#i remembered his birthday like. two days ago. and threw something together in a hurry

[sollucets]

happy birthday first kanaphan! 🧡🖤 9/3/98

[shipmansflannels]

welcome home, cheater | jackie taylor x reader

oh, hi! well, sorry for promising I was going to post something yesterday but ending up not doing it. I was trying to take some time out of the computer and trying to organize my creativity. so, this is what I could manage to post after a day off. hope it's fine. enjoy! sorry if it's too short, it was actually based on a youtube video I saw a long time ago and I couldn't remember all the details in it. hope you enjoyed it anyway. thanks for all the support, and the rebloggs, and the likes, and the following!

enjoy!

sorry for any grammatical or coherence errors, english is not my first language and I'm trying to improve!

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

welcome home, cheater | jackie taylor x reader

-> prompt: after an embarrassing situation at the mall, jackie has a jealous crisis. <-

warnings: non cannon, no crash, most fem!reader but it works for gender neutral readers too, jealous!jackie, jackie being a girlfaillure, 1996 timeline, mentions of randy walsh, plot twist.

***

She had spent the entire trip back in silence.

It had become an awkward silence in the car and you couldn't help but look at her and make sure everything was okay in the passenger seat, but Jackie hadn't said a word since you left the mall and she hadn't said anything when you were driving home either.

Her parents were on a business trip, and as two teenage girlfriends who did everything in secret, you were taking advantage of those days to be together. But suddenly, everything had become a confusing mess.

Opening and closing the car door with force, Jackie grabbed the bags of clothes that were hers and set off into the house in a hurry, before you could even park the car properly in the Taylor's huge garage.

Picking up your purchases and following her into the house, you threw them on the couch and promised that you would organize it after finding out what was wrong. As you imagined, Jackie had locked herself in her room and was probably listening to loud music on that damn Walkman you had given her for her last birthday.

In fact, if you had known that it would be the cause of all your ruin, you would have thought twice when you saw him in the store window begging to be taken home.

Knocking on the door three times just to be sure, you kept your voice low, hoping she would hear you anyway, over the loud music.

"Jax, can we just talk for a minute?"

There was no response. And instead of insisting, you just pulled the handle, not at all impressed that the door wasn't locked.

"Jackie, I'm serious. What did I do? Could you please talk to me for a second and sort things out?"

She looked at you, clearly listening to you, and with a sigh, she took the Walkman from her ears and threw it back hard, those huge eyes staring into your face. Like a stubborn child, she crossed her arms and sighed again.

“I think I should be the one asking that question,” she whispered, her voice a little firmer than you were usually expecting. Generally, while you had a calmer and more relaxed posture, Jackie was always excited, always outgoing, always talking loudly, as if she was always filled with sugar all over her body.

You frowned. "What the hell does that mean?"

"What did I do wrong, (Y\N)? What did I do wrong for you to leave me so easily, and right in front of my face, for Randy Walsh? What's different about him?”

Once again, you frowned, looking at her. "Jax, I don't get it. What the hell are you talking about?"

She huffed, returned to her normal expression and, with a roll of her eyes, leaned against the headboard. That was the signal she used for you to start a cuddle session on ordinary days, but now, you didn't know if you should join her.

So you just sat on the edge of the bed, still with your eyes fixed on her. "Is there something wrong? You can tell me, I promise I won't explode. You know I hate it when we fight, Jackie."

"You. Randy Walsh. At the video game store. Small talk. That pissed me off."

She explained, in pauses, now avoiding looking at you. Relaxing your expression, you gave an incredulous smile, but waited for her to continue, just to prove your point, and not to interrupt her in the middle of her justification.

"And what's worse, you left me waiting for hours in front of that stupid ice cream shop with my stupid raspberry cone in my hand, with my stupid shopping bags in my hand. Not hours, but…", she counted on her fingers, like if she was trying to remember. "... fifteen minutes, approximately."

You laughed again, scratching the back of your head. And she continued rambling.

"And you two were giggling, and you looked like a fool in love. I wouldn't care if it was a girl or a nice guy, I swear, but Randy Walsh! It's unacceptable, (Y\N)! How many times have you bumped into each other? through the school hallways? Once? Half a minute?”

You looked at her. "Look, love, listen… You got it all wrong."

"And I know I'm freaking out like it's a nightmare, like it's the worst thing I've ever seen in my life - and it really is, but whatever -. It's just… what would you expect me to do? I swear, it made me want to take your car, go home and leave you there alone, just to welcome you with a fucking sign stuck in the living room saying "welcome home, cheater"… But of course I didn't do that, I'm freaking out like it's the worst thing I've ever seen in my life, (Y\N), do you happen to realize what you fucking did? Randy Walsh, really? Are you fucking kidding me?"

You laughed again. "Jackie, please let me explain."

"Ah, now you want to explain? Well, go ahead. Explain yourself."

You sighed, looking at her and thinking exactly how you were going to put each thing into words, regretting it soon after, but knowing that you should move on. Looking straight into her eyes, you decided to start slowly, as you should.

"Do you remember the last day we went shopping? The day we spent at the new game store that opened on floor three and you saw that Nintendo 64 and your eyes lit up? So…", you bit your lip, nervously. "That day when you saw me talking to Randy for the first time, after coming back from practice, I was just trying to see if I could buy one cheaper, since he works at the game store in the other mall and I didn't have money specifically for the Nintendo from that store… And he promised me that he would try to ask his boss for an order, and that he would give me answers later…"

She widened her eyes, following you speaking as if it were the most important thing in the world, and from her reactions, you realized that you had made a mistake, and you realized that she also knew that she had made a mistake in judging you so early.

"Today, we were just passing by the aisle at Randy's game store, so I thought I would try to see if he had gotten the Nintendo yet… He told me yes, that it was on order and should arrive in a few days. And that made me extremely happy, Jackie, because… because it was my gift to you and because it was… well, it was your surprise birthday present."

With another bite on your lip, you laughed softly as you avoided looking at your girlfriend, who had her eyes even wider and her mouth open.

"That-? What-? How-? Oh, my God, babe… I…"

You nodded, laughing again.

"I screwed up, didn't I? I got it wrong and screwed up-"

"No, it's okay, I also overreacted, I should have told you… not told you, but at least given signs."

Jackie pouted regretfully and opened her arms. You fit into them well and breathed in her strawberry scent while ruffling those still wet hair. She whimpered a few times and hid her face in your neck, embarrassed. Her cheeks were too red, almost rosy.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, love. I didn't mean to ruin the surprise," she whispered. "It's just that seeing you and Randy together, I thought-"

"It's okay, Jax, I said it's okay. It was half my fault anyway…"

You shrugged and lifted her face to kiss her slowly. It started with a peck and then turned into a kiss that lasted a few seconds longer. When you pulled away from her, you whispered, touching the white blouse with butterflies sewn on the chest, looking down.

"Listen, I told you that I want to be clear about my feelings, and that I want to make us work, so… if I were cheating on you, which obviously I'm not, I would probably tell you. There's no reason I hide this from you, Jackie. Not even out of shame." You touched her lips with your fingers. "I love you. I wouldn't trade you for anything in this world. I swear to all that is sacred. You are the most incredible girl I have ever met and you are the woman of my life, I have never been so sure of that as I am now. "

She sighed and smiled, making another pout that you couldn't resist kissing, laughing softly and taking a moment to pull away from her.

"Besides, Randy Walsh isn't my type, and I'm not his type either…", you laughed again. "And when I say that, I mean it literally…"

Jackie frowned, her clear eyes emanating curiosity. "What you mean?"

“Jackie…” you shrugged, scratching your forehead. "He is gay."

[lucyintheskywithxanax]

Different Kinds of Falls

Request : autumn themed + underwear store with Wilhemina

A/N: @blacksmokieee25 since you’re probably not going to bed until the sun rises, I’m posting this now. Happy birthday lovely ^^ I tried lacing together your two requests and came up with this weird, vignette fic that I hope you’ll like. I hope your 23rd year will bring you love and happiness. I’m very glad I know you xx

Warnings: a tiny little bit of smut and a lot of bad English

Word count:  ≃ 4 600

She was like a princess in a fairytale, trapped in a tower and waiting for someone to save her from isolation. Except no one had come. She would have to do the saving herself.

But she was too tired, she protested. She couldn’t do the saving. She said, Because to save someone, you have to think they are worthy, you have to love them at least a little. And the dragon keeping me prisoner – that dragon is me. I cannot save myself for I do not think I’m worthy.

All this of course she didn’t say. You thought it yourself, as you lay in bed watching her, the sheet pulled up high so she could hide herself – she wouldn’t say she’s hiding, she would say she’s cold. You had been reading The Island of Doctor Moreau next to her, a little appalled, a little sleepy, until you had come upon one sentence and stopped. Now you stood watching her as the sentence played in your head like a record spinning again and again.

The Thing that bled and ran screaming and sobbing – that is dead, too.

Wilhemina felt your gaze on her and glanced at you, looking as if she couldn’t quite believe she had allowed you to lie half naked in her bed like that. She looked a little fierce, you thought, a little too mean for a lover. She looked like she didn’t quite know how to let herself be loved.

