#i put crazy work into this. note the wind chimes

[loumandivorce]

the horror of my creation... my hanky hat song lofi remix. credit to luke brandon field for vocals, massobeats for the lofi track, and saintundying for the song cover 💗

[omniversequirk]

Silence Within The Sun: A Jacksepticeye Cinematic Universe AU

PROLOGUE (Part 1)

Notes: Holy shit, ok, I’ve been meaning to actually begin writing this AU, and I never did because of procrastination. But we start TODAY.

This has been brewing in my head for a few years now, and I’m really excited to finally begin showing it to people.

I’ve got not much else to say other than brace yourselves. This AU is about to get crazy.

LOCATION: Unknown

TIME: 500 years before the Prosperity Clock’s third chime.

A lizard-like being cloaked in red silks and golden sapphire jewels makes their way through the halls with great haste.

The inner works of the grand and lustrous temple were filled with the energy of the god these creatures worship. Outside, there was nothing but a deep onyx black void, overcharged with a chilling wind going through at all times. Imprinted on the ceiling were ancient paintings of symbols, ciphers, and different gods, some dead and some not.

And in the very middle of the hallway, placed with exact precision, was a large flowing blotch of different shades of blue. Tentacles flowed out of it to touch six different planets, each a different color.

This was the god of these beings.

The lizard comes to two large double doors and immediately opens them. They’re met with a circular room, a carpet marking the path and splitting into a plus shape across the area. In the uncovered spots were fountains that stretched to half the length of the room. Statues of the same lizard creatures marked the path to two more doors ahead.

   Each one held a different object: A scepter, a jar of flowers, a crown, a long sword, a glass orb, a sun and moon rosarie, a banner of red blue and green coloring, and finally a white silk ribbon. 

   It was said by the priests in the cathedrals of the land below that when their time came to an end, their god would wrap the world in the ribbon and put it to rest, making room for the next pieces of life.

   But this creature couldn’t concentrate on that. They had to deliver their message. Running forth, they came in front of a marble bird bath decorated with strings of silver and gold. They quickly reached into a small leather pouch and pulled out a silver flower. The lizard drops the flower into the bird bath. Bells coming from a room unknown begin to play within the room, and the giant doors in front of them click and open, revealing a marble path into the void.

   The lizard walks along the path carefully, not wishing to disrupt the quiet essence. This is a ritual that has been performed by the visitors of this god for ages. They soon find themselves on a square platform, torches with flames of yellow and blue burning in each corner.

A brazier is in the middle. Another smaller flaming torch, burning in orange, is next to it. The lizard takes the torch and examines it for just a second. Some sort of message in their language is engraved into the handle. They hold the torch to the brazier, and it comes alight in a flash. A droning noise is heard through the void. 

   And finally, the lizard steps away, and calls out.

   “Ecidianos, preserver! Grand lord of all, servant to none! I come bearing an urgent message!”

  The void is quiet, just for a moment, before suddenly exploding into a flashing, bleeding blue of all shades. At the center, white slowly pulses. A booming voice that echoes through the area responds.

   “Little darling, little runner. Quick, are you not? What message could you have for me? Is there trouble within the holy city?”

  “No- no, my lord, although there is some banter among the streets.” The lizard

replies back. Ecidianos creates a small hum. “But it’s of no importance at the moment, there has been a new vision by the seers!”

   The god’s flowing colors within come to a halt. The flashing has stopped. “Pardon me? A new vision?” They ask with curiosity. The lizard reveals a large scroll from under their red cloak. The paper contained in it is fairly new, although it seemed like it hadn’t been touched in a few days. 

   “A new prophecy, speaking of something incomprehensible to us. They- they all wondered if you could perhaps make it known of what they saw, and I took the duty of delivering this…to you.”

   Ecidianos is still for a few seconds. The blue suddenly seems to swirl out of the void and onto the platform. It becomes smaller and smaller, forming itself into something. The mist of coloring fades away, revealing a tall, white bat-like creature now standing in front of the lizard. They sport a dark navy hooded cloak that fades into black. Their eyes are a deep black with tiny white slitted pupils. Their expression is made of ice and stone. This is the physical form of Ecidianos.

   “We have not had a true prophecy in over five thousand years. Give that scroll to me.”

   At their orders, the lizard hands over the scroll. The god swipes it away and takes it out of the container. They unwrap it and begin to read.

  The language of the creatures splattered the page in small sentences. Images were scribbled into the paper depicting black boxes of nightmares, a figure blasting a horned beast with a torch, and a feline reaching to tear apart what looked to be a planet. But most interesting of all was a gray colored figure standing on a mountain, the sun glimmering behind them. They held up a spear, and a crowd below was cheering for them. Above this image, in large bold letters, were these words:

 REGRETFUL HEART GRAY-CLOTH, PRESERVER’S AVATAR

   Ecidianos rolled up the scroll and placed it back in its container. They looked back at the lizard. 
   “For the time being, this is mine. You will go back to the others that sent you to me. You will report to them to prepare and write on whatever they find out about this…Gray-cloth character. Make sure they understand this is an immediate order. Now GO!”

The lizard jumps and immediately runs off. They push open the doors of the path, exiting the area. Ecidianos is alone now. They turn their head back over to stare at the void. They sigh. They look at the brazier, still alight with flame. The god walks over and scoops some of the flame into their hands, before turning back and blowing it into the void.

The blown away flame created large images of past, present, and future events in the air. Ecidianos watched each one carefully, but one caught their eye.

The image was blurry and distorted like a TV channel with horrid signal. They couldn’t quite make out what it was, but they knew there was someone sitting in the image. A sudden gust of wind came and blew all the images away. The brazier was beginning to die out.

The god whispers to themselves.

“Children of the fifth chime…I fear you the most.”

And the flame goes out, and they return to the sky.

[cosmal]

okay so im currently struggling with really bad body image/restriction & all i can think of recently is james potter just being so, so kind and patient and gentle and helpful with a shy s/o struggling with the same things. letting them wear his quidditch sweater when they're insecure, making sure they eats, forehead kisses when he's proud of them, etc. i totally respect if you're not comfy writing for this, i adore your works<3

sweater

summary — james gives you his sweater when you're not feeling comfortable with yourself.

content — james potter x fem!afab!reader, tw for reader with body issues and eating issues, also I tried to keep the body description low because I didn't want to be too specific on why reader is feeling this way

note — thank u for the request lovely! i hope you're feeling better 🤍

You told James you’d be no longer than ten minutes. That ten minutes has well passed now and you’re sure he’s worrying crazy about you.

You did arrive when you said you would, but you’ve been standing outside the pub for at least twenty, trying to find the courage to go inside.

He’s probably sitting all alone inside and the thought makes you feel even worse about yourself, but still, your feet are stuck on the pavement and you can’t find the motivation to move.

You can feel your phone buzzing in your pocket, you ignore it because you know it'll be James. You think messaging him might be easier.

You stare at your reflection in the dirty window of the pub's front entrance instead of fishing for your phone. You look at your outfit - the last of many you'd rifled through whilst crying on the floor in front of your cupboard - and notice how it looks worse than it did in the lighting of your stuffy room.

It feels worse, too. The wind picks up and clings the material in spots you wish it didn't. You keep tugging the dress in an attempt to not feel so suffocated and end up feeling pathetic. You don't remember it being so short and the thought of going inside to sit down terrifies you. The idea of it riding up to show more of your legs, and it bunching around your torso makes you want to go home and sit in your pyjamas and fall asleep.

You don't want James to think you're ditching him, but for every possible scenario you see yourself in, all you can think about is how your outfit ruins it for you. The way you're feeling right now - the way you always feel about yourself - ruins it for you. Will ruin it for James.

Your phone dings and you think he knows you don't want to speak on the phone.

Everything ok love? xxx

You stare at the message until it blurs. You put him out of his misery and message back, feeling worse by the second.

sorry jamie. wont be long. x

You stand outside still and kick gravel. Holding your breath like a dizzy head is going to help in any way. You tug at the hem of your dress until the stitching cracks and try to find any ounce of confidence to go inside.

Patrons rush past you to get inside, out of the elements of the chilly, autumn afternoon air. You hear the bell above the door chime and then you hear his voice.

"There you are," he says softly, walking down the last few steps. His nice shoes click against the sandstone and you notice straight away how lovely he looks. His tan cords and maroon jumper. So simple but so very James. Effortlessly pretty.

He stands so close your shoes almost touch. "I'm sorry," you say in replacement of your usual warm greeting.

James frowns while opening his arms for a hug. You panic because he's about to feel you under his weight, scared of where he'll hold his hands. Though the thought of being buried in his chest almost makes the idea less painful.

"What're you sorry for, hmm?" he asks and you try to focus on anything else than the burning in your chest.

His scent, like spearmint and coffee, and a perfume of yours that you're not wearing now. The idea makes you tamp down the urge to cry. His chest is firm under your cheek where you've buried your face. You focus too hard on him for too long and you forget to answer.

He pulls you back and you startle. You miss his heat sorely. "Sweetheart?"

You clear your throat and blink. "Sorry."

"Y/N."

You shake your head and try to swallow. The words get caught in your throat and the way he's looking at you makes it harder. Soft eyes and an even softer frown. He's not pitying you, he looks sad. Even worse when he watches a tear dribble down your cold cheek.

"Hey," he says, half panicked, half worried. They blur into one emotion when he raises his hand to catch the tear before it curves down your chin. "C'mon."

He ushers you away from the entrance and to the brick wall curled around the side. Off of the pavement and under the awning to the side of the steps. "What's the matter."

Your tears slow because he's got his hands all over you. It's confusing because you don't want to be felt but he's not doing it for himself. He wants to calm you down.

"It's embarrassing," you mumble, craning your neck to wipe your cheek on the sleeve of your dress. You hope you don't get all snotty because it'll be embarrassing and you have no tissues.

"Let me be the judge of that," he says with the barest hint of a smile. He's still frowning and your chest feels worse. You hate it when you make him frown.

He'd never judge you. Never over anything that wasn't stupid, despite the fact that this feels stupid to you, he'd never. Over your favourite movie or how you like your eggs, maybe, but not this.

You say, "My dress," at a volume you're surprised he can hear.

"Your dress?" He looks at your outfit and you want to squirm out from where he's got his big hands on your arms.

"I don't," you take a big, gasping breath and try to fix your voice, "I don't like how I look in it. I don't like how I look in anything."

You and James have had this conversation before. It wasn't as emotional as right now, but he'd been lovely and understanding about the whole thing and he might be sweeter than he was before you told him if that's entirely impossible.

He tells you all the time how lovely you look. He knows when to compliment you on your outfit without being completely obvious about it. When he can tell you're struggling to choose an outfit or when he catches you staring at yourself in the mirror. I love that dress on you, honey. Or You've got your favourite top on! He's never specific but he always knows how to make you feel better.

"You feel uncomfortable?" he asks.

He never diminishes how you're feeling. If you don't like how you look, you don't like it. He likes to figure out how to help instead of telling you that you look good. That would be useless, a two-second conversation isn't going to get to the root of your problem straight away.

"I don't like how it feels on me," you sniffle, pulling at the material, "It's like I can't - like I can't breathe."

"Do you want to go home? We can eat in if you're feeling up to it?" He squeezes at your biceps and it feels nice. You lower your shoulders.

The idea is tempting, but you won't ruin his night. "I want to eat here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," you say, not sounding very convincing.

"You're not lying to me?"

"Jamie..."

He bites his lip before letting you go. Reaching down to grasp the hem of his big sweater before tugging it over his head. He pushes his glasses back up his nose but ignores the mess of his hair.

"Arms up," he smiles.

"What?" you giggle despite yourself.

"You can wear this if you want," he says, bunching the soft woollen sleeves in his hands.

"You'll be cold," you tell him. All he's got is his white cotton tee.

"No I won't," he says firmly with a shake of his head.

You lift your arms because you won't win. And because you kinda do want to wear his jumper. You push your hands through the sleeves while he slips it over your head. When you pop back out with ruffled hair and a demure smile, James smiles even worse.

"How do I look?" you ask, twirling a little because you can't help it. It's strange how better you feel already. It's also not because James has that effect.

"Beautiful," he says and then doubles down, "You always look beautiful."

You feel like you might melt into a little puddle right then and there. Just slip right through the cracks of the pavement with the ants and weeds. "You're only saying that because I'm wearing your clothes."

James feigns offence, dropping his jaw and gasping, "Not true!" He's laughing now, "Not true. You look beautiful in everything."

He gets you into his arms and cages you against his chest, squeezing you tight and pushing his mouth into the side of your head, "And nothing."

"James!" you gasp but can't go anywhere. You don't really want to but it's fun to be this way with James. "You're dirty."

"I know," he says chuckling into your hair. "It's your fault though, babe. You bring it out of me."

You look turn to look at him and you smile. "Thank you."

"It's nothing," he says, smacking a kiss to your cheek. "Anything for you."

You kiss him back until he's grinning wildly like he can't help it. You how he's feeling because neither can you.

"Wanna go inside?" he asks when you pull back.

"We should."

"You feeling hungry?" he asks, snaking a hand down your arm to link your fingers.

"I could really go for some chips," you say honestly.

James grins, "Good," he says, "That's good. C'mon, I'll get you anything you like."

Of course, he will. You love him.

[heart-stomper]

Unspoken Trust, Unspoken Fears

Gathering my thoughts on Sasha and Marcy’s dynamic before S3 proves me wrong shows us what’s going on with these two.

It’s time to look at The Dinner and Battle of the Bands, and then use it as a guide to read the room in True Colors.

No worries! You just gotta speak their language. - Sasha, Reunion

Or in this case, know when to stay quiet. 

Sasha gets really really frustrated this episode. Like, so bad, that if that Volcakeno didn’t erupt, she might have been the one to end the friendship. Even Marcy and Grime couldn’t calm her down. But that’s the thing, before this point, they were the only ones to get through to Sasha without provoking her.

Grime keeps Sasha in line; she rolls her eyes and is clearly annoyed every time she has to hold herself back, but her willingness to keep it cool shows she ultimately agrees with Grime’s plan and sees it as the best path to success.  When Marcy chimes in, it’s with a helpful answer to Sasha’s question. She reminds Sasha of why they stopped Doing Thing by explaining how their plan failed. She avoids judging Sasha for it, and frames it as the repercussions of their actions, as a group. Marcy is on Sasha’s side, so Sasha doesn’t put up any defenses. When Sasha decides to avoid arguing with Anne however, it isn’t for Anne. It’s for the plan, for her and Grime.

Marcy has enough faith in Sasha to believe she’d never want to purposefully hurt Anne, but is careful about broaching the subject. Sasha feels attacked very easily, and will quickly trivialize or downplay things if she feels the other person is being unreasonable or doesn’t ‘get’ her.

And that is the only time Marcy speaks up besides The Big Argument. She only jumps into actual conflicts if things get too heated. Otherwise, she just lets Sasha do her thing, and lets Anne argue with Sasha... sort of.

This isn’t collaboration. It’s a hostile takeover. Why do things always have to be your way?

Now, for the bait and switch. Let’s talk about Marcy’s behavior in Day at the Aquarium and New Wartwood, and Sasha’s in Toadcatcher and Barrel’s Warhammer… while tying it all back to Battle of Bands!

You didn’t tell me you were writing a song! Let’s do it! I mean, if that’s okay with you, Sasha.

In A Day at the Aquarium, Marcy’s first instinct to Anne saying she’s going back with the Plantars is to make a plan. To show that it isn’t actually what will benefit Anne’s Goals. She doesn’t even consider opening up as an option, and avoids saying anything that could cause conflict. New Wartwood, Marcy tries to chat with the citizens of Wartwood and get to know them. But when that doesn’t work, she decides that impressing them with her knowledge and usefulness is bound to make them like her. It has to.

It does seem simpler.

Trying to win people over by claiming a plan is of mutual interest and necessary, carefully choosing which words to use, viewing relationships as a puzzle to be solved… this isn’t the sort of thing Marcy needs to do to get along with someone like Anne. It’s how Marcy copes with Sasha. Sasha lashes out and belittles bad ideas. Sasha has to be convinced the plan benefits her, suits her. Vulnerability and love aren’t enough to make her care, so Marcy does what she can to prove she’s worth being around. She might even sometimes wonder if Sasha actually likes her, or just likes what she can do for her. She rather not find out.

Whenever she’s afraid of people not liking her, or is worried that she’ll lose them, she dives right into those bad habits. She can give her opinions, but they aren’t supposed to get in the way of what Sasha wants. She’s supposed to say “That’s amazing! What do you think Sash’?” not “Let’s do it!”

Listen. There’s another reason why I’ve been training so hard. To protect the one person I know I can count on right now. You. You’re right, I already lost one friend. I’m not about to lose another. - Sasha, Toadcatcher

In Toadcatcher, there’s that scene, where Sasha looks at the BFF picture and the wind cuts off Anne for a second so it’s just her and Marcy. This is where Sasha is at. Anne might have rebelled, but when Sasha reunites with Marcy? Oh, she’ll show Anne, one way or another. They’ll get her back (like, joining the team or revenge wise, depending on Sasha’s mood.)

Listen here you buffoon! What’s it gonna take to prove that you should follow us? - Barrel’s Warhammer

Aaaand Sasha freaks out royally when she learns the two are alone together and doing just fine. On some level, she fears Anne and Marcy “getting along without her” because it means they might decide they don’t actually need her to make plans; that she isn’t necessary to have fun. In the The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers, we see that isn’t as big a catastrophe as Sasha seems to think it’d be. As time goes on, the girls do gain a healthier relationship to their feelings about Sasha, but that doesn’t mean they’d want her gone even if they don’t need her there. But Sasha doesn’t know that, she doesn’t even consider it till reuniting in The Third Temple. All she knows for now, is that she can be a bit... much... so if she isn’t in control, if her way isn’t “the best”, why would Marcy put up with her either? 

Listen. If things get too wild out here, just give me a signal and I’ll call the whole thing off. 

 For sure, teach it to us Anne. 

Every Sasha plan starts with an empty reassurance. So much of Sasha’s dialogue follows a pattern where she says stuff like “we’ll call it off” (she did not call it off) and “for sure, I don’t mind” (she did mind) that it could be it’s own game. Sasha talks the talk, until it gets in the way of what she wants.

Sorry guys, but we’re way to close to bail. I am not going back empty-handed.

It’s good. I just have a few tiny notes that I think could make it even better. ... Boom! Fiixed it! 

If they just follow her lead and let her fix it, everything will work out. They should believe in her and trust her. After all...

That’s not true! Besides, we did it. ... You’re not actually gonna throw this all away are you?

I just wanted all of us to succeed. I was just being a good friend. Why couldn’t they see that?

It all worked out, right? Percy and Braddock made it out okay even if she didn’t follow through on her promise. They won, she’s reliable. But of course, Sasha lost something more important than their belief in her abilities, she lost their trust. In Battle of the Bands however, Sasha recognizes that Anne and Marcy don’t want to follow her ambitions and will be pushed away by them just like Percy and Braddock were. So she takes it upon herself to end things, accepting that she’s lost.

Sorry it took so long.

Except this time, she manages to realize that maybe “what she wants” is to be there for her friends. Sasha’s finally had the space to relax and really think about what she wants, at least a little. This isn’t a real battle after all. Doing things her way all the time isn’t as important as she thought. Maybe she should trust in her friends more. A change of pace isn’t “wrong”, just different. It’s fun.

Sorry we lost, Sash’.

Just like Percy and Braddock, Marcy knows Sasha is capable. She understands that Sasha just wants the team to succeed. That’s why she apologizes when Grime beats them in the competition. She wants Sasha to know she appreciates what she did, but keeps it a bit indirect. She gets Sasha probably didn’t want to push them away. Marcy tried to catch herself and back Sasha up, but when Sasha had her argument with Anne, she stayed quiet. She couldn’t bring herself to go against Anne. 

That was ultimately for the best, as Sasha learned a valuable lesson. Except... She’s in too deep with the rebellion to back out now. This is the episode she’d spill the truth and give up on the whole thing, except... Grime. A part of her knows leaving would make Grime her enemy. She can’t risk that. So, she keeps going with the plan. She decides she’ll somehow win it all back. Because the thing she’s actually most afraid of, is losing another friend. 

Sorry things got a little crazy back there. You guys good? ... Sheesh, don’t be a sore loser. Look, I’m gonna stay here and get this toad regime off the ground, but I can totally send you two home if you want. Or, you can stick around and give me a hand! So what’d’ya say?

Sasha’s final offer; the last chance she’s giving the girls to stop acting weird and go back to being her obedient friends who do what she wants. Sasha lost at Toad Tower, but now she’s won. So Anne should go back to normal, she’s supposed to, like some unspoken “rule”.

And Marcy is supposed fall back in line too. The offer and apology are just as much a plea directed at her. Sasha’s trying to be generous, in her own awkward way. She has bit her tongue so far. She’s thrown a temper tantrum or two, but she hasn’t been this forward in asking Marcy for help till now. She wants Marcy to say that everything’s okay. Make it clear she doesn’t think she’s the bad guy, and that she forgives her and wants to be there for her. That they’re on the same page again. She wants Marcy to help make Anne look overly dramatic and silly for making such a big deal of all this. Sure, if Anne figures that out by herself, that’d be great, but if Marcy could just speak up.

But she doesn’t. Of course she doesn’t.

Marcy’s too busy worrying about Anne’s reaction. Knowing that she’ll be upset about this. She doesn’t dare side with Sasha, and is disappointed and betrayed that she actually did something like this. Marcy already has her own secret plans, so when she finally tries to calm things down, all she can give is a non-descript “we can still fix this”. And then, she’s once again shocked when she sees Sasha threaten Anne and the Plantars. Seeing Sasha act so willing to actually hurt people rather than just push them around... it finally hits her just how serious “tried to kill them” was. And of course, losing Anne or being sent home with her would completely mess up her own plans.

Sasha’s isn’t a vulnerable person. She’ll go on about loving her friends if it makes her look good, but she actively avoids doing anything that could be seen as “weak”. She wouldn’t dare ask Marcy to drop Anne and choose her. If Marcy isn’t speaking up, she can take the hint. She still isn’t on her side, and so she gets sent to the dungeon along with the rest of them.

