#i mean i know yall knew his name from before but now haven knows it and its the first time its been acknowledged in the story

[whumpwillow]

Demon's Haven 11

woo!! okay this is the chapter I've been waiting for, I'm so excited to post it 💚💚💚

—  

masterlist

warnings: blood, past torture, description of wounds

—

Dressed and dry, Haven led the demon over to her bed where they could both sit. She’d fetched a collection of bandages and gauze and whatever else she could find from the bathroom, leaving the door open so the demon could still keep her in his sights and wouldn’t launch into a panic. He seemed to find comfort in her presence, or what she thought was more likely, he just didn’t want to be alone. He probably would have taken comfort in anyone’s presence regardless of who it was. She didn’t know why the thought of that filled her with such disappointment.

She spread out her collection on the multicolored blankets, then sat down beside the demon and inspected his wounds once more. They’d begun to bleed again, especially the fresh lashes. Blood seeped from them in a steady current, creating ribbons that trailed down his back. Still, it was much better than it had been when he’d been filthy with grime and dried blood so that Haven couldn’t tell how bad the damage really was. Clean, the wounds weren’t any less grotesque, but more manageable.

Haven pressed a cloth to the demon’s back to try and stem the bleeding. She waited a few minutes like that, feeling the demon’s heat under her fingers even through the cloth. She removed her hand yet the cloth stayed firmly in place, and began unwrapping a roll of gauze. Peeling away the cloth from the demon’s skin elicited a sharp intake of breath that caused him to scrunch his face in pain.

“Sorry,” Haven said.

“S’alright,” the demon replied, voice slurred from exhaustion.

She wanted to finish this quickly so he could rest—was tempted to lie down right now as well—but she didn’t want to do anything haphazardly. He’d been through enough. She could at least take proper care of him because if she was going to invite a demon into her home, she was going to commit to it and treat him as she would any guest.

Except she’d never had a guest who’d been tortured in Hell before. Semantics.

Haven began wrapping the bandages around the demon’s midsection, working her way through covering those ghastly stripes. She found herself sighing, looking at them. Silver, the demon had said. Silver made them permanent.

“Are you okay?”

The demon’s voice was quiet, slow, careful. Nothing like the high and desperate pitch of the past few days where he’d begged her not to hurt him, words spilling out of his mouth in stuttered gasps like he couldn’t get them out quick enough. Haven felt herself exhaling a dry and humorless laugh.

“You’re asking me if I’m okay?”

 “You’re sighing.”

Haven shook her head. If she hadn’t summoned the man herself, she would have had a hard time believing he was truly a demon. Here he was, exhausted and in what she could only imagine must be terrible pain, weakened to the point where he couldn’t even walk without her assistance. After being tortured. In Hell.

And he was asking her if she was okay.

A smile crept onto her face, unbidden. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Ah.”

It was silent for a beat. Haven continued her work, covering up too many lashes to count on his back, then wrapping his bruised shoulders and tying the whole thing off. She’d already used up an entire roll of gauze.

She began to work on the smaller wounds on the demon’s arms, deciding she’d skip his fingers for now and wait until she had something better suited than wide strips of cloth. She’d been pondering what to do about his bruised wrists when he spoke again.

“Are you upset?”

He didn’t look at her as he asked the question. Instead, he elected for staring straight ahead, gaze softened to the point where Haven had to wonder if he was really seeing her room at all.

“Of course I am.”

His head snapped to the side. Gaze sharpening, focusing. He was back in the room now, in the present, fearful, ever fearful.

“I—”

“Not at you,” Haven said, interrupting him before his thoughts could spiral. Before he could start begging for mercy and leniency for having done nothing at all. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

The demon blinked at her a few times, processing. He tilted his head to the side a bit in a way that Haven felt was far too cute an action to belong to a creature borne from Hell, then opened his mouth as if he were going to speak. He didn’t though, and closed it. Opened it again. Finally turned his head away from her and resumed staring intently at her bedroom door. Haven finished wrapping one arm and moved onto the next, having decided to use extra padding around his wrists given how deep the bruises went. They’d be there for a long time.

“Why are you sad?” the demon asked after a while.

Haven passed her thumb over a deep purple bruise on his bicep and he flinched, to which she apologized and tried to wrap as delicately as she could. A large gash intercepted it. She couldn’t leave the wound unattended, though it was hard to maneuver the bandage around his arm without holding onto the bruised skin that surrounded the gash.  

“Because you were hurt,” she replied.

The demon turned his head just slightly to the side so that Haven could see only a slanted angle of his face, still shadowed by his wet black locks.

“You don’t know me.”

“Does that matter?”

A gasp. He turned fully to face her, his body twisting in such a way that the gauze fell out of Haven’s grasp and unwound. Before she could even feel annoyed at him for it, she saw the look on his face. His eyes were wide and wet, tears already beginning to pool in their depths. He swallowed once, twice. Blinked.

That was his downfall, that one. He’d been clearly trying not to cry, but the single blink had released the built up tears so that they spilled down his cheeks. He looked at Haven with some unrecognizable expression, something so tragic that she had to take him into her arms.

Haven drew him close and wrapped her arms around him. She threaded one hand through his still-damp hair and laid his head to rest on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she murmured, repeating the phrase just for the sound of her voice and hoping that it would be enough to soothe him.

The demon didn’t try to hold back anymore and sobbed openly. Broken cries tore from his throat, all pitchy sounds and half-drawn breaths. Haven rubbed her thumb back and forth through his hair, trying to ground him in the moment. His body shook something fierce, tremors rioting through him.

They stayed like that for an indiscernible amount of time, as if the very concept were water flowing through their fingers. The two of them, in their tired state, fell back onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. Haven kept an arm around the demon and a hand in his hair, and he rested his head on her shoulder. The rolls of bandages lay around them.

“I need to finish wrapping your wounds.”

“Mmnh.”

The demon’s eyes had closed. Haven again felt a pang of jealousy at how beautifully his lashes overlaid on his cheeks.

Neither of them moved.

“I don’t want you to bleed out.”

“Can’t.”

Haven sighed at his response. The demon nuzzled further into the crook of her neck. She canted her head so that it touched his.

A thought occurred to her.

“You never told me your name.”

A flinch. The demon’s body tensed against hers enough for her to realize just how much she had gotten him to relax previously. Seemed a shame that all that progress would go to waste.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Haven added. “I just thought it would be nice to have something to call you. I’m Haven by the way.”

“Haven…” the demon whispered, so soft that she wouldn’t have heard it if they hadn’t been pressed together. He said her name with such reverence that it almost made her shiver. He said it like a blessing. Like a prayer.

The irony wasn’t lost on her.

The demon sighed and untangled himself from her. He sat up, though it was a poor imitation of the pose. He practically bent double, his back curved with his head hanging low, arms limp with hands clasped loosely in his lap. Haven watched him while propped up on her elbows, waiting for him. He seemed to be gathering his nerve, or perhaps, coming up with a clever lie.

No, that was ridiculous. Why would he ever need to lie about who he was? Not unless he was—

“Envy.”

The demon said his name the way a man would when confessing to a sin on the gallows. Haven drew her head back in shock.

Envy. One of the seven deadly sins.

A demon prince of Hell.

—

next

(taglist in reblogs)

[heyitsyn]

Keeping Up With Seijoh Pt. 10

a/n: based on this post uwu

okayokayokayyeyyy

LOOOK I LOVE THIS SCENE LIKE I CAN GO ON A RANT OF HOW IMPORTANT THIS SCENE IS LIKE SKDJSLDKKSSM

okay so

yuhhhhhh

the way this is set up is basically seijoh simping for you

also they have their own separate gc just for them bc they dont want you to see them just simping for you

even tho oiks ltr does that everyday

but hes not ready for that conversation

there was a few times that you were kinda curious as to what was in the chat

but they would click off and they would blush before diverting you to a different conversation

this might sound hella weird and creepy

idk bout yall but i think its cute that they take random pictures of you doing the sinplest things

this all started bc of one picture

from baby aki-kun

so basically you stayed behind with kunimi during monday to just study and you sat in front of him while sharing his desk

babie took a pic of you just studying and he sent it to the gc with no context

its a known fact that seijoh doesnt practice during mondays so they were all doing something out of school

but they were all missing you so seeing you with kunimi fueled jealousy in everyone

even kyo

oikawa blew up in the chat and was keyboard smashing

the others were just teasing him like hes lucky youre with him

but behind the screen, they were blushing and red and envious and AAAAA

thus spurred on some sort of competition

like they would send the chat pictures of you like 'hA TAKE THAT SHES WITH ME'

unbeknowst to you, these boys have folders of just cute candid pics of you

oikawas insta is filled of you and his snap is full of you in his story and his tiktok is full of screaming simp rants about you

the tiktok comments are all like, 

‘IS SHE YOUR GIRLFRIEND?!’

