talkbeforesleep

[dulcewrites]

I’m imagining a moment where (modern) Aemond and Myrah both meet each other’s friends group. they more than likely similar to everyone else in the world where their friends are pretty consistent with their personality and interest. So most of Aemond’s friends are guys he met in university or at work. Straight lace, about their business. Very much ‘let’s do golf’ sort of guys. Versus Myrah’s friend group, which would fall on the opposite spectrum.

Like even the way they meet each other would reflect it. Aemond would invite myrah to some nice Christmas work party. Black tie attire and all. While Myrah would ask him to come to a PowerPoint night.

Oh and the night where the Everlanes officially meet everyone else. It would kind of be a mess. But everyone made it out in one peace. A bit of a miracle when it comes to the targs.

[aloesarchives]

Valentine's Day Special #2 (JJK One shot)

Warnings: Suggestive parts from Suguru and Shoko but it's funny, I think that's it.

Pairing: Satoru Gojo x Fem!Reader

Here's Gojo's part I promised after my Toji one. A bit but here nevertheless.

 “Sugu, have you gotten in touch with Toru? He hasn’t responded to any of my calls and texts this morning and class starts in 10 minutes.”

“Maybe Satoru forgot to charge his phone last night and is coming here with a dead phone. I mean we did have a late start today but you know how he is. Something wrong?”

“I thought I asked. I’m just a little worried, that’s all. Normally he would blow up my phone but not today. I hope he’s not sick.”

You sigh as you look at your phone to see if any more messages would be sent but none came. It was Valentine’s day today and everyone was giving their Valentine gifts to the one that gives them heart eyes. Some were cute, others were cheesy, and some were mid. You’d usually spend Valentine’s day alone or celebrate it with a few classmates. However, this year was different because you would actually be celebrating with Satoru. Initially, you were trying to play it cool and be all chill about it. Not making it a big deal. But you can’t help but feel giddy and a bit excited because you can spend the day with your boyfriend who was also your best friend. 

However, Satoru’s lack of response made you a bit anxious with your foot rapidly bouncing and your eyes fidgeting between his empty desk and the clock. If he was sick and couldn’t come to school, you would understand. But Satoru wasn’t sick yesterday or showed no signs of any. You hoped that he was okay and nothing bad happened to him. With class starting in five minutes, you deflated into your seat and just wanted the day over with because it wasn’t going to be fun when Satoru’s absent. 

Just as you were about to turn around and ask Suguru something, your classroom door slid open to reveal Satoru Gojo in the flesh. His face was covered by a bouquet of (favorite flowers) and a large shopping bag. Sugaru just smirks as you sit in shock before standing up to meet Satoru who was standing next to your desk.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Sweetheart!”

“Is this for me, Toru? Aww, thank you~! You shouldn’t have.”

You give him a quick peck on the cheek before taking your gifts and placing them on your desk. To everyone, Satoru brushed it off suavely while embracing his confident smile. But to you, and Suguru, Satoru was a lovesick fool who is screaming from joy on the inside.

You would have talked more but the bell rang so it will have to wait until break. Satoru sneaks a grin, sending a wink your way while you could only roll your eyes playfully.

“Sorry I didn’t answer your texts or calls this morning. I used the late start to pick up your gifts but I accidentally woke up later than expected. So I had to rush myself to get your things while trying to make it to school on time. I had to ask Suguru to distract you until I arrived.”

You glanced over at Suguru to confirm what your boyfriend said was true. All you were met with was whistling and his eyes were anywhere but on yours. You shake your head with a chuckle as you place your hand on Satoru’s bicep while walking to get some snacks.

“You had me worried, Satoru. I got scared for a second something happened to you. At least it’s good to know that you were okay.”

“I didn’t mean to! Look, I just wanted to surprise you. I just—you know— had a minor slip up. I just wanted to treat my favorite girl!” Satoru whines out trying to defend himself.

“Favorite girl? You mean I’m not the only one, Satoru?”

Satoru froze and had this look of absolute panic on his face. Suguru gave an accusatory look at Satoru’s way before you bursted out in laughter.

“Toru, I’m just messing with you! You look like you’re about to cry, I didn’t mean to get carried away like that! I know you love me, you simp. My one and only.”

The way his face shifted from panic, relaxed, to flustered was like a powerpoint where the teacher is changing slides too fast. The tips of his ears and the apples of his cheek were rosy pink. He tried to use his free hand to hide his blush but it was useless. Suguru just laughed at the expense of his friend. 

It was interesting to spend Valentine’s with one of the school’s heartthrobs. Satoru’s fans are split down the middle between fangirling or mean mugging at you two. You honestly don’t care about the haters because they’re not the one dating Satoru. School goes on as per usual, Shoko came to hang during lunch because she was out on a field trip, and the occasional hallway confessions and gift giving. Once school ended, things were different. You assumed you would go back to your dorm and that’s the day.

But Satoru had other plans in mind. You were about to go grab yourself something at the local convenience store before seeing Satoru pull out in a slick black sports car. At this point, you wonder what Satoru didn’t have. Satoru said the day’s not over and he’s got stuff in store for you. He takes your stuff away inside the car before reaching his hand out towards you with the absolute rizz.

“Let’s get moving, Babe. I don’t want to waste a second today when I’m with you~” Satoru says with  his overflowing rizz and charm.

You giggle like the high school girl you are and make your way over to him, taking his hand in yours.

“You two love birds have fun! Don’t go too crazy!” Suguru shouts from afar.

“If you guys do the deed, don’t forget to wrap it up, Satoru!” Shoko shouts after as she waves off to the two of you.

You both immediately got in the car, Satoru laughing his ass off with red all over while your whole body was ablaze and on fire. If it were possible, steam would be coming from your head. Once he comes down, Satoru starts driving you to treat you like the fucking queen you are. Satoru took you to all your favorite spots, stores, and places. He bought you anything you asked for, which were literally three items. He takes you to a crane game arcade and he won every single game you looked at on the first try, getting some of your favorite plushies in the process. God the way you smiled and eyes lit up made him so elated that his heart was going to burst. Genuine joy and whims of boyish youth surge through him as he realizes he can be himself around you. 

Free from his title as a Gojo, free from being the heartthrob, free from being anything other than Satoru and your best friend/boyfriend. He wanted to feel like this everyday forever when he’s with you. Every now and then he kisses your hand as you go around to your heart’s content. You never had this much fun in your entire life until today and it was all boy you gave yourself to that was also your best friend. As naive it is to think, you knew you wouldn’t experience this with anyone else. For your boyfriend to also be your best friend was absolute bliss and you want both of you to cherish it forever.

You two sit on a bench in an empty park, staring up at the starry night sky while eating some daifuku together. Your hands interlaced and both of your heads lean onto each other. No talking, just silence and the sound of the city night life filled the air.

“I want to thank you for today, Toru. I had a wonderful time, and it’s because of you.”

“I should be thanking you, (Y/N). You showed me things I never thought I’d get to experience. You made me feel things I never thought I could feel until now. All thanks to you… I love you, (Y/N).”

Satoru turns to face while holding your hand up to his face to kiss it. You smile softly at him while unlacing your hand so you can cup his face gently. You giggle seeing his face sink slightly in your hold.

“I love you too, Satoru Gojo. For as long as we’re together, I will always love you.”

Pulling him in to share a sweet kiss until the gentle moonlight. Once pulling away, Satoru brings both your hands into his as he brings them to his chest, feeling his fast but strong heart beat. His eyes are full of sincerity and unwavering dedication, boring into your own.

“Then promise me, (Y/N), you will stay with me for the longest time. Not just spending the future Valentine’s days together, but to experience life with you by my side. Now and forever… my one and only…please…”

You see the yearning and devotion in his cerulean eyes that still shine in the midst of night. His words, his eyes, his heart reassured you with everything you needed to hear. Because being with Satoru Gojo is something you will never regret and neither did Satoru as he never regretted loving you and only you.

“Of course, Toru, I’ll be with you until the end of time. Now and forever, with my one and only, Satoru Gojo.”

At your confession, you saw a smile that Satoru gave you that will forever be etched into your memory. One you have the honor and privilege to see everyday as he does with yours.

There’s no telling what the future holds. But it’s guaranteed that there are many more Valentine’s days to be spent together with Satoru. In which one of them you are wearing a shiny ring. Then another where there’s an additional ring on top of your other one, you are seated close to your husband as your last name is now Gojo.

[honey-andmilktea]

✎ Neighbors: Chapter 3: Familiar Faces

🤎𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: OnlineInfluencers!BTS OT7 (Eventually) x Animator!Fem!OC!Reader, Model!Jimin x ProfessionalGamer!Jungkook, Model!Jimin x Animator!Fem!OC!Reader x ProfessionalGamer!Jungkook | 🌙𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fluff, College AU, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, 3rd Person | 🖊️𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2,025 Words | ✏️𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Chul’s classes and schedule along with building are heavily based off my own.~ Even though my building doesn’t have 3 floors it has 2~ | ❌𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: None(?)

🍁𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Jungkook and Chul meet again by pure chance. Their friendship is blooming with them getting a lot closer, Chul even getting to meet one of his close “friends”. Featuring a little of Jimin getting into trouble.~

👻𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐛𝐬: Omg I finally got to this! Woo! I hope yall like this ^^

🐻 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐁𝐓𝐒 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

“And so I pitched myself into my great lake of melancholy. Lord how deep it is! What a born melancholic I am!” — Virginia Woolf, ‘A Writer’s Diary’

‘Hey my class ended early! :D’

‘My room is 309, down the hall’

‘Come down when you’re done’

Chul smiled at the messages, sitting at her easel as her class took a break. The teacher had been going through what to expect in the class along with starting a PowerPoint on what they’ll be practicing for the first week. She ate her own snack that she brought because of long class hours, texting Jungkook back as she did.

‘Lucky! I have one more hour’

‘I’ll see you then’

Jungkook answers with an okay, deciding to stay in the room while waiting. Chul finishes her snack and goes back to her notes, doodling little flowers and characters along the edges of her paper. Once the Professor went over the assignment, she ended class early and Chul cheers to herself as she starts putting her items into her bag. She quickly texted Jungkook telling him that she was on her way and walked down the colorful hall of her art building. She looked at the room numbers until she saw ‘309’ and stopped, smiling wide as she walked into the empty classroom. She looked around, noticing Jungkook sitting on a stool at a table with someone sitting next to him. She tilted her head as she walked in noticing that they were both

looking down at something on Jungkook’s phone.

“Hey Kook!” She chirped excitedly making her presence known to the two men. Both look up, Kook giving her his signature cute bunny smile. She smiled back his smile too contagious to not. Before looking at the other man and wondering where she’s seen him before. He seemed to be having the same recollection. She opened her mouth to say a greeting to the man before he spoke before her.

“You’re the girl from the park! That’s where I’ve seen you.” He called out both Jungkook and Chul. He blushed embarrassed at his small outburst clearing his throat. “I’m sorry you just looked really familiar.” Chul takes a second to process before blushing embarrassed and

looking at him over once more. And yes, he was the beautiful man from the park,

knowing that fact made her face grow more red. She quickly bowed and started to apologize profusely. Jimin blinks surprised before a laugh starts to bubble out while Jungkook sat confused next to him. Chul went even more red, if possible, when she heard his beautiful laugh. She went back to standing straight, her hair slightly covering her face. ‘Why is everything he does so pretty?’ Jimin stopped laughing and let out a breath.

“I’m sorry, you’re just so cute.” Chul pouted a little at that shyly playing with her

sleeve. “You don’t need to apologize, I’m half to blame. I do hope you got a nice picture of me though.” He teased gently to Chul’s dismay. She whined a little, pushing her hair back, pursing her lips and looking away. ‘She’s cute.’ He thought with a small smile while Chul collected herself.

“I-I’ll delete the picture, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to take it.” Jimin waved her off

with a small hand wave and smile.

“It’s really okay honey.~ I just hope you got my good side.~” He eternally cooed as another pink hue came to her cheeks when he called her honey. He stuck his hand out for

her to shake. “I’m Jimin by the way. Park Jimin.” She blinked a little before shyly taking his hand.

“Lee Chul.” She introduced herself shyly. Jimin smiled and the two looked at each other for a bit. They seemed to be taking in each other’s features, making Jungkook look

at them completely confused and unsure of what was going on. He clears his

throat looking at the two as they jump a little forgetting that there was someone else in the room. Jimin smiled sheepishly at the younger.

“Sorry, got…distracted.” He mumbled softly while Chul looked down at her fingers shyly. 

“I could see that-.” Jungkook said sassily before shaking his head. “How do you guys know

each other anyway? You’re in different majors. Completely different-.” Jungkook

enquired as he looked between the two waiting for an answer. 

“Wait what major are you?”

“Cosmetic Science.” Chul blinked surprised and looked at him impressed.

“Woah! That sounds so fancy!” Jimin laughed, getting bashful at her praise, about to wave

her comments off before hearing Jungkook clear his throat again and looking at

him with raised brows. Jimin gave him an apologetic look before answering the

younger man.

“We met at the park earlier. She’s the girl I told you about.” Jungkook blinked in confusion before a grin started to spread on his face.

“Oh, so she’s the-.” His mouth was quickly covered by Jimin’s hand, said man, glaring at the younger who was just giggling under it before apologizing. Chul looked between the two, blinking confused as she scrunched her eyebrows together.

“What? The, what?” She tilted her head confused while Jungkook laughed and Jimin waved his hands with a pink hue on his cheeks. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Chul whined and started to protest, trying to get some kind of

information out of him. This lasted a couple more minutes, Jungkook laughing and Jimin shyly denying the girl any information on what Jungkook was going to say. After giving up Chul starts conversation on how their first days were going and what days they had classes and so on. At one point Chul went to tie up her hair, talking about some random topic and not noticing the two men looking at her and listened. They both were thinking the same thing, she looked so pretty. Jimin was the first to snap out of it though and gently hit Jungkook on the shoulder to snap him out of it. 

“Last semester wasn’t all that bad, so I do hope this one is the same. I hope I make more

friends.” They both tuned back into the conversation blinking a little to piece together what they could. “But I think it’s time for me to get going. My friend is waiting for me, and I hate making him wait.” She smiled at the two who smiled back instantly.

“Oh…” Jungkook pouted a little before checking the time and perking up surprised. “Yeah, I think you’re right. It’s definitely time for us to go too.” He smiled sadly, wishing they could hangout a bit longer. Jimin lightly nudged him before handing his phone to Chul, the contacts app open. 

“Here, put in your number. It’s not fair that Jungkook gets to talk to such a pretty girl,

and I don’t.” He teased gently, smiling more when he sees her blush appearing on her cheeks again. She gently takes it, putting in her number and hands it back shyly, smiling at him.

“There you go.” He smiles back looking at the contact and cooing inwardly at the cute

emojis she used. He sent her a message, so she had his number as well. Both men stood up and each took turns giving her a hug before they walked out of the room and went their separate ways. As she walked down the stairs, deeming it quicker than waiting for the elevator. She had already made Hongjoong wait too long, and she was definitely going to get an earful about

it. She texted Jimin while she went down, smiling at the new pretty friend she made. “No one’s going to believe me.” She mumbled to herself with a laugh as she got out. There she saw Hongjoong, leaning against his bike and waved happily at him. Hongjoong crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. 

“Nice to see you-.” He said snarky while she rolled her eyes and hugged her best friend.

“Don’t be so cold.~” She whined a little, it being Hongjoong’s turn to roll his eyes and hug her back.

“You were with your new friend?” She nodded her head with a happy smile.

“He seems to make you really happy. Be careful, you’ve only known each other for a couple of days.” Chul shook her head with a little frown.

“He’s nice. And we’ve basically known each other for more than a week. I even met one of

his friends today! Plus, I can take care of myself. I know what I’m doing.” Hongjoong’s

eyebrows raised up, but he didn’t mention anything about it.

“I know you can, but I just worry about you. Now,” He tossed Chul her normal helmet.

“Get on, we're going to Sally’s.” Chul squealed happily at the prospect of going to

their favorite diner. Having gone to it since they were kids from Hongjoong’s first concert in Middle School to their High School Graduation. She hugged him happily before putting on the helmet and got on carefully with Joong’s help. Once they were there, they greeted everyone and went to their normal table before Chul started to go into detail of her day before Joong did the same. 

A nice ending to the day.

Jimin and Jungkook went to the elevator, Jimin texting Chul back with a smile before putting his phone away. Jungkook glances at him but doesn’t say anything, just smiling along knowing what he was thinking of. Once out of the building Jimin puts on a pair of sunglasses along with putting up his hoodie trying to hide his face as much as possible. Jungkook opted for his normal black facemask while putting his hoodie up as well. Once they felt that their faces were hidden well enough, they started walking to Jimin’s car. Jimin was happy that he was allowed to drive himself and not have some driver taking them around. They all wanted to enjoy their college experience as much as possible and as normal. They already had heavy schedules to follow, making having close connections hard. So having this sliver of normalcy was a breath of fresh air for all the boys. They have casual conversation when inside of Jimin’s car, mask and hoods down enjoying each other’s company. 

Jungkook held Jimin’s hand in his lap while the older man drove. “She doesn’t know what we do, does she?” Jungkook blinked, processing what he was asked before blushing a

little and shaking his head. 

“No…I kind of like the fact she doesn’t. At least if she does, she doesn’t show it.” Jimin

nodded his head agreeing.

“She’s a lot more sweet than you mentioned.” Jimin grinned a little. “I can see why you like her so much.” Jungkook went red, lightly slapping his arm when they got to a

red light.

“Says you! You stared at her for so long-. And you called her an ‘Angel’ when you first saw her, remember?” Jimin scoffed with his own blush spreading on his face which

caused Jungkook to laugh. Jimin rolled his eyes, scoffing again but smiling fondly at his boyfriend, loving whenever he laughed. They talk the rest of the way home, Jimin parking his car on the street, noticing that there was a car in the driveway. He cursed under his breath knowing whose car it was and whining to himself. Jungkook noticed the car and cringed a little knowing that Jimin was going to be chewed out by their Hyungs. Jungkook checked the time before tugging Jimin’s hand. “I have to stream soon.” Jimin sighed, wishing he could stay in

the car and let everything settle. They both got out of the car making their way inside barely making it in until seeing Yoongi standing halfway up the stairs, arms crossed and a knowing look on his face. 

Jimin sighed as Jungkook gave him a quick peck to the lips running up the stairs, stopping to give Yoongi his own kiss, before rushing to his room to set up for his

stream. Yoongi looked at Jimin who gave him puppy dog eyes, the older man shaking his head. “Not this time. Let’s go, Jin and Namjoon are waiting for you.” Groaning, the blonde followed behind, wondering what they’ll tell him he can’t do this time around.

Oh how he hated talks like these.

✎ @honey-andmilktea - 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭, 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐞𝐭𝐜. [2024-2025]

✎ Thank you for reading! Since you've made it this far please consider reblogging, commenting or getting a coffee at the Coffee Corner! [Ko-fi]

✎ Taglist: @armysantiny, @faywithlove, @kpopadminnie, @iridescentxstars, @felicityroth

✎: @moonprismo, @mo0nbeams, @angelfuzzy2, @singukieee

[helloalycia]

teenage dirtbag [one] // wanda maximoff

summary: when you're paired with the most popular girl in your grade for Chemistry class, you definitely don't expect to start liking her like that...

warning/s: none i don't think??

author's note: okay so i have a ton of requests to work through but i got sidetracked and before i knew it, five parts of this imagine were written.

It's based off the song 'Teenage Dirtbag' and idk, i thought it was cute to write! Who doesn't love the popular girl!wanda and loner!reader concept?

Here’s a cover of the song to listen to because i really liked it and a girl sings it so it immediately made the song 10x more gay, just how i like it 🥰

masterlist | wattpad | part two | part three | part four | part five

"Are you all comfortable?"

The class stayed silent, watching our Chemistry teacher, Mr. Hale, as he looked to everyone with a raised brow.

"You all like who you're sat with?" he asked again, as if expecting an actual response from someone.

I exchanged questioning glances with my best friend, Y/BF/N, who was sat beside me. It was the first day back in Chemistry class of our final year of high school and we were just waiting to begin.

"Anyone?" he asked, looking around.

"Yeah," a few students mumbled in response so we could move on.

He clapped his hands together. "Great! Well, don't get too comfortable because I made a seating chart."

A chorus of groans erupted from the class, including from me and Y/BF/N. Every other class had successfully managed to not give us a seating chart. I'd heard that Mr. Hale was an awkward teacher who hated students (ironically), but I didn't think he'd stoop so low as to pair us with students who weren't our friends. These new seats were also our partners for the rest of the year and were non-negotiable, so any projects or work we did would have to be with our seat buddy. Fun.

Students began to shuffle to their newly-assigned seats reluctantly as Mr. Hale read out the chart. When Y/BF/N left my side, I frowned dramatically, waving goodbye to him.

"Wanda Maximoff, you're now partners with Y/N Y/L/N," said Mr. Hale, making me look up at the mention of my name.

I didn't get chance to register what he'd said as the aforementioned girl soon approached me, settling her bag on the table beside me. I looked up and saw Wanda Maximoff smiling my way before taking a seat on the stool.

Huh. Wanda Maximoff. She was one of the most popular girls in our grade. Everybody loved her, either wanting to be friends with her, be with her or be her. I'd personally never crossed paths with her apart from the few classes we shared. She seemed nice enough, but I guess I had preconceived notions of what she was like since she'd made the very poor decision to date the most obnoxious guy ever. Anyone making decisions that terrible definitely had a flaw.

She had a twin brother, Pietro, who was also in our grade and played on the football team alongside her boyfriend. Her parents were good friends with mine, through mutual friends, I think, as I recalled my mum mentioning 'Mrs. Maximoff's boy' or 'Mrs. Maximoff's girl'. And I remembered when her family moved into our town back in second grade.

Admittedly, Wanda was the star of the show back then, too. We were only kids, but child Y/N wasn't blind. She was the first girl I'd crushed on, an innocent child crush – the crush that made me realise I liked girls. Apart from that, and the fact that she had a locker behind me in the hallway, I never really thought about her.

I glanced behind me, catching Y/BF/N's gaze across the room as he sat beside some other kid. He frowned, implying he wished we were partners, and I knew just how he felt.

Once Mr. Hale finished assigning seats, he gave us five minutes to get to know our new partners as he struggled to find the powerpoint for today's class. If there was anything worse than getting assigned seats, it was ice breakers.

"Er, well, hi," Wanda greeted, turning to face me. Green eyes sparkled brightly behind a friendly smile. "I'm Wanda. But, I mean, we already know each other."

"That we do," I said with a nod, returning her smile. "How're you doing? Your summer go well?"

She ran a hand through her hair, adjusting herself so she was comfortable on her stool. And as she did, a waft of her perfume washed over me and I blinked, trying to ignore how nice it smelled. Floral. Subtle. It suited her.