Marcy accepts that Sasha has become an obstacle, but a part of her still hopes the three of them can work through all this. If they do things her way, nobody has to get hurt. She'll figure out a way hold everything together, fix everything, like always.

And then Andrias betrays her.

Yeah, what plan?

Sasha stops talking once she realizes what’s going on. Quietly fuming as Marcy explains herself. The music box, the suggestion to take it back to Andrias... that wasn’t Marcy being the sweet, supportive friend who Sasha thought she could always rely on, who believed in her... that was Marcy using her. It was never going to become their plan; Marcy never trusted her and was actively working against her. Sasha lost Anne, and she never had a chance at getting Marcy back, either. 

Sasha smacks Marcy away when she desperately tries to justify herself. She doesn’t want to hear it anymore. She’s furious that Marcy thinks they could be friends after something like this, after she’s manipulated them and claimed it was for their sakes. This whole time, her goal had been avoiding the move with her parents. And coming here has only torn them apart even worse.

Marcy reaches out to both girls. And when Sasha rejects her, she clings to Anne, hoping at least she’ll find it in her to forgive her. That she’ll understand she cares about them even if she messed up. Marcy knows they’d probably never pick her over their families or ambitions, so she told herself this place offered those things too. Made them all better people. But as she says her excuses out loud, she can’t find a single one that feels right. She was just afraid of losing them, and now, she’s managed to hurt them on top of that. 

But the thing is. After all that. Despite how betrayed and hurt and angry Sasha was, she looks like this:

Sasha realizes this must be exactly how Anne felt about her betrayal. It isn’t just an abstract “hurt” or “bad thing” anymore. She can also sympathize with how Marcy feels and why she did it, at least a little. She can’t imagine being able to forgive this, and yet... when she looks to Anne with that apologetic look, she isn’t just hoping Anne will forgive her. She’s also asking for permission to forgive Marcy. Pleading that they all still have a chance to move past this together.

[t0wnspersonb]

Tease (Kuroo Tetsuro x Reader)

Rated: slightly explicit 

Word Count: 2,805

Summary: It’s the summer training camp, and naturally as Nekoma’s manager you attend as well. The ongoing tension between you and a certain captain gets too much to handle, and you find yourself in a compromising position late at night.

Warnings: Bokuto being Bokuto, fluff, confessions, make out sessions, grinding, my shit writing

I literally love all of the Haikyuu boys so much it’s ridiculous. I’m a fucking simp ya’ll. I hope you enjoy this spicy mess. I wanted to try something new compared to my usual fluff I write for this particular anime:)

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

You stood next to Coach Nekomata as he yelled at Kenma for avoiding the ball once again. You giggled softly to yourself at the second year's expression before writing down quick notes of the game.

 You guys were just beginning the summer training camp, and it was off to a good start; maybe not so much for Karasuno though.

 You hummed softly to yourself as you went to gather up the water bottles and towels for the team, seeing as how the practice match against Fukurodani was almost over. You were crouched down as you were rearranging the bottles when you heard shouting.

 “Y/n-chan watch out!” you heard Yamamoto call out, a stray volleyball was headed in your direction, but you had easily received it, sending the ball back into the court. The familiar sting on your inner forearms was not anything new.

 You had spent countless hours with the team, watching them practice their receives and somehow being roped into it despite being the manager.

 And strangely enough, you were actually quite good at it. 

 “Lev!” Yaku shouted angrily, winding up to kick the first year. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop flailing around!? Y/n-chan almost got hit with that ball! Apologize now!”

 “I’m sorry Y/n-senpai!” Lev apologized, bowing in your direction. 

 You waved him off. Despite how good you were at receiving the ball, there were definitely times where you had taken one to the face. “Don’t worry about it Lev. Although, your receives have been terrible during this game, it makes me wonder if you would have been able to receive that ball if you were in my position. Just something to think about.” You said coyly.

 “Y/n is better at receiving than you Lev.” Kenma said. “And she doesn’t even play.”

 “If we lose this game Lev, you’re going to practice receiving with Yaku until your arms fall off.” Kuroo chimed in as well, his eyes flickering over to you briefly, glancing across your body to make sure that you were actually okay.

 The tall first year was incredibly dejected, causing you to laugh slightly at your underclassmen. Practicing with Yaku was hard work, you knew that all too well.

 “Oh that was good form Y/n-chan!” Bokuto praised from the other side of the net. “You looked good doing it!” he gave you a thumbs up.

 You could see Kuroo scowl out of the corner of your eye and smirked slightly to yourself. “Thanks Bokuto. But not as good as you when you’re doing your crazy straight.” 

 The entire Nekoma team and Fukurodani team rolled their eyes at this. Here we go… they thought.

 Kuroo’s scowl deepened, a glare beginning to form on his face as he stared at the owl-haired third year laughing loudly.

 “I know right? I’m the best!” he cheered loudly at your praise. “Hey, hey, hey! Kuroo let me have Y/n-chan for the day!”

 “For the last time, you have your own managers you stupid owl, leave mine alone.” Kuroo snapped angrily. 

 You bit back a smile as you turned your back to them, finishing up the task you were working on.

 The relationship you had with the bedhead captain was difficult to explain. It had been that way since you all joined the volleyball team in your guys’ first year. The flirting and teasing between you two was nauseating in the eyes of your teammates. They had figured that you guys would’ve started dating already but it never happened. 

 But it was clear as day that you guys had feelings for each other.

 Bokuto had taken a strong liking to you as well when you guys had first met. He thought you were incredibly cute, and a wonderful friend. Which is why he never hesitated to flirt with you, plus it made Kuroo mad and that was even better. 

 You had picked up on that immediately and would shamelessly flirt back with Bokuto because you loved the way Kuroo reacted to it.

 Everyone on both teams began to get used to these interactions whenever they all got together, despite how annoying it was to see their captains bicker back and forth.

 Nekoma had lost the practice match and after doing their penalty you began handing out the towels and drinks.

 Kuroo glanced down at you as you held his water bottle to him expectantly, his long fingers brushing carefully against yours during the exchange. “Thanks pipsqueak.” 

 You rolled your eyes at his nickname and reached to poke him hard in the side of his ribs, he dodged your attack easily and smirked widely as you huffed in anger. His hand coming up to ruffle your hair.

 “Stop that.” you pouted, pushing his hand away, fixing your mused hair. 

 Kuroo ignored the slight race of his heart as he took in your pouty face. She’s so cute, he thought.

 After a couple more practice matches the day was coming to an end. You helped the rest of the managers clean up the gym and shuffled off to help prepare dinner for everyone.

 During that time you couldn’t help but think of Kuroo. You wondered if your guys’ strange relationship would finally progress into an actual one. Neither of you had confessed to actually having feelings for one another, it was something that you guys had just assumed.

 In the eyes of the team, and even people outside of the team, they had assumed you guys were a couple. You spent a lot of time together outside of practice and school. Being around each other came naturally, and despite the bickering and teasing, you guys enjoyed each other’s company immensely.

 So then why weren’t you guys together yet?

 “Aw man.” you sighed quietly to yourself, putting your hands behind your head as you continued walking towards the baths. “This sucks.”

 “What sucks Y/n-senpai?” Lev asked. You glanced to your right and saw him standing at the entrance of gym 3 holding a ball.

 “Your receives.” you said bluntly not batting an eye.

 “Eh!? You saw that!?” he panicked, glancing around frantically. 

 It was then that the other people in the gym took notice of your form. 

 “Y/n-chan! Come keep score!” Bokuto said excitedly, coming up from behind the tall first year, Kuroo following closely behind.

 “Maybe some other time Bokuto. Oh. If you guys don’t hurry you’re going to miss dinner.” you said in amusement. 

 “Next time you’ll come and keep score then!” Bokuto exclaimed before they all started making their way out of the gym.

 You shook your head in amusement as Lev and Hinata began talking animatedly about something. 

 “Oi pipsqueak. You coming with or what?” Kuroo called, stopping when he noticed that you weren’t following them.

 You smiled slightly, shaking your head. “I already ate. I’m going to the baths and then going to bed. Do you already miss me that much?” you teased.

 He rolled his eyes at your antics and fought the blush that wanted to make its way onto his face at just the thought of you taking a bath.

 “Maybe I do.” he drawled out and started walking closer to you, his cat-like eyes staring down at you intensely, causing a shiver to run down your spine. “You want me to help you wash your back?” he whispered leaning down towards your ear. You could his lips brushing softly against the shell of your ear.

 You could feel your face burn at his words, the palm of your hands getting sweaty at how close he was. 

 Ignoring the burning embarrassment of his words, you grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down further so that his face was close to yours. “Maybe I do.” you whispered back and very carefully nipped at his earlobe. 

 Kuroo made a strange choking sound as you released him. He took a step back and covered the lower part of his face with his hand, looking away from you. Seeing his shocked expression and blushing cheeks was well worth that embarrassing moment for you.

 “Or maybe not?” you said innocently, hands resting behind your back, your head tilted to the side. “I guess some other time then.” you teased and walked away, finally allowing yourself to blush freely, your heart was racing as you entered the baths.

 Kuroo Tetsuro was going to be the death of you.

 *************

 “Sit next to me Y/n-chan!” Bokuto said, grabbing your arm and tugging him towards the table that Akaashi was currently sitting at. 

 It had been three days since that encounter with Kuroo, and quite honestly, everyone could feel the weird tension between the two of you.

 It was almost… awkward being around the both of you if you guys were together. 

 Kuroo’s gaze trained on the table that you sat at, watching as you laughed freely at Bokuto’s antics.

 “What’s going on with you and Y/n?” Kenma asked quietly, his eyes remaining on his phone.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kuroo sniffed, taking another bite of his dinner. “We’re fine.”

 “Doesn’t seem like it.” Kenma pressed. “It feels weird being around you two.”

 Kuroo looked over at his childhood friend, frowning. “What?”

 “I’m not exactly sure what it is, but the energy around you two is uncomfortable.” he said looking at Kuroo briefly before looking back at his phone.

 “Just eat your dinner.” Kuroo scolded. His gaze lowered to his food. He knew what it was, the energy between you two. It was an underlying thing, but after the incident a couple days ago, well, it got worse. 

 The sexual tension could be cut with a knife when you guys were around each other now. The sexaul frustration that Kuroo was experiencing was released tenfold after your little stunt.

 It also didn’t help that you were still flirting with Bokuto right in front of him. It annoyed him immensely. 

 You were supposed to be his girl. Kuroo thought as he laid awake on his bed. He couldn’t sleep, his thoughts being entirely consumed by you. 

 He sighed deeply to himself as he got up. A midnight walk would be sure to make him tired. 

 What he wasn’t expecting was to find you walking around the school too. You were deep in thought and almost didn’t realize that you were about to pass him until he grabbed at your arm.

 “Can we talk?” he asked seriously, staring down at you.

 You looked up in surprise. “Kuroo, I’m sorry I didn’t see you there… Yeah of course we can.” he released your arm and you guys walked until you found yourselves by the side of gymnasium 3.

 “What’s up?” you asked quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ears. 

 The expression Kuroo’s face was unreadable, it made you shift from foot to foot uneasily as he stared down at you. 

 The atmosphere around you guys was incredibly heavy, making you more nervous. 

 “I know I have a cute face and all, but the staring is really starting to creep me out, Kuroo.” you laughed nervously.

 He took a step closer to you, causing you to take a couple steps back, your back touched the side of the gym. He rested his hands on top of your shoulders, preventing you from escaping.

 And then he was kissing you.

 Your eyes widened as you felt your heart stop in your chest.

 Kuroo was kissing you.

 His lips were firm and hot as they moved urgently against yours. 

 This was… this was better than you had imagined. Your eyes fluttered shut, your hands sliding up to rest around his neck. You were on the tips of your toes so that the tall third year didn’t have to stoop down so much.

 He grunted softly against your lips as you started to kiss him back. All the flirting, teasing, unspoken feelings, came out in this moment. This kiss was well worth the three years that it took to get it.

 The hands that were resting on your shoulders slide up to cup the sides of your face, carefully angling you so that he could fit his mouth against yours better.

 Kuroo’s tongue gently poked at your lips, asking to be let in. Carefully parting your mouth, your tongues began clashing, hot and wet against each other.

 The passionate kiss that was meant to be used as a confession began to turn into something deliciously sweet and steamy.

 This was too fucking good to stop.

 Kuroo pressed himself closer to you, one leg moving to rest between yours, keeping them parted, his thigh carefully brushing against you causing you to gasp loudly at the sudden touch.

 He smirked against your mouth at the noise you made, moving one of his hands down to your waist, sliding his fingers beneath your shirt.

 His hand was warm and rough against your skin, carefully caressing your waist as he touched you, moving up to the tops of your ribs before gently cupping your breast through your bra.

 Despite the way that Kuroo was kissing you, his touch was incredibly gentle, hesitant almost. But when you moaned loudly, that was all the reassurance he needed to know that what he was doing was okay.

This was what he was missing. What he was waiting for. And he never wanted it to end. The way you felt against him, the way you tasted. He couldn’t get enough of it.

 Carefully squeezing and kneading your breast, he pressed himself closer to your body. Carefully he grinded himself against you, moaning at the way your body pressed against his growing length.

 You pulled away from his lips gasping for air, he trailed his lips softly against your jaw and down your neck, leaving hot open mouthed kisses against your skin. Kuroo began sucking and biting a bruise into the soft skin, causing you to moan out once more. You were in a daze, your head foggy from the intense pleasure that he was giving you. The Tokyo night air felt incredible against your flushed skin. 

 “Kuroo,” you breathed out, clinging to his body as he continued to touch you. “Kuroo… we should head back now… the others will start to worry…” you lost your train of thought as his lips pressed against the shell of your ear, breathing hotly against your skin.

 “You want me to stop?” he murmured, grinding harshly against you now.

 You whimpered softly. “N-N-No… but… we should go back already…”

 He pulled away from you reluctantly, his pupils were blown and wide with lust. His usual bedhead was significantly more messy, and his lips were swollen and glossed with spit. 

 He was fucking beautiful.

 The same could be said about you. Kuroo took in your heaving chest, the way your shirt no longer sat right on top of your body. Your eyes bright and lips swollen, and the dark mark he left on your neck standing proudly out for all to see. 

 Fuck you were beautiful.

 “Can we… can we do this again?” you asked shyly, looking up at him through thick lashes.

 Kuroo couldn’t help the wide smirk that began to take place on his lips. “If it wasn’t obvious, I like you, Y/n. Go out with me.” he said simply.

 A wide smile began to spread across your face, a hot blush coating your cheeks at his confession. 

 “Took you long enough.” you said cheekily. 

 Kuroo rolled his eyes and ruffled your hair. “Whatever pipsqueak. Let’s go.” 

 This training camp definitely was your favorite one so far.

 When morning came around you were over the moon, incredibly giddy and cheeky the entire time that you were setting up the cafeteria and making the food. The other managers didn’t question it but were incredibly curious as to what put the Nekoma manager in such a good mood.

 As always, Bokuto pulled you to his table to eat with him and Akaashi. You were laughing at a story Bokuto was telling, when your hair swayed from your neck and the dark mark that Kuroo had left on you last night was revealed to Akaashi’s eyes. 

 A blush coated the setter’s cheeks and he cleared his throat quietly, averting his gaze. “Y/n-san, your neck…”

 Your eyes widened in horror and you immediately moved your hair back to cover up the mark, you could feel your face burning in embarrassment as Bokuto loudly began to ask what was wrong with you.

 And then - “That’s not fair Y/n-chan! Let me give you one too!” Bokuto pouted as he saw the bruise.

 Both you and Akaashi began scolding the third year.

 Unbeknownst to you, Kuroo was smirking widely at his table as he stared at the interaction you were having with the members of Fukurodani. 

 Kenma’s eyes shifted over to the Nekoma captain. “Gross Kuroo.”

 “Shut up and eat your food Kenma!” 

[winterscaptain]

figure it out.

Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral Reader a joyful future fic

a/n: this has been in my wips for literal months as i’ve done my best to get it just right for yall. i hope you enjoy it, and tell me what you think! There’s an addendum to this one, and i’m already working on it, but we’ll see a few more things before that’s ready :)

words: 3.5k warnings: sex mention, sex implication, language

summary: “love is like a backache. it doesn’t show up on an x-ray, but you know it’s there.” - george burns. au!january 2012. 

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | ajf faq | requests closed!

You roll over in bed when your alarm goes off, but you don’t get very far. Aaron throws an arm over you and pulls you back to him with a grumble. 

You huff a laugh and wiggle up against him. It’s all a tease and you both know it - there isn’t any time to get up to anything fun before work, but it’s far too entertaining to rile him up.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish.” His voice escapes his lips between your shoulder blades and you can feel his smile. 

“Oh, trust me, babe. I can finish.” 

He hums, his smile breaking out into something real. “I noticed.” 

+++

When the two of you finally make it out of bed (surprisingly still on time), you grab one of Aaron’s scarves and a hat on your way out. It’s your turn to drop Jack at school today on your way into the office, and the task serves two purposes. 

The first? It’s nice to spend time with Jack, just the two of you, when it’s your turn and you’re not on a case. It’s the same for Aaron, who always leaves a little earlier so he and Jack can sit down somewhere and have breakfast together.

The second is pure logistics. You two can’t show up to work in the same car at the same time, so a convenient excuse to separate and stagger your arrivals is welcome. 

“Really?” 

Aaron’s question stops you at the threshold and you look over your shoulder “What?” 

“My hat? My scarf?” 

It’s almost too tempting to cave when he’s looking at you like that - his tie hanging around his neck, shirt untucked, arms crossed, and playful frown hiding a smile. 

“Yeah. It’s warm and it’s here and we’re late.” 

Jack squints up at you and says, “We’re not late.”

“You’re not late.”

The observations come within split seconds of each other and you laugh. 

“Fine. Not late, but warm. And you have more hats.” You scamper back into the house to plant a kiss on his lips, smoothing the hair at his temples. 

Jack’s laughter is the underscore to your next quip. “You’re very handsome and I’m sure you’re very smart so you can figure it out.” 

“Yeah, Dad,” Jack chirps. “Figure it out.”

He has nothing to say to your retreating forms as he catches a glimpse of your smile through the crack in the closing door.

+++

Emily and Spencer are away at a conference-book-signing thing, so it’s just the five of you and Penelope this morning. You’d normally figure that would be Rossi’s purview, but apparently - 

“My book-signing days have been put on hold indefinitely in favor of -”

“ - He’s back.” Garcia interrupts, tossing case files at all of you. The conversation is cut short and you suppress a smile. “The Marin headlands last night.” 

You can see Aaron’s lips pull as well. 

It’s the little things. 

Penelope gestures with the notes and crime scene photos appear on the screen. “David Atley and Nicole Puli, both 24, both grad students at Berkeley, shot multiple times in their vehicle-- wait for it--” She clicks again and a familiar sigil appears. 

“The Zodiac?” Morgan’s shock is almost sardonic in its delivery. 

Rossi snorts. “No way.”

“Come on,” Derek says, amused, while JJ chimes in as well. 

 “It's gotta be the 2.0 version.”

While neither of you speak, you share a glance with Aaron. You’re kidding. 

He only raises his eyebrows for a split second and shrugs. 

There’s some part of you a little paranoid that you’re the most obvious couple to exist in the history of the universe. Sure, the team has been teasing you about your friendship for years, the will-the-won’t-they of it all, but now that it’s real you’re almost terrified that they know everything. 

Thus, the overcompensation has been wretched. You and Aaron barely look at each other in the field if you can help it (which you usually can’t) and he tends to put you with Derek more often than not. 

In truth, the others have noticed, but are far too interested in the spectacle to say anything. Emily’s almost certain the two of you have slept together, and Dave may or may not have suggested the possibility of a secret marriage during your period of suspension. 

However far-fetched and ridiculous their theories, they know you two well enough to know that something happened. The tension is gone. 

Derek almost finds himself missing the tension. There hasn’t been much to tease you about lately in its absence. 

“Yeah, you would think so, except for the crazy similarities in the MO.” Penelope clicks through the photos as she talks. 

“I'm talking same victimology, same geography. And,” she adds. “Two souvenirs were left at the crime scene.” She clicks once more and stands back for the full effect. 

“He left a photo?” Rossi asks.

She hums in the affirmative. “Local police say that is Marcia Miller. She was found near Napa in 1971. Strongly suspected that she was a victim of the Zodiac, but police never confirmed it and they didn't publicize the case.” 

Morgan’s still squinting at the screen. “So the Zodiac took this photo at the killing and then saved it all these years?”

“The Zodiac's last confirmed victim was the cabdriver Paul Stine,” Dave notes devolving into a conversation about The Zodiac, his timeline, his signature. 

It’s nothing new - The Zodiac Killer’s case details are common knowledge in your line of work, nevermind the sheer number of copycats that try their hand at the highly-ritualistic murders before inevitably getting arrested. 

There’s a reason this guy hasn’t been caught in forty years. 

After a few minutes of bouncing between you all, Hotch pushes back from the table and stands. “Have Reid and Prentiss meet us in San Francisco. Wheels up in 30.”

He heads straight to his office to collect his things and you swing in by the tips of your fingers for just a second. “You wanna call Jess or do you want me to?” 

In the middle of throwing files in his briefcase, he doesn’t look up when he answers. “Can you, please? I was supposed to meet with Strauss this afternoon and need to stop by her office before wheels up.” 

You smile at him, tapping the door frame twice. “You got it.” 

+++

It’s boots on the ground right away when you land in San Francisco. You drive to the crime scene with Aaron in the passenger seat beside you and JJ in the back. The radio’s on, and you sing under your breath, tapping your fingers on the steering wheel as you make your way up to the crime scene. 

Before you get to the local FBI agents, JJ catches you by the sleeve. “It’s nice to have music in the car again.” 

You just smile at her. Aaron looks a little puzzled. 

The three of you wipe the looks off your faces by the time you get to Agent Lynn. 

+++

“What did JJ mean?” Aaron asks you. 

The two of you are alone for the time being, posted up in the conference room with the old Zodiac case files. You look up. “Hmm?” 