‘OIKAWA-SAN SHES ADORABLE’

‘BACK🤺OFF🤺OIKAWA🤺I🤺CALLED🤺DIBS🤺ON🤺HER🤺FIRST🤺‘

random ones like him doing a day in my life type of vids and you appearing and everyone can just see the small blush on his face and the bashful yet happy smile on his lips

its really adorable

but the real ones know that shes been appearing in his insta since day 1

moilk.bread.1

thats practically your account now 

welll,,,

its more of a fan account for you and a lot of people from aoba johsai follow that account since you dont have an official one yet so they all simp for you there

the pictures were all from everyone like the boyz group chat was a haven for your candids

you did think it was strange that the boys would constantly ask to take pictures with you and everyone was just trying to get a pic to have aesthetic couple pics w you

and they would put it as their wallpaper or lockscreen

IMAGINE THE BLUSH THEY WOULD GET WHEN COMPLETE STRANGERS WOULD ASK THEM IF THATS THEIR GIRLFRIEND

oooo i mentioned this in the post too that iwa and you went to the gym and you guys took a mirror pic

after, you didnt really like the gym bc its just hard yanno?

iwa went back and while he was setting up his weights and equipments, his gym buddy noticed his phone light up causing your picture to show up

'oh? is that your girlfriend, iwaizumi?'

duh he doesnt have a girlfriend so he was like 🤨 until he saw his phone

the lockscreen was blaringly bright and your 'couple pic' was showing with the notifications

totally not oikawa blowing up their group chat bc he was with you

ofc babie hajime got all flustered and he blushed before shaking his head

'n-no'

he mumbled and his buddy laughed before clapping his back

'well, you obviously like her so do somethinf about it before someone does'

dont you think he doesnt know that?

also with mattsun!

this mans works in a cute cafe that this old granny owns and this thought has been living in my head rent free

and he was working during the weekend at the cafe

there were other people there but granny loves him bc hes been working there sibce he was like 15 and she took care of him a lot

he was like a grandson

so while he was serving, this granny was manning the cashier and checking people out

issei's phone was there on the table behind the counter and it started glowing at the indication of the messages being received

'have a nice day-oh!'

she noticed it right there and she saw the picture on his lockscreen

you were probably being carried by him due to your levelness with his height and you were kissing his cheek while issei smiled brightly

that was a picture you both took during an outing at the mall and the sunset behind you was just perfect to take a picture in

poor granny was like 'oop dont look at the messages' so she turned it over to not go to his privacy

there again you were

it was a polaroid of you two and he was backhugging you at school

hint? 👀

askldfjlsdkf

she knew issei was a very handsome young man so there shouldnt have been a surprise that he would be dating someone

can we name this granny?

granny inko lol

okay so granny inko saw issei coming over to rest the serving board thing and she beckoned him over

mattsun nodded and leaned over the counter to see what she wanted only to be greeted with a flick to the forehead

‘oW what was that for?’

he whined while holding the spot

granny inko tutted disapprovingly before crossing her arms

‘youve been working all week this week when you could’ve taken time off to spend it with your pretty lady. is this how men are nowadays? didn’t i teach you right to treat women properly?’

duh baby mattsun was confused like O_O

‘wha?’

his dumb question made her grab the phone and place it on the counter in front of him

‘your girlfriend, child. women need attention constantly and as much as you want that money, is it worth losing that smile full of happiness?’

okay stop it granny im getting emotional

more like disagreeing bc that wouldnt put food on the table BUT ANYWAYS

baby issei was surprisingly embarassed and scratched his neck

‘um,, baa-chan,,,,, she’s not my girlfriend’

he flustered and gave her an awkward smile

granny inko shot him a confused look and tapped the phone

‘well, she looks like she is. and if not, better hurry your move, boy. girls that make men happy like that only comes as rare as a good scratch ticket’

LMAO 

i do not encourage gambling so please save your money kids

you know what

these boys do that just to actually feel like it

okay thats confusing so imma explain it in greater detail

whenever someone mistakes you as their girlfriend, it makes them feel like you are for that split second and its just an addicting feeling

its like what if you were their girlfriend?

i mean, youre already the whole team’s girlfriend but theyre greedy brats and just want you for themselves

ohohohohoh

kyo!!

kyo def has a selfie of you both with the doggie filter but it was actually you who took it while he was just staring at you in the background

that was his lockscreen for like the rest of his high school career

lol

anyways!!

he was actually in a fight and during it, his phone fell off to the ground and conveniently oikawa messaged causing it to light up

one of the thugs had their hands gripping kyo’s collar and was pushing him against the wall while the others were surrounding them

they saw the phone flash and kyo cursed at the terrible timing and he made a mental note on killing oikawa later

a guy picked it up and he smirked, seeing the pretty smile of a pretty girl

‘heh? whats this?’

kyotani pushed the guy who was holding him but other two surged towards him and held him tighter

their leader snatched the device and chuckled

‘oh. its that bitch from his school. what is it’

he snaps his fingers as he tries to remember before stopping

‘aha! l/n y/n!’

kyo growled

‘shut up!’

the guy grinned at him and tapped the phone against kyo’s chin

‘oh yea. i heard shes a cutie. most people here know her, kid. now we know shes connected to you and guess what. you cross us again, she’ll take your place as you are right now. orrrr, we can,,, use her as our pet. thats how she is in your team, right? so let us have a turn. maybe we can send you a pic, hm?’

yea no that wasnt happening

kyotani easily beat those people up after because even just saying that unleashes power he didnt know he had

‘bastard. youre lucky this is just a warning. you touch her and i will kill you’

he landed one last kick on the guy’s face before taking the phone and leaving

now he has to figure out how to hide the bruises

you fussed later and he didnt tell you the reason instead just saying they said something that made him angry

nah

you were a person he didnt want to disappoint and he knows how much it hurts you to see him in that state

that was one of the things he hated but loved at the same time

you were such an empath that you would treat him and wince as if you were the one feeling the pain instead of him

and it made him feel special

you were one of the few things he holds close and he would be damned if anything happened to you because of him

the group chat was actually just blowing up with more screaming and the third years yelling at each other with the first years just casually reading the texts

they were used to the arguments within the team and you would remain so naive with the whole thing

kunimi is the type to keep silent and he didnt really care about anyone getting angry if you were spending time with him

but he does get annoyed if you were with kindaichi because you three were a package lol

like when kindaichi and you were at the arcade, this kid walked all the way there just because he didnt want kindaichi to hog you to himself

duh you thought this was adorable and endearing bc they wanted to hang out w you

no LUV theyre greedy brats who gets jealous over yOU

OH

so like i mentioned before that you and makki would walk over to the bakery and you guys would buy food there and such

and its also canon in here that makki only shares his food with you and no one else lol

why?

because when you eat the puffs, you put one in each cheek and it makes you look so adorable like a squirrel

sorry but squirrels are so cute like AAAAA

makki takes so many pictures of you and a lot are surprise shots where your eyes would be wide with cheeks full of food

aaaaa so cute

like you and makki sat down on a bench in the park across the bakery and you excitedly dug in to your own treat

makki chuckled at your excitement but he placed his hand on you arm to stop you

‘y/n-chan. say aaa’

you lit up and let him put the puff in your mouth and thought he was done but was surprised when there were two

you happily chewed it and went back to looking at your treats

but makki interrupted you again by calling you out

‘princess~’

the nickname made your eyes widen with red painting your cheeks and the shutter of the camera made you realize what he did

‘makki-senpai!’

you whined and he laughed

makki had a lovestruck smile on his face and he wiped the bit of creme on the corner of your lip

‘gotta take care of my princess~’

STOPPPPP MY HEART? GONE MY SOUL? GONE HOTEL? TRIVAGO

OH MY GOD IM IN SUCH A MAKKI AND MATTSUN AND IWA AND OIKAWA AND THIRD YEARS IN GENERAL BRAIN ROT PLEASE HELP

but we gotta give love to the second years :’)

ive mentioned that watari is the only person to ever go into your house right?

well, he comes over to cook and such so you guys spend time making food for the team 

watari takes this opportunity to take pictures of you cooking and the group chat cries bc its so domestic and they all start having the same thoughts

they really said seijoh braincells

it was like seeing a glimpse of a possible future for them

you, wearing an apron, cooking on the stove with your hair thrown in whatever with baggy clothes

gosh

thats like you someday being their wife and waking up one morning to see you there cooking in the kitchen

oikawa swears he had a dream that night because of that picture and he continuously thanks watari for YEARS because of that picture

okay are you curious about the dream?

yuhhh

oikawa woke up in an unfamiliar bed in a foreign room 

he felt his bones crack when he stretched and his hand extended out to a side that was still quite warm

hm

somebody must be sleeping next to him

then he stood up, catching his reflection in the mirror in front of the bed

;)

why would there be a mirror there hmmmm????

ANYWAYS

he noticed he had a bigger build and his hair was longer

then came the itch of the facial hair that he swore wasnt there a minute ago

this guy even checked out his butt and to his surprise, wow

obviously he was confused and a part of him thought this was the future

tooru walked to the door to go into the hallway and concluded, yep, this was not his house

then he heard music being played somewhere and a mixture of voices coming from a room

sounded like a woman and children

he stops at the top of the stairs, suddenly hit of the thought that this voice was so familiar

‘hm?’

tooru walked downstairs and stopped when down the hallway in front of the steps led to the kitchen where the voices seemed to lead to

‘mama! mama! mama! toast! i wan toast!’

‘in a bit, darling. just let me finish flipping the pancake’

the song was lo-fi with the volume being turned low enough to hear the voices fine

tooru wandered down the hallway and he stopped, finally seeing the owners of those voices

there was a handsome little boy sitting on the chair by the island and his brown hair was a mess of wild curls

there was a woman with h/c hair swaying to the tune and a beautiful little girl curled up in her arms while sitting on her hip

‘hey’

oikawa spoke out and caught everyone’s attention

‘papa’s awake!’

‘pa!’

‘hello tooru’

tooru froze

that was you

he knows it’s you

‘y/n-chan’

he whispered and you looked back at him from the pan

‘yes? if youre looking for coffee, we ran out apparently’

that was not what he was talking about

he hastily walked over to the boy and he blinked rapidly

‘you look like me’

he mumbled and the child grinned

‘eung! papa  and yozo look the same! mama and nana say so!’

yozo?

feeling like all the attention was on him, the little girl whined and her hands made grabby motions to him

‘pa pa’

she whined and tooru just felt something in him that screamed to hold the kid

you shushed the little girl

‘dont worry, looney loon. papa’s right there’

loon?

tooru stayed frozen at his spot and you raised an eyebrow at him

‘tooru? luna wants you’

oh

luna

that snapped him out of his trance and he held the little girl in his arms where she smiled at him and then he felt tears welling up in his eyes

then he woke up

okay sorry that was a long dream

so this dragged on for so long already okay

this was only meant to be small but aaaaa i couldnt help itt!!!!

but anyways!

the boys are just simps for you and theyre creeps that take pictures of you and they think about you all the time pls accept their love

also a mild continuation of the dream:

oikawa was holding luna and she was happily laying there when another figure emerged from the hallway

‘iwa-chan?’

he asked, surprised

what was he doing here?

iwa heard his name and grunted before going to a beeline for you

you smiled at him and he leaned in to give you a kiss to which oikawa froze in

iwa noticed his best friend holding his daughter and luna saw her father there

‘daddy!’

she shrieked and tooru blanched

‘uh, what?’

iwa extended his hands out to hold the girl but tooru held her tightly and leaned back

haji narrowed his eyes

‘um, give me my daughter, oikawa’

he grumbled and tooru shook his head

‘no! shes my daughter!’

you blinked

‘your god daughter, yes. but she’s half of your best friend, tooru’

half of his-

god? daughter?

