#i literally fucking JUMPED and almost spat out a mouthful of coffee across the table

[cinematicnomad]

after a week of traveling around india by myself, today was a literal breath of fresh air because all of my colleagues who i'm going to be traveling with for the next 3 weeks finally showed up. we all got together for a lengthy lunch, a bunch of us swam in the hotel pool, then we went out to dinner, and then me and one girl who i've traveled with before but haven't seen in a year hung out in her hotel room until midnight catching up. just. GENUINELY, thank god for other people.

[andypantsx3]

statistically significant | 3 | bakugou/reader

length: 23,490 words | 7 chapters

summary: You’re the scientist who developed a neural net to model the value of assists. Now that your work is feeding into the hero rankings, pro hero Ground Zero has a bone to pick with your results.

tags: romance, enemies to lovers, sexual tension, reader-insert

warnings: aged up characters, eventual smut, m/f threats of violence, problematic behavior

note: I cannot overemphasize that this interpretation of Bakugou is based on season 1 Bakugou, which means he behaves very questionably at the beginning. Please heed the warnings!

The next Monday found you anxiously nursing a coffee, carefully looking over Bakugou’s latest results.

You’d let the model retrain overnight, just to get a more up-to-date picture of Bakugou’s work, and you’d barely slept a wink while it ran, fretting over your first meeting with him. After waking up earlier than ever, you’d found yourself restless all morning, so you’d made your way into Miruko’s agency well ahead of schedule and had spent your time since sucking down coffees and eyeing Bakugou’s assist and rescue scores warily. They still sat well beneath his kill and capture scorings, and you mentally braced yourself for the near impossibility of getting him to prioritize those aspects of his work.

With Mina’s help, you’d been able to con him into working with you. But just because he’d agreed to your bet, you were not stupid enough to think that meant he was going to make anything easy for you.

Bakugou, for his part, seemed the very antithesis of nervous when he met you in the surveillance room. He barged into your makeshift office mid-morning, looking well-rested if annoyed. The door banged loudly off the opposite wall and rebounded closed with a slam that rattled the AV equipment.

“Let’s get this over with,” Bakugou growled, throwing himself down in the seat opposite you. He was dressed in dark training clothes--simple athletic fabrics that suggested that he meant to book it to a training room the second he was done with you. His whole manner suggested you should keep things short.

You sat frozen, fingers paused over your laptop keys. “...Good morning to you too.”

He looked at you incredulously, blonde eyebrows raising. “I didn’t fucking come here for small talk. Get on with it, nerd.”

You suppressed a twitch of irritation, looking away from him where he sat in an agitated pile of strong lines and tense muscle. God you hoped this was all going to be worth it, at the end of things.

You sighed and clicked into the model results screen, knowing it was only going to work him into a lather if you pressed him on social niceties. “Okay, so I did some analysis--”

“Big fucking surprise.”

“--and,” you continued loudly, “as you well know, you need to adjust certain priorities on the field.”

A scoff issued from his direction. “I don’t need to adjust shit.”

It took everything in you not to roll your eyes. He was literally here to discuss adjusting shit. What was the point of him being so defensive?

You eyed him speculatively, taking in the oppositional slant to his broad shoulders, the thin slash of his mouth as he regarded you irritably. Your observations from last week floated to the forefront of your mind, that this was a man who would not easily do anything he didn’t want to do. And it was clear he did not actually want to do this--he had only been baited into it by the grace of his meddling, pink-haired friend.

You mentally resolved to play as nice as you possibly could, to minimize the amount of fussing from his side of things.

“As I think I explained last year,” you began carefully, “the model I train relies on a set of weights, and you’re ranked on that. Your work is divided up into categories: public perception, kills, captures, property damage, rescues, and now assists. Some of those categories are weighted more heavily than others, so if you do well in them, you’ll outperform your peers in the rankings who do just as well in other categories.”

Blood red eyes darted up to a monitor as you projected your laptop screen onto it, the model results translated into neatly organized and color-coded graphs.

“You are unmatched in kills, fairly unmatched in captures as well, and you’ve kept property damage to a surprising minimum in the last few years considering your quirk. You’re also wildly popular, particularly with young people, according to public polls.”

You glossed over the fact that his appearance probably had a lot to do with it, considering the tidal wave of interest from the female bracket of respondents. The fact especially did not bear thinking about when he was alone in a tiny office with you, bare arms and the hard planes of his chest displayed prominently in his training gear.

“Just fucking---out with it,” Bakugou demanded, turning to glare at you again. “I don’t have all damn day.”

The tiniest hint of smoke and sweetness hit your nose as he leaned closer, and you pushed away from him, baring your palms in the universal gesture for peace.

“Okay, okay. So you’re good at those things, but your rescue scores need work, and your assist score puts you in the top ten least cooperative heroes in the entire industry,” you explained, watching as a muscle in his jaw jumped in obvious irritation. “Rescues are the highest weighted category in the rankings model, and assists are the third highest. So no matter how good you are in other areas, you will not surpass anyone who performs well in these categories.”

Bakugou made an annoyed sound, his brows drawing together. “Quit fucking talking to me like I’m a baby. I fucking know--tell me exactly what your fucking nerd-ass model needs me to do and I’ll fucking do it.”

You breathed out of your nose very slowly, quelling the rising tide of annoyance within you. Everything out of his mouth was so abrupt and demanding.

Software engineers, picture the software engineers.

“Okay so I ran deeper analyses on those two categories and compared your movements with generalized results from the top ten heroes from each category,” you continued.

“The thing that stood out in terms of rescues, is that you were almost twice as fast as other heroes to leap into combat with a villain. This means you’re spending less time assessing the situation than other heroes, and therefore spending less time processing victims. So if I had to make a recommendation here, it’s that you should actively look for civilians before jumping into a fight. You might still find that the smarter thing to do is leap into the fight instead of evacuating them, but you at least need to slow down before you do.”

The crease between his brows erased itself and he leaned back in his chair, tension bleeding out of him somewhat, which was--unexpected. You’d have thought he’d get more defensive as you explained his shortcomings to him.

“Fine,” he said shortly. “What else?”

You pulled up two videos and projected them side by side, bright little clusters of dots collected over the location of each hero. “For assists, it looks like when you’re in range of other heroes, you actually do help, at least a little. I only found an issue when I generalized results from the top ten in this category and ran calculations about their movements in comparison to yours.”

You let the videos play, watching Bakugou’s eyes track the movements with unblinking precision. He said nothing as you let the loop repeat, the tense lines of his body inexplicably unravelling even further with each loop. He looked as close to relaxed as you had ever seen him.

After a few loops, he finally let out a scoff. “Those needy fucks stick closer to other heroes,” he concluded gruffly. “That’s what the dots are tracking.”

You nodded. “On average, you move three times farther away from other heroes on scene than the top ten heroes do. So you’re less likely to be in range to help.”

He rolled a powerful shoulder, unwittingly drawing your eyes straight to it. You gave your leg an annoyed pinch under the table, forcing your gaze back up to his face once you realized what you were doing.

“So I have to look for weaklings and stay closer to these b-list fucking clowns, that’s what you’re telling me?” he prompted, running a hand through his mess of blonde hair. It looked unexpectedly soft under his fingers.

You drew your eyes away from him again, focusing hard on the relief you were feeling that he seemed to be processing and internalizing your feedback. “Yeah, you need to assist civilians and stay in range of your team. Those are the only areas in which you really need help.”

There was a sharp crackle, and tense movement caught in the corner of your eye. You turned to find that all of Bakugou’s unease had suddenly returned, a snarl riding his mouth.

“Help?” he demanded. That scent of smoke and sugar suddenly pressed in on you again, sharp and dangerously hot.

You blinked at him in confusion. “...Uh, yeah?”

His gaze darkened and he leaned over the table between the two of you, a calloused hand catching the collar of your shirt to yank you towards him. The corner of the table dug into your ribs, and his fingers were hot where they brushed the skin under your collar.

“I don’t fucking need help,” he spat, crimson eyes boring into your face like a drill. Your hands came up to grab his, trying to untwist it from your shirt, but his fingers only tightened, unyielding.

“What--? Yes you do?” you garbled, fingers scrabbling over his. “What do you--?”

He pulled you further across the table, so that his face was scant inches from your own.

“Fuck you if you think I need anything from you,” he growled in a low tone, voice almost dangerously soft. Your blood iced over in your veins, limbs freezing. He stared at you for a long, heavy moment.

Then, in the next second, you were being shoved backwards into your chair, and then Bakugou was gone, door slamming behind him with a force that shook the walls.

You stared after him in shock, mouth gaping open. He had been fine up until a couple of seconds ago, even seeming to relax under your analysis. But then his temper had suddenly flared for no fucking reason.

What….what the fuck was wrong with him?

You spent the rest of the morning in a state of restless agitation.

What the literal fuck was wrong with Bakugou? Why had he just stormed out like that? What had flipped the switch for him in the space of mere seconds?

You replayed the conversation in your head nonstop all through your next few meetings and over your lunch break, where you furiously wolfed down a bento without tasting any of it. Your frustration carried you all the way into the afternoon, when a head of wild pink curls poked itself through your door.

You looked up into Pinky’s dark eyes and brilliant smile.

“Y/N!” she chirped happily, closing the door behind her and sprawling into the seat across from you.

You returned her friendly smile. “Ashido-san,” you greeted her politely.

She laughed and waved a rosy hand, leaning forward over the table. “I would never ask stats girl to be formal with me. Call me Mina!”

You huffed an embarrassed laugh. That was sweet, but the nickname stats girl needed to die a brisk and fiery death.

“Mina, then,” you amended, pulling up her model results on your laptop, trying to tamp down on your embarrassment. She was almost overwhelmingly friendly.

Her dark eyes flickered over you curiously and a cautious smile played about her mouth. “Heard it didn’t go well with Katsuki this morning.”

You looked up at her in surprise. “He told you?”

She laughed. “No, I just saw him annihilating a training room. I know him well enough to know when he’s throwing a tantrum.”

An awkward, hot sense of shame welled up within you at the thought that you’d pushed him to that, though you didn’t know how. You got the sense that you’d taken one step forward but two steps back. So much for your promotion.

“Uh yeah, he kind of...stormed out? He’d been listening, actually, and I thought things were going weirdly well. The bet was a good idea, so thank you,” you said. “I just…somehow I screwed it up, I think.”

Mina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, splaying out flat in her seat. “God, you know what? I’m just so tired of my best friends being guys. They’re so dramatic and so fussy about their tough guy image. And take themselves so seriously, for no reason, even fucking Denki. I have sat every single one of them down and forced them into make up so it’s absolutely baffling to me that they still stomp around like they’re so serious and so tortured.”

Your mouth dropped open as what she’d just said caught up with you. Take themselves seriously...when she’d forced them into make up? “No. Even…?”

Mina smirked. “Oh yeah, even Katsuki. No idea why he thinks he’s such a tough guy when all it takes is a couple of tears and boom, he’s working a smokey eye and tiny little pigtails.”

You choked on a laugh, trying to dispel the horrifying image in your mind of Bakugou in mascara and lipstick. The idea of him in make up was somehow even more intimidating than his usual appearance. You did not want to know more.

It certainly did beg the question, however, why he was such a difficult jerk if it was that easy to get him to acquiesce to something that horrifying. Maybe the answer lay in Mina’s powers of manipulation. She’d known to make the bet with him, after all. And if she knew how to get him into eyeliner and lipstick, then she might know how to get him to agree to let you help him.

“Wow,” you murmured. “That’s...terrifying. How did you even convince him though? I can’t get him to spend more than two seconds around me without blowing his top like a volcano.”

Mina grinned conspiratorially, leaning over the table. “You just have to know how to work him. Trust me, you might have good numbers sense, but I have pretty good people sense. Katsuki is all smoke and fire until you dig underneath.”

You almost did not want to know what was underneath. “That’s--but he’s so volatile. I can’t predict any of it.”

Mina's grin widened. “Actually, it’s pretty straightforward. He’s actually super in control all of the time, even when it seems like he’s lost it. He’s only really sensitive about one thing.”

“For example,” she leaned forward, her smile morphing into something dark and leery. “I heard he burned through your dress at the Hero Awards.”

You put your face in your palm. “Yes. This is what I’m talking about--I thought he was gonna fry me to a crisp.”

Mina snorted, raking a hand through her mess of curls. “Maybe I only see it because my acid is similar--but it’s pretty hard to only burn through a tiny strip of fabric and not touch anything underneath, even if you’re not out of your mind with anger. It requires some precise control. Wouldn’t you say?”

You froze in your seat, staring at her. Implications began to creep over you like a dark shroud. “What?”

She grinned. “He didn’t touch you, right? Only the dress?”

You gaped at her. “Yeah--only the dress.”

She cut her dark eyes to you, looking like she was trying to suppress a laugh. “Very interesting that he managed to sear straight through your dress, then, without burning you. One might think he did it on purpose.”

You floundered. “But I--but he--! I told him to do better and he got all worked up and intense!”

Mina laughed out loud. “I bet he did. Katsuki’s a total control freak but he loves a challenge. That’s why he took your bet, and that’s why your meeting didn’t go as poorly as you thought it might at first, and that’s why he was so fixated on you after the Awards.”

Your face heated. “Don’t put it like that.”

She chuckled. “I don’t know how you feel about him, but I can guarantee he’s very interested in you. He loves girls who don’t take any of his shit. Why do you think he signed with Miruko? It’s actually kinda gross,” she made a face.

Your face was on fire. A hot wave of embarrassment washed through you and you resisted the urge to dive under the table and hide. This is not the turn you thought the conversation would be taking.

“Uh, so,” you managed, fingers fluttering. “So--um, why did he freak out earlier then? I did tell him everything he was doing wrong. But then he lost it, I think when I told him I would help.”

Mina’s grin settled back into place. “He’s so fucking predictable. He hates being looked down on, and the word help implies that you think he’s weak enough to need it. I’ll bet you anything that’s why he totally flipped.”

You considered this. “But I didn’t mean it like that--”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s got a very specific way of looking at things. He’s way better than he used to be but that’s the one thing he’s still sensitive about.”

You mulled that over. It did explain, then, why he’d reacted so poorly when he’d seemed to be fine with your critique. “Does he really need to be seen as strong that badly?”

Mina picked idly at the fluff on her costume’s jacket, thin fingers tangling in the white strands. “He has insane expectations for himself, and he’s only comfortable when everyone else has those too. It’s like if you think he can’t live up to those standards, that you don’t truly see him.”

So that was it. The mystery of Bakugou’s volatile nature explained--a weirdly deep-seated inferiority complex wrapped up in layers of crankiness and--you blushed--an interest in girls who gave him shit. You quickly buried any considerations on his romantic inclinations, and focused on the inferiority complex.

Whether you’d intended to or not, this morning you had managed to convey to him that you thought he was incapable, and not in a way that personally challenged him like the bet had, or your demand he do better at the Hero Awards. It was so ridiculous, you thought, but then so was he. And if you wanted to make any progress on your promotion, then you were gonna have to suck it up and work within those constraints.

You sighed. You owed him an explanation, maybe even an apology.

Mina regarded you approvingly from across the table. You also owed her a drink. Maybe several.

“Got it,” you acknowledged, clicking back into your model results and pulling up her ranking analyses. “And thank you--I owe you a ton. Now let’s get to what we came here to do which is to talk about how you can kick even more ass.”

Mina grinned, leaning forward in delight. “You’re welcome. And hell yeah, this conversation was so not passing the Bechdel test.”

You snorted, suppressing a wild smile. Oh, you really liked her.

You would apologize and get things back on track with Bakugou. And once Bakugou netted you your promotion, you were gonna turn back and rocket Mina up the rankings to give him a run for his money.

[haikyuuuuuhypeeeee]

Chapter 3

⚠WARNING: Mention of previous characters' deaths

• ────── ✾ ────── •

You have no idea how you got here.

Here, being in front of the lone coffee shop on campus, on your way to meet the stranger who’s had the misfortune to get Hajime’s old phone number and receive your sad ramblings meant for no one else.

And you, the author of those sad ramblings, written in moments of weakness, are going to sit with this stranger and….

You haven’t gotten that far yet.

Honestly, you’ve been more incredulous at the odds of this meeting even happening.

What the hell am I doing???

You really have no explanation, not even for yourself. The time is 9:58 and in two minutes you’re going to walk into the cafe and meet with a stranger who is going through a traumatic life experience similar to yours.

Ok, so you can explain what you’re doing. But the why is what’s escaping you. And frankly that should scare you more than it is currently doing.

Especially seeing how you haven’t told your friends what you’re doing. You bugged off lunch (much to Oikawa’s annoyance) but didn’t tell them why. Not only would Oikawa throw a fit but he, Mattsun and Makki wouldn’t understand your reasoning for meeting a stranger you met only a few hours ago.

They really wouldn’t understand why you don’t have a solid reason for meeting this stranger.

Put all the red flags together and you would find yourself locked in your apartment with no means of escaping under Oikawa’s watch.

To be fair, you are meeting them in a public place and you have no intention of going anywhere with the stranger. You’re just going to go have a cup of tea, shoot the shit, and then leave.

Yeah, it’s definitely doable. And not at all crazy.

You take a deep breath before walking inside the shop. It’s a bit crowded - the weekend mid-morning rush makes the employees hustle behind the counter to fill orders. All of the tables are full, leaving no space for two strangers to sit and….

Oh, this was a bad idea. A really bad and stupid idea.

Your phone rings in your pocket. You pull it out and nearly jump at the caller ID.

Your brain points out that it’s not Hajime but the stranger you’re meeting. You pick up the phone quickly. “Hello?”

“Heya, how’re ya doin’?”

You hope you’ve schooled your expression into nonchalance but you can’t help your eyebrows jumping hearing the clear Kansai dialect through the phone.

Besides the surprise at the unfamiliar drawl, you’re pleased to hear a clear and strong voice on the other line. Nothing creepy or weird or anything your brain was trying to convince would be the case.

“Hi.” You reply into the phone. You can hear background noise from his end, which assures you again that he must actually be here.

“‘M over in the corner with the baseball cap.”

Your eyes move to the corner immediately and zero-in on a figure sitting at the table there. It’s a man, wearing a dark long-sleeve shirt and a dark ball cap. And he’s staring straight at you.

You hang up the phone and walk over to him. You spot a coffee cup on the table in front of him and watch as he takes his hat off and sets it on the tabletop. His silver-grey hair is messed up from the hat but that’s the least of your concerns at the moment.

No, what has you almost faltering in your steps is the exhaustion that lies deep on his face. The bags under his eyes are heavy and stark against his pale skin. His mouth is drawn in a small frown and with his eyebrows furrowed slightly it makes him look troubled.

You recognize his weariness. This is a man who is burdened to carry an intangible weight.

However this man still meets your gaze and gives you a small, tired smile. The small gesture brightens his face considerably but doesn’t completely erase the empty look. But you feel your nerves settle when he smiles at you.

“Hi,” he says when you approach the table.

“Hello.” You sit in the chair opposite of his and shrug your jacket off. “It’s busy, thanks for grabbing a table.”

“No worries.” Hearing his calm and measured tone in person relaxed you more than you realized and you felt some tension release from your shoulders. “‘M here all the time and I figured they’d be a bit busy on Saturday. D’ya want me to grab ya something from the counter?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” You shake your head to emphasize your point.

“Nah, I insist. Coffee? Tea? Fancy mocha drink?”

“Uh,” you’re startled by his insistence but relent. “A tea, please. Jasmine if they have it.”

He nodded before standing and making his way to the register, letting you fully settle in your seat and try to still comprehend what the hell you are doing.

Mid-inner freak out (oh god, what if he drugs my tea, what am I doing?!) a cup materializes in front of you. Osamu comes around with another cup for himself and sits in the chair across from you.

“They had Jasmine and it smells amazin’.” He shifts in his seat and takes a sip of his coffee. “‘M not a big tea drinker but that smells like it would calm ya down real good.”

You send him a smile before lifting the cup up. The smell of jasmine tea was soothing and the taste was even better when you took a small sip. “It’s my go-to comfort drink. I’ve probably had a few more cups than normal in the past few months.”

The sympathetic look the stranger sends you makes you purse your lips, realizing too late what you said. You look away, cursing to yourself. Great, way to go and make it awkward now. It’s quiet for a bit, now awkward by your weird ~fun fact~

“My name’s Miya Osamu.” You look up at the man and see a rueful smile on his face. “I probably shoulda told ya my name earlier. ‘M a first year student at Sendai University.”

You blink. Of fucking course you didn’t know his name. You never thought to ask when texting him earlier. You met up with a LITERAL stranger for tea and coffee.

“Wow, I’m sorry for being so rude!” You hurriedly say. “I should’ve asked AGES ago. But my name’s L/N Y/N. I’m also a first year student at Sendai.”

“Huh.” Osamu (not The Stranger) says. “What a weird coincidence.”

You nod. “Yeah, um are you not from around here? I can tell by your dialect.”

Osamu hums. For the first time you see his face fall and set into something more stone-like. It’s a subtle difference but it’s there nonetheless. “Hyogo. Came to Miyagi for school and had to get a new number.”

“Oh.” It’s a dry answer that you really don’t know how to reply to. “Do you like it so far?”

He shrugs. “It’s not bad. Pretty far.”

You nod. “Yeah, it is.”

You both lapse into a silence that is neither comfortable nor relaxing.

Oh my GOD this is so awkward! Why did you agree to this? Why did you think this was a good idea?! Yeah sure, he’s not a freaking weirdo serial killer, you can check that off your list. But you didn’t think about what you would actually TALK about!

“Do ya wanna talk about Hajime?”

Your reply to his question is to spit your tea across the table.

You look up to meet Osamu’s concerned gaze. Neither of you move before you both reach across to grab napkins from the dispenser.

“Are ya alright?”

“Oh my god I’m so sorry!”

In your haste to clean up your tea the napkin dispenser gets knocked to the ground, and the napkins explode out like an explosion of white confetti.

“Ahhhhhhhh!” The napkins springing up startle you so much that your knee knocks into the table hard, almost upending Osamu’s coffee.

“Argh!” You lean down to clutch your knee as it throbs painfully but your head collides with the table instead. “OUCH!”

“Are ya alright?!” Osamu asks frantically.

You exhale deeply. “Yep, I’m just a klutz. Fuck, that hurt my head.” You wish you could keep your head down and disappear. But you look up, your face bright red with embarrassment, and meet the concerned look from Osamu.

“I’m ok,” you reassure. “Really.” You look around at the mess surrounding your table and catch a few people gawking. Good lord. “Besides my pride taking a beating, I’m all good.” You stoop down to grab the napkins scattered around, wincing at the waste. Osamu also bends down to help.

“It looked like a pretty hard hit,” he notes.

“It’d be worse if I had something in my head worth keeping safe.”

Osamu smiles at your quip, a little half-smile. It’s nice.

Soon you both stand back up to throw out the napkins. Osamu grabs the bunch from you, letting you sit back down. You try to cool the fuck out and you will your face to not resemble a tomato when he comes back.

“Are you sure yer alright?” Osamu asks again.