“What did she mean when she mentioned the music earlier?” 

“Oh.” A little flush of embarrassment shoots down your gut. “Derek pointed out to me last summer that I didn’t play any music in the car.” 

...while you were gone is the thing you don’t say, but he knows that’s what you mean. 

“I didn’t really notice.” You shrug to cover your fib. “I guess I’ve reacquainted myself with the radio in the last couple of weeks.” 

Aaron hums, returning to his work. Something’s off, but you’re sure it’ll come up later. 

+++

“You don’t think it’s really him, do you?” You ask, unbuttoning your shirt and throwing your pajamas on. 

Surprisingly, this case seems to be one of those that allows for sleep at regular hours. For that, you’re grateful. It’s much harder to find time to wind down with Aaron at the end of the day when you’re all forced to sleep in shifts. 

Aaron shakes his head, “No, I think Reid’s right. We’re looking at a particularly sophisticated copycat.” 

“Isn’t that kind of worse?” Hopping up on your bed, you curl up and look at him over your nose - a clear invitation to join you. 

With a huff down his nose and a little smile, he flops down beside you and props his chin on his arms over your belly. “Could be. Luckily, we have Reid.” 

You almost think he’s going to say something else, but he gets that pensive look on his face again. 

“What?” 

With a sigh, he says, “I’m just thinking about what JJ said.” 

“Oh, Aaron -” 

He doesn’t let you finish. It’s probably a good thing. You didn’t know what you wanted to say anyway. 

“I knew how hard it was on me, but I’m realizing more and more how hard it was on you, too.” He shakes his head. “I feel ...I don’t know. I feel like I should have known better… or something.” 

Winding your fingers in his hair, you sit in silence for a moment. He doesn’t have anything more to say and eventually he crawls up your body and settles in under your arm, his head on your chest and legs wound between yours.

Sometimes, you’ve found, he likes to feel small.  

“You’re safe and you’re home. That’s what matters.” You kiss the top of his head. “And I love you.” 

He hums, arcing into your touch and wrapping an arm around your waist. “I love you.” 

+++

You spend much of the next day chasing Spencer around the city, keeping notes handy (for yourself, not for him - he doesn't need them) and reporting back on his discoveries to the team like some kind of overwrought and hyper-trained secretary. 

Stepping off to the side, you answer a call from Aaron. 

“Hit your limit yet?” 

You look over at Spencer, who’s flipping through a newspaper like a man on a mission. “It’s actually kind of entertaining.” 

And that’s actually true. Watching Spencer push the limits of his intelligence is always a treat - it happens so rarely you almost forget how much you enjoy it every time. 

He huffs into the phone. “Hang in there. We’ll all meet back at the precinct once Reid’s done -”

“Doing magic?” 

“Exactly. Keep me posted.” There’s a pause. It’s an odd little habit you two developed in the field to leave space for the words you can’t say in front of the others. 

I love you.

“Me too.” 

+++

You’re almost asleep when a sliver of yellow light shoots across your room, promptly disappearing as the door to the hallway closes. 

He pads across the room and slips under the covers. “Hi.” 

A little smile crosses your face as you roll over to face him. “Hi.”

Before you can say anything else, his hands are on you and he’s half on top of you as he captures your lips. 

Needless to say, the lack of sleep is worth it. 

+++

Emily, long after she and Aaron are the only ones left in the precinct conference room, squints as she notices something right under his collar. 

He’s already loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt, no longer standing on ceremony now that all the local police have retired and the rest of the team gone up to their hotel rooms. There’s not much to do, but the compulsion to get ahead for tomorrow is one neither one of them can shake. 

What Aaron failed to remember when executing his wardrobe adjustment was the rather...spirited romp in your room the night prior. The little purple swatches painted on his skin just under the line of his collar stood out stark against the crisp lines of his dress shirt. 

Fortunately for you, there was no way in hell the rest of the team would find anything he left on you last night. 

Emily reaches into her purse and pulls out a tube of concealer and a powder compact. Though he’s more olive-toned than she is, it’ll be good enough in a pinch. “Hey, Hotch.” 

He looks at her over his nose, his eyes tired. 

“You might want this for tomorrow morning.” She pushes the crisis control kit across the table to him, but he only frowns and deepens his squint. 

By way of explanation, she reaches across the table and presses the tip of her finger into one of the visible bruises in the hollow of his throat. He flinches, freezes, and then immediately drops his head into his hands. 

It’s easy to say Emily is amused in the extreme. “Those look...really fresh.” 

He shakes his head, insisting as he picks up a file at random, “They’re from before we left.” 

It’s only because it’s Emily that he’s even humoring this conversation. 

“No they’re not.” She sticks her tongue firmly in her cheek. “These ones are though.” She points at yellowing marks on his collarbone and he smacks her hands away. 

“And I know what fresh hickies look like, Hotch. Those are fresh fresh. Like, last night fresh. And we’ve been here for four days.” She frowns, tracking back through the day. “When on earth would you have time to -” 

A series of images flash through her head, random wayward connections flashing together in an alarmingly clear picture.

You, avoiding her at the office back in September with quickly-covered marks painted across your neck.

You, flirting with Sean and having way too much fun doing it, looking over his shoulder at ...someone else.

Hotch, in a perpetually good mood (for him, anyway, and despite looking ill-slept) for the last five months. 

The way the mistletoe kiss at Dave’s Christmas party looked way too easy, too familiar. 

And now, the obvious indicators that Hotch is not only getting it, he’s getting it good. 

If he got those last night…

Wait. 

Their hotel rooms are right next to …

Oh my God. 

Hotch watches the realization flash across Emily’s face, and he knows you’re both busted. Instead of losing her shit like he expected, Emily just leans back in her chair - smug. 

“So. Are you still Not the Boyfriend, or has there been an update?”

He sighs. 

The corner of her mouth tips up. “How long?”

“For which part? The not-boyfriend part, the boyfriend part, or this part?” He gestures vaguely to the space behind his tie, and Emily snorts. 

“Just spill it.” 

Holding up a finger, he pulls his phone out of his pocket, dialing the first number on his speed dial. 

You’re hardly asleep, sitting up in bed waiting for him with a case file in your lap, when you get the call. You’re not sure who’s listening, so a “Hey, Hotch. What’s up?” will have to do. 

“Emily knows.” 

You straighten. “How?”

“Doesn’t matter. She knows.” 

There’s a scramble, and suddenly Emily’s on the other end of the phone. “He’s got very questionable and very fresh bruises just under his collar. Care to explain?”

There’s another shuffle. 

“Ignore her,” Aaron says. With a hand pressed to your forehead, you understand the question implicit in his phone call. 

“Just tell her. It’s basically her fault, anyways. If she hadn’t ditched it then we’d have our heads up our asses for another five years.”

“Alright,” then, after a second of realizing you don’t sound sleepy at all, “Go to bed.”

“I’m in bed.” 

He rolls his eyes. Emily can only look on with amusement, gleeful in the extreme. “You know that’s not what I mean. Go to sleep.”

“Alright, alright. Fine.” You reluctantly close the casefile and put him on speaker so he can hear the light click off. “I’m going to sleep.” Then, “I love you. Come up soon.”

“Okay.” He shoots a glance at Emily. Because he’ll never hear the end of it anyway, more ammo won’t hurt at this point. “I love you too. Now, really. Go to slee -”

You hang up on him. He double-takes at his phone for a moment before shoving it back in his pocket. 

He’s met with Emily’s surprisingly moved eyes. “You’re...okay.”

What she means is, You’re happy. 

He knows. 

He nods. “I’m okay.”

She puts her files down and leans forward, resting her elbows on the table and lacing her fingers. “Tell me.” 

So, he does. 

He tells her about the way you stuck to him like glue through the divorce, the way you wiggled your way into Haley’s heart, captured the love of his son, and earned the trust of his entire family. 

He tells her what Haley said in the hospital, the tenacious care you showed his unyielding and unwilling ass when he was healing, the way your grief soothed his in the wake of Haley’s loss. 

He tells her about the moments of euphoria in the years of want and doubt and fear. 

He tells Emily about the day she died, how there was nothing more painful than that necessary lie. He tells her how easy it was to lie to the others, how it ripped him in half to lie to you. 

He tells her about the day he left for Pakistan, about the fight the night before, the kiss he pressed to your cheek on the tarmac, the endless, wretched nights missing you in the desert. 

He tells her about the fight when he finally came home, skims over the following days, jumps and meanders around to Christmas, to moving in, to the bliss that now seems to follow him wherever he goes. 

Emily watches the smile that plays at his mouth when he talks about you, the softness in his eyes as recalls the look on your face and the words you said and the way you are with Jack. There’s a kind of peace in him that she’s never really seen before. 

Maybe, she imagines, it was there before she met him (the second time). Maybe this peace existed with Haley. Maybe this is the most she’s ever heard him speak at once. Maybe it makes her smile. 

Maybe this peace is what his love looks like. 

If that’s the case, she thinks, you are very lucky indeed. 

It could have been hours, it could have been minutes, but at some point he stops talking. 

“Hotch?” 

He looks over at her, the softness lingering in his eyes. 

“I’m really happy for you.” 

His lips twitch. “Thanks.” 

“And you know it’s my God-given right to tell everyone else once this case is over, right?”

+++

You actually are asleep by the time Aaron gets back to the hotel. He leans against the wall in the dark with his hands in his pockets, enjoying the peace before the inevitable shitshow. 

He crosses the room and crouches at your side, running the back of his fingers over your cheek. You stir, sleepy noises leaving your throat as your eyes crack open. 

“Aaron?”

“Yeah. Just me.” 

You smile a little and close your eyes again. “How’d she take it?”

“Remarkably well.” He kisses your forehead. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“No,” you whine, drawn-out and slurred. “Don’t leave. Stay. I set an alarm.”

With a resigned sigh, he strips and slides into bed behind you, wrapping you in his arms and holding you close. 

+++

You and Aaron sit on proverbial pins and needles for the rest of the case, but Emily keeps her word. The only indication of her knowledge came the morning after her chat with Aaron, when she pulled you to her and hugged you so tight you could hardly breathe. 

She seizes her moment on the plane, about halfway home. 

“Derek, you owe me fifty bucks.” 

She hardly looks up from her book as she speaks. 

He takes off his headphones and wrinkles his brow. “What?”

She repeats herself, slower, as if she was speaking to a child. “You. Owe. Me. Fifty. Bucks.”

“...Why?” 

Emily finally looks up from her book to pointedly stare at you and Aaron, seated next to each other and sharing a bag of Goldfish you stole from Jack’s snack drawer. You’re both reading from the same file, absently reaching for crackers as you go along. 

Derek’s confusion continues to smother his face until it finally clicks in. 

He steals a page from Reid’s notebook and balls it up, tossing it across the plane and breaking your concentration. You look up, only a little startled, to find a face-splitting grin blinding you across the cabin.

Derek’s small ruckus has drawn the attention of the rest of the team - well, all except JJ, who’s fast asleep on the couch. 

There seems to be a collective sigh of relief as money exchanges hands. You’re not quite sure what the bet was, but Emily seems to have won handily. 

Aaron takes your hand under the table, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

It doesn’t. 

Everyone simply returns to their tasks, little smiles on their faces. 

+++

tagging: @quillvine @agenthotchner @hurricanejjareau @rousethemouse @criminalsmarts @genevievedarcygrangerwriting @ssaic-jareau @davidrossi-ismydad @angelsbabey @hotchsflower @hotchslatte @risenfox @mrs-dr-reid @captain-christopher-pike @dwellingsofrosie @pan-pride-12 @sunshine-em @word-scribbless @jdougl-love @sageellsworth05 @dreila03 @forgottenword @aaronhotchnerr @ssa-morgan @tegggeeee @abschaffer2 @ellyhotchner @lotties-journey-abroad @mrs-joel-pimentel-23-25 @laneygthememequeen @mooneylupinblack @ssareidbby @violet-amxthyst @bwbatta @roses-and-grasses @lcvischmitt @capricorngf @missdowntonabbey @averyhotchner @mandylove1000 @cevanswhre @qvid-pro-qvo @jeor @spencers-hoodrat @infinity1321 @zizzlekwum @popped-weasels @evee87 @nuvoleincielo @this-broken-band-girl @reidtomestyles @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @winqhster @arthurmorrgans @the-falling-in-the-danger @softbibxtch @iconicc @mangoberry43 @andreasworlsboring101 @kerrswriting @mac99martin @itsalwaysb33nyou @baumarvel @kerrswriting @messyhairday-me @ssworldofsw @deagibs @crazyshannonigans @moonshinerbynight @jhiddles03 @teamhappyme @mendesmelodies @starsandasteroids @unicorn-bitch @ambicaos

[shivada-jade]

Timing (5)

main pairings: albedo x reader sucrose x reader

➡ mentions: diluc, venti, aether, paimon warning(s): usage of alcohol bc we're at angel's share

you can find timing's masterlist here!

notes: this has been long overdue! here you go bWAAH

Diluc watches a bard glide into his tavern like he owns the place. The Ragnvindr raises a brow, placing a wine glass back into a cupboard.

"Venti," he says, picking up another glass, polishing it. "Are you here to pay back your tabs?"

"Ah, Master Diluc!" The boy in green laughs nervously, "Oh, what a pleasant surprise, but of course I wouldn't dream to have your bills jeopardized."

The door of the tavern chimes, signaling another customer is there. Aether places his hands on his knees, heaving for breath and Paimon floats in, hitting Aether's head lightly, "I GOT YOU NOW."

Venti whistles and casually sides himself next to the traveler and wraps an arm around him, "Aether here, will be delighted to pay for my tab."

Paimon gasps and takes the hat off Venti's head. "No! We didn't come here to do that!" She flips to Aether, helping him up, "Tell him why we're here, Aether!"

The tavern owner wipes his hand on a cloth and leans forward on the counter, curious. The glass windows and colourful bottles filter the sunlight from behind the man. Colours reflect to Diluc, making him look like some sort of rainbow Angel.

Aether inhales, now standing up normally. "Lately, I've been getting a lot of commissions to gather Wolfhook for remedies, and whenever I ask what it's for they always say how it's like they..." He trails off, not knowing the best way to put it.

Dliuc clears his throat, watching Venti attempt to steal another bottle of wine. He quickly grabs the bottle from Venti's hand, who sulks sitting at the very right side of the counter.

"Like they think they have thing obnoxious sound in their head," Diluc finishes for Aether. "And when they try to remember what, it hurts them more."

Aether's head perks up, "Master Diluc, do you have these too?"

Diluc looks up, thinking. "...Yes, but it has mostly been the drunkard Knights that have been telling me these stories whilst I work here."

He breathes in sharply, "Those no use for good Knights come here more often since two years ago, which coincidentally is the disappearance of someone from the Investigation Team. I always assumed it was because that person had a huge impact on them, but when I questioned them, they don't even know the name of the missing person."

Paimon makes a face, "You sure have been doing a lot of research."

"If even the Knights are having troubles with only themselves, how would Mondstadt be protected?"

"Right! So," Venti quips. "Getting to the point. I also have been trouble remembering these... things, but one thing's for certain! The things I can't remember always leads me to this lovely tavern. Truly, the answer is under these curtains."

Paimon furrows her brows, scanning around the tavern for curtains. "There are no curtains here."

"Eheh~ It's a metaphor for, what's hiding in store!"

Diluc adjusts his gloves. "I have to admit, I do understand what you mean with the remembering and forgetting," he comments. "But what is it that you propose I do? What does this tavern have to do with anything?"

"Has there been any other... strange things going on?" Paimon floats, tilted forward. "Aether would als-"

The fae turns to Aether, only now realizing he disappeared from her side. "Aether?" She hovers over the boy's shoulder when finding him.

He stands in front of the door, observing the scratches- some new and some old. Venti hops off the stool he sits on and saunters to his friends, signaling Diluc to follow.

Aether's fingers trace the marks on the door and turns to the owner of the tavern. "Master Diluc, can I ask how long had Angel's Share been standing? When was it first built?"

Diluc ponders, scratching his chin a bit, then answering, "A few hundred years, give or take. It's been preserved well."

Aether's hand lifts from the door. "Then how is this old marking foreshadowing us meeting here?" His golden eyes scan over the names written on the door. Deep engravings, yet faded out edges let him figure it's been hundreds of years.

He looks over the words, or names on the door. "Diluc, Aether, Paimon, Venti, Albedo, Sucrose. By the time the first four meet, the other two will arrive because they're smart like that. Please, help me. There are barely any resources here. Things are yet to be mined or built."

Venti collapses again, clutching his head. He winces, looking up with one eye and waving his worried peers. "It's alright I just-" he takes a moment to pause. He grins, "I think I know who the mystery person in my memory is."

"It's just..." He tries to stand, but his knees fail him. "Remembering them changes many things."

Diluc looks to Aether, wondering if he had answers, but the blonde only shook his head, supporting Venti with his shoulder and placing him on a chair.

Paimon is still distracted by the carvings on the door. She floats closer. Her eyes are observing the door very closely. "It says Albedo and Sucrose a-"

The door flings Paimon to the cupboard Diluc puts the mugs and glass in. "gAH?!"

Albedo and Sucrose stand in front of the opened door. They both seem to be searching something and their eyes land on Diluc. Sucrose sighs in relief and pushes her glasses up to the bridge of her nose.

"Master Diluc," She says meekly, taking a thick book out of the bag she carries.

"Sucrose and I require your assistance in one of our projects." Albedo finishes for the girl before nodding to the others beside the Ragnvindr, acknowledging their presence. "I hope you can aid us."

...

Your hands are clasped in front of yourself, trying to contain your emotions. After meeting a Ragnvindr, you thought you were getting somewhere. As someone who knows the arts of science, you thought all you needed was to see a familiar presence in Mondstadt, so you searched the nobles, knowing how long they've spent in Mond.

You did not in fact gather inspiration, nor answers to getting back home, but you did befriend a wealthy aristocrat who, despite not believing your time-travel story, decided to help fund your research to going back to your time after helping him out with the latest project called "Angel's Share."

You sighed, taking a bite out of an apple while watching a few of Angel's Share's first customers. Looking around, Mondstadt still had that sort of look from the future, but everything is new and shiny. Everything is newly built.

You've been here for two years, and from those two years you watched Mondstadt quickly finish the last few touches to the city you know. It was a strange experience to say the least.

When you had first known you time traveled, you hadn't realized it until you waltzed into Favonius Headquarters and a guard seized you. You kicked and punched the guard, claiming you were one of the members of the Investigation Team but they looked at you like you were crazy. You stopped hitting them, and thought back to how the guard does not look like anyone you knew.

You asked him what year it was and the guard made a face. He grabbed your wrist harshly and was about to throw you down until a boy in green threw an apple at his head.

The green boy clutched his hat and sent a push of wind towards the guard, making him unconscious.

"Venti?"

The boy froze, and slowly turned towards you. "Goodness gracious! Haha, that is right! I must be getting popular these days for you to recognize my face." He exclaimed with a bow and a tip of his hat.

You tilted your head. You cautiously walked close to inspect his face. "But we just had wine the other day? What're you..."

Your eyes snapped to your hands then back to his teal eyes. "Are you really Venti?"

The boy lifted his cape from right to left, picking out details. "I'm sure I am he, for what else could my name be?"

"Ah.. right." You said partially scared. "Venti, do you know who I am?"

Venti placed a finger in the air, "You know... I have vision from Barbatos himself. It allows me to know if the winds of a person are new and old, but yours..." He circled you, thinking. "You have the presence of my own wind though I've never met you. How strange."

"Well I mean- we just drank together yesterday so-"

Shouts and yells came from inside the Favonius Headquarters. Venti's eyes widened, reaching for you and ran to Mondstadt's central market and hid behind a box of crates. He shushed you, pointing to the guards asking for someone wearing green.

"Darn it! Looks like I'm a wanted fugitive again."

"Again?"

Venti frowned, looking at you, "Did I say 'again?' You make me say strange things. Well then!" He brushed the feeling off and flipped his cape inside out so he wore white instead of green. "The guards said a boy with a green cloak, but now I have a white cloak!"

"Wow, they'll never catch you now."

Venti grinned, "So... Even if you have Mondstadt's winds lingering on your clothes, I can't say I've seen you around- I should know, because this is where I'm bound."

Your lips parted a bit, still not catching on. "But Venti, we just went for drinks yesterday before I went back to camping in Dragonspine."

Venti squinted his eyes, "EHH??"

"Unless..." You muttered, thinking of the events that happened. You look at the statue of Barbatos far in the distance, then look at the boy in front of you.

"Barbatos," you said loud enough for only the two of you to hear.

To most people, it would seem nothing out of the ordinary happened, but you weren't most people. You worked with a few of the Captains of The Knights of Favonius. It is required to have a perceptive eye, (When you didn't catch on things as fast, Albedo would simply guide you to the right direction with a little mumble. Maybe he'd pull a few jabs, but it's all in good fun.) and when you whispered the archon's name, you note the way Venti makes a face. His eyes dart and he turned more giggly. He whistled like he hadn't heard what you just said.

You put two and two together and you realized that you've been friends with the Anemo Archon.

You slap a hand on your face. Shock runs up your body- not because Venti was the Anemo Archon, but because you were too slow on figuring it out.

"Archons- Venti? You're him?" You knit your brows pointing at the statue of him far away.

"Ehe~ you caught me," he held his hands up in surrender. "But how did you ever know?"

You thought back, excited. "Venti, you don't know this, but future you talked to me a day ago about my time travel thing, and it worked."

...

But of course, that was two years ago. You hadn't been exited about your discovery of time travel since then.

(part 6)

notes: crying sm venti's so hard to write like how would he react to stuff if he does or doesnt know like do i say he does know or doest ugh time travelling is so confusing especially if you're friends with the anemo archon

[amjustagirl]

Chapters: one. ~ two. ~ three. ~ four. ~ five. ~ six. ~ seven. ~ eight.