‘so that means-’

‘piece it together, oikawa. did ya get brain damage or something? babe, call the doctor’

oikawa screamed

a/n: lol look WHO ROSE FROM THE GRAVEEEEEEE :) anyways. i really want to deeply apologize to everyone for taking an unexpected break and i shouldve told you guys and im really sorry :( everythings just chaotic lmao and im just like taking a breath for a second uwu and im so AMAZED at how many people still follow me even tho ive been gone for so long like bls yall are real ones :’) i love you all and the req box is still closed at this time as i need to finish the ones i have first soo thankyou for reading thiss and hopefully ill update soonerr!!! :)))

also not me completely messing up my kuws and missing 8 and 9 in my masterlist and having a mindblowing realization that i have 10 keeping up with seijoh fics

[gamerwoo]

[Tales from the Pack] Jihoon: Unfamiliar (Part Eight)

Characters: Jihoon x female reader

Genre/warnings: werewolf au, familiar au, fantasy, fluff, smut (it’s kinda rushed bc i was lazy lmao, unprotected sex, fingering, super nervous jihoon trying so hard to act cool lmao, biting/marking, idk there’s not much to warn yall about) 

Word count: 2,008

Summary: Jihoon’s never really been considered a warm or affectionate person. His pack teases him about what it’ll be like when he finally gets a mate, but he doesn’t worry about it. Little do they know that his mate is a lot closer than they think.

Tag list: @choiminjae0325​ @heolykpop​ @fullsun-donghyuck​ @yoonbabe-d​ @exuwu​​ @lets-get-1t​​ @vintageot5​​ @sehunnies-hunnie96​​ @childfmoonn​​ @wobwobkpop​​ @henloimawierdobye​​ @dirinast​​ @joshwoah​​ @wreckedbytae​​ @salty-for-suga​​ @janellxu​​ @xu-miseo​​ @uglyratlmao​​ @sakura-uji​​ @littleheartsays​​ @onewoowonderboy​​ @xxbluestrifexx​​ @starlightshua​​ @artistic-rendition​​ @yunception​​ @mrsfandomz​​ @psshwa​​ @peachy-hoon​​ @chaseyui​​@haven-cove​ @jisungsdreamy​ @belledamsceno​ @saxtaee​ @k-pop-ology​ @uglychildd​ @eclvpe​ @killcomet​ @meowtella​ @coupsiekkuma​ (if you wanna be added please send an ask!! also please know that unfamiliar is apart of the entire tftp series so this tag list carries over to all of the other tftp stories)

Unable to tag: @birthday-prinxess @sooooofrench @junuoyi

Previous | Next | Unfamiliar Masterlist

Despite how flustered Jihoon got whenever he was cuddly with you or you were affectionate with him, he couldn’t stop himself. He was almost always touching you in some way, earning soft chuckles or teasing smiles or almost inaudible jokes from his pack. The teasing did eventually become old, but Jihoon’s blushing never stopped.

But with you now knowing you were Jihoon’s mate, there was only one thing he had to worry about now other than you going to the market without hiding your ears and tail: marking. To say he was nervous was an understatement, but so would be saying he was excited. He just wanted you to belong to him in every single sense, and marking was that last step. But Jihoon was Jihoon and despite being unable to control his instincts to want to be near you all the time, he was still shy and awkward and couldn’t manage to initiate anything.

How he wasn’t a virgin was a mystery to just about everyone.

Then again, those were just random people before. You were his mate. This was special and important and something he didn’t want to mess up. He wanted it to be absolutely perfect. 

But he wasn’t going to show his nerves or how badly he wanted everything to be perfect. He knew when the time came, he was going to act calm, cool, and collected. He wasn’t sure when it would happen because he felt like planning it out might be too weird, but he knew when it happened, he would act like he was totally relaxed and ready -- not that he wasn’t ready, he just didn’t want you to know he was nervous about making it perfect. He couldn’t let it show that he was overthinking everything.

As had become an average night, the two of you laid in bed together with your head on his chest and him playing with your hair and ears until he happened to fall asleep. But neither of you were too tired considering you decided to take a nap in the middle of the day, and Jihoon had joined you about half an hour in. The two of you ended up sleeping three hours until Seokmin woke you up for dinner. So you were talking quietly together while the rest of the house slept or did whatever they did before going to sleep.

“Who do you think will have a baby next?” you wondered since the current topic of discussion was Mingyu and Danbi’s daughter who Jihoon could hear babbling down the hall in his brother’s room.

He hummed while he considered the limited options before deciding, “I’d put my money on Woo and Soomin.”

“Really? ...Huh.”

“Well the only other options are Jia and Minghao, but I have a feeling Minghao would tell her they’re not ready. And you can’t tell me that Jooyeon seems like she wants to have a baby anytime soon,” he snorted.

You lifted your head and rolled onto your stomach to look at him, “What about us?”

You almost burst out laughing from his face when you asked that. You’d clearly taken him off guard and he wasn’t sure if he’d offended you by not including you two or not.

“O-oh... I didn’t mean like--”

“No, I know,” you giggled. “Yeah, we’re not really ready right now, huh?”

“Can I ask a question that might be rude?” he wondered.

“Is it if our child would have cat ears?”

“Yeah,” he smiled cheekily as you started laughing.

“What if it’s part cat and part dog?”

His smile turned to a pout, “I’m not a dog.”

“How come Seungcheol doesn’t care when I say you’re dogs?”

“Because Jooyeon keeps saying it and at this point, he goes along with anything she says as long as it doesn’t get her or anyone else killed, arrested, or injured.”

You shrugged with a nod, figuring that was fair enough. Jooyeon was pretty stubborn and sometimes intentionally went out of her way to push everyone’s buttons -- all in good fun, of course. One could only correct her so many times before realizing it was useless.

You shifted so you were laying on Jihoon on your stomach, your arms resting on his chest as your chin sat on your arms. You stared down at him, and he raised his eyebrows at you expectantly. Because of your topic of conversation, it had brought up thoughts that you had in the back of your mind, but you weren’t sure when to bring it up or how Jihoon would feel about it.

But now was as great a time as any other, right?

“Why haven’t you marked me yet?” you asked bluntly, your tail flicking behind you.

He might’ve stopped breathing when you asked that, his eyebrows raising but his expression staying the same for the most part. And it wasn’t because he was calm, cool and collected like he hoped to be when the time came. No, it was because he was too taken off guard to even look like it.

“Um...well...d-did you want me to?” he wondered slowly, trying his best not to stutter so he wouldn’t show his nerves despite the fact you were laying on his chest and his heart was beating a million times a second.

“Of course I want you to,” you chuckled. “I’m your mate.”

“...Now?”

You shrugged, “Why not now?”

He nodded, “Okay, then kiss me.”

Jihoon asking for a kiss was easy. It was something he did all the time without thinking twice about, so when you did kiss him, he didn’t feel exceptionally nervous. The feeling of your lips on his and the way your lips moved together was something he was used to by now and no longer got flustered about. 

When things started to get more heated, he managed to stay calm. As you began grinding down on him and feeling him slowly grow hard in his pants, you let out soft moans that had his hands gripping your hips tighter while his eyes spotted red behind his eyelids. Your lips moved down to his neck, nipping and sucking as he let out a sigh of your name, continuing to guide your hips. It was like his instincts were kicking in and he forgot about how nervous he was to do this with you.

As you left hickeys on his neck and collarbone, his hands explored your body. One went lower, though, moving underneath your bottoms and going between your legs. His fingers started rubbing your clit over your underwear, smirking to himself when he felt your hands squeeze his shoulders harder as you let out a moan of his name.

"You sound so pretty,” he mumbled, his eyes closed as he listened to your breathing and your quiet whimpers.

You broke away from Jihoon to roll on your back and tug your bottoms off. Once they were gone, you tugged on Jihoon’s shirt to pull him on top of you. But before you kissed him again, you pulled his shirt off and tossed it off the bed like you had with your shorts. He smiled down at you before kissing your lips briefly, kissing down along your jaw and down your neck while his fingers went back to work on your clit. His fingers soon pulled your underwear to the side before he was dragging his index finger up and down your slit, making you whimper and buck your hips up. He slid his finger inside you and slowly pumped it in and out, letting out soft grumbles as your moans filled his ears.

Gradually, more clothes came off until your naked bodies were pressed against each other while Jihoon worked you open with two fingers. You reached down to grab his wrist to keep his hand from moving, looking up into his eyes.

“Are you ready?” you asked quietly.

And that was when calm, cool, and collected Jihoon suddenly disappeared. It hit him what was about to happen, and he was hit with a wave of nerves that had his face turning red as his red eyes raked your naked form beneath him.

“U-um... I’m-- Y-yeah,” he stammered.

“Are you sure?” you wondered. “It’s okay if you’re not.”

“N-no, I am,” he insisted.

You smiled, reaching up to run your fingers through his hair, “Nervous?”

“...Yeah.”

“Aw, that’s cute,” you giggled.

He frowned, grumbling, “It is not...”

“Here, maybe this will be a little better,” you said as you rolled on top of him, straddling his lap. He stared wide-eyed up at you his hands almost immediately going to your hips as he admired how you looked naked above him. “I’ll do all the work and then you have nothing to be nervous about.”

You lifted your hips, holding the base of his cock and aligning his tip with your entrance. Jihoon opened his mouth to protest, but you had already sunk down on him and silenced anything he could’ve said -- though he wasn’t even very sure himself what he planned on saying. He let out a moan, his head falling back against the pillows as he squeezed your hips.

After taking some time to adjust, you began slowly moving your hips. Jihoon groaned out your name softly as he enjoyed the feeling of how you felt around his length, his eyes never leaving your body. His hands moved up your torso to your breasts, squeezing them and rolling your nipples between his fingers. You whimpered as you pressed your hands against his chest for leverage, increasing the speed you were riding him.