“Yes, really.” You nod. “I’m sorry if I spat tea on you. I was just really surprised.”

Osamu tilted his head. “From what I said?” You nod. “Why?”

“I mean,” you start. “It mainly just caught me off guard. I’m not used to it, like just talking about him.”

“Do ya talk about him at all?”

You want to nod, but thinking about it you honestly don’t remember the last time you were able to tell someone about Hajime. Not his passing, but just talking about the person that he was.

“Oh.” Osamu pauses, looking at you considering. “Well my old therapist said it’s good to talk about this stuff, so I figured that’s what ya wanted.”

You don’t know how to reply to his simple explanation. Because you do want to talk about Hajime. You want to so badly. You want to tell the world how amazing he is, how he makes the world a better place just by existing, how strong he is and how much lighter you feel when he’s around

Or, how it was.

But you haven’t been able to talk about him. Every time you tried to talk outside of group therapy with your friends, Oikawa shuts down and Makki and Mattsun get uncomfortable. Your therapist is always able to handle anything you throw at her, but it’s not the same as just talking about a friend to someone.

So maybe Osamu is right about just talking about Hajime.

“He has hair like a porcupine.”

Osamu gives you a look of confusion before you continue. “Our friend Oikawa used to call him prickly, and we’d tease him when he’d bristle up and say he looks like a porcupine.” You laugh at the memory of Hajime bristling up, constantly egged on by Oikawa. “It wasn’t even bad hair, it was just so sharp. It was weird.”

Osamu doesn’t say anything for a second before he bursts out laughing. “Atsumu had weird hair too - dyed bleach blonde. Thought it made him look badass.” He rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

You wrap your hand around your cup of tea, hesitating. An obvious question hangs in the air but for the first time since sitting down Osamu looks a bit lively.

“Was Atsumu your brother?”

The lightness on Osamu’s face is extinguished when he nods at your question. “Yeah, he’s a pain in the ass but I love him.” He pauses, looking down at his coffee cup. “Well, he was.”

You can feel the pain radiating from that one word. You understand the horrid dread that comes when you realize you’d been speaking about Hajime in the present tense. Even more so when you have to admit it out loud.

You look at Osamu and frown upon seeing his withdrawn expression. You feel immense guilt, knowing that you’ve contributed to his change in mood.

You’re desperate to lighten the mood and bring that smile back to Osamu’s face. You search through your memories, trying to find something funny. A thought crosses your mind and you feel a small smile grace your lips.

“There was one time that my friend was determined to roast smores on Iwa’s head.” You giggle at the disbelieving look on Osamu’s face. “Yeah, it was the stupidest idea he’d ever concocted. We didn’t even get one marshmallow on his head.”

“We?” Osamu asks, his voice lifting in amusement ever so slightly.

“Of course.” You reply, a smile spreading over your face at the memory and at Osamu’s content face. “I too was curious if we could do it.”

Osamu snorts, shaking his head as he brought his coffee to his mouth. “That idea would have intrigued Atsumu for sure. He was all about the far-fetched plots to piss off everyone around him.”

You smile, leaning forward in your chair. “Oh yeah? Wanna share some notes?” Osamu’s face brightens slightly at your words and he begins to talk, more animatedly than before.

• ────── ✾ ────── •

A/N: So nothing bad happened with Y/N meeting the stranger (besides her being a clumsy klutz, where are my fellow klutzes at?) Thank you for reading, I hope this chapter was a little soft respite from the initial angst~

Taglist Open! Please send an Ask with the request to be added to It’s [Not] Okay Fic & SMAU (bold cannot be tagged): @psycho-nightrose @camcam1617 @kamalymaly @toobsessedsstuff @shookykookie30 @roro-707 @qualitygiantshoepsychic @cerealfrdinner797 @ara-mitsue @gray-444 @tanakasimpcorner @rintarovibes @jellien

[chancelloramidala]

Across The Stars In A Galaxy Far Far Away ★ Star Wars & Marvel Crossover AU

ONE.

Tony didn’t know what else to expect when Peter called him at two in the morning. He wasn’t even asleep, just drinking coffee in his workshop and fiddling with a new project. Usually when Peter texted him it was about literally the smallest thing. And most the time, Tony didn’t mind it, he found it endearing that the kid wanted to update him on if he passed a test or not and the latest gossip going around school was.

But this time, it was a call, which was deviated from the usual. Calls were important, and Tony wasn’t prepared to talk about anything important. Was Peter going to talk about dating with him? Did he like someone at school? Did he have questions about the birds and the bees?

No. The answers to all of that was no.

Not even fucking close.

Peter was talking so fast that Tony thought the kid accidentally took some drugs and was hallucinating, but when the kid finally slowed down, that’s when Tony heard it.

“I think a space ship just crashed into Central Park, Mr. Stark!”

Tony spat out his coffee all over the steel table. “What?”

“I think a space ship just crashed-”

“Nope, I heard you kiddo,” Tony rubbed his temple feeling a migraine begin. “Promise me you didn’t take anything, nothing that looked like candy off the ground?”

“What? Why would I even... Oh my god, I think aliens are inside the ship!” there was some shuffling and Tony could only assume Peter was running to hide. “I hear something, yelling... clanking...”

Tony felt his face pale as he stepped away from the coffee ruined table and he held the phone closer to his ear. “Peter, whatever you do, don’t approach them. Wait till we get there.”

“”We”?”

“Yes we. Now stay put.”

“Wait! Don’t hang up!” Peter exclaimed as the voice call turned into a video one, “I think they’re trying to get out of their ship! Look!”

Peter turned the camera in his phone around to reveal what he was seeing to Tony.

━━━━━━━━━━━━

Anakin helped Obi-Wan down the ramp with one arm loosely around his friend’s torso to keep him upright. “Well, at least we’re all in one piece.” He said as he sat Obi-Wan down next to Ahsoka who was being tended to by Padmé.

Padmé rolled her eyes as she applied a bacta patch on Ahsoka’s bruised back. “No doubt it’s thanks to your flying, Ani,” she sharply replied.

“Where are we anyway?” Ahsoka asked, carefully rolling her shoulders despite the aching pain.

“We’re too far away for our coms to get a signal out.” Rex said as he continued to tap at his com. “I can try again with the communication systems on board, but they looked fried beyond compare, sir.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to try again,” Anakin nodded his head at the Clone Captain before he turned around and went back onto the ship.

Obi-Wan patted Anakin’s arm before reaching up to run a hand through his auburn hair. “I didn’t recognize the star system before we crashed,”

“Artoo?” Anakin called out for his trusty astromech droid. In an instant, R2-D2 rolled down the ramp, beeping and chirping. “Can you get a read of the terrain and figure out what we’re dealing with?”

The Jedi Knight looked around at his surroundings, seeing that there were trees, grass and what seemed to be a water fountain nearby. Benches were scattered about and there was a cobble stone wall way a few feet away. If anything, the area they were in didn’t seem hostile at all.

“Will do,” he beeped as a part of his dome shed while his life-form scanned extended from the top. It turned and started to scan the surrounding area while the droids companions were given bacta patches from Padmé.

“I’m picking up someone in the tree over there!” warbled the droid as he moved side-to-side nervously and extended his utility arm to gesture to the tree he was talking about.

Anakin reached out into the Force, feeling that there was a Force-sensitive being in the tree. Then, with a raised arm, Anakin used the Force to apprehend the being and remove them from their hiding place. From what he could see, it was a small form, lean and of average height wearing some sort of blue and red suit with strange shaped eyes.

Peter Parker yelped as he was yanked out of the tree and dropped his phone on the ground, Mr. Stark’s voice fading away. Now he was just levitating in the air before the aliens he was stalking. “Oh my god, please don’t kill me!”

Padmé Amidala’s eyes widened as she heard the voice and jumped up from her spot next to Obi-Wan and tugged on Anakin’s arm, “Ani, he’s just a kid, put him down!”

“Oh,” Anakin deflated as he felt his face heat up. He carefully lowered the boy to the ground and sent him a sheepish grin. “Sorry ‘bout that,”

The teenage boy wanted to scream, he was so confused. “Uh... that’s okay, um, thanks for putting me down-”

Then a beautiful woman dressed in a maroon vest paired with tan pants and long-sleeve stepped forward. “Are you okay?” Even if Peter was absolutely baffled with what was going on and was on a verge of an anxiety attack, the soothing presence of this woman calmed him down a bit. 

Peter made a small uncertain noise, “I don’t really... know,” he let out an awkward laugh before pulling off his mask, causing Padmé, Anakin, and Obi-Wan to see how young this boy was. Ahsoka was glad to see someone who looked around the same age as her. “I mean, how would you react if you saw a UFO crash in the middle of Central Park?”

Before anyone could answer that, (especially Anakin who wanted to say that he wasn’t an alien here and if anyone was an alien it would be Ahsoka), a voice was screaming from the ground.

“Peter? PETER?!” 

“Shit,” Peter mumbled under his breath and then crouched down to pick up his phone that he dropped earlier. “Mr. Stark-!”

“Fucking HELL, kid! You can’t do that to me!” Tony Stark’s panic ridden face filled his screen, and from what Peter could see, he was wearing his Iron Man suit. “Where are the aliens? Whatever, we’re on our way.”

Peter raised a brow as another flare of confusion coursed through him. “Mr. Stark, I don’t really think that’s necessary-”

“Stay where you are. That’s an order!” Tony briskly ended the call.

Peter stared blankly at his phone with his mouth agape.

Rex then descended from the ship’s ramp and walked over to the group with his helmet in his hands. “Sir,” he said, briefly sparing a look at the boy they picked up.

“Yes, Rex?” Obi-Wan slowly rose from his spot on the rock and ignored the shoot of pain from his ribs. Anakin also turned his attention to his second-in-command, but could sense something was up and that it probably had to do with what he found.

“Um...” The Clone Captain looked torn, expressing this through standing up straighter and nervously gripping on his helmet. “There’s no record of this galaxy in our records.”

Anakin’s fists curled by his side. “What?”

Padmé frowned and turned her head towards Obi-Wan. “Is that even possible?”

Obi-Wan held a thoughtful expression on his face and gently stroked his auburn beard. “It wouldn’t be the first time a planet was wiped from the records. It happened to Kamino before the War started.”

Ahsoka turned away from the adults and let them talk among themselves, feeling that her input wouldn’t add anything. So she turned her attention to the human boy across from her. He looked severely conflicted by how furrowed his eyebrows where and how he kept nibbling on his lower lip. Not only the physical signs of conflict being completely evident in him, but she could feel the emotional strings of his mind reach out to her.

He’s Force-Sensitive? She asked herself and then cautiously approached him, curiosity swirling inside of her. “Hey, are you okay?”

Peter shrugged and ran a hand through his brown hair. “This was not how I was expecting my night to go, that’s all.”

The Togruta almost laughed, the exact thought crossing her mind. “I get that, name’s Ahsoka by the way.”

 “I’m Peter, hi Ahsoka.” he offered her a half-hearted smile, one that she returned.

A shadow of something flew overhead, accompanied by what Ahsoka could only assume was a jet pack. Her hand instantly fell onto her lightsabers by her hip, turning her head in the direction of her Master. Bright lights then shined brightly, causing Ahsoka to raise a hand to block it from blinding her as five silhouettes appeared from the source of the light.

“Stay where you are,” a modulated voice said and stepped forward, revealing a red and golden droid aka the source of the lights that came from its palms. “Give us the kid and we can do things without ruining Central Park.”

"I don’t think this hostility is necessary,” Padmé started her cordial senator mask falling onto her easily, putting her hands up to show that she meant no harm. “Our ship crashed while we escaping an ambush set up by Separatist sympathizers. We will be more than willing to explain everything to you, but please, we need medical assistance and a place to repair our ship.” she carefully explained, staring at the droid and discerning that the make and model wasn’t Separatist grade.

Tony Stark turned his head to the side to one of the silhouettes but kept his hands raised just in case. “What do you think, Cap? Do you believe their story?”

Steve Rogers scanned the group before them. One of the men was holding his side, while another looked like he was going to pass out because of pure exhaustion. Three of the five individuals had slim silver cylinders on their belt, as for the other two had guns he has never seen before. If anything, they looked bruised and tired, and didn’t seem hostile.

“I do believe them,”

Tony made a small disgruntled noise but then lowered his arms to his side. “Fine,” he eyed them warily and scanned the group with his sensors, seeing that four of them were humans while one was indeed an alien species. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., bring in the cavalry to get their space bucket out of here,”

Obi-Wan staggered in his footing, causing Rex, who was the closest to him, to hold him steady. “Careful there, sir,”

“I’m fine,”

“Nope, you’re a liar,” Tony scoffed as he did a full scan on this bearded guy. “You’ve got a concussion and two broken ribs if my medical sensors are right, which they usually are..”

“Obi-Wan! You said it was nothing,” Anakin scolded his former mentor.

“And it is!”

“Alright, tough guy,” Natasha Romanoff rolled her eyes as she walked over. “Let’s get you to someone who can make sure of that, hm?”

Clint and Natasha helped round everyone into one of the black SVU’s parked along the side walk while R2-D2 hurriedly rolled behind them and beeped incessantly.

“What the kriff is going on?” he asked.

“I’ve got no clue, Artooie,” Ahsoka patted his metal dome with her gloved hand.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” the droid beeped nervously before hoisting himself inside the strange looking speeder.

[lokidrabbles]

Tea Time II (Loki x Reader)

Part One

After eons, I’ve finally completed my second part of this! Thank you all for your past support!

Loki comes to visit the reader late at night to follow up on a certain promise (Gender Neutral Reader)

Nights became lonely in your small New York abode. At this point, you were not just expecting Loki’s fluctuating company, but you eagerly were waiting for his arrival after you had managed to follow through with what he had asked long ago.

Yes, it might have been stupid and a tad artless, but you took heavy consideration into creating a melody of chamomile, raspberry, vanilla and other carefully crafted flavors for the one Prince of Asgard. After many trials and failed taste tests, you achieved in concocting a flavorful drink to easily soothe the soul. You knew damn well Loki would criticize it to no end, commenting on how ‘bland’ it must taste. However, simply having him keep you company was a reward in itself.

You mentally smacked yourself. Pathetic. You were acting like a high schooler, overflowed with hormones and stricken with puppy love. You cursed at Loki from the beyond as well. His unexpected and prolonged absence caused you to grow wistful and yearning for his presence. In all honesty, it was only a few weeks. Yet, for the first time in a long time, you noticed how lonely you had actually been when he wasn’t around. With Loki there, exchanging banter and demeaning your ‘mortality’, at least you had some type of company.

You mentally smacked yourself again. Stop. Get a damn dog and get over it.

You figured he must have been sent on some assignment or mission. Or have traveled to another realm or planet. Probably far and long away from New York.

It couldn’t be helped.

---

No one should be woken up this way at 4:00 am.

A loud thundering crackle, loud enough to shake all of the homes and buildings in your block, jolted you awake, heart heavily pounding in fear. Bright, rainbow colored lights flashed from right outside your window, sending a loud ringing in your ears. You immediately covered them with the palm of your hands, eyes dashing back and forth in utter panic. What in the world-

The sudden halt of the otherworldly phenomena stopped with an lingering echo, and you swore you heard a faint thud right outside your door. Then, silence.

You could only hear your shallow breaths as you awaited for something.

A doorbell ring.

You remained seated in your bed, analyzing whether you were in the middle of a bad dream or if in fact, someone had just rung door bell in the dead of night.

The doorbell rang again, repeatedly, with much frustration in each ring. A strange feeling hit you. There was an insanely high hunch towards who was right at your front door, and your lips began to twitch at the notion.

You sprang and scurried over to your door, as hastily as someone who had just been woken up could. As you unlocked and opened your door, a familiar sight presented itself. Indeed, this must have been some dream.

“Good morning!”

There before you stood the infamous Asgardian prince, unrealistically chipper, waving his hand swiftly to offer a brief greeting.

A million thoughts ran in your head, mostly trying to process whether Loki was actually standing in front of you or whether you were still having an extremely lucid dream. You stood, mouth agape, unable to fully put together a sentence.

“What? Surprised to see me dear?” He said, smirk plastered on his face.

“Loki?” Loki!” Your eyes became large and wide, as if reality hit you just this split second. “Are you kidding me? You wanna wake up the whole damn neighborhood?”

“Ah, travel through the Bifrost is always a tad loud. Didn’t think it would cause that much ruckus.” He feigned innocence, probably knowing damn well it would cause you to be on your toes.

“What do you want? It’s very late.” You asked while rubbing your eyes.

“Why are you always so rude, aren’t you going to invite me in?” His arms were crossed while he tapped his foot irksomely.

“Oh, pardon me, I usually don’t have multidimensional teleportation bullshit things wake me up at 4 AM!” You whispered loudly.

“Well, aren’t you glad I woke you up early then?” His smug tugged at you gruesomely. Loki nonchalantly made his way into your doorway, taking in the scowl on your face with much satisfaction.

“What can I possibly do for you at this time of the night?” You retorted sardonically, locking your door behind you.

“Ah, just thought I’d had a quick stop to wind down before I have to return to report to that fool Stark. As much as it is assuring these Avengers aren’t going to throw me prison, its a bore having to be around them.”

Loki comically flopped himself onto your couch, kicking his legs up onto your coffee table in total comfort. Who’s being rude again?

“How tragic.” The sarcasm was deep in your response. “So instead of following through with your community service you wanna play hooky with a half-awake human.”

He wagged his finger towards you. “Not just that. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your little promise to me.”

Of course you knew exactly what he was insinuating, but you weren’t willing to admit you had waited day after day once you had completed your stupid little tea project.

“What are you on about?” You feigned.

“Don’t jest with me (Y/N), I know you’ve prepared something for me.”

This was something new to you. In the number of times Loki had come to invade your privacy he never displayed this level of playfulness. His voice was sugary sweet and it traveled through the air and into your heart. Magic perhaps, or maybe he was just messing with you.

You sighed. “Give me a bit so I can boil some water. But after that, you need to let me sleep.”

“Oh, and some pastries or sweets would be nice as well.” He hummed, leaning on your sofa and placing his hands behind his head.

You felt your eyebrow twitch. “You want me to rub your feet as well?”

“That won’t be necessary at all dear. Perhaps till next time.”

You rubbed your temples, again, attempting to piece everything together and understanding just what the God demands of you. Firstly, because you were beyond irritated at his bold assumption you’d be waiting hand and foot for his arrival even in the dead of night. Secondly, because he assumed right.

“You literally traveled at light speed just to bother me I bet.” You muttered, making your way into your kitchen to just do exactly what he had expected.

---

You meticulously placed a small spoonful of the mixture of dry leaves in a strainer, plopping it accordingly in a teacup of steaming water. For a minute, you lost yourself watching the flavors seep out into the water, stuck on the thought of how Loki had literally just returned from outer space, possibly from another planet or realm.

And his first stop was here, your home.

You understood how vulnerable Earth had become, and how other worldly threat could literally happen at any point. You supposed part of the ‘responsibility’ Loki had on Earth was to ensure it, along with the other realms, were in balance and safe from harm. The details would still perplex you, but it was better to leave that to the actual super heroes.

However, the thought of Loki traveling far, far away to face danger and risk his life bummed you out completely. It sucked, but he had managed to become at least a little something to look forward to during these past months. The loneliness was becoming incredibly overrated, and a part of you felt Loki was just as lonely too.

“Someone in your thoughts?”

You slightly jumped as Loki intruded on your thought process.

“Uh, no. I’m just still half-asleep. No thanks to you.”

“Ah, I was actually thinking you had fallen asleep over here in your kitchen. You were taking a while.” He said as a matter of fact, seating himself in one of your kitchen chairs.

“You know after this, let’s just make a house rule to have no visits anytime after 10pm, hows that?” You grumbled, knowing your irritation only fueled him even further.

He chuckled. “Very well, you have my word.”

You set the tea steaming cup on your small serving tray, along with some expired graham crackers you managed to dig out from the back of your cupboard.

“M’lord.” You bowed absurdly, kneeling in front of the prince and offering him his second rate tea and stale crackers.

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t appreciate the satire here. But thank you my loyal servant.”

The moment of truth. You sat across the table from him, watching closely, ready to expect the absolute worse to happen. You were actually a little proud of what you had developed for him, and it would have made your entire day (morning?) if he ended up enjoying it.

You twiddled your fingers under the table, watching the God take a gently sip of the warm drink. You inched in even closer, your eyesight focusing on any notable sign of disapproval on his face, maybe on his eyebrows or on his lips. You felt your heart beat slightly increase, the adrenaline waking you up.   What was this feeling? Anxiety. Dread. The worst of the worst would absolutely happen.

He looked up at you and almost spat out his tea. Not because it tasted horrible, in fact, it was quite good, but because you looked like a lunatic with your eyes wide open and hair frizzed up, and a look of extreme concentration even he couldn’t match. You looked ridiculous. It was hilarious, indeed.

He coughed, holding back his laughter. He could have almost choked and died, but was able to swallow before any other damage could be done.

“(Y/N), you can’t look at me like that.” You pouted, all the energy dropping from your face. “If you don’t like it you don’t gotta be mean about it.” You swore you were about to cry.

“No, no. It’s not that.” He said hesitantly, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “It’s just you...look absolutely deranged watching my every move.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Oh, pardon me. I usually spruce up before I’m scared awake at 4 in the fucking morning.”

He wagged his finger at you. “No need to use that foul language. But yes, sprucing up would be nice.”

The mischievous and quick witted nature would always best you in some way.

“Whatever.”

Loki took another sip while you mused over the efficacy of having him around. “The tea is delicious, I give you that. Nothing compared to that dreadful stuff you gave me last time.”

You felt your insides start to burn up. There was an immense weight lifted from your shoulders, and you felt a great sensation of what was...happiness. This is what had unfortunately created a longing for Loki.

It wasn’t just about filling a void or filling a space so you wouldn’t feel lonely anymore. Plenty of others had presented themselves to you with prospects to start a relationship or something along those lines, but none like him. There was genuineness in these moments, in his voice,  and in these conversations. Sure, he was the God of Mischief and Lies, and this should have given you a sense of wariness with him, but you weren’t completely stupid about it. Loki was as interesting and as real as you would have wanted someone to be. Something like this, sharing tea at 4 in the morning in your sleeping gear, was a moment to cherish.

And he was unbelievably handsome as well.

You both spend a couple of minutes talking about tea flavors and such, comparing your favorite against his favorite and continuing to berate him for intruding in your home at an ungodly hour after spending weeks away without any sort of notice. Loki assured you there was not much to ponder about his travels across space and dimensions. He described it as a dull experience since he had to restrain himself from parting away with ‘protocols’ and such. However, he did go off on a tangent about Tony Stark and his hate for being referred to as ‘reindeer games.’ You admitted he looked quite adorable when he was visibly irked.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, now that you’‘re here.” You began. You assumed the feel of the room wouldn’t indicate anything more suggestive, but you were curious about it for a while.

“Hmm?” He arched an eyebrow, taking another quick sip of his cup.