"Good, yeah," she answered with a nod. "Could have gone on longer for all I care."

I chuckled. "I feel that. I'm definitely not ready to be back."

"Right?" she said with raised brows. "It's gonna take a while to get back into routine, that's for sure. But I guess I did miss seeing my friends everyday."

I hummed in agreement, eyes flickering to Mr. Hale as he attempted to tackle the oncoming stream of animations on his powerpoint. I tried not to laugh as I looked back to Wanda, who clearly noticed the same thing as me and stifled a smile.

"Have you had Mr. Hale before?" I asked, nodding his way.

She shook her head. "Nope. You?"

"Never."

"Sucks that he makes seating charts," she said with a sigh, before realising what she said and looking to me with panicked eyes. "Not that I don't like you or anything–!"

"It's fine, I get it," I cut her off with an amused smile. "I wanted to sit with my friend, too."

She breathed out quietly, a hint of relief in her eyes, and scrunched her nose with an apologetic smile. Okay, yeah, maybe that was kind of cute. Older Y/N wasn't blind either. Wanda Maximoff was beautiful, with long brunette locks and matching hazel eyes that seemed to change from blue to green to brown in a kaleidoscope of colour. A winning smile and soothing voice was enough for anyone to fall for her unintentional charm, but it was purely admiration. Everyone pretty much had a mild crush on her, you'd be stupid not to.

"If we're gonna be working together, d'you wanna get the whole awkward number exchange out the way now?" she asked, half joking, half not.

"I– er– sure," I stumbled out rather carelessly, before cringing internally. Where did that come from?

Thankfully, she didn't seem to pick up on it (or just saved me the embarrassment of acknowledging it) and was already writing her number on a slip of paper. Sliding it my way, she capped her pen and gave me her signature smile.

"Thanks," I said with a nod, accepting the paper and pocketing it. "Can't wait to start those lovely science projects we've got coming up!"

She let out a quiet laugh at my sarcasm. "It'll be fine. You're not dumb, right? So, we'll be fine."

"Can't promise you that," I joked, making her roll her eyes playfully.

"Maybe if we–"

But she was cut off when Mr. Hale spoke up loudly, interrupting everyone's conversations.

"Five minutes are up, let's begin!"

I wondered if everyone was thinking the same thing as me – that was not five minutes.

"So it begins...," I mumbled to myself, facing forward.

Wanda breathed out, a stifled laugh, probably having heard my comment, and I couldn't help but crack a smile. Maybe I judged her too harshly. She wasn't actually that bad.

—

Since being paired with Wanda, I was surprised by how much she'd made an effort to befriend me outside of class. We'd always been back to back with our lockers though not quite speaking, but since becoming Chemistry partners, she'd wish me a good morning if she caught me, or greet me briefly as we collected our books.

She didn't have to, but I could see why everybody liked her now. She was just genuinely nice. Due to circumstance, we'd become partners, but rather than leaving it at that, she made a genuine effort to befriend me. And not even just me, but also Y/BF/N, who was at the locker next to mine. He was as surprised as I was, expecting Wanda to mind her own business as we weren't exactly in the same social circles.

This was, I guess you could say, the start of our friendship. And it was a good one at that. I grew to learn how funny she was, how much she loved her brother, the passion she had for art and painting... she was a wonderful person. Which is why I didn't understand why she was with her boyfriend, Nate. He was a grade-A dick and everything Wanda wasn't. How were they a thing?

It sounds like I'm being a bitch and judgemental, but he really is the worst. The few unfortunate times I shared a class with him or caught sight of him around school, he was causing some sort of trouble with the teachers or picking on students in a way that made it seem like a joke but everybody knew it wasn't.

For example, there was a time when Wanda and I were studying for an upcoming Chemistry test we had. We decided to just help each other study since we already worked together in class, so knew we could motivate each other to actually put in the work. It was, maybe, the fourth studying session we had, and I was going over some notes when I felt her eyes watching me.

"You need a hand?" I asked, unable to take the staring any longer. I looked up at her, quirking a brow.

She seemed to fall out of her daydream and straightened up, eyes flickering to mine. "Huh?"

I gave her an awkward smile, unable to maintain her gaze. "You're staring."

She didn't seem fazed as I called her out, instead leaning back in her seat and continuing to study me curiously.

"Did you do something different with your hair?"

Subconsciously reaching for my hair, I straightened up my ponytail and shook my head. "No...?"

She chewed on her lip, saying after a pause, "You tied it up. You usually leave it out."

Did I? I wasn't sure. I just knew that her noticing something like that made me feel self conscious all of a sudden.

"It looks good," she decided, before offering up a small smile. "You should do it like that more often."

Quickly, I felt warm. Was it stuffy in here or was it just me? God, compliments already made me feel stupid. And compliments from pretty girls made me feel ten times that. It didn't help that she was watching me with an endearing expression, making me focus on my book before me.

"Thanks," I got out quickly. "I– yeah."

Her smile widened before she looked back down to her own book. Suddenly, I became acutely aware of the way her leg brushed up against mine under the table.

Thankfully, the strange fuzzy feeling following her compliment faded and we were able to get back to work without her tuning out again. As we were going over each other's practice questions, an annoying voice shouted from across the library.

"Wanda, head's up!"

"Hey, no talking in the library!" a librarian hissed at the voice.

Wanda and I looked up just in time for a football to smack me in the side of the head. I didn't even see it coming until I felt the thing slap my head, giving me an instant urge to strangle whoever threw it.

"Fuck," I cursed, holding my head and closing my eyes to breathe through the pain.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Wanda's voice made me open my eyes and I saw her leaning forward, hand resting on my shoulder and the other on top of mine that was clutching my head.

"Been better," I admitted, trying to make light of the situation because as angry as I was at the idiot who threw it, I was also embarrassed because it hit me.

Wanda seemed concerned as she gently pulled me hand away, not letting go as she got a better look at the side of my face which I was sure was burning red. At least that's what it felt like.

"Shit, I'm so sorry."

I looked up and saw none other than Nate Green, Wanda's boyfriend, hovering and stifling a laugh as he looked at me. He had his stupid varsity jacket on and I was tempted to strangle him with it.

"I thought Wanda would catch it," he explained stupidly, before moving around the desk to collect his football.

Breathing out through gritted teeth, I pulled away from Wanda and nodded reassuringly. "I'll be fine. Just need an ice pack."

"You're such an idiot, Nate!" Wanda snapped, looking to him with a glare. "You need to watch what you're doing!"

He smiled sheepishly, making me roll my eyes and clench my jaw at the heat on the right side of my face. Fuck, that really hurt.

"What did you want?" Wanda asked him with a quirked brow. She definitely wasn't impressed. I'd hate to ever be on the wrong side of that condescending glare.

"I thought we could go out," he said like it was that simple.

"I'm studying," she quipped with crossed arms.

"I'm happy to wait," he said, toying with the ball in his hands.

Knowing I definitely didn't want that, I closed my books and said, "It's cool. You guys go. I think we're done here anyway."

Nate grinned. "See? S'all good."

Wanda ignored him and looked to me with worried eyes. "Y/N, are you sure?"

"You know your stuff," I said, referring to the work. "You'll be fine in the test. I'm sure."

I offered her a small, forced smile, before standing up to pack my bag. She did the same, beginning to pack her own things, but her eyes kept flittering towards me.

"D'you want me to go to the nurse's office with you?" she asked, shame laced in her voice.

"It's fine, I'll be fine," I said, hurrying up with my actions so I could just get out of here whilst I still had (some of) my dignity left. "See you in class tomorrow."

She nodded, sending a guilty smile my way. "See you tomorrow, Y/N."

Without giving either of them a look, I shouldered my backpack and left the library. Just another reminder of why Nate Green was literally the worst person ever.

—

Liking Wanda as more than a friend wasn't something that happened for a while if I'm being honest. I guess I started to enjoy her presence more and more the longer we spent time together.

I'd come to appreciate it whenever she'd say something completely out of the blue that made no sense whatsoever, or whenever she'd laugh at something I'd said that was arguably not funny but she didn't want to make me feel bad, or even whenever I teased her about something stupid she did, resulting in her doing that cute little nose scrunch she did. But I didn't think of it as liking her, more just a randomly-formed friendship that I was glad to have.

Maybe it was this misinterpretation that didn't make me see how I was acting around her, such as the time I was in the dinner queue at lunch when I realised she was stood behind me.

"Oh, hey, Y/N," she said when she noticed it was me in front of her. Her usual bright, friendly smile was on her lips as she looked to me. "You good?"

I nodded, returning her smile. "Yeah. Just getting some doughnuts for Y/BF/N and I. You?"

"Same," she said, before nudging the guy next to her, who I recognised as her brother. "Pietro and I thought we'd treat ourselves."

At the mention of his name, Pietro looked down to his sister before his gaze fell on me. A mischievous smile appeared on his lips as he put out his hand.

"Pietro Maximoff," he introduced. "You must be the Chemistry partner, Y/N, right?"

I raised my eyebrows with surprise as I shook his hand. "You, er, know who I am?"

He glanced at his sister with a cheeky smile. Wanda was avoiding both of our gazes, her cheeks dusting pink.

Clearly saving face for Wanda, he said, "We've been in the same grade since kids, right? 'Course I do."

Despite the truth to his words, something told me that wasn't how he knew who I was. Especially since I was sure I'd never spoken to him in my life. But, to save Wanda the embarrassment of clearly having spoken of me at home, I nodded to Pietro.

"Right," I agreed with an amused smile. "Duh."

I moved down the queue and grabbed two doughnuts from the display, putting them in two separate paper bags.

"Dibs the last one!" Pietro exclaimed as soon as I returned the clippers to the display. He reached around his sister immaturely and bagged the last doughnut.

Wanda rolled her eyes. "You know I can ask for more, right?"

Pietro grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Go on then."

The two were twins, but they couldn't have been more different. I simply revelled in their interaction, finding it adorable.

Wanda did as she said, asking the dinner lady if there were any more doughnuts in the back. Unfortunately for her, those were the last for the day, making Pietro laugh as Wanda pouted.

"Sucks to be you," he teased her, as I paid for mine and Y/BF/N's doughnuts.

"I hate you," she mumbled playfully, but I saw the disappointment in her eyes as he lovingly but annoyingly waved his bag before her eyes.

Without even thinking much of it, I held out one of the bags in my hand. "Here. You can have mine."

Wanda looked to me with surprise. "Are you sure? I can live without a doughnut, if that's what you're thinking."

I chuckled, grabbing her hand and making her take it. "It's okay. I wasn't in the mood anyway."

Plus, you look better when you're smiling and not pouting, I added in my head.

She accepted the bag reluctantly. "I– thanks. At least let me pay for it–"

"It's just a doughnut, Wanda," I teased, before nodding her way. "See you later."

Leaving her and Pietro to it, I headed back to the table Y/BF/N was sat at and took a seat opposite him before giving him his doughnut.

"Sweet," he said, quickly opening the bag before realising I didn't have one. "Where's yours?"

Over his shoulder, I saw Wanda and Pietro taking a seat at their lunch table, doughnuts in hand and a heartwarming smile on Wanda's lips.

"They ran out," I answered Y/BF/N. "Wasn't in the mood anyway. Enjoy."

He shrugged before digging in. I'd like to say I didn't spare glances in Wanda's direction every now and then for the rest of the lunch hour, but I'd be lying if I did.

—

I'm in the art department. You okay to bring it here?

I read over the text Wanda sent me before shooting her an 'okay' and heading to the Art department. I'd grabbed her notebook in class earlier on, only realising as I was studying with Y/BF/N in the library and pulled out an extra one, so I was going to give it her back.

I guess, when you realise you like someone, it comes randomly, suddenly, without warning. Liking someone isn't instant, it's constant and gradual and subconscious. I guess I'd been falling for Wanda for a while, without even realising, but today was the day I acknowledged that fact.

The Art department wasn't somewhere I frequented regularly – give me a paint and brushes and I'd probably present you with a finger painting – but it was definitely worth the visit. Art pieces from current and past students were hung on the walls, a mural of the school was spray painted on another, and sculptures stood around. The whole department brought a smile to anyone's face with its bright colours and open space – I could see why Art students always hung out here, Wanda included.

Speaking of Wanda, I found her in one of the classrooms sat at a stool in front of a series of canvasses. The room had a few other Art students littered around, working on their own pieces during their lunch period, otherwise it was empty.

"Hey," I called, getting her attention as I approached her.

She followed my voice and straightened up with a cheery smile. "Y/N, hey. Thanks for coming. I'm working on my Art project, so I couldn't pull myself away."

I waved my hand dismissively, joining her side. "It's all good, don't worry." My eyes wandered to the series of canvases on easels she was working on and widened. "Holy shit, these are so good."

Three unfinished hyperrealistic portraits of people were before us, one whom I recognised as Pietro. The paintings were so detailed, despite their medium-size, and I couldn't imagine how long they must have taken.

"You think?" she asked, glancing between them. "I think I messed up the nose here." She pointed with the back end of her paintbrush to the nose of Pietro. "It's a bit bent."

I almost laughed as I looked to her with disbelief. "Are you kidding? Wanda, these are amazing. How did you even do this?"

She looked down bashfully, a nervous smile on her lips. "I don't know. It's for a project. I chose to do family portraits." She pointed to each one as she said, "My mum, my dad and my brother."

I was in awe of her talent, jaw dropped with amazement still. I always knew she was an artist, but I'd never actually seen her work. I was starting to wish I'd come here a lot sooner.

"So, you got my notebook?" she asked, pulling me back into reality.

I looked away from the paintings reluctantly before getting her notebook from my bag and holding it out for her. As she accepted it, she must have forgotten she was holding her paintbrush as the tip brushed my wrist, leaving a swipe of red there.

"Oh, my bad," she said with a laugh, before setting her notebook and brush down and grabbing a paper towel from beside her.

Wetting it with water from her bottle, she pressed it to my wrist and swiped the paint away. It was such a mundane action, but the way her fingers gently held my wrist and emanated a warmth only she seemed to carry sent shivers down my spine.

I glanced up at her, letting her do it, and noticed the swipe of paint she had across her cheek, as if she'd touched her face without realising.

Now that I paid attention, I noticed how cute she looked in her Art getup. An old, oversized shirt covered in paint was being worn to cover her clothes, sleeves loosely rolled up to her elbows. Her long hair was tied back into a ponytail, but her baby hairs framed her forehead adorably.

When her hair wasn't in her face, her eyes only seemed more intense, glistening with excitement and happiness. I almost forgot to breathe when they met mine briefly, a hint of embarrassment there from when cleaning me up. She was in her element here and it made sense to me now.

I knew I'd fallen for her.

—

"You don't get it," I was saying to Y/BF/N as we hung about the school gym, waiting for the teacher to start the lesson. "It's bad. I like her. Like, like like her."

Y/BF/N laughed, clapping me on the back with pity. "You're screwed."

I frowned. "I know."

As he stretched for class, he continued, "I mean, I get it, I do. She's super nice. Pretty. And you guys seem to get on."

I chewed on my lower lip worriedly.

He gave me a knowing look. "There's one problem though."

I groaned, running a hand down my face. "I know, I know. She's got that dick of a boyfriend."

He chuckled. "That's one way to put it."

I sighed, crossing my arms with annoyance. Since realising I liked Wanda as a little more than a friend, things weren't going well for me. Whenever we worked together, I'd forget what I was thinking because I was too busy admiring her side profile or getting lost in her eyes. If she spoke about the work, told a joke or was simply speaking her thoughts aloud, I'd focus on every little thing she was saying, knowing I could listen to her speak all day. It was bad, but thankfully I hadn't stumbled over my words or made a total fool of myself in front of her. I was determined to not let it get that far.

My eyes wandered around the gym as Y/BF/N tried to give me advice, but admittedly, his words flew in one ear and out the other when I caught sight of Wanda.

She was standing with her friends, smiling and laughing to whatever they were saying. Like everyone else in here, she was wearing her gym kit – black athletic shorts and a blue and white tee shirt, the colour of our school. It wasn't anything special, yet she made it seem that way, outdoing anyone in here. Her brown hair was tied back, the ponytail falling down her back, showing her stunning profile and making my mouth go dry.

Another clap on the back from Y/BF/N pulled me from my reverie and I looked to see he was laughing at me.

"Majorly screwed," he corrected his previous comment.

He was definitely right.

[marshmallow-phd]

Healing Touch

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Wolf!AU

Pairing: Yixing x Reader

Summary: Medical school abroad was the last line on your to-do list before starting the rest of your life. Everything was going according to plan. Everything, that is, until tragedy strikes your campus. In the wake of a professor’s untimely death, you’re partnered with the cute boy with a breathtaking smile in the newly combined labs. You find yourself unable to resist the dimples and shy glances, but his life is here with no plans of leaving. Will you continue on as planned or will you accept the hand that Fate had dealt you?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I Final

**

You were anxious, but you couldn’t describe exactly why. Was it as narrowed down to Ran and Yixing simply interacting? The two worlds colliding? Or was it as broad as the fact that Yixing was stepping into your apartment?

The place wasn’t dirty. Both you and Ran were diligent on keeping on top of the dishes and dusting. You weren’t necessarily the “make your bed everyday” type, but it wasn’t too much of a jumble of sheets. There were no leftovers out on the counter or crusted plates in the sink. The air smelled of artificial citrus thanks to the plug-in that Ran kept up with on a steady rotation.

Ran ushered everyone in and then closed the door with no concern of a noise level. “Pizza should be here any minute.” The only responses she received were silent nods.

It was awkward as the three of you stood around, no one talking, no one moving towards the available seating in the living room. Ran often brought friends over and they naturally made themselves at home. Whenever Victoria or Amber were in town, you met up with them at coffee shops or restaurants serving brunch. Your apartment was not a typical place to congregate. It was your sanctuary, the place you went to in order to get away. Now the outside world was coming in and you weren’t sure what to do.

“Yixing, you want a drink?” Ran offered.

He nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

Ran shot you a very pointed look before whisking off to the kitchen. Yixing’s eyes roamed over the mostly empty walls. Neither you nor Ran were good with tools so ramming a nail into plaster didn’t seem like a logical way to spend an afternoon. Any decorating done to give the apartment a homey feel was done on the side and coffee tables. Ran’s novels were stacked in with your medical textbooks for easy reaching. Picture frames containing silly faces and fond memories sat on top of the wooden surfaces. Your favorite was the one of you and your aunt mid laugh, soaking wet from the water ride that had splashed from behind. Wherever you went, that picture went too. Yixing found it after a few seconds, walking over to it like in a trance. He picked up the cheap, plastic black frame with a gentle hand. A dimple made an appearance in his right cheek as he studied the photo.

“You look like you had fun.”

A small laugh pushed out as the memories of that trip flashed through your mind like a PowerPoint. Lost chargers, multiple changes of clothes from water rides and dropped ice creams, and dozens of wrong turns to get to the right ride. Neither you nor your aunt were good at working the app made for the amusement park, but that only added to the adventure.

“We did,” you replied. “That was right before my freshman year here. One last hurrah before moving on to adulthood.” That was what your aunt had said, anyway, though both of you knew she meant it sarcastically. She didn’t believe in full adulthood. A little bit of childishness was necessary to live life to the fullest – a concept that you couldn’t quite fully understand in words but could when you were looking at her. Yixing nodded, the smile growing by a few centimeters as he set the frame down again. Ran entered from the kitchen and handed him a steaming mug of fresh tea. You nearly hid your face in your shirt when you noticed which cup Ran had chosen or the gesture of a gracious host.

Little chibi figures depicting characters from your favorite drama danced around the porcelain mug. It was cute in your eyes when you’d ordered it from the online shop. Now, it was mortifying. You just hoped that Yixing assumed that it was Ran’s and that Ran didn’t mention anything to the contrary.

“Thank you.” Yixing blew on the steam that danced from the caramel colored liquid and took a sip small enough for a mouse. Still, no one sat. Ran glanced at you with a curious expression. If she was telling you to do something, you weren’t able to pick up on what that thing might be. Miraculously, you were saved by the door knock.

Ran shuffled over to the door to answer it. Yixing leaned down and placed the mug on the coffee table and that’s when it hit you.

He still wasn’t wearing a shirt.

Grabbing his wrist, you pulled him into your bedroom while Ran was distracted with the delivery guy. You let go of Yixing and started rifling through your closet for a more unisex shirt.

“What’s wrong?” Yixing asked right behind you.

You jumped at his sudden closeness but didn’t look behind you. “You’re still just wearing the jacket. When Ran notices, she’ll start asking questions.” Your fingers landed on an old band t-shirt that you hadn’t worn in a while. The black was a neutral color and most of the wording was faded. You doubt Ran would recognize it. “Here. Put this on.”

Seemingly laughing at you in his head, Yixing smiled and unzipped his jacket.

The first time you’d seen him shirtless, you were too distracted by the hiker to take real notice. Now that he was the only one around and standing in your bedroom… heat exploded all over your body. And the jerk seemed to notice as he took his time to take off the jacket and push his head through the shirt. You scurried around him and poked your head out of your room just in time to see Ran hand over the tip, closing the door with the pizza boxes in hand.

“Smells good,” Yixing commented as he snuck up behind you once again. He really needed to stop doing that.

“And its still warm, too,” Ran cooed, having heard him. She took a long whiff. You couldn’t help but take one, too. Delicious. Your mouth was already swimming when you sat down at the table. You didn’t even remember telling your feet to move. Ran grabbed plates from the cabinet before flipping open the lids, engulfing the apartment with that familiar scent. “Bon appetite!”

“Thank you for dinner,” Yixing said again. He was always so polite. It was endearing. So much so that you had paused midbite and started staring at him with a grin of your own pulling at your lips’ corners.

Ran chewed through a mouthful before answering. “No problem. You just have really good timing.”

A silence that you couldn’t quite call comfortable settled over the meal. You thought over and over of what you could say to continue a conversation, but all options fell flat. The consequence of that? Ran jumping in.

“So, Yixing, how do you know (y/n)?”

“We have class together,” he explained, not bothered at all by the questionnaire he was about to receive. Or he was simply unaware that this might only be the beginning.

“Which one?”

“Human physiology.”

Ran’s eyebrows shot up. “The one that just combined? So, did you have the other professor?”

Yixing nodded solemnly. “I did.” Though there were still several bites left of his current slice, he put it down and folded his fingers with his elbows resting on the table. “She was a good teacher.”

“That’s what I heard a lot,” Ran agreed. “It’s scary what’s going on. You never know who’s going to be next. I heard that there might have been another attack today.”

You looked at Yixing thinking that he would do the same given your shared knowledge that there was indeed another attack, but he didn’t turn his head in the slightest. He kept staring at the table. You knew this was bothering him. It was written in every facet of his posture and face. But Ran didn’t seem to notice.