“You feel so good,” he growled lowly.

As you increased your speed and adjusted your angle, your tail twitched and your ears flattened on your head. You let out moans and whimpers as you chased your release while Jihoon began to thrust up into you. He eventually got impatient and needy, holding your hips in place as he fucked up into you. You mewled as your nails scratched his skin, letting him do whatever he wanted with you.

As Jihoon got closer to his release, his instincts outweighed his nerves. He suddenly flipped you on your back and began pounding into you as he growled in your ear. His fangs began elongating as he rubbed your clit with one of his hands, the other still having a hard grip on your hip that would probably bruise in the morning. You whimpered and gasped, writhing beneath him as you grabbed onto any part of him your hands would touch.

“Are you close?” he asked, his fangs grazing your neck so you knew that meant he must’ve been close.

“Y-yes,” you mewled.

It only took a few more thrusts before you felt warmth fill you. Jihoon released inside you with a loud moan before you felt something sharp in your neck that you thought would’ve hurt, but somehow caused your orgasm to come crashing down on you. You arched your back off the bed, seeing stars behind your eyelids as you came around Jihoon’s cock, crying out his name.

After riding out your orgasm, you relaxed back onto the bed. You didn’t even realize Jihoon had pulled his fangs out and was lapping at the mark to heal it faster, but his softening length was still inside you as your release mixed with his and dripped down your thighs.

“That was fun,” you giggled breathlessly.

Jihoon lifted his head from your neck to look at you, the hints of a smile on his face, “You’re the only person I know who would giggle after being bitten.”

“I’m also the only person you know who’s part cat, so,” you shrugged, “I guess I’m a little weird.”

“And I love it,” he told you before pressing a kiss to your nose. Then he pulled out of you and pushed himself off the bed, “I’ll get a towel.”

You reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back to you before you snuggled on his chest like you always did, humming, “Five more minutes.”

[bettyxinez]

Nothing Left To Give

chapter four • smile

Kat didn't mention her DID until two weeks after that, and Malcolm found himself thinking about her more then he probably should have.

And Kat knew it too. They had been getting closer and closer and she could tell how curious he was. Over the span of the 7 weeks they had become friends, and Kat was confident in saying he was one of the closest friends she ever had, so much so that even some of the Others wanted to meet him.

Driving each other to and from the precinct was becoming a regular occurrence, and he slowly revealed more and more about his past, opening up to her much quicker then she was to him.

"So thats what you're trying to figure out? If the girl in the box is real and who she is?"

"Yeah. Funnily enough, trying to solve a murder where the only evidence is unreliable memories is kind of...hard."

"I understand that. Not the murder part, but everything else."

His curiosity had been temporarily put on the back burner while he told her his story, but now it was at the forefront of his mind.

She noticed almost immediately. She kind of felt bad about it, and was planning on telling him when the time was right.

The time never seemed right.

And when it did, she couldn't bring herself to talk about it. So she eventually just waited for him to bring it up.

He was in her apartment again, looking at some of the pictures on her wall and laughing as she told stories of the people in them.

He noticed quickly that none of them were members of her family.

"What about your family?" He asked, before he even realized the can of worms he might have opened by doing so.

She tensed immediately, turning to look at him.

"We don't... talk."

Malcolm looks up at her, noticing for the first time that she was taller then him.

"Do you mind if I ask why?"

She sits down on her couch, tucking her feet underneath her. Malcolm sat next to her.

"They didn't believe me when I told them what was... happening... to me."

His breath hitched. His mind reeling from the possibilities of what that meant. He supposed that he could ask. They had gotten a lot closer, and if she didn't want to talk about it, he could wait longer. No problem.

"And... what was happening to you?"

She looked away from him, eyes widening for a split second, and then she slowly took a deep breath.

This was it. He had asked, and she didn't know if she was ready.

She could dive head first into telling him and risk freezing in the fridgid water, or stay safe and dry, but risk putting a wall between her and Malcolm.

She decided to just take the plunge.

"...bad things." She whispered. And even just thinking about it, her brain was assaulted with memories, and she already felt herself slipping.

"Bad, bad things...hurt... it hurt."

She screwed her eyes shut, fists clenching. Her nails dig into her palms and she sucks in a breath.

Malcolm watched, letting her set the pace, but his brows were furrowed in concern. He knelt down in front of her and offered his hands. She took them with a crushing grip.

"...hold on... someone..." her breath hitched.

"Someone's here. Sorry." Malcolm watched in both worry and fascination.

"Its... okay. Take your time." He responded.

He knew what was happening. She was doing what she had told him was "switching". One of her alters was coming. He was very curious, but he was also fearful as to what would happen next.

Would he ruin everything? He hoped not.

Kats eyes unfocused for a second, and then she stopped.

She looked up, eyes blinking.

She continued staring for a second and looks around.

When he heard her voice, he didn't know what to think.

"...I was told to not like... pretend to be Kat."

Malcolms eyes widen, and hes taken aback. Her voice sounds so different. A touch lower, and with a strong Essex accent, her words somehow a mix of dramatic and lazy sounding.

"Uh... yeah. Who is this?"

"Has she told ya any of our names?"

"...No. But I've never asked. Wanted to go at her own pace."

Kat-whoever- nods at that, looking down at their clothes.

"What the fuck is this? Kat I told ya not to dress us in a skirt!"

He looks at the person in front of him.

"You don't like skirts?"

"Nah. Its not my style. I'm Haven. Primary protector and ex-prosecutor. Basically means I didn't used to be a great person. I'll explain more later if I feel like it. Its my job to protect us, and my job to judge whether someone is safe. You seem to be okay for now."

He was at a loss for words. He was given almost zero warning, however he assumed that she wasn't either.

"So what 'ave you said to set 'er off then?" She said, glaring. It was so weird, he thought, how her entire demeanor has changed. Man or woman. Or whatever. He didn't even know.

The glare on her face looked so unnatural, like it didn't belong there.

"We sort of got onto the topic of her past. And then... you came out." He said.

"Sorry, who exactly are you? You specifically. Not just your role." He said, confused and cautious as to where to go from here.

"Are you askin' what I look like?" She responded, the way she holds herself that of a completely different person.

"Maybe. Or just who you are. What you like and dislike, your interests."

She stares at him, tilting her head.

"Well for one thing, my skin is a bit darker then this, Kat is atrociously pale. I've got short, curly black hair and freckles."

He tries to imagine it, but its hard. He's looking at what he knew as Kat, but now, she's someone different.

Haven continued talking.

"I've got sort of big eyes. Small nose. Thick eyebrows. Big-ish lips. I look like I'm mixed race, but I don't like to think of myself as that because I will never relate to the struggles of being black and I will never be fully emersed in the culture. The body is Korean, and I don't think it's appropriate to be say that I'm mixed race because my actual real life body is not."

Malcolm nods. He could understand that.

So Haven, he noted, was a rambler.

"Im an integrated alter. I used to be three people. I have the memories of three different people and I remember them all separately. I have access to all the memories and trauma, so don't fuck with me." She says the last bit with a bit of sadness and anger.

Haven was really closed off, he thought. She looked at him with a fierceness he couldn't describe, and soon, he found himself noticing all the differences between them. The more she talked, the more she became her own person to him.

"I have just a few things to say to you before I go back inside-"

"Inside where?" Malcolm asked, cutting her off, suddenly very confused. More then he already was.

"Back to inner world. We have a whole world inside our head. We all live in an apartment building. Well not all. We have a cave, a pool, a forest, other stuff. When we're fronting, we're sitting in the lobby. I sound insane when I say that, but its true."

She shrugged.

Shes right, he thought.

It did sound insane.

And if he didn't already know a bit about the disorder, he would have called her out.

And some would say the same about his mental health problems.

So he believed her.

"So... you protect Kat?"

"Yes. And everyone else. Its my job. I was the first one made, the first one to take it instead of her."

His brows furrowed at that.

"What does that mean?"

She looks up at him.

"It means that when fucked up shit was happening to us I took her place so she didn't have to deal with it."

He thought about that. Fucked up shit? Like what? Did it have to do with his father? He shuddered at that thought.

It had taken him almost every ounce of willpower to not ask Kat about it, but he figured could ask Haven. So he did.

"Does the name Martin Whitly ring a bell?"

She stood up then, and dragged him up by the collar of his shirt, eyes intense and angry.

"How do you know that name?" She asked through gritted teeth, voice low.

Struck a nerve, then.

"He-He's my father." He said. Her eyes widened and she threw him onto the couch.

"Have you seen him recently? Don't lie to me I swear to God I will know."

He was taken aback. Things had taken a 180 faster then he could even process what was happening.

Struck a big nerve, then.

He could tell the truth, but what if it ruined their friendship?

Or he could lie, but she said she will know. That would probably ruin their friendship even more...

Before he can even stop himself:

"Yes."

She sits down then, eyes clenching.

"You have to take me to him."

He stands up, fists clenching.

"No. Absolutely not." He couldn't let his father ruin their friendship. He wouldn't let him.

"Either you take me to him or I go myself."

"You can't."

"I'll find a way." Her eyes glinting in determination. He suddenly got the feeling that she wasn't joking.

He took in a shuddery breath, hands shaking.

"Fine."

_______________________________________

Haha no proofreading here we die like Eve.

Like and comment yall. These chapters take a while to write and always have between 1,400-1,900 words and I would really appreciate it if this story spread a bit.

Thx yall.

[pinkykitten]

INHALER

Marvel 

Peter Parker x asthmatic! female reader

Warning: asthmatic symptoms 

Specifics: fluff, romance, comedy, one-shot, race neutral reader, asthmatic reader

People: peter parker / spider-man, mj, ned, mother

Words: 1,198

Request: By anon Hi!! 💕 Could I please request a Peter Parker x Reader who has Asthma? Something where they’re in the cafeteria and Pete sees the reader take her inhaler and he is like “!? What !?” So now he makes it a mental note to make sure she’s okay and one day when they’re hanging out he sees a Spider-Man sticker on her inhaler and he’s all ☺️💘? Thank you for your time and consideration!