“Seeing as you stop by at my home unwarranted for, a couple of times now, am I like, under surveillance by the Avengers or something now?”

This was actually an issue you wanted to avoid. Under no circumstances was it ever a good thing to have the Avengers interrogate you or put you in a witness protection program.

“Oh dear.” He muttered, a crooked smile forming on his face. “Is this of concern to you? I could stop if you wanted me to.” “Oh jeez! Am I in trouble?” You asked, genuinely concerned. The last thing you needed was Tony Stark and company on your butt.

Loki rolled his eyes. “No, they don’t have you under surveillance. I don’t believe they know you exist at this point, unless I were to say something on the matter.”

“That’s a relief.” You reply. “To be honest, that’s the only thing that has me on edge. I wouldn’t like to have to confront any of them.”

“Believe me, aside from the amazing super human abilities, there’s nothing particularly interesting about them. I only tolerate and put on a facade for my brother, but its quite a chore.”

“Well that ruins the expectations, huh?” You mused, and he shrugged. You both remained quiet for a minute or so, an unnerving question tugging at you until you budged. “Well, now that I got you here, why do you keep coming here?”

He looked up at you once again, his face expressionless and unnerving. You instantly regretted asking.

“I like coming here.” He stated simply. The look on your face suggested you were unconvinced however, and he continued. “Not a lot of  people particularly enjoy my company. This much should be obvious to you.” He replied, some seriousness in his voice.

“Hmm. Well, believe or not, I actually happen to enjoy your company despite the stress you put me through.”

This was true. You shamelessly admitted to yourself a long time ago. You’d never blatantly voice this out to him, but you realized Loki wasn’t stupid, and he probably knew very well you were attracted to him. What he thought of this however? You were terrified to even think about it.

Still, for him to keep showing up to simply drink your makeshift tea? There was a speck of hope within you that, he too, actually enjoyed your company as well.

“Is that so?” He asked devilishly. “Truly a mistake on your part then.”

You shrugged casually. “Maybe so, still haven’t been proven wrong either.”

Loki leaned his back towards the back of the chair, his arms crossed over his chest, and wicked smile cast over his lips.

“You might want to hold onto those words, human. Not wise on your part to act so comfortably around the God of Mischief.”

“Hmm. Maybe so.” You replied playfully. “Not wise on your part then to be hanging with a human.”

You weren’t exactly sure what you meant by this, but you wanted to beat him at his own wits somehow. He was right despite everything thought. It wasn’t wise on your part to be spending time with him in such an intimate setting.

Right?

“This is true. Yet, I happen to like you unlike most humans.”

Okay. This was an answer you we’re not expecting. Literal record scratch. And to your displeasure and Loki’s ego, you showed it naturally on your face. Cheeks bright red and lips quivering.

Loki’s eyes widened with a suggestive sparkle, teeth bared widely at the anticipation. You knew you had royally fucked up now.

“Oh! Now I see! Does this human perhaps have a fancy to me?”

Oh god. Oh fuck.

Oh dear lord.

You groaned loudly, burying your face into your hands knowing you weren’t capable of looking at him straight in his face anymore. Everything had been spread out openly.

“You need to stop, and leave right now. This isn’t fun anymore.” You muttered through your fingers.

Your ears caught a low chuckle coming from his chest. He had caught you, and there was very little chance of survival now.

“Oh, but it is very, very fun for me. I am just thrilled at the possibilities now, my dear (Y/N).”

You swore there must have been some type of spell he had cast on you. The mention of your name, with the enhancement of dear before it, simply dripped with some type of cruel teasing and seduction. And being a human as such, it felt horribly irresistible.

It made you feel like an absolute fool.

“Why would you even say something like that to me?” You whispered softly, a hint of resentment in your voice. You cursed at your heart for beginning to spasm out of control. You continued to hide your face in your hands, shutting your eyes tightly, wishing this was all still a very distressing dream. You heard shifting, the scraping sound of a chair moving across the linoleum, and the padding of footsteps coming towards you.

You felt long, slender fingers circle around your fists and then grip them softly. Loki’s hands felt cold, but welcoming at the same time. He tugged at them, urging you to pull your hands away from your sheepish face. You wanted to pull against him, hide in your shame forever, have him leave and never return from outer space. This was the best case scenario, but there wasn’t a way for you to avoid this in its entirety. You gave in however, and allowed his hands to pull yours away.

“Human, look at me.”

You opened your eyes, squinting at the brightness in your kitchen, and then fully focusing on him. He was there, his face only inches away from your own, close enough to feel the heat coming from yours. His deep eyes looked rightly into yours, and for the first time you noticed his eyes were in fact not blue, but a beautiful emerald green.

For a moment, you imagined your lips on his.

“Something tells me you’ve been battling with yourself about this matter.” His voice was low and soft.

Your eyes veered off to the side, refraining from looking at him again and resisting the temptation to say something foolish. “Maybe. Don’t flatter yourself.”

"Hmm?” He hummed quizzically. “I am quite flattered however. Usually it’s my brother who woos most of the Midgardian horde. Finally, someone has a more refined taste in men.”

“I can’t believe this is what you’re getting out of this.” You chuckled, slowly pulling your hands away from his. You figured you couldn’t continue hiding it for any longer, so might as well tread through it boldly.

“This can’t continue being unaddressed however. So naturally, I need to take care of this matter.” He mentioned, rubbing his chin in deep contemplation. “Say what-”

“Ah. Wait.” He interrupted, putting a finger on your mouth to shush you. “Hmm. Bare with me, this is new territory I’m stepping in. I don’t want to, uh, how do you say, ruin the moment?”

You smacked his hand away. “Hey seriously, don’t play this game with me if you’re taking it as a joke. That’s just cruel.”

You didn’t need this, for Loki to take this so non-nonchalantly and play you for an idiot. What a terrible way to take advantage of your vulnerable position.

He furrowed his eyebrows at you. “Why would I take this as a joke? You know just because I am mischievous like the texts say, doesn’t mean I can’t comprehend matters like this.”

“Because.” You paused, holding back the wave of dread hitting you. “I know...there’s like...no chance.”

There it was. The cruel reality.

Loki, prince of Asgard was a God. He has lived for over a thousand years, traveled a myriad of realms and worlds, encountered incredible foes and adversaries. Loki, master of magic and combat, trickster and genius. Loki, no men were like him. And no human could ever reach towards him.

“What in the Nine Realms are you on about?”

You sighed. “You know what I mean. And for real this time, I think you should leave.” And never ever come back.

You heard a disapproving tsk come from him, but you knew yourself better than to continue hoping for the unimaginable. It wasn’t you being a mope or giving up easily, but just being realistic and safe in the manner. Maybe you could continue as friends in some way, which would give you enough time to bury away any unwarranted feelings. Loki was trouble, and in a whole other playing field.

“I’ll walk you to the door.” You began to pull yourself upwards from the chair, oblivious to the large, gold and horned helm flying straight down on your head.

THUNK

You jolted back down, almost losing balance from the chair. You turned immediately upwards, and your arms and hands jolted up to feel the object now placed on your head. It was heavy, made of metal,cold, and there were two very familiar protruding horns coming out the front side. This was unmistakably...

“Jesus Chri- what is this!” You screeched.

Loki crossed his arms, a very amused look appearing all over his face. “My helm of course. You are borrowing it.”

You shot him a rather nasty look. “Come again?”

“You heard me. Since you want me to leave, I will. But since you’re borrowing this, just know I’ll need to come back for it.”

You took a moment yet again to put all the words together and process what came out of his mouth. Your head wobbled however, the weight of the helm preventing you from forming a concise thought pattern. “Uh...fine.”

You took off the golden helm, placed it on the table and guided him towards the door. You averted your gaze as much as you could, holding against any little temptation to  say or do something completely thoughtless and stupid. The thought remained in the air despite this, and there wasn’t anything definitive answer about what had been discovered. Loki knew you really liked him now, and he would more than likely milk it as much as he could. Was this reciprocated however? Who knew.

“Thank you again for the hospitality. Please do take care of my helm for me, it holds some sentimentality.” He placed his hand over his chest, causing you to roll your eyes far into your head.

“I can’t promise anything.” You retorted, opening your door and motioned outwards. “Now, please leave so I can wallow in misery alone.”

“It wasn’t all that bad, don’t be dramatic.”

“Easy for you to say, your feelings weren’t entirely exposed today.” There was bitterness in your voice. Not towards him, but towards yourself. There must have been a better way to have handled this, and yet, this was bound to end with a sour taste in your mouth. Stupid, stupid, stupi-

The same slender, cold hands holding your wrists earlier now cupped your face tenderly, and they pulled you upwards and close towards the pair of pale and thin lips you had been admiring from afar the entirety of the time. Desperately, you pushed against Loki, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him even closer to you. Your lips were severely hungry and they became too excited, asking for more. You both exchanged exasperated kisses back and forth for what seemed like eternity, until he halted and hesitantly pulled away.

“Not so eagerly yet.” He said lowly in huffs. His eyes were glued to yours, which had become watery and hazy.  “Savor it for a bit more. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

A whine escaped your mouth. “Don’t stop.”

He chuckled and savored the moment for himself. “If I don’t stop, I won’t be able to control myself. Like I said, I don’t want to ruin it.”

You bit your lip, wanting to give in fully into the experience, but you listened instead. He was right. You both would be moving too quickly without looking at the situation from afar. You slowly released your grasp around him, edging backwards to ensure you wouldn’t jump all over him involuntarily. Maybe it would have been better if he had never kissed you at all.

“What now?” You asked.

“You’ll wait until I return, and perhaps we’ll talk about this to clarify some things.” He placed his hand on your cheek, squeezing it gently. He felt you lean into it and slowly pulled his hand back, leaving you wanting even more.

“You’re going to be away for weeks again.” You complained. He smirked. “Did you miss me?”

“I’m not gonna give you the satisfaction of answering that.”

He flicked your forehead. “Stupid human. I won’t be gone for too long, I promise.”

And for the first time throughout the whole night, you beamed. A smile formed over your face, as authentic as Loki could ever imagine it to be. One could have argued you both complicated things even further by taking it to this extent. There would always be some negative implications with forming a relationship with a super, or in this case, a being from another world. But this was shoved far into the back of your head, and Loki’s as well. For now, it was all about enjoying the present and whatever time you both could forge together. You felt happy with Loki, and he began to feel a new sense purpose within him.

[mystic-kitten-writer]

Limerence [M] ︳14

Pairing: Zuko x OC

Genre: Romance, mainly fluff with future smut, and if you squint hard enough - you’ll find some angst.

Rating: SFW

Words: 4900+

Notes: Chapter 14! Please enjoy, and thanks for the love everyone <3

Masterlist ︳13 ︳ 15

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

Limerence: (English/n.) the state of being infatuated with another person.

The moment their eyes locked they knew - the flames within him twisted while the water within her turned. It was a connection, a connection that would lead to love, adventure, and drama.

Forelsket

(Norwegian/adj.) The euphoric feeling you experience when you’re in love with someone.

~ Azula ~

            “I have been waiting for five days Azula. Five. Fucking. Days.” He hissed under his breath. His chest heaved as he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair, no longer pulled back into his classic ponytail. Someone feeble would have cowered under such a glare, his blue eyes looking like a tsunami itself.

            I smiled and pushed back my hair, placing it into my classic updo with ease, not a care in the world. Oh, how the tables have turned. To think that just last week it was me, being all angry and puffy. I could see his temple pulse in irritation, not amused at all that I gave zero fucks to his temper tantrum. “You told me you had a plan. That everything will be ready when I arrived. Well?” he spoke once again as if I hadn’t heard him the first time.

            I rolled my eyes, letting out an exhausted sigh, “The plans changed, and I adapted.” I said with a quick flick of my wrist. His jaw clenched in annoyance, “That’s fucking great you can adapt, I don’t care. What happened to the plan?” He stepped closer to me; his chest swelled in annoyance. I smirked, he was about to snap, “I have a new plan already set, right before the Earth King arrives. It’s going to be quite a delight; either everyone dies or…we watch drama unfold.”  

            “End of the week? Drama? Delight?” He raged with a huff. He spat on the ground and kicked the dirt under his feet. For a split moment, I thought he was going to jump over the edge of the cliff at which we stood. He turned around sharply, with a pointed finger, “Fuck this, fuck you, fuck everything. I don’t have time to wait around like some lap dog Azula. I have business I have to deal with in the Earth Nation.”

            I scoffed, and crossed my arms, only for him to glare. It was time to stop playing around or else he was going to have an aneurysm. “What was your sister’s name?” I said vexedly. His eyes widen, taken about by my question before he sneered. “My sister? Why do you care?”

            “Tell me,” I said with a hint of playfulness in my voice. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched the way I swung my ponytail from side to side. “Kasa.” He said sharply, and I smirked. “Wrong.”

            “W-what-”

            “Kasa Jiang.”

            “H-how did you know that.” He said hurriedly. The muscles in his arms tensed as he eyed me cautiously. “I have my sources,” I said with a smile as I twirled the end of my ponytail around with my fingers. “Sources? No one besides other Earthbenders knows that Azula – that’s how I found out.” I rolled my eyes, “Next question. How did she die?”

            “She died protecting a village. Fire Nation troops were attacking and-”

            “Wrong. She died because she was fucking a Firebender.”

            His eyes widen, and within seconds I could hear the bones in hands crack as they balled into tight fists. I grinned, I got under his skin. “How dare you say that- my sister would never-” he raged, but I lifted my hand, interrupting him mid-rant.

            “‘be with a Firebender?’ Your sister was no Avatar – don’t be such a fool.” I said with a laugh, watching the way he grounded his teeth, trying his hardest not to lash out. It was ironic, given that within a flash, he could easily be the one manipulating me - literally. “You know, she looks nothing like you…” I said with a smirk as I pushed my ponytail behind me. “Must have gotten everything from her father, General Axe. Well, almost everything - rumours say she is a Waterbender. But based on how nervous she was with me, seems more of a fact than speculation. Think about; a Waterbender. Just. Like. You.”

            His mouth opened and closed, confused and unsure as to what to say next. His eyebrows pinched together before he finally spoke calmly, too calmly. “What are you going on about Azula?”

            “Your niece.”

            “What niece?” he sneered.

            I scoffed, “The one that’s fucking my brother.”

~ Ying Yue Jiang ~

            “Have you seen it anywhere Sokka?” I whinnied as I crawled along the floor of my bedroom like a toddler. I pouted in disappointment, where could I have put that stupid notebook? I was outside with Sokka, and I wrote ‘go out to eat’ a bunch of times. Then I went to see Zuko and Aang…and now it’s gone! Did I drop it outside? But a maid would have for sure have found it and given it to me by now. “Sokka~! Come on, yes or no?” I cried out once again. I raised my head slightly, only to see Sokka comfortably lying on my bed, eating something – all this man does is eat!

            I grumbled and reached over my bed to grab a pillow, only to fling it at him. “Sokka~!” I blubbered out in annoyance. His eyes widen as he winced as the fluffy pillow hit his head - as if it actually had hurt him. “What do you want from me now?” he complained. I rolled my eyes, “My notebook, have you seen it? I seriously wrote a single page in it, and it’s gone.” I huffed. Sokka shrugged before stuffing his face in…cookies? Did he find my hidden stash?! This MAN.  “If you only wrote a single page in, who cares. Just get a new one. No point fussing about it.” Sokka spoke as he chewed on another cookie.

            To distract myself from killing Sokka for the nth time this evening, I went back on my hands and knees, looking underneath my bed. Gosh…where did I put the damn thing? I knew it was silly but it was my notebook, and I wanted it. I lifted the blankets that hung off my bed as I gazed around. Just dust – hey…was that a cookie? How in the world did a cookie get left under my bed?

            “What are you doing?”

            My head shot upwards, knowing that deep, husky voice all too well at this point. It was the only voice in the world that could make my knees weak and make my heart beat a million times per second. “Zuko?” I spoke, well more like questioned.

            His arms were crossed across his chest as he leaned against my door frame. A look of interest danced in his eyes as he watched me scramble upwards, dusting off my dress. A grin painted his face before he let out a charming chuckle, “What are you doing?” I blushed and nervously scratched my head, why does it seem like he catches me at the worst of times?

            “I’m looking for my notebook. I think…I lost it.” I said with a pout.

            “Oh, you must be talking about this.” He reached behind him, pulling out a small notebook. It’s tiny. It’s white. It’s mine! My eyes lit up with excitement as I dashed towards him, grabbing it from him in an instant. “IT IS! Thank you, thank you, thank you~!” I gushed as swung my arms around his waist and hugged him without a second thought.

            Zuko chuckled before gently patting my head, while a muscular arm wrapped around my waist, “You left it in my room, although you didn’t seem too preoccupied with it during that time.” Zuko teased as I blushed and hid my face in his chest. Gosh, I could get used to this. There was something safe about being in his arms, even though it was usually to hide from the embarrassment Zuko always managed to inflict upon me. But despite it all, I felt happy and safe. I breathed in deeply, smelling his natural woody scent, almost like firewood. Is it creepy that I know his scent like the back of my hand?

            “What are you doing here so late into the evening? I thought you and Aang were working.” I mumbled into his chest. We had two days left. Two days before my party, but that also meant that we were two days closer to the impending arrival of the Earth King. I knew it was a big deal, but as the days got closer, the more stressed out Aang and Zuko seemed. In fact, they were so busy that I didn’t even get to see Zuko all day yesterday, not in the morning nor for a goodnight kiss.

            “Well…we managed to finish early. And I can do whatever I wish for tonight and tomorrow.”

            “W-what! Really!?” I said excitedly. The thought of Zuko unwinding for a bit was a blessing. Also, the fact that I may get to spend more time with him may or may not have something to do with my happiness… Zuko chuckled and nodded, “So what is Aang doing now?” I asked as I danced happily in my mind. “Hot springs.”

            “Aang and hot springs?” I said in unison with Sokka. It was then I remembered that Sokka was still here, eating my cookies, on my bed.

            “He isn’t feeling too well. His nose has been stuffy since yesterday, and he has a dry cough. Figured some heat and relaxing could do him some good.”

            “Sick?” Sokka spoke with worry as I heard him shift around on my bed and standing behind me. I frowned and quickly pulled away from Zuko, I was definitely no master healer like Katara was. Even though my mom was an amazing healer, I just never caught as on as fast as I did with combat skills. But even my rusty skills could do something to help relieve some of the symptoms Aang may be experiencing. “Can you bring me to him? Maybe I can take a look? Heal-” But Zuko shook his head and slowly brushed my hair behind my ear, “I figured you would offer. But he said no. He didn’t want to take you away from our date; he’ll feel guilty.”

            “Date?” I repeated with a tilt of my head, confused by what he meant. Did we plan a date…and I forgot? Oh my gosh, please don’t tell me I forgot. Zuko already probably thinks I’m the most neediest and clumsiest human being on the planet, let’s not add ‘forgetful’ to that list. As if the confusion on my face was evident enough Zuko laughed, “What’s wrong? You don’t want to go on a date with me?” He said as he placed his hand on his chest as if I had hurt him.

            I blushed and furiously shook my head, “N-no, that’s not it! I just don’t remember…us planning one.” I said honestly. I pouted and felt guilty, how could I forget a date?

            “Of course you don’t remember. I just decided like, twenty minutes ago.”

            Sokka snorted, and I could hear him fall back onto the bed, “This guy.” He said between laughs. I glared at Zuko, and he gave me a grin like a Cheshire cat. “You made me feel like poop!” I cried out and slapped his chest. He laughed and poked my nose, “Come on, grab a sweater, it’s going to be a bit chilly by the time we get back.”

            “Excuse me, but you aren’t taking my sister anywhere without telling me.” Sokka butted in. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “Oh please. I’m old enough.”

            “And I said I don’t care. You can be 100, 200, 1000 for all I care. You’re under my watch.”

            “You’re just bitter cause Suki isn’t here,” Zuko said with a scoff. I giggled watching Sokka look hurt but nod, “You right, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to know. I swear if she comes back with any more of those damn marks on her neck-”

            “You saw!” I whinnied out while Zuko laughed.

            “Love, you could see those marks from a mile away. Although…they do seem to be disappearing no thanks to Lia’s efforts…hmmm…maybe I can add some more elsewhere on you...” Zuko hummed as he leaned awfully close to my ear. The butterflies in my stomach started fluttering, and I could feel sparks dancing along my skin from his warm breath on my neck. Just when I thought I had my raging hormones in check, it all came bubbling up once again.

            I blushed and in a quick motion bolted to my vanity, “You – keep it in your pants,” I said sternly as I pointed at Zuko. “And you-” I started with a pointed finger at Sokka, “Get out of my room and you owe me cookies!”

            “Where in the world are we going Zuko?” I whinnied out, although, in my defence, I had every right.

            It was late in the evening, purple and orange hues painted the sky, almost as if a painter just leisurely brushed the horizon with fresh paint. The sun was almost completely hidden behind the mountainous range, settling in for the night. If you looked far enough, you could see a few stars starting to peek out from the black curtain of nightfall – ready to shine and say hello to all of the night owls. It was crazy how different the landscape was in comparison to the Southern Tribe. Besides the obvious, the greenery and nature of the Fire Nation was almost equal to that of the Earth Nation, which came to a surprise.

            I didn’t really expect to see such lush landscape, and I found myself once again distracted by the dark green hues of the trees and shrubbery that decorated the forest. I could already start hearing a few animals waking up from their slumber, while others dug away to rest. I was utterly captivated by the scenery; it wasn’t normal to roam a forest during the dusk, well, more like night. How beautiful this must all be during the daylight…

            I glazed up at Zuko, only to find him lost in his own thoughts. I smiled as I studied his features. Zuko really was a work of art. The way his brows pinched together in deep thought or the gold in his eyes that twinkled whenever a new idea came to mind. Although I knew better than to say it out loud, I found it adorable how he would unknowingly pout whenever he was in deep thought. His soft pink lips all pressed together in thought. I smiled to myself remembering us with Kiyi playing in the water, another wave of admiration engulfing me.

            It was mysterious how my heart felt like it was being squeezed whenever I looked at Zuko, or better yet, thought of him. Like a thousand fireworks were being blown at once and it brought me so much joy, it hurt. I knew it was silly, to adore someone so much. Infatuation, limerence; all words meant to explain strong feelings towards someone whom you just met. But Zuko was more to than just that, more than just a ‘honeymoon’ stage or love interest at the moment.

            What was this? I’ve known him the least amount of time, just a little bit over a month, yet it felt like I’ve experienced everything life has to offer with him. I’ve had fickle crushes throughout my time, but Zuko, he was different. I could read him like a book, recognize his subtle gestures and decipher his intentions with just a huff. What was this feeling? Was it normal? Am I just crazy? Love? I scoffed to myself. Love. What a funny word, mainly because no matter how hard you tried to define it – you couldn’t.

            ‘You just know’ Aang said when I asked him at what point in time he knew he loved Katara. ‘The moment I saw her. I…I think I loved her before I even realized it.’ Aang said with a laugh. I looked back at Zuko and pouted, “What’s on your mind Zuko?” I asked quietly. It was then he seemed to snap out of it and gazed downwards at me. His grip on my hand tighten, and he smiled, “Nothing, we’re almost there.”