“I think they should send the rangers out and put down the animal. I mean, I hate to kill anything that is just living its life, but there’s obviously something wrong with it. Like it went mad or something. Putting it out of its misery might be—”

“Ran, do you have plans tonight?” you jumped in.

Ran blinked as her mind quickly changed gears. “Yeah. Hae In is picking me up in a few minutes and we’re going to go out. You two are welcome to join us.”

“That’s okay,” you answered for both of you. “Thanks, though.”

Ran grinned cheekily. “I kind of figured.”

A quick succession of knocks rattled from the front door. Ran leapt up and ushered her friend inside.

Hae In, a girl whose personality was as bright as her blonde hair, waved excitedly at you and Yixing. “Hey! Ooo, that looks good!” She was quickly distracted by the pizza, grabbing a slice as soon as Ran gave her the okay. She swallowed down a few bites. “I’m Hae In, by the way,” she said to Yixing. “Are you (y/n)’s friend?”

“Yes, I am,” he said, a bit his previous light coming back. “I’m Yixing.” Standing up, he held out his hand for her to take.

“Nice to meet you,” Hae In shook his hand after wiping the grease off on an unused napkin.

“We should probably get going,” Ran suggested. “You know Marnie will take forever and we want to get there before they start charging covers.”

“No kidding,” Hae In giggled. She waved goodbye and followed Ran out the door.

Yixing turned to you. “They seemed nice.”

“They are,” you nodded as you stood to your feet and started clearing the table of the dirty dishes. Yixing was soon on his own feet, helping by moving all the leftover pizza into one box and then closing the lid so it could fit in the fridge. You rinsed off the plates, the water plashing all over the counter. After a quick clean up, you put the plates in the dishwasher. Yixing had moved on to the living room. He was seated on the couch, leaning forward with his forearms resting on his thighs and looking deep in thought. You sat down beside him. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” he said none-too-convincingly. He sat up so he was now sitting back into the couch. “I’m okay. It’s just been… a day.”

You snorted. “Yeah, you can say that again.”

He didn’t respond to what you had said. He changed the subject in a sharp turn. “This shirt’s comfortable.”

You frowned, confused. “Yeah, its old so its been washed a few times. But it was soft like that when I bought it.” What were you even saying? Why were the two of you talking about your shirt? Honestly, you wanted to forget for a second that he was wearing your clothes at all. Because then you mind drifted to what was underneath the cloth.

“I think I’ve heard of this band,” Yixing said as he tugged on the front where the members were proudly displayed in a tough-guy fashion. There were a few breaks in the plastic-y photo that split some of the faces at odd angles. “They’re a pop group, right?”

You cleared your throat as you shifted in your seat. “Yeah. I guess you could call them that.” Why were you suddenly dying of humiliation? Why should you have any anxiety over what music you liked? One fear might have been that he was one of those people who looked down on others for liking such “shallow music.” You never thought the group in that way. If the vocals were good, who cared if the songs were mostly about love? “I like them anyway.”

To your surprise, Yixing was smiling. “I like them, too.”

In your heart, you were sure he was saying something else. Implying someone else that he really liked.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Because… well, you were realizing that you liked him. Very much. More than a friend. You liked Yixing. And you wanted him to like you, too. While you weren’t a mind reader, you thought that maybe there was a chance that he already did.

Going with the second thought that popped into your head, you looked at him shyly. “Thanks for coming along when you did, by the way. I don’t think I would have been to get him help in time if you hadn’t.”

Instead of returning your soft expression, Yixing remained stoic. He reached out and touched your cheek with the tips of his fingers. They were warm against your skin – No, not warm. Even with the minimal contact, you could feel the fire. It felt like a constant wave of sunshine pulsing into your skin. By sheer instinct, you leaned in deeper to his touch. That was encouragement enough for him to shift so now his palm was against your cheek. The reaction to pull away coursed in your mind, but you couldn’t bring it to fruition. If it had been anyone else, you would have been up and off that couch, putting plenty of room between you and them. But with Yixing… you simply wanted to move closer.

And someone did.

You weren’t sure if it was you or him – your money would have been on a mutual understanding, an equal pull that shifted both of you like magnets. But there was no gnashing of teeth or crumpling of shirts. It was a softer collision. A hesitant one. Your hands dug into the cushion to force you not to move as his lips brushed against yours. When he pressed more, his other hand came up and pulled you in closer by your hip. You didn’t resist, encompassing the space that was his lap.

That fire – that heat and warmth like a log alite on a winter’s day – was everywhere now. But just as it was growing, it was also drifting farther back in your mind. Yixing’s presence, his touch, was consuming your thoughts. You were not the kind of person who did this. You shied away from intimate moments like this. The weeks you had known Yixing were short, but that felt like a detail of little consequence. You believed yourself safe in his embrace.

The kiss ended abruptly. With hands that were simultaneously harsh and gentle, Yixing removed you from his lap, placing you on the cushion beside him. He gave no explanation for his sudden switch in direction. You weren’t sure what for, but the urge to apologize was swelling up, like you were the only one who had crossed a line.

“I’m… sorry.”

Yixing rubbed his eyes, releasing a sigh. “No. Don’t be. I just… I need to figure some things out first.”

“Some… things?” Was he… already seeing someone else? That’s what that usually meant, right? In all this time, he had never mentioned having a girlfriend. He wouldn’t have let you borrow his jacket if there was a chance that another girl might see it. Unless— unless she didn’t go to the university in town and they were in a long-distance relationship? The more you thought about it, the more your stomach was beginning to churn.

“I know that’s— What I mean is—” With another heavy sigh and a shake of his head, he stood to his feet. Not looking at you, he concluded, “I should… probably go.”

You were in state of confusion and sadness as he hurried out the door. Your eyes stayed trained on the last space that he had occupied. This was exactly why you didn’t do things like this. No moment of bliss was worth the terrible heartache that was always doomed to follow. Bringing your feet up on the couch, you made yourself as small as possible. Minutes went by. You weren’t sure why you didn’t move. Was there some stupid part of you that was waiting for him to come back through the door? Things like that only happened in the movies or a teen novel. As if to prove yourself wrong for why you were still in that spot, you peeled yourself up and walked into your room.

Laying there on your bed, folded like a store window display, was the jacket. Divided more than ever, you continued to stand in your doorway and stare at the last remaining evidence of Yixing’s presence.

**

As soon as he was outside, Yixing whirled and threw his fist into the grimy brick. Shaking out the pain, he cursed at himself under his breath. Stupid. He didn’t lash out like this. It wasn’t the right way to work out his anger. Even if it was towards himself.

The wolf both cheered at the line he’d crossed and whined at the sudden retreat. Part of him knew what the outcome would be once Ran left the apartment. The right thing to do would have been to say goodbye immediately and leave. But he had you to himself and to a wolf with his mate, that was a drug that couldn’t be discarded. So, he sat down on that couch, waiting for you to join. Sitting so close, Yixing’s muscles had tightened from the restraint. And then he snapped.

The scent rolling from you was too great to resist. Besides, you were leaning in, too. You were wanting it, too. Lips so soft as they kissed him back. Minseok had been right; it was like heaven on earth.

Then his mind pulled him back to hell.

A hiker had been attacked right around the time that he had blacked out. Again. And this time, they’d lived to describe the animal that had charged on him. A gray wolf. The same color as his own fur.

He fought against the thought that it might have been him. He held on tight to the chance that it was coincidence. But if it wasn’t… he couldn’t risk you getting hurt. If he did something to cause you harm… he’d never be able to forgive himself. He needed to get a handle on this, and fast. He just hoped that you didn’t hate him for the stunt he pulled back there.

In his pocket, his phone rang. Thankful for the distraction, he pulled it out and then the gratitude scrambled away.

It was Junmyeon.

Already knowing what this call would be about, he answered it. “Hello?”

“Yixing? Where are you? I need to come back to the house for a family meeting.”

He didn’t even bother to pretend to not understand. He didn’t ask for the reason to cover his current state of mind. “Okay. I’m in town, so it’ll take me about an hour to get home.”

“We’ll wait for you.”

Exhaling as his thumb hit the red button on his phone, Yixing pushed off the wall of the building and hopped into his car. A back and forth debate carried on as he drove down the backroad. Would he tell his pack what was going on and risk being ostracized? Or did he try to do this on his own and risk everything?

[krreader]

TXT reacting to their girlfriend finally debuting.

pairing: txt x idol!reader fandom: txt ; bts warnings: / genre: fluff ; hints of angst word count: 1.3k+

a/n: heeey beautiful, thanks for the request and I hope you like it ♥

choi yeonjun

Yeonjun knew how big of a deal this would be, having you debut in a KPOP group with your background. And well, BigHit thought so too.

You were the secret card they wanted to use to draw everyone in and because it was BigHit we are talking about, they got a thirty seconds teaser for their new girl group at an award show and while the first 25 seconds were showing your other members and reeling in cheer after cheer, the last five minutes were dedicated to you.

And the moment you turned around and smirked into the camera, the audience lost their shit.

BTS was thankfully cheering their ass off, so Yeonjun could do so too without it looking suspicious.

Of course, BTS were simply cheering for their new colleagues, whereas Yeonjun was cheering for his girlfriend of two years, ever since you joined the company.

choi soobin

Soobin's eyes scanned the room as he was about to sit down, smiling at you when he finally spotted you sitting somewhere in the back with your two trainee colleagues.

You and him have been dating for almost half a year now, but not even the company knew. They probably wouldn't contest to it, since you were keeping it under wraps well and were under the same company, after all, but you wanted to keep it a secret as long as you possibly could.

“Sit down, they'll suspect something,” Taehyun pulled him down by his sleeve, “Besides, it's starting.”

This was BigHit's annual conference in regards to plans for the next year. That included already existing groups, such as TXT and then again, groups that would be formed.

“Now, let's get to the part that a lot of you have been waiting for,” Bang PD looked up into the crowd of trainee's, idols and staff members, “The new groups debuting next year.”

Soobin instantly crossed his fingers and made the other members do it too.

You had worked so hard the last year, you deserved to be on that list.

And.. well..

“We thought a lot about what we want to do. Debuting multiple girl groups this year isn't a good idea, we need to take it one step at a time. So for now, we'll focus on only one group,” Bang PD pressed a button for the next slide of his powerpoint. On that slide, there were six pictures.

And your face was on one.

Everyone cheered and Soobin was one of the first to get up and clap proudly, wishing he could go over to you and hug you so tightly, but he'd do that later tonight. For now, he was content just watching you hug your best friends with tears running down your cheeks.

He was so proud.

choi beomgyu

You were so nervous, after all, this was your first performance after you made your debut two days ago.

But as if the producers of this show had known, the MC for this broadcast was none other than your boyfriend.

Choi Beomgyu from TXT.

He obviously had to be professional when the camera was rolling, but his presence in the room alone was enough for you to feel more at ease.

And as soon as the cameras were off, he pulled you behind his and your members to get a bit of privacy and kissed your cheek, “You'll do great, okay?”

"Are you sure?” you shifted from one foot to the other, “Everyone’s counting on me.”

“Listen to me,” he cupped your face, “You worked your butt off for this. You’ll do great, you just have to believe in yourself like I believe in you.”

The longer you looked into his determined eyes, the more you started to believe him until you finally began to smile.

“Okay...”

kang taehyun

Your company knew what the audience liked to see when it came down to a new girl group. They needed the fans – which would mostly be men – to be interested in you. You could go at this two ways, the cutesy way or the sexy way. But your company was like, why choose one when you could have both?

And so your debut song was one that YouTube nowadays liked to call “Plot Twist Songs”, with your group showing a sexy and cute side in one video. And as Taehyun was watching the video for the first time, he knew that this would do incredibly well with his gender.

“So? What do you think?” you asked with an excited grin, taking your phone out of his hand, “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah.. you're going to have so many fans by tomorrow,” but then why did that sound.. upset? Isn’t that something to be excited about?

Your smile slowly faltered, then your shoulders dropped, “You disapprove.”

“No, I don't, it's just,” he raised his eyebrows as he tried to defend himself, but the moment he looked into your eyes, he let out a sigh, “I'm just worried, (Y/N). Our fans aren't like that, because we focus on our soft side. But with those outfits and lines..-”

“You think your fans don't thirst over you just because you release songs that are on the softer side?” you let out a snort and got up, “Forget it.”

“No, wait!” your boyfriend ran after you when you wanted to leave his bedroom.

It's not that he didn't like it, of course he did, you were in that video, that alone made him love it! He just had to come to terms that by this time tomorrow, he'd have to share you with millions.

Of course, he forgot that you had been doing that for a year now already.

kai huening

You had been a trainee as long as Kai had. He had made his debut at this point, but you were still just a trainee.

He tried to give you hope that it would happen soon, but by now, you were starting to believe that you'd never make your debut. That BigHit was simply keeping you around because they were trying to find the right time to let you go.

Kai was currently going upstairs because he needed to talk to his manager and passed by Bang PD's office on his way there. The door was slightly ajar, not enough for him to see who he was talking to, but enough to hear what they were talking about.

“I thought about this for a long time. (Y/N) isn't good for a group.”

Kai froze at that, a rush of nausea hitting him.

“I understand, sir. It's just.. she'll be surprised to hear about this now after she trained for this for so long.”

“Yes, I know. Prepare her well for it.”

Your boyfriend managed to run away before he'd be spotted eavesdropping.

How could they do this to you? How dare they? After all you had sacrificed for this company, they’d just throw you away without even giving you a chance?

And what was he supposed to do? Tell you in advance so you wouldn't be too surprised or heartbroken? As his boyfriend, that seemed to be his duty.

And so he texted you and found out that you were actually still in the building. He found you scribbling something down on your iPad, smiling at him when he came into view.

But Kai wasn't smiling.

“What's wrong?” you furrowed your eyebrows in worry.

And just as he was about to say it, someone approached the two of you and the moment he spoke, Kai realized what was about to happen, because he recognized the voice. He sat down next to you and put his hand on your back, beginning to gently brush it up and down to let you know he was here.

“Can we talk, (Y/N)? Alone?”

“Ah, it's okay,” you smiled and pointed at the seat in front of you. The manager knew that you two were dating, so he allowed it.

“I just talked to the CEO. He revealed his plans for you to me and..-” the moment of silence was enough for your heart to skip multiple beats, “..- he decided that you don't fit into a girl group.”

It was almost like Kai could feel your heart break right there and then.

And when you spoke, he could tell that you were trying to hold back tears, but still be strong, “I see..”

“He wants you to debut solo.”

The manager should have recorded your faces when you both looked back at him with eyes so wide, that it looked like they were about to pop out.

“Congratulations,” he grinned happily.

[nameless-shrimp]

COLLEGE AU! || YUJI ITADORI + MEGUMI FUSHIGURO + NOBARA KUGISAKI + SATORU GOJO

Pairing: Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, and Satoru Gojo | GN!Reader

Type: Headcanons

Warnings: None

Note: I needed to write this. I had to. I couldn't stop thinking about this during dinner ʕ – ᴥ – ʔ also, lowkey, kinda wanna write a short fic about a college!au Satoru... because it's Satoru Gojo, hehehe. I hope you enjoy this!

Yuji Itadori is that one student who misses his lectures because he would sleep in or he would be trying to figure out a decent outfit to wear. Most of his assignments are late but he’d practically beg the professor of the class to give him a second chance in turning them in. He’ll attempt to study, but give him an hour, and he’ll be either asleep or playing video games to pass the time. Yuji makes a lot of friends, though, and he gets along with everyone in his small classes and makes a group of friends in larger ones. All in all, Yuji was not the best student, but he was willing to help out in any way if it was necessary, especially if it meant group projects. Sometimes, he’d encourage a study gathering and as the reward of a hard day’s work, it would be time to go out for dinner!

When Yuji found out you were in his class, he didn’t mind it, but both of you had to give a speech together about some mythology story in humanities class, and he was dreading it. However, you were a great and patient partner with him. Both of you rehearsed the PowerPoint lines very well, and after achieving a good grade, he offers to take you out on a date to celebrate. It did not take long for Yuji to grow feelings for you, and this led to him sitting next to you in lectures a lot, plus it also took him a lot of guts to ask you to study with him and help him prepare for the next exam. Eventually, he knows that he has to open up to you about how he feels, but he’ll just play around with the idea of these study dates just a bit longer.

— ♡ —

Megumi Fushiguro is the kind of college student that would make sure that he finishes all of his homework in time and does those usual all-nighters, but he doesn’t really talk to anyone and prefers to be alone most of the time. He is not the type to work in groups, only when the professor is assigning group projects. He studies alone with headphones on, but there would be times where he’ll procrastinate and whenever he does, he’ll get stressed out over the outcome of that. Overall, Megumi had a few friends, and he likes to be on his own, on his phone or tablet in-between breaks of classes, and he basically just dreads for the semester to be done and over with.

He is not a fan of working with lab partners, but out of all people, he was chosen to work with you by his professor. However, you were very open to working with him and offering to clean the majority of the glassware once the labs were completed. The reports weren’t fun, but you continue to communicate with him very well on the chemistry problems and the solutions both of you came up with. Megumi began to like you a lot, and every time you sat next to him in class, he would try to cover his face with the textbook or purposefully avoid eye contact with you. After the numerous study dates you had with him, Megumi knew deep down that he had to bring up how he felt about you, but these study dates were becoming enjoyable for him. Maybe the confession could wait a little while longer.

— ♡ —

Nobara Kugisaki will do most of her homework on time and she’ll participate in a lot of group projects, but she’ll always think about doing them on her own. She has a large pen collection and she tries to keep her notes somewhat decent, but she ends up spending too much of her money on pretty stationery and cute accessories for her backpack. She’ll listen to the professors if they’re really good-looking, otherwise, the boring and unattractive ones are going to leave her on her phone throughout the whole lectures. She has a pretty big friend group, but most of the time, she likes to spend her time buying new things instead of doing the assignments.

She didn’t expect to make new friends in psychology, since the class was so small, but you were the one that introduced yourself and the compliment that was sent her way on how you really liked the stickers on her notebook made her eyes lit up. Nobara asks you to study with her a lot since she has difficulty grasping the vocabulary well and you offer to help her every single time. Though, most of the time, it was an excuse to get closer to you. Her heart quickens its beat every time your fingers brush against hers on accident, and the gentle smile you send whenever you tell her that you love the new pens she got, she can only feel herself falling deeper.

— ♡ —

Satoru Gojo will definitely charm his way with a lot of the females in the classes. Surprisingly enough, he was one of the smarter students even though he never chooses to do the homework and either never do it or turns it in late. He’ll make a lot of people jealous since he won’t show up most of the time and yet he still manages to pass the class. He’ll participate in lectures, work hard in group projects, and give amazing and confident presentations, but he will use a lot of his free time to hang out with his friends on campus or chat up with some girls that he finds attraction to. He wasn’t the best student, and he’ll do the work if he absolutely had to (such as being in a group project), but he’ll still manage to pass the class somehow.

When you were stuck on your calculus problems, your professor asked Satoru to help you in getting a better grade in the class. At first, it struck you cold; there was no way that Satoru was actually good in the class, but it turns out that he really was the best out of everyone there. Oddly enough, Satoru was a great teacher, and he was attractive nonetheless. But with every cheer and giddy grin you’d get after getting a hard problem right made his heart flutter. These tutoring sessions were something he could get used to this. All because the sight of your lit-up eyes from you memorizing formulas just left him in awe. It didn’t take him long to have feelings for you, and all the girls he had charmed his way to had been blocked and out of his reach, and all that mattered to him was your smile every day.

[haravath0t]

A Christmas Heist  Pt. I - The Briefing

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warnings: None, just fluff in the end! (I am truly a sucker for fluff)

A request made by @hailhydra920 !! Thank you so so much!

A/N: Hello, lovelies! Wow, a day early! Welcome to Part 1 of the Christmas Heist! I truly truly hope that you guys enjoy this as much as I did writing it! Much much hard work was needed, so feedback and commentary is very much appreciated! Happy reading, lovelies! :)

Request: “Bucky X reader where a Hydra agent dressed up as Santa and Bucky has to fight him, but the only way he can get close enough to “Santa” is dressing up as an elf. Thanks!”

*Introduction to this multi-part request can be found here!

“With all due respect Fury, we’re going to put the public at risk just by stepping into that mall.” Bucky chimes in, analyzing the map of the mall, the responses making Fury smirk and scoff. 

“You wouldn’t be putting the public at risk if you are part of the public, now would you?”

This made all of you now confused. “What are you trying to get at, Fury?” Steve questions, leaning over now onto the table. “What I’m saying is that you all will be working in this mall. Rogers, you’re going to be their new employee-” You stop Fury’s explanation right on with your snicker and a shake of your head. “But Steve knows nothing about technology-” “Which is why he’s the one going in that store,” Fury cuts you off this time, his eyes widening as he replies with a “duh” attitude. You hated to admit it, but he had a point. 

“Cap will be disguised as an employee. Cap will only be making sure that the customers are welcomed and should they need any help, you refer them to another skilled employee, as the agents who have put this together have said. In the meantime, you can blend and wander around the store in order to find the hard drive” Steve nods, pursing his lips as he processes his role. “Alright, but what would be the use of the other two?” 

“That’s where the other building across it comes in,” Fury replies, circling it with his pointer. “Now, this is the toy store across the apple store, which is highly popular now as it transformed to a Christmas toy store. From what our agents have observed, Hydra agents are disguised in this as well. The main concern applies to the one disguised as the Santa Claus that lets kids sit on his lap. Ho, ho, ho.” You couldn’t help but snicker. “Seriously? Santa Claus? You gotta be joking, Fury.” Fury shrugs. 

“Laugh all you want, agent. It is in truth quite an interesting tactic because,” Fury raises his hands as he lets the diagram of the floor be shown through a different angle, enabling you three to see the mall as if you were walking in it, only to see the apple store across from where the powerpoint stops at. “You are looking at the apple store right from Santa’s chair. The hydra agent can look over the store and see if there are any forms of suspicious activity. You got to hand this one to them, although we are not in an easy position, obtaining the hard drive is still possible.” “So where do we come in on this Christmas toy store business then,” Bucky then questions for you two, watching Fury carefully. Your guess was probably a regular employee at the cash register. Maybe a manager? Security guard? 

“Well let’s just say that the store had open positions for Mrs. Claus and an elf.” Is the reply that comes out of Fury’s mouth. 

Now that was definitely not what you were expecting.

Your eyes went big alongside Bucky’s, the two of you looking at each other in disbelief. “Fury, I know we’ve known each other for a while and I know your humor, but this has gone too far for a joke-”“Oh this is no joke, L/N. You and Barnes need to stay close to this “Santa” of ours just in case there is any communication going on behind the scenes.” Fury says, a hint of a smile being visible as he tries his best not to snicker. Steve did not help the situation, as he quietly chuckled and looked down and covered his mouth, clearing his throat to hide the laughter. Bucky was not pleased at all, glaring at both Fury and Steve. “You really call this a dire mission when you’re playing dress up with me and Y/N?! Are you kidding?” Bucky questions, eyes fixed on Fury and clearly showing his disappointment. 