You gave her a smile and ran one finger down her cheek, along her jaw to her chin, down her neck. Wilhemina’s brow furrowed, shoulders tensing as your finger reached the collar of her nightdress.

Will you let me see you naked? you wanted to ask, just a whisper so as not to scare her.

Of course you didn’t.

You wouldn’t make a good hero, you thought. You would make a terrible knight. The one who always runs away first, who says bad jokes to make up for her cowardice and her overwhelming fear of love.

You would take one look at the dragon and leave the princess in her tower.

The Thing that bled and ran screaming and sobbing – that is thriving, too.

But consider, you thought, as Wilhemina, still frowning, leaned in to plant a kiss on your lips: what if you saw the princess before you saw the dragon. What if the princess saw you. Doesn’t love make the lovers brave?

Wilhemina’s kisses were often clumsy. They were always terrified, that this kiss would be the last, that after it would only come the bite of her own teeth and the burn of her tears. Her fingers slid behind your neck and clutched your hair. She pressed herself against you.

As you guided her head to your neck and closed your eyes, you slipped your hand under her nightdress to feel the skin of her shoulder. Brave? Or stupid? Wilhemina’s breath hitched.

She pressed herself deeper into you.

The Thing that bled and ran screaming and sobbing – that is dying, too.

**

“It’s alright,” you tried, both hands held up, wide eyes quickly shifting from Wilhemina’s face to the fragments of glass on the floor and her bare feet. “Be careful, I can take care of it.”

“Get the fuck out of here,” she snapped. Her hand was pressed against her chest, fingers clutching the towel wrapped around her body as if it were the last remaining piece of her broken armor.

You winced.

“It’s alright,” you tried again. “I –”

“Get out!”  

You met her eyes again, wide with fear and fury because you had walked into the bedroom as she was getting dressed, and you had almost seen her, and in her hurry to hide from you she had knocked over the vase with the flowers that she had bought for you three days ago.

“Mina – ”

“Y/N if you do not get out of my sight in the next two seconds I will hurt you.” Voice breaking, hands shaking.

Still you hesitated.

Wilhemina grabbed a pillow – the beside lamp was nearer – and threw it at you.

“GET OUT!”

She never screamed. It was that scream that made you obey.

You stood behind the closed door and listened as she cried.

**

She didn’t believe that you could love her. And yet she felt it, in the way you kissed her, and she saw it shining in your eyes, and in your smile, and she heard it in your voice too. So she tried to find an explanation. You were lonely, in need of company, and a good actress. You were smitten and infatuation blinded you but it wouldn’t last. You were an angel. You had taken pity on her.

She couldn’t find a reason. Some nights it made her so angry she felt like smashing all your things or – even better – destroying herself. She wanted to hurt you and to pull the truth out of your throat so she would understand why and how you were smiling at her like that.

She didn’t believe that you would stay and she didn’t understand why you were here in the first place, but she found that she rather liked your presence. Loved. So she fought against her impulse to be mean and agreed to sometimes share a few things with you; things that lived at the surface, not the big, the dark, the important things that lived deep within her – there was no point sharing those. She hid those and she hid her shame so maybe you would stay a little longer than you had planned.  

It was selfish, she knew it. But she was way past selfishness.

**

You met her on a Saturday afternoon. It was the fall and outside the leaves were falling.

You were scrolling on your phone as you sat, bored, on a chair by the fitting rooms, waiting for your roommate who was trying on the new sexy underwear she’d need in case she successfully seduced the boy who had just moved in next door.

You were distracted by an unfamiliar sound, and looked up just as a woman walked in, supporting herself on a cane and looking as if she owned the whole world. It seemed to you even her nostrils flared a little, in outrage that some servant hadn’t sprayed myrrh or sandal wood in the air to celebrate her arrival.

You eyed her as she passed you, and quickly lowered your gaze as hers met yours. Her eyes were dark. Cold. Glazed.

This woman is scared, you thought, without knowing where the thought came from. She’s terrified.

Just as you were glancing up at her again, your roommate burst out from her fitting room with her arms thrown up in triumph and crashed right into the woman.

The shock sent her stumbling backwards, until her legs bumped into your knees and she fell onto your lap.

Instinctively your hands fell on either side of her waist to steady her, and you felt her flinch and tense up.

“Don’t touch me,” she snapped.

And already she was pushing herself up onto her feet, and you sat as if petrified on your chair, your cheeks flushed, your hands still held up, the reminder of how she had felt burning low right under your skin.

Your roommate immediately walked up to the woman with an apologetic expression on her face and one hand raised as if to touch her shoulder, but she was stopped by the loud, threatening noise of her cane hitting the ground.

The sudden noise broke the trance you had fallen into. You jumped, remembered where you were, became aware that your roommate was wearing a low-cut black lace nightdress that barely hid her body. And the woman was staring at her with anger burning like a low fire in her eyes, but the rest of her face was completely blank, unreadable, terrible.

Your roommate cleared her throat, and decided her safest option was to ignore her. She turned to you, opened her arms and asked in a voice which, to her credit, barely shook at all: “How do I look?”

“Horrendous,” the woman said, her voice quiet and low but laced with contempt and mockery.

What happened next you saw as a movie on a big screen. It felt unreal, somehow, but most of all it felt scripted; part of you already knew exactly what your role would be. It didn’t ask for your approval. It just happened.

Your roommate turned back towards the woman, fists clenching and eyes shining. “Excuse me?” she said, not quiet as the woman had, but loud, and angry.

The woman smirked. “I said,” she answered, still as slowly, “you look horrendous.”

“Then why don’t you try it on and we’ll see if you look any better!” your roommate nearly screamed.

Your gaze was riveted on the woman’s face, and you saw something uneasy flicker in her eyes.

Your roommate saw it, too. Her confidence flared up.

“Come on,” she laughed, taking one step forward. “Go get one your size and put it on I dare you.”

At that exact moment a vendor walked in, alerted by the noise, to peer curiously at the scene. The woman quickly scanned his face, assessing danger.

“Do you ladies need anything?” the vendor asked.

“Yes,” your roommate roared, “another nightdress and then stay with us, you can be our judge, you can decide if she looks any better than me wearing it.”

“I think you look very good,” the vendor said to your roommate politely.

“Ah!” your roommate exulted, turning to the woman again, her eyes burning their way down to rest on her cane, and then up again to sneer, her face shining with the certainty of her triumph.  

That was when, as was scripted, you stood up. You didn’t become aware of your action until your roommate glanced curiously at you. And then you heard yourself speak, something about decency, about kindness, about you leaving if your roommate was going to be such an ass.

You didn’t know what you were saying. Your roommate’s expressions were your only guide. You saw surprise, and then anger. Her eyes narrowed a little. They told you it would take time for her to forgive such a betrayal.

Later, you would say that surely it had been fate pulling the strings. But back then, all that you knew was your body’s vibrating, burning, coming to life with the reminder of how the woman had felt.

**

“I didn’t need your help,” Wilhemina – Ms Venable? Wilhemina – snapped a few minutes later, as you walked out of the store together. The air was cold and already smelt of winter.

“Would you like to get a drink?” you heard yourself say.

She let out an incredulous laugh. “Certainly not.” Another laugh, eyes falling on your face, briefly, as if to make sure you were real.

“Does that mean I’ll never see you again?” was what you said next, and you would have blushed at the plea in your voice if you hadn’t been so intent on making her stay.

“We’ve barely talked,” Wilhemina said, face hardening, “why are you so interested in me?”

She was suspicious, wary, ready to jump at your throat. You didn’t know how to explain what was happening to you – the vibrating, the coming to life – without sounding like a complete fool.

“Let me walk you to your car,” you offered.  

Wilhemina hesitated. Nodded.

When you reached her car, she stood with her back to the door and you laughed nervously and started rambling about the weather because you didn’t want to see her go just yet. You said how autumn was your favorite season because of all the colors and of all the smells. You said you wanted a life full of falls. You said, Falls as in the season, but also as in falling in love. Here you averted your eyes and felt yourself blush.

It wasn’t you talking. It couldn’t be. It was too bold.

You looked up again and said, Why don’t we go on a walk? and don’t stop, until we’ve found a leaf the exact same color as your hair.

At this very moment the breeze blew into Wilhemina’s eyes a strand of hair that had escaped her impeccable ponytail, and she raised her hand to brush it away, fingers gracefully grazing her skin with just a touch of annoyance, and you thought  - Dear Lord, you thought, as one thinks who has just fallen in love.

But you didn’t believe in love at first sight, you reminded yourself. What was it, then? You had seen the dragon and you had seen the princess and they were the same.

But you were no hero. Curiosity? Or your soul whispering to her soul?

But wasn’t that love?

You took a peek. There was inside you the irresistible desire to know everything about her.

You insisted you gave her your number and she accepted it “to get rid of you.”

On the third day after that, she called you.

**

The full moon had risen a few minutes ago and the night shadows had retreated into the corners, where they lurked. You shifted closer to Wilhemina and nuzzled her neck with your nose.

“I’m sorry about the vase,” she whispered. You hummed. Her hand fell on your head. I’m sorry I snapped at you.

You pulled away to meet her eyes, and traced her brow with your thumb. The moonlight painted her in black and silver.