            I raised a brow, not wholly believing him. There was something off with him, even at my bedroom. As if something was hiding behind his thoughts, as he anxiously zoned in and out of the conversation. I let it go and allowed him to continue guiding me through the forest. “Since I can’t know where we’re going…can I at least know how you know of this place?” I asked.

            Zuko laughed and nudged my shoulder, “Why? What’s wrong, tired?”

            “We’ve been walking for almost an hour! I really do like the nature walk, but I enjoy my bed a bit more.”

            “Well, if you wanted to get into bed that bad, you should’ve told me earlier.”

            I gasped and hit his shoulder while Zuko laughed at my rosy cheeks despite the dark skies, “Zuko~! You know what I meant. ”

            “Not really, tell me, what would like to do to me in bed babe?”

            “I swear Zuko, we’re in the middle of nowhere, and it’s dark. I'll not hesitate hiding your dead body somewhere.” I glared as he teased me without remorse. Zuko chuckled before letting go of my hand and instead lazily draping his arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer, “You wouldn’t hurt me. You like me too much.” He hummed pleasantly.

            “…oh shut up,” I grumbled as I crossed my arms and pouted. I hate it when he is right; I couldn’t even kill a fly even if I wanted too. Zuko’s hand tighten around my shoulder, halting my movements suddenly. I looked up at him as he looked down at me with a look of joy, “You trust me, right?” He asked unexpectedly. I raised a brow, “Of course I do, why do-”

            “Good. Shut your eyes and let me guide you. I want it to be a surprise.” I opened my mouth to protest. It’s not like I didn’t trust him, but I could barely walk without falling during the day with eyesight, let alone in the night with my eyes closed. But the look on Zuko’s face looked like a child during the winter festivals. I let out a breath of submission and closed my eyes, how can I say no to a face like his?

            I could feel him come from behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist while his other hand carefully covered my eyes. He pressed himself from behind me before he leaned into my ear and whispered, “Walk forward, I’ll guide you.” Hesitantly, I found myself tightly gripping Zuko’s arm that was hugging my waist. Move forward? Is this man crazy, I can’t see where I’m going!

            “Trust me; you’ll be safe. I promise,” Zuko muttered in my ear, his lips grazing as he spoke. I found myself relaxing feeling his steady heartbeat on my back. Trust him…of course I trust him. “I trust you...” I whispered as I began moving forward. Zuko chuckled at my baby steps, as I ever so wisely kept walking forward, step by step, “A-am I close?” I asked, but my question was answered as Zuko firmly held me in place.

            “On the count of three, I’m going to move my hand for you to see, okay? Ready…one…two…three.” The sudden warmth that engulfed my eyes left and I fluttered my eyes open.

            A pathetic gasp escaping my lips was all I could muster up as I looked around me. We were so high it felt like I was in the skies itself, just another star that had the privilege to graze the air. My feet were right at the edge of the cliff, not even a hair away from the end, but I was so overwhelmed with the sight to be anxious at all. I could see everything, coast to coast of the Fire Nation. The way bodies of water trickled down the ridges of the hillside or the illuminating lights of towns that scattered throughout the land…

            “Zuko…I-I can see everything,” I said breathlessly. Zuko chuckled as he pulled me closer against his body, feeling his warmth melting onto my cold skin. It was then I noticed just how chilly it had gotten from being so high in the sky. I could faintly see the mist that formed just below us, “The royal palace is built on the highest mountain, well, an extinct volcano to be exact. But, this is the highest ridge of the crater…you can see everything.”

            I turned around, noticing that nothing but stars were above, “H-how did you know.”

            “How did I know what?” Zuko asked with a small smile.

            “That I would love this.”

            Zuko chuckled before letting his fingers tenderly graze my face, “Seems like I know you better than yourself. Don’t you remember?” I titled my head to the side as I tried to read his face. “Remember?” I repeated. Zuko laughed and poked my nose playfully, “It wasn’t hard to figure out you love nature. You showed me the Southern Lights in the middle of the night, took me to see those trees, what are they called again…ahh, quince! And I always see you taking walks in the garden almost every day.”

            “You know I take walks in the garden?” I said a bit taken aback. Zuko grinned and nodded, “Every morning, you go for a walk around the gardens, usually with Kiyi or my Mom. It makes me smile since you always seem to be in your little world during those walks. I can see you perfectly from my office.” I blushed and found myself smushing my face once again in his chest; he watches me during my walks? I make him smile? “Don’t say stuff like that….” I grumbled into his chest. I could feel his chest rumble as he laughed at my expression and I looked up at him.

            “So tell me Zuko. Why did you bring me here?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Zuko sheepishly looked away, and I could see a faint tinge of pink starting to paint his cheeks. “No reason…” he said unconfidently. I pouted and shook my head, “Nope. Somethings up. You were zoning out the whole walk here. What is it?” I spoke light-heartedly as I ran my fingers through his hair mindlessly. Soft and silky, as his hair slipped through my fingers effortlessly.

            I could see his eyes dart nervously back and forth, failing to stay on me and I grinned. He was nervous, and suddenly the need to tease him grew. It was rare for Zuko to stumble, to lower his guard and be as vulnerable as he was now. Logic would argue not to tease him when he is finally opening up, but I also knew that based on how our relationship was, teasing meant we were comfortable enough to be with one another. “Aww, cat got your tongue?” I pestered, mimicking the same words he once told me when I was tongue-tied.

            Zuko frowned and I heard him grumble under his breath before speaking, “H-have you ever thought about, what, uh, we are?” Zuko muttered. I raised a brow before shrugging my shoulders, “I’m your Imperial Consort.” I said, but Zuko seemed dissatisfied with my answer based on the huff he released. “N-no. I mean, like besides that. Don’t you ever wonder what, you mean to me, and vice versa?” What in the world was he trying to get at?

            “Uhh…Zuko, you’re losing me here. I’m your consort, and you’re my Fire Lord. Did you forget?” I said with a nervous laugh. Zuko groaned before letting his head fall against my forehead, “You’re really not making this easy for me…” I laughed and poked his chest, “How can I if you aren’t making any sense!” Zuko pulled away before hastily running his hand through his hair.

            I giggled watching him look so flustered. If there was one thing I knew by now, he was not a man of words. Zuko had no shame teasing, flirting, even being too cocky for his own good in front of everyone. Yet, here he is, the same man who just moments ago teased about giving me more hickies, having a hard time formulating a sentence.

            With a heavy breath, Zuko finally attempted at speaking once more, “It has been…brought to my attention that I haven’t exactly been …forthcoming revolving my feelings.”

            “‘Brought to my attention,’ ‘forthcoming’ – Zuko what in the world-”

            “You know what, forget it. Just pretend I never said anything!” Zuko grumbled as he angrily threw his arms in the air and turned on his heels. I rolled my eyes exhaustedly before walking over to a defeated Zuko, “Just say it already! What are you trying to tell me.” I grumbled as I poked his shoulder.

            Within a flash, he turned on his heel, “I’m trying to tell you how I feel about you for fucks sakes!” He blurted. My eyes widen as he crossed his arms irritably and huffed. Tell me about his feelings? Before I could utter a word he continued speaking, “You don’t realize how much I think of you. That the moment I wake up till the moment I sleep, hell, even my dreams, all I do is think about you. That you somehow managed to consume every fiber of my mind, body, and damn soul.” Zuko ranted.

            “And I realized that it only took a second of knowing you to know that I wanted you. I gave you that seal, thinking that it would be enough. That you having the seal was in a way sealing our relationship. But I realized that it isn’t enough.” Finally, he cupped my face before placing his forehead against mine, “What I am trying to say is I want you to be mine. I want us to be official official. Fuck the seal, fuck the whole consort bullshit, I want you to be my girlfriend. I want you to be mine, only mine..”

            His cheeks at this point were aflame, so red that despite the nightfall it stood out like a sore thumb. His chest heaved from spilling out every single thought and emotion that seemed to consume him from the moment we met. But without thinking twice, I let a small giggle slip my lips. Zuko’s eyes widen in disbelief before he pulled away, “Are you seriously laughing at me? I just poured my heart and soul, and you're laughi-”

            “You’re an idiot Zuko. A giant idiot.” I said with a smile. I quickly pulled Zuko back towards me and pecked his soft lips. I could feel his body relax instantaneously as I smiled into his lips. Ever so slowly I pulled away and found myself caressing his face; my hand falling from his forehead, over the ridges of his scar, his sharp cheekbones, his high nose, down to his soft lips.

            “Zuko. I was always yours. I was yours the moment you walked off that ship. The moment you kissed my hand, and even the moment we fought…” I whispered as I gently pecked his lips once again. “I know you’re not a man of words, but that’s okay. Because you show how much you care about me through your actions. The way you hold me close to keep me warm, giving me the seal, the fact that you introduced me to your family…” Zuko pulled me close as I snuggled my face into his neck, “They say actions speak louder than words, and you Zuko, my boyfriend, are a living example of that.”

            I pulled away to look at his eyes, only to see a sense of relief and a proud smile on his face. “Yue, I like you. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you’re safe. To make sure that nothing will ever happen to you.” I smiled and found myself pressing my lips against his. A sweet, innocent kiss. My hands found it’s way around his neck while he pulled me closer to his body and indulged on my lips. “Zuko…” I muttered. Zuko pulled away slightly, “Hmm?”

            I love you.

            “I like you so much,” I said. Zuko smiled before placing another peck upon my lips, “I think like is not strong enough of a word at this point babe.”

~ Azula ~

            I scoffed to myself as I watched Zuko embrace Ying Yue. He chastely kissed over her, as they muttered to themselves, completely oblivious to their surroundings. It was a fluke that we managed to find these two lovebirds trailing along together at this time of night. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep brother,” I said with a taunt as I turned around on my heel and back into the darkness.

            After not hearing footsteps behind me, I swiftly turned on my heel, “Mai, let’s go.” She frowned as she walked behind me, her head held up high as she trailed along. But despite her prideful walk, I could see the look of hurt and betrayal lingering in her eyes as she watched the way Zuko locked lips with another woman. I smirked as we walked into the night.

            Hurt, betrayal, anger – emotions that only help fuel the fire. Feelings that can even motivate the purest-minded to the dark.

            Oh, how I love the dark side of the moon.

Copyright © 2019 Mystic-Kitten, inc. all rights reserved. No reposting, modifying, or translations of any kind allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

[quackmyback]

Her Muse : Min Yoongi

Min Yoongi x Fem!Reader

PART ONE???

a/n : heyyy, it’s al and this is my lil fic. its mostly to help me practice my writing, but if you like it let me know :)

word count : 2670+

Annalise Moberly -- more commonly known as Rio to the rest of the world -- could definitely be classified as a rarity; a morning person. Her band mates didn't even refer to her with the term, instead, they took up the lovely adjective 'insane' to call their main vocalist. On anyday, at exactly at five fifteen in the morning, you could find Annie in the girl's kitchen with a mug of coffee -- black -- snuggled in her hands. She would we tucked away in a brightly colored sweater without any pants on -- because who wheres pants at home? -- and a book with too many pages beneath her nose. It would be a romance novel, she was a sap for those, and by the time she finished her coffee she would be almost halfway to halfway done. It was probably her superpower -- besides waking up at the ass crack of dawn -- to be able to read a book so quickly the flash would be envious.

That's where Min-ji found Annie that morning when she found herself once again in the clutches of her insomnia. Although, this time it was earlier than normal. This time it was around one in the morning and Min-ji was beyond confused.

"Annie?" Min-ji roared when she spoke. It was never on purpose, she just was a naturally loud and bubbly person. Annie didn't jump, she expected her friend to slump down the steps and pop around the kitchen corner fairly soon. Also, nothing really scared Annie; she always had been an impenetrable brick wall according to her moms.

Annie hummed in response to her friend, her eyes didn't leave her monitor as she typed mindlessly on her laptop.

"What're you doing awake?" Min-ji was confused, not beyond, just confused. She was, actually, beyond used to Annie waking up at ungodly hours of the day. Just never this hour.

"Couldn't sleep," Annie sniffled, wiggling her nose and pursing her lips. "Figured why not get a head start on some new beats. Some new jams, get hizzy with it-"

"Stop. Please, just, stop." Min-ji raised her hand as she reached the fridge, turning away from Annie and rummaging inside of it. Annie glanced up and could've sworn -- hand over heart and needle through eye -- that Min-ji's lower half disappeared inside of the damn thing. When she reappeared, she held a hug of milk and practically threw it on the counter.

"My god, MinMin, I thought you had insomnia not anger issues," Annie crinkled her nose at the violence towards the dairy product. Her fingers found their way around the mug just beside her laptop, it was filled with calming chamomile this time. Not black coffee. She didn't get a reaponse from Min-ji, just an exhausted grunt and a casual flip of a -- not so nice -- finger. "There's tea in the kettle if you-okay"

Annie cut herself off as Min-ji slammed a mug -- hopefully, not precious -- down onto the counter and poured a hefty glass of milk. Min-ji thought for a second before she turned around again to put the milk up. Once the fridge devoured her for a little bit, she was spat back out with a new bottle in her hands.

"Is that rum?" Annie raised her brows at her elder bandmate, watching her wearily. Min-ji glared up and into Annie's eyes as she unscrewed the top. Her hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle and tipped it over the side, pouring in a fair amount of liquor. "Alrighty then."

Annie closed her laptop, her dainty fingers pressing the screen down onto the keys. She finished off her mug of chamomile, watching Min-ji chug down the whole mug quicker than Annie could say 'holy shit, bitch.'

Annie shoved her chair back, the legs smoothly gliding across the pristine -- alright, that's a bit if an exaggeration -- white tile. She walked around the island, landing beside Min-ji.

"You do know what time it is, right?" Anne quirked her brow, her concern rising as Min-ji -- determined to suckle the last drop of her mixture -- had her nose and mouth tucked into the mug.

Min-ji's eyes poked around the mugs rim, shooting a look towards Annie as she placed her own mug into the sink. Her voice was simultaneously muffled and echoey from inside the mug,"Of course, do I look incompetent to you?" Annie opened her mouth to answer, a good already on the tip of her tongue.

"Well-"

"Rhetorical. Do not answer that," Min-ji dropped the mug from her face and sat it in the sink next to Annie's. Annie smiled tiredly, sluggishly moving to retrieve her laptop and push in her barstool. The effects of her chamomile were already pumping through her veins. Her head felt foggy and her eyes were glassy.

"Whatever you say, MinMin. Nighty night," Annie began to walk away, to retreat to her room and not be seen until in a few hours, but she stopped and turned back to Min-ji for a second,"by the way, I don't know if you've heard, but if you keep scowling like that your face is liable to get stuck."

Min-ji threw one last glare as the girl passed the banister and ascended the stairs, muttering to herself as she reached for a muffin in the center of the island. "Smart ass."

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Annie did not wake up at her usual time, in fact, she was beyond late and that was totally out of character for her. The next time she opened her eyes, she was curled up in an odd position on her bed with the sheets somewhere on the floor. Annie always got hot at night, but cold in the day. It took her a moment to register the sun--something she wasn't used to seeing in the morning--when she pried her eyes to stay open and rubbed them awake. She took in a deep breath and turned her head.

8:39 a.m

"Fucking ducks," Annie cursed, flinging herself off her bed. She grabbed her phone and headed downstairs, her mind wandering to the earlier hours of the morning she first trekked down the steps. The reason she woke up of course, she hadn't lied to Min-ji, was because of the wave of emotion she felt. The rush if excitement and worry practically being shoved down her throat, dreams of yellow and pink with swirls and beautiful music shook her awake. She practically choked on enthusiasm, instantly grabbing her laptop and writing down the music she hears in her dream. Angelic, light and a beat that crawled out of hell. It was perfect, hut Annie had no clue what it was for.

When she stumbled into the kitchen, her hands were running through her hair quickly. Yanking out knots and unwanted curls, she crunched her nose as she ignored the pain.

"Well good morning, sleeping beauty," Annie snapped a glare towards Hidaya, suddenly feeling the urge to choke the woman to death with her hijab. Hidaya smirked, a mug of whatever concoction she needed to slurp in the mornings loosely supper in her hands.

"Careful," Annie warned, "I might teach you a new way to wrap your hijab." Hidaya rolled her eyes, sipping her tea. Annie bit her cheek, sifting through the pantry.

"Like you have time for that," Ami snorted tossing the girl a silver rectangular packe,"It's brown sugar. Go get dressed, we have dance practice then a meeting with BigHit."

Annie froze,"BigHit?"

Ami nodded, nibbling on the eggs and bacon laid out in front of her that she did not bother to share with anyone else. "Yeah, you know, the company over BTS."

Annie nodded slowly,"Right. Yeah." As Ami said BTS, Annie got the burst of pinks and yellows around her vision. "Okay."

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"Why on Earth," Min-Ji questioned, breathing heavily and patting her forehead with a towel,"is this meeting scheduled after a dance practice? That's like taking team photos after the first practice of the season. It's satanic!"

Annie scrunched her face at the girl as they walked down the pristine lavender walls of the company building. "You're so over dramatic," Annie shook her head at her best friend, throwing her towel at the girls chest.

"I just dont get it,"Min-Ji mumbled, pulling a grossed out face as she plucked the towel off of her shirt and handed it to Ami. The sweet mom of the group took the towel without hesitation and send a secret annoyed look to Hidaya.

"Well dont think too much," Annie warned, her hand wrapping around the handle to their bosses office,"Might hurt yourself."

"Oh, so original."

The four girls stumbled awkwardly into the office, dressed in sweatpants and jumpers quickly thrown over sports bras. Annie inspected everyone else in the room, definitely underdressed.

"Girls, glad you could make it." Danielle greeted them, a tight smile stretched across her flushed cheeks.

Annie scrunched her nose, sliding into a rolly chair on the opposite side of the table where a boy with pink hair resided. She muttered to herself, no one in particular,"You literally make our schedules."

Ami reached over Min-Ji and smacked the girls bicep, Annie jumped in surprise as her fist made contact. The coffee addict gave Ami a bewildered look, puzzled and hurt.

"Shush,"Annie pouted, she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms like a child; she obeyed Ami's wishes.

"Right then," Danielle mainly spoke to the girls and the man sitting at the far end of the table, which Annie thought to be highly rude despite knowing the men couldn't understand many words her boss was saying. "Black Summer, meet BTS. BTS, meet Black Summer."

Hidaya opened her mouth, a smirk resident on her face."BS is always a swell term too."

Annie's eyes watched in fascination as the translator at the end of the table spoke, she could only understand the simple words and, in that moment, she thanked whatever god was out there that Min-Ji forced them into Korean language lessons. She watched the translator falter after he realized the sentences he had just flipped languages and reiterated to the seven gorgeous boys of Bangtan.

Annie's lips parted, she finally took the chance to look at them; they were all looking at each other.

The first one seemed to be a little younger than Annie, herself. Her had a blunt nose and big doe eyes that Annie enjoyed comparing to Ami's, but his were the same color as Annie's rather than a sky blue. He smiled as the translator finished Hidaya's witty snap and Annie bit her cheek as she realized the only thing she should be comparing him to is a bunny.

She moved on, there was a lot of territory to cover.

The next one that seemed most intriguing was the boy right across from her, he had flaming pink locks and cheeks that, even before smiling, poked around his eyes. He was one of the prettiest men Annie had ever laid eyes on, and she had met Shawn Mendes a month ago. He smiled at Annie as their eyes met and the coffee addict couldn't help but reciprocate the grin, his happiness was intoxicating and contagious like a disease Annie never wanted to be cured of.

She gave him a small wave and continued to find someone that interested her. The next two had their arms around each other in an affectionate but casual way, Annie noticed that one of them had his face flushed and he didn't fit the standard Korean beauty Min-Ji had ranted about so many times before. He had a bashful smile, they both did, but his was accompanied by dimples carving his cheeks. The other had broad shoulder that looked to dig into the others chest, but Annie noticed he didn't seem to mind. Annie liked his hair color, it reminded her of coffee with lots of creamer. The way Min-Ji likes her coffee.

The one she surveyed next had a bright boxy smile and strikingly jet black hair, his eyes scrunched--though not as much as cotton candy hair in front of her-- which made him seem like the brightest bottle of sunshine that Annie wanted to get absolutely wasted on. He had cute glasses on his head Annie swore she could pull out of Ami's flamboyant wardrobe.

Annie inspected two boys next, one had the brightest smile on his face -- brighter than cotton candy's and glasses' over there -- and he had his arm timidly linked with another boy's. The boy with the bright smile, Annie saw burst of yellow around him and her glance flickered to the other boys hair. The familiar melody she had dreamed of danced in her head, ricocheting between her ears. Annie felt oddly happy while looking at him and, while she didn't have time to cyber stalk them, assumed his alias was J-Hope from what she's heard. He returned her small, hesitant smile with the biggest one shed received so far. The boy attached to him, however, was looking over at something else instead of Annie's twitching lips.

Annie's lips parted, her interest finally peeked. He had grey hair with the slightest purple undertones, as if it hadn't all the way washed out. He had the smallest of smiles etched on his face, but the apples of his cheeks were the color of strawberry smoothies. Annie head the melody become accompanied with harmonies, the pitches blending in the back of her brain and a numbing mumble of lyrics just out of reach for her to understand.

Then he turned, his gaze shifted and their eyes met.

As soon as abyss collided with abyss, Annie felt a headache stab at her corneas. A dull ache, like beating a drum, pound at the back of her head. When Annie got the perfect look right into his mind from his eyes, mugs black coffee, the only way she drank it, Annie swallowed the pain. The melody boomed, the harmonies collided in perfect rhythm and the lyrics were there, dancing in front of her eyes where splashes of yellow and pink highlighted the most beautiful features of the man in front of her.

She blinked as he looked down at his hands, her own hands fidgeted before they shot out the notebook splayed out in front of Danielle.

"Annie?" Her boss jumped at her abrupt movements, almost shielding her face as the girl swiped things off the desk to find a pen. "Here! Here!"

Annie didnt finding the time to mumble a thank you ad her boss handed her a blue inked pen, her mind to busy running around with butterfly nets trying to catch and preserve every last note and lyric with pins into their wings and glass magnifying their beautiful colors. She didn't feel everyone's eyes on her, especially not the boy who caused symphonies in her head's.

Min-Ji leaned back, a proud smile adorned her perfect features. In her home language, the one she perfected when she was just a kid, she spoke to BTS. "That's just Annie being Annie, she finds music in the beauty around her." Min-Ji's eyes flickered around their faces,"One of you just became her muse. That song will exist because of you."

Annie didn't hear her words, but if she did; she would've bashfully agreed. A flustered smile would've pricked her cheeks once again and she would've tried her damn hardest to not look at the boy with the grey hair and perfect face. Knowing good and well he knew he was the last person she looked at before her outburst, they both knew...

He became her muse.