Authors Note: i loved this so much! its so fluffly its fluffier than cotton candy yall!!!! i put what i personally have to go thru in this story because i have asthma so im sorry if its not what u were looking for it was kinda more personal. tysm again for ur request i love writing for peter cuz hes someone for some reason i dont write about alot but i adore him 

It just became. It was never a starting point that you remember. It was not recent either. You had asthma since you were little. Your mother would make sure you had your inhaler with you at all times. Sometimes, when the asthma got worse you would have to take a puff everyday but recently you were feeling better. Your breathing was almost normal and barely had you felt a shortness of breath. 

Peter wanted to know everything about you. Everything. And you assumed telling him about your asthma was not of great importance. Its not like you had a killing disease. It was only asthma. 

You were sitting in the cafeteria with Peter and his friends, Ned, MJ, when you felt the harsh feeling of breathing again. It was as if your lungs were getting constricted, like you couldn’t breathe; almost the feeling of drowning. 

Their conversations were muffled as you quickly got your inhaler out of your pocket, shook it and breathed it in twice. Your heart settled and you felt at ease knowing this would help you. 

You didn’t know a certain doe brown eyed boy was peeking at you. “Are you okay y/n?”

You didn’t realize he saw the whole thing and you were one who never enjoyed the attention or wanted sympathy. “I’m fine Pete, thanks.” You smiled. 

Peter gently guided his hands to yours and took a hold of them. He wore a look of concern and worry. “No I saw you take a puff out of...” Peter knew what it was but he had forgotten the name. It was on the tip of his tongue. “That.” He points to your inhaler.

“My inhaler?”

“What? Thats kinda cool if you think about it.” Peter squinted his eyes as he shrugged. 

“It’s amazing to have to keep something close to you cause if not then you might die by having an asthma attack,” you said sarcastically, closing your lunchbox. 

Peter messed up with his wording. “I’m sorry y/n. What I mean is you don’t need to hide it from me. I think it makes you stronger knowing you feel pain and not at ease sometimes yet you always have a smile on your face. And that you worry so much about others instead of yourself. It’s cool.”

“Yeah you’re super cool y/n,” Ned chuckled, proceeding to eat his food. 

MJ pointed her finger at you, “I and the rest of the dweebs here are gonna make sure you always have it with you and if you don’t I will personally run all the way back and get it for you then slap you so you will never forget it again.” All was silent as she opened up her book to continue reading. 

“You’re all drama queens!” 

You understood they loved you and wanted you safe and protected but it got a bit out of hand. You forgot your inhaler once and MJ did indeed slap your face. You were afraid this time because once again, you forgot your inhaler. 

“Why don’t I learn?” You thought as you scrambled over to Peter in an empty science class. “Peter I need your help.”

“Whats wrong y/n? Is it your asthma again? Do you have your inhaler?” He was very much anxious. His arms wrapping around you almost as if to keep you safe. All he wanted, he needed in his life was you, safe, in his arms, with him. 

Twiddling your thumbs you scratched the back of your head, “well. The good news is no I’m not having issues right now with my asthma. The bad news is I forgot my inhaler.”

“Oh, don’t tell MJ this. She will not like it one bit.”

“I know Pete! Thats why I need your help. Can you please get it for me?” You fluttered your eye lashes to entice him. 

Peter smirked, crossing his arms, “depends. I need a little something before I get you your inhaler.”

“What is it?” You genuinely asked. Not getting the hint it was supposed to be romantic. 

“Silly, you gotta give me a kiss.”

“Oh okay, like this one,” you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and landed your lips upon his chapped ones. You and Peter were still young so the kiss was a little sloppy but you two were inexperienced. You gave little pecks to his lips. His eyes were closed and so were yours. You always enjoyed kissing your boyfriend. You two parted, giggling. 

“That was a surprise. I always love when you kiss me.”

“Me too,” you felt flustered and a bit bashful. 

“Alright I’ll get your inhaler baby girl,” Peter kissed your forehead and ran ahead super fast. 

“He’s always so fast?” You shook your head. How dare this boy leave you feeling like this? All putty because of the nickname. It was a sin.

Peter swung around New York as Spider-Man to get to your house. It was quicker that way. He still hasn’t told you about his secret. (i know ur secret ur dirty little secret srry i just recently watched it 2 if u seen it u’ll understand) He was afraid to. What would you think? How would you react? It all made him nervous. 

He lifted your window up and crawled on your ceiling. He flung his mask off to get a better look at your room. It was cute and very much fit your personality. Peter sniffed the air, grinning widely. The room smelled of your beautiful scent that Peter could not get enough of. “Alright y/n,” clapping his hands together, getting to work, “lets see where you put this thing.”

Peter looked on your dresser, on your nightstand, in your bed, in your drawers and still nothing. Finally as he twisted his body he saw it on your desk in a mason jar. There was a sticky note on the mason jar that read “INHALER’S HOME.” Peter laughed out loud. He was totally going to bring that up to you. It made him love you more if that was even possible. He saw you as someone so cute and adorable. But something caught his eyes. 

Dipping his hand in the mason jar to retrieve the inhaler he spotted a Spider-Man sticker on it. His heart pumped loudly, hard. He had butterflies, fireworks all of it in his stomach. You were so precious! You meant so much to him and it made him almost fangirl to know that you loved not only him as Peter but you also were a fan of Spider-Man. Now he had to tell you. 

He cradled the inhaler in his arms and just stared at the sticker. Completely in love with you. “My y/n,” he whispered as he gave a kiss to your inhaler. He swung back to school to give what you had lost. He promised himself from now on he would always make sure you had it with you no matter what. No matter if he was fighting bad guys, Thanos it all wouldn’t matter to him, not just yet because you had to come first. In Peter’s life you would always come first and he will always make sure you are safe and protected. 

Tag list: @harrington-lover, @angelgl16, @perfectlybeautifulsuit, @hyehoney, @haven-prelude (wont let me tag), @leasly, @totally-alexa21, @creamy-pasta-boi, @multireese, @fanfictionrecommendations-com, @prentisskelley, @malereaderforkpop (wont let me tag), @guardian-of-cookies, @justafangirl-97, @teenageshitposts (wont let me tag), @dippergravity (wont let me tag), @some-booty, @fromfoolishpeopletodeadpeople, @collectiveyou, @wtfisalltherandoms, @dirbel, @eastcoasthaven, @fangirl-4-life415 (wont let me tag), @marwantr, @divaanya, @wassupitschloe, @idontknowwhattocallthisworld (wont let me tag), @spycii, @eminemsgiraffe (wont let me tag)

wanna be tagged in my crap? comment!

[unpeumacabre]

my kingdom for a horse: chapter 2

the year is 1601, a messenger has been sent to dongnae, and he has not returned. lord cho-hak-ju advises the joseon king to send crown prince lee chang to dongnae to investigate, but the plot he unravels there threatens the safety of the entire kingdom, and the stability of the dynasty.

a rewriting of kingdom, and lee chang finds love.

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Lee Chang/Yeong-shin

Read on AO3 (bc tumblr might mess up the formatting + more extensive author’s notes on the story)

Count: 5k

<-- previous next -->

A/N: ahhhh yall were so amazing it gave me the motivation to finish editing the next chapter early !! this is my first kingdom ff but omg the fandom is full of such amazing people, please enjoy and lemme know what you think <3

When they return to Jiyulheon, it is just as the sun sinks below the horizon, and darkness envelops them. As they run into the compound and shut the gates behind them, they can already hear the gnashing of the monsters’ teeth and their ghoulish cries of hunger echoing behind them.

They barricade the gate with a nearby cart, filling it with sandbags and other heavy items to hold its weight. Only then does Lee Chang turn to face the compound, and observe what lies within it.

It is truly a sorry sight. Blood has seeped into the sandy floor and the wooden floorboards of the main building, and there are, by his count, around thirty people left inside Jiyulheon. Most are too old - and others, too young - to wield a sword. The subdued wails of grieving women fill the air, as does the stench of death and the rot of carrion.

The man drops his load of bamboo poles next to a group of men, who obediently pick up their axes and other sharp implements, and begin sharpening the tips of the poles. “Seo-bi!” he calls, striding off towards the main building, and with a glance at each other, Lee Chang and Mu-yeong follow.

A weathered-looking woman hurries out of the building to meet them. Her hair is tied up in a utilitarian bun, and her clothes are stained with blood and other unidentifiable fluids. As she approaches closer, Lee Chang realises that she is not as old as he would have first thought – it is the lines of tension around her features that age her beyond her years.

She draws up short when she reaches them, and casts assessing but neutral eyes over Lee Chang and Mu-yeong.

“Who are you?” she asks, and she uses formal speech, in acknowledgement of their fine clothes and obvious nobility. It is in stark contrast to the uncaring way the man had used to address them.

When Mu-yeong hands her Lee Chang’s identification plaque, her eyes go wide, and she falls to her knees.

“Your Highness,” she says, to the ground.

“You may rise,” Lee Chang says, nodding in acknowledgement of her gesture. Again, her obeisance reminds him of the man’s defiance of his royal status, and he cannot help but turn his head and direct his gaze at the subject of his thoughts. The man returns his gaze, but makes no move to follow in suit to the woman’s deference. Against his will, Lee Chang finds the corner of his mouth quirk up in weary amusement at the man’s stubborn determination not to bend knee to him.

In Hanyang, we would have his head, he thinks absently, but they are not in Hanyang, and he has never been the tyrant his father had attempted to mould him into. Lee Chang has never been able to force himself to cruelty, and it is a trait he has not mastered even in adulthood.

The woman stands up slowly, not meeting Lee Chang’s eyes. He asks for her name and station, and she answers that she is Seo-bi, a nurse who had been working under physician Lee Seung-hui here at Jiyulheon, a safe haven for the sick and poor.

“Lee Seung-hui?” Lee Chang asks, upon hearing the name. “The royal physician? I recall him being dismissed from his position many years ago, but I do not recall the matter over which he was dismissed. Can we meet him? Surely he must have much knowledge of these monsters, given his experience and wisdom.”