“I did say we have to hide you three from hydra’s and the public’s eye right?! Or do you immediately want to be spotted and targeted by these agents, Agent Barnes?!” Fury says strictly, the hint of laughter and smiles now gone and replaced by a pointed look, one that most would be intimidated by. 

Although you hated what was being asked of you, you saw why it needed to be done. You placed your hand on top of Bucky’s arm, giving him a knowing look, causing Bucky to pause and ground himself. This would be better explained later. Fury huffed before handing each of you three manilla envelopes. 

“Look over these. They have your fake IDs, information about you that the staff knows about, as well as the files we have found on the hydra agents actively participating. We are putting you in the job early on to avoid suspicion. Two apartments will be available to you three in the meantime so that they can’t track you back here. The hard drive, according to a call we have intercepted, will be picked up in less than two weeks to be taken to their base, so that the specialists can handle the rest and be up to date. One suspicious slip up, and we’re done for. Are we clear?”

The three of you nodded, allowing Fury to adjourn the meeting and leave the room with the already waiting Agent Hill, leaving the three of you watching each other. “I guess we’ll pack up, and meet at my office, and we’ll decide what to do from there. Meet me in 45 minutes.” Is what Steve says, before exiting out, leaving just you and Bucky to yourselves. You sighed and held his hand as you two walked out. “Gee, you would think we would catch a break during the holidays,” You say first letting yourself be guided by Bucky into the elevator, pressing the button to your floor. Bucky kissed your knuckles and offered you a little smile. “I know, sweetheart. But we make a good team, you, me, and Steve. That’s why we got called in. So that we can come back home sooner since we’re going to do the job much quicker.” You leaned your head against his arm and chuckled a bit. 

“So an elf and Mrs. Claus… how great… it’s just reminding me of that movie elf.”

This made Bucky smile. He was always amazed by your optimism.

“That movie we saw the other day, right?” He questions as the two of you made your way to your shared room, already grabbing your duffle bag and suitcase to pack weapons and clothes. “Yeah, that one!” You say, a small giggle leaving your lips and shaking your head. “Goodness, if the costume you wear for the mall is something similar to that I am only going to hope that I can keep myself together.” This made Bucky’s cheeks slowly turn red in embarrassment, thinking about Buddy’s tight yellow tights and green wardrobe. “Gosh, sweetheart, I really don’t think it’s great to think about right n-”

“Oh my gosh, what if you have to be eating spaghetti covered with maple syrup and marshmallows, and then even more candy and-”

“Really, doll? Ya gotta include embarrassing me in this last minute mission of ours?” He questions, face now red from hearing your laugh as he packs his essentials. “Whatever, we have a mission to do, so I know you wouldn’t be able to look at my elf costume so much.” You giggle and smile at him, zipping up your duffle and getting your suitcase ready. 

“I think I can get a peek or two. Besides, what about this is new? I personally think this should be a piece of cake compared to raiding hydra bases,” You say reassuringly, kissing his cheek as you pass by him to get some clothes. Bucky couldn’t help but give you a small smile, watching you as you get ready. 

He hated to admit it, but the guy could not help but worry for his girl no matter how many times you two have partnered in assignments. Sure, you might have found this funny and easy, but the concern of you possibly getting hurt was always in the back of his mind even when you went over to where you three would be staying for the meantime. He was now watching over your sleeping figure, tracing your side delicately with his vibranium digits, sighing upon the realization that he is yet again sleepless, worrying about you. 

“Mmmm Buck, stop worrying about me and go to sleep,” you mutter sleepily, halting all of his concerns. You always knew what he was thinking. His blue eyes met your sleepy ones, but he couldn’t help but smile at the state you were in. “Come back to me, Buck. You’re like a million miles away up in that head of yours,” you tease with a cute sleepy smile that he could not resist to admire. He let out a sigh and shook his head and shrugged, bringing you closer to him. 

“You know… should anything happen to you, it’s my fault. Anything that-”

“Stop that talk, James. You know that that isn’t true. You and I are professionals at this, and we are going to make sure that nothing wrong happens. Okay? Trust me, trust us. You, me, and Steve are going to do just fine. It is not our first rodeo, okay?” You whisper reassuringly, delicate fingers lightly caressing his cheek. A soft smile kisses the man’s lips, watching you in awe. You did always know what to say, hitting his concerns one at a time effortlessly. “You’re right, sweetheart, you’re right.” You smiled before you leaned forward, pressing your lips gently into his in a soft and comforting kiss, pulling away to nuzzle your nose against his. 

“I always am. Now why don’t we sleep? You and I have a mission to do and you know how much Steve hates us lollygagging. Or must I read you a bedtime story?” You tease, eyebrows wiggling, causing you both to giggle and ultimately relax. “You’d love to do just that, wouldn’t you, doll?” You smiled once again, giving your lover one more small peck before you nuzzle into his neck, allowing the scent of his cologne to surround your senses. “You and I know how I’d answer that,” you manage to mutter, before quickly returning to your wanted slumber. Bucky couldn’t help but chuckle, combing your hair ever so gently as sleep slowly starts to take over. “Mmm… you know me too well. Goodnight, Y/N,” he whispers into your head, holding you close before he also falls into his sleep. 

Boy, were you three in for a treat.

Tags: @whew-oh-em-gee​ @world-of-aus​ @world-of-aus-reads​ @tomholland-96​ @lordyitsjordy​ @letstalkaboutsebbaby​ @thee-soom-soom​ @lookiamtrying​ 

*if you would like to be a part of my tag list, please let me know! ☺️

Part 2: Going Undercover

[cross-d-a]

if you're doing those characters then please give me more amazing takes on princess mute 🥺💕

OMG IM SO LATE ANSWERING THIS BUT HERE I FINALLY AM

Also omgg thank you SOSOSO much for asking me about Princess Mute?? THE LOVE OF MY LIFE??? You know me so well, vish!! I love and adore you so much!! Thank you for giving me the chance to blabber on about the woman I love!! ⁽⁽٩(๑˃̶͈̀ ᗨ ˂̶͈́)۶⁾⁾

ALSO! I’m gonna do my best to like- not spoil all my plans for whispers, haha

The rest is under the cut bc I just have a lot of FEELINGS~ about our resident zombie girl 

❤⃛ヾ(๑❛ ▿ ◠๑ )

How I feel about this character

OH BOY OK I JUST??? LOVE HER??? A LOT???? I wasn’t expecting to get quite so immediately and intensely attached to her?? But from the second I heard about her in the legend I was just gone. Completely done for. I’m generally a sucker for mythology, and there’s just SO MUCH that’s fascinating about the tale behind the Princess Mute and the South Sea King? 

Even though Princess Mute is so central to the myth, the South Sea King is deemed as the most important? I mean- duh it is his tomb, but Princess Mute is the catalyst? None of this would have happened without her? She’s main character material and yet she isn’t the main character of her own story?? She has practically no agency? It’s so? Fucking? Fascinating?? And there is so fucking much left unanswered? The myth says she turns into a goddamn monster?? Is this- figuratively? Or literally? Is she a monster for breaking gender norms and committing the ultimate taboo by killing the Emperor??? Like- holy FUCK? Like- LOOK at this pic from Ershu’s Expensive Powerpoint:

and a close-up for good measure:

(note the HORNS/HELMET?? the LIGHTNING STRIKE!!! 👀👀👀 how she’s dressed as a SOLDIER?? that SPEAR??? also she’s depicted as much bigger than the emperor!! which, of course, means she’s more important!!!!)

and, HELLO!! She’s called the PRINCESS MUTE. She is only known/named in association to someone else. Her name has been erased from history. It isn’t important to anyone. Which is so fucking ironic. She’s Princess Mute. Her voice has been stripped from her, just like her agency. This tale is the Mute Emperor’s and not her own. Her suffering means nothing to anyone. Her life means nothing other than for the Emperor to desire and the South Sea King to mourn over (and WOW!! ISN’T THIS JUST!! SO perfectly encapsulating Nanpai Sanshu’s female characters and their relevance to the story/male characters)

(so what is her goddamn name???? I mean, I know what I’ve named her, but sorry dudes. Again. I don’t wanna spoil too much :) )

also, WHY is the South Sea King covering her eyes when she’s sent off to sea in the origami boat?

What actually happens to her after this? The body we see of the South Sea King has long white hair so I assume he died pretty old? So why does she look so goddamn young? 

And- the million dollar question here (WHICH I HAVE A LOT OF HEADCANONS FOR BUT I DON’T WANNA SPOIL WHISPERS): What happened to her after she killed the Emperor????

ALSO!! WHY IS SHE HOLDING A DINGLAN RULER WHEN SANSHU FINDS HER IN THAT FIRST EXPEDITION?? (internet says it’s a “special ruler used for making shrines, carving wood statues and making tablets of gods. Later used in measurement of architectural scale; measuring instrument for the netherworld, wishes best for tomb owner) did she design her own father’s tomb?? is there more to her becoming a leather figurine than filial loyalty/sacrifice?? 

Why does she have a tattoo?? I go a bit into this in my fic, but from my understanding it was unusual for people (women especially!) to have tattoos during this time! (this is just from my research! if I am wrong please correct me!) 

For anyone who hasn’t read whispers, there were a a few tribes (minorities!) during this time who tattooed themselves (and to this day, they continue this tradition :) ). The Li were often attacked by invaders who assaulted the women and sold them as slaves. The women ended up tattooing their faces and bodies to make them less appealing, and it ended up becoming a tradition. When a girl came of age she’d get tattooed. Then we’ve got the Dai, who (from what I understand!) got tattoos of animals with characteristics they wished to embody, such as to show their virility and strength! So they’d tattoo tigers and dragons, etc.

So why does Princess Mute have one? Who gave it to her? WHAT ACTUALLY IS IT!!!!!! (eternal frustration that we never see a clear shot of the whole thing!!) It kinda looks like a heavily stylized fish? With some waves. But I am unsure! But it would make sense, considering the ongoing theme of snakes and fish throughout dmbj.

Also, her scars seem very strange. Like- if someone skinned her (YIKES!) then- her scars don’t really seem like they’re a result of skinning (double yikes!!). You’d think that for a woman who was the daughter of the King, they’d take more care to preserve her face?? So why does it seem like someone has done their utter best to ruin it? Did the Emperor do it himself? Did her father? Or did someone else do it?? Did she do it herself????

Also, I just wanna cut the bullshit with the creepy hand clam thing. A hand clam isn’t gonna wrap their fingers around Wu Xie’s hand to stop him from blowing himself up. Like. I get that it’s the censorship. I get it. But- you can’t tell me it wasn’t actually the Princess Mute who saved him. I just?? This moment is so powerful? It literally knocked the breath from my chest.

Princess Mute’s story is just so fascinating and tragic and I am just a mess over how she isn’t in control of her own story? She never is. Except for when she kills the Emperor. (AND when she saves Wu Xie) And I think that’s fucking telling. 

Of course, it felt like they had more of a storyline planned for her which never happened, but I’ll get more into that later.

Basically, I just have SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!

It’s like- I dunno. Seeing a gorgeous woman flip an obnoxious man over her shoulder and slam him to the ground without breaking a sweat and watching her walk away with stars in your eyes. You barely know anything about her but you’re already half in love and you just want to know more.

I’m super Gay for her, if you couldn’t already tell.

Honestly, she just perfectly represents all the female characters and their treatment in dmbj with all the extra PIZAZZ of the mysterious supernatural/mythological elements. She just makes me go feral and I adore her with my entire heart.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

NUMBER ONE I SHIP HER WITH MY CUTE AND PERFECT GF XIAO BAI!!!!!!!!

They are my two favourite (okay and my wife Su Nan!) female characters in dmbj. I think their stories parallel each other pretty beautifully? They’re both women in a powerful position, though with limited agency. They both defy gender norms and accomplish things (I’m counting killing the Emperor as Accomplishing Something) in a very male-dominated world. And- okay. I know the Princess Mute is technically dead. But she also?? is someone still doing stuff?? and pushing along the storyline?? as a zombie?? So I’m just gonna say that both of them aren’t truly killed off for the Man Pain like all the other female dmbj characters (except for Xiu Xiu, and I guess Chuchu but ChuChu’s situation is kinda....Iffy. At best.)

Also both of them are linked pretty heavily with Wu Xie? They both have an interesting relationship with him. And Princess Mute leads Wu Xie to Xiao Bai!!!

And okay this is spoiling a bit of whispers, BUT!!! Warehouse 11 was built atop the South Sea King’s temple. Isn’t that fucking important??? I stand by my headcanon that Xiao Bai is a Warehouse kid (descended from the Founders) and so she grew up there. And like- ignoring censorship bc I can AND because Reboot leaves a lot of supernatural stuff up in the air anyway- wouldn’t growing up atop an insanely powerful temple do something to you? Wouldn’t it affect you in some way?? There’s just!!! SO much potential between Princess Mute and Xiao Bai!! Plus!! I think it’d be great for Xiao Bai to form a relationship with another woman. She needs some female solidarity in her life.

And- well. I just ship Princess Mute with all the dmbj women, really. Princess Mute has two hands, why can she use them both?? I’ve got a couple Princess Mute modern au’s going and in one of them she just- sweeps A’Ning and Su Nan off their feet :)

I really can’t ship Princess Mute with any male characters, I think. There’s just- so much underlying trauma surrounding her agency and how she’s been used by the men in her life. Also, I like wlw & mlm solidarity. Let Princess Mute and Wu Xie wallow over their Stupid Crushes. Or Princess Mute & Xiao Ge. I’m not picky.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Purely bc of my own au, I am very much invested in Princess Mute & Li Cu (& spirit snake). As I mentioned before, there’s a running theme of loss of agency in their own lives and suffering the consequences of others’ actions. Plus, there’s a lot of supernatural happenings surrounding the both of them. Why wouldn’t they find a connection?

And, obviously, I adore Princess Mute & Wu Xie. Princess Mute saved Wu Xie and then Wu Xie was promptly obsessed (can’t say I blame him). They had such an interesting relationship in Reboot that was just- so fucking tragically dropped. 

My unpopular opinion about this character

SHE SHOULD BE MORE POPULAR!!!!!!!!!! She is so goddamn fascinating and gorgeous and I just!! Want!! Everyone to adore her as much as I do!!!!!!!! At least I feel a bit accomplished for swinging some readers over to her side in whispers!! That’s something!!! 

I’ve got like- a million au ideas with her. I’m going to be the creator of the content I wish to read!!!!!

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I WISH SHE COULD HAVE GOTTEN A SATISFACTORILY COMPLETED STORYLINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She just gets completely dropped after she leads Wu Xie to Warehouse 11. So once more, she is a plot device and not. And actual. Person. Her importance is tied irrevocably to the male leads. Her agency is not her own. Wu Xie cares so much about her, and okay, he’s trying to figure out a mystery and we all know how he gets when he’s trying to puzzle out a mystery-- but you can’t tell me he just- stops caring after he encounters Warehouse 11??? What happens to her after that?? Does she rot away in a box in Wushanju?? Does Ershu take her back?? I’m just?? WHAT????

I want to know her side of the story and not what everyone else has said. I want her to actually properly communicate with Wu Xie. I want her saving the day again and I want her being fucking badass and I want her and Xiao Ge being soft together and I want her and Xiao Bai to bond fall in love and I want everyone to just- fall in love with her? And care about her? And I want to to find herself caring about these fucking idiots too???? Can you imagine her and Liu Sang bonding over shitty fathers and lack of agency and Trauma?? Can you imagine Princess Mute getting her life back and the freckles returning to her slowly darkening skin and her being silly with Hei-ye bc he keeps shoving increasingly ridiculous sunglasses at her. And can you imagine her trying on jeans for the first time and picking out a cute bomber jacket and shoving a baseball cap on her head and dipping her feet back in the sea and befriending shibie bc she’s just?? that?? cool?? while Iron Triangle is off on the side fretting like she isn’t befriending some very dangerous creatures but it’s okay bc she’s a dangerous creature too and she understands fear and desire and hunger. 

I want her returning to Thunder City. I want her getting closure. I want her story to get closure. Period.

And I know it didn’t happen bc censorship and Nanpai Sanshu and just- a host of Other Things. But I want it, and she deserves it.

--

AAAHH VISH!!!! Thank you so much for letting me yell about Princess Mute!! Sorry I couldn’t go more in depth with headcanons but!! Like I said, I don’t want to completely spoil you for whispers, so I’ll keep those close to my chest for now 

٩(*ゝڡゝ๑)۶♥

[farfromtommy]

a/n: hello im super stressed about school and have an exam coming up that i am not prepared for and the only thing keeping me from flinging myself off of the nearest cliff is thinking abt how chris would be if i was stressed out trying to study and what he would do to help so here u go 

this is super long and just my brain spewing out stuff but its so cute and just what i need so enjoy my therapy session

masterlist 

social media au masterlist 

taglist 

~ ~ ~ 

 he’d be so supportive of you going back to school and wanting to get your degree 

helping you with all the applications and getting through the stress of waiting for decisions to come back

when you got a letter from the university that was on the top of your list he stood right in front of you and watched you intently as you read over the paper

“oh my god. i got in”

he jumps around cheering as you continue to read over the page in disbelief 

“I knew you were going to!! I just knew it.” he would say as he picked you off the ground and twirled you around 

he got so excited when you asked him if he wanted to go to target to get school supplies

“babe, we should get you a desk to put in the office. we can put it in the corner and get one big enough so you have room for your computer and books and stuff.”  

he went a little overboard getting your side of the office ready for you

for sure bought you a new computer monitor and a laptop and everything you needed for a good set up

bought an essential oil diffuser because he knows how much you would enjoy having it running to calm you down

got dodger a new bed and put it right next to your desk so he could be there

“i got you these noise cancelling headphones just in case i’m being too loud or you just need to focus on your work. just in case. they’re in your favorite color, too!”

once classes started you were excited to be taking really interesting classes but scared about having to adjust to being in school again

the first few weeks were somewhat easy and had you thinking it was going to be cake the rest of the semester

things started to pick up and you quickly found yourself drowning in mountains of notes and worksheets 

you were up late one night finishing up a paper when you checked the calendar and saw you had an exam in the morning that you were not prepared for 

chris came into the office while you were frantically reviewing notes and rewatching lecture videos and looking things up

he pulled his chair up next to yours and leaned over to see what you were working on

“is this for bio?” he asked quietly

you nodded and mumbled out that you had an exam in the morning and didn’t study for it and didn’t understand some of the concepts still 

he could see the stress in your eyes and the confusion painted across your face as you reread your notes and clicked through the powerpoint to try and clear it up

“can i help? i was pretty good at bio back in the day. i’m sure i could figure it out. unless you need me to leave.” he asked, picking up your textbook and skimming the page. 

“if you can explain valence electrons to me, I will give you anything you want.” you said handing him your notebook and pointing to what he needed to read

he chuckled a little bit and leaned back in his chair, reading over your notes and the textbook

after a few minutes he leaned forward and flipped to a blank sheet of paper

“okay. every element has an atomic number, right?” he starts off

you stay quiet as he jotting things down on the paper and flipping back to the textbook to make sure he’s on the right track

he stops and asks you questions to make sure you’re not lost 

“yeah, baby, exactly. just like that. i think you were just freaking yourself out. you know this stuff.” he says with a smile when you start understanding the work and talk him through your though process. 

he stays with you for the rest of the time you study, rubbing his hand up and down your back while you work through practice problems

he looks at your paper as you work and will stop you when you stray off and will remind you of details you forgot about when you pause to think and let out a frustrated sigh

you ask him to explain something else to you and he doesn’t remember exactly what it is so he looks up a video to try and understand 

he gets a few minutes into the video before he lets out a “ohhhhhhhh.” when it clicks in his brain

the pencil he held flew across the paper as he jotted down notes 

“yeah, okay. i know how to do this. yeah, you just do this...” 

“you’re so smart, honey.” you say to him and kiss his cheek when he’s able to relearn a difficult concept and explain it to you

you still didn’t r e a l l y understand what he was talking about but he didn’t have to know that

“okay, college girl. it’s time to go to sleep. i’m sure you’ll have time to study a bit in the morning. none of this will do you any good without some good sleep.” 

[very-grownup]

THE YEAR IS 2020 AND I WATCHED NEON GENESIS EVANGELION FOR THE FIRST TIME, PART 11

Episode 23.

Misato is going to be haunted by fuckin' Kaji forever and so am I. Fuckin' Kaji.

This appears to be the episode where I have to assume budget and deadlines were becoming intractable foes for Anno because there doesn't seem to be any easy way to paper over gaps and I spent the entire time feeling faintly like the experience was dissolving.

My grappling for understanding behind the cut.

Here's what I do know: Misato is so absorbed in listening to fuckin' Kaji's message in her office that Shinji and Penpen are left to their own devices, which are just being concerned about Misato.

Ritsuko talks to her grandmother about a dead cat.

Ritsuko's desktop background is an old photo of her, her mother, and Gendo Ikari, where her mother left room for Jesus between her and her daughter instead of her and Gendo (you'd need at least five Jesuses for protection from the hollow-eyed ghoul of insecurity and misery). I hate it.

Overcome with her sense of failure, Asuka's just broken into the class rep's home and has imposed the world's longest and worst sleepover on this poor normie girl. Asuka's just playing videogames, crying, and sleeping which ... yeah, fair. At night Asuka shares a bed with Hikari and curls on her side, far away and miserable, her face hidden, whispering about her failures and her hatred and her hatred of self. Hikari stares at the ceiling and can say nothing of substance because she is also a child.

The Obelisk Committee is back, interrogating Gendo to absolutely no end because you have to ask questions AND get answers to them for an interrogation to work and also when he gets notice that there's an Angel sighted he just nopes right out of there. Your interrogation is not going to be successful if the guy you are trying to pin to the wall can just go 'sorry I have to take this call' and flush the phone down the toilet while you watch.

This week's Angel is a giant hula hoop made out of light and x's which I feel probably puts it right in the middle of the cuteness scale. It's not horrifying to look at but it also doesn't have a cute little face. I miss the ones in the early episodes that had cute little faces.

The obelisks are determined to crush Gendo and suspect he isn't loyal to them which ... again, the obelisks make some good points.

The plan is for Rei to sniper the Angel with Asuka providing backup. Asuka feels terrible, miserable, and pointless about the whole thing because seriously it seems like no one has talked to her since last week when she was psychologically tortured by the Angel? I'm surprised Asuka's even there, in the robot, but I suppose habit is powerful.