[goodproofingwater]

Wildfire Records - Chapter Six

Word Count: 4601

Playlist picks:

Jungle - Tash Sultana Summer Bummer - Lana del Rey ft A$AP Rocky I Like America & America Likes Me - The 1975 Press play when you see the *’s

Going from planning and putting together campaigns for something that she was so passionate about to sitting behind a desk and filing other people scout reports was soul destroying. At best she thought it an opportunity to keep an eye out for other bands that fieldworkers were passing up on, but she was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on these menial tasks when she would much rather be building more of their website.

The Facebook campaign that she had put together for the boys was performing well. They had 103 new monthly listeners on Spotify, and she knew that spending more time working the campaign would produce an even bigger result. They also needed to look into booking a string of gig across London to help promote them and Wildfire. Victoria was just looking at how much it would cost to print a banner to be put up behind the boys at their shows when Cindy appeared above her, the redhead quickly putting her phone facedown on the desk.

“Are you taking a late lunch?” Cindy spoke, fury in her eyes. This hadn’t been a good day for their manager - only one of the bands that her scouts had approved had been signed off by the senior director, and that meant that the big February push was no more than a nudge in the right direction.

“No, sorry I’ll put it awa—“

“You know, I’m really sick of you talking back to me.” Cindy snapped, and Juliet looked up from the paperwork she was working on at her tone. The entire floor had gone quiet as Cindy raised her voice, and Victoria clenched her jaw as she willed herself not to go red with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry I—“ Victoria started and Cindy placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head and laughing humorlessly.

“You are so fucking sure of yourself aren’t you? You sit here day after day with a face like a slapped arse, expecting me to give you assignments because you’ve been here for a few months, and then when I give you one you get pissed that I don’t sign them.”

The red mist formed over Victoria’s eyes, and she clenched her fists in her crossed arms, trying to take the berrading as best she could. This happened about once a month on this floor, except it was usually with one of the scouts that had messed up paperwork or had vouched for an artist that had sold barely 5000 units.

“Well listen up, sweetheart. It’s going to be a long time before you get actually trusted with an assignment, and even longer before you can make accurate decisions on music. Your taste is shit, your paperwork is shit and now it seems even your work ethic is shit.”

That was it. It was one thing to insult her, to vent frustration and pressure that had been put on her by her superiors but to call her work ethic shit when she had been working so fucking hard was a step over the line.

“You know what?” Victoria spoke, “I don’t have to sit here and take this.”

“Yes you do sunshine.” Cindy spat, watching in momentary shock as Victoria stood and leveled with her, the redhead's heels allowing them to be eye level with each other, “if you walk away from me now you’re fired.”

“You can’t fire me.” Victoria spoke, picking up her bag from the floor, “I fucking quit.”

The redhead through her bags strap over her shoulder, grabbing only her phone from her desk as she stormed toward the lift.

Tension clouded the room, many shocked and some even trying to stop themselves from nervous laughter.

“You’ll never work in this industry again, Sanderson.” Cindy almost yelled across the floor, and Victoria laughed

“Oh yeah? Watch me.”

And with that, the doors to fieldworks records closed to Victoria for the last time.

Josh had awoken relatively early that morning, and had already been to the gym with the boys when he received the text.

V: are you in?

V: can I come over?

His heart jumped a little when her name flashed up on the screen, the image he had saved as her contact photo making him smile. He had taken a screen grab from an instastory he had filmed when they had been drunk and she had been trying to force him to have another shot.

J: yeah sure - everything okay?

He tapped back quickly, probably too quickly, but was glad to see the three dots dancing around as she typed her response immediately.

V: not really

V: I’ll be there in 20 mins, line up those shots boy

His brow furrowed as he glanced at the time. He liked to party just as much as she did but it couldn’t be a good sign that she was talking about shots at 3pm.

True to her word, she arrived 20 minutes later, and Josh bought her up to the reception room where beers were waiting on the coffee table, a small tin resting next to them.

“So you gonna tell me why you were craving tequila at 3 in the afternoon?” He smirked up at her, opening the tin and revealing a half rolled joint, his nimble fingers working the papers so well that Victoria almost didn’t hear what he said.

She sighed, throwing her bag on one half of the corner couch before she grabbed the beer from the table and drank half of it in one gulp. Josh raised his eyebrows as his tongue ran along the paper, waiting for her to say something as he twisted it and formed it into something smokable. He was patting the bottom half of it on the coffee table when she finally spoke,

“I quit my job.” She let out a sigh as his brows raised once more, and she downed the rest of the bottle of beer. He was impressed that she could do so, but left that compliment for another time.

“What do you mean you—“

“Cindy started giving me shit because I was on my phone. I mean I was literally taking a break from staring at my computer because I had been working on spreadsheets all day.” She tipped the bottle to get the last dregs of her beer before she put it back on the coffee table. “And she started saying that I had shit taste and a shit work ethic and I just had enough. I wasn’t going to sit there and be spoken to like that when all I’ve done for the last 7 months is do her fucking grunt work.” She sighed and he passed her his own beer as he saw her move to go to the fridge.

“Here,” he smiled, nudging it toward her and closing the tin, placing the joint that he had rolled on top.

“It sounds like you did the right thing, you can’t let people shout at you like that.” He wanted to touch her but he wasn’t sure how, wasn’t sure how she’s would react to comfort when she was so wound up.

Piercing blue eyes met his own and he swallowed thickly, “you really think so?” She spoke, her voice smaller than he had expected from someone who was clearly so fired up.

“Yeah,” he stood up, walking to the kitchen to get another beer from the fridge, throwing the cap in the bin along with her empty bottle, “fuck working in an underpaid job with a manager like that, you deserve better.”

Victoria nodded, slowly at first and then more deliberately as his words sunk in. For now, she didn’t want to think about the consequences of her actions, didn’t want to think about finding a new job, she just wanted to calm down and forget.

He walked back over to the table, picking up the joint and nodded to the spiral staircase that sat smack bang in the middle of the room.

“Wanna come and smoke this with me? Figured you could use a distraction..” he smiled, and she slipped on her jacket and followed him up the stairs.

The terrace was gorgeous. Whitewashed stone flowed from the floor to the planter that lined the right side of it, the left’s planter black instead. There was a couch and two chairs, and the walls of the mezzanine that lead to the terrace were entirely glass so all light filtered through into the flat. There were pruned trees in the planters, trimmed in a way that Victoria could tell that there was a roof that extended from somewhere should it rain. Luckily although they were well into March now, there seemed to be no sign of spring showers and the warm sun had heated the couch they sat on.

“Thanks..” The girl started, watching as Josh lit the joint and trying not to focus on how gorgeous he looked doing it. She had always had a thing for the way guys looked when they smoked, the concentration and the way they clenched their jaw as flame met paper and Josh was no different. He took a long drag, letting it settle in his lungs for a moment before he shook his head,

“For what?” He took another drag and she crossed one leg over the other, sipping her beer as her eyes ran over the terrace once more.

“For listening to my bullshit and making me feel better..” she smiled, looking over at him and taking the joint from him. He was right, she needed a distraction, and there was nothing that mellowed her out like weed.

“Can’t have my label manager being down now, can I?” He grinned, and she let out a small laugh as she exhaled, the high already settling in her head and hazing her over.

“Woah…” she spoke, looking at the joint before she took another long inhale, talking on the inhaled breath “how did you get stuff this good when you don’t know anyone?”

He grinned, his eyes falling slightly hooded, his body relaxing into the couch and she could practically see the effect it was having on him.

“Andy has a dealer..” he spoke, licking his lips and she was all of a sudden very aware of how dry her mouth was. Still, she inhaled for a third time before she passed it back to him.

“Of course… glad that I wasn’t just being paranoid at my house the other day.”

Josh shook his head, picking up his phone and tapping his way through Spotify before Tash Sultana* drifted through speakers she hadn’t even noticed were there. The smooth beats ran through her body, the high making her feel more sensitive and numb at the same time. She was acutely aware of the breeze that pushed her hair over her eyes and the way his fingers wrapped around the joint as the cherry burned too bright for an afternoon.

“Yeah when he’s on a big night out he’ll jump right to the powder,” he shook his head, his tongue running along the inside of his parted lips, “I mean don’t get me wrong I don’t really care, but try being on stage with someone who’s done half a gram.”

A small laugh left the redhead but she was having trouble focusing on anything but his lips, did he always lick them that much?

Their eyes met as he took another drag, and she smiled softly as she enjoyed the music, her fingers dancing along the back of the sofa to each note.

“I love this song, it’s—“ her voice stopped in its track as she watched the smoke billow past his lips and into his nose, his eyes still on her as he waited for her to complete her sentence, but she had completely forgotten what she was going to say. His hooded eyes, his relaxed shoulders and the way his was looking at her brought back the feeling that she had gotten at Liverpool Street station, and she bit down on her lip as she forced herself back into the moment.

“How do you do that?” She whispered, and a smirk washed across his lips as if it had been his intention to throw her off. But surely not.

“Want me to teach you?” He smiled, moving closer to her and she nodded, crossing her legs in front of her and sitting straight to really pay attention. She took the joint from him and he moved so they were close enough for his knee to touch her own.

“Okay so when you inhale, don’t bring the smoke into your lungs. Let it sit in your mouth, and put your tongue at the back of your mouth to stop it flowing down your throat,” he spoke, and she nodded, inhaling but not taking it in.

“Now open your mouth slowly but don’t breath out, let it flow from your lips and push your tongue forward as you breathe in through your nose.”

This step did not go as well as the first. She opened her lips and moved her tongue too quickly, and then breathed in too fast. He couldn’t help but laugh, and she grinned at the sound, the feeling in her stomach spreading through her the longer she stayed in this moment with him.

“Not quite,” he grinned, taking the joint back and she mocked anger.

“Hey!” He grinned at her reaction, and inhaled deeply, letting smoke filter from his lips as if to tease the fact that she couldn’t do it. But before he could breathe it into his nose, she moved close enough that she could breathe it in herself, lips parted, half smirking and almost touching his own as she stole his high.

What had come over her? She had never been this bold, would never do something like that unless she was involved with someone, but something about Josh just got her heart racing. He was so kind, so easy to talk to, so caring and here he was trying to teach her to French inhale to distract her from her shit day when she had crossed a line. It was a good sign that he wasn’t pulling away, but he hadn’t reacted positively either. She would blame the weed. She always got turned on when she had a smoke and this gorgeous boy was doing wonderful things with his lips in front of her.

He looked up into her eyes as she remained close and exhaled the smoke back onto his lips, and holy shit was she the hottest thing he’d ever seen. He had already been struggling to come to terms with how he had felt after their day together, and now the feeling was only strengthened. She had a rough day, she was buzzed and she was just letting off steam but her lips were so inviting...

He was just about to close the gap between them when Andy walked through the door looking at his phone, a beer in his hand as he slumped down into one of the armchairs opposite them.

Victoria pulled back as she glanced at the redhead, swallowing thickly and taking the joint from Josh’s fingers with a small smile. Andy finally looked up at them when she was inhaling, his eyes running up and down her subtly as he watched the drug intoxicate her further.

“What are you doing here?” Andy spoke, “shouldn’t you be at work?”

Victoria shook her head, passing him the joint as he leaned over for it, the cherry almost burning his fingers as he sucked in the last of the THC, pressing the now spend joint into the ashtray on the coffee table between them.

“I quit..” she spoke, leaning back on the sofa and grinning at the words, her eyes falling to Josh who was smiling too, the weed fully immersed in their bloodstream now. And she began to laugh. The whole thing had been so crazy. This morning she had been ready for another day of the grind and now here she was in a bands penthouse smoking weed after telling her day job to fuck off.

Andy grinned at the two of them, pulling a small bag of weed and some papers from his pocket as he began to skin up again, determined to get on the level of the two in front of him.

By the time the three were done, Danny and Juliet had joined them and they were all sitting blazed on the terrace grinning from ear to ear. Summer Bummer by Lana del Rey* played through the speakers, and Victoria sat between Josh and Juliet on the couch, Danny in the other armchair next to Andy.

“You should have seen Cindy’s face when you left, it was a picture!” Juliet grinned, raising her beer bottle to her friend in respect, “she honestly didn’t know what to do with herself, she just told everyone to get back to work and went into her office for most of the day.”

Victoria grinned at the words, glad that something that had traumatised her a little had had a negative effect on the woman that had caused it. Although she began to panic as it settled in what she had done, that she would have to go back to a flat that she no longer had the income to pay for, and not have a job to go to in the morning.

Danny noted the change in her reaction and sat forward, “sounds like she got what she deserved if you ask me..” the curly haired boy smiled, and she offered a small one back, leaning into Josh as she felt his arm snake around her waist.

“Hey what’s wrong? Don’t go down now, you did a great thing!” He grinned, clinking his beer bottle with her own and she rested her head on his shoulder, doing everything she could to not think about the lead that was spreading through her veins the more she thought about how her life was about to fall apart.

“I.. how am I supposed to live.. like not to sound dramatic or anything but how do I pay rent?” She spoke, sitting up and glad for his hand remaining on her back and moving up and down gently.

“Don’t..” Andy spoke, flicking the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray, eyes meeting hers as he leaned forward.

“What?” She spoke, brow furrowing as she shook her head and watched him lounge back on his chair. She was about to snap back at him when he continued.

“Why don’t you guys just move in here” Andy's eyes glinted with nefarious intent for barely a second and he took another drag of his cigarette as Victoria’s head snapped to Juliet.

“What.. like both of us?” She spoke, and Victoria glanced around at the boys and it was clear that they hadn’t been consulted, that this was an off the cuff offer that Andy had seen as a viable solution and had not thought through for a second.

“Yeah,” he spoke, stubbing out the filter of his cigarette, the high and the three beers he had drunk forcing him to talk slower than usual, “I mean we’re serious about this record company right? So why don’t you both move in here, sublet your apartments and we have a steady monthly income? There are two spare rooms downstairs, we wouldn’t even have to do anything.” He shrugged, and Victoria was surprised at how much it actually made sense.

“Or…” Josh started, a jovial tone in his voice as he sat forward to be the voice of reason. As usual. “You could not do something crazy illegal and just move out. The guys at that record shop seemed to know you quite well, I'm sure they’d give you a job there for some income.” Josh shrugged and Danny looked between his friend and Victoria, a knowing smile on his face as he had been the one Josh had spoken to when he had come back from that non-date.

“You’ll move in too right?” Andy eyed Juliet with an attempt at flirtation that he knew wouldn’t work, “I know you’re still working but you could save on rent..”

“Sure,” Juliet spoke as if it was the easiest decision in the world, and Victoria couldn’t help the small laugh that slipped from her lips at how blasé she was about it, “I mean he’s right… and I saw a guy shooting up outside my building yesterday and hate my flatmates  so I’ll literally take any excuse.”

“He was what?!” Danny sat forward, concern washing over his features and it was almost automatic the way their hands met, his fingers squeezing hers in comfort and Juliet met his eyes. It was heartwarming to see how close they had gotten so quickly. It was like they had been waiting their whole life to meet each other.

“I mean..” Victoria started, smiling at Juliet, “this is crazy right?”

Juliet nodded, eyeing the people around her and wondering if it was a good idea to move in with four people that she had known for less than 3 months.

Victoria picked up her beer as she thought through the same dilemma, but she had moved to Shoreditch in a week with zero notice just so she could be closer to work - was this really that much different?

“So crazy it could work..” Juliet grinned, and Victoria bit her lip as she nodded,

“If you really want two girls cramping your style up in here it would be great..” Josh’s hand had moved from her back to pick up his beer and even he couldn’t believe that this was happening. Andy blurred out impromptu ideas like this all the time, but this was the first time it was actually making sense, “How much rent?”

“No rent. We’re not even paying rent, my dad owns this place. Move in whenever you want,” Andy grinned, “Wildfire records is gonna burn fucking bright, can’t have one of our managers worrying about where she’s gonna live and the other living in a crack house”

She grinned at him, wondering if she should have questioned more but if she had learned anything from the past couple of months it was that impulsiveness was a good thing. She just hoped that this situation would follow suit.

It was late when the majority of them descended the spiral staircase, Juliet and Victoria choosing to stay over but the latter not wanting to stop the party as Andy skinned up once more.

“Such a nice night..” she whispered, stretching out and enjoying air that was uncharacteristically warm for March.

“Mmm..” Andy hummed in agreement, his eyes running from her uncovered feet resting on the table and all the way up to the hem of her dress, “gorgeous.”

She watched the redheads deft fingers roll up the marijuana and tobacco cocktail, dark eyes meeting hers as he ran his tongue along the paper to seal it and she felt a shiver run through her. She could feel the tension radiating from him, the way he was looking at her made her heart race and she swallowed thickly before her head turned to Josh and the three bottles he had bought up from the fridge. 

“Thank you,” she smiled as he took his seat back next to her and passed her one of them. She drank deeply from the bottle when she knew she shouldn’t, and watched as Andy lit the joint, smoke clouding the space between them but making his eyes even darker. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, music drowning out the noises of busy London and Victoria couldn’t help but bite her lip as Josh french inhaled again. Eyes met hers and she let out a soft laugh, wondering if he realised how attractive he was.

“Wanna try again?” He grinned, passing her the joint and she shook her head,

“I much prefer my way…” she licked her lips and pressed the roach to her lips, Josh’s mouth suddenly dryer at the thought of what they tasted like. Was she talking about the way she inhaled? Or was she talking about what happened before they were interrupted? Either way, it was calming to watch her take a deep drag, her body relaxing more and more with each toke.

She had been so angry, then so anxious and now she seemed to be finally realising that everything might be okay. She just had to move in with people that she’d known for three months.

“Right losers, I’m gonna turn in..” Andy spoke, standing and taking the joint from Victoria and inhaling deeply before passing it back to her. “You know where you’re sleeping tonight, right?” He spoke, the question could have been innocent if it wasn’t for the quirk of the eyebrow and the THC running through their veins, and she bit her lip, nodding.

A cocky smirk graced his lips before he walked from the terrace to the mezzanine, waving at them with a confidence that never faltered.

“He wants to fuck you y’no” Josh almost slurred, eyes dancing over her features and settling on her lips for a moment too long.

She took another long drag, the cherry burning faster than it had done before and her eyes felt even heavier. “Mmm.. he’s not exactly subtle is he..” she chuckled, pressing the joint between his lips with two fingers and a lazy smile as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Subtle like a brick to the face” He grinned, and she slipped an arm around his, chuckling at his words as the music changed again*, 1975’s electronic harmony’s making the air feel like it was buzzing

“Subtle like a gun to the head,” she mirrored his smile, and he took a long drag as he chuckled, the soft breeze washing over them, the plants in the planter rustling softly and adding a layer to the music that he didn’t know could sound so good.

“Subtle like a sledgehammer” He exhaled, and he felt her weight change on him, her breathing heavy and even. He took one long toke before leaning forward gently, pressing the roach to the ashtray as he exhaled. He wanted to get that last hit, but he mainly needed to force himself to breathe. She looked so beautiful asleep on his shoulder, her arms gripping him as if she never wanted to let go. And maybe he didn’t want her to.

He allowed the song to finish as he finished his beer, dozing in and out of sleep as her breath lulled him into an almost hypnotised state. Half an hour later he forced himself to move if only for his leg threatening to fall asleep with her.

He moved her softly and moved an arm under her shoulders while the other slipped under her knees, and he slowly carried her down the spiral staircase, down the next flight of stairs and into the bedroom next to his own.

As he lay her down, her eyes flickered and he thought he was going to be able to see those sea blue hues once more. But no such luck. She turned in the bed as he pulled the blankets over her, and couldn’t help but smile as he watched her curl up and whisper, “J…”

Moving from the side of her bed, he switched off the light and went to bed wondering if he would ever get to hear her whisper her nickname for him consciously.

[btsburgh]

Chapter 7

After losing Kim Taehyung in the airport four times (two of which he was in quaker steak n lube), forcing Namjoon to ask for their bags like eight times because nobody else wanted to do it, finding out that Jungkook’s bag got classified as overweight because he had to pack like six hundred white shirts, and Jimin being too busy taking selfies to direct them to the house, THEY FINALLY MADE IT.

Upon pulling up to the BROthel, they all emptied out of the taxi and thanked the driver for dealing with them, especially Jimin’s selfies. It came as no surprise to Kate that they were there because Hoseok loves her very much and always keeps her updated without smothering her with information. The other two residents however were a bit surprised.

“Hey, Jordan!” Namjoon called, smiling as he entered the living room.

“Oh my god.” Jordan stood up and grinned. “It’s Jimin!”

Jimin smiled and waved at her from across the mass of Korean boy band members now on the first level of their house. Namjoon’s smile, however, was only slightly stilted by the interaction.

“Who’s Jimin?” Lauren asked, bouncing down the stairs.

That’s when their eyes met.

Across the room, Jimin swept his recently blond bangs from his face and saw Lauren. Lauren’s bangs were already up and away from her forehead because she’s all about the gel life, but she still felt the connection. A deep, primal connection that bonded their souls. The ground quake beneath them and it was if time had halted just for them to look at one another.

“We need to work out together.”

The fact that they both said this in unison and simultaneously was off putting, only added by them being frozen in place and locking eyes. They didn’t move at all for a few minutes, so everybody decided to ignore them and go about their business.

“Alright, motherfuckers!” Kate announced, pulling out a binder and slamming it down on the coffee table, crushing three glasses of miscellaneous liquids as she did so. “This is the plan. We’re splitting into two teams. We have Strike Team Delta, whose primary objective is to get Jungkook to Tawni’s front door without arousing suspicion. I have to drive, so therefore Hoseok is coming too.”

“Oh and ice cream.” Jungkook added. “Tawni likes cookies and cream ice cream. I want to bring her some.”

Hoseok did a little jig, “Stike Team Delta, yes. Very best team.”

Ignoring both of them, Kate continued, “Then there’s Gold Team. Gold Team will stay here and help Yoongi prepare for his blind date.”

Jin clapped his hands together in excitement. “I’m so ready for this makeover.”

“Me too!” Jordan fist pumped, already mentally preparing several outfits in her mind. “Joonie, you can help us.”

He shrugged in agreement.

Kate surmised, “Okay, so Strike Team Delta is Me, Hobi and Jungkook. Gold Team is Jin, Yoongi, Jordan, and Namjoon. That just leaves Taehyung and Jimin.”

Taehyung shot his hand up the air so quickly that Jordan was probably triggered and blacked out for a second. After she recovered, however, she caught a glimpse of Namjoon rolling his eyes. “You don’t have to raise your hand to speak.”

Taehyung lowered his hand. “I’m going to West Minster. Kristen sent me a snapchat of her cat and I want to see him.”

They all nodded in agreement. However that still left the question of Jimin.

“I go really early, though.” Lauren said, finally breaking her frozen trance.

“I go before dance practice and Hoseok is always early so I work out at 3 AM.” Jimin assured her. “Plus I need almost an hour of warm ups.”

“Me too!” Lauren bounded the rest of the way down the stairs and landed in front of him. “Actually I fucked up my shoulder so I need an extra thirty minutes of warm ups beforehand.”

“Is tomorrow cardio or weights or what for you? Leg day?” Jimin peeked an eyebrow.