Wordcount: 2k

Summary: Being with Miya Atsumu is like chasing a storm - equal parts exhilaration and danger. After all, it’s impossible to tame a storm

Masterlist here 

AO3 link here

Author’s Note: And we’re at the penultimate chapter! Am rly excited to hear what you guys think - so please, drop me an ask, a note, a comment, anything!!! Thank you for following this fic with me <3

He stays away from her over the next two weeks. He still picks Shino up from childcare - he’s never leaving his little girl again - but takes Osamu’s advice to duck into the kitchen the minute he hears the bell chime to mark her entrance into the shop. 

‘Is everything alright with Atsumu?’ he hears her ask Osamu after a week of radio silence from him. 

He imagines Osamu just shrugs, because his twin later gives him a look of askance that he ignores. 

‘Meet me on Sunday afternoon? Was hoping to have a quick chat and pass something over to you since my arm is out of its sling.Osamu agreed to take Shino for a couple of hours, so don’t worry about her’, he texts her. 

‘Fine’, she texts back. ‘Works for me’. 

‘Hey’, he greets her as she opens the door, fighting the impulse to scruff his shoes into the ground like a nervous schoolboy on his first date. 

‘Hey yourself’, she responds without heat, slipping on her shoes. ‘Shall we?’ 

He nods, turning on his heel and she follows suit, their footfalls matching in pace, though they angle their bodies to avoid each other’s gaze in the lift. They do not exchange a single word until they reach the car park, and he leads her past all the cars to a dim corner, lit by a single flickering electric bulb.  

‘Atsumu - what’s this?’ she says, staring uncomprehendingly at the motorbike parked in front of her, the exact replica of the bike she sold when she got pregnant with Shino, albeit updated with a shining coat of new paint and the latest modifications, top of the line. 

‘Surprise?’ he tells her, unable to hide a grin when she runs a hand reverently over the seat of the bike. 

‘I can’t accept this, ‘Tsumu. It’s too much’, she demurs but he knows she’s fallen in love when she’s unable to tear her eyes away from the bike.

‘Sure ya can! I registered it under yer name, and paid for the parking fees for the year, and look! It even comes with a helmet!’, he assures her, crossing his fingers behind his back. ‘Ya can ride it whenever ya have time to yerself - I’ll make sure I or ‘Samu will take Shino-chan for a couple hours every weekend so ya can go break some speed limits on the bike!’ 

‘This isn’t a bribe, right? Or some attempt to trick me into agreeing into something I don’t want to do?’ she asks him suspiciously. 

‘No - no tricks, I swear on my life. Look - I’ve signed the divorce papers, they’re in my bag. I just wanted to give ya the bike as a partin' gift’, he says, keeping his voice deliberately light. 

She stares at him, searching his face for any sign of duplicity, but he holds her gaze until she turns away, satisfied. 

‘You never do anything by halves, do you ‘Tsumu? But thank you anyway’, she laughs breathily and his heart lurches to a start when he sees her slowly start to glow whilst fussing over the bike, exclaiming to herself as she admires the paint job and the extra compartments he’d gotten the mechanic to install. 

Watching her brings back memories of their adventures together before Shino came along. She’d pick him up for a ride to the outskirts of Osaka on their rare days off, in search for a spot to lay their picnic mat down and shoot the breeze. They’d never found that perfect picnic spot, but that just meant that there were more places to explore, more roads to traverse, more adventures for them to go on. That’d all stopped once Shino came along, and he wonders if they wouldn’t be in such a state if he’d put in more effort to carve out more time for them.   

And even before that - there was the time she’d surprised him by turning up in Kobe for one of his matches, sweeping him away from his confused teammates right after the match to celebrate over egg mayo sandwiches at 7-11. He suspects that was the day he’d fallen in love with her, half realising that she was probably the only person crazy enough to burn hours on the road on the back her rusty old bike right after an exam, just to stay up all night sitting cross-legged in a dim combini with mayo in her hair, listening to him ramble about his volleyball match. 

Wow. 'Samu's right. Even the reason he fell in love with her was fucking selfish. 

‘Hey ‘Tsumu’, he hears her say after a while and he looks up. ‘Wanna go for a ride?’ she asks brightly, twirling the keys around her finger. 

‘Huh?’ he responds, genuinely perplexed. 

‘A ride, you idiot. Don’t you want to find out how the bike feels on the road, especially since you’re the one who paid for it?’ 

‘Sure’, he says, a little lost - but then again she’s always found ways to keep him on his toes. ‘But there’s only one helmet’. 

‘I still have my old one upstairs. Give me a second so I can get it!’ she rushes off, a spring in her step he’s sorely missed seeing and despite the ache in his heart, he smiles. 

His smile vanishes the moment she kicks the bike full throttle and hurtles through weekend Osaka traffic at breakneck speed, making such sharp turns he almost falls off the bike if he weren’t already clutching her waist for dear life. ‘Oi! Look out!’ he yelps, as she weaves her way through narrow gaps between cars, seemingly deaf to the horns of outraged drivers behind her - and fuck he wants to puke but can’t because there’s no way that doesn’t end badly for him. 

‘Slow down, you fuckin' maniac’, he manages to shout when his stomach gives itself up for dead, but the wind swallows his words and she only whoops in response. The neon city lights blur into a mess of colours and he runs through his repertoire of curse words. He swears she’s evil - it’s not enough that she’s killed him once by divorcing him, her insane riding is going to make sure he’s doubly dead.

They burst onto the highway in a squeal of tires, the city skyline fading into a sea of lights, and they’re both so focused on the road ahead of them, well – she is, at least, he’s trying his level best to stay on his seat - that neither of them notice the dark clouds gathering above until the first splatter of raindrops on the road. 

The sky is threatening enough to make her swerve off the highway into a quiet neighbourhood, screeching to a halt at the nearest park with an empty shelter large enough to fit both of them. They jump off the bike, helmets dangling over their arm, and she catches hold of his hand as they splash their way through muddy puddles in a bid to escape the incoming storm. 

‘That was amazing!’ she laughs when they reach shelter, twirling on the tips of her feet, cheeks flushed pink with excitement, looking so happy and bright and alive -  like a bird spreading its wings to fly high in the sky, the way she used to be before their marriage broke her wings and shackled her to the ground. 

If only he hadn’t been blinded by the false allure of his dreams to appreciate what was right in front of him - a woman bold enough to whisk him away from the clutches of deranged fans on the back of a motorbike, fierce enough for Osamu to assign her to deal with his bullshit - and most of all, crazy enough to marry and have a child with him. And he knows she isn’t his, not anymore, but he's a greedy, selfish man, and he wants her one last time, so he throws his jacket over her shoulders as a pretext for drawing her close to him, slanting his mouth gently over hers. 

She stills for a second, and he’s about to pull away when she melts into him, tilting her chin up to grant him greater access to her lips. An unexpected heat coils in his stomach when she tangles her fingers in his hair, scraping her nails against his scalp, a thrill running down his spine as he loses himself in her familiar softness and warmth and groans.

She gasps, jerking away from him, tracing her bruised lips with her fingers, looking up at him with wide eyes.

‘Tsumu’, she begins to say, but he cuts her off, frantic with worry that he’s scared her off before he’s had the chance to say his piece. 

‘I’m sorry - I know I shouldn’t have but I just...can I just say what I meant to say to ya before this?’ he asks, banking on the fact that she hasn’t slapped him yet, and to his relief, she nods. 

‘I’ve thought about what ya said, and yer right -  I’ve taken so much from ya I don’t deserve to ask ya for anything else, not when I should be the one making it up to ya for the rest of my life,’ he says, his heart cracking beneath his ribs (so it’s true, a heart can actually break) – because he knows now she’s lost to him, has been the second he'd forsaken his vows and stormed out of her life, but he gulps a breath to calm his pulse, forcing himself to continue on. 

‘All I want is for ya to be happy and free - and if signing these papers is the price I have to pay, I’ll do it for ya’. Then he draws the brown envelope from his bag, holding it out to her with shaking hands. 

She makes no move to take it from him. 

‘Do you even love me, ‘Tsumu?’ she asks, her voice feather light, a wisp in the wind. ‘Be honest with me, you don’t have to lie’.

There’s a searing pain in his chest and he closes his eyes, losing himself to the undercurrent of regret pulsing in his mind. 

‘I do’, he manages to choke out, peeling aside the rotting layers of vanity and greed and selfishness and pride to flay his chest open to present his heart to her, in all its bleeding, broken glory. 

‘Yer everythin’ I could’ve ever asked for, and it’s killin’ me to watch you walk away - but I deserve it cos I’m a fuckin’ idiot for not realisin’ that sooner, and ya have no idea how fuckin’ sorry I am for hurting ya so badly and making you think that I don’t love ya - because I do, gods, I do, I love ya so goddamned much.’

‘Does our marriage mean that much to you?’ she stares at him, her eyes clouded with an emotion he can’t make out. 

‘Yes’, he says simply, his response both a confession and a prayer. He makes no move to touch her, fearful that any misstep might tip them both over the edge, the storm of emotions swirling within him already threatening to swallow him whole. 

‘Then ask me again, ‘Tsumu’ she whispers, her fists clenched, trembling by her side.    

He blinks at her, but his confusion morphs into elated disbelief when she takes the brown envelope from him and rips it cleanly in half. 

Oh. 

‘Ask me again, ‘Tsumu’, she repeats, the clouds in her eyes clearing into pools of light. He wonders if it mirrors the rush of warmth and love and most of all - hope, overflowing in his heart. 

‘Wanna try jumping off a cliff again?’ he asks, voice shaking, echoing the request he made of her years ago.

She steps forward into his waiting arms, her smile like golden sunlight spilling through grey rain.  

‘Only if you promise to jump with me’, she says softly against his chest. 

He catches her forgiveness desperately in his hands, and seals his promise with his lips. 

[13uswntimagines]

Baseball Showoffs (Rose x baseball Player!Reader)

Request: reader x rose, maybe the reader is a baseball player and is up against the Braves aka Mr. pugh and then maybe the team hosts a watch party for the game

Authors Note: Hey dudes, so I might have gone a bit crazy with the baseball terms. I also happen to be a big Yankee’s fan, so if you don’t like them, you can totally switch the teams. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to send me feedback or just hit up my page if you wanna say Hi! 

Team bonding was a normal occurrence for the national team. It was typically a time filled with movies, stupid games like truth or dare and Dawn approved snacks. But today, it would be centered around a different kind of game. 

It was the Atlanta Braves taking on the New York Yankees, or as far as the team was concerned, you verses Dansby Swanson (more like Rose vs Mal, but everyone was too afraid to say it).

“I didn’t think you two liked baseball,” JJ muttered from beside Rose, tossing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. The woman in question rolled her eyes. 

“We don’t, but Y/n looks hot in the uniform, and her little celebrations are adorable,” The midfielder smirked, wiggling her shoulders as if to prove her point.  The two of you had been dating for 4 years, and in that time you still couldn’t convince her that baseball was remotely interesting. She only watched to see your bat flips and dance moves. You had recently been traded to the Yankees in the hopes that you could bring them the winning spirit from the Nationals (which they had lost after Jeter retired, or that at least what you told her).

“Y/n has been killing it this season. She has like a .370 batting average”  Ashlyn snorted, shoving popcorn in her mouth. She wasn’t a giant Yankees fan, but after the Braves defeat of the Marlins, she couldn't support them in good conscience. 

“Dansby isn’t bad either though, it’s like a .33,” Kelley argued. She wasn’t a huge baseball fan, but she had to rep for her state. 

“Yeah, but y/n has 16 home runs, and it’s only their 12th game, Mr. Pugh is going to have his hands full for sure,” Alyssa countered with raised eyebrows. Sure she didn’t like the Yankees as much as she liked the Cubs, but almost anyone was better than the Braves. 

“No offense to y/n, but my money is on the braves,” Kelley said nudging Rose, who nodded in understanding. 

“That’s right, gotta rep our home team,” Emily nodded back, giving the frat daddy a high five. 

“Aren't they away this week?” Mal asked with furrowed eyebrows. . 

“Y/n isn’t in grey so yeah,” Rose nodded. The only reason she knew that was because she thought you looked sexier in the blue pinstripes than the ugly grey one (though she much preferred the red uniform of the Nationals).

“Is that how it works?” Megan questioned, suddenly interested now that the fashion choices were the center of attention instead of batting averages or whatever. 

“Yeah, the home team wears white pants and bats 2nd” Kelley nodded, returning her attention to the TV where the 1st inning came to an end after a strikeout. 

“Y/n has got a damn good batting average and home team advantage, so she’s going to crush Dansby,” Rose mumbled and Mal rolled her eyes. There was no way that you were going to beat her boyfriend. 

“Well Dansby’s up to bat, so we’ll see just how they match up,” JJ laughed, enjoying how riled up the team was getting for a sport that everyone claimed to not like. 

*****

The New York sun was bright as you paced back and forth in the area between 2nd and 3rd base waiting for the next batter to be ready. You were frustrated that Dansby had managed to get into first, and with Riley up to bat, you were sure you were going to be getting some action soon.

You squared up to home plate, crouching slightly as Garrett got ready to throw the next pitch. The ball came off the bat like a rocket, slicing towards you as Dansby ran towards 2nd. Just as he rounded the base You caught the ball and tagged him as he passed you for a double play. 

“Couldn’t have given me that one?” He winked at you after the 3rd vase umpire called him out. The two of you were pretty close considering you hung out at lots of USWNT matches. 

“Not a chance, now stop trying to impress your girl and play smart, shoulda stayed at second,” You smirked back, tapping his chest with your glove. 

“Ooh, like you aren’t doing the same thing,” He laughed back.

“Never said I wasn’t, but it seems to be working out a little better for me, I just made an amazing catch” You held up the ball to prove your point. 

“Maybe you should go for something a little less subtle,” He shrugged back good-naturedly. Your girls weren’t big into baseball, but you were sure that your leaning catch would at least draw you a “good job” from Rose. 

“We’ll see, there’s a time and a place for everything,” You smirked at the man, shoeing him back towards the dugout. 

******

The team watch with bated breath as you edged your way off of second plate. It was the bottom of the 7th and your team was still frustratingly tied with Dansby’s (as your 2 run homer had been matched by 2 individual runs from the other team). 

“ the braves better be careful, Y/l/n has the highest stealing average in the league,” Ashlyn chimes in, and right in cue you made a break for 3rd base. 

The pitcher had been onto you, sending the ball towards Dansby, but you were already one step ahead, leaping over the man and landing safely on the plate. 

“God she so cute,” Rose sighed dreamily as you stuck your tongue out at Mr. Pugh. 

“She just stole a base and that’s what you say?” Kelley snorted. Yes her team was losing, but she had to admit that you had some serious skill. 

“She’s got dirt in her nose,” Rose shrugged, smiling wider when you did a little happy wiggle as your teammate stepped up to bat. 

******

The team crowded around the TV, far more interested in the outcome of this game than they thought they’d be. It was the bottom of the 9th, the bases were loaded and your team was down by 2. You needed to hit a run to win. 

The women watched as you tightened your fingers on the bat, the commentators mentioning how your famous left-handed swing was similar to Rose’s. 

“They should change the names on their jerseys, none of the fans call them by their own last names anyway,” Julie snorted, as the commentator went on about how this matchup was ingesting because you and Dansby were dating USWNT players. It didn’t help that you and him kept interacting every chance you got. 

“Y/n and I have the same number, so they don’t wanna confuse the fans,” Rose retorted with an eye roll. 

“She’s batting lefty?” Sam asked surprised. Every other time you were at-bat, you had hit righty. It was strange to see you switch it up. 

“Yeah, she’s a switch hitter. It’s probably to trip Soroka up,” Kelley shrugged. Their pitcher was known for having issues with lefties, and you guys needed a hit to win, so that was most likely your motivation. They just switched Anderson for him, so you changed that is too. 

“Soroka is solid. There’s no way she’s getting another hit off of him,” Emily fired back. The dude had one of the highest strikeout rates in the league, there was no way you were going to get anything more than a double. You were dangerous at-bat, and had already scored big, it was probably why they put him on the mound. 

“10 bucks?”  Kelley asked with a raised eyebrow, holding her hand out for a shake. Emily snorted, slapping the hand. 

“Deal,”

*****

You tightened your hands on the bat, your eyes taking in every detail of the pitcher. The bases were loaded, you were down by two, you needed a hit to keep your team alive. Soroka nodded at the catcher, winding up for the pitch. You had watched enough of his games to know what that windup meant. The ball seemed to move in slow motion as it left his fingers and screamed its way towards home plate, right down the middle in his famous fastball. You took a deep breath and swung the bat, a crack resounding throughout the stadium when it made contact. 

You watched the ball as it sailed towards the wall, standing frozen on home plate as it went. The fans roared when it came to a stop on the second deck of the stadium, a wide smile breaking across your face. You flipped your bat high and began the long trot around the bases, the fan’s cheers and the stadium’s fireworks the soundtrack to your success. 

“Now that’s how you impress,” You smirked cockily at Dansby as you rounded 2nd base. He was a good friend to you, but scoring a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th was the ultimate euphoric moment and it totally deserved a little bit of cockyness. 

“Whatever Y/L/N” The man smiled back shaking his head and low-fiving you as you passed him. You had beaten him in your competition to out show off to your girls this time, but he’d get you next time. Somehow, some way. 

As you jogged towards home plate, the camera zoomed in on you. You tapped your number, and blew a kiss towards it, hoping that Rose knew that you had hit that grand slam for her, to impress her. (unknown to you she caught the kiss through the T.V. and put it in her pocket). Sure she didn’t like baseball, but she loved you. 

[justfrozenthings]

Eternal Happiness

Paring: Anna/Kristoff

Rating: G

Word Count: 1,431

Notes: Just a little fic I wrote for @annaofthenorthernlights. Hope you enjoy this fluffy family fic I wrote!

Summary: Anna and Kristoff spend a nice day on the lake with their newborn daughter Amara as they reflect on the happy times of their life together.

Anna hummed a soft tune as she cradled her newborn baby Amara in her arms. “She has your nose. Thank goodness,” Kristoff chuckled as he sat beside his wife on their bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and happily looking down at the little bundle that they had created together. “And your hair,” Anna sighed dreamily, resting her head on his shoulder.

Kristoff rubbed small circles along her back. “You know. I used to think I never needed anybody, that it would just be me, Sven, and our boat. But then- well then I met you. And now here I am. I have a beautiful wife, a loyal dog, a great boat, and now a little girl that I can call my own.” Tears began to swell in his eyes as he thought about how lucky he had been. “I couldn’t be any happier than I am right now.”

Anna kissed his cheek, “Me either.” She rose to her knees and nestled herself in Kristoff’s lap, being careful not to disrupt little Amara from her slumber. “Tell you what. How about tomorrow we take the boat out for a nice little cruise on the lake. I figured we’ve been so busy as of late it would be nice to take a little break.” She looked down at the sleeping infant in her arms, “Plus. Amara hasn’t been on the boat yet and I think she’s old enough to go out as long as we’re careful.”

Kristoff beamed at this suggestion and kissed the soft ginger hair on his wife’s head. “I could not think of a better way to spend a day with the two girls I love most in the world.”

-----------

Anna placed Amara in her stroller and pulled the hood down so that the sun would not be beaming down on her. Anna dawned a huge white floppy sun hat with a cute little white sundress printed with sunflowers and brown sandals to match. She pulled down her sunglasses as she sat on the front porch, carefully rocking the stroller back and forth while she sipped on an ice-cold glass of lemonade. Kristoff was still in the kitchen packing up their lunches. As she waited, Anna closed her eyes and listened to the sweet chirps of the birds and the soothing music from the chimes that were being blown in the light breeze. She daydreamed about her life and all the opportunities that she had been blessed with. Growing up, she was often lonely. Her sister Elsa and her used to be very close as children, until one day she grew very ill and, in worry, their parents kept them apart so that Anna would not catch it as well. Though she knew her parents meant well by doing this, as they were told that the chances of Elsa surviving were slim, it still caused her to have just the tiniest amount of resentment towards them. However, that was all in the past now. Elsa had pulled through and Anna had fixed her relationship with her sister and now their bond was stronger than ever. Not only that but she had found happiness with Kristoff and now had a daughter made from their love. Kristoff always called himself the lucky one, but Anna thought that, if anyone was lucky, it was her.

When Kristoff came out with a reusable bag filled with their lunch he saw his wife looking ever so peaceful on the porch swing he had built. The sun cast a radiant glow upon her ivory freckled skin and her hair looked like wildfire. Gently setting the bag down he kneeled in front of her taking her hands in his. “Hey. Anna, ready to go?” Anna gave a small yawn and stretched her arms over her head. “Yep. Oh, did you make sure to pack the sunscreen?”

He gave a small nod. “Everything is all packed and ready.”

Together they strolled down the street of their neighborhood, holding hands and pushing the stroller as they laughed about the good times of the past. One story, in particular, made Anna laugh so hard, lemonade came out of her nose.

The story was about their first kiss and how awkward the both of them had made it. Both were too nervous to ask or give any sort of hint that they were ready to take their relationship to the next step. But, as Kristoff dropped her off on her front porch he decided that it was now or never. However, instead of forming one coherent sentence, it came out all scrambled and tongue-tied. At some point within the sentence Anna swore she could have heard him say “we me,” but he was rambling so fast that she couldn’t be sure.

When the little family had reached the marina they made sure to stop by and say hello to friends and neighbors. They had let those hold Amara who had already met the sweet baby and introduced her to those who hadn’t.

Eventually, after Kristoff had to nearly drag Anna to with him when she finished a conversation so that she would not go and start another one, they made their way down the wooden dock.

As Kristoff got the boat ready, Anna was busy strapping a lifevest and lathering sunscreen on Amara. However, when he snuck a quick glance, a deep rumble echoed in his stomach as he laughed at his wife and daughter who was now covered in streaks of white. Okay, so maybe she went a little crazy on the sunscreen, but can you blame her! Amara was still only a newborn and Anna, being the protective mama bear that she was, would do everything in her power to protect her. Even if that meant applying an excessive amount of sunscreen.

Once the boat was all set, and Anna had finally decided that Amara had enough sunscreen, Kristoff pulled out of the little port. Anna went to go sit beside him, placing Amara in her lap and resting her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and let out a delightful sigh as she felt the soft wind blow through her hair. “This is nice,” Anna said, giving a small smile. “We have both been so busy lately, that we hardly get to spend some nice quality time with one another.”

