#hes adorable but i gave him split pupils so just in case!

[mightbemod]

MORE JOSUKE!!!!! 💖

wanted to screw around with his design some more :D Yasuho put the mlp bandaid on him <3

Redraw of this:

[siancore]

Pairing: Sarah Wilson x Bucky Barnes

Rating: E

Words: 4k+

Summary: Bucky and Sarah navigate their burgeoning relationship and remember how they used to be good at this relationship stuff.

AO3

“Sex can be good. Sex can be healthy. It can be fun.”

Dr. Raynor’s words still rang in Bucky’s head. The words she said to him after he had admitted that he wanted to start dating. That he wanted more intimate forms of human touch. That he was interested in exploring a sexual relationship with someone. Dr. Raynor had said those words to Bucky when he became doubtful of his own wishes. When he had said it was probably complicated in the current day and age. Her words came back to him as he walked hand-in-hand with Sarah up to her doorstep.

Sex was out of the question at that moment, he reminded himself. It was only their second official date. And Sarah probably wasn’t that interested in Bucky. She was probably just doing him a favor. Probably too sweet and kind to turn him down when he asked her out.

Bucky groaned internally and chided that voice in his head. Sarah may not like him as much as he liked her, but she liked him. He was not a charity case. She wanted to go out with him. She had agreed to the first date, and the second. She liked him. She did. She was still holding his hand – and staring at him under the porchlight, a somewhat amused grin on her pretty face.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost missed the little squeeze Sarah gave his hand.

“I had a great time,” she said, biting her lip.

Damn it.

His gaze fell to her mouth. Soft and inviting. She was so close he could lean down and kiss her. He could. If she wanted to. If she wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her.

“Bucky?” Sarah asked, drawing him from his thoughts. “You okay? What’s on your mind?”

“Sorry,” he replied, almost sheepish. “Just thinkin’ about how it sure would be nice to kiss you.”

“Oh,” said Sarah, her eyes wide and that adorable smile gracing her lips.

“I mean, if that’s something you’d be interested in,” Bucky proffered, growing a little flustered. He remembered he used to be good at this. “Sorry, Sarah. I used to be good at this.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she said, inching closer. “You’re so cute and doing way better than I am. I don’t think I was ever good at this.”

They both shared a coy smile.

“I find that hard to believe,” he said, relaxing more. “You’ve had me charmed since the moment I met you.”

Sarah giggled. Actually giggled, and Bucky felt his tummy do a hundred somersaults.

“Stop,” she said playfully, swatting at his chest. He caught her hand gently in his and drew her closer.

“You’re so goddamn adorable, Sarah Wilson,” Bucky said as he stared into her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sarah replied, as she brought Bucky’s hands to rest at her waist. She draped her arms over his shoulders. “You gonna keep talking or kiss me?”

Bucky let out a little laugh before he pressed his lips to Sarah’s. In a split second, he thought his mind might have gone blank. That he may have forgotten how to kiss someone. Instead, he was focused on their kiss. He was focused on Sarah. She was sweet. She tasted of the mulled wine they had shared at dinner. She was so sweet for him. She melted against his body. Parted her lips for his tongue and lapped at it with her own. Threaded her fingers through his hair. She was so, so sweet for him. She let out a little moan when his hand cupped her backside and pulled her nearer.

Bucky needed her to be closer. He wanted to be enveloped by her. He wanted to be swallowed up by her. He wanted her. He wanted Sarah. God, he wanted her so much. He wanted to give himself to her. He would do anything she wanted in that moment. Anything.

He would – he. He.

Damn it, he was beyond aroused. He was straining the front of his jeans. He had to pull away.

Bucky broke their kiss. Sarah’s eyes opened, her pupils blown wide from desire, and she pouted. She pouted and Bucky wanted to push her against the wall and kiss that pout right off of her perfect lips. Instead, he fought to catch his breath. He caressed the side of her face. He stared wordlessly into her pretty brown eyes.

“Why’d you stop?” she asked in a whisper, her gaze falling to his lips.

“I don’t know,” Bucky replied in earnest. “Needed to catch my breath.”

He ran his thumb under Sarah’s chin and tilted her head up ever so slightly.

“You are literally breathtaking, Sarah Wilson.”

She smiled and blessed him with a coy little giggle.

“Is that all o’ that nineteen-forties charm I read about?”

“No, ma’am,” Bucky replied. “Just the truth about you. You’re a real Dollface, Sarah. Pretty as a picture.”

Sarah smiled brightly and placed both hands to Bucky’s chest, before saying, “You’re not so bad yourself.”

They shared another kiss before they were interrupted by Sam swinging the front door open, with a trash bag in his hand.

“Sam!” Sarah admonished as Bucky instinctively stepped away from her.

“Shit, sorry,” Sam offered sheepishly. “Didn’t hear y’all out here. I’ll just – yeah. I’ll leave this and come back for it later.”

Sam placed the trash down and went back inside. Sarah’s face was warm, and Bucky looked kind of mortified.

“I should go,” said Bucky as he ran a hand through his hair. “That was awkward.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No! No, don’t be sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Raincheck?” asked Sarah, her pout returning.

“Absolutely,” said Bucky as he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “Goodnight, Sarah.”

Sarah smiled at him sweetly and said, “Night, Bucky.”

xXxXx

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with sex. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with finding someone else after your husband’s gone. It’s a natural thing. Don’t you go and feel bad about it.”

Miss Pattie’s words rang in Sarah’s ears as she pushed the cart through the drug aisle of their local supermarket. AJ and Cass were skipping along ahead of her as she stopped at the section that housed the prophylactics. Sarah glanced around, self-conscious, as if she were a teenager, as she picked up a box of condoms and quickly examined it.

Oh Lord.

She hadn’t needed to do this in years. Why did it feel like a huge task? Was she jumping the gun? Sarah used to be good at this. She knew that she wanted to take things a step further with Bucky. She was certain that he wanted the same. But they hadn’t really spoken about it. About having sex.

Sarah hadn’t been with anyone since her late husband. She hadn’t wanted to be with anyone else until now. There was something about Bucky Barnes that endeared him to Sarah. Perhaps it was his caring nature. The way he was so honest about who he was, even if it hurt. How he was charming and funny. How he did not look at Sarah with that hint of pity that everyone else did, whether they meant to or not.

He just looked at her like he wanted her and everything that came with it.

Sarah smiled to herself at that thought. Bucky wanted her and she wanted him. She dropped a small box of condoms into the shopping cart and kept walking, biting back her smile of anticipation.

…..

Bucky was already at the Wilson residence while Sarah was getting AJ and Cass ready for their outing with Sam. Sam took the boys to a local old movie theatre at least once a month and they indulged in candy, popcorn, and films from yesteryear that the boys didn’t really have the chance to see. Tom Hanks’ Big was showing that evening and Sam was as excited as his nephews to be getting out of the house.

“Be good for Uncle Sam,” said Sarah as she fussed over her sons, fixing their clothing and straightening their glasses.

“Yes, ma’am,” both boys answered in unison.

“And Sam don’t go filling them up on too much sugar,” said Sarah as she moved on to fuss over Sam’s clothing by straightening his collar.  

Sam smoothed down Sarah’s hair, pressed a kiss to her brow, and said, “Yeah, yeah. Don’t you two go havin’ too much fun without us.”

Sam waggled his eyebrows at Sarah and earned himself a punch to his arm for his troubles.

…..

It was maddening, thought Sarah, as Bucky’s lips moved over her neck. The pleasant roughness of his stubble ghosted over by the heat of his breath and the softness of his lips. Eager pink lips pressed claiming kisses to Sarah’s skin. The swirl of his tongue tasting her and soothing where his teeth had been. Sarah’s head was spinning. Her sex was throbbing. Her body was alight. Her skin seared from Bucky’s attentions. He pulled her onto his lap, and she went without resistance. Straddling Bucky on the couch in the living room. Allowing him to suck love-bites onto her like she was a teenager again. She threaded her fingers through his hair and whispered incoherent praises that dissipated into the dimly lit night.

“You’re so beautiful, Sarah,” Bucky murmured close to her ear. “So goddamn beautiful.”

A delightful shiver quaked through her body and caused her breath to hitch. His lips moved from her ear, back to her neck, and then lower to her collarbone. Bucky’s right hand teetered at the hem of Sarah’s blouse before slipping underneath. His palm felt hot against her back. His hold was firm, keeping Sarah in place while he peppered kisses over her clavicle.

Sarah rolled her hips and brushed herself against Bucky’s arousal; his hardness pressed against where she was most soft. He let out a moan and ceased his attentions, resting his head against her shoulder.

She barely had the presence of mind to ask, “You okay?”

Bucky breathed against her skin and said, “Yeah. Yeah, just – shit.”

“Do you want to stop or?”

“No, Beautiful. I’m good. I just – I need a minute. Gettin’ too far ahead of myself. I need to calm down.”

“Oh,” said Sarah as she shifted from Bucky’s lap and slumped down next to him. “Sorry.”

“No, no. It’s not – it ain’t anything you’ve done wrong, Sarah,” he proffered sincerely as he reached over and took her hand. “I just. I feel like I’m gonna explode I want you so much.”

“You can have me,” she said, scarcely above a whisper. “You know that, right? I want you, too. You can have me if you want me.”

Bucky brought Sarah’s hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.

“I do want you. I just wanna be able to take my time with you,” he admitted. “I haven’t been with anyone since – since before I went off to the War. I’m a little outta practice. I wanna show you a good time, Sarah. It’s what you deserve.”

Sarah nodded her head.

“I haven’t been with anyone since my late husband,” she explained; Bucky gave her hand a squeeze. “But I’m ready. I’m ready to be with you. Lord, I’m so ready. I want this. I want it with you, Bucky.”

He gave her a gentle smile and caressed her face.

“I want this with you, too,” he promised. “Just not like this. Not on your couch where Sam can burst in and catch us. I want to spend all night with you. Make love to you just how you need me to without us havin’ to watch the clock.  I – I just want it to be good for you.”

Sarah smiled, kissed his cheek, and then rested her head against his shoulder.

“I want it to be good for you, too,” she replied, holding his hand in hers.

“As long as it’s with you,” Bucky replied, giving her hand a squeeze. “I know it will be.”

…..

When Sam, AJ, and Cass returned home, they found Sarah and Bucky in the living room awash in the glow of light from the television. Bucky held a finger to his lips to ensure the Wilson brood were silent as they entered the space. His other hand was busy stroking Sarah’s hair as she slept soundly with her head resting in his lap.

 xXxXx

There was a lot of hustle and bustle happening around them as AJ showed Bucky videos on his device while Sarah explained to Cass again how long they would be gone for and when they’d be returning home. Sarah and Bucky were awaiting their flight to depart to Washington DC. Sam was being honored at a gala event, and his both of his plus ones decided to go with each other. Hence the reason Sarah, her children, Bucky, and her and Sam’s Titi were waiting. The boys were there to see their mother and Bucky off. They would be gone for a whole weekend. Sarah hadn’t had a whole weekend away from her children ever. She sat bouncing her knee nervously; Bucky placed a hand to her thigh in an attempt to calm her nerves.

She glanced at Bucky and gave him a sweet smile, before saying, “I’m just not used to sitting still.”

He smiled back at her and said, “I know.”

Then, he reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. He took out a crisp twenty-dollar bill and said, “Boys, why don’t you take your Ma to get something sweet to eat.”

Cass looked down at the note and said, “We’re gonna need more than that.”

Sarah went to chide her son, but Bucky waved it off and retrieved another twenty. Both boys took a bill each and then pulled their mother to her feet.

“Thank you,” said Sarah as she leaned down and pecked Bucky’s lips with hers before Cass and AJ dragged her away in search of candy.

“Oh, now aren’t your kids just the cutest,” said the elderly woman who was seated across from Bucky at the airport. “Your family is beautiful.”

He smiled widely at her (while not bothering to make the correction), looked out after Sarah and the boys, and said, “They sure are.”

The sense of pride that welled inside of Bucky’s chest at the notion of people thinking Sarah was his wife, and her sons were his sons, made Bucky feel all nice and warm. He could get used to it.

xXxXx

The gala went off without a hitch. Sam charmed everyone and spoke about the importance of hearing the voices of people whose voices have generally been silenced, erased, or ignored. Sarah was on his arm for most of the evening being introduced to so many people she couldn’t even remember their names. Bucky was nearby, alert, and ready for if something was to go wrong.

“You’re glaring,” said Sarah as she sidled up to Bucky; his face immediately brightened as he took her hand and appraised her outfit once again.

“And you’re stunning,” he said, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

“Don’t change the subject,” said Sarah as she leaned into Bucky’s embrace. “Why the long face?”

“Sorry,” he said.

“No need for apologies. If you’re not having a good time, we can leave.”

“Just not used to this many people in a social situation.”

“Okay, then, let’s leave.”

Bucky rubbed the back of his neck and said, “What about Sam?”

“Sam can take care of himself,” said Sarah with a smile. “Plus, Joaquín looks like he’s ready to fight anyone who even looks at Sam.”

They each let out a giggle at that observation before Bucky nodded his head and said, “Okay.”

…

Sarah and Bucky stood in the elevator, hand-in-hand, before Sarah spoke up.

“So, my room or yours?”

Bucky’s skin flushed warm. He knew that they had spoken about spending the night together, he just couldn’t believe they were so close to it all happening.

“Yours,” he replied, giving her knuckles a kiss. “I’ll just – ah, go back to my room first to get outta this goddamn penguin suit.”