You trailed your finger over her shoulder and stopped at the collar of her nightdress.

“Will you let me see you?” you asked.

You were not sure you were brave enough to watch. But you asked anyway.

Her eyes met yours again. “Don’t forget the story of Lot’s wife,” she answered. “Orpheus and Eurydice. Medusa.”

You planted a kiss on her cheek.

“What these stories teach me is that everyone looks.”

“And they all die.”

“No. They all turn into something else.”

“Eurydice dies,” Wilhemina insisted.

“Are you afraid I’ll die if I see you?”

She shook her head. She let go of you. “It’s not the one who sees that dies. It’s the one who is seen.”

“Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?”

You propped yourself up on one elbow to watch her as she got up and crossed the room to the window. She closed it against the cold.

“Are you afraid I’ll leave you?” you insisted.

“I like you blind,” she said.

“But I’d love to see you.”

She turned, gave you a smile that shone a little defiantly. “When Oedipus finally saw, he stabbed himself in the eyes.”

You fell back on the bed with a groan. “Enough with mythology. We aren’t gods. We aren’t heroes.” You opened your arms to hold her close as she slowly made her way back to bed.

**

“Do we even know what we’re looking for?” you asked, bending to avoid a branch full of golden and red leaves.

“I do,” Wilhemina answered. “I spent yesterday evening reading about mushrooms.”

You grinned at her.

“One of us had to make sure we won’t die intoxicated,” she said, a little coldly.

“That’s very noble of you,” you teased.

This was about a month after you two had first met. You now spent most of your spare time together. Wilhemina had even stopped doing extra hours at work to spend them with you instead. Your roommate barely saw you anymore. She had complained about your absence and asked whether she should look for someone else.

You had always craved a strong connection with someone, and it seemed you had finally found it. You didn’t need words to communicate with Wilhemina, as if your soul and her soul were made of the same stuff. You could point at a star in the night sky and knew she felt the same about it. Knew you were understood.  

You wanted to spend every second of every day with her.

Two nights ago, you had kissed her. You hadn’t expected it of yourself. It was too brave, too bold. That’s how you knew that you loved her.

She had frozen with her hand on your thigh, eyes wide open, breath caught in her throat, until suddenly something had changed and she had turned ravenous. She had kissed you back as if you were the ghost of a long-lost lover she was about to lose again, and the desperation she had poured into your mouth had made you fear that this was too much for one person to bear; too much need, too much anger, too much love required to fill the gaping, sucking black hole inside her. You had broken the kiss, panting, and almost run away. But the way she had held on to your wrist, the way she had looked at you, the feel of her on your lips – you had stayed.

None of you had mentioned the kiss since then. She seemed to be waiting for you to make the next move, and you weren’t sure you wanted to. Weren’t sure you were brave enough.

“Look here,” Wilhemina said, pointing at a small cluster of brown mushrooms half hidden under dead leaves.

You crouched down to examine them. “Yes,” you smiled, “these look like penny buns.”

You picked one for Wilhemina to look at.

“Butter, garlic and parsley,” you grinned, watching her as she inspected the mushroom, held delicately between two fingers. “One or two potatoes.”

Wilhemina hummed and cautiously put the mushroom in the basket she was holding.

You took the basket from her so you could hold her hand as you walked slowly down the path. Wilhemina glanced sideways at you, as if to make sure ill intent wasn’t shining in your eyes, before she pushed her palm against yours and laced her fingers with yours.

After a few minutes you stopped looking for mushrooms and gazed up at the beautiful leaves instead. The air was cold and crisp, and smelt of damp earth and decaying leaves. Every so often the sound of something falling – a dead branch, an acorn – reached your ears.

Wilhemina’s heart was drumming against your palm. Was it your touch, you wondered, that made it beat so fast?

She wasn’t looking at the ground either. She kept glancing at you. You knew this, because you kept glancing at her, too, and more than once you found her gaze already on your face. The first time your eyes met, you both blushed, and if Wilhemina quickly looked away, you found it impossible not to gaze at the dusting of pink on her cheeks.

“Look,” you breathed.

On your left between two oak trees was a small, round, dark pond. Its surface was half covered with leaves and you wouldn’t have noticed it at all if the wind hadn’t blown the branches above and sunlight hadn’t caught it. Wilhemina and you paused at the edge of it, hand in hand, to look at your reflections in the dark water.

“It looks like a fairy pond,” you whispered.

Wilhemina hummed her assent. You stroked your thumb over hers as you stared at her reflection, fully clothed, tall but with the edges trembling.  

“If we stay here long enough maybe we’ll see a doe.”

“You’d never have the patience,” Wilhemina teased.

“Well,” you cleared your throat, “I would if we had something to do to keep each other busy.”

Something, very close, fell from a tree.

It felt like dissolving into the golden light – like becoming part of something beautiful – when Wilhemina gently pressed her lips to yours. The basket stood between you two, so she hastily set it down on the ground before she captured your lips again, shyly, so very delicately it made you tremble. As if you were something precious. Something to be treasured.

It was this gentleness that made you kiss her back.

When you broke the kiss, Wilhemina squinted in the sunlight that fell through the branches and directly into her eyes. Dear you, she looked so scared. You wanted to push her, to make her fall so she would know you would always catch her. You wanted her to do the same to you.

You started walking again. You were both so focused on the other that you forgot the basket. You remembered it five minutes later. You found it funny; Wilhemina’s jaw tightened with anger. It had never happened to her before, she assured you. She didn’t forget things. The implication made her shiver.  

You walked back to the pond and found the basket on the moss where you had left it.

**

From where you were lying between her legs, you slipped your hand under her shirt to feel the warm softness of her tummy.

“Don’t you sometimes wish you didn’t have a body?” she asked.

You glanced up at her sleepily. She was reading your book, the one you had finished just a few days ago – you wondered if it was the same sentence that had caused her to stop.

You dropped a kiss on her hip. “I rather like having a body,” you answered. “And I love that you have one yourself. How would I kiss you otherwise?”

“Without a body, you wouldn’t need or want to kiss me.”

You considered, hand absentmindedly stroking her tummy.

“I don’t know,” Wilhemina went on. She was thumbing the book nervously, her eyes a little glazed. “It seems to me the body only brings its owner pain.”

“But I love your body,” you retorted.

“I am sick of it,” she said. “I am sick of the competition that comes with it. The pain, the probing, the examination.”

You watched her in silence. How could you tell her that some days when you woke up before dawn you would spend long minutes delighting in the sight of her body? And that you would press your lips on her skin to kiss, not who she was, but the body that you loved.

You took the book from her (you were starting to think that giving it to her in the first place hadn’t been the brightest of ideas. She had never told you the kind of surgeries she had undergone, the kind of names she had been called. You didn’t like the look on her face now) and put your arms around her waist. You pressed your cheek against her thigh and closed your eyes.

“I don’t like my body (she knew this already. You’d told her before). I think it’s too flat. And yet you find it beautiful. Maybe that’s mankind’s curse. Maybe that’s beauty’s curse. The beautiful doesn’t know it’s beautiful until someone comes along and tells it so.”

She started running her fingers through your hair, and you opened your eyes to find her gazing at you with a fond and thoughtful smile. She checked herself when your eyes met. Her face hardened a little.

“No need,” you smiled.

And then you were crawling up the bed, planting kisses on the strip of skin between her panties and her shirt, and then up her cleavage, smiling when she pushed her head back to give you better access to her neck. You twisted a strand of her hair around your finger – hair let down, only for you – and slid your other hand down to cup her center, determined to take her mind off the horrors she had read, or been reminded of.

You had made love before, but never entirely exposed, never entirely seen. Part of you loved it. Another part of you hated that you loved it. That part wanted you to stop being cowardly and to take the jump. To fall. Tear off the sheet, tear down the tower’s walls.

What terrified you the most was, there would be no going back, the day she would show you her back.

Your fingers started massaging her clit over her panties.

“How would you be able to feel me if you didn’t have a body?” you breathed, lips planting open-mouthed kisses up her neck.  

Wilhemina’s only answer was a small, breathy whimper. She lifted her hips to push against your hand.  

**

You followed the sound of her voice to her bedroom. She sounded afraid. You hurried.

“Y/N?”

“I’m right here,” you called, as your hand closed around the door handle. “Is today the day I’m going to,learn you’re terribly scared of spiders?” you joked, to try and curb the worry in you.

You pushed the door open, walked in and stopped as if suddenly turned into stone.

Wilhemina was standing with her back to you, facing the mirror on the wall. She was wearing the low-cut nightdress your roommate had dared her to try on all those months ago at the store. She was trembling.

You held her gaze in the mirror, unable to breathe, heart speeding up until all you could hear was its mad, terrified, elated gallop.

For a moment you stood completely still, not daring to look at her back, until the fear in Wilhemina’s eyes threatened to spill over, and you took a step forward.

Gently you gathered her hair in one hand and pushed it over her shoulder. Wilhemina’s gaze in the mirror glazed over, looked through you and at a place where she was safe and numb.

You took a deep breath. You watched.

A shiver ran through you as your gaze followed the diverted course of her spine, skin pulled taut over the bones. For a moment you watched with the awe-stricken eyes of one who is shown a terrible thing, terrible yet fascinating, for the watcher is safe from it. Then you swallowed, and forced your attention back on the importance of the moment.