“Everything. Cardio in the morning followed by high intensity interval training focusing on the lower body. Then I usually go eat three un cooked eggs mixed with coffee grounds and immediately hit the weights and do some light ninjutsu for core stabilization.” Lauren explained.

Jimin’s eyes widened. “No way. I’ve barely been able to master Taijutsu because my chakra just simply doesn’t align with my anaerobic activities. I’ve been doing more sprinting lately to try and up my heart rate so I can burn more and take in just protein too, but it’s hard on the diet we have.”

They continued to ramble on for a couple more minutes, everybody in the room sort of watching with rapt intent as they did so. It was like seeing two deer try and communicate across a road, neither one wanting to cross and potentially get nailed by a drunk pittsburgh driving on his way home from a steeler game, but also not being able to communicate properly because they’re deer. Honestly have you ever even heard what a deer sounds like? Do they have a sound even? Anyways that’s just an example don’t live by it.

“So Jimin is Gold Team.” Namjoon finished. “Cool, let’s get cracking.”

———

STRIKE TEAM DELTA

“Captain’s Log. Friday. It’s midnight in Korea, but late morning here. This has confused young maknae Jeon Jungkook who normally sleep at 9 PM because he is still a growing boy. If he doesn’t, the gods will not continue to bless him with the magic of the dancing spirits that—”

Jungkook snatched the camera out of Taehyung’s hands, immediately ejecting his foot into the singer’s stomach so he could leap across the back seat of Kate’s car to fight back.

“Are you going to do this the whole time?” Jungkook asked, fumbling with the camera to turn it off.

“I have to finish the flight log!” Taehyung whined, squabbling to get closer through jungkook’s arm and foot pinning him back. “What will the other captains think if I don’t log our mission?”

“Nothing because there are no captains-Hey!” Jungkook had the camera snatched from his hands by Taehyung’s flails.

It clattered to the ground and Taehyung let out a scream. “My baby!!”

“No!” Jungkook went for the camera, both of them yelling in unison.

“STOP.” Kate yelled from the front seat. “Hoseok is already bad at paying attention to a screen long enough to give directions without you two fighting in the back, okay?”

They both gave each other little death glares before sighing, “Sorry, mom and dad.”

“We’re almost there.” Hoseok tapped the screen. “Shit, it went to Canada.”

“Yeah, the new apple maps has 4D touch so it senses your finger tip before you’ve even formulated the thought. Takes some getting used to.” Kate explained.

Hoseok looked at the bottom, “But still no headphone jack?”

Kate shook her head. Everything was run by bluetooth now anyways. All Hail The Bluetooth Overlords. Amen.

Eventually Hoseok got the screen re-centered. “Ah! Ice cream place on the right if we still want to stop.”

“Yes please!” Jungkook called out.

———

GOLD TEAM

“You sure you’re good, Joon?” Jin asked, pulling some duct tape free from the roll.

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. Like one night. All casual and stuff.” Namjoon responded, nonchalantly, holding onto Yoongi tightly.

“Mmpphhprffrphphpmmm” Yoongi’s muffled voice came through the sock they had shoved into his mouth.

Jin wrapped the duct tape around Yoongi, effectively latching him onto the kitchen chair as he sighed. “I just know how you are. Don’t want you to be all bogged down when we go back to Korea. Bad for writing.”

“Nah man, it’s just netflix and chill. I swear I’m not gonna catch feelings.” Namjoon patted the struggling rapper in the chair on the head, before pulling the sock out of his mouth. “Isn’t that right Yoongi?”

“I hope you catch the plague.” Yoongi spat, the minute the sock was out of his mouth.

Jin rolled his eyes, putting the tape down on the kitchen table. “Yoongi, chill. Don’t you want to look nice for your blind date?”

Just then Jordan appeared looking like the Martha Stewart of make-overs and holding an assortment of make-up and tailoring related items organized in a trendy, yet functional utility belt across her waistline. “You ready, Jin?”

———

STRIKE TEAM DELTA

“Captain’s Log. Still the same day but slightly later. I’m about to make contact with Bean the cat. I have been looking forward to this for some time now. Please anticipate.” Taehyung flipped the camera around.

He and Hobi and Kate were plastered behind the corner of Tawni and Kristen’s townhouse, watching intently as Jungkook went up to the door holding two ice cream cones that were a tiny bit drippy. He took in a deep breath, prepping himself to ring the door bell.

“Wait.” Jungkook looked over at them. “I can’t ring the doorbell with these in my hands.”

Hoseok sighed, sneaking up along the side of the house and readying his finger over the doorbell. “Hana … Dul … Ses!”

He effectively ding dong ditched the college town house, breaking out at full speed to meet his cohorts behind the corner. Jungkook stood at the ready, a bright smile on his face as he waited for Tawni to open the door.

They heard a voice from the house. “Kristen! Get the door!”

“No, Tawni - You get the door! I’m trying to conjugate french cities!”

“Fine, bitch!” Tawni responded.

After a couple of seconds, the door swung open and Jungkook extended an arm, offering the ice cream out to her. And at first Tawni’s eyes just got wider until something in her began processing information once again.

And then she just screamed, literally leaving the ground and just flying over to embrace Jungkook, almost knocking the poor boy over in the process. When she did so, the other three jumped out from behind the house and all yelled.

“Surprise!”

Tawni had no response, only sobbed directly into Jungkook’s shoulder out of shook, but eventually his laughter about how the ice cream was going to melt got her to release her vice like grip on him and take the cookies and cream ice cream. Though I’m sure she’d prefer the kookies and cream … if you catch my drift.

But Jungkook sure didn’t, smiling at her as he ate his ice cream. After Taehyung had finished pretending he was a professional vlogger and Kate and Hobi had quit being literally as extra as possible, a plan was formulated.

“Oh my god.” Hoseok pointed a finger to the sky. “We should do a double date! Go see a movie, yeah?”

“I like movies.” Kate nodded.

Tawni was entirely on board. “There’s one not too far from here, let’s go.”

Taehyung clapped, “I love it. It’s like five dates all happening at the same time!”

“Five?” Hoseok counted mentally in his head.

“Gold Team too.” Kate counted with him, “Us and Tawni and Jungkook. Namjoon and Jordan. Yoongi and Bria.”

“Then where’s the fifth?” Hoseok asked.

“Me and bean!” Taehyung exclaimed.

And thus started the absolute adventure that was The Five Dates. Well … it started as an adventure at least.

[jujubieberbae]

1 IN A MILLION

Screams, tears, sorrow. It wasn’t until it got physical I realised how deep this fight had become. A hard slap across the face from me and shove to the wall from him arose my inner common sense that had obviously been put aside in the last 20 minutes.

I needed to get away from Justin before he or I did something we would both regret, and more then likely end up on the Internet for the world to see. “Where the fuck are you going?!”

His voice was raspy from all the previous yelling but the unedifying demand in his tone suggested that he was no where near ready to drop his guard and finish this argument. He had not reached his senses like I had which was odd. It was usually him who would walk away or stop our bickering.

“Away from you. I can’t stand in this room any longer . It’s suffocating me.” I muttered, making my towards the balcony of our bedroom.

His shouts continued to echo throughout the room behind me, no doubt him cussing me out for whatever reason his mind could muster up but my choice was a lot smarter. Just ignore his banter and release a little tension.

As I sat on the chair swing bolted in the ceiling, I couldn’t help my eyes but to wonder over to the outdoor coffee in front of me.

Laying next to the ashtray which was seemingly empty of any cigarette ashes, was a packet. Full. Just the way I left them.

But do I really want this? It’s been so long, I’ve done so well so far. Do I really want to spoil it because of one stupid fight that escalated a little too quickly between Justin and I?

Yes. I really do.

Before I could change my mind, I quickly flipped the packet open and swiped out the first one I found, using the lighter on the table to ignite it. The now recently used packet in my hands was thrown carelessly back on the table as I sat back and huffed on the burning cigar.

One inhale in and a large amount of smoke followed on the way out. It burned my lungs after not having one in so long and i knew that I was really only cheating myself but it calmed me. And it was either this or worse. I could have gone back to my teenage years and swiped a blunt up, or even resulted to my depressed days and brought out the razor. It’s stupid I know, but it’s how I convinced myself that what I was doing right now wasn’t so bad after all.

A few more hits later and I could finally feet my body relaxing to the addictive nicotine. Savouring every breath of the now half smoked cigarette.

It was a quiet night out. No one was heard, not even the cars from the busy street below. Justin and I’s house was to far from the actual road to hear the noise, with having such a large and grand front yard.

But that silence was quickly disturbed may I say very suddenly, when one of the double doors to the bedroom unexpectedly began to creep open.

“Y/N?” I couldn’t see his face, it was blocked by the door but that didn’t stop me from imagining what his face looked like from his tone of voice.

He sounded sorrowful and broken. Maybe a little guilty? His voice was sad and weak and although he knew I was out here, he also seemed a little unsure.

I decided not to answer and rather just grab another puff of the cigarette in my hands, looking out across at the beautiful LA view.

From the corner of my eye, I watched as Justin stepped away from the door, closing it behind him without yet taking a good glance at me. With a tired sigh, I let my hand holding the cigarette fall to the side, gripping the addictive drug in between two fingers.

Justin peeked over at me, his once beet red face from earlier now a pale complexion, something he showed when he was nervous. Followed by his paleness was a mark on the side of his face that was tinted slightly different to the rest. A hand mark that fit my hand perfectly. A sigh similar to mine escaped his lips, his head falling to the floor in shame. “Baby. I’m so sorry. I should have never touched you.”

By the tone he used, I could hear just how sorry he really was, and I could tell that it really was eating him up inside.

I really couldn’t blame him that much. I did fire him up by slapping him but he knows to never touch a girl. He hurt me be slamming me against that wall. Not just physically.

Once not receiving a reply, I watched as his eyes fell into desperation, begging for my forgiveness. “Baby girl?” His voice barely anything but a whisper.

I ignored his pleas and instead, lifted the cigarette to my mouth, sitting it in between my lips before taking a puff.

Justin’s face grew from sad to shocked in a matter of seconds, and I watched as he quickly shuffled over to stand in front of me, grabbing a hold of the cigarette box on the table. He opened the lid, taking a peek inside to spot the one missing cigarette before turning to me.

“Your smoking?” His voice was laced in disbelief.

“Is there a problem?” I spat, barely sparing as much as a glance in his direction.

“You’ve worked so hard to stop your addiction.” He stated.

“Well, not hard enough.” I shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Justin was silent for a few more seconds, his eyes flickering between me, the box in his hand and the lit cigar in my fingers before he suddenly stood and prepped his arm back.

My eyes widened once realising what he was doing but it was to late as I watched the box of cigarettes be thrown many meters out, until it landed somewhere along the road in the distance.

Blood boiling as I shook, the cigarette on my hand was dropped to the floor, still sparking in a flame as I stood, my eyes squinted towards Justin who was almost admiring his work over the balcony.

“What the fuck?!”

“Don’t ‘what the fuck’ me. You broke your promise.” He spoke.

“That promise was to myself, it had nothing to do with you!”

“Don’t you dare say that!” He shouted but it was rather calm in a way, as if he was really trying hard not to work himself or me up. “You know just as well as I do that your smoking has a lot to do with me.”

“Yeah, well fuck off!” I grunted, throwing myself back into the swing. It was silent once again as I bent down to pick up the burning cigarette, bringing it closer to my lips to take another puff. But it was Justin’s voice which caused a halt my actions, my heart almost shattering in the process.

“I just want you to be healthy. I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

His voice was so broken. It hurt.

“Last time was a mistake.”

“Then Don’t make that mistake again. Please Y/N.”

“The chances of me getting cancer again is low. One cigarette won’t kill me.” I muttered.

“That’s what you said last time.” He sounded like a lost child. It broke my heart.

“When the doctor diagnosed your lung cancer, it literally felt like my whole world had just crumbled in front of me. I did so much research on it after that.” He began, looking out into the distant city.

“Do you know how many people survive having Lund cancer? 4 in 100.” He continued. “4. Only 4. If I ’m being honest Y/N, I thought you were going to die. And seeing how sick you were, i felt like I was going to die. So when they announced you cancer free, I was so happy I was ready to jump up and do 100 summersaults.” As if remembering and old memory, he chuckled, but it was short lived as he fell back into a hole of sadness, head dropping.

“Please don’t do that to yourself again. And if I knew that the argument we had would lead to you coming out here and lighting a cigarette, I would have kept my mouth shut, locked every door in the house and held you so tight that you would only have the choice but to fall asleep in my arms. You wouldn’t have even thought about a cigarette.”

The only thing I could do was listen to every word he spoke. This was the first time we had spoken of my illness since it happened last year, and to think of it again scared the living shit out of me which really made me wonder. what the hell am I doing?

Without another thought, I dumped the cigarette in my hand on the floor and butted out the stick, before leaning over and throwing it over the balcony. Left for the wind to carry away.

Justin watched in slight relief at my actions and quickly opened his arms for me, which I quickly up took. Throwing myself in his hold, I felt as if he were to squeeze the air out of me from how tight he was holding me.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered into his chest.

“Shh princess, it’s alright.” He hushed.

We stood like this for a few more minutes, enjoying each other’s embrace before Justin began shuffling around, then muttered. “Let’s get you inside. It’s cold. Why don’t I run you a hot bath?”

The thought of a bath made a shiver run down my spine just realising how cold it really was out, and the fact that I was wearing nothing but panties and Justin’s old hockey jersey was not helping.

“Thank you.” I whispered.

“Don’t worry about it. Besides you kinda need it. Your hair smells like nicotine.”

We both chuckled slightly as Justin began leading us back inside, where the rest of the night was spent bathing and cuddling in bed.

Alright, and maybe a little make up sex.

But none the less, I was just glad to be here with Justin. Like he said, 4 in 100.

But right now, it felt more like 1 in a million. Cause that’s what he makes me feel like.

** Don’t do drugs kids. 😎

[spectrumscribe]

Your Heart’s Desire

a very late submission to @tmntflashfic‘s valentine’s day prompt thing, since it got insanely long, and has to be broken up into parts. I’ll post the next part within a few days.

Master Post of Chapters.

Summary:

In which Casey makes a lot of bad decisions, buys more groceries than he wants to, deals with his own mistakes, makes a bad drunk decision, almost dies more than once, falls in love, and summons a demon.

Not in that order.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter One. 

Casey heard his alarm sound, and he rolled over to slap the snooze. However, his had made contact with something… not plastic.

Casey grumbled, refusing to open his eyes yet. Too early, it was way too early… too much hangover, not enough sleep…

He slapped the thing again, trying to find his alarm clock.

“Quit it before I bite your hand off,” Someone growled.

Casey’s eyes snapped open, and he yanked his hand away so fast it smacked the wall behind him. Tangling his legs in his sheets as he did, he scrambled into sitting position.

There was someone in his room. Sitting by his bed. A pair of acidic green eyes glared back at him, standing out against the man’s darker skin.

“Wha- what the hell’re you doing in my house?!” Casey yelped.

The man glared harder, sneering at Casey. “You’re the one who brought me here!”

Casey frantically tried to recall if he’d brought a dude home with him last night, and failed.

“Shit- did I really?” He said, wincing apologetically. “God, I was so smashed last night, I can’t remember anything.”

The man gave him a look of disbelief. “Wha- seriously?! You can’t remember anything?”

Casey shook his head, again wincing, this time from the budding headache there. “Not a thing. It’s all blurry and blacked out. Dude, I’m so sorry, you weren’t waiting too long for me right? You should’ve just woken me up.”

The man stared at Casey, mouth gaping, and hey those were some real sharp incisors right there-

“Oh fuck,” The man said, putting his face in his hands. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Hhhhh…. I should have listened to Leo about accepting summons like that…”

“Summons? Heh, you’re not some kind of ‘call guy’ or something, right? I mean… no way I was that drunk…” Casey trailed off, staring at something lashing across the floor.

Was that…? No not a snake, it had a bunch of fluff on the end, and was attached… to…

Oh.

“TAIL!” Casey shouted, pointing at the thing on the floor. He took a closer look at the man’s head, Casey’s own head finally cleared of all cobwebs, and- “HORNS!”

The man took his hands away from his face, and gave Casey a deeply annoyed look. “What did you expect, idiot? I’m a demon for crying out loud! You  knew that.”

To further prove his point- the man’s skin darkened with scales, and his green irises filled his whole sclera. A long forked tongue slithered out of his mouth and the man- the demon, hissed at Casey.

Casey let out a strangled laugh, and then screamed.

Somewhere between flying out of bed, knocking over his sketchbook stack by the door, his baseball bat collection also beside the door, and slipping on a salt pentagram-thingy on his living room floor- where the fuck did his carpet go- Casey managed to calm down a bit.

He tried to assess the situation.

There was a huge ass, old ass book bigger than his chest on the coffee table. That probably explained the salt on the floor, if the candles surrounding the book and the diagrams inside were anything to go by.

The demon-man-person had not disappeared yet. This was still not a dream. He was still looking at Casey like he was an idiot and/or was regretting ever setting foot in Casey’s tiny shithole apartment.

Casey still couldn’t find his carpet. Where the ever living fuck did he put his carpet.

Casey scratched his head a bunch, did ten loops around the whole of his living room/kitchen area, checked ten times if the demon-person-dude was still there, and managed to calm down.

Just enough to sit the guy-demon-whatever down on the couch, and try to sort things out.

“So let me get this straight,” Casey said, standing in front of his couch and guest. “I summoned you, and you’re a demon, aaaaaaand I accidentally made a contract with you?”

“You can’t make contracts on accident, but somehow, I think you managed,” The demon guy drawled, slouching on Casey’s couch. His tail- holy fuck- was still lashing back and forth in annoyance, the fluffy tip of it disturbing the scattered salt on the floor. He glared at Casey, showing a bit of fang as he sneered. “Congrats, you managed to fuck up like no one else ever has.”

Had it been anyone else saying that to him, Casey would have snapped back at them, but the inhuman nature of his house guest gave him pause.

A lot of the guy was very human like, but his less than human bits gave him away. Badly so.

The tail for starters. Longer than the guy’s legs, and fairly thick. It was dark enough that Casey couldn’t see were the fluffy bits started, and the scales ended. And the horns. God damn the horns.

Set on either side of his head, with a spiky dark hair sticking up in between, the two black horns stood out prominently. Tips aimed at the ceiling, and a slight curve against the skull. They sort of looked like goat’s horns, but with smoother ridges. A few inches tall each.

The scales were gone again, receded… wherever they’d gone/come from, but Casey thought he could see a hint of them around the corners of the demon’s eyes.

Wow those were some green eyes.

“You’re staring,” The demon guy growled.

“Can you blame me?” Casey quipped automatically.

The demon sneered again.

Nice teeth too. Sharp.

How far into shock was he, by this point?

Pretty far.

“So like,” Casey coughed awkwardly. “Do you know what happened to my carpet, man? I kind of liked it.”

“You threw it off the balcony,” The demon replied, jerking his thumb at Casey tiny excuse for a balcony. “Right after you summoned me. You had to make some room, so you tossed out ‘the least breakable thing’. Your words not mine.”

Casey opened his mouth, closed it, and ran to open his sliding doors.

He looked over the wrought metal railing of the balcony, and- “-aw FUCK!”

He’d thrown his carpet outside alright. Right onto the communal trash bins area below. It also looked like it’d rained last night, since there were huge puddles all over the place.

Fuck.

Casey put his hands to the sides of his face. “Fuuuuuuuuuuck, man. I’m never gonna get the smell out of it now!”

“If that’d been your desire when you summoned me, I could fix it easy.”

“What?” Casey turned around, looking at his guest. “‘Desire’? What??”

“You summoned me with a desire,” The demon guy said, leaning onto the arm of the couch. “I can’t leave until I fulfill it.”

“Um- what?”

“Desire. It means to want something or someone or whatever. Donnie’s better at the details,” The demon waved his hand dismissively. “Whatever, anyways it means that you had an intention that needed fulfillment when you summoned me, and you wanted me to grant it. You were supposed to tell me what it was when I appeared, but instead, you went off on a rant about how much space I was taking up, tossed your carpet out the window, and then passed out. Not exactly informative.”

“Um.” Casey floundered at the description of ‘desire’. “Yeah. Uh. I don’t remember even summoning you, dude, so I sure as fuck don’t remember why I summoned you.”

“I was starting to get that idea,” The demon said in a deeply annoyed tone.

“Uh- also, why would I toss my carpet outside?” Casey asked, stepping back into the room and shutting the doors behind him. He’d deal with his forsaken floor cover later. “Why would I need extra room? I mean, like, no offense man- but you’re kinda short.”

It was true. When they’d been standing, the demon guy hadn’t even made it to Casey’s nose.

The demon guy bristled- literally, his tail’s end poofed up and everything- and he spat, “Ex-fucking-s’cuse me for being below average demon height! And besides! This isn’t even my real size, asshole. I shrank down for the sake of your stupid mortal ceiling. You’re fucking welcome.”

Casey blinked, vaguely noting he was so far into shock he wasn’t even bothered by the tone of the demon. “Well, how big are you really, then?”

The demon guy smiled for the first time since Casey had woken up. It wasn’t a nice smile.

“Let me to s͠how͡ ̨y͡oư.”͝

Maybe asking had been a bad idea.

The demon on Casey’s couch turned pitched black all over- then into smoke, and the smoke cloud increased in size and swirled through the air like ink, until-

-bad idea bad idea bad idea-

-the smoke solidified into an enormous shape, big enough its back and head brush against Casey’s ceiling, and its tail snaked through his kitchen space.

The demon sort of looks like a dragon, Casey’s hysterical mind supplied, but not quite.

The demon’s horns knocked against the ceiling plaster, and two luminous green eyes stood out against the sheer darkness of his skin.

He smiled, wide and sharp, showing off the rows of long fangs in his mouth.

“̀My͘ r͘eal ̀ńame͘ is̛ ùn̕pron͜o̧u҉nc̡eab̢le in y͝o̷ur̨ l̛an̷guage, ́a͏n͢d͢ ẁoúld͏ ̢pr͡ob̸a͘b͝ly ̴ḿelt yo͜ur mind ̸an̶ywa͝ys,͜ ͠s҉ò-” ̵He grinned wider, vicious and terrifying. “̀-ćall m̷e Ra̵ph͠ąȩl. ̵I̶’̵m the͘ d̨em͏on ̢you̴ ̵sòme͞how͠ mąn̵age̡d͏ to ̵summ̕on̴,͠ ͠a͢nd ̵Ì’m̀ n̶òt ̸góing͡ ̢a̴n͠yw͝h҉er̢e͠ ̛until͢ yo̴u reme͢m̨b҉e̕r wh҉y,̢ ơr-̕” ̨His long tongue snaked out, and he took a step towards Casey. “-̷uńt̴i͘l ýou ̢die.͏ Undeŕs̡t́o͟o͠d?͘”

Casey looked up at the demon’s teeth, then at the huge claws on his hands, and then at the gouges Raphael was leaving in his ceiling.

Hm.

Yup. Such a bad idea.