“Okay,” said Sarah as she peered at their reflection in the mirrored panel. “You look great, though.”

Bucky smiled and said, “You may have mentioned it once or twice. But you, wow. You’re beautiful.”

“You’re biased.”

“Can you blame me?”

The elevator dinged to interrupt their flirting and let them know they had arrived on their floor. Bucky gestured for Sarah to exit first, and followed behind her.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” said Sarah before handing Bucky her spare key. “See you soon.”

“Yeah,” he replied before pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Soon.”

…..

Sarah sat on top of the bed with butterflies swooping around inside of her tummy. She didn’t know why she was feeling so nervous. She and Bucky had been dating for a while. Sure, they hadn’t found the time to take their intimacy to the next level, but they had still shared intimate moments.

Sarah was about to bite her thumbnail when she heard the soft rapping at her door. Her heart beat faster in her chest and her stomach did a few more flips. She slid from the bed and padded over to the door. When she opened it, Bucky was standing there wearing a confident smile. He made her feel at ease. They shared a quick kiss before she let him in and closed the door behind him.

“You look lovely,” said Bucky as he made his way over to the chair and sat down.

“Thank you,” she replied, feeling somewhat giddy.

“Nice shower?”

“Oh, yeah. The water pressure,” said Sarah with a wide beam as she sat on the bed. “Made me wanna cry it was so good.”

Bucky let out a little chortle and then smiled at Sarah. He placed his hands in his lap and said, “Good. I’m glad.”

Sarah dipped her head and looked up at Bucky through her pretty lashes as she tucked a stray twist behind her ear. He kept his eyes on her and Sarah’s skin felt warm from Bucky’s gaze.

“So,” she said, biting her lip.

“So,” he replied, staring into her soul.

“You gonna move a little closer or?”

“Absolutely,” Bucky replied as he stood and made his way over to where Sarah was seated.

She turned to face him, and he brought his hand up to sweep her hair away from her face.

“Hey,” Bucky whispered.

“Hey,” Sarah replied, just as softly.

“You sure you’re ready to do this?” asked Bucky while stroking the side of Sarah’s face.

“I’m sure,” she replied as she turned to place a kiss to Bucky’s palm. “Are you?”

“Yes,” he said before leaning in to peck a kiss to her lips. “I’m certain.”

…..

The dim lighting of the room cast shadows over Sarah and Bucky’s forms. They lay together in the soft light caressing one another. Lips pressed firmly together, eager, and full of need. Warm breath a sweet mélange against heated skin. Fingers testing and teasing; stripping garments from one another’s pliant bodies. Limbs tangled together. Smiles in between kisses.

Bucky kissed along Sarah’s neck, sucking love-bites as he went. She tilted her head to the side to afford him better access. He sucked her earlobe into his mouth, and she let out a moan. He cursed out loud at the sound that escaped her lips. They shared another kiss, claiming and somewhat desperate. Bucky shifted so that he was hovering over Sarah; his tags swung and tapped against her chin.

“Sorry,” said a breathless Bucky as he pecked a kiss to her chin and then pushed back so that he was kneeling.

“It’s okay,” Sarah replied as she leaned up on her elbows and let her gaze roam over Bucky’s bare chest and abs; she watched him remove the chain which held his tags and then place them aside. “You’re so fine.”

“Uh?”

“You,” said Sarah, reaching her hand out to press against Bucky’s chest. “You’re so fine I cannot even deal.”

He let out a little coy laugh and said, “Sugar, you’re one to talk.  I mean, look at you: Fuckin’ beautiful.”

Bucky gestured towards Sarah, laid out and gorgeous in her nightdress. She blessed him with a smile before he leaned down and covered her body with his. Their kiss was deep, slow, and sensuous. Sarah’s hands found their way into Bucky’s short hair. She gripped tightly as he kissed his way from her lips to her neck and then further down.

Bucky pulled the thin strap of Sarah’s nightdress down off of her shoulder and pressed his lips to her collarbone before cupping her breast with his right hand. He stopped to take in the sight of Sarah for a brief moment, admiring the way their contrasting skin tones looked strikingly gorgeous together.

“You’re perfect, Sarah,” Bucky whispered before kissing her once more. “So perfect.”

…..

Sarah’s head was swimming from the way it felt to have Bucky’s weight on top of her; his lips and tongue lapping at her; his hands and fingers teasing her. If it had been a long while since Bucky had done anything like that, she could not tell. His thumb was strumming her sensitive bud as he dipped his fingers in and out of her swollen folds. Sarah gripped Bucky’s forearm as she felt heat swirl around her center.

“Hmmm,” she moaned as Bucky brought her closer to her climax.

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her jaw before continuing his attentions. Bucky withdrew his fingers and rubbed Sarah’s nectar into her pulsing clit. She bucked her hips and came with a loud moan and shaky breath.

…..

Bucky had barely let Sarah come down from the highs of her orgasm before he fervently rubbed out another. Her body was shaking with pleasure. He was almost vibrating himself with anticipation and need. Sarah caught her breath and then caught Bucky’s lips in a messy kiss. She reached between their bodies and took hold of his straining arousal; giving him a few strokes up and down his length.

“Fuck,” Bucky breathed out against Sarah’s lips. “Sugarplum, that’s so – ah, so good.”

“I want you,” she replied, strumming him deftly. “Want you so bad.”

“I want you, too,” said Bucky as they shared another messy kiss. “Just gotta – fuck, hold on. Sar, hold on, Baby.”

Sarah let out a little whine as Bucky drew back. She gave him a pouty look that almost made him come right then and there. He found the condom that he had placed on the bed, tore it open, and proceeded to roll it down his length. Sarah watched him all the while, her eyes dark with desire.

Bucky settled in between her legs and said, “You ready?”

“Yeah,” said Sarah, parting her thighs further for him.

Bucky kissed the corner of Sarah’s mouth and lined himself up at her entrance. He stared into her eyes as he slid his hard thickness into her warm softness. They each let out a pleasured moan as Bucky’s length was fully enveloped by Sarah’s heat.

“Is that okay?” asked Bucky, fighting to keep his eyes open.

“Yes,” Sarah replied. “It’s good, Buck. So good.”

They kissed once more before Bucky began to roll his hips, slipping and out, over and over again. Sarah wrapped her legs around his waist and allowed herself to grow accustomed to the sensation of being filled by him and his virile length. Bucky relished in the glide of his hardness being sheathed by Sarah’s tightness. She clenched around him and he all but growled into her parted lips.

“Sarah,” he whispered, voice low and laced with desire. “God, Sarah.”

Bucky’s thrusts grew more fervent, urged on by his lover’s pleasured cries as he struck against her spot. Sarah dug her fingernails into Bucky’s back as she held him, wanting more and more from him. He surrendered himself and gave Sarah what she wanted. Bucky gave her what she needed: Deep strokes and attentive kisses. Whispered praise and carnal delights.

Time seemed to fall away as the pair of lovers gave and received pleasure. As they chased their release and focused their attentions on the other. Despite the coolness of the room, both Sarah and Bucky were covered in a sheen of sweat. Their body heat radiating from each other. Their breaths warming their skin.

Bucky pressed a claiming kiss to Sarah’s lips as he rammed himself into her with urgency. He could feel his release quickly approaching. She felt too good. She felt unreal. He wanted her to feel all of the goodness that he was feeling in that moment. He reached his hand down to her pulsing bud and stroked it with his thumb. After a beat, Sarah let out a delighted cry and clenched around him. Bucky hooked her leg up and drove himself deeper.

“Oh, God. Right there,” said Sarah as she closed her eyes. “Right. There.”

Bucky continued his ministrations, drawing both himself and Sarah nearer to their climax. Bucky’s deft thrusts brought Sarah to the height of her pleasure. She let out a breathy moan as she reached her orgasm. Bucky kissed her lips and fucked her through it. His climax followed soon thereafter. They shared another kiss, and the held one another while letting out the most joyful, satiated laughs.

“Oh my God,” said Sarah as she fought to catch her breath.

“My thoughts exactly,” Bucky replied, as he withdrew himself, discarded the condom, and pulled Sarah into hug.

“Why did we wait so long to do that?” asked Sarah as she ran her hand over Bucky’s sweat-covered chest.

“I don’t know,” he replied, pressing a kiss to thee top of her head. “Somethin’ about worrying if we would still be ‘good’ at it.”

“Well, you were amazing,” said Sarah as she nuzzled closer to Bucky.

“You were mind-blowing,” said Bucky while he threaded their fingers together. “Perfect.”

…..

Sarah used to be good at this. She remembered as much. What she maybe didn’t realize was that she would get another chance at it. As she laid next to the man who she could see herself having a real second chance with, she realized it was better than good. It was great. Beautiful Bucky. Kind, caring, protective Bucky. She trusted him with her body, her heart, and her soul.

Bucky used to be good at this. He remembered as much. What he didn’t remember was it feeling that good. Great, actually. How great it felt to be there with Sarah, whom he would give everything to. Whatever it is that she wanted. His beautiful Sarah. His sweet, sweet Sarah, who could take his body and his heart. His lovely Sarah, who could have his soul.

They both used to be good at this, but now they know that they are great together.

[aquaticalay]

F.R.I.D.A.Y. I'm in Love (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Summary: While singing 'Friday, I'm in love' by The Cure in the kitchen to yourself, a certain AI thinks you're talking to her. She tells you something you didn't know, and decides to play matchmaker on Christmas morning, because why not?

Genre: christmas fluff :)

Word count: 2.5k

Song: Friday, I'm in Love by The Cure

Note: Merry Xmas! This is my last fic before vacation! This is also my first one shot in a while. Hope you like it!!

You were the first one awake at the compound, but that wasn't anything out of the usual. You always wake up at least half an hour earlier than anybody else in the compound without fail, every single day. It was simply an old habit you can't seem to get rid of, no matter how tired you were or how late you slept the night before.

The only thing that made a difference was that it's the day before christmas. Since you and Bucky were the only people with no family to celebrate it with, the two of you stayed behind to keep an eye on the compound. You had somehow convinced Bucky to agree on helping you set up decorations today. Besides, you also need help setting up the realistic-looking artificial pine tree at the corner of the common room. You already had a vision: green, white, and red ribbons filling up the ceiling and fairy lights as far as the eye can see. 

But that was your plan for later in the afternoon. Right now, the sun had just barely began to rise.

You made your way to the kitchen, thinking of making pancakes for breakfast. You hummed a tune as you opened the cupboards for a pan and ingredients. You eyeballed the flour and sugar, sifted them in a bowl and went to the fridge to get the rest of the contents needed.

Lost in your own world, the tunes you hummed turned into cohesive words, an actual song that you had been listening to lately and can't seem to get out of your head.

"I don't care if Monday's blue," you sang, cracking the eggs, making sure the shell stayed out of the batter, "Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too."

You poured the milk and butter, "Thursday, I don't care about you," you grabbed a whisk and pretended it was a microphone, "It's Friday, I'm in love."

"May I guess with who?" FRIDAY quipped suddenly.

You yelped in shock and dropped the whisk into the batter, some of it splattering to your shirt and face. Just a little, but enough to piss you off.

"What?" You asked, slightly annoyed.

"You told me you were in love," you heard the AI say through the built in speakers of the room, "may I guess with who?".

You let out a lighthearted laugh, "First of all, it's just a song," you rolled your eyes with a smile, amused by the misunderstanding of the supposedly smart AI. "Secondly," you continued, "I am not in love with anybody at the moment."

FRIDAY then said, in a matter-of-factly manner, "But you are."

Furrowing your eyebrows, annoyed, you stubbornly told her, "No, I'm not."

"You are," the AI insisted, and before you can deny it once again, she told you, "You show all physical and hormonal signs of being in love— increased levels of dopamine, adrenaline, and norepinephrine, increased heart rate, and dilated pupils— in the presence of Sergeant James Barnes."

Your mind stopped just enough to catch up with what FRIDAY. was telling you. 

"What?" You asked, flustered, as blood rushed to your cheeks, "No!"

"It's true," said the AI calmly, then displayed a panel of hologram on the island kitchen, usually used for mission briefings— your vitals, including your hormone levels. "These are your average body scans whenever you are in the same room as Sergeant Barnes," she said.

"That's enough, Friday!" you exclaimed, almost squeaking, embarrassed. She then took down the hologram, to your relief.

You admit, you have always been fond of Bucky, and dare you say, quite attached to him, but it never occurred to you that you loved him, mostly because everytime you even thought of the four-letter terrifying word, you pushed it to the deepest, darkest corner of your mind, lock it in a glass box and throw away the key, never to be seen again. The subject of love terrifies you, though the thought of being romantically involved with Bucky did give you a certain feeling of satisfaction and comfort, and maybe, just maybe, hope of it being able to work out.

Oops, there's the thought again.

Time to bury it six feet underground.

"In case you're curious, Sergeant Barnes also—" the AI started, but you shushed her furiously, "Fri, I don't want to hear it."

"But—" she began, but you cut her off again, "Please don't."

Sensing your discomfort, she stopped saying whatever she was about to say.

You continued to make your pancakes in peace, if there was ever any. 

You hummed the tune of the same song, careful not to say the actual words to it. You turned on the stove an put a frying pan on it measuring your batter out for an even and fluffy pancake. 

The automatic door opened, and Bucky entered the room, yawning. He was wearing a grey shirt and shorts. As he smelled the sweet aroma of the batter cooking, his gaze turned to you. 

"Mornin' doll," he smiled lazily, greeting you. He seemed to be in an especially good mood today. Ever since you joined almost a year ago, he had given you the nickname, and you adapted to it quickly. 