Once the EVAs are deployed, the Angel turns into a long sticky laser snake which Rei tries to shoot with her giant robot sniper rifle. This is not effective and the Angel begins to burrow under the EVA's armour to the fleshy bits underneath and shit gets veiny.

In the NERV command centre someone talks about the Angel trying to make first psychological contact and you can't keep saying that, this is the fourth time AT LEAST we've seen an Angel try to do weird brain reading with one of the kids so this is at least fourth contact. We are all operating on the assumption the Angels are ... some kind of unified force or being or ... something, right? Like, they're all on the same ... side? Part of the same force? If they're all independent and unrelated monsters of the week, NERV makes even less sense.

So, so, so Rei's EVA gets veiny and Rei gets veiny and Asuka is given orders to provide backup and then when her EVA is on the surface she and it just ... stand. Asuka tries to make it move but nothing happens. Finally, NERV lowers the EVA elevator again.

Gendo remembers he has a son and Shinji is deployed in Asuka's place to rescue Rei from the veins and not only does Asuka have to deal with her failure to pilot the robot in this moment, but she's filled with sad jealousy that Shinji wasn't sent to help her last week. Oh, honey.

So the light tentacle snake is making the veins and probing Rei and her memories and the EVA and like with the other kids, Rei confronts herself. One Rei is waist deep in the orange tang of the sub sub sub basement ocean while the other Rei floats above the surface. Rei is lonely? Or, one Rei is lonely, while the other Rei tries to express that Rei is lonely because unlike Rei, who is surrounded by others, Rei is by herself. One Rei knows more than the other, one Rei emotes more than the other. I am confused. None of the Reis seem as distressed as Shinji or Asuka did when they were getting psychoanalyzed by an Angel, at least. There's a weird shot that's just on one of the Rei's mouths, smiling and getting distended and wavey and also a Rei has a vision of smiling, glasses-free Gendo. Rei in the EVA comes back to herself when she realizes she's crying but the Angel is still doing its vein attack and all that pulsating Akira flesh starts happening and the light snake shoots out to Shinji, which is bad. There's more pulsating Akira flesh, just overflowing masses of veins bursting up and above the EVA, trying to shape something, the torso of Rei's EVA bulges out into, like, an armoured pocketed dome ball, which seems bad.

Then the light snake attacking Shinji turns into a giant naked Rei with a strange nightmare face who tries to make out with the EVA even though thankfully we at least have been spared horrible human lips to go with the horrible human teeth and fingers we know are in it.

Rei is like, do I want to become one with Shinji so I'm not lonely anymore? Is that what laser snake is trying to tell me and I just don't even know where to begin with all of this, where are you even getting this stuff Rei?

Rei realizes that letting the Angel snake made of light that looks like a giant her make out with Shinji's EVA is not the answer to her existential crisis and exerts her will over it or ... something? I don't know, she makes it like a rubber band that's suddenly reached its end. SNAP goes the light tether between giant naked Rei and Rei's EVA and it whips away from Shinji and the nightmare Rei's light face looks upset by these developments before it's like SCHWOOM back into the EVA ... ... and all the pulsating flesh becomes unpulsating and the dome stomach bits get popped like each segment of the dome is a bubble wrap bubble and then Rei blows herself and the EVA and I guess also the Angel up and I guess it's more effective than guns.

The obelisks want to interrogate someone, Gendo and Number 2 are already dealing with the fact that Rei is dead and just have some really weird conversation in front of machinery about how Rei is all of Number 2's sins and all of Gendo's hopes or ... or something? The obelisks go through a powerpoint of all the Angels defeated so far and I GUESS the kids have been fighting Angels that are all listed in the Dead Sea Scrolls and according to the Dead Sea Scrolls there's only one Angel left which, sure, we're on episode 23 of 26.

Shinji's lying on his bed not listening to music (music is playing but he doesn't have the headphones in) and Misato comes in to try and talk to him about how Rei killed herself to save Shinji. Shinji talks about sadness that's so intense even when tears can't come ... There's no time in this episode to dwell on this honest, awkward little pebble of grief, though. Misato tries to take Shinji's hand to comfort him but that isn't what he needs, he just wants to be alone and rejects Misato's overture.

Misato wonders about whether Shinji has a fear of women (what?) or intimacy (huh?) but when even Penpen refuses to be company for her, she realizes maybe she was projecting her own issues onto Shinji which hey, good catch, Misato! You and Shinji are similar but not the same.

ANYWAY NO TIME FOR THAT BECAUSE REI IS DEFINITELY MIRACULOUSLY ALIVE AND NOT DEAD even though Ritsuko and a bunch of dudes in HAZMAT suits were going over the spot where the EVA blew up and Ritsuko found something that had her going WELL THIS IS SOME X-FILES SHIT.

Shinji goes to see Rei at the hospital where she is bandaged all to hell and staring vaguely at nothing in the hall and he tries to thank her for her exploding sacrifice on his behalf. Rei basically says you're welcome but I have no idea what you're talking about. Shinji doesn't make much headway in expressing his gratitude further because Rei just straight up says I probably don't know what you're talking about because I'm the third Rei. Just straight up 'oh if I seem weird it's probably because I'm clones'.

It's not that Rei is clones that is surprising, it's just the total nonchalance with which Rei drops 'I guess I'm clones' on Shinji.

SO ANYWAY THE OBELISKS ARE INTERROGATING A NAKED RITSUKO BECAUSE GENDO WON'T LET THEM INTERROGATE REI AND HE'S JUST LIKE HEY THIS SCIENTIST WILL SPEAK ON HER BEHALF AND ALSO SHE'S NAKED but who knows who had the bright idea of naked interrogation. Maybe it was Ritsuko. Say a brief, silent prayer of thanks that there's no naked Gendo interrogation because if there is one thing I have learned so far in Evangelion, it's that the more of Gendo I can see, the more distressed I am.

I DON'T EVEN ENTIRELY KNOW WHAT THE OBELISKS ARE ASKING RITSUKO ABOUT.

Rei goes to her apartment and removes all her bandages and she's fine because she's clones so sure, all the bandages were for show. This Rei sees Gendo's old glasses and picks them up and starts to try and crush them in her hands but also she's crying? Reis is conflicted?

Misato's found a datachip that fuckin' Kaji hid in a pill and she's listening to another recording which is maybe all the stuff he learned while spying on NERV I don't know I don't know I don't know anything at this point.

Ritsuko calls Shinji and tells him he's temporarily not being monitored so he ... look, narrative cohesion and scene transitions are a thing of the past, we don't even have glue between disconnected bits anymore. RITSUKO TALKS TO SHINJI ON THE PHONE.

Then Ritsuko is ... somewhere ... work ... I DON'T KNOW MISATO IS BEHIND HER WITH A GUN AND THEN RITSUKO'S LIKE OKAY I'LL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING BUT SHINJI IS HERE SO WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO HIM TOO and it's like just flip on the lights in this one spot and bam there's Shinji NO TIME. ELEVATOR. DOWN DOWN DOWN. DOWN DOWN DOWN. THIS SUBBASEMENT LOOKS LIKE REI'S APARTMENT. BECAUSE IT IS REI'S APARTMENT. WATER MEMORIES. LOOK THIS ISN'T WHAT MISATO IS HERE FOR, MISATO IS HERE FOR THE GIANT SEPHIROTH AND KABALLAH AND CROSS HOLLOWS FULL OF GIANT BONES. EVA skulls and bones and Ritsuko's just like yeah those are all the prototypes from ten years ago that didn't become murder robots piloted by teens we just keep them in these religious pattern caves to form the basis for some real gothy jigsaw puzzles. Oh PS Shinji if you find it familiar it's because you've been here before even if you don't remember it this is where the experiments that kill disappeared your mother went down. NO TIME FOR ANYONE TO REACT TO THIS.

LOOK I'M SURE IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING THIS AND YOU KNOW THE SERIES YOU ARE LIKE RITSUKO AND ARE LIKE GET ON WITH IT JUST GET US TO THE CHAMBER WHICH RITSUKO SAYS IS WHERE THE DUMMY PLUGS ARE MADE AND THEN SHE TURNS ON THE LIGHTS AND WELCOME TO THE NIGHTMARE AQUARIUM. THE ONLY EXHIBIT IN THE NIGHTMARE AQUARIUM ARE REI CLONES SMILING AND GIGGLING AT YOU FROM THEIR ORANGE TANG HABITAT. Ritsuko says the captive Reis have no souls, they're just vacant flesh in the shape of a human, there's only one Rei /personality/ which is the first Rei and I guess when she dies they take another one out of the tank and she becomes the Rei with the soul I DON'T KNOW. Ritsuko hates the Reis not because they are the result of some human science meddling in things they cannot understand or control but because somehow the existence of the Reis mean ... Gendo doesn't need her?

BECAUSE RITSUKO, LIKE HER MOTHER BEFORE HER, ALSO WANTS TO BONE DOWN ON THE MAN WHO IS HATE'S SKELETON, WITH MARROW OF PARENTAL NEGLIGENCE, AND A BLACKHOLE SUCKING HIS FLESH ILLUSION EVER INWARDS TO DARKNESS.

NOW IT IS TIME FOR RITSUKO TO TURN OFF THE TANG AQUARIUM LIFE SUPPORT AND ALL THE GIGGLING REIS BEGIN TO BREAK APART, GIGGLING AS THEIR LIMBS SEPARATE AND THEIR ENTRAILS SPILL OUT AND ALL IS DARKNESS BUT THEY'RE STILL GIGGLING AND HOW ARE ANY OF US SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO THIS?! Oh, and the obelisks' plan for the destruction of Tokyo-3 is proceeding on schedule WHAT WAIT WHAT I THOUGHT WE WERE TRYING TO PROTECT TOKYO-3 no wonder Misato drinks. No wonder /you/ drink. This concludes my report on Episode 23 of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Edit: the obelisks talk about having lost the spear of Longinus. It's on the moon, obelisks. You're welcome.

[teeztheflag]

─────────────────────

E r s t e s   M a l (First time)

⋆ pairing: vampire!yeo sang x reader (poly!ateez)

⋆ genre: vampire au, fluff, smut

⋆ warnings: explicit smut, blood, biting

⋆ words: 3,900

─────────────────────

Yeo Sang was the last one to mate with you. His brothers already hyping him up since the last six months. At the beginning you didn’t know he was a virgin and your other mates nagging the poor boy about it several times without you really noticing.

One time when Min Gi and you were making out in your living room Yeo Sang accidentally heard your kissing noises and walkend in the moment Min Gi was tossing your shirt away leaving you in your bra. Said boy blushed so hard and walked away as fast es he could to calm down his nerves.

Another time you and Hong Joong were driving with Yeo Sang in his car you and the leader kissing eachother at the back he couldn’t stop himself to occasionally watch you two from the rearview mirror. When Hong Joong’s hand disappeared inside your skirt the young vampire increased the speed of the car Hong Joong giving him a questioning glare from the backseat.

Your relationship with Yeo Sang was build since the beginning when your mates decided to take you to their mansion. You remember the first weeks where you wouldn’t talk with any of them and constantly trying to escape the blood drinking creatures. And you still remember the first time you learned to know how strong vampires were. After being dragged back to the house by another vampire standing guard outside you decided to blow him a fistful in the face. It was one of the dumbest decisions you‘ve ever made because you could swear something snapped in your arm that moment.

You didn’t want the help of your mates and lived three days with a piercing pain in your hand. Yeo Sang was the first one who was able to talk with you and get to know you. The vampire didn’t rush things and kept a comfortable distance. When you started to trust him you let him help with the pain. Since that day you grew fond of the boy.

But except from occasionally stealing shy kisses from eachother when no one was looking you didn’t get very far. He was one of the boys who wasn’t overly excited to mate with you or do something else. He just enjoyed the time with his mate and mostly handed you like you were made out of glass.

So it surprised you that one friday morning he invited you to a trip to the mountains without your other mates. Usually they tend to have you home where it’s safe and where they can watch over you. Going outside only was okay if someone occupied you and the others would get impatient quickly when it took longer.

You were excited and happy to leave the place not being outside of the town since the day they literally captured you inside their home. Well, it was your home now, too.

You packed your bags and waited downstairs for Yeo Sang to get ready. Min Gi and Jong Ho already clinged onto you and cried because of your soon departure.

„Be safe! And don’t leave Yeo Sang‘s side! And call us when you arrive!“ Min Gi took Jong Ho by his shoulders and moved him away from you earning a death glare from the shorter boy.

„And don’t forget to eat properly! When you’re hiking you will burn a lot of calories! So eat something every pause you make!“

„Yes, Dad.“ You chuckled to yourself at their over protectiveness.

„What was that? I am your only Daddy babygirl.“ Seong Hwa floated down the stairs and kissed you on your cheek. His statement caused you to look to down to the ground trying to hide the pink tint of your cheeks. Knowing he was the cause of that left the black haired boy with a big and proud smile.

Soon all the other boys arrived to say goodbye. Only Yeo Sang was missing and when you counted your mates you realized there was indeed another vampire missing, too.

„Do you know where Woo Young is?“

Your mates exchanged mischievous looks and Hong Joong neared your ear to whisper that his brother was giving Yeo Sang last advises and tips. You eyed the clan leader suspiciously trying to understand what he was meaning. He only shrugged with his shoulders and turned you to himself giving you a sweet and longing kiss to which you moaned embarrassingly. You were not used to skinship in front of all the others because it was just awkward.

Anyways, if you thought back to the two nights you already had with Woo Young and San it couldn’t be denied that it was quite thrilling and hot. You could feel your arousal building in your panties and quickly tried to think about something else before your supernatural boyfriends were able to smell it.

As Yun Ho was now the closest to you in this moment he smirked knowingly and his eyes turned into a crimson red. The others didn’t show it if they were smelling it, too. Thankfully Woo Young and Yeo Sang finally emerged down the stairs. Woo Young patted Yeo Sang on the shoulder a last time and you bid your goodbyes driving off to the airport.

During the flight you thought back to what Hong Joong told you and slowly you understood why they were so hyped the whole week. Yeo Sang finally wanted to mate with you. You watched him reading a book in the seat next you and he seemed to notice when your gazed lingered a little bit too long.

„Everything’s alright, Y/N?“ He had such a cute smile you could only beam at. He took your hand into his and kissed you fingers one after one.

„We will arrive in two hours. Lean your head on my shoulder, maybe you can sleep a little bit.“ You nodded and cuddled yourself into him smelling his perfume you loved so much.

After arriving at the airport a chauffeur brought you to an isolated house deep in the mountains. If you went there alone you would shit your pants at night. Luckily you had a boyfriend with supernatural abilities with you. The house smelled fresh built and everything looked really expensive. The bedroom was surrounded by big windows with a great view over the hilly region. There were only trees over trees miles away. A shudder overcame you again.

And again, luckily Yeo Sang was here. If said boy wanted to watch a horrorfilm this weekend you would smack him.

„Y/N? I will drive to the nearby town to buy some food for the evening. Do you have any wishes?“

„You will leave me alone?“

„Yes, I won’t be long. So-“

„But you know the others will throw a tantrum if they find out?“

„I know, that’s why we won’t tell them. Listen, I know you are a grown up girl and were able to look after yourself before we came into your life. The others are just overreacting sometimes.“

„Wow, who would have thought one of you still hadn’t a clouded mind left.“ Yeo Sang chuckled at your remark.

„So, what for dinner, Mrs. Kang?“ He winked at you and to say it left you in shock would be an understatement. The mountain air turned the usually shy vampire into a new person. Or was it because you were finally alone? Or what the heck did Woo Young told him?! No, you liked your Yeo Sang exactly as he was!

„Earth to Y/N.“

„Haha, sorry. My mind drifts away too often.“

„Yeah, I realized you tend to do that...“ Yeo Sang finally went into the room and sat down with you on the bed. He fidgeted with his fingers trying to say something.

„Y/N, I think you know why were here... And I am really nervous about it. You know, it will be my first time and I don’t want to hurt you...“

„Hurt me? It really didn’t hurt all the other times, I can promise you Yeo Sang! Well, I felt a little sting but it vanished as soon as...“ Your face‘s color turned into a tomato red at what you were about to say and Yeo Sang seemed to know too because he was equally blushing. None of you said something after your tried explanation.

„Lasagne!“

„What?“

„You asked what I wanted and I want Lasagne with a lot of cheese!“

„Oh...“ Yeo Sang chuckled at your outburst.

„How much is a lot of cheese?“

„Ehm, you know one pack or two... But not only 80 g like all those descriptions say!“

„Agree. Those people don’t know what makes a good Lasagne!“ Now you both erupted into laughter on the bed. Yeo Sang pecked you and made himself on his way to the town.

You started to unpack your things and just when it came to undergarments you realized there only was sexy lingerie left inside your bag.

San. This perverted ass. That’s the reason he came out of your room after you packed this morning not telling you what he wanted!

Evening came and Yeo Sang and you cooked a great Lasange with a lot of cheese. After watching a movie Yeo Sang and you decided to call it a night as you both were pretty tired because of the trip. You texted your mates good nights and went into a deep and cuddly sleep in the arms of your boy.

The next morning the both of you packed your hiking bags and finished off a small breakfast. You started your trip to a popular hill four hours away. You enjoyed the nature and quiet atmosphere so much. Especially the clear air relived your body. Yeo Sang made a lot of photos and you believed most of them were of you.

There was a feeling the first evening back home would be a powerpoint presentation of your trip and the boys swooning over Yeo Sang‘s photos of you...

But he was a sweetheart in every perspective. Helping you with difficult passages and being ready to hold you if something made the appearance to become dangerous for you.

After reaching the destination you spent about three hours there enjoying the view and get into conversations with other hikers.

As you arrived home you decided to take a shower. Yeo Sang washed himself before you and ordered traditional food for the evening while you were occupied in the bathroom. You knew it would happen tonight. So you shaved yourself, brushed your teeth again, put on some nice lingerie and dolled yourself up trying to go for a soft rosy look. After dressing and covering you in an expensive perfume you got from the boy himself on christmas eve you went downstairs to see him already preparing the table after the food arrived a few seconds ago.

He eyed you and when you flashed him a brilliant smile and sat down on the table after passing him more slowly he sniffed in your scent and instantly his orbs turned red. Well, you just wanted to tease him a bit but regretted your decision seeing him excusing himself to go outside for a minute. Well, you had to learn, too.

After a few minutes he went back with his normal eye color and indicated for you to start eating after you sent him a pout and excusing gaze.

„Ah, I am so full! But I think I will never be able to eat spicy dishes...“

„Mh, you‘re just like Hong Joong. Spicy is for the big boys.“

„Yeo Sang, I am a girl. You cannot diss me like that. But if Joong heard your sneaky comment...“

„Hehe.“

After cleaning up you waited for Yeo Sang on the sofa searching for a good movie. To be honest, you didn’t know how to start things. Usually your other mates started to approach you and things just lead to the mating but now you didn’t know what to do. Your boyfriend was nowhere to be seen since half an hour and you started to wonder what he was doing. Suddenly Yeo Sang entered the living room and sat down next to you.

„Where were you?“ He wasn’t even looking at you rather nibbing on his lip and avoiding your gaze.

„I want to show you something.“

„Ehm, okay? What do you want to show me?“

„You will see. Come.“

Okay. A little bit creepy? Because he lead you outside and just as you wanted to protest that you weren’t wearing any shoes he picked you up bridal style and walked inside the dark grounds of the forest.

Neither of you said something while the chilly air tickled your arms. Yeo Sang seemed to notice because he rearranged your position in his arms to hold you closer to him. Your arms hanged lightly around his neck and the only thing you saw in the dark were his pitch black orbs shining in the moonlight whereas the vampire could see perfectly because he obviously was a creature of the night.

And he wasn’t the only creature that woke up to the moonlight because the deeper you went into the woods the louder the background noises became. The forest awakened and the wind brushed through the trees.

You were fascinated by your surroundings only realizing you arrived to you destination when you could make out a warm light igniting behind a big rock.

When Yeo Sang passed it you were met with a picture made out of a fairy tail. There was a little bay surrounded by big trees and a meadow that inhabited small flowers. You could make out a small waterfall at the other side of the water and above it you could see the night sky with the full moon shining in all her glory.

On the meadow there were placed candles in a meaningful order and a blanket occupied by a basket with champagne and two glasses.

Yeo Sang finally let you down on the blanket and you spinned around blinking so often to understand if this was real or a dream.

„You-you did this?“

You eyed him tears threatening to fall when he took your hands into his warm ones. You couldn‘t remember someone doing something like this for you before. Of course your other mates could be romantic, too. But if you thought about it they technically didn’t really had a chance to do something equally. All the time you were fighting your destiny you robbed them the opportunities.

„Yes. Do you like it?“

„L-like it?! I love it! It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen...“

Yeo Sang smiled and looked at your lips with loving eyes. Suddenly everything you saw and heard in the forest vanished away. The only thing you recognized now was your mate in front of you. It felt like getting lost into his eyes and a strange magic pulled you towards him and his arms. He kissed you slowly licking your lips in slow and careful motions. You opened your mouth for him and he emerged into your cavern deepening the longing kiss. You both moaned into the other and after a few minutes you started to struggle with the breathing he let go of you.

Yeo Sang guided you down to sit on the blanket and opened the champagne. He poured the two glasses and you clinked them.

„Do you wanna‘ swim? The waters really clear I checked it.“

„But I don’t have something to wear...“

„We-we can swim naked if you want...“ Oh poor boy questioned himself how he was able to suggest that.

You looked at the water and stood up. If there was a time to be brave it was now. You quickly undressed and without looking behind you entered the water leaving Yeo Sang in shock. However he never saw you naked before he loved the sight of your back already. He followed your actions and went behind you in the water to kiss your neck.

„Mhh“

„Y/N, I love you.“ Your heart jumped at his confession. You turned around and put your arms around his neck again.

„I love you, too...“

The both of you embraced each other and floated in the water for half an hour sometimes kissing and shying away when someone accidentally touched a private part of the significant other.

„Oh, you‘re getting really cold! I think we should get out of the water.“ Yeo Sang surprised you when he took a hold of your legs and wrapped them about his torso only now recognizing his red orbs he had since the first kiss you shared.

He carefully emerged out of the bay you wrapped around him and when you entered back into the gravity filled room outside the water you felt his erection peek at your tummy. He definitely had to feel it too but kept a poker face until handling you down onto the blanket. He took a seat beside you and watched the water falling down the small hill in front of him.

You slightly hid behind your arms and pushed your knees up to your body. You didn’t know if you shivered because of the cold night or Yeo Sang‘s naked form beside you. It took a lot in you to not peek at him from the side.

After a few minutes the vampire turned into your direction and took your face into his hands to guide you into another intoxicating make out session. Your body grew hotter by each second your tongues danced in your mouthes. You couldn’t hold back anymore and decided to make the next move and sat down onto him. The boy flinched hard at your body connection but continued to ravish your lips.