Seo-bi shakes her head. “He went missing three days ago, when first the monsters formed among us,” she explains. “We do not know where he has gone. We think he is now one of the monsters’ party, but we cannot be sure.”

While her face is a near-perfect mask in its inscrutability, Lee Chang sees her hands tremble as she speaks of the fate of her master, and he feels a great swell of grief.

“I am sorry for your loss,” he says, and inclines his head. “Although I did not personally know him, I had heard many great things of his work. When this is over, we will give him the honourable burial he deserves.” Seo-bi’s head dips lower, and she nods in thanks.

“Did he leave behind a journal, or any other record, perhaps with details of these monsters?” he then presses. “Or did he ever speak of them to you before?”

Seo-bi nods. “He mentioned it in passing, many years ago. I think he did not mean for me to hear… but he was very distressed over a particular case at that time, and his mind was otherwise occupied. He said that the disease originates from the resurrection plant, found deep in the heart of the coldest of mountains, and that he had once had samples of it for study, but they had been lost, somehow. He did not mention how. And of his journals and notes…” she shakes her head. “We have searched in our waking hours for any information on the monsters we could find among his keeping, and there is none. There are records with pages missing, torn out, and we have searched all over the clinic, but we cannot find them.”

“That is suspicious indeed,” breathes Mu-yeong. “Do you know anyone with a motive to remove this information from Master Lee’s keeping?”

Seo-bi shakes her head again, firmly. “There is no one but Lee Seung-hui and a few of the nurses who knew where his journals were kept – and of those few, I am the only one alive still. The other nurses all perished at the hands of the monsters.”

There is a loud bang on the gate, and they all spin around and stare, hefting their weapons and unconsciously stepping in front of Seo-bi. A click sounds beside them, and Lee Chang looks over to see the man swiftly and deftly loading his musket, clearly with great experience. As he looks away quickly to the gate, he catches Mu-yeong’s eyes, and sees in them the same thought.

There is no time for further suspicion as the monsters pile in against the doors, their combined weight making the carts creak and moan – yet still, against all odds, they hold.

“How long have they been pounding at the gates?” yells Mu-yeong. “They do not look as if they will hold much longer!”

“We have been holding out here for three days,” the man says darkly, stalking forward. Lee Chang and Mu-yeong follow, hefting their swords, while Seo-bi hurries the women and children into the shelter of the main building.

“Did you not approach Dongnae for help?” asks Lee Chang, lowly. “The magistrate… ”

“We did,” the man says sharply, casting him a side glance from under his lashes. “We prostrated ourselves in front of the magistrate of Dongnae, Seo-bi and I, but to no avail. They did not believe us without proof, and refused to send a constable here to investigate matters. We were nearly thrown into jail for spreading lies and causing hysteria.”

“Your ruffian-like appearance probably didn’t help matters,” mutters Mu-yeong under his breath, but he subsides when Lee Chang shoots a reproving glance at him.

“We will go to Dongnae tomorrow,” Lee Chang tells the man, “and I will make them listen. How is that the monsters have not yet visited Dongnae?”

“They are drawn by the smell of blood,” the man says softly. Lee Chang feels the slickness of the gravel under his feet, and they need say no more on the matter.

“What is your name?” Lee Chang asks. He watches the man. He keeps himself deathly still, every cord of his body wound tight and perfectly in place. But the restless tap of his fingers against the wood of his musket betrays him.

“Yeong-shin,” says the man shortly, after a pause, and his voice is rough.

“Yeong-shin,” Lee Chang repeats. The petulant moans of the monsters rises, loud and clear, beyond the gates, and Lee Chang remembers their fetid breath against his neck, the unholy light in their eyes.

“Aim for the head,” Yeong-shin says, hefting his gun.

I will survive, Lee Chang tells himself. If I die, so will the people of Jiyulheon. I will survive.

***

“It is a miracle,” cries Mu-yeong, as the sun breaks past the horizon, and still they are all standing in Jiyulheon, alive and well. There had been a few tense moments, where the monsters had almost broken through their defences, but Yeong-shin had shot a monster in the face, and Lee Chang had cut off one’s head, then they had wedged the bodies in the holes created by the monsters as a temporary stopgap. It is indeed a miracle that they have held out as long as they have.

“This door will not hold one more night,” Yeong-shin says, his hand against the weathered wood. He turns back to them, his eyes burning. “We must get help from Dongnae.”

“We will,” Lee Chang says, with all the conviction he can muster. “You have my word.”

Yeong-shin casts him a scornful glare. “And the word of a prince means nothing to me,” he says hollowly. “Here we lie starving and sick and wasting away, because of the greed of the nobles. Forgive me if I do not trust your words.”

“You dare - ” Mu-yeong hisses, drawing his sword, but Lee Chang flings out his arm, staying him. He fixes his eyes on Yeong-shin.

“Then have the word of a man who has seen what these monsters can do,” he says, finally. “Have the word of a man who would not see a drop of blood further shed – no matter whether it be the blood of a noble, or a peasant, or even a dog.”

A long moment as Yeong-shin turns a searching, scorching look on him. Lee Chang feels sweat gather under his robe. Then Yeong-shin nods, in grudging acceptance, and turns away.

“We ride to Dongnae, then,” Mu-yeong says, sheathing his sword and turning to their horses. As they mount and ride down the path, Lee Chang feels the heat of Yeong-shin’s gaze on the back of his neck, and he feels the weight of that gaze all the way till they reach Dongnae.

The gates of Dongnae lie open, and limp on their hinges. Lee Chang feels that familiar feeling of resigned dread creep under his skin. There is the vile scent of blood on the air.

The streets are deserted, and their horses have to pick their way over the piles of wood and stone that have fallen from some of the houses. A man lies crushed underneath one of the pillars that had given way from the porch of a house, and his mottled black face is twisted beyond recognition into an inhuman snarl. Lee Chang has to avert his eyes.

There are some signs of life, still. Men and women emerge from the rooftops like ghouls, their eyes hooded and their clothing stained with blood. They watch, silently, as Lee Chang and Mu-yeong make their way through the streets. There is muted crying from a girl standing in front of her home, calling for her mother, and it breaks Lee Chang’s heart.

“Where is the magistrate of Dongnae?” calls Mu-yeong, and the ghouls on the rooftops shift, whisper and exchange glances. Then one particularly brave soul breaks the silence, a woman with a baby suckling quietly at her exposed breast.

“They have fled!” she wails. “The officials, they left us to die. The moment these monsters invaded our streets, the magistrate and his fellows upped and ran. They had no pity for those of us without horses and with our children, our elderly to carry on our backs.”

“This is all that’s left of Dongnae?” Lee Chang says, and although his voice is quiet, it carries. The whispers among the ghouls stop, and they stare.

“Aye,” says a man, weathered and old, as he perches wearily on the shingles of a roof. “It is all that is left of our people.”

“The monsters will be back tonight,” Lee Chang says, and he waits patiently for the sudden alarmed cacophony of murmurs to subside, before he continues. “Load your oldest and youngest on carts, and go to the docks before sunset. The monsters fear water – we will put you on ships and send you to Sangju for sanctuary.”

“Who are you to guarantee us passage to Sangju?” shouts one of the men. “And how will we sail? Only the magistrate has the authority to loose the ships docked at the harbour.”

The jade of Lee Chang’s identification tag flashes in the light, as he holds it up. The peasants inhale, a collective gasp, and they scramble to fall to their knees.

“All hail the Crown Prince!” calls the old man, his voice quavering.

“Rest assured,” Lee Chang says quietly, “we will get you to safety. This I swear to you.”

And so the peasants descend from the rooftops. They set about finding carts and supplies from what remains of the rubble, and loading their vulnerable onto the vehicles. When Lee Chang is sure that they will be able to manage on their own, he approaches the old man, who seems the calmest, and who has assumed some sort of leadership role over the group.

“Do you know where the magistrate and the other officials have gone?” he says, lowly. The man shakes his head, then pauses, and thinks.

“Most likely the barracks,” he answers. “The gates are heavy, and would have withstood the monsters’ attacks.” He then gives them directions to the fortress, and they mount their horses and ride again.

When they reach the barracks, the sun is already high in the sky, and Lee Chang curses the time they have wasted running to and fro. “When we find those cowardly officials…” he vows, and Mu-yeong nods from beside him, his jaw set.

“Where is the magistrate of Dongnae?” he roars, glaring up at the soldiers stationed at the top of the fortress walls. Immediately arrows are trained on them, and the ring of Mu-yeong’s unsheathed blade echoes in answer.

“Shoot, and your families will be annihilated!” Mu-yeong bellows. His voice is so sure, the archers hesitate, and turn to look at each other in confusion.

“State your business with the magistrate, or leave!” comes a voice from behind the soldiers, and Lee Chang dislikes it immediately. It is a cold, weaselly kind of voice, the voice of a coward.

“Must the Crown Prince have a reason to seek an audience with the magistrate of Dongnae?”he thunders, and for the second time that day, he thrusts his identification tag towards the sun.

A short little man in blood-spattered white robes shoves his way past the soldiers to squint at the tag. It is gratifying to see his eyes go wide, and his thin body begin to quiver.

“Th-the-the four-clawed dragon – it is the Crown Prince!” he howls, and falls to his knees. The archers quickly follow suit, their bows and arrows falling to the ground.

“You have already committed a grave insult by allowing your archers to aim their arrows at me,” Lee Chang says quietly. “Will you continue adding to your list of crimes by making me repeat myself?”

“O-open the gate!” squeals the little man, gesturing wildly to someone behind him. “It is the Crown Prince and his guard!”

The gates open and they ride in. There to greet them are the magistrate, in rich silken purple robes, and the weaselly man. Both are prostrate on the ground, but Lee Chang grasps the magistrate by the fabric at his throat, and hauls him up.

“A man who is charged with the safety of his people,” he says softly, “fled to the barracks like a coward, and left his people to die. Do only the lives of the rich and well-born matter in this world? I think not.” In disgust, he casts the man back down, where he falls into the dirt and grovels.