"Morning, Buck," you hummed, flipping the pancakes. Bucky walked towards you and took in the smell exaggeratingly. "Hope you made some for me."

You chuckled, "Of course." 

You stacked the first three pancakes on an empty plate and handed it to Bucky, who gave you a chaste kiss on the side of your head.

This type of casual affection has been going on for a while now, a little over five months. He'd kiss you on the cheeks or forehead whenever he said thank you, hello, or goodbye. You'd also cuddle against him on movie nights and lean on his shoulder while sitting on the dinner table, but neither of you ever spoke about it. You never wanted to think much about these flirtatious exchanges. You assumed this was just who he was, and you were just playing his game. He was a ladies' man in the 40s, after all, and you were just all-all round playful person.

You stacked your own pancakes and turned off the stove. 

You sat next to Bucky on the couch, who was currently pouring a shit ton of maple syrup on his pancakes, squeezing the bottle with his metal arm.

You chuckled at his behaviour, and he raised his eyebrows at you.

"What are you laughing at?" He tried to pretend to be serious, but he can't help but show a hint of a grin on his adorable face.

"Nothing," you shook your head playfully and started eating the sugar-filled breakfast.

Deciding it was too quiet, Bucky decided to ask FRIDAY a favor. "Friday," Bucky called, "play some music, please."

FRIDAY complied almost immediately, and the tune of the song she played was too familiar.

Your cheeks turned bright red in a matter of seconds. Why would she play that?

"I don't care if Monday's blue

Tuesday's grey and Wednesday, too

Thursday I don't care about you

It's Friday, I'm in love"

Bucky stuffed pancakes in his mouth as he listened to the song, "I've never heard this song before," he mentioned, his head moving subtly to the tempo of the song, "It's nice."

"Uh, yeah," you managed to nervously blurt out.

Bucky turned his head to you, "You cold, doll?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"No, why?" 

"You're red," he pointed out worriedly, "Are you sure you're not sick?"

"No, I'm just—" you started, trying to find an excuse, but nothing comes to mind. You couldn't tell him you're embarrassed, and you already told him you weren't cold, "—I don't know."

As the song continued playing, Bucky placed the back of his hand on your forehead to check for a fever, but he was met with a normal, cool skin. He tried not to think too much about it. He shrugged and told you, "Just let me know if you feel unwell, okay? I know where Scott keeps his emergency cold medicine."

You managed a nod, and tried to distract yourself by eating your pancakes.

You started to feel relief wash over you as the song came to an end, but when it did end, it started to play again, as if FRIDAY had it on loop.

"Weird," Bucky quipped.

"Yeah, weird," you said, a little quieter than usual, "Friday, please play another song," you said, but Bucky cut you off, "No, I want to listen to it again," he said, "One more time? I really like it."

You sunk into your seat, having forced to suffer through this song again.

-

That afternoon, Bucky helped you set up the ribbons and lights, and now he was helping you with the tree ornaments.

The time you spent together were spent in laughter and joy, playfully teasing each other. He told you a lot about his old family traditions, how his little sister Rebecca and him would use their spare money to get their mother a gift every year. In return, you made him hot chocolate, made from your grandma's special recipe.

"Bucky," you called, "give me a boost so I can get the star on top of the tree." 

You showed him the star. It was brilliant red. He chuckled to himself, wondering if you intentionally got it to match his old logo.

Without warning, he grabbed your waist, and spun you around playfully. You yelped in shock, steadying yourself by putting a hand on his shoulder. You laughed a little, "The tree, Buck," you reminded him, and he chuckled, rolling his eyes. "okay, okay."

You placed the star on top, and he set you down gently. You were facing him, and for a split second, you nose touched his and you were looking straight into his icy orbs. 

You looked away, pretending it didn't happen. 

"Help me with the ribbons," you quipped. Bucky grabbed the box full of colorful decorations. "Okay," he replied. You weren't sure, but you could've sworn he sounded a little bit disappointed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent decorating the tree, and it was all fun and games until Bucky started humming 'Friday, I'm in love,' under his breath, a song that seems to be stuck in his head.

-

You and Bucky fell asleep on the couch after a Christmas movie marathon. You woke up in the same position you fell asleep: cuddled up against Bucky, you head on his shoulder and his human arm wrapped contently around your waist. You adjusted your eyes to the light coming in from the big glass windows, and tugged on Bucky's side, "wake up."

He groaned a little, his eyes blinking to life. 

"Merry Christmas," you smiled, still leaning your head on his shoulder, too lazy to get up.

"Merry Christmas, doll," he replied, a sleepy but sincere smile on his face.

You mustered enough energy to look at the Christmas tree, and was shocked to see one small red box under the tree, decorated with a fittingly small green bow. It was empty the last time you saw it.

"Did you–" you turned to Bucky, who nodded right away, "How?" You asked curiously.

"I slipped it there before we started the movie," he admitted, a slightly rosy color on his cheeks.

"Is that for me?" You asked, and he nodded.

"I- I've got a present for you in my room," you told him, half-way panicked that you've forgotten his present in your quarters.

Rushing out of the common room, Bucky watched you as a sigh left his lips. 

He found himself humming the song he heard yesterday again. He took the present from under the tree to give it to you first hand, then walked to the island kitchen to get some water. He doesn't remember all the words, except the ones at the very end of the chorus.

He mumbled a string of noises, but lightly sang the last part in his best singing voice, "Friday, I'm in love."

"I know," Friday said through the speakers. It surprised Bucky, but he didn't show it. Sitting down on the bar stool of the island, Bucky asked, "What?"

"I know you're in love, Sergeant Barnes," the AI said.

Bucky let a heavy breath out. Friday was right. He was in love. With you. "How did you know?"

"Your physical and hormonal body scans when you're around Miss (Y/n)."

Bucky only chuckled dryly. It was nothing he didn't already know, "Too bad she doesn't feel the same, huh?" 

"Actually—" the AI started, but suddenly stopped when you rushed back in the room, a heavy box decorated with a patterned white wrapper in your arms. It was huge compared to the gift he got you. You put on the marble countertop and climbed on the stool next to his.

"Here," you said excitedly, "open it!"

Your excitement was contagious. He gave you a hearty laugh and ripped the wrapping paper. When he was finished, he realized what it was. A record player.

"Wow, (Y/n)," he said, twinkle in his eyes. He raised it so he could see it better, "I- thank you."

"You've been telling me about how you used to listen to music," you told him, "So I got you a more modern one."

"Your turn," Bucky said, giving you your present.

It wasn't wrapped, it was just a red box with a bow. You opened it and you looked to him for explanation.

It was a necklace with a dark silver star pendant.

"It's beautiful," you sighed, admiring the jewelry, "Thank you."

He gently took the necklace in his fingers, and looped it behind your neck, hooking it so now you were wearing it.

"I asked Shuri to make it from the scrap vibranium used to make my metal arm," he told you, a warm and loving smile on his mouth, "So you can have a piece of me with you."

Suddenly, you wondered if FRIDAY was right about you being in love with him.

"Ahem," said a human-like voice from the ceiling. It was FRIDAY, calling so you would look up.

The two of you saw a holographic mistletoe from the projector above you.

Damn, FRIDAY.

You smiled. It was a good excuse to kiss him, right? Wasn't that the rules of the mistletoe?

You reached up a little to press a short but sweet kiss on his lips, catching him off-guard. 

"I-" Bucky turned beet red, "can you do that again please?"

Pleasantly surprised, you nod as you let him caress your cheeks, and pull you in for a longer kiss, his lips moving against yours in sync, like you were pieces of a puzzle. You melted into his arms and laid a hand on his thigh for support.

"I love you," Bucky said as he pulled away. Wait, he thought to himself, I love you?! 

He meant to say merry christmas! 

In his mind, you only kissed him because of his mistletoe. He was seconds away from apologizing, but then a content sigh left your lips, "I love you, too," you admitted shyly

He looked at you with a loving look that has always been there, yet you've only noticed it now. His thumb stroke your cheek softly, the contrast of metal and flesh strangely comforting.

"What is it?" You asked.

He cracked a smile. "My dad used to spend christmas morning with my ma," he said, "She told me one day I'd find someone to spend it, too."

"Would she have approved of me?" You asked, curiosity laced im you silky voice.

"I swear to god she'd love you," he cupped both your cheek and pressed a kiss on the tip of your nose, "Merry Christmas, doll."

"Merry Christmas, James."

You made an internal note to self to thank FRIDAY later.

-end.

[dimensionwriter]

Wrapped Around Your Finger

Part 3 (Valentine's Edition 2)

Part 1 Part 2

Naga! Male x reader

Word count: 1447

Warning: nothing but the usual fluff

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Okay, you got this. You are prepared and this is going to go well. Yep, it's going to be fine.

You glanced back at your bed to see that it was covered in a bunch of gifts. Last year, Corel went all out for Valentine's Day for you and this year, you wanted to return the favor.

But that wasn't it either. You were starting to get weird feelings for Corel before Valentine last year and it's only been getting stronger. After thinking it over, you realized that you were in love with your best friend.

You wanted to talk yourself into getting rid of those feelings, but you couldn't do it not matter how hard you tried. Corel is the best thing to have happen to you and you want to become even closer to him. So, this Valentine's Day you were to going to ask him to be yours.

You didn't know how he was going to respond, but hopefully it was going to be well.

Grabbing a duffel bag and throwing all the gifts in it, you made your way next door. Corel had just called you and told you he had to go to work for a few hours. So that gave you ample of time for your plan. All you had to do was find a way into his house, set everything up, wait for him to get home, butter him up, ask him on a date, and hopefully get a yes. Simply, right?

You jogged next door and walked to his front door. Corel had hid a spare key in the 'broken' light fixture outside because he didn't want to pay for any more broke windows. Break a window once and you get treated like you did it a hundred times.

You grab the cold glass and twisted it off. You were met with the sight of a small black key with your initials on it. A smile came onto your lips as you grabbed it and pushed it into the keyhole.

The door unlocked smoothly and with one small push, the door swung open. Placing the glass back on the light, you put the key in your back pocket. Well let's get to work.

It took your a total of 2 hours to finish everything. The living room was reformed. You pushed the giant couches into a straight line far from the tv. In the new created space you place the 20 large red and white pillows on the ground with a 10 feet long white blanket onto, all brought just for this occasion. A few rose petals were sprinkled on top with small heart chocolates with red wrapping.

You brought some LED lights and place it around the living room and put it on a nice light red tint. The colour looked fantastic on the white table carrying all of Corel's favorite snacks. There was the chocolate covered strawberries, oreos, chips, caramel popcorn, and heart shaped pretzels. You also had some real food in the kitchen inside the stove in order to keep it warm.

You brought a few movies over too, since it was kind of you guys thing to have a bunch of movie nights. Most of them was humorous but just in case you brought a romance one. Maybe it could help him get in the mood for romance.

The sound of the door being messed with made your blood run cold. Oh gosh, it's time. Just play it cool. It's okay.

But, is it though? Maybe this is too much. The atmosphere seems too romantic than it seem friendly. What if he picks that up and rejects you before you could even ask?

"Oh hey-what?" Corel froze at the door as he stared all around the room. You stayed glued in your spot as your wringed your fingers against eachother. "What is this?"

Sweat starting pouring out of your body as your eyes met his yellow ones. "Happy Brithday!" You blurted out before your brain processed what it just spurted out. "I mean Happy Valentine's Day because it's Valentine's Day, so yeah."

Corel didn't say anything and just stood there at the door. His pupil was changing between dilating and shrinking.

"Yeah, I remember you saying you wish you had a bed of nothing but pillows because sometimes you tail falls off the bed or the springs would hurt. And-and I got some food," you sputtered out as you pointed to every object. You turned around as you looked at your set up. It was too much, wasn't it?

"Sorry, guess I did go overboard," you admitted grabbing the side of your arm. You turned around and all you saw were round black eyes with a yellow ring around it.

Before your could scream at Corel's closeness, his cold fingers were placed behind your neck. And then he got closer. Yeah, so close that his lips were touching yours.

Why was he putting his lips against yours?

You blinked before it hit you. Corel was kissing you. He was kissing you. Corel, the person you're suppose to ask out, is kissing you.

He pulled away and you head absentmindedly followed, missing the coolness to his skin. "I'm so sorry. I-I just couldn't- you- adorable and I- I love you. Like love as in more than friends. I want you to be mines."

You stood there with your mouth gaping open. He loves you too. He wants to be with you. He even asked you to be his.

"No," you said feeling despair come over you. You were suppose to ask him. He's always taking the big steps in your relationship and you wanted to do it this time.

Corel face drop and his hand dropped for your side. His eyes slowly turned to slits and were becoming slightly glossy. Spreading across his cheeks, a deep red blush took over.

"Wait, Corel I wasn't saying no to you. I was saying no because I was going to ask you to be mines, but you beat me to it," you explained quickly while waving your hands at him, as if that could wipe away your mistake. "You're always 10 steps ahead of me like always."

"You scared me," he whimpered letting out a sigh of relief. He stepped forward and plopped his head on your shoulder. His arms snaked their way around your waist and pulled you eve closer. A burst of butterflies flew around inside your chest at his proximity. "I thought I just messed up our relationship so bad."

"Well in a way you did," you teased wiggling your eyebrows. Corel rotated his head to show his confused face. Bending down, you slide his head until both your foreheads were touching. "We're not simply friends any more. You're my boyfriend now."

A giant goofy smile broke onto his face and you swear you could hear a small happy hiss coming from him. He open his mouth and let out the cutest giggle.

