoot. You passed the broken fence blocking the dirt road down to the quarry and carefully hiked down until you were at the embankment and sat on the edge of the water. It really was beautiful and now that you were up close, you could see how clear the water was. It looked like liquid gemstones, barely rippling in the slight breeze. The marble looked so pretty up close, nearly snow white with swirls and lines of grey. It was calming out here. You took a few deep breaths, inhaling the scent of the water and the trees. 

You have never done well with crowds of people. Not that five men were a crowd by any means, but you weren’t used to being around more than a couple of people at a time. Growing up, you had severe anxiety, especially while at school, and it carried over to adulthood. You also haven’t had many chances to socialize as an adult, outside of Mina and Woo. Being thrown into a situation with five men, two of whom you don’t think even want you around, is a lot. It’s only been twenty four hours and you’re already starting to regret leaving your home. You thought about your mom, and the huge breakfasts and dinners she would make for you and your father. Your father, who you didn’t know if you could even trust anymore. You’ve lived your whole life putting all your trust in your parents, as one should. But now you were questioning everything. Were they aware of your genetic rarity? Did they know about Big Hit all along? You had so many unanswered questions that you would probably never have answers to unless you went home.

Your mind wandered to Mina and Woo. How you weren’t sure if you would ever get to see them again. You were worried about them, worried that they would look for you and find themselves in some kind of trouble. They were your only friends growing up, and you didn’t even get to properly say goodbye to them. You didn’t realize you were crying until you felt something wet and warm drop into your lap. You were wearing the pants that you got dressed in yesterday morning before what could’ve been your last breakfast with your family. At that thought, the dam within you broke and the tears started flowing. 

While staring at your damaged hands, you were reminded of Seokjin, and his caring nature. The tall, broad shouldered man who has shown you nothing but kindness. He was so gentle with you, like no one ever has been before. He made your heart flutter and your mind blank when he spoke to you. You thought back to how angry he had been with his own friends, over you, a girl he just met. He was defending you, and it made you feel like you were tearing a family apart. You didn’t want to bring him, or anyone else for that matter, any pain or harm. But then you thought back to how nice his large hand had felt against the delicate skin of your face this morning, and how his words had made you blush with fondness. You’ve never loved someone outside of your family, never even had a crush before. You weren’t sure how to define what you felt for Seokjin, but it felt good. 

Then you thought about Namjoon, the well spoken and intelligent man who was the reason you were brought in with welcoming arms. From what you’ve gathered, he was the one who pushed to find you, to make sure they did something to stop Big Hit from getting to you. You were thankful for him, and you didn’t want to put him in a position where he had to choose you or his brothers. He cared for them deeply, you could see that clearly. 

Jungkook was mysterious to you. He seemed so shy and timid, yet he was so angry with Yoongi earlier in defense of you. He had shown you one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever witnessed before, and given you one of the most precious smiles you’ve ever seen. You wanted to learn more about him, get to know him, be his friend. You felt drawn to the boy and wanted to protect him. It was odd, you’ve never felt an instinct to take care of someone else before, aside from maybe your cat. You wondered if that was how Seokjin felt towards the rest of them, the thought causing your heart to clench, emphatic towards him.  

The red haired man, Hoseok, was the one you knew the least about. It felt like he didn’t really like you, but he was so hard to read. You remembered what Namjoon said about him being excitable and friendly, but you had yet to experience it yourself. As much as you felt unwelcomed by him and Yoongi, you still felt inclined to get to know him better, a pull to him, much like the others. You couldn’t explain these feelings, and they were confusing you.

The last man of the group, the blonde. Yoongi. He definitely didn’t want you here, and definitely made you feel unwelcome. But could you blame him? You weren’t mad at him. No. You understood completely how he felt. You were a stranger, disposable, and you weren’t his friend. He had no reason to care about you. None of them did. You mentally berated yourself for allowing your mind to conjure up the idea that they owe you anything, that you deserved their care and affection. 

As you sat and cried silently to yourself, you let the dark thoughts take over your mind. Were you some kind of charity case to Namjoon? Like he felt the need to save someone who was like him and that’s all you meant to them? Maybe they felt sorry for you, and that’s why they were treating you so kindly. Seokjin acted caring towards everyone, why were you anything special? You were acting crazy, it’s only been a day with these men and you’re already feeling such a strong pull to them. You need to get a hold of yourself. You continued to sit there, on the edge of the water, shoulders hunched as you cried silently. As the day went on, and the sun started to set beyond the hills, your mind was plagued with the thoughts that this was all a horrible, horrible idea. 

To be continued….

A/N: if you made it this far, first of all, THANK YOU! If you want to be added to the taglist, make sure you’re following me and send me an ask. if you enjoy the series consider reblogging so it can reach more readers. i’m feeling a little down about writing right now, so i’m trying to make sure to update next sunday. we will be meeting the twins in the next couple chapters, depending on how long they get, and you will be getting some steamy scenes between YN and (a) boy shortly. much love 

xx Des

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