Casey whirled around, yanked his sliding door back open, and scrambled out of his apartment.

He heard growling behind him, and swore there was hot breath blown on his back as he escaped.

He grabbed the railing of his balcony, got his feet up on it, and jumped over the gap between his and his neighbor’s balcony. Narrowly, he avoided landing on any of the plants there- he did not want to hurt those plants again, not after the scolding he’d gotten last time.

And- oh thank god- she’d left her doors unlocked again.

Casey pulled open the sliding door of his neighbor’s apartment, bursting in and almost tripping over the pile of clothes in the living room. “APRIL! APRIL HELP I HAVE A PROBLEM!”

No answer, so he scrambled through the rest of the apartment- identical to his own excluding the contents- and headed for April’s bedroom.

“APRIL!” He shouted, nearly kicking in her door.

“-jESUS CHRIST- Casey!” April exclaimed, fumbling with the book in her hands and almost dropping it on her face. “What did I say about coming into my apartment without permission?!”

“Yeah hi sorry about that but you have to come with me right now,” Casey said, grabbing April’s arms and trying to pull her out of bed. “I have a problem and it’s kinda huge and wrecking my apartment and I know you hate going anywhere on Sundays but please-”

“Oh for- fine. Just stop yanking on me!” She kicked him lightly in the gut, and untangled the rest of herself from her covers. “I swear- you better not have come in through the balcony again.”

“Uh.”

“Casey.”

A few seconds later, after Casey physically pushed April out of her apartment - “No we don’t have time to get dressed, this is an emergency!”- they ended up in front of his apartment’s shut door.

April, arms crossed in front of her faded sleep shirt, glared up at Casey in all her bushy Sunday morning glory. “If this is some animal you brought home while you were drunk last night-”

“It’s not a dog! I learned my lesson with that one,” Casey defended. “This is- uh, well, I’m not really sure what to call it. It’s a problem, that I know for sure.”

April glared at him, and blew her mussed bangs away from her eyes. “Alright, show me this ‘problem’ of yours. I want to get back to my novel sometime today.”

Casey jerked a nod, and reached out to turn his doorknob.

It was locked.

“It’s, uh, It’s locked,” He said.

“You forgot your keys-”

“I forgot my keys.”

“Casey.”

“I- just give me a moment,” He put his ear to the door, listening for the demon guy. There was a sound that suspiciously sounded like his CD collection being knocked over. Casey rapped on the door. “Hey- hey Raphael? I’m sort of locked out. Could you open the door?”

Did demons even know how to do that?

Wait was he even going to let Casey back inside? He had sort of literally run out on him-

The door’s deadbolt and handle clicked, and the door opened slightly.

“You brought a guy home last night? That’s your big problem?” April asked, giving him a look. “Casey, usually that’s the opposite of a problem.”

“Uh, you’ll understand it if you see it,” Casey gestured at the door. “I can’t really explain it properly in words.”

April rolled her eyes. “And yet, half of your major is in literature, which is literally describing things with words.”

“Just take a look already.”

Casey’s brain caught up with him right then, as April reached out to fully open the door, and he realized there was a chance this was just going to get them both killed.

Uh, whoops-

April opened the door, and the same time as she saw it, Casey also saw-

The whole of Raphael's mass, still crammed into the tight space of Casey’s living room. Raphael’s teeth were still bared, and he was facing the doorway.

The demon let out a rolling snarl at them both, and April slammed the door shut.

“What- what the fuck is that, Casey?!” April hissed, putting her back to the door as though it would keep the huge demon inside it contained. “What the actual. fuck.”

“I might’ve summoned a demon,” Casey said. “Mostly on accident.”

“How- how do you even manage that?!”

“I have no idea. I sort of was too drunk to remember.”

“CASEY.”

Raphael didn’t end up eating them. Or killing them either. He just huffed in their faces when they’d been brave enough to open the door again, blowing hot smelly demon breath and everywhere, and changed back into his mostly human form.

“You’re both terrible hosts,” He’d said tetchily. “The humans a few centuries ago would have been groveling on the ground for my favor. You haven’t even offered me food and drink yet.”

April had turned very pale by that point, and said very quietly, “He has a tail. And horns.”

Raphael had rolled his eyes at them both, and demanded Casey remember what he’d summoned the demon for, so he could “Get the hell back to hell and be done with this shit-show.”

Casey, naturally, had questioned what hell was like.

Raphael had responded, “It’s a figure of speech where I come from. ‘Hell’ isn’t that singular. There’s a lot of them out there. You humans are just too stupid to perceive them.”

April, at that point, had gone inside and helped herself to Casey’s stash of energy drinks. Chugging a full can before she did, she then proceeded to rant at Casey for irresponsible (drunk) decisions, his choice in parties, getting her up on a Sunday of all days, always dragging her into nonsensical misadventures and making it her problems too, and the state of his house.

Also that he’d brought an actual flipping demon onto their plain of existence, but it’d seemed like she was trying to focus on normal things for the sake of her composure.

Raphael had watched, and smirked, the whole time April ranted at Casey. Prick.

After she’d calmed down, April had pushed her hair out of her face, and asked Raphael if he was planning on razing their apartment complex to the ground at all that day.

“I don’t have much interest in that sort of thing,” Raphael had said, studying his longer than safe nails. “That’s more my brother’s area.”

“Good enough for me. Don’t eat him, he still owes me fifty bucks,” April had said, handing the empty drink can to Casey and patting him on the shoulder. “Good luck with this one, Casey. I have no advice to offer, and I promise I’ll check in later to see if you’re still alive. Excuse me though, I have to go rearrange my understanding of mythos and legend and possibly question my whole reality for a bit. Bye.”

And then she’d left, slamming the door behind her, and leaving Casey with an amused demon in his kitchen, eating the last of his already wimpy fruit bowl.

That’d been a few hours ago, and now Casey was sitting on his carpet-less floor with his eyes closed and a throbbing headache.

Hangovers were a real hassle unless you gave them time to ease off. Raphael hadn’t given Casey that time.

Slave driver.

“You’re not thinking about the right things, again,” Raphael chastised.

“Fuck off,” Casey snapped, opening his eyes and glaring at the lounging demon on his couch. “I’ve been at this for hours, man. It ain’t comin’ no matter how many times I try.”

Raphael’s tail lashed out, knocking an empty energy drink can at Casey.

Casey caught it, and chucked it to the side. “Look. Dude. I know you’re some kind of interdimensional terror-thingy-whatever, but I’m hungry as fuck and have grocery shopping to do. Can we give it a rest for at least a few hours?”

Raphael turned another page of the thick book that had summoned him. “I want to go home. Keep at it.”

“Dude.”

Raphael ignored him.

“Bro.”

Raphael turned another page of the huge book.

“Pal. Compadre. Brosif. Duderino. Bruv. Dude-”

“What?” Raphael finally snapped.

“You already ate, like, everything in my kitchen, and I haven’t eaten anything today,” Casey said, gesturing sharply at his dilapidated kitchen, and then at his wounded ceiling and tossed about furniture. “You also made a huge fucking mess of my house, and been a real asshole in general. We’re going shopping for dinner shit, and I’m not gonna do anymore meditating until we do.”

“Big words for a little man,” Raphael growled, curling his lip.

“Look who’s talkin’,” Casey shot back.

He honestly was past caring that Raphael could triple- quadruple?- in size and squash him flat. Casey was hungry and his head hurt like a bitch. He wanted food, rest, and some time to chill.

If he had to risk getting his neck snapped for that, he was willing to. Besides, it’d been pretty fricking awesome to see a real live demon in his living room; even if said demon was an asshole who tromped on peoples’ CD’s without apology. Not a bad way to go out, honestly.

Raphael stared Casey down, and the narrow green eyed glare only made Casey sweat a little bit.

Another drawn out moment, and Raphael shut his book and stood up to stretch. “I could eat, I guess. I’ll let you get away with that insolence for now, but don’t try your luck again. Also, we’re getting meat. I need a steak to sink my teeth into.”

Casey watched Raphael yawn, flashing sharp canines, and figured that was fair.

He was getting the cheap stuff though.

Casey only realized, about halfway to the store, that the person he was walking with didn’t look exactly human.

Oddly enough, no one said anything about the tail, or the horns, or the teeth, or the general aura of vague terror and anger…

“Can’t they see you?” Casey asked as they entered Safeway.

“Hm? Oh. Nah, I’m mostly invisible to them unless someone in the know points me out,” Raphael shrugged. “That human, April? She could only see me because I wanted her to. Plus you sort of told her to look for something, namely me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been seen.”

“Huh, nifty trick,” Casey said, grabbing a basket from the stack.

“I know a lot more impressive ones, but I guess so.”

A woman and her five kids, varying between toddler and teen, passed in front of them, forcing Casey and Raphael to pause.

Casey noticed one of the youngest kids looked at Raphael, and smiled as he pointed at the demon’s tail.

“Mom! Look!”

“Don’t point at strangers!” The child’s mother snapped, tugging her child along with the rest.

Casey chuckled softly. Looked like Raphael’s ability to be invisible wasn’t full proof.

Then, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, as a wave of something flowed over him.

The child’s smile crumpled as he was led away, and he started crying loudly.

Casey turned to look at his companion, and found Raphael sneering at the child while emanating some sort of invisible field. It was making the air around them feel unsettling, and caused goosebumps to spread up Casey’s arms.

“Dude,” Casey said shortly, watching the sobbing kid get dragged off. “Not cool.”

Raphael gave him a look, then rolled his eyes and stopped doing whatever he was doing to cause the field. “What? It’s just some human kid. I have to get my kicks somehow. You’re all lucky I don’t just burn this place down…” He trailed off, wandering away as he did. “Come on. I smell meat this way.”

Casey looked after the sobbing kid, and then after Raphael, and wondered for a moment what he’d gotten himself into.

It took a bit of doing, and fighting about what to buy, and fighting to keep Raphael from messing with any other innocent customers, but eventually they made it the checkout area and Casey only had to buy an extra four packages of raw meat for his guest.

Where the hell the guy was putting it all, actual size being huge or not, was a mystery to Casey.

“I’m not fulfilling your whatever-desire, so I’m not getting any energy,” Raphael explained grudgingly, and only after Casey had pushed him to. “I could eat someone, but… eh, it’s not really my thing. And our contract still stands right now, so whenever we finish it, I’ll have plenty.”

“You, uh, you eat people?” Casey asked.

“Not usually. Gets stuck in my teeth.”

“Mmmmkay… then…” Casey replied, inching a smidge more space from Raphael.

He’d probably need to keep his fridge well stocked, however long this lasted. For the sake of his neighbors.

April sent him a text on the way home, asking if he was still alive, and if she needed to call an exorcist yet.

Casey replied that she was a total flake out, and that he was never coming to her for help ever again.

She’d replied with “thems the breaks”, and a shrugging emoji.

“This is so cool,” Casey whispered to himself, watching Raphael devour a whole package of uncooked meat in one go. He was mostly past the fact that Raphael was a demon, and now more stuck on the fact that Raphael was a demon and holy shit was that ever cool.

Even if he was an asshole.

He wondered if he’d get a chance to sketch the guy before he left. Raphael’s full demon form would make a sickass mid-term painting presentation, if Casey could get the colors and anatomy just right…

Wait, maybe that was why he’d summoned Raphael in the first place. For inspiration.

“Hey Raphael,” Casey said, making the demon at his tiny kitchen table pause in his eating. “Maybe I called you up or down or from whatever for inspiration? I’m a little stuck on some projects right now.”

Raphael’s long forked tongue slithered out, and he licked away a drop of meat juice from his lips. “Maybe. Humans do that a lot with my summonings. Get desperate with their work, turn to higher powers for help, and usually lose their soul in the process. Let’s give it a shot.”

Raphael raised his hand, a glowing circle of runes appearing in front of it as he did.

“Hey wait, what was that about losing my soul-?”

Another magic circle appeared in front of Casey, and-

-it made a bunch of sparks, and disappeared.

Raphael sighed, and slouched in his chair. “Nope. Not what you summoned me for. Try again.”

Casey put his hands on his chest, feeling where the circle had been.

“Okay. That was really fucking cool,” Casey said, glancing up at Raphael. “But seriously. The soul thing. What’s that about?”

“What did you think I got out of this?” Raphael said in a bored tone.

Casey opened his mouth, shut it, and said, “-mmmmmmnot that?”

Raphael gave him a look. “I think humans somehow got even more stupid while I was gone.”

“Man, fuck you,” Casey said. He chose to throw one of the eggs he was holding at Raphael, because fuck him. Raphael caught the thing easily, popped it in his mouth, and ate it with a single crunch.

Casey blinked, and then grinned. “So cool.”

“Just hurry up and remember why you summoned me. I want to go home.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get right on that…”

Casey didn’t get right on it. He ate dinner, and went to bed. How he got away with that, he wasn’t sure. It probably had to do with Raphael discovering his television set and DVD collection.

Casey woke up again the next day, rolled over to slap his snooze alarm, and came face to face with Raphael again.

Casey stared at his demon guest for a moment, and then groaned. “Oh god. You’re still here.”

“Yep,” Raphael said, equally grumpy about things.

“Fuuuuuuuuck…”

“Get up and start thinking again. I want to go home.”

“I have school, asshat. That’s the only thinking I’ll be doing today.”

“No, you won’t. You’re going to complete the contract, and send me home.”

“Uuuuh… no?”

They glared at each other.

“I could just eat you and be done with this,” Raphael said, flashing his long canines.

“You said you didn’t like eating people,” Casey replied evenly.

“I’d make an exception for you.”

“I’m not doing the contract thingy today. I’ve got real work to do.”

“You’re going to do it, or you’re going to lose some limbs.”

Casey never claimed to have the best self-preservation instincts, so he picked a fight with the interdimensional demonic being invading his home.

There were words exchanged. Strong words.

Then there were fists exchanged.

Someone punched someone first, and pretty soon, they were tussling around Casey’s apartment spitting curses.

Literally on Raphael’s part, since something red glowing and hot flew by Casey’s ear, and set his countertop on fire.

“MY COUNTER!”

“SEND ME HOME DAMMNIT!”

“MY COUNTER!!”

Raphael waved his hand, and the fire vanished. The counter remained blackened though.

“Okay, so, neat trick,” Casey admitted, lowering his voice from yelling. Then he punched Raphael in the nose. “You’re still a prick.”

April strolled into Casey’s apartment right around then, holding her school bag in one hand and a spritzer bottle in the other. She watched Casey and Raphael grapple at each other with a bored expression. “Casey, we’re going to miss the bus.”

“I’m-” Raphael’s fist socked him in the chest, and Casey let out a stunned “oof”. “-kind of busy at the moment!”

She sighed, raised her spritzer bottle, and shot a few squirts of water at them.

Casey reeled from the cold water, while Raphael straight up yowled.

The liquid had hit Raphael’s bare skin, and started smoking.

One second Casey was being held in a lock by two thick arms, the next he was stumbling to find his balance again, and there was the sound of something thudding against his wall.

Casey pushed his shaggy hair out of his face, and realized Raphael had sunk his clawed hands and feet into the wall and ceiling.

Raphael snarled wordlessly, tail lashing and eye flashing dangerously.

In the back of his head, the image of an irate cat came to Casey’s mind. Also the Exorcist movie.

April spritzed the demon again, and Raphael leapt across the room to get away. He left huge holes in the plaster as he did.

“Go get ready, I’ve got this,” April said calmly, eyeing down the furious demon with her spray bottle at the ready.

“Is that holy water?” Casey guessed.

“Yup. Visited the local church this morning. They’re actually very accommodating for this sort of thing. I stocked up.”

“Huh.”

Raphael curled back his lips, crouching on all fours and partially changed into his full demonic form. The patches of skin where the water had hit were red and angry looking, sort of like the demon himself. He snarled again. “I ̨c̀u̢r͡s҉e̡ ̀your̸ ͝chil҉d͡re͞n͜ ͟t͘o ͡ha̶ve̴ ̀p͢ítíf̕ul an̸d p̡àinf͡ul͢ ͘l̴iv̷es,̢ ͢mo̕rt̷a̡l ̀wòm͏an̶.”̢

“Good thing I’m not having any,” April replied plainly.

Raphael hissed, and April sprayed the floor in front of him threateningly.

“Pants. Now.” She instructed Casey.

Casey listened.

“Thanks again,” He said gratefully as they headed for the bus stop. “I was actually sorta wonderin’ if I’d make it to class today.”

“You’re welcome,” April said loftily.

“And you said you weren’t going to help me out with this.”

“You still owe me fifty bucks, and I expect it before this fiasco is over.”

Casey nodded. Yeah, he could do that at least. “You’re taking this whole ‘demon’ thing really well, you know.”

“Don’t under estimate my ability to give no shit, Casey. It won’t do you any good.”

“Fair point.”

“I still want my money.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

The passed the alley behind their apartment complex, and April pointed into it. “Weren’t you going to do something about your carpet?”

“I gave up and admitted defeat,” Casey sighed. “The smell wouldn’t have come out anyways.”

April patted his shoulder sympathetically, while saying unsympathetically, “You do these things to yourself, Jones.”

“Shut uuuuuup…”

“Yo… Casey?”

“‘Yo’ what?” Casey asked, still intent on the piece he was sketching.

“There’s like, a dude in the tree. He’s glaring at you.”

Casey fumbled his pencil, and spun around to face the window.

There was indeed a dude in the tree, glaring daggers at Casey.

Raphael, like some oversized cat, was perched in the branches of the tree outside the studio. Looked like the burns had cleared up, since he was back to normal.

If you could call a demon that.

“He someone you know?” Casey’s classmate asked, leaning around his easel to stare at Raphael.

Raphael’s tail lashed around, exactly like a cats would, and he bared his teeth at Casey. Apparently Casey’s ordinary classmate couldn’t see the actions, since he didn’t start screaming “monster!” or anything.

Small blessings.

“Nope. Ignore him.” Casey said, getting up and going over to the window. He shut the curtains on Raphael’s pissy expression, and felt exactly zero guilt.

“Yeah okay Case’. He an ex or something?”

“He’s an asshole, that’s what he is.”

“Want me to call campus security?”

Casey thought wistfully about calling the renta-cops on the demon, but shook his head. “Nah. Would go badly for everyone. I’ll deal with him later.”

Namely, it would go badly because there’d probably be blood everywhere, and people very much dead on the ground. Cool as that imagery was in a heavy metal music video or an art piece; it was less cool when it involved real actual people.

Casey would have to settle for stealing April’s spritzer bottle- if she’d let him- and telling Raphael off for bothering him at school.

Raphael dropped out of thin air soon as Casey was alone- somewhere between the arts wing and the science wing, headed to meet April for lunch- and scared the bejeezus out of Casey.

Same message as that morning from the guy, “Send me home, I could devour you, I’m such a big bad demon, blah blah blah…”

Casey responded something along the lines of “Fuck you” and that there were strawberry muffins available in the cafeteria that day, and like ‘hell’ was he missing that. The fact that he used that expression during a conversation with a literal demon wasn’t missed on him, and from Raphael’s expression of quiet fury, it wasn’t missed on him either.

He bought the guy off with a few of those muffins- they were probably the best thing around that was affordable to college students- and managed to get Raphael to leave off until he finished his classes.

When Casey got home, dumping his bag and jacket at the door, he was surprised to find his whole apartment restored to how it’d been, prior to Raphael’s appearance.

“Yooooo… what the heck, dude. How’d you do all this?” Casey asked, observing that all the holes and scorch marks were gone. Even his carpet was back.

“You gave me food,” Raphael said in a grumpy tone. He was finishing off a muffin as he perched on the couch arm. “The food yesterday, and the food today. Equal exchange. I had to do something in return, or it would be Wrong.”

“Wrong how?” Casey asked, vaguely wondering if this demon magic thing would work on some of his old sports equipment.

“Wrong with a capital double-u’, and would’ve given me indigestion,” Raphael licked his lips of crumbs, and Casey watched the action with vague awareness. “Can’t have things being unequal, or it gets unpleasant for me. So yeah, if you’re still worried about the whole ‘in exchange for you immortal soul’ thing, whatever you’re getting out of the contract will be equal in worth. Food was enough to get your apartment back to normal, and souls are worth a heck of a lot more. So hurry up with remembering, and you can have your riches and fame or whatever.”

Casey looked around again at the restored, original shittiness of his apartment, and figured he’d have to ask more about the equal exchange stuff later. “Sure. You want to eat and watch the game first though?”

Raphael seemed to consider the offer, narrowed green eyes, and eventually nodded. “Fine. I get first pick of food though.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do.”

They glared at each other.

“No you don’t.” Casey said again.

“Yes I do.” Raphael said again.

They glared harder.

Casey ended up having to give Raphael first pick anyways, but only so the demon would patch the hole he put in the wall with a fire ball. The hole that went clear into April’s apartment, and brought her exhausted wrath down on both of them.

Casey might not have gotten first degree burns from the water gun like Raphael, when April had upgraded he didn’t know, but it sucked anyways because- “Jesus woman, did you fill it with ice water or something?!”

“Yes.”

“Cold, April, real cold. Literally.”

“Fix my damn wall, Jones. I don’t have time for this.”

“You sure you’re not a demon?”

She sprayed him right in the face for that comment.

The third day went basically the same way.

Casey rolled over, tried to hit the snooze of his alarm clock, and almost lost a finger in the process.

April marched in, same as the morning before, and rescued him from the demon holding him in a chokehold. She threatened death to them both if they made her late for her seminar.

They only just caught the bus, and the look April had given him for that told him exactly how lucky Casey was. Though, he felt someone watching him the whole way to school, and all through his morning seminars.

When he glanced out the second story studio’s windows, he got his answer.

“Who’s the dude in the red tank top?” One of his classmates asked, also staring out the window.

“Oh hey, it’s the guy that was bothering Casey yesterday,” The one who already knew Raphael answered. “Man, I didn’t know you could get fire to work like that.”

Raphael, probably with demonic magic of something equally annoying, had burned “Asshole” in perfect calligraphy onto the campus lawn. It was in big enough font that it could have been seen even from the top levels of the school, and maybe even higher.

Casey opened the window, and leaned out to shout, “WHY DO YOU HAVE NO CHILL?!”

Raphael, standing on the edge of his handiwork, flipped Casey off with both hands.

Casey had yelled wordlessly, and flipped him off back.

“Ha ha… I do not envy you, Casey.”

“Hhhhh… fuck off.”

Raphael cornered Casey again, halfway between buildings, and told him if Casey didn’t remember soon, he was going to start getting angry.

“As opposed to what?” Casey asked, zero shits to give about the demon losing his temper.

“I could burn this whole school down, with everyone inside it,” The demon growled, magic runes appearing in his hands.

“If you do that, I’ll never tell you why I summoned you,” Casey said, because that was the one thing he still had over the demon.

Granted, Raphael could just kill him, but oddly enough the demon hadn’t followed through with the threat quite yet. Maybe souls were just worth that much.

Raphael bristled at Casey’s threat- the short hair between his horns standing up straight and spiky- and the demon spat licks of fire at Casey.

Casey’s eyebrows felt a bit toasty afterwards, but Raphael backed off again.