He squeeze you closer as he picked you up and spun you around. "Say it again."

You let out a laugh as you leaned more into him as he continue spinning. "You're my boyfriend. Now put me down before your drop me." You let out a squeal as he lightly tossed you in the air before catching you.

"I would never," he hummed snuggling more into you. A smile came onto your face as you looked down at him. As you looked down at your Corel.

"Corel, I would love nothing more than to stand here in your arms, but I don't want my hard work going to waste," you teased after 2 minutes of him cuddling you. He froze for a split second before he popped up.

"I wouldn't dream of wasting your hard work. C'mon," he yelled grabbing your hand and tugging you towards the pillow pile. He threw himself down and since his hand was encasing yours, you fell right on top of him.

Something thick and cold began to wrap itself around your legs causing you to look down. A black and purple snake tail was slowly wrapping itself around your legs.

You glanced back up at Corel with a quirked eyebrow. He let out a small laugh as he tighten his tail's grip on you. "Sorry, I'm just attracted to hot things." He threw a wink your way which was responded by a playful roll of your eyes.

"You better be lucky I like your goofy self," you teased poking his cheeks. A giant smile came onto his face as he threw his arms around you and pulled you closer.

Guess your Valentine's turned out alright after all.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

You know I had to do another Valentine story with this character. If you guys are interested, I don't mind maybe doing one more Valentine story (even though it's over, but let's ignore that). Anyway, please remember to LIKE the story so I know that you guys actually enjoy it and to COMMENT anything, it really motivates me when I see you guys spamming me with comments on my story.

Thank you so much for reading my story and I hope you have a fantastic Valentine's Day.

💜💜💜

[olivenight17]

Neito Monoma X Reader “Protection”

Hey! So, I kinda just got the inspiration to write this. Forgive me if it’s a bit sloppy, I’ve been awake all night and it’s really late where I am. Part of this came from a nightmare I just had a few hours ago and I’ve been shaking since. So what better way to counteract it than with having fictional characters protect me from it? Ha ha... yeah sorry you guys. Hope you enjoy our crackhead blond with a softer side.

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

Sometimes you wished you didn’t have your sixth sense.

To be fair it wasn’t easy. For years your classmates would tease you that you only made it up in order to pretend you had a quirk. It was hard to prove it existed, even if you asked the ghosts to do something, not all had enough energy to even move anything. It only got worse towards the end of the year.

That was when he showed up.

Neito Monoma, the most arrogant, loud-mouthed blond you had ever met, transferred to your middle school. After seeing how he could react to people trying to one-up him, you decided to stay out of his way. You didn’t need him picking on you for your quirk too. You figured you could just fly under his radar until it was time for high school. But, fate had other plans.

As you moved to the library to eat your lunch, two kids from your class blocked the way. “Well, if it isn’t the crazy ghost girl.” One of them sneered down at you.

You merely kept your head down, trying to push through them. They pushed back and you stumbled. “Akira, Natsumi, please. Can’t we just do this some other day? I didn’t eat breakfast and I’m really hungry…” You muttered.

The two simply laughed and pushed you another step back. “Aw, did someone forget to eat because of their hallucinations? Poor you,” Natsumi snickered.

You frowned in response. “They’re not hallucinations. They’re real ghosts, it’s not my fault you’re all too blind to see them.” There was a slight snarl in your voice. It was tiring having to put up with this harrassment every day and you were reaching your breaking point.

“Oh yeah? Prove it then, freak. Prove it like you’ve been able to every time anyone’s asked you about it!” Akira yelled, pulling you back by your hair when you tried to rush by them again. He slammed you into a wall and you whimpered in pain. “Nothing to say, huh? Surprise, surprise. Just admit it, you’re nothing but a quirkless, crazy bitch!” He spat in your face and you flinched.

The tension of his grip was suddenly released and before you knew it, Akira was on the ground and Neito was standing in front of you. “I have to say that is no way to treat a fellow peasant, so I think you two should learn your place. After all, I just recorded that entire scene. It would be a shame if the school were to find out about such indecent behavior, don’t you agree?” You could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

Natsumi helped Akira up and they both glared at him. “Why bother helping out a freak like her? Aren’t you too good for us anyways?” She snipped, her golden hair illuminating her anger.

“Oh believe me, I am far above you. After all I have a quirk that can be useful to society and you two, well come on. Do I really have to explain myself to a girl who’s only power is her glowing hair and a boy with boar tusks?” He chuckled as the two swore under their breath. “Now run along peasants and then I might consider deleting that video.” Venom laced his words and it wasn’t long before they both fled back to the cafeteria.

You could only stare at him in shock. “You… you helped me. Why?” He smirked at your question.

“Well that’s simple, peasant. You have a slight bit more potential than the rest. Though I must admit, I am quite curious to see if the rumors are true. So without further ado…” His hand rested on your neck for a split second, making you switch to confusion.

“Hey, what was that for?” You asked, but he wasn’t paying attention to you which made you huff. Then, a ghost appeared through the wall.

“What’s all that commotion for (Y/N)? This guy’s not giving you trouble, is he?” The ghost asked, squinting his eyes at Neito.

Neito was staring back at him with wide eyes, muttering under his breath as he took a step forward and extended his hand out to the ghost. His hand passed right through him and the ghost in turn tried to whack him with his mop. “What do you think you’re doing, child? Do you know how rude it is to just phase through someone like that!” The mop, of course, passed through Neito and he shivered in response.

You stood between them and held your hands up in apology. “Sorry, Mr. Ito, he doesn’t know ghost etiquette as well as I do. It won’t happen again, I promise.” The old man grumbled at your apology.

“He better not. You’re lucky I like you, (Y/N). Otherwise I’d give that boy hell,” He snapped.

You chuckled in response. “I’m sure you would. I’ll see you in the library a little later for lunch, okay?” You smiled brightly at him and he gruffly nodded before he disappeared back into the wall.

When he was gone, you whirled around to face Neito. However, before you get could a single word out, he was already asking questions. “Who was that?”

“Mr. Ito, he was a janitor who worked here about six years ago. He died slipping on a puddle of chocolate milk and cracked his head on a table. He’s why the school here is always so clean.” You responded and he slowly nodded.

“How long have you known him?”

“Since I came here. He’s a nice man.”

“He’s really a ghost.”

“Well yeah, you can’t exactly phase your hand through most people.” You chuckled. It was amusing, you could almost see the gears turning in his head as he struggled to process the information. When it seemed he had come to terms with what he had learned, you spoke up. “So, how exactly did you do that? Do you have a clairvoyance quirk like me?” A tiny bit of hope flared in your chest. Maybe, just maybe, you weren’t alone.

But it was diminished when the blond shook his head. “Oh no, nothing simple like that. My quirk allows me to use other people’s quirks after I touch them. But I have to say, your quirk is the strangest I have encountered yet.” He told you, rubbing his chin as he looked at you.

There was silence and you shifted under his gaze, getting the odd feeling he was staring at you like cattle. “I guess I’ll just go then…” You mumbled awkwardly, turning away from him.

Before you could get far, he caught you by the arm. “Wait, I’m not done. Since I’ve never experienced a quirk like yours before, I would like to study it more. So peasant, give me your phone.” You blinked owlishly at his words.

“What do you want with my phone,” You asked.

He sighed at your reaction. “I suppose I have to spell it out for you, I’m giving you my number. I expect you to reply when I text you and I’ll be sending you my schedule so you know when to come to my house so I can study your quirk more.” He explained and held out his other hand.

You nodded and placed your phone there with a slight smile. “Cool, I’ve never had a friend before.” You chirped absentmindedly, not expecting him to freeze so suddenly.

The craziest laugh you had ever heard thundered out of him, making you jump. His pupils were incredibly dilated and his face was frozen in an expression that you could only assume was meant to be mocking. “What? This does not make us friends. You are a mere peasant that could be of use! Someone as great as I could never be friends with a tool!” He exclaimed, handing your phone back and then power walking away.

You were visibly shocked and more than a little disappointed, until you noticed the new contact he made. It appeared that was all for show as only a few minutes later he had texted his plans for the week. Shock gave way to excitement and giggles escaped your mouth. He was such a weird kid, but in a way, so were you.

That was how Neito Monoma decided your friendship.

He eventually came around to admitting- which was by no means an easy task- that you were his friend, and that’s when life really began to look up for you. You finally had someone who had your back and knew who you were. Though it took some digging, you began to get to know Neito too. While he was still loud-mouthed and arrogant, you understood that it was only a facade. He used it as a way to hide his insecurities about his quirk and the challenges he knew he would face trying to be a hero. You also realized that he was a really good friend. He was caring in his own way and never failed to show up anyone who was giving you trouble. Anything he said or did, it was to help you and you could never be grateful enough for it.

While you thought he would ditch you once high school came about, that was not the case. Even though he was working hard to be a hero at U.A, he still reserved time for you. He introduced you to his other classmates and friends, though he’d never admit it, and they became your friends too.

By the time high school had ended, you had realized how hard you had fallen for him. Surprisingly enough, it was not you who asked him out. No, it was all him. He had shown up at your house with a bouquet of roses, an adorable blush on his cheeks and a speech he could barely stutter out. It was enough for you and the two of you had been dating ever since.

You had started your lives together. While Neito was out bringing villains to justice as Phantom Thief, you had started your own business to help people with the supernatural. There were a lot of ghosts in houses who could do some stuff the living didn’t quite understand, so you showed up when called and mediated the situation. It was nice to have found your calling, especially with a man you adored so much. He really helped you.

Especially on one particular night.

You closed the door with a sigh, today’s batch of ghosts had been very aggressive and you were happy to be home. Neito wasn’t in the house yet, you figured he was still on patrol, and you took a mini stroll along the halls. It was empty, and by empty, you meant devoid of anyone.

You furrowed your brows, this was odd. Normally the older residents of the house would be greeting you and asking how your day had been, but you couldn’t even feel anyone’s presence. You shrugged it off, maybe they were just tired tonight.

The stretch of silence filling your ears was eery and for some reason, you felt tense and on edge. “It’s just because of work…” You assured yourself, heading to your room. Sitting down at your desk, you began typing away at your computer to check off the jobs you had completed. Just as you reached your hand out to power it down, you felt your hair stand on end.

Someone else was in your room.

An icy chill ran through your body and you sat completely rigid. This was not a ghost from your house. It had an awful energy that seemed to crawl all over the room and you found it hard to breathe. It hadn’t taken form just yet, if you could reach your sage-

“Hi,” it uttered, in a sickly sweet tone that echoed off the walls. From the corner of your eye, you saw a woman with light brown, curly hair and blue eyes. She was crouching down at the side of your desk with a stare that was most certainly inhuman.

This was bad. This was very, very bad. “Leave… leave me be. This is not your home, you are not welcome.” You commanded but it fell off in a whisper. Her eyes glowed and before you could control yourself you were facing your head towards her.

She didn’t speak, only continuing to look into your eyes and you hadn’t noticed anything out of place until her face started rippling. Inky black spread across her face, oozing and dripping as dots of white speckled her being. You gulped, your stomach was churning.

There was a burning force at your back and you landed on the ground just in front of her. You were panting like a dog, throat burning with the feeling of puke but nothing was coming out. Hacking and coughing, you felt blood start to come from your mouth. Tears were streaming down your face. The burning sensation on your back was growing stronger and you let out an ear piercing scream. You were going to die, you were going to die, you were going to die…

The door slammed open, faint shouting swimming in your ears but it seemed so distant compared to the pain. Then there was warmth and the scent of burning sage invaded your nose. Slowly, the presence ebbed away from you, the woman baring her teeth at you savagely as she retreated from your room. “Yes, that’s right. Get the fuck away from my house and if you ever come near my love again I will send you straight back to hell myself!” A voice shouted above you. Glancing up, you saw the pale blue eyes of your boyfriend. “(Y/N), speak to me. Are you okay?” He asked urgently and tears bubbled in your eyes all over again.

You clutched onto him tightly as you sobbed. “Neito thank god. I thought it was going to kill me, it was so strong and it forced me to the ground and I...I…” You sniffled as he rocked you back and forth.

“Sh, I know, love. I know… but you’re alright now. I will personally make sure that thing never comes back. I’m here, it’s okay…” He reassured you, kissing your forehead lightly.

The two of you stayed like that for a long period of time, fear keeping you awake as your eyes darted to every shadow in your room. The darkness no longer felt safe and you swore you could still see it flicker in a  corner. Neito eventually had to get up and turn the lights on just to relax you. “Come on love, lay down. We’ll keep the sage burning and the lights on, it’s not going to come back,” He murmured. You hesitated, before slowly nodding and curling up next to him. It wasn’t long before a sense of serenity passed through you, and you fell asleep to the drum of Neito’s heartbeat. He was your guardian, always there to protect you when you needed it most. You didn’t know what you would do without him.

[megalony]

So many reasons- Part 2

Another part of my latest Roger Taylor series, thank you to everyone for the feedback and support so quickly, it means a lot.

Permanent taglist: @marshmallowmae  @langdonzvoid  @butlegendsneverdie  @jennyggggrrr  @luvborhap  @radiob-l-a-hblah  

Series taglist: @rogertaylors-lipgloss  @scarecrowmax  @demo-wise  @asquiresofftime

Series masterlist

Enjoy.

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

(Y/n)'s hand pressed to her lips to smother the sudden coughing fit that overtook her system. Her eyes widening so much that her pupils were taking over her iris leaving her eyes almost completely black in colour. Her shoulders hunched forward as her elbow rested on the table to support herself in case she just lost the energy and collapsed onto the table.