“Your Highness – beg pardon – we did not know - ”

“Hundreds of men and women and children died last night,” roars Lee Chang. “Hundreds of them, while you and your officials sat here and cowered behind the walls of your barracks. You do not deserve your title. You are lucky I have not yet asked my guard for your head.” The man shrieks and blubbers, grinding his head deeper into the ground.

“We must assemble ships and sail to Sangju,” Lee Chang continues, looking down at the two men crawling on the ground, with immense loathing. “We must leave before the sun sets. Send some of your men to find the creatures – they will be hiding under houses and in caves and wherever the sun does not shine – and burn their bodies, or remove their heads. That is the only way to kill them. At least we can try to thin their numbers, to delay their spread.”

“Your Highness!” comes another voice from inside the main building, and Lee Chang looks up to see an old lady in silk robes and an ivory pin through her hair emerge from the darkness. She prostrates herself at his feet.

“I am the mother of the ex-commander of this battalion. Please, you must allow my son’s body to be honoured with a proper funeral, or else our family will be disgraced.”

“Y-Your Highness!” another official calls, running out from the building and kowtowing as well. “My son’s body should also be honoured with a funeral. Please do not let his body be defiled.”

“Yes – the officials’ bodies must be protected!” cries the weaselly man in white robes. “We can separate their bodies by the clothes on their back. Silk for officials, linen for peasants. We must honour the officials’ bodies.” His words are followed by a concordant chorus from the rest of the nobles, who have now assembled around them and are kneeling on the ground.

Lee Chang bites back the repulsion in his throat. “I understand your pain, and your loss,” he says finally, “but we must destroy these monsters, if we are to minimise further casualties. They are no longer human. We must destroy them all, whether peasant or noble. That is my final word on the matter.”

The commander’s wife looks as if she has more to say, but at a threatening glare from Mu-yeong, she subsides, pressing her head closer to the ground as if to hide her expression. Lee Chang makes a mental note to keep a close eye on her.

“Those are my orders,” he repeats. “Am I understood?”

The magistrate rears upright on shaky legs. “I, Cho Beom-pal, magistrate of Dongnae, shall heed Your Royal Highness’ commands!” he shouts.

“Good,” Lee Chang nods in approval, and turns away. Mu-yeong stops him before he leaves.

“Your Highness, that man is not to be trusted,” he whispers. “The magistrate is a fool, but his adjutant seems a sneaky, cunning, lying sort. He’d soon as turn around and bite you as he’d lick your boots and grovel at your feet.”

“You are right,” Lee Chang concedes. “Then, Mu-yeong, you must stay here and ensure my orders are carried out. I will return to Jiyulheon by myself, to deliver the good news to them.”

“But Your Highness - !” Mu-yeong protests, his eyes going wide at the notion of the prince having to journey on his own. Lee Chang steadies him with a glance.

“It will be barely half a day that we are apart,” he promises. “Do not worry. I will keep myself safe.”

Mu-yeong finally capitulates, although it is with immense reluctance. Lee Chang understands his feelings – even in Hanyang Mu-yeong had been unwilling to let him out of his sight, though there had been thousands of palace guards to keep him safe. Perhaps even more so because of the guards – both of them knew that trust was to be found few and far between among the residents of Changdeokgung, given how much influence the queen, Cho Hak-ju and the rest of the Haewon Cho clan over them. And when it came to areas outside Hanyang… It had been even more unimaginable for Mu-yeong to let them separate, when there were so many unknowns and potential agents of disaster out there.

Until now, he supposes. But they have no choice – Mu-yeong is the only one he trusts to carry out his wishes. Ever since he had saved the man from certain annihilation of his family because of petty theft, and had earned his loyalty, Mu-yeong has proven that loyalty a thousand times over. Lee Chang realises that there is no one else in this world who he trusts more.

He knows Mu-yeong understands all that, and it is the only reason why he permits himself to leave Lee Chang’s side. Lee Chang gives him a tense smile, to reassure his old friend, then he remounts his steed, and rides through the gates.

It takes only a short amount of time to ride from the barracks to the base of Mount Geumjong again, and when he arrives, he finds the people of Jiyulheon taking their midday meal. He dismounts and hands the reins to one of the men guarding the gate.

Yeong-shin comes out to meet him, a large-brimmed hat shading his eyes from the sun. He is pocketing a knife as he emerges from the main building, and Lee Chang observes how his fingers are coated not with food crumbs, but with bamboo dust. He does not greet Lee Chang, but the question in his eyes is clear. Lee Chang nods in response.

“We must get the people to the docks,” he says. “I have spoken to the magistrate of Dongnae. They have sent men to thin the numbers of the monsters, and to ready the ships for departure to Sangju.”

“How do you know the magistrate won’t leave without us?” Yeong-shin says. Seo- bi comes out from behind him, wiping her hands on her apron. She smells of steamed rice, and her brow is furrowed with weariness. There is fresh blood on her skirts, but she hardly seems to notice.

“I left Mu-yeong to guard them and ensure they would carry out my orders,” Lee Chang replies. “You need not worry. I trust him with my life.”

“I hope you trust him with our lives as well,” mutters Yeong-shin, bad-temperedly, and stalks off towards the carts without a word.

“Seo-bi,” Lee Chang turns to her, “We must get the people of Jiyulheon onto the carts, along with sufficient food and supplies.”

“We do not have much food, but I will prepare what we have left, along with the medical supplies,” she says. “We should have enough to last till Sangju at least.”

They do indeed have enough, Lee Chang realises with some relief, when later they are standing before Dongnae’s ships, and watching the soldiers load cages upon cages of pigs, chickens and other livestock onto the ships. It looks enough to feed an army, and hopefully will be enough to allay the burden placed on Sangju by the arrival of so many refugees.

Mu-yeong meets him as he walks along the docks with Seo-bi and Yeong-shin, helping where they can – assisting an old man up the ramps of one of the ships, catching a bale of straw as it falls off a cart, guiding a lost boy back to his father. All seems to be going well, and in good time, and Lee Chang smiles in approval at Mu-yeong.

“Were you given any trouble?” he asks, under his breath. Mu-yeong’s eyes darken, but he shakes his head. “Not much,” he murmurs in answer. “The commander’s mother tried to load her son onto the ship in a golden casket, but I caught it in time. Her son’s head is now separated from his shoulders, and they are both buried in the mass grave in the forest.”

These selfish fools, Lee Chang thinks to himself furiously, compromising the safety of everyone on board – and for what? Their petty honour and familial pride? These things matter little in a crisis of this magnitude – can they not understand that?

But instead of voicing his thoughts, he asks, “And the monsters?”

“We couldn’t burn them all. There were too many – their numbers appear to have more than doubled, likely from attacking some of the surrounding villages.”

“Your Highness!” comes the magistrate’s voice from somewhere in front of them, and Lee Chang turns, squinting through the dusk light to make out where he is. He is standing on the deck of one of the ships, excitedly waving. His adjutant is standing by him, an extremely sour expression on his face.

Cho Beom-pal tumbles down the ramp of his ship, almost tripping over his feet as he scurries over to Lee Chang and the rest of his group. He falls to his knees.

“Your Royal Highness!” he barks, lifting his head. “I, Cho Beom-pal, magistrate of Dongnae, have carried out your orders in full! We have loaded all our supplies and people onto the ships and are now ready to depart. We have saved you and your companions space on our last ship – it would be a great honour if you would join us on our vessel!”

“Your Highness,” Seo-bi says quietly, and Lee Chang turns to look at her. She is pointing towards a group of four peasants who are cowering on the ramp.

“Ah – we do not have enough space on the ships for some people,” Cho Beom-pal explains, scratching his head in embarrassment. “We could barely fit the food as it is… And your guard already stopped us from taking all our treasures and silks and accoutrements… There really isn’t any space left for more people.”

“If we do not board the ship, there will be space for those men, will there not?” Lee Chang says sternly. There is a sharp inhale from beside him, where Yeong-shin is standing.

“W-w-w-we?” stammers Cho Beom-pal, chancing a peek up at him from his prostrate position. “You mean – you and your companions will not be boarding the boat?”

“You, your adjutant, my guard and I,” Lee Chang says lowly. “As nobles of the Joseon kingdom, it is our duty to protect and serve the people. Those peasants have faced one night of death with courage and strength – they deserve to see many more nights. I trust that you have no issue with my plan?”

“No, Your Highness!” cries Cho Beom-pal. “We will – we will fetch our horses immediately!” He grovels for a bit more before hurrying away to his ship, eyes averted and head bowed.

“Your Highness!” Mu-yeong says from behind Lee Chang, and his voice is aghast. “It is not safe for you. You must board one of those boats and go to Sangju.”

Lee Chang looks at the peasants clutching each other on the ramp of the ship, their bodies thin and spindly, their clothes worn and ragged with the wear and tear of poverty. He thinks of his own childhood, spent clothed in silks and jade and regalia that would cost more than these peasants would ever see in a lifetime.

“I am different,” he says quietly in answer to Mu-yeong, the words slipping unbidden from him.

“Your Highness?” Mu-yeong asks, in disbelief.

“I am different from the petty, greedy officials of Dongnae,” Lee Chang says, his voice growing stronger and surer with every word he says, “and I am different from the Haewon Cho clan. I will not abandon these people, not in their time of need.”

There is a beat of silence as Mu-yeong stares at him, his mouth open. Then his mouth twists, almost a sad smile, but not quite, and he nods softly in acknowledgement.

“Your Highness,” comes Seo-bi’s soft voice from behind him. She meets his eyes for the first time, and he is taken aback by the iron will reflected there.

“I am a healer,” she says. “I will go with you.”

Lee Chang nods in acceptance, after a surprised pause. While it seems like a rash decision to make – she could, after all, be sailing in comfort and safety towards Sangju, instead of fleeing from the monsters on horseback, with little guarantee of survival – he appreciates the thought that must have gone into such a choice. And it would be no great loss – in fact, it would be a great advantage – to have such a steadfast woman at his side, especially one with knowledge of the healing arts.

“Your Highness,” says Yeong-shin, and it startles Lee Chang – this is the first time he has heard the title come from the man’s lips with so little pugnacity. “I am a tiger hunter. I would accompany you as well.”