You gingerly pushend him down by his chest with your index finger until he layed flat on the ground and stopped the kiss. You leaned back and took in his body that was still a little bit wet from the water. His hair was pushed back and he breathed heavily under you analyzing every move you made and followed your eyes direction.

„You‘re really beautiful. All of you are...“

„And so are you.“

„I am just a human.“

„You are our mate. Someday you will understand how beautiful and precious you are to us.“

Yeo Sang tried to change your positions but you stopped him with a shake of your head.

„Please. I want to make you feel good.“

„Y-you’re sure?“ He knew you never pleasured his brothers like you wanted to do with him now. His heart merely bursted at the thought of being the first one.

You grinned at him and slowly positioned yourself in front of his length. Yeo Sang followed your body with his eyes but stopped when he felt his legs shake under you. He closed his eyes and layed as still es he could.

You observed his erection and he was beautiful in length and thickness. Your mouth literally watered at the sight and you took him into your small hands which already set off a quiet whimper from the vampire under you. It was quite a different feeling being in charge of the pleasure of your mate but you liked the feeling. It made funny things to your stomach.

You started with a kitten lick on his length and Yeo Sang already almost lost it. His brows furrowed and if you wouldn’t be sure he was enjoying this you could’ve thought he was in pain. You felt his legs occasionally tense under your touch and you started to take him into your mouth blowing him in slow movements.

His moanings were like music to your ears and despite being cautious most of the time he wasn’t ashamed to let loose of his sounds in this situation. You weren’t able to get really far. Yeo Sang stopped you after a few more minutes because of being super sensitive to the new sensation he was experiencing.

You both sat down in front of eachother and tried to steady your breaths. Yeo Sang took a loose strand of your wet hair and pushed it behind your ear while tilting his head.

„I want to feel you.“ As soon as the words left his mouth his eyes became a brighter red than before. You knew the color, though. It was the one everyone gave you when they were ready to sleep with you.

You nodded at him and layed down so he could crawl over you. Suddenly his animalistic instincts took over him and he attacked your neck to mark his way from you collarbones down the path to your breasts. He took you by surprise with his sudden change in demeanor.

You grabbed a fistful of his locks tucking on them when he started to suck on one of your nipples while his other hand caressed your hip. Your moans became louder when he started to grind into you and his will to mark you growing endlessly. He moved back to the top of you and looked into your eyes.

„I-I want you. Can I?“

„Of course.“ You managed to say through clawing at his back still in the afterbliss of his attack on your body.

He positioned his member in front of your entrance and slowly entered your walls with hisses and curses. When he managed to reach the end of your hole you couldn’t stop to clench around him sending shots of pleasure through both your systems.

„F-fuck... S-so tight... And you’re so warm...“

„Please move Sangie... nghaa.“

And he did. He felt losing control over his body by the immense ecstasy you were igniting in him. You felt him starting to roll his hips into you and you were left a crying a mess by each thrust he pushed into you.

„Yes! Yeo Sang, please!“

Your mewls encouraged him to move faster hitting your pelvis in rhythmic repeats. He started kissing you again and your whole body was on fire now. You felt your bond tightening by each second and both of you forgot everything around you only living off the other being in this moment.

Like a transparent silk blanket the bond surrounded your forms and secured you from the world outside.

„I-I think I can’t last any longer... Shit!“

„It’s ok, baby. I am ready! D-do i-it!“

He cursed out loud and the next moment you felt the stinging pain in your neck which vanished in mere seconds followed by an overwhelming rush of pleasure that shook throughout your body until your toes curled.

„Oh my goooood!“

One of the best and longest orgasms ever rushed through your system and you felt your release mixing itself with Yeo Sang’s cum that filled in your walls. He pumped himself all through your orgasms and you heart dwelled with love at the feeling.

Yeo Sang rode out his orgasm with a few last stuttery thrusts and stayed inside of you. He slowly pulled out his emerged fangs and collapsed on your body. You were shaking and crying. You caringly stroked his head while trying to calm down yourself. Both of you were sweating like running a marathon before and your bodies sticked to eachother still heating.

After some time Yeo Sang carefully pulled out of you which caused you to hiss slightly. The boy immediately looked at you worried of the possibility he could have hurt you.

„It’s ok. I am just a little bit sore.“

He nodded at you and layed down spooning you from behind. You enjoyed eachother‘s skinship while Yeo Sang drew patterns over your tummy.

„If I knew mating would feel like this, I would’ve been the first one.“

„The mountain air really has its effect on you hasn’t it?

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↺ back to navi

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[sdottkrames]

You’ll Always Be Adored By the Things You [Save]

@comfortember prompt 12: Emotional support pet

Summary: Her name is Tess, and everybody adores her.

Notes: I honestly just love Tom and his love for Tess. They are the cutest! I’m thinking about making more with Tess, so if you like this, let me know and maybe I will! 😊

Also: Lucy and Rocky were the names of my dogs growing up. Lucy was a sassy, adorable Shih Tzu, and Rocky was the kindest, gentlest Boxer you’d ever meet. They both have since passed (they lived very long, happy lives) but I wanted to add them in this story somehow. I’m just a cheeseball. Also, Zendaya (MJ) Played a character named Rocki in a Disney show called Shake It Up, so it was a little nod to that as well.

Read on AO3: Here

“Tony, I’m really worried about him.”

May poked her head around the corner of their apartment, making sure Peter was still asleep. His breathing was too even for him to be faking, and she sighed in relief before continuing.

“He’s been off ever since the...the blip. I can tell. He’s been eating a lot less, and I looked at his grades the other day. Tony, that boy has never gotten below an A-, but he got a C+ on his last Physics test. And that’s not even including the fact that he was stabbed last night because his Peter Tingle isn’t working right.” Her voice was rising in pitch and volume, right in time with the panic that was welling up inside her. 

May and Tony had been having weekly conference calls about their resident spider since May had found out about it, and they’d quickly picked it back up once they had been undusted. Their normally lighthearted calls filled with mostly laughter had taken a more somber tone recently. 

Tony hummed on the other end of the phone. “I’ve been worried, too.”

Those words, though not necessarily helpful, made May feel less alone. She was grateful someone was helping her take care of her nephew because he was doing a terrible job of doing it himself, as evidenced by the stab wound on his left side. He’d come home weak and bleeding the previous night, and May had hurriedly patched him up, her training as a nurse the only thing keeping her panic in check.

“I honestly don’t know what to do, May. We tried letting him come to us and that didn’t work. I’ve got a list of great therapists-”

May cut him off. “He’ll never do that. I already tried that one, and he insisted that he didn’t want me paying money for him. I even pulled the whole “your mentor is a billionaire, and he would want you to get help” card, but he was pretty adamant.”

Tony sighed, and May felt it echo deep in her bones. They ended the call shortly after, no closer to a solution for Peter than before.

The next week on their call, Tony’s voice was considerably more lighthearted. She attributed it to the fact that Peter hadn’t been injured that week, but then he excitedly announced that had “the best idea!”

May’s eyebrows rose, even though she knew Tony couldn’t see them. “I’m listening.”

“Okay. How do you feel about dogs?”

“Oh,” May breathed.

“Yeah. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.”

“Me either. He’s been asking for a dog since he was, like, 5. The only problem is,” May said, biting her lip. “Our landlord doesn’t allow dogs.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Tony promised, and May nearly snorted at the thought of their stuffy, no-nonsense landlady getting a visit from Tony Stark. She pitied the woman.

***

“Ms., ah, Levitt, is it?” 

The lady looked up from her desk, and immediately blinked in shock. Tony internally rolled his eyes when the lady blushed and started trying to fix her hair, the look on her face one he’d seen on way too many women in his earlier years.

No chance, lady, I’m married. He thought, but flashed her a kind smile, anyway. “Are you the landlady of this apartment building?”

“I am. Pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Tony shook her offered hand, not holding on for a second longer than necessary. “Likewise. I am here on behalf of the Parker family...apartment 96. I was thinking about getting Peter an emotional support animal. He blipped, and has been having trouble adjusting, and I heard cute, fluffy animals work wonders. But I understand you don’t allow those?”

Levitt’s smile hardened. “Yes, I’m afraid we have a non-negotiable no-pet policy.”

She obviously hated animals. And probably little children. Figures. Luckily, years watching Pepper hand stuffy businessmen their behinds had taught Tony a thing or two. He could handle this lady.

“Well, I took the liberty of reviewing things, and did you know that, by law, emotional support or therapy animals must be allowed in any building? That includes yours. Now, I understand that there is a fee associated with having a therapy animal, which I will cover, and of course proper documentation, which I have right here.” Tony produced the paperwork, signed by Dr. Cho, stating that Peter should be allowed a therapy animal of his choosing. “If there are any further problems, I’m sure my wife would be happy to speak to you. She and our lawyer will be handling any legal issues.”

Tony watched in satisfaction as Ms. Levitt’s face blanched, knowing she was beat. Nobody could go up against Pepper Potts-Stark and win. 

She breathed heavily through her nose once then plastered a smile back on her face, though it didn’t meet her eyes. “That won’t be necessary. We value the Parkers. The fee is an extra $125 a month. Once you have the animal, bring the proof of licensure and ESA status, and we should be all set.”

Tony had her put his card on file so the payment would come out of his account. This was his gift to Peter (and May. Though she wouldn't admit it, he knew that she also loved animals and would have bought one (or two) if they’d had the money) and then stood to leave.

“Have a nice day,” he said, giving Levitt a cheery wave before waltzing out the door. He had a kid to surprise.

***

“Tony, really, where are we going?”

“For the millionth time, I’m not going to tell you, so stop wasting your breath.” Peter huffed indignantly, and Tony shoved his arm playfully. “Patience is a virtue, underoos.”

“And pride is a sin, yet here we are,” Peter quipped.

“Yes, here we are,” Tony said, grinning as Happy pulled the car into a parking spot in front of Rocky’s Shelter and Supplies. Tony had spent hours researching adoption agencies around, wanting to find a really good one to support, and Rocky’s had been one of the best he’d seen. Plus, they had a great variety to choose from. (And no, he hadn’t been crying looking at all the animals, who told you that?)

Peter’s reaction was everything Tony had hoped for. The kids brown eyes got impossibly larger, and filled with tears.

“R-really?” He squeaked. “But our apartment doesn’t allow dogs.”

Tony grinned. “I threatened to sic Pepper on her.”

Then Peter was hugging Tony around the middle, murmuring an unbroken stream of thankyou’s. 

“I heard you’ve been wanting one for a while, and May and I figured having a furry companion might help with everything. You gotta promise-“

“That I’ll take care of it? Of course I will! I’ve been preparing for this my entire life! When I was 11, I made a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating proper care of a dog, just to show Ben and May I would take care of one. I wanted a dog soooo bad. I can’t believe I’m actually getting one.”

Tony chuckled at Peter’s rambling. “I’m glad you’re excited. But I was going to say you gotta promise that you’ll take better care of yourself, too.”

Peter nodded fast, his curls bouncing, which was endlessly endearing. “I promise!”

“Then lead the way.”

They spent time with a number of different dogs, taking their time to find just the right one. Tony could tell he was going to have to physically restrain Peter (And himself, if he was being totally honest) from buying every single dog in the shelter. The kid dragged him to every cage, exclaiming how cute each “pupper” (what even was this generation’s lingo?) was, and blinking back tears at nearly every one. 

Then Peter met Tess.

Tony had started believing in love at first sight when he’d seen Pepper in that purple dress she’d worn to a charity event years ago. Then he’d been absolutely sure of it when he’d held Morgan in his arms for the first time, the love he felt for her so strong and immediate and real that it had chased away the fear of becoming his dad that threatened to paralyze him. 

But feeling it and witnessing it was two different things.

He wondered if he’d looked like Peter when he’d laid eyes on the two most important and precious women in his life. The little gasp, the soft smile, the look of complete awe. Basically, the definition of the heart-eyes emojis.

“This one,” Peter breathed, his voice thick with emotion. “Can I meet her?”

The lady helping them, a sweet girl named Lucy, unlocked the cage and brought the beautiful grey pup over to the room for humans and dogs to meet, and as soon as Peter was close enough, she was all over him, her tail thumping with abandon.

“Yeah, I think we’ll take her,” Tony said over Peter’s delighted giggles.

***

Tess loved everybody, but it was no secret who her favorite was. No matter who she was with or what she was doing, as soon as Peter was in the room, she was right by his side. She was his shadow, following him around like a planet following the sun.

So Tony should’ve realized that something was wrong when she came trotting into his lab without Peter.

Granted, it wasn’t uncommon for her to come get pats from someone else when Peter wasn’t available, like when he was at school or on patrol or asleep. But Tony should’ve known that at 4 PM on a Thursday, Peter should have been doing none of those things. It was a lab day, Peter’s day off from Spider-Manning, and too early for the normally energetic kid to be asleep.

As it was, Tony was so focused on fixing Dum-E (who had spun too hard showing off for Peter the other day) that he just patted her head without looking. He nearly dropped his screwdriver when Tess gave a high pitched yip.

Tony finally looked up. “What’s the matter, girl. You gotta go out?”

Tess barked again, high pitched and insistent, her big eyes so expressive he could almost see what she was thinking.

“Peter,” he gasped, his stomach plummeting all the way down to his shoes. “Where is he, girl?”

Tessa tore out the door needing no further prompting, Tony right on her heels. She stopped outside Peter’s door whining anxiously, and Tony quickly opened it, dread filling him.

His first reaction was relief. There was no blood, at least not that he could see. Then his worry returned even stronger because Peter was laying on the ground not moving and there wasn't any blood. At least blood made it easier to identify the problem!

“Friday!” He choked out, rushing to Peter’s side. He was still breathing, but it sounded noisy and labored. He was also conscious, but Tony couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not because there was so much fear in his eyes, and it broke Tony’s heart right in two.

“Dr. Cho is already on her way, sir. If I may, it appears Peter is having an allergic reaction, going into anaphylactic shock. You must keep him awake until the Dr gets here,” Friday answered.

Teas whined again, nudging Peter’s hand.

“Good girl, Tess. You’re such a good girl!” Tony said, patting her head then turning to Peter. “Well kid, if you didn’t want to do lab day today, you could’ve just said so. No need for all the theatrics; that’s kinda my department.”

Tony kept rambling, slapping Peter gently whenever he started to close his eyes, until Cho was rushing in. She quickly stabbed him with an epipen and started to prepare him to go to the infirmary, pausing when Tess growled, the first time she’d ever done that.

“Easy, Tessa-girl. She’s helping Peter. Let’s go with ‘em, yeah? You can keep watching our boy.”

They made their way to the infirmary, where Peter was being given medicine to combat whatever had caused him to react that way. Tony nearly doubled over laughing when he heard what it was, the stress making him slightly hysterical. It really wasn’t funny.

“Peppermint?” He asked Peter later, once Peter could talk and had been deemed out of the woods. Tess was curled up as close as she could to him, and Tony was sitting on the chair next to the bed.

“I just wanted a peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks. I used to love those,” Peter pouted. “But apparently Peppermint is toxic to spiders. I guess I hadn’t had any peppermint since the change.”

“Well how about never do that again. My heart cannot take that stress.”

Tess whined in agreement.

***

Tony was quickly learning that Tess was a lot like Peter. Her ability to get everybody to love her, for one, and her penchant for cuddles.

Which is how Tony found himself one Friday night squished on the couch with a teenager tucked tightly into his side and a 30 pound dog laying across his lap while watching Bolt. They were both happily situated, Peter nearly purring as Tony ran his hands through his hair and Tess’ tail thumping gently against Tony’s leg. He pretended not to like it, but he was so comfortable, he quickly fell asleep.

He didn’t sleep very long.

Soon after his eyes closed, he woke up in a panic, his heart beating rapidly, a sense of panic overwhelming him. He couldn’t remember what the dream that woke him up had been about, which only made the sense of foreboding worse. He closed his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep as he quietly struggled to get his breathing under control.

Suddenly, a weight settled on top of him. He opened his eyes in surprise, and realized Tess had climbed into his lap, putting her head on his shoulder and her front paws on his chest. It was strangely comforting, her weight and warmth, but surprising nonetheless.

“Whatcha doing there, girl?” He chuckled.

“Pressure therapy,” Peter answered. “Something I taught her to do whenever I’m having an anxiety attack or sensory overload. It helps. She must’ve sensed you were panicking.” 

“Huh.” Tony shook his head in wonder.

“You alright?” Peter asked, tentatively.

“Yeah. Just a bad dream. I don’t even know what it was about, just left me feeling anxious.”

Peter nodded, and slid his hand into Tony’s. Boy and dog didn’t move a muscle until Tony’s heart was a normal rhythm again. Or...maybe a little while after that. They really did love snuggles. And Tony...yet another thing they had in common.

Luckily, he loved them both right back just as much.

[cbraxs]

Warped [Time Warp Trio Fanfiction] - Chapter 12

A chill slithered through the warm night air. All color drained from Cleopatra’s face. The Pharaoh’s stony expression turned dour. He commanded Ahmose in a stern whisper, “Have soldiers out searching for her and guarding all entrances to the palace. We are going to handle this swiftly and silently. Alert no one.”

Ahmose bowed, and the two hurried away. Cleo stood still, fisting the fabric of her chiton, eyes tense in terror as she shook.

She exhaled and fixed stoic eyes on Izzy. “Priestess. Come with me.” And without another word, she left, not even looking behind to see if Izzy was following her or not.

What did she want with Izzy, Joe wondered. Maybe protection? But she didn’t know Izzy’s capabilities. Besides, Cleo had ancient Egyptian Dolph Lundgren as a personal bodyguard. Maybe she wanted company while getting some fresh air, but why not bring one of the girls? She’d known them longer.

Izzy stood, her gaze on Cleopatra’s retreating form. “I should go after her.”

“Is that really the safest idea?” Sam asked.

“It’s not like I can refuse an order. She outranks me.”

Sam pinched his nose in disbelief. “She’s… You’re not a real… you’ve been around Fred too long!”

Freddi pitched in, “I think she means is it’s better to go and not upset Cleopatra.”

“Go ahead,” Joe assured Izzy. “We’ll catch up with you two soon.”

Izzy nodded and jogged after Cleopatra. Once both girls disappeared into the crowd, Fred stood and brushed crumbs off his robes. “Well, this has been great, but it’s time for us to leave.”

“I’d love to, really,” Jodie said. “There’s just one thing. The Book is still broken!”

“You guys were the ones who insisted we stay despite The Book being out of order!” Sam said. “Now we’re stuck in the past with a crazed killer on the loose! Where’s that grape juice?”

Samantha snorted, but there was a twinge of nervousness. “Berenice wasn’t exactly Elizabeth Báthory.”

Joe stood. “We should trail them to be safe.”

The others agreed, and with that, they headed out to find Izzy and the princess.

~*~

Berenice was no fool.

She’d been quick to eliminate the obstacles in the way of her coveted position as ruler. She’d dealt with those who posed a threat to her throne Berenice had won this war and nothing was to get in the way of her luxurious station in life.

And yet… something had. That “something” being a Roman invasion, lead by her pestiferous father. In rapid succession, Berenice lost everything: her power, her throne, her affluence, her dignity. All but her life, which was due to be taken from her as well if not for the mysterious strange man escorting her through the night.

She trudged behind the man past the countryside. The glow of his cane lit a green path for them to follow. Her feet ached more than they ever had, her bones throbbed in the cold, and her throat burned from thirst. Despite this, Berenice hadn’t complained, not once, even though she had every right to. She’d learned quickly to not irritate the stranger.

He was… off. Off and choleric. The smallest thing could fly him into a fit of rage, going into diatribes about things she didn’t understand. It was clear that this man was mad, and Berenice wasn’t about to upset him. She didn’t know if she could trust him, but she understood he was powerful.

So she followed. Through clouds of dust, confusion, and mosquitos, she followed.

After what felt like hours, they settled in an empty hovel in the middle of nowhere. Not only was it devoid of residents, but of furnishing. Sand and beetles acted as their company.

“Sit,” the man commanded.

“On the dirt?” Berenice asked.

This innocent question did not please the man. He glared, and the glow on his cane flared, and he shot green lightning at her. She flinched and shut her eyes, expecting to be destroyed instantly, but no harm befell her.

“Is that better, you spoilt Ptolemaic wench?”

She opened her eyes and looked where the spot the man motioned towards. At the place where his magic struck, there was now a simple table with two chairs.

Berenice stared. She knew he had magic. Powerful magic. The kind she'd only ever heard about in stories and drunken retellings. That’s how he was able to bypass the soldiers guarding her and set her free. Still, it was incredible to behold.

The man stomped his foot like an impatient child. “Go ahead and sit! We don’t have all night.”

She did as she was told. He sat across from her, and stuck his cane into the ground, the unusual adornment acting as their candlelight.

The green glow illuminated every crease and frown line across his face. He had dark, unruly hair atop his head, above his mouth, and on his chin. A crystal disc hovered in front of one eye. His skin— and attitude— reminded her of the sands of Deshret: golden red and hostile.

Berenice fidgeted with the golden Wadjet amulet around her neck, the one thing those savages didn’t take from her. Perhaps they thought there was no need to take it when it would fall from her neck soon enough. Or maybe her father thought it would be funny to let her keep her jewelry while she was due for execution, a horrible reminder of what she’d lost in his victory.

After an eternity, the man spoke. “I bet you’re wondering why I freed you.”

“The question had crossed my mind,” Berenice admitted.

“You have something I want, and I possess the abilities to give you what you want.”

“You presume to know what I want?”

“Of course, you imbecile. You want the throne. Revenge. Complete impunity. Blah, blah, blah! I will destroy the Pharaoh and all others who stand in your way. And in return, I want your amulet, the Eye of Horus.”

“My amulet?” she asked. That’s all? “You could’ve taken it without struggle. Why go through the trouble of freeing me?”

“The Eye of Horus is a symbol of protection. For my purposes, it can’t be simply stolen, it must be given willfully.”

“But why my amulet? Surely you could get it elsewhere or even make your own—”

“My motives are none of your beeswax!” he said with a sniff. “Anyway, it won’t impact your mission.”

“My mission?”

“Of course! Do you expect to get your throne back with no work you lazy Prinzessin? No, I need for you to do this one thing for me.”

She nodded hesitantly. He was hiding something from her, that much was obvious. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the throne, and disposing of her bastard of a father. The thought of revenge was pure honey cake to her.

“In the palace, there is a group of kids with your sister, seven in total: three boys. four girls. I need you to capture a girl for me and bring her here.”

“Why can’t you—”

“Because I can’t! I didn’t free you from your pathetic fate to ask me idiotic questions. I freed you to kidnap a teenage girl for me!”

“All right! All right! My apologies. Which girl do you want me to bring to you?”