Roger was asking for marriage.

Why? He had always expressed that he didn't want to get married, he didn't see the point because it was a simple ring and a piece of paper bonding you to someone else. The drummer thought it was a waste of time especially if the relationship broke down.

What was Roger asking to marry her now for? What had suddenly changed his mind into thinking that he needed to get married, and why to (Y/n)?

"Steady on sweetheart. I asked you to marry me, not to die for me you know." Roger joked, his hand cautiously reaching out to rub up and down her arm as (Y/n) tried to calm herself down. Clearing her throat as she continued to look at him in a mix of confusion and a little bit of fear edged in with her surprise. Roger was one of her closest friends, they had known each other for years, ever since she started working at the studio and then practically becoming Queen's assistant. (Y/n) knew that she had some feelings towards Roger that were more than a casual friend or even a close friend, but they had never talked about dating or love interests or anything of the sort. Roger seemed to want to skip all of that and jump straight to marriage.

"W-why?"

(Y/n) knew for a fact that Roger wasn't interested in long term relationships anymore after his previous one that left him a single father to two children. He would have the occasional one night stand here and there but his daughters were his life and his priority. He didn't feel as if he needed a relationship in his life anymore, it was hectic enough.

At her question Roger retracted his arm, clasping his hands together and resting them on the table in front of him as he debated his answer.

Roger didn't want to lie to (Y/n), she always seemed to know when he was lying but then again he simply couldn't tell her the truth. He had tried for the last week to think of a way to stretch the truth so he wasn't technically telling her a lie. Every time he simply kept coming back around to the real reason, and he couldn't tell her that. He hadn't even told the band this reason that was affecting him nearly every day, no one knew and that was how Roger wanted it to stay.

"Rog... you don't agree with marriage, you don't even want a girlfriend. What's going on? Is this some kind of scam or something?"

"No... I- I need to do this, for the girls." Now that wasn't a lie. Roger was thinking of the girls when he decided that marriage was the best way to go about this, and there was no one else he would want to marry but (Y/n).

"I don't understand."

Maybe Roger was doing this to give the girls a mother figure in their lives. After all, Lily was only six and Lola was three that was no age to have to live without a mother. But at the same time, Roger had done such a good job at bringing them both up on his own so far. They never gave any indication that they wanted a mother, they were daddy's girls at heart and they adored Roger, a mother didn't seem to be in the picture and didn't seem to be wanted.

Reaching his hand out Roger grabbed the glass of wine he had ordered that matched (Y/n)'s. Her eyes clearly noticing his hand was shaking as he brought the rim of the glass to his lips, not thinking twice before he downed the contents of the glass with a grimace. His lips twitching as he let out a long breath as the sickeningly sweet substance coated the back of his throat. The dark red of the wine sticking to his lips like he had applied lipstick. (Y/n)'s eyes widened though she nodded when he indicated to her glass that she didn't seem to want anymore. His fingers curling around the stem of the glass to down her wine as well, needing some form of courage or just something to take away the nerves so he could speak. Not wanting to be too drunk that he gave away the real reason, just enough to let him come up with a convincing excuse.

"I work too much and my ex doesn't. If she tries to get back into the girl's lives I stand a better chance of full custody if I'm married. And... I want the girls to have a mother... I need help to look after them and you're my best friend. Please?" Stretching the truth seemed to come so easily when the courage of the wine was in his system.

Roger knew without a doubt that his ex wasn't going to come back into his life. She had explicitly said she didn't want to be a mother and the girls weren't her priority anymore which Roger was both angered yet satisfied with. If she couldn't be bothered to be a mother he wouldn't have his girls around her anymore, he was fine to do it alone. But that didn't mean it was easy, he was beginning to struggle and his real reason for marriage was causing that struggle.

He did want the girls to have a mother though, (Y/n) was a truly amazing person and whenever she saw the girls she was always able to help them, calm them down or look after them. Roger couldn't think of anyone better to help him look after his daughters and he needed someone like that.

"Has she contacted you?" (Y/n) couldn't keep the worry from her face. Roger hadn't applied for full custody of the girls because his ex didn't want them and waved away all her rights to them. She left and didn't look back. If she had contacted him again it could explain for his sudden behaviour change and sudden need to make sure his girls were with him and didn't stand a chance of being taken away. If that was the case (Y/n) would marry him in a heartbeat, she loved his girls and she loved Roger. If marrying him was going to help him she would do it straight away, especially since it got her that little bit closer to the drummer that she was falling in love with.

What was Roger meant to do?

If he said no then (Y/n) would be less likely to marry him, he knew she would suggest waiting it out and see if anything else happened. But if he told her yes then this would work out at the cost of Roger lying to her. "Yes." The drummer had to stop himself from clamping his hand over his mouth in regret. What had he done? He'd just lied to one of his best friends so she would marry him. Roger knew deep down if he told her his real reason she would marry him in a heartbeat, but he simply couldn't. He didn't want to see the way she would look at him or know that she would tell the band his reasons. If he told her then things wouldn't be the same, they wouldn't work out in the way that he wanted and desperately needed. This little white lie would set the future out for him and his daughters, it would do the world of good for them all.

It was fine to tell a lie for the greater good, wasn't it?

"If we got married... how would it work? Like, are we getting married and staying the way we are now... do we tell anyone? Do I stay with you to help look after the girls? Are we biding our time until you get custody and then suddenly divorcing afterwards? Do you have a plan?"

Roger's head snapped up to look at her, his pupils blown wide at seeing (Y/n) was actually debating this for him. She was willing to go through with this for him and he couldn't help but wonder why. Any other friend would tell him politely to fuck off or that he was a dick or drunk or so many other reasons. They wouldn't agree to marry him on a whim like this, no one else but (Y/n) would do this for him.

"You can live with us." Roger's response was immediate, almost desperate. He had it all worked out in his head, he had thought through what would happen if she said yes, and indeed what he would do if she said no. "I-if you want to. You can have whichever room you want. We'd have to tell the boys, and the girls obviously but you can tell whoever you want, or don't tell I don't mind. I only have my sister to help with the girls and she isn't their mother, it's not her responsibility s-so I need help. If you want a divorce at any time we can... I was thinking along the lines of you living with us to give the girls that stability. You can set any rules with me you want for this to work, I'm just glad you're thinking about it."

(Y/n) couldn't deny that the thought of living with Roger, Lily and Rosie was making her heart beat frantically out of her chest. The thought of being around Roger every day and then working with him was making her lightheaded because this was something out of her dreams.

"Umm... if this is for the girls, then shouldn't we just... act like this isn't some sort of deal between us? We could just tell everyone we kept our relationship a secret until now, I'd rather not play pretend in public and then change behind closed doors." (Y/n) couldn't help but think that playing pretend would affect everyone. It would mess with her own mind for starters, going around acting like they were married and living with Roger to then just seem like a friend coming to stay with them.

"You mean make a real go of us?" Roger confirmed and for a split second (Y/n) felt the colour draining from her features at thinking she had overstepped the mark. After all, Roger never wanted a relationship and he certainly wasn't one for marriage before now. Her heart started to quicken at the sudden smile on his lips, small white dots covering her vision when his hand reached out to entwine with her own making (Y/n) confused for a moment. "I think I can manage that." He whispered, smirking at the way she stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Her eyes still blown wide like balloons as she tried to force herself to breathe properly.

"Then yes. I'll marry you."

[marquisoforder]

Part 1/2

Part 2/2

.

Alec woke up to the sweet music of birdsong and distant laughter, and immediately knew something was terribly off. Back at the castle in Idris, he always woke up to the sound of training in the yard; swords clashing, their master at arms shouting at young squires to pick up the pace or angle a sword and maybe the booming laughter of one of his fellow knights. He was used to waking up to a clamor, so waking up to a considerably less hassle and the sounds of nature was odd enough to disorient him.

“Ugh how disappointing,” A voice rang out from the corner of the room. “I was hoping you won’t wake up. We could have at least seen an end to Bane’s ridiculous parade.”

Nothing lifts a man’s spirit than knowing someone wished you dead, first thing in the morning.

“Where am I?” Alec tried to catch a glimpse of the owner of the voice but his vision was still a little blurry from the sleep. “What happened?”

A long suffering sigh was heard from the corner. Followed by a muttering that sounded suspiciously close to ‘mortal imbeciles’ and at long last a figure stepped out of the shadows. A dark haired boy, no older than sixteen years, was clad in an all-black outfit. But his tunic bore the insignia of a star, marking him as one of the Night’s Children and giving Alec enough context to remember what had happened.

“Bane,” He groaned, falling back on to the bed. “What did he do to me?”

“Your virtue is still intact if that’s what you are worried about.” The young boy smirked and reached out to grab a goblet from a small table and handed it to Alec, impatiently signaling him to drink whatever was in it. “Bane has little self-control, but he exercised it to the best of his abilities with you.”

“The same couldn’t be said about you, Raphael.” A new voice, an irritatingly familiar voice, said. Magnus Bane had breezed into the chamber in all his six foot two, bejeweled, robe clad glory and was glaring disapprovingly at young Raphael.

Raphael’s unimpressed stare eloquently conveyed how he couldn’t care less.

“How are you feeling brave Alexander?” The notorious warlock shifted his gaze towards the knight on the bed and his countenance underwent a complete change. A smile transformed his sharp features into something softer and his cat pupils had gone from silted to (dare he say, adorably?) blown out. “All healed up, I hope?”

Alec felt himself blush. Now that’s something that hadn’t happened in a while.

“What happened to me?”

“I accidentally hit you over the head with the hilt of my sword,” Raphael answered with a demented sort of glee in his voice. “Then Magnus knocked you out with his magic. Purposefully.”

“Only to stop you from getting in my way when I tried to heal you.” Magnus assured and waved a bejeweled hand. A chair appeared out of thin air and Magnus gracefully sat down by the bedside, his movements languid and cat like in a way that sent shivers down Alec’s spine. There was something about the warlock. He moved with intention but wasn’t rigid in anyway. His long fingered hands looked smooth and delicate like those of a highborn dandy who hadn’t held any sort of tool or weapon in his life time. But Alec knew all it took was a snap of those fingers to squeeze the life out of man. Bane had a deceptively charming aura about him, like that of a panther; he was pretty enough to look at from afar but a deadly threat under all that lithe beauty and grace.

Alexander Lightwood never expected the day to come where he thought a man who had captured him and was holding him hostage was pretty. But it had come nonetheless.

“I’m just going to leave you two to this very exciting activity of staring at each other,” Raphael’s drawl brought Alec out of his reverie and he watched as the young boy left the room muttering to himself about ‘stupid warlocks and their stupid fixations and their stupid hair.’

“What is the meaning of this?” Alec demanded in his best Lord Commander of the Knights of Idris Voice, which seemed to have little to no effect on the warlock who leaned back on his chair with a smirk and a look of amusement in his eyes.

“I like you,” Magnus stated as if it was the most obvious thing in all the realms. “I didn’t waste my time kidnapping your sister every other day so I could wreak havoc within your father’s kingdom, which I have to add, was a welcome side effect, I did so because I knew your father would send you to rescue Isabelle.”

Alec stared at the man in front of him with his mouth hanging open. Somewhere in his brain he heard a voice suggest that he might want to shut it close but the voice was ignored in favor of the loud chorus about how a man was interested in Alec. A tall, elegant, disorientatingly good looking man.

“What?” He managed after what felt like an eternity.

“I think I made myself clear enough.”

‘Yes, but I just want to hear it again dammit!’ Alec thought to himself but out loud he said, “I can’t… I’m not… I’m not like that.”

Magnus scoffed. “That would have been more convincing if you hadn’t spent the last fifteen minutes staring at my face, or if your sister hadn’t so readily ratted you out, Alexander.”

Alec wasn’t aware that today was Call Out Sir Alexander Day. Or that Isabelle was a backstabbing little snitch.

“In any case you don’t have to live a lie, Alexander Lightwood,” The warlock’s voice had an edge of sincerity to it as he moved to take Alec’s hand in his. A gesture so gentle yet alien that Alec’s first instinct was to pull it back. But he resisted the urge. He had never been so gently treated by another man in his life and it felt so devastatingly right. “You shouldn’t hide who you are. It doesn’t make you any less of a man or a warrior.”

Alec knew his father didn’t feel the same. It was a fair guess that neither did anyone else at court. He was the Crown Prince and the Lord Commander of the Knights. He was expected to marry some princess one day and sire children to carry on the ancient bloodline of House Lightwood. He was born into those responsibilities as hundreds of his ancestors had been. If his father had taught him anything in the past years it was that when you are royalty, you put your House and Kingdom before everything else, because neither could stand without the other.

.

But his father was so far away in Idris and Magnus Bane was right next to him. Tantalizingly right next to him. In fact, Magnus was leaning forward in his chair, closer to Alec than before and his hand was yet to let go of Alec’s own. Close enough for Alec to see the green specs in his golden cat eyes, close enough for him to realize that the warlock smelled pleasantly of sandalwood. But his brain had pushed all that aside to point out that he was close enough that if Alec leaned in the teeniest bit, their lips would touch and by the Angel, this warlock had the most distracting lips that had curled up into a most distracting grin.

.

Maybe he could indulge in a kiss. Just this once. No one would know.

.

But he shouldn’t, right? Maybe this was all just a trick. An elaborate plan to trap him. His mind was running a mile a minute, pointing out all the things that could go wrong and it was worrisome how many scenarios it could come up with within a fraction of a second. Alec swallowed hard and looked down at his hand still cradled in Magnus’s thin slender fingers. He hadn’t moved at all and all his focus was intent on Alec, silently waiting for him to make his decision.