Kristoff wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Yeah. I miss you when I’m at work. It’s strange not having you there.” Only a year after the two had gotten married they opened up their own flower shop. Flowers were actually what had brought them together, and they both hated being apart from each other for long periods of time, so they thought why not start a business that had a connection to their eternal happiness. But ever since Anna had the baby and took on the job of being a stay-at-home mom, Kristoff missed getting to work with her every day. After cruising around the lake for a few minutes, they found a nice shaded enclosure to anchor down and eat their lunch.  They continued to ramble on about the happy memories they have made as they ate their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sipped on the sweet nectar of their ice-cold lemonade. Amara was still breastfeeding so Kristoff had packed the blanket Anna used to cover herself up with whenever she fed the small child. They finished up their meal with a nice chocolate cake with chocolate icing, Anna’s favorite, that Kristoff’s mother had made for them a few nights prior to help Anna get through the stress of taking care of a newborn baby.

The little family had spent the rest of the day basking in the summer sun and listening to Kristoff strum a silly song he and Sven had made many years ago. They felt sorry for leaving the sweet old dog behind, but he didn’t really care for he took his job as protector of the house, and Amara, very seriously.

As the sun began to set, casting hues of orange and pink across the sky, the family had made their way back to the marina. When they had made it home and the couple had nestled down in their bed holding each other contently, they reflected on the joys the day had brought them. “Today was perfect,” Anna sighed as she nuzzled her husband’s neck. “Yeah,” Kristoff said as he placed a kiss on her head. “Just another day we can add to our list of eternal happiness and more to come.

End Notes: Sorry for any grammar mistakes. This is just a fluffy little family fic that I may or may not make into a series. I already have a mermaid fic that I am writing and a forbidden love fic I want to start so we'll see how this goes. I have no clue why I like putting all this work on me either. But hey, at least it's something I like doing.

                 Ao3

[goldensunflowers98]

Coffee House Dreams

Luke Hemmings Imagine

Please let me know what you think❤️

Aurora sighed as she blew a golden blonde curl from her line of vision once again, her fingers lightly pressing against the piano keys while trying to find the right sound. The small coffee shoppe nestled in one of the side streets of London, where her sister worked tirelessly, bustled with life, the strong scent of espresso overwhelming her senses with every inhale.

She was here almost everyday since she couldn't afford a piano this nice at home, knew most of the customers by name, and she always enjoyed a classic, sweet, vanilla cappuccino after a long day at Uni.

Aurora was a simple girl who loved the sight of rain droplets on rose petals, the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore at night, and the scent of espresso as she played the piano. She loved the color red, especially her crimson colored scrunchie that currently tied her mess of golden curls up, and she found unkind people to be the scum of the earth.

She also found the mysterious blonde haired, blue eyed boy that hid his face being a pair of sunglasses and a steaming caramel latte to be the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen. He had started coming in just in the past week, but Aurora found his Australian accent positively enchanting and the dimples that appeared when he smiled made her slam her fingers down on the keys of the piano the first time she saw them, causing a loud crash of discord to sound through the small shoppe and for her to duck her blushing face when he whipped around confused.

He sat perched at the window seat across the way and Aurora noticed how he had a blueberry muffin as well today, his fingers picking at the treat as he watched the raindrops rolls down the clear glass beside him.

He looked sad today, Aurora noticed, the corner of his lips turned downwards and he anxiously fidgeted every few minutes, scratching his temple with his sweater paw.

Now, noticing she was staring like a crazy person, Aurora clears her throat, turning her attention back to the keys and the song she was trying to figure out.

Well the sky is finally open, the rain and wind stopped blowin'

But you're stuck out in the same old storm again

The notes just don't sound as perfect as she wanted and she tries again in another key.

You hold tight to your umbrella, well, darlin' I'm just tryin' to tell ya

That there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head

She groans to herself, placing her head down on the polished wood, frustrated that she couldn't even get the cords right to her own song.

"That's a beautiful song. Have you tried it starting out in 'G' though?"

She gasps in shock, jumping backwards, her sheet music flying everywhere, and she nearly falls off the piano stool as she hears the accented voice of the mysterious boy who loved caramel lattes right beside her.

He looks mortified at her reaction, his bright blue eyes that were no longer covered by sunglasses were wide and his long arms were out like he was about to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Whoa! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," he says but it's all muffled as Aurora stares up at him in shock and wonder.

This mysterious boy wasn't so mysterious after all. He was Luke freaking Hemmings from her old favorite band, 5 Seconds of Summer. She had been staring at Luke Hemmings like a certified freak for over a week now and didn't notice. She really needed to get more sleep.

"It's fine. Everything is fine. Just startled me is all. First, you're way over there and now, you're all the way over here. You must have some long legs on you," she mumbles frantically like a crazy person, picking up her sheet music and as she finishes her sentence, her eyes trail from his torso, down his long legs, and to his feet that were awkwardly doing this thing where they turned into one another. "I rest my case."

He laughs lightly at that and her eyebrows raise when he rests his latte cup on top of the piano as if he was staying awhile.

"Sorry, I tend to creep up on people without them noticing. I'm Luke, by the way," he reaches out his hand for her to shake and Aurora smiles at the sight of his red gel fingernails, her favorite color.

"Aurora... I love the red," she says, earning a brilliant beam from him with a hint of a blush. He mumbles a 'thank you' quietly, tucking a wild blonde curl behind his ear sheepishly.

"You come in here a lot. Do you live close by or something?" He asks, taking a sip of his hot drink as she assorts her music once more.

"Are you stalking me, Luke?" She smirks as he nearly chokes on his drink and starts to fumble over his words.

"N-No! No, I just hear you play every time I come in. It's quite nice and it's a small... it's a small shoppe. Oh, god... Please don't think I'm a psycho stalker," he winces behind his cup, knowing his previous words made him sound like a creep.

"I'm just kidding," she giggles with a mischievous grin, finding his nervousness to be quite funny. "It's a small and quiet coffee house. Not many new people come in, so you're a sight for sore eyes, for sure."

She furrows her brows as he doesn't really reply to her statement, looking back at the door as it chimes, lips bitten harshly by his front teeth. He looks disappointed as Andrew, the local dog walker who liked a double fudge hot cocoa after a long morning of trudging along behind a sweet saint bernard, two huskies that were brothers, Mrs. Henderson's prize winning poodle, and a teacup yorkie that had a bite of a lion, walked in.

"Waiting for someone?" She asked quietly, trying to be gentle as his face is crestfallen after checking the time.

"Uh.." he runs his hand through his curls, tugging at the roots anxiously for a moment before turning back to her. "My girlfriend. She... We've been fighting a lot recently, but she was supposed to meet me an hour ago to talk some stuff out."

Sierra Deaton, Luke's girlfriend, was a sweet girl from what Aurora observed from the tweets and Instagram posts, but every relationship had its downfalls.

"Maybe she's stuck in traffic. You know how London is," she once again tries to be gentle with his feelings and her heart aches just a bit when she sees his deep frown.

"Yeah... Maybe it's just London." He hides his upset eyes by a fake smile and Aurora finds it upsetting at just how good he seemed at that specific action; hiding his true feelings.

"Fuck," he suddenly curses, looking frantic for a second as he starts collecting all of his belongings.

"What's wrong?" Aurora asks, his nervousness making her anxiety spike.

"I'm late for rehearsal. Shit! I completely forgot," he shoves his phone in his pocket and shoots back the rest of his latte quickly. "It was so nice finally meeting you! Um, I'll probably see you tomorrow! Try starting the song out in G!" As quick as he stumbles out his words, he is out of the shoppe and Aurora watches in hazy confusion as he speed walks past the window, tugging at his hair nervously again.

"That boy is going to go bald one day if he keeps that up," she mumbles, turning back to her piano and feeling a bit confused and star struck by her encounter.

"What boy?" She hears her sister ask as she walks around the corner, taking Luke's empty mug from off the piano and placing it in the dirty dish tray she had rested on her hip.

"Just a boy, Cece," she smiles up at her older sister who looked disheveled after a long shift. "Damn, you look rough."

Celestia rolls her eyes playfully at her little sister, reaching up to maintain her jet black hair that was nothing like her sister's. You would have never have known that they were related if you had set your eyes on the curly blonde haired, green eyed, shy girl and the older, upbeat girl with obsidian hair and bright, blue eyes. "Want another cappuccino?" She asks, earning a grin and a nod from Aurora as she walks away.

Looking down at the ivory keys, Aurora hums to herself as she hovers her fingers over the 'G' key. Beginning to play the song, she can't help but grin and scribble down notes inside her tattered song journal. Maybe Luke knew what he was talking about after all.

________

The sun is dimly shining the next morning and Aurora inhales the smell of wet asphalt after the night full of rain, a small smile on her face. Turning the corner towards the coffee shoppe, she nearly stops in her tracks as she sees a familiar, teary-eyed boy through the window, sitting in his normal seat. He was alone, no coffee or muffin in sight and she watches as he buries his distraught face in his hands.

Trudging along slowly while taking looks back at the upset Luke through the window, Aurora frowns as she enters the shoppe and walks over to the counter. "Hey, Cece. I need a vanilla cappuccino, a caramel latte, and two blueberry muffins, please. Put extra caramel drizzle and whipped cream on the latte too."

She ignores her sister's confused smirk as she places the money on the counter, continuing to look over at Luke, who's shoulders were now lightly shaking with sobs. Her order is quick to arrive and she collects the cups and muffins carefully, making a beeline towards Luke's table.

"Hey, sunshine," she whispers solemnly, a gentle, comforting smile on her lips as he looks up with red rimmed eyes, a flushed nose and cheeks, and sniffles quietly.

"Hey," he croaks, wiping his eyes and looking embarrassed that she caught him in his weakest moments.

She slowly slides the muffin and caramel latte in front of him and when he looks up at her confused that she got his order right, she shrugs lightly. "Lucky guess," she says before taking the seat in front of him.

"I know we just met and aren't the best of friends, but I felt like you needed someone to talk to or else you wouldn't be sitting here in the middle of a public coffee house and crying, so... Here I am," she says, stuffing a large bite of blueberry muffin in her mouth and ignoring the crumbs that fall onto the table.

He doesn't say anything for a few moments, a dazed look in his eyes as he gazes out the window and stirs his spoon around and around the rim of his cup.

Aurora is patient, half of her cappuccino finished before he finally parts his lips to speak.

"She left me. She said she didn't want to deal with the distance when we go on tour again and that she didn't trust me to not h-hook up with other girls while I'm gone. I've never done anything but give her l-love and reasons t-to...to trust me! I would n-never cheat."

His words, heaving chest, and his trembling lip are enough to make Aurora wince in sympathy, nearly burning her tongue as he says it in the middle of her taking a larger gulp.

"I'm so sorry, Luke... I know she meant a lot to you or you wouldn't be having this reaction." He nods solemnly as her words before she continues. "If it's any consolation, she didn't deserve you after you kept trying to meet up and talk and she never showed. You tried. She didn't. Some people aren't worth your tears. I know that's not going to stop you from being upset, but it's a thought to think about."

His eyebrows furrow a bit at her words before he gives a small nod. "I guess you're right," he says, showing progress in his mood as he finally picks up his latte and takes a small sip.

It's quiet for a few more minutes and the second that Aurora sees his bottom lip start to tremble again, she panics and leans forward. "Hey," she reaches out and lightly touches his hand. "Want to get out of here? I've got this place I'd like to show you if you let me. It's a bit of a drive, but you won't regret it."

Looking down at his watch, he seems to weigh the pros and cons for a moment before giving in. "Why not?" He says, standing and throwing his jacket on as Aurora looks up, slightly dumbfounded that he accepted.

"Okay," she stands up and gets out an excited giggle, placing their cups in the bin. "Lets go"

With a wave to her sister, who was giving her a proud smirk, Luke puts on his sunglasses and they leave the coffee house, making their way to her car that was parked around the corner.

"Holy shit, this is amazing!" Luke laughs unbelievably at her cherry red 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible with cream colored interior.

"Thanks! It was my granddad's!" Climbing in, she cranks the car and with an excited grin and looking both ways, she pulls out into the traffic.

The wind blows through their hair as the cruise down the roads and Aurora gently smiles when she looks over and sees Luke grinning as he looks at the scenery and people around.

"Here," She hands him her phone as she enjoys the cool breeze, placing her sunnies over her eyes. "You choose the music."

"Brave choice," he hums, taking the phone and beginning to scroll through the songs until he gets to a certain category.

"I knew it!" He shouts with a crazed laugh, Aurora giving him an odd look as she worries for his health.

"You okay there, bub?" She asks with a slight chuckle before he shoves her phone in her face with a wide grin.

"Every one of our albums, including our old EP's, and features. I knew you were a fan!" He laughs as her face drops, a blush taking over her cheeks.

"I never said I wasn't," she sticks her tongue out at him before smirking at his dumbfounded face. "Play a song, doofus." She shoves him playfully as he continues to grin, his thumb scrolling through the songs.

English Love Affair starts playing through the speakers and Aurora rolls her eyes behind her sunglasses. "I see what you did there," she laughs as he smirks over at her cheekily, his sadness hidden well, but Aurora knew it was still under the surface.

________

Oh tie up your boat, take off your coat, and take a look around

Everything is alright now

The door to the coffee shoppe chimes cheerfully the following day, making Aurora look up in curiosity. A smile tugs at her lips as she sees the familiar, lanky, blonde boy walk in but her eyes slightly widen as three other beautiful boys follow behind him.

"Holy mother of God," she mumbles to herself wide eyed as she sees Luke turn towards the piano and give her a smile and wave, making a beeline towards her with the boys in tow.

Gulping, Aurora tries to hide her shaking hands by sitting on them, nervously grinning as they come closer.

"Hey, Ro! These are my friends, Michael, Ashton, and Calum. I told them about your song and they really wanted to hear it." Aurora almost fell over as a pleasant nickname passed through his lips but what really made her vision blurry was the end of his sentence.

"O-Oh, that's so... that's so sweet, Luke. It isn't finished yet though," she frowns, biting her lip as he seems to deflate.

"Oh, well maybe next time then," he says sadly and the look on his face is enough for her to grab his hand as he starts to turn.

"Wait! I-I can show the parts I do have," she says, making his smile appear once again.

The boys all crowd around her, making her feel extremely nervous but with Luke's encouraging smile, she places her still shaking hands over the keys.

When it rain it pours but you didn't even notice

It ain't rainin' anymore, it's hard to breathe when all we know is

The struggle of staying above, the rising water line

She continues the song, trying to his cracking, nervous voice, until she no longer has any lyrics, trailing off with a quiet hum and shaky exhale. "That's all I've got so far," she looks up to see the four boys grinning at her widely.

"She's perfect, Luke," Calum says over to Luke proudly and Ashton nearly jumps up and down.

"Such a smart breadstick, you!" Ashton pats him hard on the back as Michael continues to smile but stay the calm one.

"I don't understand," Aurora nervously picks at her bottom lip as they continue to talk excitedly amongst themselves. That's when she realizes her music journal that was testing on the piano is in Ashton's hand and they are all flickering through the pages with excited grins.

"Um, excuse me," her eyebrows are now furrowed as they read her personal songs and words from her heart and Luke looks up as they hear the edge in her tone.

"Sorry, Ro," He yanks the journal out of their hands and places it back on the piano with an apologetic wince. "I think we owe an explanation." When she nods annoyed, he gulps and continues. "We are in a band called 5 Seconds of Summer."

"I know this... Plus, there's only four of you," she deadpans as Ashton snickers in the back.

"Anyway! We are in a band and we are looking for an opening act and someone to sign, but we didn't want anyone to mainstream or famous. We think you'd be perfect to open for us."

Aurora stares up at them in shock, her mouth becoming dry.

“So... what do you say?” Luke asks, his cheeks turning slightly red.

What should she say?

[datninjalyfe]

Not Without You, Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Dream

The sound of a loud explosion echoed through the training room of U.A.  The students watched as an intense light detonated before them, igniting a fiery ball of yellows and oranges, billowing upwards into a large cloud of smoke that blocked their target.  A few screamed from the sound, covering their ears from the deafening sound and blocking their faces, awaiting the extreme and violent reaction that followed. The ground shook, breaking apart under their feet.  

Uraraka, despite the ringing in her ears, lifted her feet in the air, touching as many people as she could around her to lift them out of harm’s way.  She called out to Izuku, who had jumped into the air, levitating above the debris from the eruption.  He used black whip to catch a few students—Aoyama (who graciously thanked him by batting his eyelashes) and Mineta who was caught flying from the initial blast.  

“Shinsou, stop him!” Izuku yelled, but when Shinsou’s binds reappeared from the smoke, the ends were completely burned.  Shoto put up an ice wall to protect Mina, who had become slightly injured from the initial attack; Momo had made several grenades of her own, throwing them at the unseen, unmarked target.  The sounds of the grenades echoed across the training facility and for several seconds, it become completely silent.  Izuku landed his feet on the ground, looking into the large cloud of smoke with the rest of the class.  Concern itched across his face, but he didn’t move.  The classmates that Uraraka had lifted into the air were released, crashing down to the quaked floor.  

“Did—did I get him?” Momo said, panting with her gashed cheek beginning to bleed profusely.  

“Not quite.” growled a voice.  Katsuki Bakugou emerged from the smoke, his body completely untouched, completely unscathed by any of their counter attacks.  His clothes were rags that limply hung from his body.  In his hand, he held one of Momo’s grenades.  Looking shocked and angered she moved towards him, but he pulled the pin and crushed it before it discharged, but before it could do any real damage, he inhaled deeply the tiny pop through his fingers.  He slipped his hand into his pocket before smiling menacingly at his classmates.  

Aizawa emerged from the smoke as well.  “That,” he said in his monotoned voice, putting a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder. “—was an ultimate move.  Both offensive and defensive.  The rest of you could stand to learn something from that.  Good work, Bakugou.” He added under his breath, “You scary little shit.” but walked away as the smoke from the room cleared.  

“Damn, Bakugou!” Kirishima said, running up to his friend.  “That was awesome, you totally could have killed someone!”

Katsuki exhaled a hot breath.  His body was completely spent from that move—his quirk would need at least an hour or so to regenerate.  He shivered slightly, and Kirishima handed him his jacket that he had tied around his waist.  He covered himself, not used to the cold.  Still, he smiled: his hard work at his work study agency finally paid off.  

“It’s detrimental,” Katsuki was warned by his mentor.  “So be careful where and how you use it.”  

Katsuki studied incredibly hard, watched video after video of bombs, studying all of his notes on how they worked, even asking a few of the teachers countless questions to turn himself into one.  It finally paid off—in truth, he felt a little badly that some of his classmates had gotten hurt, but he had told them he was working on something, an ultimate move that would put him well-above the rest.  He watched Uraraka help Iida to his feet; he watched Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow discuss strategy with him; he watched Mineta try and sneak up on Hagakure and Jiro put him in place.  His eyes wandered around the room and shifted entirely when he saw a bit of green hair poke up from the rubble.  

Shit! he thought, No!  Don’t look! But it was too late.  Izuku’s hair was always a mess—the curls weaved themselves into a tight knot atop his head.  Izuku hopped up, Katsuki could see in his periphery that Izuku used a bit of float to leap himself up onto the platform.

Directly in front of Todoroki.

Anger flared inside of Katsuki.  He silently just watched from afar as Shoto’s arm had extended, touching a light scratch on Izuku’s forehead.  Katsuki was out of heat entirely after the training, but he could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears as he watched Shoto’s mouth gently touch Izuku’s.

Fucking bastard, Katsuki thought, not sure who it was directed at, himself or Shoto.  The two pulled apart quickly and then chirped on about something Katsuki couldn’t hear.  Shoto looked in Katsuki’s direction like he could feel the intensity of Katsuki’s gaze in his periphery and smirked.  He wrapped an arm around Izuku and kissed his forehead again before lightly brushing his finger across Izuku’s nose and kissing him again.  

“If only I had killed him.” Katsuki whispered.  Kirishima gave him a knowing look and Katsuki was almost thankful to see Kaminari running up to both of them.  

“Way to go, man!” Kaminari forced Katsuki to avert his eyes.  “You looked like a real bomb, I thought you had blown yourself up, for sure!”

“That’s because you’re a moron.” Katsuki said.

“Get cleaned up, we’re doing Tokoyami’s ultimate move next.” Aizawa informed the class.  “Bakugou, sit this one out.” Katsuki opened his mouth to argue, but Aizawa just held up a hand and said, “I swear to God, if you say one fucking word, you’ll sleep outside.”

Katsuki shut his mouth, not sure if Aizawa fully had the authority to do so, but the short break gave him a moment for his quirk to return.  

And it also gave him an excuse to watch Izuku.  Uninterrupted.

Until his phone chimed. Another match?  he asked himself as he looked down at the notification: he’d downloaded quite a few dating apps, but really had no interest in pursuing another relationship after the failed attempt with Izuku a little over a year ago.  It didn’t matter really—most people knew these apps weren’t for dating.  Not that he’d want to date any of them.  Once he turned 18, there really was not stopping him. His taste varied from girl to girl (“Woah, you’re back to being a closeted gay?  Does it count as being closeted if everyone already knows?” “Shut the fuck up, Yoyo, just help me make a profile.  Aren’t you gays good at this sort of thing?” “You’re one of us, asshole!” *dodges attack from Katsuki* “ONE OF US! ONE OF US!”).

A pretty girl appeared on the screen: I T ’ S  A  M A T C H! Katsuki refreshed him memory of who she was, swiping through the pictures on his phone of her—a local girl who went to a college not far from where they were.  She had soft features and long hair that covered most of her face.  Her slim waist held an enormous rack, but he wouldn’t have matched with her because of that.  As he flipped through the pictures, he didn’t remember swiping right on her at all.

Until he got to the one picture where he could see her eyes.  They were a deep, forest color that stopped him in his tracks.  They were clearly contacts as he noticed her eyes in the other pictures were bluer.  But this picture—they were a bright, grassy earth tone.  

“Damn, she’s hot as fuck, where’d you find one like her?” Kaminari said, looking over his shoulder at his phone.  “Those can’t even be real!  What’s her name?”