You were still not breathing as you trailed your fingertips down her back to the black lace hugging her waist, and then back up again, lingering this time, stroking every scar.

Wilhemina’s breath hitched when you pressed your lips on her spine. Grazing her skin, planting a kiss. You rested your chin on her shoulder and waited for her to come back to you, pressing your front against her back to show her you were not disgusted, not disappointed, not running away.  

When her gaze turned clear enough for her to see you again, you offered her a tender smile, and stroked up and down her arms.

Wilhemina drew in air through her teeth. “This kind of nightdress wasn’t made for people like me,” she breathed out.

“Nonsense,” you cut her off. “You look beautiful.”

And dear you, she did, with her eyes barely guarded now and the lace barely hiding the swell of her breasts, nipples peaking under the delicate fabric. Your arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer against you.

“Thank you,” you breathed into her hair.

She nodded, but didn’t speak. She was still trembling against you.

“How are you feeling?”

She let out a self-deprecatory laugh. “Like I don’t want to be here.” She took hold of one of your hands. Her eyes glossed over.

“Does it terrify you,” you breathed, trailing your lips down her neck, “to know that I have seen you and found you beautiful?” A pause. Your heart was beating too fast. “That I have seen you and decided to stay?”

In the silence that followed you heard your words echo all around you. You had expected each one of them to sow a grain of fear inside you. That wasn’t what happened. Instead each one of them pulled up a fear sprout that had already been sown inside you.

Wilhemina’s eyes met yours in the mirror to share her surprise. For she was – okay? There had been no harsh landing? She let her body relax and she realized that, even though her mind was still very anxiously expecting danger, she wasn’t hurting. She was okay.

Tag list: @mssallymckenna @supremeinlilac @pluied-ete @rainbow-hedgehog @pearplate @angelxsarahp @paulawand @asktammyr @peggycarter-steverogers   @coconutlipss  @saucy-sapphic @thesupremewife @paulsonpills @billiedeansbottom @lilypadscoven @winslctrg @simpforpaulson @venablesgirl @mckennamayfairgoode  @ka-s @lntlmate @talulahmae @mrsdeanhoward

[imagine-a-life-like-this]

Here Goes Everything (K.NJ)

Warnings : drug use, alcohol, parties, hook ups, swearing, fwb

Word Count : 3890

Synopsis : he’s too good for her, and she knows that. he’s tall, handsome, smart, kind, everything you could ask for. and she’s addicted to drugs, alcohol and partying. so she settles for fwb with a guy she met at a party, while he begins to fall for the perfect woman.

“You’re going to ruin yourself if you continue like this.” He wasn’t exactly yelling, but his voice was loud and booming as he paced my living room, running his hands through his hair.

           “It’s my life, Joon.” I countered, standing from the couch, and standing in front of him, effectively stopping his pacing. “You’re not my dad and you’re not my boyfriend. So why does it matter what I do?” A soft laugh left his lips as he rolled his eyes.

           “You know what, you’re right. I’m not your boyfriend, I shouldn’t care.” He was gone with the slam of my door. I collapsed back onto my couch, immediately calling Yoongi and telling him to bring the good stuff. Within minutes he was on my couch as we took turns doing lines and shots.

           “I heard Jackson is throwing a party.” He threw out as I rested my head on his shoulder, waiting for the drugs and alcohol to kick in and let me forget Namjoon.

           “Shit, his parties are the best. We invited?” I moved slightly so my chin was resting on his shoulder so I could look at his face. He smirked, showing me his text conversation with Jackson earlier.

           “Of course we are. We’re the life of the party.” I got up from the couch to get changed. I threw on something I knew would get me the attention I craved; a pair of denim shorts that just covered my ass, a black cropped tank top, and a baggy sweater that I stole from Yoongi months ago. I left it unzipped so it would slide off one of my arms, and quickly slid on my comfy heeled combat boots. “Who you trying to impress looking like that?” Yoongi asked when I made my way back to the living room, licking his lips as he gave me a once over. I threw my arms lazily around his neck and his hands immediately wrapped around my waist, bringing me closer to him.

           “As if you have to ask.” I teased, glancing down at his lips. He didn’t hesitate in closing the minimal space between us, soft gasps escaping from both of us.

           It wasn’t hard to find Jackson when we arrived at his place. The man was made for throwing parties; he was the biggest social butterfly I’ve ever met. He was making rounds, greeting everyone, and making sure everyone was having a great time. His eyes were on me the second I walked in the door, and he left the group he was talking to to greet me. “And the party queen arrives.” He smirked, bringing me in for a hug.

           “We had to stop to get more of the good shit.” Yoongi said, taking Jackson’s attention away from me.

           “You guys started without me?” Jackson jokingly pouted, causing both Yoongi and I to roll our eyes. “Meet me in my room, I’ll grab Jungkook and Jae Beom.” We nodded and headed upstairs to the last room on the left and set up. It didn’t take long for the other 3 to join us for some lines. We sat and joked around for a while so it could kick in, and then we joined the party raging on downstairs.

           “You look so good tonight.” Yoongi moaned into my ear as he wrapped his arms around me from behind as I made us some drinks. His lips were soon pressing on the side of my neck, leaving a trail of sloppy kisses before I turned around in his arms and pressed my lips to his. My hands gripped onto his hair as his tongue begged for entrance, which I fully obliged.

           “Always a show when you two get together.” Jungkook chuckled, causing us to break apart. Yoongi didn’t move, just kept his arms wrapped tightly around me as I placed my hands on his chest and looked over to Jungkook.

           “We’re not dating.” I corrected. He put his hands up in surrender, but I could see the teasing look in his eyes. “Just fucking.” I added, pressing a quick kiss to Yoongi’s cheek.

           “Love is dumb anyway.” Yoongi chimed in. “I get all the benefits, none of the bullshit.” He smirked, pulling me in for another heated kiss. Love is dumb, which is why I settle for this instead allowing myself to fall completely head over heels for my best friend.

           Kim Namjoon is every girls dream when it comes to dating. He’s considerate, kind, giving, loving, funny, smart, tall, and not to mention sexy as fuck. He’s always had my entire heart since the day we met in our first year of high school. Someone had decided to dump their smoothie on my shirt, and without thinking, Namjoon had slipped his sweater on my shoulders, grabbing my arms, and sliding them through the arm holes before zipping it up, effectively hiding the stain.

           I was already on a slippery slope back then, drinking with friends much older than I. But he saved me, honestly speaking. He helped me get my grades up, helped me get into and then graduate college. He was there for every hard night, every sick day, and has seen me at my best and my worst. Kim Namjoon was everything I needed and everything I wanted.

           Yoongi was the complete opposite of Namjoon. He did drugs, drank, and partied all the time. He dropped out of college to party and could barely hold down a job. He introduced me to Jackson, Jae Beom and Jungkook, and soon the 5 of us became the life of every party.

           I met Yoongi soon after Namjoon started dating a girl who was perfect for him. It had been years since I stepped foot in a party, but when I was walking and heard the pounding music, it was like it was calling for me. Like fate had put me there at that time on purpose, so I could find Min Yoongi and get over the pain of losing my first love.

           I remembered walking through the door, and Yoongi’s eyes immediately met mine. It’s like he could see how broken I was and took me under his wing. Within a couple hours, I had completely forgotten about Namjoon and miss perfect.

           It became a regular thing for me again, staying out late and not remembering what I did. Because when I woke up the next day, I was met with the realization that the only man I’ve ever loved, will never love me. So every night I drank myself into oblivion and slept with Yoongi. It was the closest thing to love I’ll ever get.

           “I want you to meet her.” Namjoon told me a few days later as we sat on the couch, watching some movie I already forget the name of. “You’re my best friend and she’s been asking to meet you.” He had told me lots about her in the past. How smart she is, how pretty she is, how absolutely perfect she is. It is glaringly obvious how much different she is from me.

           “Whatever.” I said under my breath, really not in the mood to hear about his perfect girlfriend. “Should we invite her to dinner then?” I asked in a monotone voice, not looking away from the tv, though I had no idea what was going on with the characters on the screen. The only thing I could focus on was the new cologne Namjoon was wearing, and how close he was sitting to me.

           “She’d love that.” He smiled, immediately pulling out his phone to text her.

           “I’m bringing Yoongi then. I don’t want to third-wheel.” His head snapped up to look at me when I said that. Besides, I’ll need drugs to get through this. I thought to myself, texting Yoongi to see if he was free.

           “So you two are officially dating?” Namjoon asked, causing me to look over at him for the first time since we sat down. All he was wearing was a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but somehow he looked incredible. His girlfriend was so lucky, and I hope she knew that. I hope she treats him like the king he is, because if she were to break his heart, she’d be breaking mine too.

           “You know I don’t date, Joon.” I chuckled, rolling my eyes as the absurdity that I’d be able to love anyone that wasn’t him.

           Yoongi and I quickly snuck into my room to do a couple lines before meeting Namjoon back in the living room so we could leave for the restaurant. The two of them have met on multiple occasions during these last few months, but they never seemed to get along. Namjoon blamed Yoongi for getting me back into partying, and Yoongi hates that Namjoon can’t see the great girl in front of him.