“He needs no further guard,” Mu-yeong splutters, looking at him with intense dislike. “I am more than capable - ”

Lee Chang holds out his arm to stop him, for the distrustful glare Yeong-shin darts at the retreating back of Cho Beom-pal, and the figure of his assistant still standing atop the ship’s deck, speaks volumes.

“Then I would be honoured,” Lee Chang says softly, seriously, “to have you at my back.”

Yeong-shin looks at him, and his eyes are dark with some unreadable emotion, and he holds his gaze for a second too long, before finally he casts his eyes downward. In any other, it would seem like a gesture of obeisance and deference to one of a much higher station, but Lee Chang has the sneaking feeling that Yeong-shin holds little respect for the royals or nobles of the kingdom.

Unfortunately, Lee Chang has to agree with his bleak outlook, from what he has seen of the upper class so far, and he vows to himself that he will prove himself to be different.

Mu-yeong fetches enough supplies for the six of them to last the next few days. Cho Beom-pal returns with two steeds and his adjutant, whose expression – if it were even possible – is sourer than ever.

“You swore an oath to protect these people,” Lee Chang says, to the two of them, while he stares at the departing vessels. “You were supposed to be men of the people, but you turned your back on them. Did your oath mean nothing to you?”

“Your Highness!” wails the adjutant. The two of them fall to their knees yet again, and kowtow to him. “Forgive us our errors – we will not make that mistake again!”

“Get up,” he says harshly, already sick of their constant boot-licking. They are a tiresome lot, just like the other simpering officials back in Hanyang, and he wants to have nothing more to do with them. And yet they will have to spend the rest of the next few days together. Already he is beginning to regret his decision to bring them along – but he’d be damned if he were to allow them safe passage on the ship without repercussions for their earlier cowardice.

“Your Highness, there is no time now, we must ride to Sangju,” says Yeong-shin urgently, from beside him. The sky is turning a dark foreboding purple, and the sun is sinking below the horizon. In his mind Lee Chang can already hear the awful moans of the undead monsters.

“Right,” he answers, quietly. “We ride to Sangju.”

[minnie-marvel]

Ice Cream Run (Peter Parker x Reader)

When you catch Peter outside your apartment nearly in tears and wearing what looks like a ridiculous pajama set, you decide that there can only be two people that could help him: two buddies named Ben and Jerry.

Peter Parker x Reader

Words: 1342

A/N: i literally named this gif i saved ‘DON’T YELL AT HIM YOU MONSTER

This was a request from my beautiful, spectacular, sickeningly sweet @holland-haven SHE JUST RECENTLY WROTE ME A REALLY CUTE SPIDERMAN FIC CALLED S’MORES BY STARLIGHT!!! Check it out yall!!

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

Peter Parker was left on the street with nothing but the cheap tourist clothes that hung on his body. He stared at the grimy concrete sidewalk that was covered in gum and old papers. Tears threatening to leak out of his eyes, stinging and watering all at once. He felt his teeth clench together and his lips press tightly, trying to hold himself back. He suddenly looked up from the ground, mentally readying himself to step inside and make sure May didn’t murder him on top of everything else that he’d lost today.

You were sitting on your apartment steps just a building over, your lips parted only slightly threatening to call out to him. That was Peter, wasn’t it? You two didn’t go to the same school together because Peter was practically a genius and you were just average but you were neighbors. When you were younger you’d practically force him to play some sort of ridiculous game that you would make up on the spot constantly, but ever since middle school things had just gotten distant. You didn’t let it bother you, after all, this was all just hormones. Peter had gotten super busy with his new school and his Stark internship so since then you just hadn’t seen him around. But now he was practically screaming for help.

He looked upset… maybe you should just leave him be. It had been so long since you two had talked it was probably going to end up super awkward. But goodness… that look on his face. It was as if someone just tossed their puppy out in the backyard for the night for chewing their shoes. He just didn’t deserve to look that sad. 

“Hey, Parker!” You shouted from the steps causing his neck to snap towards you his entire body jerking in surprise. 

“Oh Y/N… what’s going on?” He asked sniffling himself quickly trying to regain his composure so that he could speak to you like a normal human being.

“I’m bored out of my mind!! Come on let's go on a snack run!” You encouraged jumping off your steps. Now that you were closer, you could clearly see his red eyes probably fresh from crying. 

“I don’t know, I should probably get back to Aunt May… she’s waiting for me and she’s already worried enough,” You saw him look up at his apartment window glumly. 

You bit your lip. “It’ll be quick I promise,” You said sincerely. “I just wanna talk you know? We never see each other anymore,”

He took one last sad glance at the window before turning back to you. “Just for a few minutes alright? I really have to get back to May,” he said. You nodded beginning to walk to the corner. “That’s all I need.” 

The first minute of your walk was left in complete silence. Maybe Peter needed that too, a moment to collect himself before he could have the chance to cry again.

“Okay Parker, you know that we’re friends but I’ve gotta ask,” You said motioning to his hello kitty pajama pants. “What the heck happened to you?”

“It’s… a long story…” Peter said through tight lips before taking the lead across the street to head closer to the bodega. You nodded. Obviously, this was going to be harder than you initially thought.

“How’s genius school huh? I bet you’re like the top student there nerdface,” Did you really just call him nerdface??? When he was crying like two seconds earlier??? Goddamnit Y/N, have some respect for the kid! 

“It's fine but….” He heaved a heavy sigh. “Nevermind.”

“What? No!” You shouted taking him by the arm. “Parker… I know this is like super weird and awkward because we don’t see each other often and I’m not a super genius like you but…I can at least tell when someone’s got something important on their mind.” You looked up at him trying not to let yourself cry at the sight of his own tears.

He looked like he was the complete epitome of sad. The skin around his nose and eyes were blotchy and red his eyes were still practically watering. His posture was slacked as if he didn’t care if he got run over, hands stuffed in his pockets and back slouched. His hair was a mess and you thought you saw some slight bruises on his arms.

“You’re not getting bullied again are you…?!” You asked the realization setting in. “Did someone force you into that?! Oh god, Peter should I call the police?? I bet it was that one kid… what’s his name Ftalz?? Farts??? Whoever that little shit is I’m gonna roll up into mid-tech and lay waste to his skinny ass-“

“God Y/N, I lost the internship with Stark!!!!” He shouted finally running his hands through his hair in a craze. He tugged at it quickly sucking in sharp loud breaths trying not to break out in another sob fest.  “Is that what you wanted to hear?? You happy that you have me all figured out?!” He screamed now. You could feel the bitterness of his words in every sentence. You saw that there wasn’t any real anger behind him although…just…sadness.

“Hey hey hey….” You said suddenly softer than ever. “I’m sorry Parker I just… shit. I know I can be a busybody, I just wanted to make sure you were good…” You muttered. You stood in front of the bodega with him the pale blue flickering lights scattering across your faces while the night continued quietly. Everything felt delicate and intimate, and you knew that you needed to be careful at the moment. 

“Let’s get some snacks and then if you want, we can talk about it?” You pulled him into the store with you heading straight for the ice box that sat in the corner of the building. You slid the box open and fished inside your fingers dancing across each cold treat with a bit of excitement. If ice cream didn’t cheer up Peter you didn’t know what would.

“They’ve got Cherry Garcia,” you coaxed shaking the ice cream tub gently in front of his face. He only gave you a nod looking around the store seeming lost. You grabbed a tub of cookies and milk ice cream before paying for your sweet icy treat.

“Let’s just chill out and eat some ice cream okay? Nothing a good ole tub of Ben and Jerry’s cant solve!”

The two of you walked out of the store and you handed him his Cherry Garcia. He slowly took it in his hands staring at the small offering before speaking up.

“Listen Y/N… I’m sorry if I was out of line it’s just….its been a hard day.” He confessed. The ice cream was cold almost to the point where it stung at the tips of his fingers but he only clenched it tighter. “With the internship gone I just…”

“Hey,” you interrupted him as you walked together. “I know this is probably a lot for you to handle right now Parker… I just, I want you to know that even though I’m not with you twenty-four seven… that I’m here for you, you know?” You felt your feet stop in front of your respective buildings. 

“You don’t have to tell me anything about what happened today if it hurts too much. I mean the wound is still fresh after all,” You shrugged.  You felt his expression relax only a twinge. It was obvious that trying to explain everything was a huge stress to his demeanor.  

“Thanks, Y/N… for everything.” He said lifting his tub of ice cream in front of him as if he were to say cheers.

 “I should probably just… head into my apartment before Aunt May murders me but… really,” He turned back at you again the sincerity in his gaze could have melted the ice cream in your hands. “Thank you.”

“No problem Parker,”You felt yourself smile. “And hey, if your aunt doesn’t kill you after whatever happened you should swing by the steps and we can properly have our little ice cream date!” You snickered heading up the building stairs.

“Yeah, thanks Y/N… w-wait date???”

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

Permanent Tag

@memyselfandmaddox  @fangirlftshipper @two-eleven-thirty-four  @the-fifth-marauder-paws  @shieldgirl95 @lostnliterature  @elsasshole @governmentducks  @lupe-55  @drinkingteandfangirling  @sighspidey @laurfangirl424 @iwouldtakeascootertotheankle  @sharingfanfictionandart  @lara-ludbey @shutupyoumewlingquim @aspiring-author14 @marvelswebdesigner @an-earthly-comfort  @ellaisbutteredtoast  @flaminghottaquito @american-cactus  @spideypoolltrash  @embrace-themagic  @wantyoubackyoungblood  @spiderdudeparker @thumper-darling  @multi-parker  @spideys-jj  @shakespeare-and-shenanigans  @thedaughterofdawn  @iickerr @starktower-is-my-home @lilcook2258 @mxrvel-imxgines-blog

Discount Avengers Tag

@magic-marvel @sunflowerannawrites @peter-prkersgreekdemigodwannabe @secondsineternity @holland-haven@highlady-ofthe-summercourt @who-the-buck-is-stucky @e-ms-world @hedwigthelegend @lucky-charms-writes