“Don’t know.” Katsuki said, shooting her a quick message: Dtf?  “Don’t care.”

“You could at least act like being an adult is hard for you.” Kirishima said. “I’ve barely been an adult for a month and it honestly sucks ass—,”

A response from the girl: At least take me to dinner and a movie first! He rolled his eyes, but messaged her back with: Only if you wear those green contacts. He waited a few moments before he got a picture message.  The girl had one of her eyes closed, but the other wide-open and so perfectly green.  The contacts looked a little different in this lighting, not nearly as bright, but it would do.  Good enough for you?  He smirked and responded: it’ll do.

Kirishima and Kaminari exchanged looks before one of them told him, “Alright, man, I mean, as long as you’re staying out of trouble and you’re happy, then have fun I guess.”

Katsuki put his phone back in his pocket, ignoring his friends when Sero and Mina came over. Instead, he looked over at Shoto and Izuku.  Shoto’s arm was still wrapped around Izuku’s waist as Izuku punched the air and laughing in his little awkward way and Uraraka ran over to him, the two giving each other high fives and jumping in the air.  I’ll never be happy. Katsuki thought, a quick flashback crossed his mind—a clear image of Izuku looking out at a perfect beach sunrise.  His green, unkempt curls tousling in the wind, his freckles darkly splattered across his face.  As if in slow motion, Izuku’s body turned, showing Katsuki a smile that he would kill to see again.  

Now, over a year later, Izuku smiled for someone else.  

I’ll never be happy again.

---

Izuku crashed onto his mattress after the long day of combat training, completely spent.  Especially after that crazy attack from Kacchan—

NO! he warned himself.  It hurts, don’t think about it.  But it was hard not to admire the dedication of Katsuki to push his quirk like that.  It must’ve taken so long to learn it, let alone master it the way he had.  Katsuki was willing to go through all of it for the sake of pushing his quirk to the absolute limit.  

He was willing to go through so much for you, too.

After Izuku’s failed relationship with Katsuki, Izuku needed to take some time for himself.  He had thought about Katsuki often, even tried to see him outside of school hours just to talk, but Katsuki wanted nothing to do with him.  Frequently, the two would pass each other—Izuku could feel Katsuki’s heat of his quirk.  He’s still upset. He wanted to call out to him, to talk to him, but after several attempts to do so, he came to the realization that Katsuki had moved on from him.  He also left campus every Friday and rumor had it that he was meeting other people.  He tried to not listen to such things and focus on his current relationship, but his mind went back and forth until he finally rationalized the breakup: “I would have loved you had you been kinder, Kacchan.” Izuku knew he was intense, feeling things so deeply that at first Izuku mistook the intensity for passion—but the flame that held their relationship together didn’t hold for long enough.

“Dammit, stop!” he yelled into the pillow he placed over his face.  Izuku took his advice and to distract himself, he scrolled through his phone, rereading some of the more recent messages from Shoto.  It read things like: In a world full of darkness, you are my beacon of light.  It made Izuku smile at least, despite the text being as cliché as it was.  His relationship with the youngest in the Todoroki member was (using no other word for it) perfect.

Shoto was the ideal boyfriend.  He was insanely smart, extremely perceptive, not to mention incredibly handsome.  His body was slim, but toned, his muscles outlining his slender frame.  His duo-chromed eyes made Izuku weak at the knees, despite having an almost naturally nonchalant gaze to them.  He was gorgeous, split precisely down the middle.  The curtains also matched the drapes, which didn’t surprise Izuku too much, as his pubic hair was a deep green and tangled up like the madness that sat atop his head.  Shoto was sweet to him as they hardly ever argued.  And when the two did start exclusively dating, it didn’t take long for them to start exploring each other entirely.  They hadn’t had sex yet—Shoto said he wanted to at least wait until after graduation, which Izuku respected.  

The two spent the weekends together most of the time.  After seeing Shoto’s mother would head to his home, eat with his family and when they were alone, would kiss each other, touch each other a little, fooling around before falling asleep next to each other.  It was a routine and Izuku couldn’t help but feel that Shoto had penciled him into his mental schedule, sectioning off a piece of every Saturday for Izuku.  

Izuku’s eyes became heavy as he scrolled through more lyrical lines of clichéd poetry Shoto had sent him. Sleep pooled at his eyelids, dragging them down in slow blinks.  His breathing slowed, inhaling and exhaling deeply, soothing him with each rise and fall of his chest.  With each blink, he was entranced by a dream: arms lightly wrapped around him, soft breaths in his face and Izuku knew he was asleep too.  He…?  I’m alone.  There was a feeling of permanent warmth that surrounded Izuku.  His eyes would suddenly open and Izuku was alone, back in his room, but then doze off, back into his luxurious, comforted subconscious. Izuku was fully awake here, not feeling tired at all.  Strange…I know I’m dreaming…Izuku turned his body, and closed his eyes, kissing the forehead lightly of the man that held him.

“Hmmm?” a gentle response that echoed in Izuku’s thoughts.  It was a deep sound, but lazy and resonated through Izuku.  He couldn’t make out a voice, nor a real figure—just a shadow entity that encased around Izuku, overtaking his thoughts and feelings.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Izuku heard himself say, being fully submerged underneath a hard weight, not being able to tell if it was physically or mentally heavy.  

“Sure you didn’t.” the voice said, a tone of sarcasm.  There was a light kiss from the shadows in the dark room that Izuku was brought to. Lips plump and wet, like kissing a misty cloud.  Izuku raised his hands above his head.  Pin me down…Izuku thought loudly and suddenly, two hands pushed him into the bed, holding on to his wrists in a bind.  Izuku gasped.  Can….can I control this dream?  

“Oh, you like that, huh?” the words seemed to ring in Izuku’s head when the man said it, but the kissing didn’t stop.  Izuku opened his mouth, their tongues slipping along one another.  

“Mmmm…” Izuku groaned loudly, running his hands through his rough hair before sliding his hands down the sides of the body that lay above him.  This feels so real.  Izuku panted hot breaths.  His heart pounded hard against his ribcage.  The two fooled around, explicitly exploring each other’s bodies.  

“Tell me you want me—,” he heard a voice growl at him.  

Is that….?  No, it can’t be…

“Deku.”

Izuku’s eyes opened instantly, sitting up straight up in his bed.  Beads of sweat dripped down his face, his temperature rising substantially throughout his body.  He frantically searched for his phone and once he had calmed himself, he did a couple minutes of research until he came across the words “lucid dream.”  

It was the first time he’d thought about Katsuki—really thought about him—in months.  No, not him.  Izuku thought.  Not him.  Not now.  Not after all this time.  But he couldn’t shake it.  

I need to have that again.

(next)(all)

[jeon-googi]

Drive Thru

— pairing: Barista!Mark Lee x Reader

 — genre: Slice of Life, Fluff 

— words: 1.3k

— rating: SFW

— warnings: None~

— notes: I am just, really whipped for Mark Lee and while writing some longer fics, I just wanted to write something short and sweet. Hope you like it! 

-

-

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There's a Starbucks that's relatively close to your house

And it has a drive thru

So on days when College is getting you down, you typically just swing through for a quick latte.

You pull up to the first window and glance at the menu

A voice sounds through the speaker

“Dude stop, I’m laughing bro stop-oh uh- Hi welcome to Starbucks what can I get for you today?”

You raise an eyebrow at the exchange before relaying back your order

“Just one grande Vanilla latte please.”

“Okay okay cool yeah sorry about that my coworkers said something funny but um yeah that’ll be $4:50 at the window.”

You grin as you pull forward into the line, a little excited to see exactly who you were talking to.

Pulling up to the window, the sliding door swings open and

Wow

A grinning boy with blonde hair and round glasses greets you

“Hey um for all that craziness here's a cake pop on the house.”

You smiled and waved it off 

“No, it's totally fine, you're good.”

The barista shook his head 

“Please really I’m kind of new so thanks for putting up with me. “

You smiled and nodded in defeat

“Alright cool thanks Mark.”

Mark took a double back at you

“Whoa have we met? How do you know my name?”

Okay he was officially the cutest person on earth.

You grinned and tapped on your chest, the same area that Mark had his own name tag.

Mark furrowed his brows in confusion before glancing down, groaning

“Oh duh…”

The window slid shut as Mark finished putting your drink together, a visible pout on his face

It was definitely not the drive thru experience you were thinking would happen

But you weren’t complaining. 

Mark slid the window back open, passing you your drink with a grin

“Have a great day! Hope to see you soon!”

You took the drink into your hand and gave him a smile

“Thanks Mark.”

You drove out of the drive thru and glanced down at some scribbles on the front of your cup

In messy sharpie was a crudely drawn sun and smiley face

It was official

You were whipped for Mark from Starbucks.

You weren't able to go back until a few days later, and it was up in the air if Mark would be working or not. 

Pulling up to the window you smiled as you waited for the barista to speak

“Welcome to Starbucks what can I get started for you?”

Your smile faltered a bit, you had hoped a little it would be the goofy voice of Mark

But you smiled and proceeded to order

The intercom came through again but took you by surprise, “And a name for your order?”

Well, at least to your knowledge you didn’t typically give a name for a drive thru order, maybe it was some new routine?

“Y/N” you stated and the voice cleared you to pull forward. 

Pulling up to the window once again

A man with pushed back black hair opened the window

“Hey it’ll be $4:50.”

Jaehyun was his name.

You smiled and passed your card to him which he quickly returned and the window slid closed again.

Waiting for your drink you were still a little disappointed Mark wasn’t there

But then the window slid open again

“Y/n!”

You turned quickly and the sound of the voice and there he was

The cutest barista around

Grinning and holding your drink

“Mark?” You smiled

“Phew, good thing I caught you! Jaehyun told me you were in the drive thru!”

You leaned your arm on your car door, tilting your head inquisitively

“Oh really? Well I’m glad you caught me then.”

Mark cleared his throat as he coughed into his sleeve, the faintest red blush could be seen on his cheeks as he slid your drink towards you.

“Oh and here's this!”

He slid a pastry bag at you as well, sharpie drawings littering your bag like he had before.

“Mark really you don’t have to, you didn’t even mess up today!” you smiled at him, gratefully accepting the bag.

Mark shook his head as he waved you off, “I want to Y/n!”

Okay now it was your turn to be confused, “Hey how do you know my name? I didn't-”

A flashback of a few moments earlier came back

Jaehyun must have asked so he could tell Mark your name

“Oh that was pretty sneaky you guys” you laughed as Mark rubbed the back of his head sheepishly

“I wasn’t sure how else to get your name…”

“I would’ve told you Mark. Here my turn-”

You quickly found a napkin in your car and motioned your hand out to Mark

“Sharpie please?”

He quickly scrambled into the cup of pens by the register and tossed one back at you

You carefully wrote down your cell number and passed it back to him

“Text me sometime!” and you quickly left the drive thru

Really you don’t know what possessed you to be so bold but Mark really weighed on your mind for a few hours after your encounter,

Anytime your phone chimed you scrambled, hoping you wouldn’t recognize the number but it was usually just some notifications. 

Winding down for bed, you were getting comfortable under the sheets when your phone started to buzz.

Groaning you had half the mind to not answer, as you noticed how late it was, but you glanced at your screen

It was a number not saved to your phone

You quickly slid the call button and held the phone up to your ear

“Hello?” you answered wincing as a loud voice came through

“Y/N! I’M SORRY IT’S SO LATE BUT I DIDN’T FORGET TO TEXT YOU I JUST GOT SLAMMED AT WORK AND WANTED TO TELL YOU!”

You couldn’t help but smile as you imagined the frantic blonde on the other end of the phone

“It’s fine Mark but isn’t it kind of late? What time do you get off of work?” You asked, a bit concerned noticing it was well past 10pm.

“Well we still have to close, so it takes us a while...OH MY GOD Y/N IT’S SO LATE DID I WAKE YOU UP?”

You laughed out loud as you fell back onto your pillows, “It’s fine Mark..I’m glad I answered. I was thinking you weren't going to message me…” You admitted sheepishly.

“No way. I was begging Jaehyun to let me go to the back for a bit but I had to help on the drive thru so I didn’t get the time.” You could hear his smile through the phone and it made your heart flutter a bit. 

“Well, maybe we could meet up? Not in the Starbucks drive thru this time.” You offered, hugging your knees nervously.

“I’d be so down Y/n.”

And that's how you started dating Mark from Starbucks

To be honest you were surprised how fast you two clicked.

Your first date was at the movies, where somehow you spent the whole day hopping from film to film and ended with a fast food dinner in Mark's car.

You learned a lot about Mark from just that one evening like how he lived in an apartment with some of his best friends, Jaehyun included. 

Or how he actually loved playing guitar and writing lyrics, some of which could be found scribbled on the side of your Starbucks cups which he would later text you begging you to send him what he wrote

Some of your favorites included

I'ma ride with my ego 'cause my ego scream

Skrrt pull up in the coupe, beep-beep

Shorty give me whip-whiplash

All of which would cause Mark to blush intensely as he reads what he sends you while you spend the night at his apartment, trying to hide his face as you tease him

He would pout as the both of you would cuddle up on his bed, watching Bob's Burgers while drifting off to sleep together

But you loved him anyways

Even if he was such a goof.

[spikeymarshmallows]

Hi! Just saw your WIPS post, if you’re willing would you mind telling a bit more about your Sexworker Klaus AU and Vanya’s book in the museum verse (not sure if someone has already asked about these two, sorry if I missed it!)... thank you so much!!! :3

Hehehe I’m sorry for my slow reply. I was HOPING to have the Vanya’s Book in Museum ‘verse finished by now for Kliego week, but unless I pull off a miracle, it’s probs not gonna happen in time....

Thank you for asking about theseeeeee. I’m sorry my reply is a novel!!!

But.

Here's a tiny snip for the Vanya's Book....

But Diego and Klaus were different. I was never quite sure what to make of them. They didn't seem to share the same energy as Luther and Allison. But I saw how Diego—Diego who was so quick to anger, to take offence, to throw out cruel words—softened around Klaus. It never really made sense to me.

Klaus was not the sweetest of our brothers. He was loud, and forever interrupted everyone, including Dad. Whenever anyone cut Diego off, they'd be met with anger, sometimes stuttered, sometimes not. When Klaus interrupted, Diego stopped, listened.

Klaus may have let Allison paint his fingernails, but he was also the one who stood up to Dad the most after Five left.

He wasn't particularly good at arguing, and his points didn't make sense, but his temper rivaled Diego's and his self-control was lacking. It was not unusual for Klaus to limp out of Dad's office with a puffy, tear-stained face, and a stubborn expression that could have matched Five's.

*

OKAY. SO. I HAVE SOME OPINIONS TM ABOUT KLAUS AS A SEX WORKER.

Or rather, I have Opinions TM about how sex work in general is portrayed in fics. Not just TUA. But... fics. In general.

So... Full disclosure. I know a lot of sex workers. Like. A lot. Like, a good proportion of my RL friends back in my home country are full-service-sex-workers. IDK, I'm in the kink scene, met a few there. Was in a poly relationship and one of my metamours was a sex worker. My best friend in Australia is a sex worker and when I go to her birthday parties, I meet loadddds of them. I know a lot of them. I used to hang with my best friend several times a week. I don't have the experiences of a SWer but.... I know one or two things that I don't think that fic really captures... And it's that Sex Workers are pretty normal people.

So. Basically. I come from a place where I view Sex Work relatively positively, and like many other jobs in that there are good days and bad days.

Yes, there are a lot of survival sex workers. That's a wholeeee other kettle of fish, and it's heartbreaking and emotional, and just so fucked up. A lot of sex workers that I have met started it from the necessity that... well. It was necessary. Some were homeless. Some were almost homeless. And then some... One girl talks about how she turned 18 and walked into a brothel that day because that's all she'd ever wanted to do.

There are also some who make absolute bank.But most of them? Normal people. They might have slightly nicer bags or shoes, but they're not rolling around in Burberry and Bordelle.

Sometimes she'd cancel dinner at the last minute for a last minute booking because she needed to make rent that week. Sometimes, she'd be like "So I'm free earlier! Wanna come over for wine and cheese?"

AnYwAy.... I got a bee in my bonnet and was all "...I wanna write Klaus as a normal sex worker!!"

It's not a stretch to imagine that Klaus has done survival sex work. He's heavily implied it in the show too. But I had this idea that maybe... there were moments in his life... where his life was a little more like the SWers I knew...

And then.... I had the prompt of "Eyes up now. Look at me." from wayyyyy back when.

And... The plan is/was/is/was/idk anymore/is to have Diego going to see a sex worker about a particular kink he has.... And being ashamed of that kink. And encountering an ad that he thinks might be a good fit. And showing up and... oh! It's Klaus!! Oh.....

And Klaus is like ".....well, you're here. I want my money, we may as well do this ;)"

SNIP SNOP SNAPPITY BOP Diego exhaled slowly and before his nerves could any further slow him down, he knocked sharply at the apartments door. It was a modest place in a normal part of the city. The paint was fresh on the walls, and it was clean for inner-city. Nothing crazy fancy, but definitely a few steps above his boiler room.

"It's open!" A voice came from inside the apartment and Diego hesitantly pushed inside.

It was nice, if a little cluttered. Definitely not the terrifying sex dungeon a part of him had expected. There were dream catchers hanging in a few spots, and wind chimes beside the door that lead out to a small balcony. There were some plants on the balcony and Diego squinted; those herbs were certainly not for the kitchen.

There was an enormous rug under a coffee table, and two well-used couches sat facing each other.

And fairy lights. There were a lot of fairy lights.

"Hello darling," a very familiar voice said as someone exited the kitchen to the left.

Klaus pulled up short, eyes wide.

Diego was frozen in place.

"Diego," Klaus said, the first to recover. "Lovely to see you, all that jazz, et cetera, et cetera, but you need to leave. I'm expecting someone any moment now," Klaus said, putting his hands on Diego's shoulders and manhandling him towards the door.

"Uh, yeah, about that," Diego said awkwardly, not letting himself be shoved any further.

Klaus stopped. "Ex-squeeze me?"

Diego said nothing.

"Oh come on," Klaus whined. He folded his arms across his chest, which Diego was only now registering was bare. He was wearing a short, silky kimono which barely grazed the tops of his thighs, his bare chest quite visible like this. "Dario?"

"Maybe?"

Klaus studied him through narrowed eyes. "Did you make all of this up, just to come and lecture me about how I shouldn't be doing this? Because if that's your objective, you can get the fuck out."

Diego's cheeks were flaming. His jaw was hurting from how tightly he was clenching it.

"Ugh!" Klaus said, throwing his arms in the air. "I'm going to make some tea. Just… Sit down."

Diego did so awkwardly. He looked around the room again, trying to note things just to distract himself. There was eclectic art on the walls, and now that Diego knew this was Klaus' place, he was not at all surprised at the decor.

Off of the small living space were three doors. One for the kitchen, one where he could see a low-lit room with a bed in it, and the third that he assumed was a bathroom. 

[the-headbop-wraith]

X

3 _ 39 The Land Time Forgot

  A rebounding thunder of cries tumbled across the vibrant blue sky, terror gushing forth, metal grinding and mashing and rattling. The clank and rasp howled forth, and then a yellow blur winked out as it hurtled through a subterranean burrow. Further wailing echoed within, until the terror-stricken voices extinguished, and silence curdled forth.

 “Oh my god, did you see that!” A blue blur dashed to the side of a rail and peered over into the hollowed pit, she leaned far over with her leg slung up high behind her. “That had to be sixty mph!” She’s joined at the shoulder by a snazzy dressed figure, his grin dazzling.

 “Vii, indoor voice. Save it for the rides, or you’ll go hoarse again.”

 She snickered. “Neigh!”

 Further from their station, another wail of cries exploded, hooting as a small train cart blazed across the tight woven and spiraling track. As far as the eye could see, the colorful flashes and whirls of other attractions, laughter and screaming – though a few of utter horror wound through the wild rush of adrenaline junkies. The theme park was a popular tourist destination, long established and flocked by trees and clean-cut brush winding among the many pathways dominating the sprawling acreage.

 It was slow season, a good time to take a vacation for young people who could nail down a select date that would allow minimal competition with typical season swarm. This was one of the rare occasions that the Mystery Skulls crew could set aside some time for a much needed vacation, in-between assignments and on the road. They totally did not travel a hundred miles out of the way for this.

 “Where d’we even start?” Vivi bounced at the rail. “Do we work our way up, or just hit up the biggest, scariest, heart attack?”

 Mystery borked. Maybe… work your way up. He gave his whole body a shake, his collar twittering with the vigorous motion.

 “C’mon guys” Arthur beseeched, hands in his pockets. “I think we’re gunna get evicted from the place before we even get through a line. This is not gonna work.”

 Vivi looked at him innocently. “What’s not going to work?”

 He pointed to the Mystery hound. “Stick a vest on Misty. It won’t work, they’ll figure it out. And he hates it.” On that note, Mystery gave himself another rigorous shake. “Knock that off, or they’ll catch on you’re not a real service dog.”

 Vivi went over to Mystery and wrapped her arms around his chest, lifting the hound by his front. “But we can’t exile our most devoted case worker.” She swayed Mystery. “This is as much our vacation, as it is his.”

 Mystery gave Arthur a snarky grin.

 “Lighten up, Art.” Lewis set his hands on his hips. “The park and staff don’t want to deal with regular puppers. Mystery’s better behaved than some teens.”

 Ruff!

 “It’s not an insult. Work with me.”

 Arthur groaned and ran his hands over his head, pushing his spikey hair back. “Mind you, if we get caught this’ll be the fifth theme park we’re blacklisted from!”

 Lewis winced. “The ghosts in the spook house were so lifelike!”

 Vivi defended with, “You can’t tell me that magician wasn’t actually turning his audience volunteers into rabid hyenas!”

 Mystery barked! That whole buffet was going to waste!

 “You guys are nuts!” Arthur slapped his arms over his face and groaned. “I give us a half hour. We’re gunna beat our best record.”