           As expected, she was stunning, even in her simple sundress. Namjoon’s face completely lit up when she joined our table. “You must be Y/N.” She exclaimed with a wide smile. “Joonie has told me so much about you.” Why did I think this was a good idea? I could feel the tears spring to my eyes just watching them interact, wishing it was me.

           “Did you just want to leave? Jackson’s throwing another party.” Yoongi whispered in my ear. “A pool party with his closest friends.” He added with a playful smirk as he pinched my side. I let out a little squeal, catching the attention of Namjoon and Ji Soo.

           “We should hurry and order. Yoongi just reminded me that it’s our friend’s birthday tonight.” I lied with a small smile, and Ji Soo immediately agreed.

           “Don’t want you to miss another party.” Namjoon said with a displeased look on his face.

           “So glad you see it our way.” Yoongi bit back, a smile on his face as he cocked his head to the side. Ji Soo looked between the two of them, obviously sensing the sudden tension in the air.

           “You seriously can’t skip this party?” His question was directed at me, but Yoongi answered.

           “Didn’t you hear her? It’s our friend’s birthday.”

           “And which friend would that be?” Namjoon countered, completely ignoring both Ji Soo and I, who just looked at each other, not wanting to get involved.

           “Jackson.” Yoongi said, placing his elbows on the table and resting his head in his hands, looking over at Namjoon with a playful look in his eyes, but I could see the anger in the way his jaw was clenching. “You know, the guy who threw her a huge birthday bash when her best friend forgot her birthday.” Namjoon’s eyes widened when he heard that, but I refused to look at him, keeping my head down as I pretended to look through the menu. I could tell that Namjoon was going through the days in his mind, trying to see if Yoongi was telling the truth.

           “Y/N, why didn’t you say anything?” I glanced up for just a second before looking back to the menu like it was the most interesting book in the world.

           “You were busy with Ji Soo. It’s not that big a deal. I had a good day.” I still remembered getting ready for our birthday tradition of ordering in and watching a bunch of movies in a fort. A tradition that was started by Namjoon in high school when he found out no one remembered my birthday. He asked his parents if I could come over for the night, and I remember seeing the horribly built fort in his room and crying.

           We’ve gotten better at building forts over the years, but the tradition still went unmissed for 7 years, until this year. I could see the apologetic look in both Namjoon and Ji Soo’s eyes. She never meant to take Namjoon from me, but she was such a good person. Of course he would choose her over me, even on my birthday. “You know, I’m suddenly not hungry.” I chirped, closing the menu, and placing it back on the table. “Have a date night. Yoongi and I have somewhere to be.”  

           “Y/N!” Namjoon called after me, following Yoongi and I to the parking lot before grabbing my wrist and stopping me. “Why didn’t you remind me?”

           “I didn’t think I needed to.” I slid his hand off my wrist and slid my hand into Yoongi’s and we left. “You didn’t have to say that.” I whispered as he drove away, leaving Namjoon in the parking lot, staring after us, and Ji Soo sitting alone at a table meant for 4.

           “He deserved to know how horribly he’s been treating you lately.” I knew he was right. I would have never told Joon how much he’s been neglecting me since his relationship with Ji Soo began. “We’ll stop by your place to get your swim suit, then we’ll get drunk and forget about love.” He smiled at me, placing his hand on my thigh. Why did I have to fall in love with the only man who could never love me?

           “I’m going to have to throw more pool parties if this is what you look like in a bikini.” Jackson teased, pulling me in for a hug, kissing my cheek as we pulled away.

           “Always a flirt.” I joked back, blowing him a kiss. Everyone who was invited was already in the pool, enjoying the drinks and loud music. Jungkook and Jae Beom saw Yoongi and I standing with Jackson by the sliding glass door leading into his house, and quickly made their way towards us.

           “You two are always the last to arrive.” Jae Beom teased, bumping me lightly with his shoulder.

           “Probably fucking and losing track of time.” Jungkook jumped in, a teasing smile on his face. I threw my head back in laughter as Yoongi slid his arm around my waist.

           “If you’re jealous, just say so.” Yoongi quipped, pressing a soft kiss to my neck. “Who’s joining us in the kitchen?” He asked the three boys in a tone that alluded to what the plan was. All three of them followed us as we continued our tradition of getting absolutely trashed together.

           I found myself drinking more than usual as thoughts of Namjoon just wouldn’t leave my mind. I could still see the way his entire face lit up when Ji Soo joined us, as if she was the love of his life. And maybe she was. Maybe in due time I’d be a guest at their wedding, Yoongi on my arm as we try to get low-key trashed. We’d probably fuck in an abandoned room at whatever venue they decided on.

           I always pictured a life where Namjoon returned my feelings, and I was the one walking down the aisle towards him. He would smile when he saw me dressed in white, and he would whisper how beautiful I was when I met him at the alter. There would be no second thoughts, no cold feet. It’s like he’s my soulmate, but I’m not his. And that hurts.

           So I drown my sorrows in drugs and alcohol. Splashing around with all the guys in the pool, my vision blurring the more I drank. Yoongi sat me on the edge of the pool at one point, standing between my legs as we gave the rest of them a small show as we made out. Cheers were heard from all our friends and we couldn’t help but laugh at how high school this all felt.

           It wasn’t until Yoongi swam away, joining a game the rest of them were playing, that I realized just how drunk and unstable I was. I tried to stop myself from falling forwards, but I couldn’t. And the next thing I remember is hitting my head on the bottom of the pool and hearing everyone call my name.

           Blinding lights woke me up who knows how long later, and I could feel my head pound worse than any hangover I’ve ever felt. “Y/N!” Yoongi exclaimed when he saw my eyes opened, immediately taking my hand in his, bringing it to his lips and giving it a soft kiss. “You scared the shit out of me.” I finally took in my surroundings, realizing I was in a hospital room, an IV of fluids in my arm sobering me up quickly. My head whipped towards the door when it slid open, Namjoon walking in.

           “You’re up.” I nodded. “What the fuck were you thinking drinking that much?” He suddenly yelled, causing Yoongi to stand up and get into Namjoon’s face.

           “Do not fucking talk to her like that!” He countered.

           “I’m her best friend! I have a right to be concerned about her wellbeing. And if I’m honest, you are no help.” I wanted to say something, anything, to stop them from arguing, from saying things they won’t be able to take back.

           “Last I checked, I’m the person that’s been there for her lately. I’m the person that knows when she’s sad. I’m the person she calls when you yell at her. I’m the person who helps her forget why she’s sad in the first place!” Yoongi yelled, getting closer to Namjoon. “While you run off galivanting with your girlfriend and neglecting the person you call your best friend.”

           “I do not neglect Y/N! I make time for her all the fucking time. All you’ve done is undo all the progress I made getting her better.”

           “You make time for her and yet you missed her birthday and didn’t even realize it until I told you! I see her every fucking day, so I damn well know you’re not around as much as you think you are. You don’t even know how much she’s hurting.” Yoongi’s voice started getting softer, tears obviously welling up in his eyes. We were fuck buddies, but he’s still a close friend of mine. Seeing me hurt always seemed to hurt him as well. Namjoon then looked passed Yoongi and right at me.

           “Why don’t you talk to me anymore? Why does he know you’re hurting, and I don’t?” He pushed Yoongi to the side, stepping closer to me and taking the chair Yoongi was once sitting in.

           “Because you’re the one hurting me.” I admitted, tired of biting my tongue around him. Yoongi was right. Namjoon deserved to know how much he was hurting me. “You can’t see how in love with you I am, and brag to me about how perfect Ji Soo is, and it hurts because you’re right. She’s so perfect, especially for you. I’m just a fucking mess and I’m just lucky you’re my best friend, but I love you. So I drown my feelings in alcohol to forget about you.” Namjoon just stared at me. “I don’t expect you to ever return my feelings, Joon. But please for now, just leave.” He didn’t say anything and just left the room, Yoongi quickly taking a seat beside me again.

           “I’m proud of you, babe.” He smiled, taking my hand again. “He needed to hear it.” I nodded, refusing to meet his sympathy filled eyes. I deserve someone like Yoongi. Him and I are similar in the worst ways, but we complete each other in the best way. And yet I can’t stop being in love with the one man who is too good for me.

           Yoongi didn’t leave my side for the week of bed rest at home I was ordered to take. Neither one of us drank or did drugs, we didn’t even have sex the entire time. He just doted on me; cooking for me and helping me with absolutely everything. I’ve never felt more grateful for him than this moment. It almost helped me forget about Namjoon. Almost.

           The day Yoongi left, Namjoon was at my door, an apologetic look in his eyes. I invited him in as the two of us sat on my couch, silence draping over us. It was weird sitting in complete silence with him, neither one of us knowing what to say. “How come you never said anything?” Namjoon finally broke the silence.

           “I didn’t want to lose you. Like you said, you made me better. You helped me get on the right path, helped me graduate college, helped me become the person I was months ago. And I knew it was all one-sided. So I bit my tongue, and then you met Ji Soo, and I met Yoongi. Yoongi was able to help me forget that I was watching you fall in love with someone that wasn’t me.” Namjoon was staring at me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, knowing I would burst into tears the second I met his sympathetic eyes.