For a man who made a split second decision to knock Alec out, he really was torturing Alec by not making a move, wasn’t he? Alec thought, and halted abruptly. He did wanted Magnus to make a move, didn’t he? Was this his heart’s way of telling him that maybe he should make the move? Or was he just coming up with an excu-

Alec leaned in and kissed the warlock. Magnus didn’t hesitate one second before kissing him back with enough enthusiasm for both of them. The annoyingly paranoid voice in Alec’s head gave one final shriek of surprise before going completely silent and Alec smiled into the kiss before breaking away.

“Well, I guess that’s my cue to go send your father a strongly worded fire message to let him know that his son is going to be imprisoned in my castle for an extended period of time,” Magnus grinned, his voice an octave deeper than it was earlier and a slight blush visible across his cheeks. “I hope he won’t send an army to take me down and bring you back home.”

Alec shrugged and smirked. “Well, I don’t know Bane. Are you ready to fight off the Knights of Idris to keep me with you?” He asked, tilting his head slightly and feeling a little bolder. “I, for one, would love to go down in history as the first ever prince to have a lover fight a war over him.”

Magnus laughed, a rich and deep sound that reverberated in Alec’s chest. And for the first time in his life, in this little sunlit chamber with a sworn enemy of his father’s kingdom, Alexander Lightwood felt that maybe, just maybe, he could dare to hope for the great love story that he knew he deserved.

.

@shinyun--jung @moonlight-lyrics @hermionejohannalightwood

[chimchimjiminheadcanons]

BTS x Reader Proposal Head Cannons

Hey I’m sorry that it’s been a while since I posted, school is back to taking over my life with enough homework to mess up my sleeping schedule ㅠ_ㅠ  I hope these were accurate and I’m sorry if I got any of the little snippets of Korean in here wrong, please feel free to correct me if I did! For anyone who doesn’t know what narang gyeol honhae jullae  (its the Romanisation so it’s easier to read) means and didn’t already assume as much, it means: “will you marry me,” I believe. Saranghaeyo is also an informal but polite way to say I love you :) Anyway sorry for the long paragraph here, what would you say to these proposals? 

Jimin

-He asked you to come on a walk with him one night down to a pier.

-It was pretty out of the blue and you were tired, it was cold outside and you really just couldn't be bothered getting up from the sofa where it was warm and cosy.

-But he kept pouting at you and begging until you gave up.

-He walked along with you down to the end of the pier. The boards creaked underneath the weight of both of your bodies. The only lights that were allowing you to see where you were going were the dim lights from restaurants, the silver shadow of moonlight and lanterns that were placed on the ends wooden posts holding the pier up.

-He's smiling so widely the entire time, his hand in yours and occasionally his thumb brushed over your knuckles while his opposite hand fiddled with something in the pocket of his jacket.

-Once you made it to the end, you sat there and let your feet dangle off the edge. Jimin joined you and moved close to you so he could throw an arm around your shoulders.

-You sighed contently, letting your head rest on his shoulder and your hands rest in your lap.

-You could see the moon's reflection, your own reflection and Jimin's reflection coming off of the water that was such a dark blue it was almost black without the sun shining down on it.

-For a second you let yourself get lost in the moment. Your eyes tracing Jimin's jawline, watching as he stared up at the sky and at the stars until his head moved again and his eyes landed on your own (E/C) ones.

-He seemed to have something to say while he was getting lost in your eyes. His mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish and he tensed as his eyes tore away from yours and he subtly focused on boats bobbing in the water in the distance.

-He inhaled and exhaled. You could feel his body moving as he did so. You probably could have fallen asleep there when he began humming.

-You closed your eyes and he chuckled, planting a kiss on the top of your head and watching as a smile stretched across your features.

-You let out a content sigh as his cheek rested there for awhile.

-It was so peaceful and serene, but now the fiddling Jimin was doing was getting more and more frequent. You let your eyes open again and tried your best to look up at Jimin, though you couldn't see much from this position. He noticed that you snapped back into reality and moved his head off of yours to look into your eyes.

-"You seem a little tense, is everything okay?" Your voice sounded sleepy and mellow, it was coaxing him to get what he wanted to do over with already so he wasn't so nervous anymore.

-"Mhm," he nodded. He looked over at you one more time and then his arm moved from around your shoulders. He pushed himself up and stretched out his arms so he could help you up too.

-He had this look in his eyes and for a split second you thought he was about to break up with you. Your heartbeat rose from anticipation and worry. He grabbed both of your hands in his to help ease the anxiety he felt in his gut. What if you said no? How was he supposed to handle that rejection?

-He'd practiced it all through with Taehyung, a million times so he knew exactly what to say. He was no smooth talker so it took some work, but he was sure if he just took one more deep breath and just did it, he'd be okay. So with that, his chest rose and fell and then he was down on one knee and his left hand left yours to fiddle with whatever was in his pocket again. Your hand moved to your mouth, it seemed like one of those cliche romantic comedy proposals, and tears welled in your eyes as you caught wind of what he was about to do.

-He smiled down at the ground and then his eyes met yours, full of glee and hope. No more anxiety. He pulled a small black box from the jacket pocket and opened his mouth to speak to you again.

-"So I guess you're wondering why I asked you to come out on this walk with me tonight, well I decided to stop procrastinating something very important that I've been dreaming of doing since I met you, since I fell in love with you. I've thought about it so often that it keeps me awake at night," he smiled in his adorable mochi way. "There's been a lot of complications and I wasn't allowed to tell anyone about you, so I had to wait. But last night I did a VLive and told all of the ARMY's that joined about you. I was worried about how they would react, but they weren't upset. There was no fighting over who's boyfriend I was, there was just support and love. They even made a ship name for us!" He paused for a moment and chuckled before he continued. "One person asked when we were getting married, I told them as soon as I stopped being a chicken and actually proposed to you. If you said yes that is. So that's why I'm here, I'm here to ask you, amazing, perfect, beautiful, angelic you, if you will make me the happiest man in all of Korea-no-the universe, and say yes to the question I'm about to ask."

-"And that question is, narang gyeol honhae jullae?"

Jungkook

-You've been together now for three years.

-He's pretty young, so getting married when you were together for a year wasn't something you really wanted. You wanted to wait until you had both really experienced life to tie the knot.

-And even though he was still young now, he decided he couldn't wait any longer.

-You were on a trip to Hong Kong together after a long day of shopping and walking around trying different foods and meeting new people, the two of you were laying exhausted on your shared bed in the small cramped hotel room.

-He looked over at you. The smile on your face, the shimmer in your eyes, how happy you looked to be there with him and to be his. He just couldn't stop smiling. And he decided if there was ever a right time, it'd be now.

-He bought the ring back in Korea and secretly he's been bringing it everywhere waiting for the right time.

-He got such a scare at airport customs worrying about it beeping and having to tell you what it was.

-Luckily, that didn't happen.

-The sun was setting outside, so he grabbed your hand and pulled you up with him while he walked towards the balcony despite your complaining. He just laughed when you pouted at him.

-The ring was still in his pocket. He put it in there this morning in case there was a perfect moment while you were out.

-He leaned on the railing of the balcony, crossing his arms on top of it and resting his head on them.

-You strode up beside him and he moved to wrap an arm around your waist when you crossed your arms there too.

-You looked over at him and smiled, and he smiled back.

-You stood there for a moment in silence. Watching the city moving like it was alive around you. You were in a quieter part of Hong Kong, it was so scenic and beautiful. There wasn't any traffic around really, but people still headed home from work and it was currently rush hour.

-Jungkook breathed in and out deeply. He timed it perfectly so that the moment the sun left the sky, he'd be down on one knee.

-It was halfway there.

-He kissed the side of your head, right on your temple. You giggled at the slight tickling sensation when he kissed it over and over again. He chuckled at your expression as you playfully tried to push him away. He was gazing into your eyes, letting himself get completely lost in them. It felt like he was falling in love all over again, his heart skipping a beat and the butterflies in his stomach growing stronger by the second. You were and are his first real love, he can't believe how lucky he is to have you in his arms right now, here with him.

-And then the sun was gone from the sky. And just like planned he was down on one knee.

-You weren't expecting this at all. A blush spread to your cheeks and you let out a shocked gasp as Jungkook pulled a box from his pocket and stared into your eyes. He opened the box revealing a beautiful ring that looked incredibly expensive. That diamond was bright enough to make the stars jealous and about the size of your pupils which were dilated from staring at the one you love for so long. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it again and then opened it once more.

-"I don't really know much about love at all, but I'm sure that soul mates exist and that your other half is out there somewhere in the world. And when you meet them I'm sure your first thought is to do exactly what I'm doing now. And that's how I've always felt about you." He spoke so from the heart, you could feel the tears starting to form. "I was too young to do it right there on the spot though, so here I am. Thank you for sticking with me for so long, you're my muse, I love you so much it hurts, my heart skips so many beats when you look at me it could win a competition!" You laughed at his words. One of the tears went down your cheeks. You sniffled and smiled even harder than you already were, and you didn't think that was possible. "So, now that I'm older, now that I feel like the time is right, I want to ask you something very important. (Y/N), narang gyeol honhae jullae?"

Jin

-He decides to propose to you at a New Year's Eve firework festival.

-He's a little shy and quiet, so he asks Jimin to show him the secret place he had found that was best for viewing the fireworks.

-Jimin immediately asked if he could come along and Jin decided that it'd be best to bring all the members along for moral support.

-So here you were, all eight of you sitting on a picnic blanket up on a grassy hill overlooking the area where the fireworks were about to start skyrocketing into the air.

-There were lots of fluffy blankets so everyone could stay warm. Right now you and Jin were sharing a white fluffy fake fur blanket, snuggling in together under it. There was also food, bubbles (although Taehyung stole all the bubbles), glow sticks and sparklers.

-You were sitting between Suga and Jin, Suga sitting closest to the end of the picnic blanket. To the right of Jin was RM, Taehyung, Jungkook, J-Hope and lastly Jimin.

-Jungkook, J-Hope and Jimin were cracking jokes and laughing together while Namjoon took pictures and selfies. He occasionally interrupted your conversation with Jin to drag him into a selfie or he'd reach over and steal a potato chip from the bag Jin had sitting in his lap just to see his reaction. Suga was the quietest, he only talked to you and Jin or laughed at something he overheard.

-You reached over and grabbed a glow stick, one of the ones that has a hole in it so you can put a ribbon through it and make it into a necklace. The blanket slid down your arm as you moved and attempted to tie the ribbon around your neck. Jin noticed your struggle and reached over to help you.

-You blushed as he tied the ribbon around the back of your neck and thanked him when he finished tying it and moved away. You snapped the glow stick a little to get it working  and it emanated a bright blue glow soon after. He smiled and mumbled a your welcome before getting back to eating his chips.

-There was a lot of whispering going on as Namjoon nudged Jin's side and whispered to avoid you hearing. You were immediately suspicious, even more so when Taehyung joined in. Jin tried to get them to stop talking, but it didn't work as RM continued to nudge Jin's side.

-You turned to Yoongi, knowing he would cut straight to the chase and tell you if he knew what was going on, and that's exactly what you wanted.

-"Hey, do you have any idea what's up with them?"

-Yoongi looked up from the ground and chuckled, "Yeah, but I think it's better if I leave it a surprise."

-A surprise... why would it need to be a surprise... Your thoughts were interrupted when the loud bang of fireworks and the bright lights of the bursts of colour began.

-You felt Jin's hand slip into yours and looked over at him. You could see the reflection of the fireworks in his eyes and when he looked over you could see the way the red fireworks made his cheek look red.

-He smiled sweetly at you, innocently. And then he pulled something out from his jeans pocket and held it tightly in his fist, resting it against the ground. You eyed his hand and looked back up at him, but when you did he was looking back at the sky. You sighed and squeezed his hand.

-Soon enough, the final firework shot up into the sky. The words 'Happy New Year' written in Hangul taking over what was once a clear patch of dark sky with only stars lighting it up. As soon as all the cheering and clapping was over and everyone began to move away including everyone that was sitting there except the two of you, you started to catch wind of what was happening.

-"(Y/N)?" You nodded and hummed a little. Jin stood up, still holding your hand and pulled you up with him. He stood there with you for a moment, fiddling with what you could now see was the small box in his hand and staring shyly at the ground. The blanket fell off of your form, you were too shocked to keep holding it up on you. Jin looked back at you and maintained eye contact as he got down on one knee.

-"I'm not really sure what to say," he laughed and looked over in the distance. "I've never loved anyone as strongly as I love you. It's all new to me and I know that I never want to stop feeling it. You make me so happy," his eyes returned to yours, he wasn't expecting it, but you dropped down to your knees as well in front of him, he didn't know if this meant you were rejecting him or not, but he continued, "please allow me to keep feeling this way forever, please do me the honour..."

-"Narang gyeol honhae jullae?"

J-Hope

-He takes you to the place you first met, except the whole area had been set up with fairy lights strung around the place and other small details to make it more romantic. It was adorable, even though it was in the middle of a shopping centre. A few passers-by stared at the display in front of them, but since it was getting late there weren't really that many people to stare at what was about to happen. Hoseok had talked to the manager who looked after the place and asked him if he could help him make it more of a romantic setting and he agreed as well as agreeing to keep the place open after hours just in case Hoseok gets nervous and it takes more time than expected. He also tried to get some advice from his older sister since he knew the other BTS members would be useless when it comes to this stuff.