 Lewis threw an arm over Arthur’s shoulders. “You worry too much, Artie. Relax for once.” He swept his other arm out, across the expanse of the theme park set before them. The looping coasters, the spinning gyros, lush fields of trees for the aesthetic. “This is our day to scream, not because crazy freaks in masks are chasing us. But because we’re having fun. You remember fun, right?”

 Vivi plucked Mystery up in her arms. “And I read the rules and regulations in-depth. No one’s allowed to ask invasive questions about our lovable teammate. All we have to do, is remind them he’s very important.” She did pouty eyes. “You wouldn’t say no to this face.”

 Mystery did pouty puppy eyes and made his lip quiver.

 Rolling his eyes, Arthur checked Lewis – who did eyebrow waggles – then returned his eyes to Mystery, who leaned forward and gave his nose a lick. “I get ‘Told you so’ rights, and unlimited churros, IF we get caught.”

 Vivi laughed and let Mystery drop out of her arms. “In the meantime! There are rides to check out and an assortment of foods to sample.” She bolted off, chasing Mystery.

 Lewis gave chase. “Vii! Honey! Don’t eat before the really big rides!”

 Arthur was not far behind. “Guys! Wait. Mystery! You can’t run, they’ll get wise to our illegal activities!”

 For the benefit of Arthur, the gang started off on some of the less thrilling rides. They tried the high-speed coasters, with tight turns and mild dips. In between the crazy coasters, they tried the wicked spinners or the high-flying swings that soared above the parks landscape. Most of the ride selection was based on Vivi spying the next tallest spire, and the group navigating towards that through the winding paths, and then getting distracted by rides or shows along the way.

 Though Mystery couldn’t go on some of the rides, there were a few picked out specifically by the group that he could participate on. Those being low speed with minimum restraints, the bumper cars – which he enjoyed excessively. There was a log ride, that allowed him to sit aboard and ride alongside Arthur. Or the leisure car ride, where Vivi let him drive his car; due to the karts being on magnet tracks, and not a lot he could sabotage.

 None of the ride attendants questioned the dog presence. The most they got was a ‘well, he seems large enough for this ride’. He was so well behaved, but it helped that the park was having a relatively quiet day. The lines for some of the main attractions were nonexistent, and even in the mellow themed districts of the park, there were not a lot of kids.

 At around eleven, the crew stopped in one of the Ages Gone district for some eats. The aroma of sauces and simmer meats enticed Mystery, and when it came to food Vivi tended to trust the canine. Each member of the Mystery Skulls elected a preferred food item from the one stop cafeteria they were drawn too, and then took trays off for a secluded space under a tree. It put them on the edge of a cool plot of land, which divided their location from a nearby coaster track Vivi was adamant about riding right after.

 “We’re not doing that,” Lewis denied. “We’re going on the low-key rides, have a little down time.”

 “Aye-aye,” Arthur chimed. He dug into his ultra-saucy, meat burrito, getting sauce all over his hands. “No rush anyway. I can’t believe how much free time we got, without every other family not coddling Mystery boy here.”

 Woof. Mystery dipped his nose into the Styrofoam box, nosing at some toasted apples.

 The group finished their meal, Vivi somewhat in thought and a little quiet. Lewis gathered up the trash and dumped it in one of the trash reciprocals. Then, they went on their way scoping out the rides on this side of the park. They strolled on one of the paths near the river rapids, where a circular boat transported riders across frothing waters and through tunnels with theme appropriate critters.

 “I know this is off season,” Vivi mentioned, while watching an empty boat sweep through, “but I’ve seen more people in line at the dentist for root canal specials.”

 Woof. Mystery gave a large yawn. He wasn’t fond of big, congested crowds bumping and brushing against his doggy shoulders. All that static was a nightmare.

 “Maybe that’s the latest attraction,” Arthur muttered. He was still sipping the liquified ice of his beverage from lunch. “Scariest attraction yet! The dental experience! Check it out, people are already fleeing in terror.”

 The group stalled, Arthur choked on his flat seltzer coffee. “Wait—”

 On the other side of a high fence, a roller coaster train thundered by, momentarily drowning out the factual and alarmed shrill of park goers vaulting through a small garden plot. People launched over fences, darting across pathways, someone landed in a small decorative pool but kept going, drenched.

 Lewis sided up by Arthur, pointing. “Um, is that supposed to be happening?” Upon a better examination of the action, the initiator of the stampede became apparent.

 A dinosaur! A legitimate dinosaur was rampaging across one of the attraction landscapes; one decorated with lush plants and tall fronds, elephant ears, and palms. Ride goers burst through the greenery, as the feathered and toothed monster lunged or ducked through the flora. The species of prehistoric nuisance was game for debate, but one factor was certain – it was a biped, with a sharp snout, dozens of teeth, and claws. It roamed to the edge of the boarder set around the acreage and gave a theatrical roar.

 Arthur frowned. “Oh crumb, it’s just one of those costume meet-and-greets. Ignore them.” He swung away and began walking. “I hate those, I always get heckled.”

 Mystery tilted his head, whining.

 “Those are screams of legit horror, not glee,” Vivi pronounced. She ran back and snagged Arthur by the shoulder. “You should know screams of horror! You’re a connoisseur.”

 Arthur stumbled backwards. “It’s a skill I’m not proud of!”

 Lewis had his head tilt. “Is that a dinosaur?”

 “It’s a guy in a suit!” Arthur spat.

 The dinosaur clambered over the fence and flopped to the pavement. With some effort, it righted itself and crawled across the pavement. It used the shorter front arms to lift up on its large, muscular back legs and trotted forward. It hissed, turning its snout and many teeth toward one of the tourist that had not scampered out of range. With a snarl, the prehistoric nightmare lunged at the man.

 Despite the clear panic and full retreat, the person now under attack made an attempt at snapping off a picture. He wound up dumping the camera in his newfound occupation of retreat, and darted across the pavement a rock formation that served as a makeshift barrier. He made it over the top but tumbled, and crashed into a bush on the other side.

 The dinosaur didn’t fool around with scaling the boulders, it charged at a section of fence built up beside the rocks. It bit through the decorative wood barrier, the glittering claws splintered chunks of bark. The fence collapsed, and the dinosaur prowled in among the shrubs.

 ��Whoa!” Lewis yelped. He snatched Arthur’s drink and abandoned his group. “Hold up now!”

 Vivi tried to snatch his shirt back. “Lew! Wait! Art, Mystery! C’mon!” She charged after him. Mystery yapped and wasted no time.

 With a sigh, Arthur ambled after them. “No, Lew. Don’t. Ahh. Scary. Come back. Danger-Danger. Eek.”

 In seconds flat Lewis reached the destroyed barrier and chucked the drink at the dinosaurs shoulder. “Hey! Pick on someone your own size!”

 The dinosaur gave a low, cackling growl and spun away.

 “I said hey! You!” Lewis braced and leapt. “I said, pick on someone—” Before he could clear the brush tangled around the dinosaur, it lashed out with its tail and smacked the would-be hero clear off his feet. He hit a portion of fence that remained standing and flopped to his side, groaning. “Ow….”

 “Arf-Arf!” Mystery dove in and snagged his collar, with every intent to haul the large mortal back. His fur bristled as the dinosaur shoved its snout through the brush and growled through its many sharp teeth.

 Still a distance away from the drama, Arthur stalled in his tracks. “Wait! Holy shit! That’s a lawsuit right there!” And nearby, Vivi shrieked:

 “Arthur!”

 On her way to assist Lewis, she happened by a cafeteria and caught sight of a fire extinguisher attached to a panel on the side of the building – along with a fire hose, and one of the emergency phones. The phone box was locked tight. How practical. She rolled her eyes and delivered a high kick to the fire extinguisher box. The glass shattered, and the door popped open.

 “That… was unlocked. Wasn’t it?” She sighed and took the red cylinder and unclipped the nozzle. “Good to know.”

 Meanwhile, Lewis kicked back from the snapping jaws. The dinosaur clamped down on the standing fence and the whole pole cracked. Lewis pushed Mystery back, while he scooted away from the thrashing menace.

 Right as the beast lunged, Vivi dove in with the fire extinguisher. “Eat therma frost, extinct reject!” She unleashed a torrent of white froth, making sure to cover the eyes and get as much as she could into the mouth. When she tried to move closer, Lewis snagged her leg and the back of her shirt.

 The dinosaur shrieked and sprang backwards. It shook its body and appeared to be trembling. One final roar, directed the groups way, signified its withdrawal. Lewis heaved Vivi backwards, before the tail could slice out and knock her down. The dinosaur didn’t hang around, and stormed across the pavement back to the attraction it may have emerged from. The Land that Time Forgot ride.

 It was only when Vivi allowed the mist to clear that the three could see, the creature had retreated. Arthur came over and barreled through the mystification of what occurred.

 “For that, we should get dibs on every ride in this darn park!” Arthur stooped and patted Lewis on the shoulder. “C’mon. Ya gotta check the guy.” Lewis grumbled confirmation, and let Arthur with Vivi haul him to his feet.

 Vivi inquired, “How you feel?”

 “Mostly shookin’ and stunned.” Lewis flexed his arms and stretched. “It takes more than that to rattle me.”

 Together, the group ventured into the thicket to check the guy that fell. For the most part he was well, a little scratched up from the brush but that broke his fall and saved him a broken bone or two. Not long following, the security force showed up like secret service agents to assess the damage. Secret service agents dressed in dark blue and sweating through their uniform. They gave out checks to everyone who signed a release form, in the presence of one of the parks attorneys, alleging they would not press charges or speak about events, or anything. The affidavit was vague on details.

 “So,” Lewis rolled out, pointing to one of the guys clearly younger than him and getting minimal wage. “This kind of thing happens often?”

 “Um… no?”

 The park attorney, a short lady, pushed her glassed up on her face. Then, pushed the park security aside, and stood up to Lewis. “They’re not authorized to say.”

 Vivi pulled Lewis back and got before the attorney, and pushed her own glasses up. “Y’know what I smell. I smell corporate cover ups. You guys do a lot of that?”

 The attorney glared at Vivi. “I’m not allowed to say.” The two had a stare off, the electricity sparked between them threatening to ignite.

 Lewis got his hands around Vivi’s arms and hauled her back. Park security took ahold of the attorney and ‘escorted’ her aside. “Vamos arándana, don’t antagonize the staff.” Under his breath, “We might yet not get blacklisted from this park.”

 Vivi tried to look back. “I don’t like her.”

 Nearby and with Mystery, Arthur sat on a rock. “Honest, what attorney type are you chill with? I say, don’t sign the slip. Munnies or not.”

 Mystery reached a rear leg up and scratched at the strap of his vest. Woof.

 “Are we going to get back to our vacation?” Arthur harped. “Didn’t really sign up for dino-wrangling.”

 Attorney lady pried out of securities hands, and approached the group. “You three won’t be able to continue your stay with Fanatical Hypes ™, unless you sign the release forms.”

 Lewis looked down at Vivi. “Could it hurt anything? Signing away our souls for corporate profit?”

 Vivi stroked her chin. “Depends.”

 Arthur jumped off the rock. “Oh boy, I know that look. Vii, please. Vacation.” He pressed his hands together. “I’ll sign—”

 “We’ll sign,” Vivi blurted. She went over to the attorney. “On one condition.”

 The attorney sighed. “I am not legally allowed to speak of anything, regarding… this.” She gestured to the damage, and the work crews arriving in golf carts and supplies to begin clearing up the area. Another work crew was off beside the attraction entrance, clipping a chain across the yawning portal.

 Vivi shook her head. “I don’t want to hear what YOU have to say. I want to speak to your manager.”

 Arthur dropped his face into his hands. “Lew, don’t let her do this. Speak some sense into her.”

 Lewis rubbed the back of his head and turned to Arthur. “I think we’re gunna go ahead and do this.”

 With a wet sob, Arthur hauled up Mystery and buried his face in his neck. “We’re getting blacklisted for sure, buddy.

 Mystery sighed and rolled his eyes. He patted Arthur on the head. There-there.

 __

 It wasn’t so easy convincing Ms. Attorney lady that her employer should have a chat with the Mystery Skulls. What this all came down to, was they wouldn’t sign the release forms, and they were suspicious of the dinosaur creature which attacked visitors. Arthur had to pull up their work credentials on his phone, and show off some of the cases dealing with masked people getting into trouble and all that shenanigans for a profit. While Vivi handled pressuring the attorney with her shrewd businesses conduct, and disinterest with discussing further details with attorney lady until she spoke with top management. Lewis backed up his team, being kind of tall and scary when irritated, but mediating the two parties when his team got a little overbearing. The bottom line of their negotiations came down to:

 “And even if they won’t speak with us,” Vivi concluded, “We’ll sign your… sinister contract anyway.”

 Attorney lady blinked. “It’s just a release form.”

 “It’s a legally binding contract! Ya can’t fool me!”

 Now, the group sat in the large and luxurious office. A replica model of the Fanatical Hypes ™, theme park, on the table beside the large desk. A door off to the right led to another room, where the attorney lady vanished into. The trio sat in chairs, and Mystery lay curled beside Vivi’s feet. They examined the room over, gauging the personality and temperament of the manager-owner. Some photos hung in order on one wall, underscoring debut attractions through black and white lens.

 “Daylight’s a’wasting away,” Arthur mumbled.

 “How are we going to enjoy the remainder of our day, if that thing comes roaming again?” Vivi snarked back.

 Arthur leaned back in his chair, letting his head recline on the headrest. “We can’t be like those storm chases, but we’ll be dino chasers. We should get pay per encounter.”

 Lewis leaned a little his way. “We already do that professionally.”

 Arthur twitched. “So why are we tryin’ to get tangled in this mess, on our one day off?”

 Woof. Mystery raised his ears toward Arthur. We’ll get benefits! His bob tail wagged.

 The back door opened, and a man emerged. He wore a nice suit with stripes, along with a bright electrifying tie. He surveyed the group, a set of small but trendy sunglasses fitted over his eyes. Following him was the Ms. Attorney lady. She shut the door and stood to the side.

 “I’m told you three refuse to sign some release forms,” he stated. The attorney nodded.

 Vivi shrugged. “We’re willin’ to sign, but we want to know what that… nasty thing was first. It’s for a little insurance. Your people seem to have a problem, one which my crew is prepared to assist you with.”

 The manager took his seat at the desk. “You think the three of ya’ll can help with an issue my park staff is prepared to amend? With our standardized procedures and dozens of work crews, on standby?” He leaned forward over the desk. “What’s your pitch?”

 The group exchange glances. Lewis stood up. “To start, your go to solution for this gig is have people sign the ambiguous release form. So I ask you, sir, what have you managed to accomplish with all your resources and park staff?” He crossed his arms and grinned.

 Manager blinked and edged back in his seat. “Er, well, my people are adequately trained—”

 “Adequately ain’t cutting it.” Vivi stood up. “My people are experts in this field of work, and we’re gunna save you so much money.”

 Attorney lady inched toward her boss. “Sir, you don’t need to listen to them.” She brought her arms from behind her back, and revealed the sinister clipboard with the forms. “They agreed to sign, if you afforded a short audience. You need not go further with this discussion.” She jolted when Vivi snatched the clipboard away.

 “Oh dear, you’re tots right. Guys.” Vivi set the clipboard on the desk and twirled the pen around her finger. “Guess we’ll be signing and leaving. We’ll just head off to some other amusement park, one with better rides, and the less likely hood of getting mauled. Though I love-love-LOOOOVVE the thrill of danger!” She cackled.

 Lewis brightened. “I love her when she gets like this.”

 “You would.”

 Mystery put his paws up on the desk and looked up at her. Vivi gave his head a pat.

 “A shame, isn’t it Misty?” She put the pen to paper. “He’s so excited to solve mysteries. It’s our raison d'etre. Isn’t that right, Mystery?”

 Lewis reached over and pulled Arthur up by the collar of his vest. The whole group standing, ready to sign and be on their way. When the manager looked his way, Lewis dropped the big grin on his face.

 “Hold on a moment,” Manager stammered. “Let’s not be hasty. Your group is qualified, in this field of work?” He snapped his fingers, looking to the attorney lady. “The Mysterious Stalls?”

 “It’s Mystery Skulls,” Vivi huffed. “And that requires some assessment. What exactly is your problem here? We’ve seen the results,” she gestured around the room, “damaged property, terrified guests—”

 Arthur piped up, “Potential lawsuits. If that thing tangles with the wrong people.” He shrugged, “Those checks won’t cover an amputation, and our guy nearly lost his feet to the jaws of death.”

 Manager groaned and touched his head. “All right-all right.” He reached over the side of his desk and fumbled with the drawers. After a brief spell, he pulled up a pill bottle and a bottle of water. “Ms. Carter,” he turned to the attorney lady. “Can you draft up some new affidavits?” To the Mystery Skulls:

 “You won’t be signing these.” He took the clipboard from Vivi.

 “Sir?” Ms. Carter posed. “Are you certain? These are freelance….”

 “Investigators,” Vivi offered. “And we don’t have a long list of clients, since we are thorough with our work.”

 Manager waved her off. “A brief work contract, swearing their silence if they so choose to work for me. The details of compensation will come later, with the results. Go to it now, I’m paying you.”

 Ms. Carter cast her eyes towards the group, then her employer, before exiting the room by the back door.

 “Now,” Manager replied. “Where to begin?” Again, he rummaged around on the side of his desk. This time he brought forth some folders stuffed with files, and from between the documents tumbled blurred photographs.

 The attraction for The Land Time Forgot, had several independently mobile and free roaming dinosaur animatronics. Models were based around prominent carnivores and herbivores of the cretaceous period – such as stegosaur, the tyrannosaur, raptors, spinosaurus, to name a few. Guests partaking in the ride, rode in a small buggy that navigated through a preset path. The ride was always fresh and exciting due to the primary attraction, the dinosaurs, roaming around or other times interacting with each other. Naturally, certain fail safes were programmed in, which prevented the animatronics from becoming unruly with one another or getting into traffic jams, which would shatter the existence of a natural ecosystem. It was also imperative to keep the imposing machines from wandering through the buggy’s trail, or exiting the park – these features self-sabotaging, since the mobility of each animatronic was limited.

 Save for one.

 “It was a gimmick, an innocent error,” Manager admitted. “One animatronic, the baby Allosaur, began to… deviate from it’s program parameters. At first it was considered an acceptable risk, it was almost real with its behavior. Reacting to lights, the sounds, other animatronics – the flash of a riders camera. But now, it’s an issue.”

 The allosaur deviated further, no longer reacting to only flashing lights or screaming guests. It began lunging at the buggy’s, though it remained within the programmed barrier which kept it from passing onto the road. This as well changed, and now the machine was routinely venturing out of the attraction itself. It was fine for a while, but now the theropod was attacking guests and the outside rides. For the time, the park staff managed to keep a low profile on these events, but rumors spread that one of the rides went haywire and now attendance was dropping.

 “Before,” the manager went on, “Profits boomed. People wanted to come by and see where the Allosaur would appear next. What mischief it’d get up to. But now, it’s damaging property, and I have to pay a higher commission for my attorney to handle guests who encountered it. Profits have plummeted, and thus far we have not been able to contain it. The artificial interface is out of control.”

 While the park manager spilled his tale of woe, the Mystery Skulls crew had resumed sitting. When he dallied on further exposition, they sat quietly, brooding through the context of their situation. Arthur did not look impressed.

 Vivi cleaned her glasses, and spoke, “So… stupid question. Why don’t you, I dunno, shut it off?”

 Manager nodded. “I wouldn’t say that’s a stupid question, more intriguing if anything. There’s a remote kill switch, along with a switch on all the animatronics which cuts power flow. The remote, I guess signal – I’m not good with the technological tactics – the animatronic overrides it. It refuses to shut down.”

 Now Arthur spoke, “That’s some hella AI game there.”

 “It’s cutting edge!” Manager gushed. “The ride was refurbished recently. When I purchased this theme park, I was told it was because the latest innovations went well beyond the anticipated recurring profits the original owner intended to make. Now though? I’m not certain if that was the genuine issue.”

 Lewis held up a hand and began counting off fingers. “Okay, so that we’re on the same page. One, you can’t shut it down. Two, you haven’t been able to catch-slash-stop it.” Manager nodded. “Cool. I think we can manage one of those two things. How ‘bout it Vii? You think we can handle this?”

 Vivi crossed her arms. “I actually think we should. We can handle it sir….”

 “It’s Klayton.” He rose from the desk and extended his hand.

 In due time, Ms. Carter returned from the back room with the paperwork for the short-term contract. It was a few pages long of formality, barring the Mystery Skulls ™ from speaking about the park, or do anything aside from detaining the Allosaur. There was a termination order, should they fail within a week to fulfill their objective. The group signed, as with Mr. Klayton and it was notarized by Ms. Carter.

 From there, the Mystery Skulls exited the managers headquarters, and returned to the attraction which housed the disastrous Allosaur.

 The first stop was the small disaster zone, where the Allosaur rampaged. Caution tape and some mobile barriers had been set up, barring guests from the traumatized site. Arthur slipped under a slant of the tape and examined the splintered pole from the fence. A couple meters away, Vivi stood examining the blocked entrance of the attraction. On the pavement, Lewis checked a muddy footprint.

 “What’d you take from all that?” Lewis called. “About the AI going haywire, and targeting guests?”

 Arthur dropped a splinter of wood. “Utter bullshit. I think it could still be some guy in a costume, like those meet-and greets.” He pulled out his phone and began swiping through the internet. “Allosaurs are much bigger, so why not make an animatronic to scale? Also, the movement was too smooth for a machine.” He approached Lewis and gave him a show of the images. Lewis nodded.

 “What about the Walking with Dinosaurs show? They mix people in costume and animatronics.” He poked Arthur’s phone, swiping away the images.

 Arthur muttered under his breath, “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

 Lewis grinned. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. And we can bargain in free food and lifelong passes.” Mystery came over to them, and he reached down to pet the hound. “And there’s no way we’ll get Blacklisted.” He unclipped the vest from Mystery and folded up under his arm. “You won’t be needing that.”

 Mystery had a full body shake. His hair poofed up all across his formerly lean dog shape, making him look vaguely pufferfish.