However, he came home to a ruined apartment that looked like a huge cat had shredded it, a smug partially transformed demon in the middle of the chaos, and spent the next few hours fighting with Raphael to fix it again.

He ended up having to text April to bring her water gun.

Casey took pity of the demon though, after Raphael spent a good hour sulking in the corner while his burns healed, and tried to remember why he’d summoned the demon in the first place.

He consulted google, the huge and stupidly useless book, and his good old method of slapping street hockey balls around in the alley.

Nada. He didn’t remember anything. Even with all the new-age mind tricks he looked up, he couldn’t remember a thing. Drinking blackouts were just too strong for them.

Casey called it a night, and resigned himself to having a demon squatting in his apartment for a bit longer.

The semi-murderous look Raphael gave him, as Casey slunk off the bed, told him that time was running down.

Day four came, time ran down, and Raphael snapped.

At least Casey had made it to his one class that day, even if he’d come home to a furious demon. And even after Casey had started trying to remember again, the guy still snapped.

“It. has been. four DAYS. YOU MISERABLE. FLESHBAG.” Raphael yelled, kicking Casey already severely abused coffee table. “Why can’t you just remember already?!”

“I’m trying!” Casey snapped back. He shut the huge book, which had been zero help so far, and stood up from the couch. “And do you think this is any easier for me? You’re a fucking terrible houseguest, and an enormous wad about literally everything!”

“I wouldn’t be, if you just SEND ME HOME ALREADY,” Raphael shouted. “I don’t care if it’s hard for you, use your stupidly tiny brain to remember why you summoned me, and we can be DONE.”

“Why can’t you just leave if you want to so badly?!” Casey yelled, gesturing sharply. “I don’t want you here either, so feel free to fucking go already!”

“BECAUSE IT’S AGAINST THE RULES!” Raphael yelled back.

“WHAT RULES?!”

“THE RULES THAT GOVERN MY VERY FUCKING EXISTENCE!”

“IGNORE THEM!”

“I CAN’T!”

Casey punched Raphael, right in the nose.

The demon reeled, blinking at the sudden attack. Then he snapped back to awareness, and sent a look of pure murder at Casey.

Casey ignored the look and jabbed again, only for his fist to be caught in Raphael’s grip.

“̨T̷ḩat’͡s it,͟”͏ Raphael growled. He shoved Casey back hard enough he stumbled, and then started to grow.

Raphael doubled in size, black creeping over his brown skin and changing it to mostly scales. His shoes disappeared, and long claws extended from his toes. His tail whipped out, and again knocked over Casey’s CD collection. He looked like he was between being bipedal and quadrupedal; caught between his demon form and human form.

Lastly, as he grabbed Casey by the collar and opened his scarily toothy mouth, a pair of wings popped into existence on his back.

Casey was distracted from his anger for a moment. “Dude, you have wings?”

Raphael visibly stuttered, which looked sort of hilarious on such a scary face. “I-  ͡of̵ ̴cour̡s̡è I̡ ̸d̨o! I show͞ed ̡y͟ǫu ̀th͝e̷m ͠t͝he ͟f́i̶r̢s͏t̸ d͝a̷y here͝!҉”̴

“Uh, was it when you got big and ruined my apartment? Because like, I couldn’t see jack except for your fat head.”

Raphael growled, low and rolling, and opened his mouth again.

“͏I͠ ̷CO͜U̸LD ̀D̵E͢V̸O͜U̢R ̵Y͝OU̡,̀ MǪRTÀL͜.”͘ ͏He roared, right in Casey’s face.

Naturally, Casey socked him in the nose.

“Fucking try!” Casey spat.

Raphael reeled from the shot, and he gave Casey a confused and offended look.

“͘Wh̀y͡ a̕r͠en’t̡ ̸ýo̷u̷ şcár͞e͜d̵?̀” Raphael asked, sounding actually confused.

Casey didn’t respond, other than attempting to knee the guy in his gut.

Raphael growled again, and he punched Casey. Hurt like a motherfucker, but he’d had worse.

Someone tripped someone, and they ended up wrestling on the floor. Casey managed to sock Raphael in the face again, feeling his knuckle split on a tooth.

Somewhere along the way, Raphael had reverted to his mostly human form, and Casey got a clear look at the rage in his expression.

The demon’s fist met Casey’s chest, and a whoosh of air left his lungs.

Casey was stunned, but he managed to kick the guy off, and send Raphael skidding across the floor.

Raphael rolled right back onto his feet, and maybe just for spite, knocked Casey’s coffee table into the wall with his tail.

Casey met the guy head on as he charged, and narrowly avoided goring himself on Raphael’s horns.

They tussled back and forth for a long while, knocking over everything they came into contact with. Casey thought he heard some of his dishes hit the floor when Raphael threw him into the cabinets. The kitchen table got thrown to the side as he dodged one of Raphael’s kicks. Someone put long claw gashes in the couch cushions and it definitely wasn’t Casey.

His plants from April, his DVD stacks, his sports equipment, some of his art projects- it all got knocked over and mildly trampled. Casey was too busy punching a demon to care though.

End result of the fight, Casey and Raphael sitting against the couch on the floor. Panting and a bit blood splattered.

Casey’s blood, not Raphael’s. He hadn’t managed to even make a dent in the guy.

Casey swiped his hand under his nose, feeling the hot red fluid smear on his skin. His right hand was a mess of already darkening bruises, and his face stung like hell. Probably would have a black eye soon.

Raphael sighed, and leaned his head back against the couch. His horns stabbed the fabric again, and Casey didn’t even care that a ripping sound followed the motion.

“…well that was pointless,” Casey muttered.

“Fuck you,” Raphael muttered back.

Casey wiped his smarting nose again. The blood was already starting to congeal. “You wanna watch the game?”

“…whatever. Sure.”

Casey reached across the floor, and grabbed the remote from where it’d been tossed. He turned on his boxy old TV, and sat against the couch again.

“You put a hole in my wall again,” Casey commented, thinking about the foot sized hole in his kitchen wall. “And broke my table too.”

“I’ll fix it later,” Raphael grumbled. “I’m tired right now though, so shut up and let me watch your pathetic human sports.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck you.”

They watched the rest of the game in silence, excluding Casey blowing blood snot into tissues.

Before he went to bed, Casey traded the rest of his meat products in the fridge for some insta-healing, because as much as he wanted to avoid Raph at that moment, he still needed his hands for schoolwork the next day.

The ache was still there, because not even magic could undo everything, but it was bearable with painkillers. Casey had the good type too, prescription even.

He and Raph exchanged no words as they separated for the night.

The next morning, when Casey rolled over to slap his alarm, he actually did without any issue.

He blinked, trying to remember why that was weird.

Oh yeah, demon in his apartment. Where’d Raphael get to?

He found his not-so-friendly neighborhood demon sitting in the early morning sunshine, legs crossed in a lotus position. With the light shining on him, the spiky ends of Raphael’s hair flashed red, and made his thin horn tips nearly glow.

Casey stopped for a moment, staring at the stark difference between the belligerent, snarling demon he’d been dealing with lately, and the peaceful, collected individual in front of his windows.

Casey leaned on the wall beside his bedroom door, examining his houseguest.

Besides the horns and tail and weird blood-red hair tips, Raphael seemed like a normal-ish guy in that moment.

Huh.

Casey’s fingers itched for his sketchbook and pencils. He kind of wanted to capture the scene.

Raphael turned his head right then, glancing over his broad shoulder. He stared at Casey for a moment, and then said, “Hey. Good morning.”

“Uh, yeah. Good morning,” Casey replied, a little surprised by the sudden lack of hostility.

Raphael turned back to the window, and seemed to be done with the conversation already. Casey raised an eyebrow at the sudden one-eighty.

“What, no ‘send me home already’? No, ‘fear me mortal’? No nothing?” Casey questioned.

“Nope,” Raphael said, not turning around.

“What’s with the sudden attitude change?”

“I did some thinking, and figured what we’ve been doing wasn’t working. So. I’m trying something else.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Casey asked, genuinely curious.

“Patience,” Raphael said, sounding annoyed by the very idea.

Casey’s laughter burst out of him before he could stop it.

“Oh bugger off,” Raphael grumbled, shooting a look over his shoulder. “It’s only because I’m tired of fixing your stupid apartment.”

“Sure, sure,” Casey chuckled, failing to smother his laughter. “Does this mean I can go to school without you hounding me all day?”

“Today? Yes. But don’t think I’m letting you off the hook for our contract. I’m not leaving until we complete it.”

“Like I didn’t hear you the first eighty times you told me…”

Raphael growled, flashing some teeth. “Just go to your pointlessly expensive mortal education already, and fuck off.”

Casey rolled his eyes. There was the Raphael he knew and hated. “Yeah, whatever. I’m going, I’m going…”

Raphael didn’t bother Casey once the whole time he was getting ready. He even had a chance to make breakfast for the first time in days. By the time April strolled in, using the key he’d given her months back, Casey was actually ready to go.

“Oh. No need for this today, huh?” April asked, lowering the huge water gun she’d been carrying.

Raphael turned around to acknowledge her, and raised an eyebrow at the gun. “Overkill much?”

“What can I say,” April shrugged. “I’m having a little fun with this.”

Casey laughed, and grabbed his current favorite sketchbook off the pile. “I’ll be out in a minute, okay?”

“Right on.”

As April started to leave, Casey caught movement in the corner of his eye, and glanced back just in time to see Raphael bring up a spell circle in his hand.

A circle appeared in front of Casey again, and a flash of light around April told him she had one too. Then, before he could react, it shorted out and disappeared, the same time that April left the apartment.

Casey spun around and looked at Raphael in horror. “Dude! Did you just try to magic April?”

“I was just checking if that was what you desired,” Raphael said, no signs of guilt in his expression.

“I- what??”

“You know. Sexually.” Raphael said, gesturing vaguely. “Isn’t that a thing for most humans? Like, especially between men and women?”

“Not with April!” Casey exclaimed. “I mean. She’s not even in to that sort of thing. And I’m- I don’t like her like that. She’s my friend. Best friend. Nothin’ more.”

“You’re oddly offended by this,” Raphael commented.

“Yeah, well, it’s not cool to try forcing people into shit they don’t want,” Casey said, crossing his arms. “I don’t like it, and I know for sure April doesn’t either. Don’t try that again.”

Raphael looked at Casey a moment longer, and then shrugged. “Alright, nothing involving that type of desire. Got it. Now get going, I’m tired of listening to your voice.”

“It’s my apartment…” Casey reminded under his breath, but he let the subject go. He shut the door behind him, leaving the demon in his apartment alone for the day. His undamaged apartment for the first time in a long while.

It wasn’t a bad feeling, but he sort of missed Raphael’s presence stalking him all through the day. It was weird, but he’d already gotten used to the guy hanging around him.

Casey took the peace and quiet, and put it towards his projects.

By the end of the day, he’d somehow finished a bunch of gesture sketches that looked a lot like a certain individual.

His professor questioned the sudden change of model; since until then, Casey had been sketching female figures. Casey didn’t have much of an explanation for the horns or tail in his drawing, other than he’d been having a weird few days.

His professor seemed to accept that, and complimented the way he’d captured the fluid movements on the paper. Especially the tail.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of them lately,” Casey explained, taking his papers back. “I’ve had a cat hanging out in my apartment the last while.”

“Oh? Is your kitty friendly?”

“Nope. He’s kind of awful.”

“O-oh…”

continued.

[caitrun]

CSJJ Day 8: Thirteen Seconds

“I hate you, but we kissed at midnight on New Year's and now I can't stop thinking about it" AU- Modern Setting without magic. Thanks to @csjanuaryjoy for including me in this! Read it here or on AO3. Onto the fic!

Emma Swan was not into Killian Jones.

She didn’t like his swagger, didn’t fall into his crystalline blue eyes, didn’t giggle in response to his jabs.

And she certainly, one-hundred-percent, did not want to kiss him at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

“Listen, love, you and I are the only two at the party without a partner,” Killian drawled, his sweet, Irish accent slurred slightly by the rum. They were seated together on the couch in Mary Margaret’s apartment, so close that every movement seemed to result in their brushing up against one another.

“And you’re buddy-buddy with my fuckin’ awful ex,” Emma spat back. “So it looks like we’re going to stay that way.”

“Swan,” Killian whined, his voice gravelly and petulant. He threw an arm up onto the back of the couch so that it encircled her shoulders. “How many times do I have to atone for believing that Neal was a good man?”

“Keep atoning. I’ll let you know when I’ve had enough,” Emma said, sliding out from under his arm on the couch, putting a foot of space between them. Killian’s shoulders sagged a little at her retort, and he almost looked pitiful enough for Emma to reclaim the empty space on the couch. Almost.

“Swan,” Killian began again, breathing deeply. “I apologize for my grievous error. I should not have supported the claims of Neal Cassidy on blind faith in the decency of his character. You deserve better than that wretched scab, and I take some solace in believing that you know that now.”

Emma took a moment to consider the apology.

“Not bad,” she conceded. He brightened incrementally at her concession, enough to make her laugh aloud before she could restrain herself.

“And I really do mean it, Swan,” Killian said earnestly, his eyes searching hers for forgiveness. “He’s a bloody wank and never deserved the likes of you to begin with.” There was no lie in his voice, Emma realized slowly.

Careful, Emma. You don’t like him. He’s one of Neal’s.

“Well, thanks,” she said in spite of herself. He brightened under her passive expression.

“Can I get you another drink?” He asked her cautiously, nodding towards the empty glass in her hands. He was holding one to match, and against her better judgment, Emma relented with a nod.

“Back in a tick, then,” he said. With no shortage of flourish, Killian slid off the couch and over towards the direction of the kitchen. Emma took a moment to stare dully at her hands in her lap, trying to let their conversation sink in.

“I see you’ve made nice with Killian, then,” a voice said from over her shoulder.

“Five minutes without you watching or commenting on my interactions, Mary Margaret, that’s literally all I ask,” Emma responded grumpily, her head tilting back a little towards her friend, but her eyes continuing to track the lines of her hands in her lap.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Mary Margaret sang back. Emma could practically feel her friend’s smug smile burning into the top of her head.

“We didn’t make nice. He just apologized, as he should have,” Emma replied tartly.

“When are you going to give that poor man a chance, Ems? He’s apologized every time you’ve been in the same room together since things went south with Neal.” David had turned up behind the couch as well, and Emma continued to fume at her hands until she couldn’t anymore.

“First of all, I don’t ever have to give him a chance, he backed Neal, I don’t care how often he apologizes,” Emma snapped, finally whipping around to face her two goofily smiling friends. “And second, even if I did want to, you’re killing my fucking mood with all this hovering.”

“Damn, Emma, no need to be like that,” David slurred slightly, grinning broadly and taking her wrath entirely in stride. “We’ll make like a you after a one night stand and just ghost the fuck out, then.”

Emma hardly had the time to register what he’d said before he and Mary Margaret had merged back into the small throng of people gathering in front of the big TV in their living room.

“What was that I heard about a one night stand, love?”

Emma whipped back around and found Killian perched comfortably at her arm with a couple of filled glasses and a smirk.

“Oh just shut up. Please,” Emma asked, her voice more a whine than a command. She was surprised when he acquiesced quietly, their fingers brushing as he passed her one of the glasses. Something caught in her throat when his hand remained on hers even when she had a secure grip on the glass.

“Emma Swan, your hands are absolutely freezing,” Killian commented pleasantly. Emma felt her eyes widen as her mind scrambled for some sort of appropriate response.

“Well, my last rum and coke had too much ice in it,” she said. She swirled her current glass before raising an eyebrow at Killian in approval. “I see that’s been amended.”

Killian gave a fake bow, switching his glass from his prosthetic left hand to his flesh-and bone right, and swirled his left animatedly in front of him, as if royalty. She huffed and rolled her eyes, trying not to smile.

Her restrained smile diminished slightly as she thought back to what David had asked. When are you going to give that poor man a chance? He’s apologized every time you’ve been in the same room together since things went south with Neal.

“Penny for your thoughts, love?” Killian was bending forward a little bit, eyebrows slightly furrowed, fingers skirting absently over her knees. Emma shook her head abruptly, smiling tensely.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“I don’t know what you-“

“You’re way too polite to me, even though I’ve been an ass to you.” Emma said, pouting slightly in confusion. Killian gnawed on his lower lip, so pleasingly plump and pink under the row of his white front teeth.

“Well, you’ve no reason to be kind to me. I deserve your derision, your mistrust, your anger. I made a poor decision, and that’s all you know of me. I apologize every time I see you, because I hope that someday, somehow, my apology can help you heal, since I’m sure my ass of an ex-friend never told you that he was sorry.”

Whatever Emma had expected him to say, it hadn’t been that. She gaped like a fish, fairly positive that her jaw was just hanging there, unhinged. Dimly, she heard people counting down in room behind her. But all she saw was the luminescent blue of his eyes, and all she could feel was the running of his fingers across the angles of her knees.

All she wanted to taste was the lingering rum on his tongue.

So she did.

Dropping her drink to the table, she wrapped both hands around Killian’s jaw, pulling his lips into her own, their front teeth clicking against each other slightly as they adjusted to the shape of the other’s mouth. Then, slowly, gently, he began to reciprocate the motion, his polymer hand resting on her upper arm while his real hand combed through her hair, just above her ear. He bit gently on her lower lip, and Emma could feel his smile against her mouth as she groaned quietly.

His fingers scrunched against her hair, and while she was drinking in the pleasantly foggy taste of rum on his tongue, a noise erupted behind them. Emma started, but Hook’s hand wrapped along the back of her skull, and he pressed the kiss into her mouth for just a tick longer before pulling away.

“Happy New Year, love,” Killian said sheepishly. Emma stared at him, her shock mirrored in his expression. Suddenly frantic, she looked over to where Mary Margaret and David were standing. They were grinning at her with all the wolfish glee she had hoped to avoid.

“Aw, fuck.”

The words slipped out of her mouth before she realized what she had said, and her eyes flicked back to Killian, suddenly self conscious.

“Admittedly, not the words I’d hoped to hear from your mouth after our first kiss,” Killian admitted, a pretty blush creeping across his cheeks.

“And admittedly, I never meant to kiss you,” Emma replied, flustered. She immediately began gathering up her things, her phone and her jacket, namely, for the two-block walk home. She spared a glance at Killian, who was watching her, still frozen on the couch. “Sorry. What I meant to say was, thanks for being considerate about my feelings, but you don’t need to do that anymore.”

“Swan,” Killian started. Emma just shook her hair out of the collar of her coat. She couldn’t meet his gaze. If she had, she might have seen the look of wonderment slowly giving out to guarded disappointment.

“Don’t. I’m sorry Killian. Enjoy the rest of the party,” Emma said quickly, quietly.

She was gone before he could reply.

Emma Swan was not into Killian Jones.

She didn’t spend the first two weeks of the New Year thinking about him to a practically hazardous extent.

She most definitely wasn’t thinking about him when her bail-jumping mark got the slip on her and knocked her down the front steps of a coffee shop, spraining her wrist, skinning her hands, and bruising her ego.

When she returned to her boss in the early afternoon, sheepish and empty-handed, he gave her a disparaging look, a sigh, and the rest of the day off to “rest up and get refocused for Monday.” It was probably more than she deserved.

Feeling rather dejected, Emma decided to head to the bar down the street from her place rather than head home for her night of self-pity and self-medication. Maybe she was hoping to distract her mind’s eye from its fixation on Killian, the fixation that had caused her to lose focus on the case today when she thought she saw him across the street.

Sighing heavily, Emma pushed her way through the solid wood doors at Hatter’s. The crowd there was usually a little too rough for Mary Margaret and David to join her, and she hoped that the distance would help ease her current state of unbalance.

Emma sat down at a well-worn barstool with a grimace and quietly ordered two fingers of whiskey, neat. Tequila was for parties, vodka was for mourning, and rum… she was swearing off the stuff, for the time being.

“I’ll have what the lass is having,” a painfully familiar, and painfully cheerful voice sounded off next to her.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Emma whispered, her voice barely forming around the lump that had suddenly arisen in her throat.

“Ah, drinking to forget then, are we, Swan?” Killian’s blue eyes and indomitable smile were too close, the smell of his cologne entrancing.

“I didn’t… the kiss was just for midnight, Killian, it didn’t mean anything,” Emma forced the words out at an unsteady tempo, and a strange flurry of uncertainty tossed in her stomach. She wasn’t lying. She didn’t like Killian Jones.

“Aye, sure you didn’t, love. I’m sure that why you decided to kiss me quick and get it over with,” a conspicuous smirk rose to grace his expression. “I’m sure that’s why you started kissing me when the countdown to midnight was still at thirteen seconds then, eh?”

Emma stared at him, slack-jawed. He picked up his drink, which the bartender had brought during his analysis,  and started swirling it around with unnecessary focus.

“I…” Emma found herself in the strangely unique situation of being genuinely lost for words. Killian’s bravado seemed to evaporate a bit, and he reached out with his real hand, his fingers finding a stray hair of her’s and tucking it gently behind her ear.

“I like you a lot, Emma,” he started quietly. “I’m really quite taken with you. And I understand if our mutual history with Neal means that I’ll never get to show you how much I care.” His eyes searched hers for a moment or two, and she struggled to maintain a passive expression.

His gaze then flicked down to his lap, and then to hers, where her hands were cradled numbly, palms up to spare the tender skin. With narrowed eyes and not even a word, his hands moved to tenderly examine the scratches on the heels of her hands, and the swollen bruising of her left wrist.

“I-I just got taken by surprise today, by a bail jumper I was trying to catch,” she explained, feeling oddly tense regarding his concerned scrutiny. He knew a general amount about her line of work, knew it was rough. This couldn’t be a surprise for him.

“Must have taken something to get a jump on you, Swan,” Killian said lightly. The previous topic of conversation was still hanging heavily in the air, and Emma sighed.

There was an escape route here. She could laugh, pay for her drink, and tell him she’d catch him later, even though she wouldn’t. Or there was honesty. To be true, that was the scarier option. Glancing up at the kind expression in his eyes, she breathed deeply before smiling.

“Yeah. You.” Killian jerked back a little in surprise.

“What?”

“You. I was thinking about you. I thought I saw you across the street and I let myself get distracted. All the while my bail jumper was putting the pieces together. Pushed me down some stairs. It really did take something,” she laughed breathily, her fingers curling into her palms as she tried to withdraw her hands from his grasp. He held fast, his expression distantly stunned.

“You were… thinking about me?” He asked weakly. Emma began to wonder if she’d made the wrong decision, if there was time to hide this under a deprecating lie and bolt. But she steeled herself, breathing in and out through her nose in a half-hearted attempt to re-center herself.

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about you for a couple of weeks now. I’m… I think I like you too, and I think that scares me. But not enough that I want to stay away.” Emma said quietly. She then watched as Killian’s expression bloomed into one of sheer delight.

“I knew you’d take a shine to me, Swan,” he grinned.

“Don’t make me regret giving you a chance, Killian,” she shot back in an instant. He just smiled more broadly.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, love.”