-On the way there he makes so many jokes about weddings, brides, husbands, wives, grooms, sisters in law, brothers in law, parents in law all of it.

-You honestly just thought he was being his usual self. Since he makes jokes about other things a lot like fish and he's never taken you to an aquarium before, you weren't really suspicious of anything.

-That was until you got there and he started playing a slow song. He pulled you in to dance with him, singing along with the song and making silly faces to make you laugh. He kept doing that until you were practically begging him to stop, clutching your sore stomach.

-He smiled at you, he kept smiling at you and talking to you about the future and things he loves.

-There was no one else in the area, just the two of you. He pressed his forehead against yours, swaying along to the music and listening to you humming along peacefully.

-A few moments later the song changed. He had made a playlist with three songs on it. One that he would dance with you to, the next where he would prepare, get himself ready for what he was about to do and the third was 'I think I want to marry you' by Bruno Mars.

-He was wearing a pretty fancy dress shirt, but it didn't look like a normal shirt. You kept noticing that the fabric was almost like tissue paper as you danced with him.

-He knew you were starting to realize what he was up to when your eyes drifted to his bulging jeans pocket.

-He'd practiced so many times, talking to himself in the mirror on the wall of his bedroom, to the other members, even recording himself so he was ready. But he couldn't help but get a little nervous. You looked breathtaking even just in the jeans and loose sweater you were wearing. Your hair was a little wet still, since you had just got out of the shower when he practically dragged you to the car to bring you here and your face was barren of makeup.

-He might be your hope, but you are his angel.

-He could feel his cheeks heating up. How did he get so lucky?

-The very last chorus of the second song was coming up. He gulped loudly, swallowing the lump in his throat. He spun you in a circle and then let go of you, backing away from you and leaving you standing there smiling at him. You laughed when he wiggled his eyebrows at you and cleared his throat.

-"You want to see something cool?" He asked, he was making a face at you that make your smile spread to your eyes. He was so adorable.

-"Alright," you smiled. He seemed excited, like a kid in a candy store. There was something up and you were finally catching on as you stepped away from him a bit just in case he did something crazy like a front flip.  

-Like clockwork, the song changed and you looked back up at him as soon as he had tore the shirt he had on. Underneath it was a tuxedo, it was such a fancy suit he'd have to have spent so much on it. He whispered a 'tada,' which made you giggle for what felt like the thousandth time tonight before he got down on one knee and slid a little closer to you. He pulled a box out of the bulging jeans pocket you had seen earlier, leaving it empty.

-He reached for your hand and looked up at you. He was smiling and it wasn't his usual silly smile, it was one of adoration, love and most importantly hope.

-You tried as hard as you could to keep the tears that wanted so badly to fall right now. Hoseok made you so happy. He was always there for you when you needed him, he never let you down. You mean everything to him and he means everything to you. You wanted this as much as he did, you wouldn't ask for anything to have been different at all even though your relationship has had bumps along the way and will probably have more bumps in the future. You wanted to marry this man, and he wanted to marry you.

-"I know that I don't deserve you. You're an angel and I'm just a big dork," he looked down at the ground. "But you make me a happy dork. You give me hope, you help me stay true to myself. You're my partner in life and every problem I have you're always there to help with. You're the player two in my life, you mean so much to me. My whole life feels like a day dream (hehehe see what I did there?) because you are just too good to be true. You're my hope and I'm yours and I want to stay that way forever. So I have to ask..."

-"Narang gyeol honhae jullae?"

RM

-Get this.

-This man is the king of destruction.

-So of course, when he originally wanted to propose to you he somehow managed to break the ring.

-How does someone even...

-Anyway, a good four or five weeks later when he actually buys another one, he decides to propose to you at a dinner with his family.

-He didn't tell anyone he was going to propose because despite his cool demeanour, RM is a really shy guy.

-He was just hoping he could get you to step out of the room with him while his parents were washing dishes so he didn't have to do it in front of them and his sister.

-Speaking of his sister, she grows suspicious and eventually RM tells her. He regrets his decision however when she keeps smirking at the table.

-You kept looking at her and then back over at him and raised an eyebrow incredibly high when his sister left the table with a "I'm going to the bathroom," and began cackling afterwards.

-He gulped loudly and smiled a closed mouth smile. He seemed a little uncomfortable, fiddling with the sleeves on the sweater he was wearing underneath the table. He tried to calm down a little with a loud sigh, which only made you more suspicious.

-"Hey, is something up?" you spun around on the chair you were sitting on to face your boyfriend. He lifted his head and shook it.

-"Nope, everything is okay."

-You didn't believe him.

-"Are you sure?" you paused, "we can go outside and talk about it if there's something wrong?"

-RM's eyes followed his parents as they moved around washing dishes in the kitchen and chatting to one and other. His sister was still presumably in the bathroom and no one seemed to be paying attention to the two still sitting at the table with empty glasses which had been full of soju when dinner began. You reached for your coat which was sitting on the chair beside you and pulled it on. RM was still focused on his parents until you stood and pointed towards the door.

-"We don't need to-"

-"Please just come outside, I really think somethings up and I want to help," your eyes had this look in them... Like you cared, like you were worried. Namjoon gave in and got up. His nerves only got worse as he fiddled with the box in his jacket pocket, the jacket he had slung on when he was walking out the door and into the Winter's snow. The snow crunched underneath his feet and he could feel the cold nipping at his nose as he walked towards you and waited for you to stop walking. You did so about thirty inches away from the door and turned to him, your face buried in the turtleneck you were wearing. He noticed now that that was his turtleneck you were wearing. You hummed a little as you moved to hug him, urging him to tell you what's wrong. He was reminded again of why he loves you as you did everything you could to help him, the sweet sound of your voice that was music to his ears even just as you hummed a simple tune, how adorable you were and so much more. He took a deep breath and moved out of your arms. You moved your glove covered hands back into the pockets of your coats and pouted as he did so, until he opened his mouth to speak

.-"Nothing is wrong, it's the opposite," he smiled at you. He thought about how cold the snow would feel and how wet his jeans would be when he got down on one knee, but that didn't matter right now. His eyes met yours and with one more sigh he felt himself moving and suddenly he was looking up at you with a box in his hand. The shock on your face was the most precious thing he had ever seen. You didn't look upset or confused, you looked so excited and happy. Exactly how he hoped you would react.

-"I'm sorry I couldn't do this somewhere more romantic, or somewhere like at the end of a concert," he was upset with himself for not being more bold, though he was being bold right now by even asking you to marry him. "But, I wanted to ask you, wonderful, amazing, beautiful, caring, angelic, perfect, loving, gorgeous, precious, fantastic you something I've wanted to ask for a really long time. I kinda broke the last ring before I could though, so here's to take two."

-"Juwa gyulhon haejooseyo?"

Suga

-He hates crowded and loud places so much.-So he decides rather than proposing in a place that's crowded like Disneyland or anything crazy like that, that he would take you somewhere quiet and peaceful to propose.

-There's an abandoned amusement park that he thinks is really cool.

-He's not usually very romantic, but he goes all out and brings out some really beautiful decorations while you're sleeping that morning. He leaves you a note that says: "Gone to practice basketball, don't call me I'll be busy. Saranghaeyo, I'll be back soon and when I am we should go somewhere together."

-He gets RM and Hoseok to help him set up. The entire time Hoseok is wiggling his eyebrows at Yoongi, goofing around and joking, but when he needed to be he was very serious and got down to business to help the two set up. They both knew how important you are to Yoongi, it all had to be perfect.

-After a while, the place has flower petals all around, a large red carpet set up because why not, one of the old games that is still running is set up so that the ring is inside of one of the prizes, a small teddy bear holding a heart.-When he finally gets home, you're dressed adorably. It's fall and it's cold outside but not cold enough for coats, so you had stolen one of Suga's sweaters that was so big on you that it went down to your knees. You had a pair of black stockings, a black skirt and black converse on so the only color was the light blue of Yoongi's sweater.

-He wraps you in a hug and smiles one of his gummy smiles. He was unusually happy today and you really couldn't work out why. He'd always confided in you and told you how he feels. With you he feels like he can be himself and that he doesn't have to always pretend he's okay if he's ever feeling down. He still wants to be strong for you and he always feels bad for letting himself be 'weak' and talking about how much he hates himself at times or how he really feels deep down, but you always assure him that you want to help him and you want him to be who he is. He doesn't have to always be strong for you because you promise to be strong for him. He couldn't help but think about how you support him, love him, care for him, everything. He really did want to marry you and he was determined to propose today.

-When you arrived at the amusement park, your jaw dropped. It was beautiful.

-The two of you climbed up onto two horses on a carousel that wasn't working anymore. You just sat there and talked, laughed and at times just sat in silence and watched each other. Most of your time was spent there until Yoongi grew impatient and carried you on his shoulders around the place for a while.

-You took photos together pretending to play the old games. Your favorite picture is the picture you now have of a very terrified looking Suga sitting on the dunk tank seat while you threatened to throw the ball at the target.

-Finally, you made it to the one game that was working after following the red carpet around. 

-"Oh hey, this ones still working," you picked up a dart and threw it at the dart board. You had to get a bullseye to win a prize, and you had only just missed it by hitting it on the white ring just outside.

-"Here, let me try," Yoongi smirked, "I'm sure I can win you a prize."

-He'd practiced a bit so he could get this perfect first try. You laughed and crossed your arms, you didn't believe he could get a bullseye, but then he did.

-Some kind of old sounding announcement sounded from a rusty speaker: "Congratulations, you won a prize!" The voice sounded a little distorted, but not creepy. Yoongi walked behind the counter and grabbed the teddy bear.

-The teddy bear with the ring in it. When he handed it to you, you instantly noticed the little tear in the top of the heart the bear was holding.

-"Oh... The bear has a tear," you laughed at your rhyme. Yoongi took it from your hands, pretending to inspect it before reaching his hand into the torn part and pulling out a box. Your eyes widened, you knew that box, you knew what that was but oh god you were not expecting this. Suga smiled at you as he gave you back the bear and got down on one knee, taking your free hand now that your other hand was holding the stuffed animal's that was now hung at your side.

-“I’ve always had to be strong around everyone, always wanted to be their backbone, their rock, their support when really I needed someone to be mine. When you came into my life you taught me to smile and not to be afraid of how I feel, now I am going to tell you how I really feel,” Suga paused and stared into your eyes. “Saranghaeyo, so much that I can't live without you, so...”

-“Narang gyeol honhae jullae?"

V

-V hasn’t really been in a serious relationship before, but as you were getting to your two year anniversary, he realised it was definitely getting serious.

-He isn’t really sure what to do now, he just wants to marry his first love and be with them forever.

-And you are his first and only true love.

-He doesn’t want to mess it up and since he’s got a very unique personality, he’s worried he will.

-So he confides in Jimin and Jin and they give him ideas on how to propose, where to propose and what to say.

-He takes you out to a park in the middle of fall. He’s always wanted to be one of those cool fall guys, and now he could be. The different shades of orange through to brown and yellow that seemed to be almost painted onto the leaves that were scattered all over the ground distracted him from thinking about what he was about to do too much.

-He was smiling the entire time, that precious boxy smile rather than the blank expression he usually had. It made you suspicious to say the least.

-His eyes weren’t emotionless, they were full of love, excitement, worry, stress, anticipation and hope, which added to your suspicion.

-“Hey V,” the two of you had linked arms, but he was avoiding your gaze and glancing at the leaves on the ground. When you called his name he was distracted from that task.

-“What’s wrong jagiya?”

-“Oh nothings wrong, you just seem a little different. Is something up?”

-V’s smile grew.

-“You’ll find out soon.”

-You sighed and pouted, but he wasn’t having any of it as he continued to kick the twigs and leaves on the ground.

-You guessed you’d have to wait and see though the anticipation was killing you at this point. You'd gaze over at your boyfriend a few times to see if you could catch even the smallest hint of what he was up to, but there was nothing.

-Eventually, you made it to this really beautiful spot under a huge willow tree. Leaves were still falling from the tree and you have no idea how it got there, but either way it was cool. You both sat on the thick roots and just talked for a while before it began to get dark.

-That’s when Taehyung did it. He didn’t even really think about it, he just spun around and pulled the box out of his pocket.

-You were shocked, so shocked that you nearly fell backwards into the tree’s trunk. V’s smile was still so huge, so happy. He began to speak to you, his lips still curved upwards as he spoke.

-“I’m sorry this is so sudden and out of the blue, but Jin hyung and Jimin hyung said that it’s best for me to do this now because the sooner you say yes the sooner I get to marry you,” he opened the box in his hand and inside was the most beautiful ring you’d ever seen. That wasn’t why you were crying though, you loved Taehyung so much and now he was finally asking you to stay with him forever, to live the rest of your life at his side so he could support you and you could support him, so you could become a family and hopefully make one together in the future. “I love you so much, you make my heart skip so many beats that it's dangerous. I could never live without you, I want to spend the rest of my life together with you, I want to keep experiencing new things with you at my side please...”

-“Narang gyeol honhae jullae?"

[bellesbookshelf]

BOOK REVIEWS | GOODREADS

Book: Heartless by Marissa Meyer | My Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Synopsis: Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King's marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

My Review: As someone who has always loved Alice in Wonderland since they were young, I thought Marissa Meyer did a really good job writing this. Heartless acts as a sort of prequel to Alice in Wonderland about how the Queen of Hearts became the way she is.