           “How do you know it’s one-sided?”

           “Oh please, Joon. You’re literally perfect. A genius with a 4.0 GPA, a wonderful job making good money. You’re such a kind and giving person, not thinking twice about helping a person in need, like giving me your sweater in high school. Not to mention you’re effortlessly handsome. And I’m a mess. I drink and do drugs. I was failing until you helped me. I can barely hold down a job. Just looking at us, anyone could tell that you’re way too good for me.” I laid all my thoughts on the table, wiping away some of the tears that began to fall. “It was inevitable that I was going to fall in love with you.” I added, taking a small glance towards him before looking back to my hands joined together in my lap.

           “You’re so much more than that, Y/N. You’re so smart when you apply yourself. You’re such a caring person, like you don’t even think about doing good for others, it’s just second nature to you. And you’re beautiful.” He reached over, brushing some hair away from my face. “So beautiful and you don’t even realize it.” His voice was soft as he spoke. “Sure, you got into the wrong crowd again and found yourself on that slippery slope once again, but relapse is a thing that happens during recovery.”

           “What if I don’t want to recover anymore?” I finally met his eyes as my tears fell more frequently.

           “Then I’ll just have to give you a reason to.” I scoffed.

           “And what reason is that?” He seemed to hesitate for only a second before closing the space between us in a sweet kiss. A kiss so much different than the ones I’ve shared with Yoongi. A kiss filled with love and passion. A kiss that brought me back to life.

           “Ji Soo broke up with me that evening at the restaurant. Because even she could see just how in love with you I am.” He whispered, his forehead resting against mine. “Is my love reason enough to continue your recovery?” He pulled back only slightly, his hand coming up to rest on my cheek, wiping away some of the stray tears.

           “Your love is the only drug I need.” I smiled, kissing him for the second time, my heart swelling with so much love. It was inevitable that I was going to fall in love with the man who saved me, but it was destiny that he fell in love with me too.

[demonictales]

P O I S O N - ZEWU JUN x READER

request: The reader and Lan xichen meet at a fancy banquet and the reader gets poisoned. At first she just doesn't feel to good but then it gets worse and Lan xichen is super worried. She almost dies but he takes care of her and saves her

TW: POISONING, NEAR DEATH, extremly ooc xichen

As most cultivators knew by now and were gathered at Koi Tower to celebrate the first full birthday of the little heir to the Lanling Jin sect, all of the town was filled with people from everywhere. It was bustling.

Your small clan had been invited as well and since your parents were busy handling your new born baby brother Zizhen you attented as the oldest child from the Baling Ouyang Clan and entered the Koi Tower a few minutes ago, just a little after you had arrived you were greeted by Jin Guangyao. You returned the gesture of bowing respectfully and thanking him for the invitation you had received as well as apologized for your parents absence due to your little brother being born.

The gap between you and your brother was about twenty three years, quite a lot but your parents had birthed you rather young, so it was no big deal. You were excited to have one more family member and a plus point was that you had a little brother by your side now.

Moving along into the hall, you spotted the familiar blue and white attire of the Gusu Lan sect. Immediately your features seemed to be even brighter as you approached Lan Xichen. "Zewu Jun. --- Pleased to meet you here. How have you been these days? "

You had met him several times before, either through lectures or other meetings and occassions where you had crossed paths. It always delighted you to meet him and be able to exchange a few words with him. " Greetings, Lady Y/N. I've been quite alright. I shall hope you had nothing to worry about either." Xichen spoke in his usual quiet and refined tone and you nodded with a smile. "Yes, I've been fine. My brother was born a couple days ago. -- It will be very lively for the next few years in Baling. " You answered him with the news of your brother coming to walk this planet. "Congratulations. He will be a happy and strong boy with an older sister like yourself by his side. --- " A rose colored blush graced your cheeks before you smiled. "Thank you, Zewu Jun. I will let him know you think this way. My parents will be joyful to hear such words of blessing for Zizhen."

Soon the dinner would commence and lots of guest were talking and enjoying the festivities including yourself during the night, cheeks adorned by the blushing heat of the wine that did give you a little to much warmth. You told yourself you'd drink no more as you felt rather dizzy from what you were given. It was so unusual since you were not a lightweight, you could hold your liquor but something about this red firewater was setting you off. Perhaps it was just stronger as you expected it to be though it did leave a bitter taste on your tongue.

Excusing yourself you went outside, you needed air and to cool down a little. Clenching your eyes together to get a better vision was one thing you did as you stood up and started walking towards the doors, however, the room did not stop spinning and you felt incredibly nauseaous when your heart started racing like crazy. Holding onto the door frame for security got you no where.

Lan Xichen had joined a few cultivators outside for a talk when he noticed your struggling figure at the entrance. He did not think much of it before you in fact threw up a massive amount of blood unbeknownst to yourself for you had blacked out the moment you fell to the ground. "Ouyang Y/N!" Zewu Jun hurried over to you, feeling your pulse. It was weak, barely tangible. Crimson colored blood ran down you lips and nose, your already dark red colored robes were sweat drenched. None other than Jin Guangyao rushed to Xichen's side wondering what happened. "She has been poisoned. If we are not quick to find the culprit and the antidote, it might bring terrible consequences."

Zewu Jun requested Meng Yao's help to send out people to find out who poisoned the young lady of Baling. What nobody knew was this seemed to be an assasination attempt on Jin Guangyao which had been failed as your wine had been switched by an unknown servant and was served to you instead of Meng Yao.

It was only a matter of time before the perpetrator either escaped or was caught. You were given into the care of the doctor of Lanling which was instructed to give updates on your health as each of the cultivators present and the apprentices of the Jin clan were sent in search of the assassin. Even Lan Xichen was involved. He knew you didn't have much time and you needed the antidote before the sun rose high in the sky to survive or it would be too late for you.

Hour after hour passed as your health and sign of life disappeared within you and the closer they got to find the culprit. He was disguised as an errand boy inside the clan of Lanling when being searched they had found someone fighting back. Everybody was doing their best to get the antidote or Jin Rulan's name would be tainted by the death of an accquired clan members death. They could possibly not let that happen.

Meanwhile you were losing strength to hold onto live, you did no longer react to the doctor calling your name, your unconsiousness dragging you deeper and deeper into the dark void of nothingness. However, your subconcious could make something out just a little, a liquid was running down your lips and every bit inside tingled by a slight burning sensation. It wasn't too strong of a pain, but it was bearable. What once felt like you had been turned to mush inside now felt like it was burning and restoring itself. What in god's name had happened? What is happening and why were you coughing all of a sudden.

Bright light blinded you when you opened your eyes, your head bumping tremendously , a stinging pain as you sat up, the song of clarity being played in the far corner of the room you were resting. As your dark orbits adjusted to the sunlight you were surprised to see Zewu Jun who sat and played the melody. You watched quietly taking a deep breath as the calming effect took over you. Eventually, you got up and quietly walked over, steps still a bit wobbly as you did so. "Zewu Jun. "

Your voice was dry and it matched your even dryer mouth. His eyes met yours as he came to a quiet and soft stop of playing the guqin. "You are finally awake. Let me pour you some tea. " He spoke in his usual quiet and calming voice. " How long have I been out? -- The celebrations were yesterday, am I right? " All you remembered was that you had maybe drank a bit to much wine, and went outside, but that was it. "Lady Y/N, you have been resting for three days. Do you not remember what happened? "

You were slightly confused because you did not quite understand what he was saying. You shook your head and took the tea he offered you with a small smile. "Thank you. --"

After a brief explanation of the events of the past five days you starred at him blankly. You had been poisoned, which had been an assasination attempt on Jin Guangyao but the maid ended up serving the poisened wine to you on accident and basically Jin Guangyao was the one who had recovered the antidote while Zewu Jun had fed it to you and played the Song of Clarity for your quick recovery. Lips were parted as you tried to speak but no words came out. How? That was the question, how did you end up getting caught up in an assasination attempt on Jin Guangyao.

"I believe I owe you very sincere thanks. " Quietly you stood up and bowed to Lan Xichen, who had stayed two days and three nights playing the clarity song for you. "The Baling Ouyang clan is deeply indepted to you, Zewu Jun. --- You have our undisputed loyalty for as long as the Ouyang Clan exists. I myself am indebted to you as well. " Lan Xichen's reputation was much more than that and you knew how humble he was but you did not bent. You were sincere in the fact that he had safed your live.

"There is no need to bow. " His hands touched your elbows and brought you up. " Instead rest well for another two days before you go home. " He insisted. You nodded and did as he spoke.

From that day on, you had sworn yourself as a sister to Zewu Jun for saving your life and he greatly accepted your offer.

[hanjizung]

Unwrap.

Kim Seungmin x Reader.

Word count:  5.3K

♡ Warnings ♡: smut; oral (m), deepthroating, choking (but not really), fingering, creampie, penetrative sex, unprotected sex.