 “This was our holiday.” Arthur snorted, and pulled up some more search sites with images. “Let corporate avarice deal with berserk Jurassic Park gone exactly as expected.” When Vivi came over, he handed his phone to her and gave a brief of the speculations.

 “Don’t get confused,” Vivi stated. “We’re not doing this for Park Avarice. We’re doing it for the people that come here, unaware that the ride is dangerous ‘cause of the coverups. Still, someone is out there spreading the rumors, and persuading people to stay away. That’s definitely not done out of any kind of Whistle Blowing moral obligation.”

 Lewis cooed, “You think someone tampered with the animatronic.”

 “Yup. Someone wants to sabotage the park, and they don’t care if anyone get’s hurt along the way.” She turned to Arthur and handed back his phone.. “You wanna help people, right? And you’re good with electronics, maybe better than the engineers enlisted here.”

 Arthur pocketed his phone. “I work engines. There’s a distinct difference between circuits and engines.”

 “Anyway,” Vivi announced. She brushed past the guys and climbed onto one of the lower rocks, within the small garden plot. “We’re gonna solve this case, and prove once again you don’t mess with professional investigators!” She pointed her finger high, a playful gust whipped around her hair. Mystery hopped up onto the rock beside her and posed.

 Arf!

 Arthur leaned into Lewis. “She’s doing the pose again.”

 Lewis slipped a hand beside his face, and stage whispered, “The pose is empowering. It speaks to the spirits, beseeches their protection.”

 Arthur sighed. “We’re cursed now. Our quest is doomed.”

[valeriethepussycats]

I’m Only Human

Chapter 1

Pairing- Loki x Mutant Reader, Thor x Mutant Reader(Best friends) 

Warning- cursing

H/c- hair color

Puente Antiguo,New Mexico

The Suv sits parked in the desert. Suddenly, the roof panel of the Suv FoldOpen. The underside of the panels house a variety of hand-built Astronomical Devices, which now point at the sky. Jane Foster pops her head through the roof. She positions a Magnetometer, so its monitor calibrates with the constellations above. It appears to be cobbled together from spare parts of other devices.  “Hurry!” Jane Insisted. Hearing a loud Bang followed by muffled cursing from below. Jane offers a hand down to Erik Selvig who emerges as well, rubbing his head.”Oh-- watch your head.”

“Thanks. So what's this "anomaly" of yours supposed to look like?” Erik wondered.

“Hopefully you only get a headache from how hard you hit your head” Y/n Munroe giggled as she opens the back door of the suv and jump out.

“ Explain to me why you’re here again” Erik murmured.

“ If I remember correctly you found me and asked if I could be your assistant.” Y/n proclaimed flipping her white and h/c out her face.

“It’s a little different each time. Once it looked like, I don't know,melted stars, pooling in a corner of the sky. But last week it was a rolling rainbow ribbon--"Racing "˜round Orion?" I've always said you should have been a poet.” Erik joked.

Jane reigns in her excitement. She tries for dignity. “Hey, Darcy. Pass up the bubbly and my gloves, will you?.” Jane asked. The Intern Darcy Lewis hands Jane a bottle of Champagne and a pair of gloves through the window. Jane passes it to Selvig to hold while she pulls on the old gloves -- too large and masculine for her small hands. He starts to unwrap the foil, and she stops his hand with an excited grin.”Not until you see it!”

“I recognize those. Think how proud he'd be to see you now.”Erik shared.

Jane's grin fades to a sad smile.”Thank you.”

“For what?”

“The benefit of the doubt.”The three stare out at the sky expectantly. A long beat while they scan the skies. Nothing. Jane's worried. “It's never taken this long before.”

Darcy calls up from the front seat. “Can I turn on the radio?”

“Sure, if you like rocking out to KFRM,All agriculture, all the time. Worried, Jane heads back down into the vehicle.

Y/n walks up to Suv window “Don’t worry everything will work out”Y/n told Jane with a small smile.

The SUV is bathed in the glow of high-tech monitorin equipment and laptops, some looking like they're held together with duct tape. Jane opens a well-worn notebook of handwritten notes and calculations. Selvig watches the frustrated Jane with sympathy.

“The anomalies are always precipitated by geomagnetic storms.”Jane began. She shows Erik and Y/n a complicated chart she's drawn in the book, tracking occurrences and patterns.”The last seventeen occurrences have been predictable to the minute... I just don't understand.”she pondered.

Something catches Darcy's eye out the driver's side mirror. She adjusts it. In the distance, Odd Glowing cloud form in the skies over the Northeastern end of the desert. “Jane?” Darcy calls small panicky voiceJane shushes her, leafs through her notes. The bottle of champagne begins to vibrate.

“There's got to be some new variable... Or an equipment malfunction.” Jane wonders.The lights and equipment in the Suv begin to Flickr around them. The computer monitors squelch with static.

“I don't think there's anything wrong with your equipment...” Darcy stated.

The champagne bottle starts to Rattles noisily now as it shakes more violently. Jane,Y/n and Selvig notice.They watch it curiously, pressure building up inside it, when the cork explodes out of it. Champagne goes spewing everywhere -- over equipment, over Jane. “Jane?”

“What?!”Jane snapped.

“I think you want to see this.”Darcy points out the window. Jane,Y/n and Selvig look out. Over the desert Massive rainbow cloud Churn in the sky. The three stare, dumbfounded.

“Holy Shit” Y/n  swore.

“Holy. Shatner.” Jane blurted.

“That's your "subtle" aurora?!” Erik teased.

“No-- yes! Let's go!” Jane noted.

“See patience is a virtue” Y/n called out as she is standing in the middle of it all.

The roof panels still open, the Suv races towards the strange event, Jane, amazed by the sight, stands with half her body out the roof, taking video of the light storm before them.

The SUV hits a bump. Jane nearly flies out but Selvig grabs her, yanks her back in.

“Y/n gets to be out there and I can’t” Jane grins, thrilled, pumped with adrenaline

“ Well Y/n is not like us” Erik replied.

.”Isn’t this great?!”Jane started with excitement in her voice. A thought strikes her.”You’re seeing it too, right? I'm not crazy?

“That's debateable. Put your seat belt on!” Erik encouraged Jane. Winds howls around the SUV now. Up ahead, spiraling down from out of the clouds comes -- an Enormous tornadoSuffuse with the strange rainbow light, roaring like a thousand freight trains as it touches down.

“Are you doing this!” Erik yelled at Y/n .

“Erik I can change the weather not make a Rainbow tornados.” Y/n yells at  in a dry tone.

Selvig looks up through the still-open sunroof at the enormous glowing funnel cloud with wonder. Jane clambers into the front seat, beside Darcy. She leans way out the window, Taping the storm.

“You've gotta get us closer so I can take a magnetic reading.” Jane Announced.

Darcy laughs.”Yeah, right! Good one.”Pauses.“Oh God, you're serious...”

“You want those college credits or not?” Jena noted.

Erik yells out to Y/n” we’re going to get closer!”

” OK I’ll catch up!” Y/n yells back at Erik as she stands in the middle of the desert watching this mystical tornado.

The SUV tears across a field towards the tornado, Jane leaning out the window, taping the event. The Suv disturbs two ravens perched on a cactus as they race past. The birds take flight, when -- KRAKABOOM! A huge  bolt of lightningstrikes down through the center of the funnel cloud before them with a terrifying intensity. The Suv rocks from the blast. Darcy's had enough. She turns the wheel, starts to head away”Keep the credits. I'll intern at Burger King.”Darcy voiced.

“What are you doing?!” Jane yelped.

“Saving our lives!”

Jane grabs the wheel, jerks it hard the other way. They struggle for control, when the headlights fall on a man.Directly in their path, stumbling through the winds. Darcy slams on the brakes, Jane turns the wheel hard to avoid him.The SUV swerves but too late. The side of the SUV slams into the man with a Thud, sending him flying. The car skids to a stop.

Y/n flies over to see what all the commotion is about. “What’s going on” Y/n wondered but  sees a man unconscious on the groundA paralyzed moment, then they all leap out of the car. Jane, Darcy, and Selvig trade shocked looks, breathing hard.They peer through the dust clouds, unable to see through The four of them  race from the SUV with flashlights. Jane spots the man lying on the ground. He's dressed in tattered clothing,charred and blackened.

“I think that was legally your fault.”Darcy claimed to Y/n in a very convincing voice.

“Get the first aid kit.” Jane urged anyone who was listening.

Darcy heads back inside the SUV as Jane, concerned, kneels next to the man. Selvig and Y/n hovers, protectively. She gently turns his head to the light, and we see him clearly for the first time. He is magnificently handsome,long blonde hair flowing around his classically sculpted Features. She cups her hands around his face, as if willing the life back into him.

“Come on, big guy. Do me a favor and don't be dead, okay? Open your eyes and look at me.”Jane wheedled.

Suddenly, he groans, and she's startled, then relieved, as his eyes flutter open. She looks deep into his confused, azure eyes, which at last focus on her own. Locking onto them.For a moment, they each forget to breathe. The connection is broken as Darcy returns with the kit. She freezes when she sees how gorgeous the man is.

“Wow. Does he need CPR? Because I know CPR.” Darcy Chimed in.

A flustered Jane smooths her hair and sits back on her heels. She looks up at Selvig. Back to being a scientist.

“His eyes-“Jane started.

 “Are beautiful-.” Darcy in a voice soft with affection.

“ -Are dilating. That's a good praised sign. Jane said with a note of relief.

“We still have to get him to a hospital.”  Erik disclosed.

“After we get a reading on the storm?”Jane answered.

“Immediately Jane” Erik insisted.

“Guys this is my forte I’ll stop the storm then we can take this guy hospital” Y/n put forth as she  holds out her hands eyes turning white. Jane,Darcy and Erik watching the storm evaporate above their heads.

“Where did he come from? “They exchange puzzled looks, as we move up through the last glowing remnants of the storm. Earth spins slowly before us as we hear a voice, deep and resonant -- the voice of Heimdall Gatekeeper of Asgard. “Questions, they've always asked questions -- this race called man, on this planet they call earth.Passionately longing to know how they are connected to the heavens. We pull away from the planet, widening, past other worlds, cosmic debris -- leaving first our solar system, then out . In ages past, they looked to us as gods, for indeed so many times we saved them from calamity. We tried to show them how their world was but one of the Nine realms  and in the Nine realms is a planet called a Asgard.” Beautiful beyond imagination. We fly over the magnificent

landscape of the Realm, through the gleaming capital city, modern yet timeless. The palace rises countless stories tall, gleaming with an other-worldly majesty, towering high above the Realm sprawled out before it. We move towards a large window of the palace, where a Figure stands. Odin Stares out at his kingdom. The ravens fly up to the balcony,land at his side.

Odin turns away from the window. His wife Frigga sits at a vanity and tries different earrings before the mirror.

“Do you think he's ready?” Odin wonder.

“He thinks he is. He has his father's confidence.”Frigga replies.

“He'll need his father's wisdom.” Odin told Frigga.”And his humility?” She remarked

 Odin makes a face at this wife. “Thor won't be alone. Loki will be at his side to give him counsel.Have faith in your sons.” Frigga pointed out.

“Yes, but Thor's still a boy. He could be a great King...” Odin stops, notices his hand shaking. It seems to be out of synch temporally with the rest of the world, leaving a trail as it moves. He stares at it determinedly, concentrating,trying to stop the strange event through the force of his sheer will.Finally, the occurrence subsides, his hand normal once more. A worried Frigga covers his hand with her own.

“...if we only had more time.” He whispered.

“ For once, our son needs something we cannot provide.”She voiced.              

“I can fight it a little longer...” he murmured

“No. You've put it off too long! I worry for you.” She said with a fond look.

Odin touches her cheek.”I've destroyed demons and monsters,devastated whole worlds, laid waste to mighty kingdoms, and still you worry for me?”Odin said in a voice soft with affection.

“Always.”

“Not today. Now come kiss your king... while I'm still king.” He pulls her close, and they kiss.

Directly under the throne room, a gloomily lit hall. Banners hang on either side to form a corridor down the middle of the fire lit room. Giant doors open at one end. A huge figure silhouetted against the bright light beyond walks forward. In slo-mo, we recognize the unmistakable shape of the God of Thunder. Hammer in hand, he reaches the end of a raised platform. An  attendant hands the figure a goblet of wine. He downs it quickly, hurls it towards the fire directly below.

“Another!” The cup smashes, the alcohol causes the fire to glow intensely -- and, for a moment, brightly lit, and seen full length, like a King to be, is The mighty Thor. He proceeds down stops, past camera, and down the center of the Hall.

We follow from behind and see at the other end, massively shadowed on one of the great banners, the shape of two great horns. As Thor approaches, the horn shapes move, and then, from the shadows at the side, emerges Loki, wearing his horned headpiece. Like Thor, he is dressed for a great ceremony. They stand by a brazier at the foot of steps that lead up to the crowded throne room.

“Nervous, brother?” Loki asked Thor.

“Have you ever known me to be nervous?” Thor grinned.

“There was the time in Nornheim...”Loki Trailed off.

“That wasn't nerves, brother. I was the rage of battle. How else could I have fought my way through a hundred warriors and pulled us out alive?” Thor replied  to Loki as The Attendant approaches with another goblet of wine for Thor.

“As I recall, I was the one who veiled us in smoke to ease our escape.”Loki put forth.

“Some do battle, others just do tricks.

The Attendant stifles a laugh. Loki notices, doesn't like it. He gestures towards the goblet in the Attendant's hand. Eeels pour over the sides of the goblet, slithering out and across the terrified Attendant's hand. He scream, hurls the goblet to the ground. Loki chuckles.

“Loki...” Thor warned Loki. Loki gestures to the writhing eels on the ground. They turn back to spilled wine, the illusion shattered. “Now that was just a waste of good wine.”

“Just a bit of fun.” Loki said to the Attendant.” Right, my friend?”The Attendant isn't so sure. Thor dons his Eagle winged helmet.

“Nice feathers.” Loki told  Thor about his helmet.

“You don't really want to start this again, do you, Cow?” Thor teased Loki.

“I was being sincere!” Loki Announced.

“You're incapable of sincerity.” Thor proclaimed to Loki.

“Am I?” Loki replied. He looks his brother in the eye, all pretense lost.”I've looked forward to this day as long as you have. You're my brother and my friend. Sometimes I'm envious, but never doubt that I love you.”

Thor searches his brother's face, sees no trace of irony. He's either speaking from his heart or he's a very, very good liar. Maybe both. Thor puts an appreciative hand on his brother's shoulder.

“Thank you.” The two brothers take in the moment a beat, then.

“Give us a kiss.” Loki teased Thor.

“Stop.” Thor makes the final adjustments to his ceremonial wear. “How do I look?” Thor questioned Loki.

“Like a king.” Loki shared as They hear the blast of a ceremonial Horn.”It's time.”

“You go ahead.” Loki casts him a wary look.”I'll be along. Go on.” Thor disclosed in a casual tone. Loki heads inside the palace without his brother.

Volstagg combs his great beard in preparation for the big event. As he does, he's surprised to find a stray grape stuck in the beard. He pulls it out, looks around, then eagerly pops it into his mouth and gobbles it down. Fandral checks his reflection in a mirror, smooths out his moustache, gives himself a dashing smile. A Pretty Maiden holds the mirror before him, as other Maidens  look on dreamily.

“Thank you, love.” Fandral said in a flirtatious way the Maidens. ”Now who'd like to polish my sword for me?” Fandral Announced and the giddy Maidens eagerly raise their hands.

Hogun stands staring ahead grimly, his hands folded in front of him, amidst the hustle and bustle of the attendants and the ceremony preparations going on around him. A Helpful attendants approaches him and starts to polish his armor. Hogun turns his head, gives him a look. Intimidated, the Attendant quickly backs away. From behind, we see a Woman In ceremonial Armor take off her Sword and set it on a table, then her Shield, then several Hidden Daggers  and small, yet intimidating Weapons . We reveal that it's Sif, looking radiant. She eyes the weapons on the table.

“I'll miss you.” Sif whimpered to her weapons.

Colorful ceremonial Banners of the Nine Realms adorn the room, crowded with Aesir and representatives from across Yggdrasil, all Buzzing with excitement. Thor's  Comrades enter and stride to their place of honor at the front of the hall. They are... The Warriors Three.

Volstagg has the girth and strength of a Sumo wrestler, with oversized passions to match. Fandral, the consummate swashbuckler, is agile, charismatic, and nattily dressed. Hogun-- dark, sullen, brooding -- a large mace slung at his side. With them walks the warrior maiden Sif. She's clad in armor,a shield and sword at her side -- a beauty not to be trifled with.

“I hope this goes quickly. I'm famished.” Volstagg grinned.

“Noooo!” Fandral squeaked.

Are you attached to that pretty face of yours? Because one more word, and you won't be. Volstagg commented.

“My, we are hungry, aren't we?” everyone laughs except Hogun. 

Fandral turns to him.”Go on, Hogun. Smile. You can do it. Even you, Hogun the Grim. Just one smile.” Fandral urged Hogun who just stares at him grimly. “All right, half a smile. Look,forget the smile, just show some teeth.” Fandral made public.

“Fandral, is it true the famous Warriors Three are ready to meet any challenge?” Sif asked.

“Name it, Lady Sif.”Fandral insisted.

“Keep your mouth shut.” Sif teased.

Imposing Einherjar Guards clad in armor, swords at the ready,stand watch inside the massive underground structure beneath the palace. A cold Breeze blows past them. Thor stands, his fingers nervously drumming the handle of his hammer. Frigga approaches behind him, sees his anxiety.

“It's all right to be nervous.” Frigga chimed in.

Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm not nervous!” Thor proclaimed in a Casual tone.

“You may be able to fool the rest of Asgard-

“...But never you. I know.”

“Thor, just remember that you have something even the great Allfather never had.”

“And what is that?”

“Me for a mother.” She smiles.”Now don't keep your father waiting.” Frigga  told Thor then leaves.

Sif and the Warriors Three still wait before the crowd. Loki and Frigga enter.

“ There’s something I have to tell you after the ceremony it is very important” Frigga shared with Loki.

“I will mother” Loki agreed as he takes his place at the front of the Phall alongside the others. With another blast of the horn,the crowd goes silent as the Einherjar honor Guards moves into formation. They part to reveal Odin sitting atop his throne, clad in full ceremonial armor. He holds his spear Gungnir before him. Any trace of weakness in him is gone now. He exudes all the power and majesty of a Ruler of Asgard. Frigga joins him at his side. He looks around the hall, casts a glance over to the Warriors. Thor is nowhere to be seen. Odin looks to Loki. Loki shrugs. Odin isn't pleased.A murmur spreads through the crowd.

“Where is he?.” Volstagg asked Loki.

“He said he'd be along.” Loki replied. Sif realizes the truth, shakes her head in disapproval.

“What?” Volstagg questioned Sif.

“He wants to make an entrance.” Sif told Volstagg. 

“Well, if he doesn't show up soon,he shouldn't bother. Odin looks like he's ready to feed him to his ravens.” Fandral commented.

“I wouldn't worry. Father will forgive him. He always does.” Loki replied.

Just then, at the back of the hall, up the steps from the lower level Mjolnir Roars up into the hall, Thor strides cockily into the hall behind it, catching it behind his back. The Crowd erupts in Cheers. Thor spins his hammer with a flourish, holds it up before the crowd, basking in the moment, relishing the adoration, whipping his audience up into a frenzy.

“Oh, please.” Sif murmured.

Odin watches from the front, not liking this showy display. As the sound of the cheers echo from above, the odd, cold breeze picks up in the Vault. The Guards rub their limbs to warm themselves. They grow increasingly uneasy, sensing something's not right. They exchange a look, then walk the length of the Vault's hallway to its end, where a Casket sits undisturbed upon a pedestal. Large shadows suddenly loom over them. They look up and Shout in terror as they raise their weapons.Thor finishes stirring up the crowd, then reaches the front of the room, kneels on one knee before his mother and father. Frigga casts him an admonishing glance. Thor winks up at her. She can't help but smile. Odin strikes Gungnir upon the ground with a deafening Boom.

The crowd falls silent. Odin speaks with quiet, effortless authority. He raises Gungnir before him.

“Gungnir. Its aim is true, its power strong. With it I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms since the time of the Great Beginning. And though the day has come for a new King to wield his own weapon - that duty remains the same. Thor Odinson, my heir, my first-born.”Pauses.” So long entrusted with this mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Forged in the heart of a dying star, from the sacred metal of Uru. Only one may lift it. Only one is worthy. Who wields this hammer commands the lightning and the storm. Its power has no equal -- as a weapon, to destroy, or as a tool, to build. It is a fit companion for a King.” Odin proclaimed.

The bodies of the Guards are flung to the Vault's floor, now strewn with ice. We don't see their attackers clearly, just catch glimpses of them in the shadows -- but they are large and blue-skinned. One of the creatures lifts the Casket off its stand and turns to go. But, as they do, the intricate latticework behind the Casket starts to separate and retract, revealing something standing in the shadows behind it. As the creatures walk away, a fiery glow rises behind them. They turn back around. Now it's their turn to Scream.

The Ceremony continues.

“Today I entrust you with thegreatest honor in all the Nine Realms. The sacred throne of Asgard. I have sacrificed much to achieve peace. So, too, must a new generation sacrifice to maintain that peace. Responsibility, duty, honor. These are not merely virtues to which we must aspire. They are essential to every soldier and to every King.” Odin declared.

The Crowd and the Warriors Three start to shiver and rub their limbs for warmth in the increasingly cold air of the hall. Thor turns back to face his father. Odin looks upon his son with pride.

“Thor Odinson, do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?”Odin questioned Thor

“I swear.” Thor replied.

“Do you swear to preserve the peace?”

“I swear.”

“Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself only to the good of all the Realms?”

“I swear!” Thor yells in excitement.

“Then on this day, I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you--“Odin hesitates, noticing a strange sight before him. Ice creeps across the surface of the large banners around the hall, making an eerie CRACKING sound. Thor, his comrades, and the crowd see it too.

“Frost giants...” Odin commented.

Part 2

A/n- Reader was born 1986 of your birth day and month.

I don’t own nothing all rights go to Marvel for this story.