Cath is brave, kind, and hopeful. Cath loves baking, she wants to become more independent and run a bakery with her maid, Mary Ann, creating wonderful desserts for the entire kingdom to enjoy. Unfortunately for her, the king has a fondness for her and wishes for her to become his Queen, which is the last thing she wants. All she wants is to move forward with her bakery and to spend more time with the mysterious and swoon-worthy Jest- the King's new Court Jester. "Ah- I almost forgot!" Releasing her hand, Jest removed his hat, bells clinking, and reached inside. He produced a bundle of long white cording. "These belong to you." Cath uncertainly took the ropes. "What are-" She gasped. Her hand flew to her back, feeling around the fabric of her dress, detecting the boning of the corset, yes, but... not it's laces. The back of the corset was split open the full width of her hand. Heat rushed into her cheeks. "How?" Cath and Mary Ann's friendship was so sweet in this book, I loved that even though Mary Ann was her family's maid, Cath never cared or even thought about the fact that Mary Ann wasn't in the same social/economic class as her- she was always considered her her best friend no matter what, even if her mother didn't fully approve of it and their friendship was beautiful. Cath and Jest's relationship was adorable and I loved them together. I loved the scene with the two of them by the well, it was so sweet. These two gave me all the fuzzy feelings and their relationship just made me really happy. I think Jest was a great character and I loved all his scenes, whenever he wasn't there I was just impatiently waiting for him to show up. Something about him was just very sexy, whenever he appeared on the page I didn't want him to leave. Also can more men, fictional and real life, wear eyeliner please?! "I can't stop thinking about you, Lady Catherine Pinkerton of Rock Turtle Cove. I've been trying, but it's useless. You've had me mesmerized from the moment I saw you in that red dress, and I don't know what to do about it, other than to use every skill at my disposal to try and mesmerize you back." I've seen people saying that Meyer relied too much on Lewis Carroll's original story, but I have to disagree entirely. She does a great job of creating a clear retelling, but keeping it her own at the same time. The setting is clearly Wonderland and there are many characters (including the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and my personal favourite the Cheshire Cat) and references to the world we already know, but the story stands on it's own and I believe that even if someone who didn't care for the story of Alice in Wonderland read this, they could still enjoy it- in fact, this is exactly the case with my best friend. Cheshire had started to purr, already ignoring her. Cath cupped her chin with her free hand while Cheshire flopped deliriously onto one side and her strokes moved down to his belly. "Besides, if you ever did eat some bad food, I could still find use for you. I've always wanted a cat-drawn carriage." Cheshire opened one eye, his pupil stilted and unamused. "I would dangle balls of yarn and fish bones out in front of you to keep you moving." He stopped purring long enough to say, "You are not as cute as you think you are, Lady Pinkerton." I re-read Alice in Wonderland shortly after reading this book, and reading it while having the events of this book in my mind made it so interesting, and a little heartbreaking. Seeing the Queen of Hearts so angry about the roses being white and about treacle broke my heart! I think she did a great job of taking ideas from the original story and creating her own twist on them or making them an important, intricate part of her own story when in the original they were just something mentioned in passing, such as the Lobster Quadrille and the Mock Turtle's origins. After reading this, reading certain parts of the original have some more meaning to them, even if it obviously is not an official prequel as it is not written by Lewis Carroll. The reason I gave this four stars rather than five was due to the beginning being rather slow- do not get me wrong, it did not bore me, however had it not be set in a world I knew and loved it may have. Also, there was a predictable event that occurred, though it didn't really bother me that it was predictable and I didn't know exactly how it would go down, just that it would happen. If you've already read this, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Overall though, this was a really enjoyable read and one that I'm sure that I will be reading again in the future!

[yellowsugarwords]

The Walking Dead Game FanFiction - “The Damaged Duo”

Title: The Damaged Duo Characters: Clementine, Javier Summary: A buddy cop Javier and Clem story in which Clementine lives in Prescott working solo and meets Javier; the new guy. When Javi is sent on a supply run, Clementine is sent with him as she knows the area. Things quickly turn south when Clementine twists her ankle saving Javi from a walker, and he is forced to carry her back, with Clem being snarky all the way. Author’s Note: omg I love them in this context Requested By: Anonymous support me with ko-fi ♡ ———♥️♥️♥️———- Clementine was known. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing but, at the same time, wasn’t a good thing either. Especially not in her case.

She had been living in Prescott for a while now and rather quickly became known as “the girl who got stuff done” despite her young age. If anyone within the town’s borders needed something — more rations, a village searched, supplies — Clementine was their girl. More often than not, she didn’t speak to anyone before darting out and returning a few hours later with exactly what they had asked for.

She was a loner, but she worked best that way. She and the rest of the town knew this well.

That was, until Javier Garcia came along. Then, things changed.

His family had been in Prescott for under 24 hours before he caught on to the style the girl had. However, problematically, he began to question it. She didn’t give a damn about what anyone said, and her lack of such thought pinned her as a risk to the adult.

Within their first two days he had demanded to know why officials were sending her alone to snatch some meds from a smaller village less than an hour away.

“She’s a child, you can’t send her out by herself!”

Needless to say, she was replaced. The idea that one man could wander into her town and start making demands, removing her from the independent spot she had worked herself into, infuriated her. Luckily for her, she was determined to ensure it didn’t last forever, and her chance to prove it was dangling in front of her nose.

The Garcia family had been in Prescott for officially 48 hours now and yet, somehow, Javier was already accepted into the officials circle where they went through tasks that needed to be completed. Their group went over who would be doing what, and she was determined to take whatever time she had in the limelight to prove that she could handle whatever she was assigned.

“We need someone to snag some supplies from the abandoned warehouse about an hour south. Apparently the group that was there has since abandoned the place.”

With her chest puffed out, eyes gleaming in excitement with an urge for success, she parted her lips to speak.

“I’ll do it.”

She froze, the moment her lungs collapsed in exasperation crystallized as Javier waved his hand, flashing a cheeky grin towards the leader of their meeting.

“That’d be great, thank you.”

Shaking her head, shattering herself from her numb state, she scoffed. “He can’t go, are you kidding me?” Her wrists flapped before her, her stance one of disbelief. “He just got here. He doesn’t know the location yet and,” she hesitated, casting him a side-eye. “Who knows if he’s trustworthy.”

Javi smirked, his body jostling with the signs of an internalized scoff. “Nobody here should expect or trust a child to go and cart back loads of supplies alone.”

There was that word again. Child. How small exactly did he think she was? Her eyes narrowed at the thought.

The leader of the meeting gave a weak snort, rubbing the bridge of his nose in astonished exhaustion. “You both have fair points.” He mumbled into the palm of his hand. He removed it, staring both of the two down, watching as their eyes tore from one another and landed on him. “That’s why you should go together.”

Clementine snorted, her crossed arms collapsing to her sides. As she gave her chuckle, Javi merely smirked at the preposition. “Seriously?” She gave an amused sigh. “No, that’s not happening.”

That’s exactly what happened.

Within half an hour the two had started down the south-bound dirt road towards the warehouse. Luckily for both of them, Clementine knew where she was going. After all, she had been the one that located the place to begin with.

“You know, I’m not as weak as you clearly think I am.”

“Oh really?”

She could feel her eyebrow twitch. “First of all, I’m not a kid. I’m older than you seem to think. Second, I’m also tougher and stronger than you seem to think.”

Javi chuckled, shooting an amused grin towards the girl. She returned it with a bitter glare. “I have two kids with us that are around your age. I know what they’re capable of.” He shook his head. “You’re all still kids. You shouldn’t need to take on these kinds of responsibilities yet.”

“Well they aren’t me.” Her eyes narrowed. “That’s the difference.”

“You’d be surprised at what they’ve been through. What’ve seen. They’re pretty capable.”

“They haven’t seen half of what I have.” She countered, her bitterness subsiding, a hint of sorrow creeping in. She fought it back so she could finish her thinly veiled threat. “So try me.”

For the most part during their walk, Javi kept his mouth shut as best as he could. Her threat, while he found it adorable opposed to actually threatening, gave him the impression that if he hoped to keep a spot in Prescott, he’d better get on her good side. Clearly, she was in with the rest of the town despite them agreeing she can’t do everything by herself. It didn’t seem like that would stop her, however. She was an asset to them, and if he wanted his family to remain safe there he assumed he’d better keep himself on good terms with their child star.

Upon reaching the warehouse, Javi reached back, removing his bat from his holster. He took a deep breath as they drew closer, readying himself for whatever was within the walls.

“Okay, so I think we should–” Turning to his side to continue, Javi was horrified to see that Clementine was no longer at his side. Instead, ripping his gaze further back, he watched a side door gently click closed.

Clementine.

Immediately he darted after her, not hesitating as he threw open the door and tugged it quietly shut. Of course, before him already scoping out boxes was Clementine, rummaging around in one she had already pried open.

His hands fell at his sides exasperated. “You can’t just walk in without backup.” He retorted growing closer, not wanting to be too loud. After all, they hadn’t had a chance to scope out the area.

“I’ve done this countless times before alone.” She retorted, removing a handgun from the box, waving it in his direction and tossing it into her bag. “And yet here I am, still alive.”

“Not for much longer with that attitude.” His brows pressed, shoulders rigid and tense as he studied the area. “We haven’t even scouted the area yet.”

“That doesn’t matter as long as we’re careful.” She retorted, rolling her eyes into the box, snagging some loose bullets rolling around on the bottom. “Stop being paranoid and start looking for stuff. That’s what we came for.”

Just as Clementine turned ready to start another box, a crashing sound resonated from around the corner. Instantly, the two whipped around to see where it had come from. The stack of boxes just beside the one Clementine had been searching had collapsed due to contact, scattering weaponry all across the floor.

The two were silent for a split-second, studying sounds entering the air.

“Shit.” Clementine groaned, throwing herself onto the floor. “Grab whatever you can. We gotta move.”

Without debate, Javi obeyed, stuffing the loose pellets and bullets into his bag and pockets as quickly as possible while Clementine stuffed any garden tools, guns or decent weaponry into her bag. They were in such a frantic mess Clementine didn’t take the chance to mock him for finally obeying her orders without question.

“Okay, now we gotta–” Clementine hadn’t gotten the sentence out before she glanced up, already spotting walkers lurking in from all sides of the warehouse. She grunted, throwing herself to her feet and ripping her axe out from her back pocket. “Mega shit.”

“Who taught you how to curse like that?” Javi spat, scanning the room quickly and swiftly before snagging a pitchfork from his side, stabbing the walker looming over it.

“Plenty of people.” She spat through a grunt, slamming a walker through the forehead before kicking it off, plowing it into the two fumbling behind it. “Don’t focus on my language, focus on taking these things out.”

All they needed was to clear out enough so that they could safely make it to the exit. While Javi was busy dealing with any blocking the doorway, Clementine was handing any that were approaching behind him so they had enough time and space to make their getaway.

Clementine turned, hoping to see how in the clear they were, spotted a walker creeping in and growing dangerously close to Javi’s blind side. She could feel her pupils dilate, fixating on her single and only target.

“Javi!” Without thinking twice she leapt forwards, throwing her axe perfectly into the side of the walker’s head just barely before he got within arms reach of her partner. Instantly, the beast lifelessly crumpled to the floor, but the moment Clementine felt her feet hit the ground she followed suit.

The instant her shoe hit the concrete floor she could feel her ankle give way, the odd, crooked way she landed putting intense pressure onto her foot. With a wail, her eyelids squeezing in agony, she collapsed onto the floor with a grunt.

“Clemen–?” Javi cut himself off as he spun around, noticing the girl struggling to get herself back onto her feet. He could tell by the faint quaking of her leg that she wasn’t doing well. Deep down, he knew there was no way she’d be able to walk out of here on her own.

As quickly as possible, he gave a brief once over of their surroundings. They’d be cutting it close if they were able to make it out of there at all, but if cutting it close or calling it quits were his options, he refused to let an abandoned warehouse and a stubborn teen be the death of him.

After stabbing a walker looming dangerously close, he threw his weapon back with it, knocking over any walkers in the path of the one slain. He dipped down, tossing her backpack over one shoulder and aggressively hoisting the child into his arms. “Hold on tight.” He grunted, darted for the door, plowing down any and every object in his way.

He could feel her hands grip tightly onto his shirt fabric, only allowing one to be free to help shove the door open. The moment it was open, her death grip returned.

It had been a solid few minutes of running, trying to garner as much distance as possible from the warehouse, before Javier’s running slowed even slightly. “You know,” he started, attempting to collect his breath. Already Clementine could detect incoming sarcasm. “For someone who’s seen a lot of shit you sure do act first and think later.”

Clementine, crossing her arms despite being in his hold, wound her eyes shut and raised an eyebrow. “It works when I’m alone.”

He chuckled, inhaling sharply before and after before speaking. “But you aren’t working alone anymore, are you?”

Her eyes opened, both eyebrows raising in suspicion. “This was a one time thing. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Well you probably won’t be working too well alone with a sprained ankle, now will you?”

Her eyes rolled. “Shut up.”

“You really do owe me one.” He scoffed. “This floral backpack so doesn’t go with my shoes.”

Clementine snorted. “I got it when I was a kid, can you give me a break?”

“Are you not still a kid?” Without even looking he could feel her squirm, desperate to shoot some kind of glare into his gaze that was squarely fixated forwards.

“You’d better hope you are nowhere near me once I can walk.”

“Ah, so now you aren’t even a kid. You’re just a toddler.”

Whack!

“Don’t beat me! I can and will drop you.”

“Try me.”

Thump!

“Ow! What the hell?” ———♥️♥️♥️———-