My part for The Smutmas Collab, organized by @clandestine-lixie​, Merry Christmas, everyone. ♡

It was your first Christmas being Seungmin’s girlfriend, you’d been friends for years and you were already familiar with his other friends, but just that year he actually confessed his feelings for you, with a little help from Felix and Jisung, somehow. It was thanks to them that your relationship with Seungmin went to the next level, after all. You made a note to thank them and give them amazing gifts for their birthday months ago.

The guys had invited you over for a Christmas dinner, saying that they were saving the party for New Year's eve and you happily agreed to go celebrate with them since you were alone; your family lived out of the country and the cousin who moved there with you traveled for the holidays to visit her family too, this was your fourth Christmas living here.

Thankfully, you’d get to spend it with your magnificent boyfriend and your lovely common friends with Seungmin, who you loved almost as much as you loved him.

Walking out of the shower, you made your wear to your closet and picked up a box you had hidden for almost a month when you were first planning your Christmas dinner privately with Seungmin, before the rest of the boys sumed in and made your small, romantic dinner with your prince charming a bigger event. But you decided that wouldn’t ruin your night, you wanted to do something nice for Seungmin so your plan was going to still happen.

Taking the box in your hands, you placed it on your large bed and took the lid off, revealing what was inside. Your smile grew when your delicate hands took the piece of undergarment to examine it better; a red bra that had little red ribbons where your nipples were supposed to go made your cheeks become hotter. You let your towel fall to the ground, putting the pretty bra on and then doing the same with the small red panties that also had little red ribbons everywhere.

When you were done putting that on, you turned, phone in your hand and walked to the mirror to take a selfie, a little preview for Seungmin wouldn’t hurt, you thought while posing in front of your wall mirror from all the angles you could imagine; sitting on the floor, ass out, squeezing your boobs together with your arms, biting your lip… it would be hard to choose only one to send to him, but you’d manage to chose.

A notification got your attention, it was a message from the man who lived in your mind rent free; 'Changbin and I are on our way to pick you up.’ it said.

You smiled. If he was coming with Changbin only, that meant there was no much exposure danger if you sent him a picture. You knew what your answer would be.

‘got it.’

‘wanna see what ill wear?’

You browsed through your recent pictures without waiting properly for his answer. He always told you yes, you knew he loved you as much to never deny anything to you.

Pressing send, you sat on the bed excitedly waiting for his response. You saw when the message was received and when Seungmin read it. The little dots indicating that he was writing something made you smile happily.

‘Wow… '

'Baby, that looks amazing’

‘Does that mean that you’re my present?’

‘I can NOT wait to get to your home and unwrap you’

Leaving him on read, you walked to your closet to pick the dress you were saving for this special occasion and put it on. It was comfortable, kind of short but you were going to wear thighs to protect yourself from the cold, and finally a pair of boots.

Proceeding to put makeup on for this special day, you started the process like you always did when getting ready for a date.

------

The bell rang just as you finished the tinier details of your makeup.

Opening the front door, you threw your arms around Seungmin’s neck, smiling widely at him and then letting him go, hugging Changbin as well but with less enthusiasm than the first hug you gave your boyfriend. After your greeting to the guys, you moved to the side to let them inside your cozy home.

“Just let me go for my coat and we can leave” you told them, hurrying to your room for both your pretty long coat and a bag that looked good with your whole outfit.

When you came back, Changbin had left already to turn on the car, so you took Seungmin's hand and let him guide you to where your other friend was waiting for you.

The trip in the supermarket took longer than expected; you knew it would be full, but didn't expect it to be that full, the lines to pay were stupidly long and there were people running everywhere with full shopping carts.

Half an hour later, Changbin was walking behind you and Seungmin who were walking hand to hand and with a bag of missing items that Minho had previously asked you to buy to make the dinner. When Seungmin opened the front door, his relieved expression was the first thing you saw after stepping in.

"We're here, we got everything you asked us to buy" Changbin exclaimed, placing his bag on the table and looking at the cat mom with a reassuring smile.

Seungmin took the bag in your hand, freeing you so you could greet the rest of your friends who were eager to greet you too.

Felix was the first one who made his way to you when he heard the front door open, hugging you so gently that it made your heart feel warm.

"Hey, Y/N. I'm so excited that you're helping us to make dinner!" Felix said happily, his smile almost lighting up the whole room.

"It's the least I can do since you all invited me to come" you hugged him again, planting a kiss on his cheek and making him laugh.

Jisung appeared behind him, pulling you towards him by the hand to hug you "I missed you, Y/N! How are you doing?" he asked politely, letting you go to study your features.

"I missed you too, Sungie! I've been good, I hope you've been good as well, right? It hasn't been that long before we saw each other" you laughed.

You were right, 3 nights ago Seungmin had asked you if you wanted to go to the movies, an invitation you had agreed right the moment he called you. But only to be surprised when you got to the movie theater to see your boyfriend talking with Jeongin and Jisung. It didn't annoy you, but you thought it would be a romantic date, only you and Seungmin.

"Y/N! Since you're here we can start this grand, fantastic dinner" Minho said as he walked out of the kitchen. You laughed when you saw what he was wearing, because above, protecting his normal clothes he had an apron with the words 'kiss the chef', it was your gift for him on his birthday.

Taking your coat off, you rolled your imaginary sleeves up and followed him along with the freckled aussie to start preparing everything for dinner. The plan was to make a turkey since they didn't celebrate Thanksgiving. Hyunjim had been the one suggesting it, saying that he had been wanting to try that.

Minho agreed, saying that it would be a challenge to do it. You remember how he turned to look at you to see how you reacted. You smiled, agreeing silently to his unspoken demand; your help.

The day was spent mostly in the kitchen; each of the boys showered and greeted you in the kitchen when they were finally in their dinner clothes except for Minho, Felix and Seungmin, the ones who were in charge of cooking.

Seungmin and Felix were going to bake a dessert for all of you, playing around with you and Minho. The dorms were filled with your laughs mostly, getting the attention of those who were sitting in the living room just looking at their phones.

You were sitting on the countertop next to Seungmin who was mixing everything Felix had thrown in the bowl, a smile on his face until the mix seemed to be ready

"Be careful mixing it or you'll get it everywhere and Minho will scold us" Felix warned Seungmin from the table. He was mixing another bowl, saying that he wanted to make a lot so everyone could try it.

"Yes, Minnie. I don't want Minho to get mad, I like having you here with me" you pouted at him.

And he didn't say anything, you just watched as he stuck a finger into the batter and brought it to your face, the liquid feeling cold on the tip of your nose. Your eyes got big, your cheeks got hotter and your eyebrows raised in clear surprise, your expression making Seungmin giggle at you. And later, he leaned into you, his clean thumb wiping the stain off your nose and then bringing it to your lips for you to lick his finger clean. You did what he wanted, eyes focused on him and his little devilish smile, but soon Minho's voice scared you and made you jump.

"Are you two for real? Hurry up Seungmin, you're distracting my co-chef" he huffed, looking at your boyfriend with his arms crossed and his feet going up and down, demonstrating that he couldn't wait for the other boys to finish.

15 minutes later, Felix was putting the batter on the oven, Seungmin was sitting on a chair with you on his lap, his arms around your waist and you couldn't resist the urge to give him a kiss. It started sweet, gentle. But then he took control and soon you two were almost eating each other, only to be interrupted again by a clearly agitated Felix.

"Seriously guys? Right in front of the turkey?" he said, running to the marinating turkey and standing in front of it.

You blushed, hiding your flushed face in your boyfriend's neck. You felt how he opened his mouth to answer, but another voice filled your ears instead.

"Oh, you two should get a room," Hyunjin laughed, his head peeking to the kitchen, probably attracted by Felix's funny exclamation.

That second interruption seemed to be like a warning for Seungmin and you, both trying your best to stay away from each other and interact more with the rest of your friends, until Minho declared that it was the time to eat and all of you reunited at the table.

The dinner was relaxed, some reminisced about their childhood and how they spent their Christmases with their family and how happy they were, others sharing funny stories that featured the toys they were gifted and someone even saying how devastated they felt after they discovered Santa wasn't real and how much it took for them to accept it.

After dinner, Changbin took out a game and all of you played with it for a while, until it got too dark and Seungmin announced that he would be taking you home. Your ears perked at his announcement, a feeling of excitement in the depth of your stomach bloomed and you stood up with a sheepish smile ready to hug everyone goodbye, telling the guys that they could go to your house in the morning to give you their gifts since you didn't have enough arms to carry them all home with you.

Seungmin took your hand, guiding you to the door while you waved goodbye to Chan and the guys one last time with an enchanting smile on your smile.

When you were outside, you took Seungmin's warm hand in yours to heat your smaller hands as well. The chilly December night made your cheeks and nose red from the coldness, and so you walked hand in hand, talking about how much fun you had during the dinner and playing games with your friends.

The rest of the trip home continuing in a comfortable silence, at some point he pulled you towards him, his arm around your shoulders and squeezing you playfully, making you laugh in the process. But you didn't try to move away from him, wrapping your arm around his waist and resting your face against him, feeling his warmth. It was like that until you got to your home, you separated from him much to your sadness and looked for your keys in your purse. Minutes later, when you found them and you two were finally allowed to be inside, you turned on the light and took off your shoes, next to you Seungmin did the same thing and when you were done, you took his hand and guided him to the couch where he sat, you taking a place on his lip and staring at his big eyes lovingly, one of your hands on his cheek and your other arm resting on his shoulder.