“The one with the silly pigtails.”

“Pigs’ tails? You need her to make you a healing potion?”

A beleaguered sigh from the man. “It’s her hair! Her name is Isadora. She has brown skin, brown hair, green eyes! Get the picture? Should I have prepared an elaborate trifold poster? Brought a projector to show you a PowerPoint presentation? Just bring me the girl.”

Another snap of his fingers and a cup full of clear liquid appeared.

“Hurry up and drink!” the man demanded. “You’re useless to me dehydrated. We need to iron out the details.”

Berenice sipped her water as he explained the plan. Once he finished, he snapped his fingers once more. In a flash of green, two wooden trinkets appeared in his hands: One shaped like a crocodile and the other shaped like a smaller version of the ornament on his cane.

“This,” he handed her the crocodile, “will help you out of any trouble you run into. And this,” he gave her the other item. “Will transport you back to me once you have the girl.”

Berenice looked over the items. They felt as real and smooth as they looked.

“You... truly have this power?” she asked, mostly to herself.

His creeping smile was as dry as the desert and his eyes just as unforgiving. “You haven’t the faintest idea.”

~*~

Izzy hadn’t seen her day going like this at all. She planned on seeing a movie and hanging out with friends. Maybe she’d even get a little risque and drain ten dollars at the crane game to win a cute plush she didn’t need.

Now she was pretending to be a priestess comforting a princess. Not just any run-of-the-mill princess, but Cleopatra. The Cleopatra. The beautiful, smart, charming last Pharaoh of Egypt.

Izzy’s parents would read her stories about Cleopatra, and she was as captivating as described. She had an aura of zeal around her that drew you to her and made her fascinating. She was genuinely excited to meet new people and show them the country she loved. Her energy was contagious and Izzy couldn’t help but feel what she felt.

And then there were her looks. There was a lot of speculation about whether or not Cleopatra was the drop-dead gorgeous beauty of legend, and Izzy always found that super boring. Cleopatra accomplished so much in her lifetime, it was annoying when people downgraded her to a mindless, evil sex-ductress.

Still, Izzy appreciated Cleopatra’s offbeat beauty. Her tall proud nose, which looked a bit like Joe’s, reminded her of a Greek statue. Her smile was always confident, her eyes sparkled, never wavering.

All this to say it was no wonder Izzy felt as nervous as she did as she silently followed the princess through echoing palace and looming pillars into a garden of flowers and trees.

The night buzzed with fireflies, the din of the party as soft as white noise. A light breeze rustled through the palm fronds and carried air that smelled faintly of flowers and smoke.

Cleopatra sat at a pond, her eyes cast down at the catfish darting about. Izzy followed suit, unsure of how to break the silence. She didn’t know if Cleopatra wanted to talk, but Izzy would be here if she decided to do so.

After a moment, Cleo said in a shaky voice, “I am… afraid, priestess. Irrationally, I admit, but I fear for my life. I fear for my father. If there’s a chance to regain her position, I know Berenice will jump at it. She is ruthless.”

“It’s okay to be afraid. Don’t be too hard on yourself for feeling your feelings.”

Cleopatra looked at her in… surprise? Confusion? Izzy didn’t know how to place her reaction, but she continued. “You have your father, his soldiers, and us. We won’t let anything bad happen to you. So don’t worry.”

A sigh from Cleo. “Thank you for the reassurance, priestess. I pray that my father’s men find her soon, and we can move forward with the execution.”

Izzy winced. “I know she’s awful and all, but she’s still your sister. Don’t you feel bad about… y’know?”

“My sister a threat,” Cleopatra said. “To allow a threat to linger is to allow your downfall.”

“But execution...” Izzy shook her head. “It just doesn’t feel right—”

“You clearly have no idea what Berenice is capable of!”

Izzy jumped at her sudden outburst, mouth agape, unable to respond. Not that Cleopatra gave her much of a chance to anyway.

“You have no idea what she’s done to her family, my family. To Egypt! Berenice is foolish and lazy and... selfish! She was a horrendous queen and cared nothing for the responsibility of ruling a nation.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes and threatened to spill down her reddening cheeks as she ranted. Her fist balled as if she was ready to clock the next person who questioned her.

“Egypt is weakened. We need allies. That is why I’ve been especially kind to your King Fred. After my father hands the crown over to me, I will have the weight of Egypt on my shoulders. I will have to undo all the centuries of damage that my ancestors caused neglecting my country. If Berenice must be executed to save my Egypt, then so be it!”

Cleopatra panted as she finished her speech. A shiver ran through her.

Izzy averted her eyes back to the pond. She hadn’t meant to upset her, but she couldn’t help but speak her mind.

She couldn’t blame Cleopatra for reacting this way. Berenice killed her own mother and had her husband murdered. If she were to overthrow the Pharaoh again, she’d no doubt have Cleopatra and her father killed. That’s a lot to put on any fourteen-year-old.

Izzy wasn’t ignorant of who Cleopatra would become. She did many amazing things during her rule, but there was also a lot of ugly stuff. Cleopatra would do to her siblings what Berenice did before her. It was easy to overlook that stuff when she was just a historical figure, a character in a book, a role in a film. But now, having gotten to know Cleopatra today, it was harder to reconcile the actions with the person.

Joe and Anna’s spat was so much easier to deal with compared to this. The Ptolemy dynasty was full of corruption and betrayal. They valued power over family. Cleopatra grew up seeing all this familial betrayal, so it’s normal to her. It was what she had to do. It was harsh and difficult, but necessary for her. Izzy didn’t agree, but this was above what she could handle.

Cleopatra sighed and wiped away tears. “My apologies, priestess. I should not have lost my temper at you like that—”

“Spiders and flies!”

Cleopatra looked at her liked she grew a third eye on her chin.

Oh. She should probably explain what the heck she was talking about so she didn’t look like a loon. “Spiders and flies. A spider’s life appears crazy to a fly. They stay in one spot instead of hunting for food, devouring every fly that falls into their web. But that’s just the spider’s way. It seems monstrous and disgusting, but that’s just the spider surviving.”

Cleo gave her a strange look, like the third eye had sprouted wings.

Izzy rubbed the back of her head. “What I mean is, we’re from different worlds. I can’t convince you to see things the way I do.”

The princess grimaced. “And you say this by likening me a spider, priestess? Perhaps you have confused me with Arachne instead of Aphrodite?”

“I-I— That’s now what I meant!” In hindsight, that wasn’t the most flattering comparison. Maybe she should have thought of cuter animals, like bunnies and foxes. No, wait… that’s way more gruesome...

But to Izzy’s shock, Cleopatra giggled. “You are most unusual, priestess. I appreciate you letting voice my discontent. I feel a bit better now.”

Her smile made Izzy’s cheeks warm. “T-to be honest I’m not sure I did much, but I’m glad you feel better.”

Cleo eyed Izzy with a curious look. “Are you perhaps the fly in this scenario? Buzzing around aimlessly until trapped in your demise by your own thoughtlessness?”

Izzy frowned and thought about it. “I… really really hope not.”

Cleopatra laughed again and Izzy couldn’t help but grin.

A rustling behind them made Izzy whirl around. Her friends stumbled upon the garden, frozen like statues that got caught moving. Izzy waved them over to join them at the pond. “How’d you guys find us so fast?”

“We weren’t stalking you!” Freddi squeaked in a way that made Izzy think they might have been stalking them.

Joe looked from Izzy to the laughing Cleopatra in confusion. “What did you do? Arrest Berenice yourself already?”

“Ah! My guest!” Cleo stood and clasped her hands. “My apologies for keeping you waiting. Let’s return to the party shall we?”

~*~

After the party wound down, the eight of them decided to retire back in the rooms. Cleopatra insisted on spending the night with them. The Pharaoh wasn’t too thrilled with this, but eventually, he gave in with the caveat that Ahmose and another soldier stand guard outside the rooms. As if Joe and the others planned on kidnapping her or something.

A small hallway separated the bedrooms by gender. Joe expected Izzy to be nervous to bunk with strangers, but she didn’t seem too bothered, which was a relief. In fact, she and Cleopatra were pretty attached to each other. Cleo hooked arms with Izzy and practically dragged her around everywhere, not that Izzy seemed to mind.

The boys’ room was more extravagant than their usual time warp related accommodations. A great window overlooked the dark glittering waters of the great bay, allowing the moon as well as candlelight to illuminate their sleeping quarters. A tray of plums, grapes, palm nuts, and figs, and a pitcher of water sat in the center of the room. Brightly painted geometric shapes and pictures of Greek heroes and gods decorated the walls. And good luck getting out of bed once you got in. The fluffy, chaise lounge chair like beds were heaven, especially compared to the jail cells and barns they were used to. Their beds were placed equal parts away against the walls with Joe’s bed the closest to the door.

Fred flopped on the bed. “These digs are awesome!”

“Yeah,” Sam said, “except for the murderer running around.”

“Would you relax, Royal Geek? Unless you’re gonna marry Cleopatra, you have no reason to worry.”

“No, but you might, Fred,” Joe teased.” Cleopatra’s real flirty with you.”

Despite Joe’s tone, Fred puffed up his chest. “What can I say? The Queen of the Nile has excellent taste.”

Sam laughed at that. Fred glared at him and asked what was so funny, which made Sam laugh harder.

“You might not have to worry, Fred,” Sam said. “Cleopatra looks more into Izzy now than you.”

Fred tossed a pillow at him, and all three of them laughed.

A knock on the door interrupted their laughter. Joe turned to see Jodie stood at the entrance, Book in hand. “May I come in?”

Fred rolled his eyes. “Why bother asking? You’re gonna come in anyway.”

Jodie waved away his comment. She marched in (pretty much proving Fred’s point) and sat at the foot of Joe’s bed.

Joe motioned towards The Book. “Any luck fixing it?”

Jodie shook her head as she flipped through the pages. “I’ve never had to fix a problem like this before. It’s happened plenty of times, but never while I owned it.”

She looked helplessly through the glitched, buggy pages. Joe couldn’t help but feel for her. To say Jodie was prideful would be an understatement. She prided herself on her appearance, her accomplishments, but most importantly she prided herself on her handling of The Book.

She’d gotten The Book at ten, the same age he did, but had been warping since she was little. At the age of five, she was appointed to Time Page by her uncle Sid, the uncle who passed The Book on to her. Her warp record wasn’t flawless but she’d never once lost The Book on a warp (excluding any Fred-based excursions). She was a stickler when it came to interfering with history, even more so than Sam. Joe knew how important time traveling was to her.

“Would it help if I tell you what happened?” Joe asked.

Her brows scrunched in thought but didn’t look at him. “Possibly.”

He explained what happened with Izzy in ancient Egypt. Joe told her it was an accident, which was true, but didn’t mention that they were trying to find her dad. He’d tell her eventually, once they were home, but for now, fixing The Book was priority number one. He didn’t want to distract Jodie with that can of worms.

When Joe got to the part when Mad Jack shot at The Book, Jodie’s jaw hit the floor. “He shot The Book?! I know he’s crazy but even he’s not crazy enough to do that.”

“I don’t think he did it on purpose. From how Izzy described it, she shielded herself instinctually.”

“Of course she would,” Jodie muttered. “Thanks for telling me, but I don’t think it’ll help us. Not unless you can shoot magic beams at it.”

He couldn’t, but not for lack of trying. He’d practiced shooting lasers from his fingers many times in his room just to see if he could. Of course, he wasn’t about to bring that up in front of Jodie. Or anyone for that matter.

“So what now?” Joe asked.

“It’s not an exact science, but whenever The Book gets damaged, similar damage usually does the trick. Remember when warrior king Fred oh so expertly stabbed The Book with a spear. Twice.”

“Saved your butt,” Fred piped in.

Jodie rolled her eyes but struggled to hide a small smile. “Anyway, in lieu of magical energy bolts, we’ll have to find another way.” She closed The Book and held it reverently in front of her. “I-I hope this works.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled. Her fingers glowed where they touched The Book. She muttered words under her breath over and over until The Book rumbled in her hands like a mini thunderstorm was going on between the pages. The glow died and Jodie flipped through the pages to find that it was… still jumbled. “Shoot!” Jodie slammed The Book shut. “Well, it was worth a shot.”

“What was that?” Joe asked.

“It’s hard to explain... but it’s sort of a soft reboot.”

Joe waited to see if she was kidding, but Jodie didn’t exactly inherit his sense of humor. “Riiiiight. I get it, but maybe you should explain, so Fred and Sam get it.”

Another roll of her eyes. “The Book is like an ancient supercomputer made by people who didn’t quite understand how to make a computer. It’s a patchwork of pieces and features added over time, which is why it’s powerful but volatile. Right now, it's like an iced computer with a single living aperture.”

“Come again?”

“I think she means,” Sam said, “that it’s like a frozen computer with a working window.”

“Oooooh.” It was times like this that reminded Joe that Jodie was from a future with wildly different technologies than his own time.

But what she said made sense. The Book did sort of function like a computer. It had search features and keyboards on some pages. He wondered if it's always worked like this or if adapted to their modern way of doing things. “So do we need to turn it off and on, or is it there some type of control, alt, delete ritual?”

“It's not as easy as pushing a switch.”

“Not how computers work—”

“However they work, this requires real magic. More than the two of us have.” Jodie’s lip curled, her golden-brown eyes narrowed in thought. “I hate to say it, but I think we need Isadora's help.”

Joe wanted to ask why she hated to say it, and what her deal was with Izzy anyway. But something she said didn’t sit right.

“How… how did you know Izzy could use magic?”

Jodie bit her lip. “I-I just assumed she was the one who taught you that annoying levitation trick. I mean, how else would you have learned that?”

“Oh. Right.” He almost forgot about showing off his new tricked. It made sense she’d assume Izzy taught him.

Jodie groaned. “I guess we have to go get her.”

There it was again, her annoyed attitude towards Izzy. “How come you don't like her?”

Jodie looked at him like he just spoke backwards. “Don’t like who?”

Was she for real? It was obvious who he was talking about. He fixed her with a look and she faltered under the glare. “It's not that I don't like her. It's just... I think you should stop hanging out with Isadora. She’s not—”

Suddenly, Jodie shoved The Book back in her satchel. Her face paled and she stared at the floor as if she was afraid if she looked away it would vanish. Joe was about the ask what was wrong when heard a shuffle behind him.

Izzy stood in the doorway. “Uh, h-hey guys. Cleopatra was going to teach us how to play Senet. I wanted to ask if you’d like to join us, but now I realize that might be really boring so forget I was here.”

“Are you kidding?” Sam jumped out of his bed. “The rules of Senet are lost. No way I’m missing that!”

“Count me in.” Fred stood and stretched. “Beats lying around here with no wifi.”

“Did you really expect to have wifi here?”

“No, but it would’ve been nice.”

“We’ll join you guys in a bit,” Joe said. “Jodie and I are finishing up here.”

Fred and Sam nodded and headed off to the girls’ room. Izzy glanced back at them. Concern flashed across her face before disappearing into the hall.

Jodie groaned and faced palmed. “She heard me, didn’t she? Darn it! This is the worst.”

Joe was beyond confused. Jodie wasn’t one to hide how she felt about anything or anyone. If she hated Izzy, why would she care if she knew?

“I don’t know what your deal is with her,” Joe said, “but you should give her a chance. Yeah, she can be a little weird at first but she’s pretty cool and fun. I think you two would get along if you apologize. She’s actually surprisingly forgiving—”

“I don’t hate her!” Jodie snapped. “It’s just…” A heavy sigh. “She shouldn’t be here. Not now. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Okay, that didn’t make any sense. Before he could ask her to elaborate, a shriek followed by a crash echoed through the hall from the girls’ room. Joe and Jodie jumped and rushed to the room, not knowing what was to come when they got there.

[lovelylunarwriting]

Soonyoung College!AU

Dance Therapy Major, with a minor in Astronomy (Astronomical Sciences)

He chose dance as a major because it’s his life passion and something he genuinely enjoys, and more specifically dance therapy because he wants to share dancing with people in a way that can positively influence them and strengthen their quality of life through self expression.

If you ask him about it, prepare for a powerpoint presentation and fifteen minute speech because this boy will go off on how important it is to express yourself.

As for astronomy, he thinks stars are the shit. 

At first he registered as an Astronomy minor because he misread it as “Astrology”

He has a tendency to read way too heavily into horoscopes and will explain in extreme detail how your horoscope relates to the stars. 

One time he told he told Seokmin that he was going to “meet an untimely end” because it said so for Aquarius on the horoscope blog he checks daily.

Seokmin spent the rest of that day following Chan “for security reasons”

Also, anytime Minghao says something snarky, Soonyoung is like “Omg you’re such a Scorpio” 

Soonyoung is very heavily involved on campus, especially with organizations revolving around volunteering.

He just wants to help out whenever he can and give back to the community, whether it be assisting the elderly, helping out with food drives, etc.

Although he enjoys volunteering, don't get the wrong idea- he’s no saint. 

He’s the life of the party everywhere he goes, which is mostly,,,, parties tbh.

And that’s how he ends up fracturing his foot.

After a night of drinking with some of the boys, they were making their way back to the dorms when they passed through the main courtyard, resulting in Seungkwan challenging the group to do something pretty stupid.

Seungkwan : “I bet none of you will jump into the fountain”

Chan: “Of course I won’t, I just bought these shoes?? Why would I ruin them”

Seungkwan : “Because it’s a (dare)”

Soonyoung: “A DARE, YOU SAY??”

Seungkwan : “yES it’s most definitely a dare. Unless you're too chicken...”

Seokmin : “Ooooooo Soonyoung’s a chicken!”

Soonyoung: “Oh yeah? Would a chicken do THIS??”

The boys gather around the flowing fountain in the middle of the courtyard, leaving space for Soonyoung to jump in.

But he doesn't jump in. He cartwheels in.

And slams his foot right on the edge of the fountain. 

There’s an unsettling crack and Soonyoung falls backward into the shallow water.

Seokmin and Chan pull him out and set him on the ground while Seungkwan calls an ambulance. 

When the paramedics arrive, they haul Soonyoung into the ambulance, Chan and Seungkwan jumping in after.

One hospital trip and an unfortunate amount of medical bills later, it turns out that Soonyoung fractured a bone in his foot and won't be able to walk on it for at least six weeks. 

Seungkwan feels terrible and literally w i l l  n o t stop apologizing. 

Seungkwan : “I'm so sorry about this. Had I known you would’ve gotten hurt, I never would have said anything-”

Soonyoung: “Dude it’s fine, it's not like you threw me in. I was the one being reckless”

Seungkwan : “So you're not mad? Our friendship is still going on stronger than ever??”

Soonyoung: “I'm not mad, but you do realize since it was your dare that got me in this position, you have to go explain to my dance instructor why I won't be able to participate”

Seungkwan : “...I guess that's fair”

Chan: “Didn't your instructor completely go off on a girl for walking on the dance floor while wearing stilettos?”

Soonyoung: “Yeah, she's terrifying. Which is why good ol’ Kwannie is going to be a dear and break the news to her for me~”

Seungkwan : “Can't you just break my foot instead?? An eye for an eye kind of thing?”

Soonyoung: “Nope. Next time maybe you'll watch your mouth”

Seungkwan: “And next time you'll watch your step”

Soonyoung: “I’m literally crippled dude, leave me alone”

The night ends with the boys taking an uber back to campus, and each person going to their respective dorms. 

Aka Soonyoung hobbling on crutches into the building (somewhat literally, he almost slipped trying to scan his I.D. card) and then to his room.

The next morning he gets a text from Seungkwan being like “I’ll go with you to tell your dance instructor but I'm not going in alone,'' to which Soonyoung is like “okay that's fair”

They meet up outside the Fine Arts building and brave their way through the halls to admit that They Fucked Up.

When Soonyoung hobbles into the dance studio she’s like “YOUNG MAN WHAT DID YOU DO” and Seungkwan is like “uhh he tripped down the stairs yesterday… real sad”

Soonyoung is like “It-takes-six-weeks-to-heal-bYE” and tries to bolt for the door but forgets the whole,,,, crutches thing,,,, and they slip out from under his arms.

Let’s just say that's not the first time Soonyoung has face planted in the dance room and it definitely won't be the last. 

The professor tells him that even though he can't participate, he needs to show up for class to watch and that he can make up whatever assignments he misses after he heals.

She’s surprisingly nice about it??? And is like “you’re dumb for getting hurt but take care of yourself, you’ll make us all worry”

Anyway, let’s move on to you~

You know who Soonyoung is because you've had classes with him before but you've never really talked to him??

He was always "that kid watching Netflix on his laptop in the back of the lecture hall"

Which is tempting but when you're paying to take these classes,,,, you don't wanna waste your money and time by not trying your best

His friends would frequently wait for him outside the building to grab lunch after their classes, since they all had classes in the same cluster of buildings at similar times

They're a difficult group not to notice,,,, such loud and rowdy boys are hard to miss 

This semester you don't have any classes with Soonyoung, and don't think anything of it until you barely hear someone over the roar of your earbuds shout your name and to hold the elevator 

Looking up from your phone, you're shocked to see Soonyoung on crutches furiously shuffling to get to the elevator before it closes 

You wordlessly mash the "open doors" button a few times, and he sighs, slowing his pace and trudging into the small space.

You consider just keeping in your earbuds but curiosity gets the better of you

"So umm.... what happened?", you ask, popping out a single earbud.

Soonyoung's face goes from tired to panicked real quick and at first you regret asking, but then he explains how he fell down a flight of stairs and you're more at ease, but not completely. 

Your dance major friends have dragged you to their showcases, and you've seen Soonyoung dance. it seems weird that someone so balanced and elegant could just fall like that. 

You: "Were you drunk?"

Soonyoung: "I- what? Why would you ask that?"

You: "Ahh, so you're not denying it. That makes a lot more sense, you're much too graceful to slip out of the blue"

Soonyoung: "...you've seen me dance?"

You: "Yeah, I've got friends who dance and I go to their recitals to support them. You're really good, by the way"

With that comment, Soonyoung turns to face away from you and you think you may have said something wrong on accident until you notice the tips of his ears burning bright red. 

"He's shy.... that's pretty cute", you think to yourself.

The elevator dings, signalling your arrival on the second floor. You step out and surprisingly, Soonyoung follows.

Apparently the "nani???" face you're making is a lot more communicative than you’d intended, because Soonyoung is like "I live,,,, across the hall from you...."

Now it's your turn to be embarrassed because,,,, how the hell did you not notice that

He goes on to ask you if you could help him get into his room- something about not being sure about balances crutches and keys, and before he can even finish asking, you’re like “yep! Gimme them keys” to try and move on from the “how could you not know I live right across from you” thing

You open the door and prop it open all the way so that Soonyoung can hobble on in, then you go ahead and help him get settled on the couch so he doesn’t topple over trying to stand.

You: “Okay, is there anything else you need?” you ask, handing him back his key and trying really hard not to blush when your fingers brush against his..

Soonyoung: “I mean,,,,, I don’t need anything, but if you want to stay and hang out for a while, that’d be nice. It’s no fun wallowing in self pity all alone and Seokmin won’t be here for like three hours”

Thinking about what day of the week it is and then checking your watch, you conclude that you don’t have any classes or labs left today and agree to stay for a bit.

You: “Actually, let me head to my dorm to drop off my bag and grab some snacks, alright?”

He nods his head vigorously at the mention of food so you make sure to come back with more than enough snacks for the both of you.

If someone had told you this morning that you’d spend your evening laughing and playing Wii Sports with Soonyoung of all people, you’d tell them they’re crazy, but here the two of you are, acting like old friends would.

After defeating him in tennis more times than he feels comfortable admitting, he checks the time on his phone and sees that it’s like,,, r e a l late.

Soonyoung: “It’s this late and Seokmin hasn’t come home yet?? What if something happened to him?”

Seokmin: “I walked in literal hours ago. I said hello to you. You said hello back. I’ve been in my room ever since???”, he says from the doorway to his room.

Honestly, you hadn’t noticed him either. Soonyoung is such a bright person inside and out that it’s easy to get caught up in him.

You: “Well since it’s getting late I should probably head back to my dorm. Gimme your phone real quick?”

Soonyoung: “You could at least ask me out before putting your number in my phone,'' he says, peering over your shoulder at the glowing TV screen.

You: “I’m putting my number in your phone in case you fall and need someone to help you. Since I’m right across the hall I’d be the closest person other than Seokmin who probably isn’t too pleased with you,,,, since we forgot he was here,,,,,”

Soonyoung: “Oh. Okay that works, too” he says sheepishly, hoping you’ll forget about the whole “ask me out” comment. 

He has to hobble around for the next six weeks so saving any fraction of pride that’s left is his main objective.

That and not dying of boredom. He has a feeling that the two of you will be playing a lot of mario kart.

Maybe next time you’ll let him win?? Odds aren’t for it though.

Seeing his frustrated little pout whenever you pass him and getting to see him get all mad when you blue shell him is just too impossibly adorable to pass up.

And you refuse to lose. But anyway-

The next few days pass by as they normally do, not particularly eventful in any way. 

That is until you get a text from an unknown number that creeps you out before you realize it's just Soonyoung.

Unknown Number: "hey boo are you home? ;)))))"

Your Phone: "I'm just walking in the building, why?", you text back, adding him to your contacts.

The Lovely Kwon Soonyoung: "oh thank goodness pleaSE come over, Seokmin put my laptop on top of the bookshelf as revenge and I have an essay due at midnight!!＼(;´□｀)/"

You Phone: "Okay, I'll be right there!" 

The Lovely Kwon Soonyoung: "THANK YOU MY ANGEL!!!～(^з^)-♡"

Reading that last text jump-starts your heart, and you almost drop your phone.

Stepping out of the elevator, instead of taking a right into your room, you turn to the left and knock on Soonyoung's door.

The door swings open almost instantly and you're met with a very pouty looking Soonyoung.

Laughing to yourself but mostly at him, you step inside and peer around for the bookshelf.

Once you spot it, you drag a chair over and begin to step up on it when Soonyoung interjects.

Soonyoung: "What are you doing??"

You: "I'm getting your laptop! I can't reach it without standing on something"

Soonyoung: "But that's dangerous!"

You: "More dangerous than cartwheeling into a concrete fountain?"

Soonyoung: "..."

You: "Chan told me. He's in my Sociology class"

Soonyoung: "So you knew and yet still agreed to help me?"

You: "Of course! That's what friends are for, right?,” you say as you step up onto the chair once again, missing the falter in Soonyoung's smile.

He doesn't say anything but you can tell that he's hobbling over to you due to the distinct clicking sound of his crutches hitting the hardwood floor.

When his hands find your waist, you forget how to breathe for a moment, looking down to him as he gives you a reassuring nod.

"He's just helping you balance. It's not a big deal", you tell yourself, and yet the warmth of his hands on your hips has your heart racing.

Focusing solely on the task at hand, you reach up, retrieve his laptop, and take the hand he offers as you step down from the chair.

The two of you keep your hands locked together longer than necessary, but don’t say anything about it,,,,

"Is that all you need?,” you ask, dropping his hand and setting his laptop down on what has to be his bed (the Shinee posters are a dead give away) 

You looking anywhere but at him, afraid that you'll accidentally reveal more of how you feel than you want to.

“That’s,,, that’s it. You can stay for a bit if you want, though? I found Seokmin’s snack stash”, he offers and as nice as it sounds, you decline.

“You have an essay to write and I have,,,, something I need to do so i’mgonnagonowbye”, you manage to say, power walking out of his dorm room and even more quickly into yours.

Your roommate takes one look at your wide eyes and obvious blush and is like “,,,,this is about a boy isn’t it”, to which you eloquently reply for them to “mind their own business and yeaH maybe it iS”

The next morning you jolt up in bed, breaking out of your dream somewhat forcefully.

It wasn’t even a bad dream- it was just you and Soonyoung hanging out like you did the other day but instead of being on opposite sides of the couch you were,,,, a lot closer, to say the least.

As soon as Dream Soonyoung leaned in for a kiss, your subconscious dragged you back into reality.

Why is it that dreams always end right before to good part?

Grumbling to yourself, but not too loudly so you don’t wake up your roommate, you grab your bag, swing it over your shoulder, and step into the hall.

So does Soonyoung. Who shoots you a smile and a wink, while you stand there looking like a deer in headlights.

“Something wrong?,” he asks with a confused tilt of the head.

“No no it’s just- those morning classes ya know? Getting up this early is rough, ahaha”, you say trying to play off your initial weirdness, and Soonyoung seems to take the bait, complaining about his early dance class all the way out of the building.

“I normally don’t mind getting up this early if I get my body moving but,,, having to watch everyone else dance instead is kind of torture”, he admits.

“That does seem like it would be tough. If it gets too frustrating and you need someone to vent to, send me a text alright? My next class is three hours long and super boring so I’ll definitely be on my phone anyway”, you say.

He agrees and the two of you go your separate ways, you heading to your class and him heading to his.

Throughout the whole dull lecture you can’t help but check your messages every so often, just hoping that he’s texted you.

1.) Because you enjoy talking to him and 2.) Because the class is really that dull.

Feeling your phone vibrate, you open the messaging app to see about exactly what you expected.

The Lovely Kwon Soonyoung: “It's been thirty minutes and I already wanna die”

Your Phone: “Please don't, who else would I destroy at Mario Kart??”

The Lovely Kwon Soonyoung: “(╥﹏╥)”

Your Phone: “I'm kidding~! And actually I have something that I think might help. When’s your last class of the day end?”

The Lovely Kwon Soonyoung: “Like 5:30 in the Science building. Astronomy lecture”

Your Phone: “I'll meet you there with take out, alright?”

The Lovely Kwon Soonyoung: “my angel leads me through these dark times once again (ToT)”

Your Phone: “stop with the crying emoticons or I'm not buying you dinner”

The Lovely Kwon Soonyoung: “SIR, YES SIR!”

You can’t help but let out a small giggle as you go back to playing solitaire on your phone. 

Soonyoung’s gotta be the most beautifully ridiculous person you’ve ever met, but at least there’s never a dull moment when it comes to him.

A promise is a promise!! Which is why you find yourself sitting criss-cross on one of the benches outside the science building at about 5:30.

“What kind of person signs up for classes so late in the day,,,,,” you mumble to the bag of Chinese food in your lap.

“THIS GUY!!”, an all too familiar voice shouts from behind you.

You turn to glare at Soonyoung but find it difficult once you see his signature cheesy grin.

A brief walk and much too crowded elevator ride later, you and Soonyoung sit on his bed as you explain your idea to him (and break into the lo mein)

"You're frustrated because you can't express yourself, right?,” you ask.

"Exactly. I don't know what to do with myself if I'm not able to dance"

"That's exactly it- dance isn't the only form of self expression. There's singing, art, photography, scrapbooking, instruments, graffiti-"

"I can barely stand on these crutches and you want me spray painting under bridges,,,," Soonyoung complains.

"You know what I mean. There are other things we can do"

"We?,” he says with a playful smile.

"I- I didn't mean like,,,, you can do whatever you want on your own, you don't have to include me-"

"Hey! Hold up, I was just playing around. I want to spend time with you. Who else will make fun of me when my stick figures end up looking like a bunch of random lines?", he says.

"That's true. Alright, I'll be right back", you say, getting up and heading to the door.

"What? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go get some glitter pens and paper from my desk, geez. Clingy much?"

"I can't help it, I just want to be with you,,,," he says jokingly, but you blush regardless.

That comment sends you flying out of the room before your heart beats out of your chest.

Being around Soonyoung goes from "we're comfortable friends" to "ahahaha yeah but I adore him" way too quickly to be able to cope properly.

Taking a moment to recover, you wander back across the hall with paper and pens in hand, plopping them down on Soonyoung’s bed.

The two of you spend the night doodling poor renditions of each other and drawing whatever comes to mind.

Honestly, you can’t imagine any other way you’d rather spend your time. With Soonyoung, you have the most fun and feel the most comfortable.

Your other friends are great, don’t get the wrong idea, but with Soonyoung there’s just something,,,, different.

Like if the people in your life were cupcakes, he’d be the one with sprinkles and edible glitter on top. He’s that special.

The next few days, and before you know it- weeks- go by with you and Soonyoung exploring new crafts and spending every free moment together.

Your usual table and friends that you eat lunch with have been bombarded with Soonyoung and his gang of hyper boys (Chan, Seokmin, Seungkwan, and the occasional Mingyu)

Luckily they all get along, and are enjoyable to be around. Even if the table is much more cramped and significantly louder than before.

Most of your time is spent with one another though, whether it be trying and hopelessly failing to fold paper cranes or even looking up YouTube videos of “How to Mime Like a Pro”

The more time you spend together, the more difficult it becomes to deny your feelings for him.

Especially because he’s prone to saying flirty things in such a deadpan tone that it’s hard to tell if he’s joking. But he does it so frequently that you’re pretty sure he has feelings with you. He doesn’t flirt with anyone else like that from what you’ve seen.

He may seem like an open book, but a lot of the time it’s hard to tell what he’s really thinking

So you do the Logical Person thing and vow to never talk about your feelings for fear of making it Weird

Which wasn’t too bad at first,,,, but after spending an ungodly amount of time together, you’re so smitten for him it’s all you can think about.

And you need to think about your GPA. Emotions are becoming genuinely distracting.

But alas, your persist out of sheer stubbornness (and fear of rejection)

One day, you’re doing your usual “out and about, creative task” with Soonyoung and it happens to be photography, one of your personal favorites.

The combination of doing things you love with the person you’re crushing hard on has you smiley the entire time, and Soonyoung notices.

“You’re in quite a good mood today? Something I should know about?”, he asks.

“Things seem to be falling into place, ya know? The beginning of the semester was so hectic but now that I’ve gotten into more of a routine, everything seems,,, okay. Better than okay, even”, you answer, snapping a few shots of Soonyoung dramatically posting on a bench.

“Yeah, I mean you didn’t have me at the beginning of the year”, Soonyoung comments nonchalantly as you almost drop your much-to-pricey camera.

“I,,,, I mean yeah,,, there’s other things too though”

“Another man? Hmm… so I’ve got competition, huh?”

Heart feeling like it’s gonna burst out of your throat, instead of amused and flattered with his usual flirty nature, you find yourself frustrated. 

Unable to hide your change in mood, you lower the camera.

Soonyoung stands up off the bench and wobbles on over to you. Usually you’d try and meet him halfway but you’re too lost in thought. Perceptive as he is, of course he notices.

“Hey, are you okay? I’m just messing with you”, he says, probably trying to be comforting but it feels like you can’t breathe.

“Are you though? Just messing with me?”, you begin to snap, unable to keep how you really feel inside even a moment longer.

“What? I would never”

“Okay, then what’s your goal? To endlessly flirt with me but never actually make a move? What’s your end-game, here? To lead me on until you find someone better??”

“...there isn’t someone better. There isn’t anyone better”, he says softly, taking a few slow steps closer to you.

“Then do something about it”, you say quietly, looking up into his eyes with such ferocity it makes his own eyes widen.

“Fine! Maybe I will, then”, he snaps.

Soonyoung drops his crutches (practically throws them, honestly), swings one arm around your waist and pulls you towards him. More gently now, he cups your right cheek and kisses you with such passion that you kind of forget to breathe.

Much too quickly for your liking, he pulls away and lets you go. Neither of you say anything.

It’s the slightest bit awkward and a lot of things have been left unsaid,,,, but after that kiss you mostly get where he’s coming from

So you raise your camera and aim to take a photo of him. To your surprise, he bursts into laughter.

And so you do too.

For the next half hour or so, it becomes a game of camera tag essentially,

Soonyoung’s current state gives you an unfair advantage of catching up to him quite easily to try and snap unflattering photos of him.

At one point, he shuffles out of your sight. As you swing around a tree to continue your search, you end up crashing straight into him, sending both of you crashing to the ground.

If it weren’t for the autumn leaves, it probably would’ve hurt a lot more than it did.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?”, you ask, laying on Soonyoung’s chest.

“Dude forget me- is the camera okay? It’s like 600 bucks!”, he says.

“I don’t care about that! You’re more important than a stupid camera”, you gripe and to your surprise, he starts blushing.

“I,,, didn’t realize I meant that much to you”

“More than 600 dollars?”

“No, I mean,,,,, I thought you were just spending time with me because you felt bad that I got myself injured”, he confesses.

“Wha- Soonyoung. We literally just kissed earlier today. I don’t kiss people out of pity”

Cue more blushing from both parties

“,,,well that’s good,,,, because I like you,,, and stuff”, he mumbles, making every effort to avoid eye contact (even though you’re literally On him).

“Well I like you too and stuff. So I’ll even consider helping you up”, you say, grinning so hard your cheeks muscles begin to ache.

The rest of the day with Soonyoung goes by mostly normally, not including the hand holding and even more blatant cheesy flirting.

You guys make it official a few days later after Soonyoung overthinks everything and texts you at 4 am on a Tuesday to Confirm that you actually wanna be his s/o

To which you reply “yea. now go to sleep loser<3”

Y’all have a very chill and sweet relationship.

You’re super duper comfortable, but like,,,, almost too comfortable in the eyes of your friends.

Soonyoung will let out the most mighty burp and instead of being grossed out, you just give him a score out of ten.

“Five”

“What do you mean five?! Did you hear that??”

“Five and a half. You can do better and you know it”

And after a little while, Soonyoung gets his cast off!!

He goes back to dancing, and every day you text him “be careful you f o o l” right before his classes. Because even though he’s healed, that isn’t gonna stop you from worrying.

You thought that once he got back to dancing, he might not wanna draw and take photos with you anymore, but honestly it’s the opposite.

He’ll barge into your dorm room and say something along the lines of “if I have to do one more pirouette I’m gonna do a stag leap off the roof of the student union” and then doodle various farm animals with you.

This happens more often than he’d like to admit, but you thoroughly enjoy his company regardless.

He also gets to vent while drawing, so that’s a plus, too. He’s the kind of guy that has trouble telling people when he’s feeling down, so you appreciate that he’ll talk to you about it.

Overall, y’all relationship is cute and goals, even if it began in the most unconventional way.

[prodigal-imagines]

White Wedding - Malcolm Whitly/Bright - Part 2

flightlessbirdie suggested a part two so here we go! She also suggested using the song, Jackie and Wilson by Hozier during the actual wedding. This part is told from y/n’s view. 

Warnings: None, fluff, kissing the bride, cuteness

Who would have thought this would happen, you think to yourself, the grand double doors in front of you practically looming over you. That I would ever get married, much less to someone as great as Malcolm. You and Malcolm had a bit of time to warm up to each other, him being a profiler consultant for the police department at the time you joined the team had him put seniority over you. You and JT had clicked almost immediately, and that intimidated Malcolm, who spent months struggling to get JT to warm up to him, and you came along, this gorgeous goddess, and had JT laughing and bringing your favorite coffees to work every day.

He never told you, but he got jealous. He was weary of the newcomer being of any use to the team, but admired your friendliness and how easy victims and suspects warmed up to you to talk to you in interrogations. You were astounded at his ability to form a profile and find the person that you were looking for with such ease, almost like he was a serial killer himself.

You knew about his past, his father, and everything. You watched the documentary his sister had done on their father, watched with suspicion as the patient that screamed off camera about wanting to be filmed stab the man that held the camera, and watched with realization as Martin Whitly, stereotypical narcissist, swoops in and saved the day, saving the cameraman. You didn’t buy any of it. It was clear the man planned to get the cameraman injured to save his life, look like a hero on a documentary spent villianizing him. 

When you finally met Malcolm, the Prodigal Son (Dani had mentioned he referred to himself that way before), you couldn’t see it. You saw the signs of course, of a broken man with horrors embedded deep in his mind, the horrible PTSD he still struggles with so many years later, but you didn’t see his father. You never saw his father in him, the man he fought so hard to rid himself of. You saw this unique man that was smarter than anyone combined, one you wanted to get to know. 

So the first time Edrisa came in the room and flirted with Malcolm, blatantly flirted with, you were surprised by the glare radiating from your eyes, toward the sweet girl, and was seething when Malcolm blushed, looking away from her, towards you. A glare he didn’t miss, which made his eyebrows furrow, and caused him to make a mental note and investigate further. 

Which he did, he would read on flirting, because this kid couldn’t remember the last time he needed to flirt, and would come into work, having memorized your coffee order off of JT, present you with the warm beverage, and kneel down to your eye level, and whisper, “You look gorgeous today” before winking, straightening himself back up, and disappearing, leaving you flushed, flustered, and smiling.

So you, one not known for stepping down from a challenge, decided to up the ante. You picked him up in the morning to go to work every day, the same time every morning, without fail. He insisted you didn't have to, knowing the route was out of the way for you, but you did it anyway. He'd leave his home, see you sitting on the hood of your car, smiling softly, holding out a caffeinated drink enough to keep any normal person awake for six years, but perfect for him.

You would pull him into a hug, linger a couple seconds too long, and he would be hyper aware of your breath on his ear, before you would pull away and climb into the car. He fell in love with you quickly after that.

You, however, took longer. He was obviously in love with you for months before you even realized his flirting wasn't jokes anymore. It took a night out with Dani for you to realize. She had to practically create a PowerPoint presentation for you to see it, and even then you didn't believe it. You were nowhere near as intellectual as Edrisa, who was constantly with him at the precinct, or as pretty as Dani, who he bonded with over time. You just couldn't see it, you couldn't see him as possibly available, so you avoided feelings as much as possible.

So it came as a surprise when you had to save Malcolm from having a gun against his temple, because of course only Malcolm, and your chest hurt from the fear of losing him. The fear of seeing defeat in his eyes. His never left your own, saying all the words he couldn't. "Y/n..." His voice whispered out, almost a good bye, and you pulled the trigger, barely avoiding Malcolm's own temple, embedding into the man behind him.

Malcolm didn't even jump when the suspect collapsed, the gun going with it. He didn't even look away or blink. So you dropped your own gun, and kissed him. Kissed him like his life depended on it, in a way, it sort of did.

The sound of the doors creaking open pulled you from your reverie, and there is Malcolm, standing there at the end of the aisle, looking as gorgeous and perfect as always. JT holds your arm as you walk down the aisle, your best friend as your father is no longer here to do so. He would never admit it but you can see his eyes glowing with tears.

You two make it to Malcolm, and JT sends you off with a, "you hurt her, your dead, Bright" to which Malcolm cracks a smile to, before nodding. "I'd rather jump off a bridge myself, JT." He responds.

The ceremony is quiet, only the voice of the wedding officiator, Ainsley Whitly, who went through the process to be able to do this, only for Malcolm and your wedding. "We will now hear their vows" she says, turning to her brother. "Malcolm?"

He takes a deep breath, and locks eyes with you, just like when he had a gun to his head, except this time he looks excited. "I spent months trying to think of what to say and write down," he begins, "but this isn't something you can prepare to say. Y/n, I love you. You have changed my world, and have treated me like my own person, not like I was my father's son. So.... Thank you." The crowd behind you two chuckle, and you smile warmly.

"y/n?" Ainsley asks.

"unlike this man," I shoot a look to the man in front of me, "I prepared my vows, because I suck at speaking. Malcolm Whitly, I can't believe it took us this long to get here. I've never felt this way about anyone before, but I'm glad I found you, and you found me. We saved each other, in more ways than anything and I can't thank you enough. I love you so much." He leans down to kiss you but Ainsley swats him on the arm, causing the crowd to laugh. "Not yet!"

So tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes

No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight

So deep in the swirl with the most familiar swine

For reasons wretched and divine

Malcolm and you were an awe to be seen on the dance floor, your first dance together, and Malcolm had picked a song he feels went beautifully for your relationship, the woman that saved him.

She blows out of nowhere, roman candle of the wild

Laughing away through my feeble disguise

No other version of me I would rather to be tonight

Lord she found me just in time

He holds you close, singing the lyrics softly in your ear, drowning out the noise around you. He sounds like an angel, with so much confidence you'd think he wrote the lyrics himself.

'Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done

I need to be youthfully felt, 'cause God I never felt young

She's gonna save me call me baby run her hands through my hair

She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily, but yet she wouldn't care

We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin' up clues

We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, 'raise em on rhythm and blues

Lord it'd be great to find a place we could escape sometime

Me and my isis growing black irises in the sunshine

Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside

Sit back and watch the world go by

Happy to lie back, watch it burn and rust

We tried to work, good God it wasn't for us

They don't hear anyone else anymore in the reception, can't see anyone else. All that is left is you and Malcolm, the Whitly's, the two that never let anything get in their way. It's now you two against the world.

She's gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair

She'll know me crazy soothe me daily but yet she wouldn't care

We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride round pickin' up clues

We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise 'em on rhythm and Blues

Cut clean from the dream that night, let my mind reset

Looking up from the cigarette, she's already left

I start thinking of the art for what's left of me and our little vignette

For whatever pour soul is coming next

She's gonna save me, call me baby, run her hands through my hair

She'll know me crazy soothe me daily but yet she wouldn't care

We'll steal her Lexus, be detectives, ride around pickin' up clues

We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson, raise 'em on rhythm and Blues

The song comes to a close and Malcolm ends the dance with you dipped, looking up at the man you chose to spend your life with. Your smiling at him and he's smiling at you. "We aren't naming our children Jackie and Wilson" You say as he pulls you up, kissing you.

He laughs and the sound is beautiful. "Of course not" he agrees, leaving his arms around you. "Mrs. Whitly"

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