"I love you, Seungmin" you whispered, your thumb caressing his cheek sweetly. His eyes shone brightly, a beautiful smile adorned his face and he leaned in closer to kiss you quickly on the lips, making you smile too.

"I love you too, sweetheart. So much" Seungmin's arms wrapped around you, making you giggle as he pressed kisses all over your face. You tried to stop him, failing every attempt.

When he finally stopped and you tried to regain your breath again he was looking at you with that foolish smile that always adorned his face when his eyes found you. You had fallen so deep for him, it made you completely happy that he demonstrated that it was the same way around and that he was head over heels for you too.

You cleared your throat when you were finally calm, and you turned on the TV. The hour showed, it was still a bit early, so you had an idea.

"There's still time left until Christmas, Minnie. We could watch a movie, and then…" you hit your lip, cheeks getting hotter from what you had to suggest.

Seungmin didn't seem to catch what you meant.

Or more importantly, he wanted you to say it, hear what was on your mind.

"Then what, sweetheart?" he asked, eyebrows raised as he paid full attention to your words.

"and then… You can open your present" you said, biting your lip and looking at him with your eyes open. In his eyes, you seemed so adorable, acting so shy and getting flustered so easily. You made his heart flutter without even trying.

"I'm so excited to unwrap the present, I think I already saw what it is, but a picture is not the same as the real deal" he winked at you, placing his big hand on your cheek and keeping you in place as he left a sweet kiss on your lips.

"Put the movie then, baby" he said, his breath hitting your face as he talked, his forehead against yours and the same smile from before still there.

Sighing and removing your face from where it was resting against his hand, you stood up and turned on the television, putting on a movie that you two like, the movie that reminded you of him and how your relationship had progressed from being just friends to the only couple among your common friends, who also played an important point in making you and him get together.

With the movie playing, your head started to go in the direction of what your future actions could lead to; there were many possibilities of what Seungmin could do to you if you did present yourself to him as his 'gift', many scenarios playing in your head that leaded to a growing wetness between your legs, Seungmin's hand resting carelessly in your waist didn't help at all to ease your wild thoughts. You were eager to get intimate with him, it was becoming more of a need as seconds passed by; time felt eternal, it was almost torture. The worst torture of all times. You were craving his touch, his kisses, his words…

Unconsciously, you pressed yourself against him, the hand that was resting against his own that was on your waist sliding it down across your stomach, his long fingers intertwining with your own as he passed his nose on the crook of your neck, making you shiver and bite your lip to avoid making any noise that could give away how needy you were for him.

And as the movie passed, you kept your thighs pressed together and holding his hand under yours. Seungmin happened to randomly kiss you anywhere he could reach. He seemed so controlled, so at peace and incredibly relaxed.

That was, until a moment where you particularly grounded too hard against him and came in contact with the boner caged in his pants.

And you knew. He needed you almost as much as you desired him.

Shifting so you would be facing him, you jumped scared when something fell to the floor. The both of you looked for the object after being so suddenly startled, and your hand reached to pick up your phone. It was okay, you made sure to check the screen to see if it hadn't broken anywhere, but something else caught your eye. The time. It was 11:48, almost midnight.

"Minnie, it's almost midnight" you whispered, leaving your phone under your pillow. Your boyfriend looked at you with a knowing look, and he sat on the couch, pulling your arm to make you sit as well.

"Then it'll be okay if I open my present now since it's almost Christmas, right?" you nodded, not saying a word, your beautiful orbs focused on him and how his own eyes were dark with pure lust.

He took your hand and indicated you to stand up. You did as he wanted, fixing your dress as you stood right in front of him. Seungmin was sitting on the couch with his legs spread, one arm resting on the back of it and his other hand was still holding yours.

"I want to see you take that pretty dress off so you can give me my present" he said in a raspy voice. You looked down at your hands tagging the end of the pretty fabric that conformed the dress you wore for the entire day. This was it, the moment you had anticipated since the package containing the pretty lingerie arrived at your home.

Exhaling, your timid hand started to take off the pretty dress. In front of you, Seungmin took in every inch of skin that was revealed to him, his head tilted to the side and his bottom lip between his teeth.

The more of your skin was exposed to him, the more he felt the need to stroke the cock under his pants. It almost hurt him from how hard he was, this effect you had in him was so powerful, it made his mind dizzy from all the want drowning his head when he saw you in almost nothing. You were so delicate to him, there was nothing else that he wanted besides taking care of you and destroying you until you were shouting his name with tears of ecstasy.

Finally letting the dress come off you and letting gravity do its job by allowing the item to fall to the floor, Seungmin was able to appreciate the dexy set you had bought for the holidays.

"Oh, doll, you're the best gift I've ever had…" he extended his hand which you took without thinking. It had become a natural habit of yours to hold whatever got your attention, but most importantly, holding Seungmin's hand.

And then he pulled you to him, making you fall on top of him in a straddling position. You pressed your hands against his chest to sit more comfortably on top of him, while he never removed his eyes from your barely covered nipples. He seemed to be so marveled by the set you were wearing, it made you feel like you had already won Christmas, because knowing what was yet to come, you had already won. It didn't matter if there was a gift or not; every moment of intimacy you shared with him made you feel like you'd won the lottery. You'd never change that for anything.

"You did a good job undressing, baby, but I want to finish unwrapping you so I can play with my doll" Seungmin murmured, one of his fingers passing from your neck to the middle of your chest until it reached your bra. His other hand was resting on your thigh, his thumb drawing circles there.

Thanks to the position you were in, he was able to feel how wet you were. The damp panties leaving a spot on his crotch, but neither of you seemed to care as tension got heavier and heavier with time.

Passing his thumb through your breast, he stopped right where your erect nipole3showed through the red lingerie, and he slowly moved apart the clothing to see how he played with your sensitive chest. It felt good, but the pleasure increased when his lips met your boob and his tongue played around with you, your head thrown back and the first loud moan escaped your lips.

"S-Seungmin…" you sighed, holding yourself by gripping his shoulders strongly. Your boyfriend seemed to comply at your plea as he added teeth to the mixture of giving you what he knew would make you squirm and he bit you playfully.

His other hand was squeezing your other boob, and the arm on your thigh was now on your hip trying to keep you from grinding against him.

You'd given him total control to make you do whatever he needed for the following day, and Kim Seungmin was smart enough to use it and please himself firstly by pleasing you because he loved you.

He hadn't seemed to notice the wet patch on his pants, the one that you created from how good he was treating you and making you feel. You felt frustrated that he wasn't allowing you to drag your hips above his covered length to feel a bit of friction. You needed some form of release.

"Minnie, please…" you cried out, your nails digging on the soft skin of his shoulders as you tried once again to grind on his boner, not succeeding from his hold on you.

Seungmin separated his lips from you, his other hand still playing with your defenseless nipple as he looked up at you. "What do you need, sweetheart?" he asked. His voice sounded heavenly, so attractive, raspy and low for you to hear only.

"N–nothing… I'm your present, I should make you feel good. Please let me make you feel good" you whispered again. It was Christmas, a day for giving without expecting anything in return. You'd feel so selfish crying to him to make you feel good, to make you cum when that was your job. You wanted to take care of him, give him anything he wanted that you could give. He stayed silent, his hand finally stopping and his eyes looking down on your barely covered form. And he simply nodded.

With that little gesture, you moved yourself from his lap and dropped to the floor, sitting on your knees between his legs, your hands on his thigh creeping slowly to the zipper of his pants and your lips parted open while your eyes focused on the objective in your head.

Freeing his rock hard cock from the confinement of his pants, it sprung freely. You watched it with eyes wide open, the red tip and the veins showing made you swallow and lick your lips before placing them on his head and giving it a kitten lick. A first try before getting to work on giving him what you wanted.

An experimental first lick, like if his dick was ice cream.

You finally took him in your mouth, a groan of satisfaction coming from your boyfriend made your heart swell with pride for making him feel good.

You hollowed your cheeks as you took more of him until it hit the back of your throat. You gagged, but didn't move away either. Your hands that were resting earlier on his thighs were now wrapped around the base of his cock. Seungmin's own hand flew to your head, his fingers tangling with your hair.

"Baby, you feel so good" he said, looking at how you were taking him in your wet cavity and groaning in pleasure again.

Moving away and taking him out of your mouth, a trail of saliva connected his member to you. You were breathing heavily and your eyes had gotten glassy from forcing yourself to take more than what you were used to, but you were feeling a bit of adrenaline, your heart racing and resonating in your ears from the emotion of doing something new like this.

You liked the sensation of having him so deep in your throat, of choking on his thick cock. It hurt a little, and it was a bit hard to breathe as well, but the adrenaline you felt when he was inside you was incredible, plus getting to hear the sounds of pleasure he made when he was inside you was like music to your ears, a true reward from working so hard in making him feel good.

Bobbing your head up and down, Seungmin twitched inside your mouth and moaned your name. He was about to come, you could tell from the way he threw his head back and how his hand pushed you slightly to take more of him, and you did.

You tried your best to take him even deeper, and seconds after that the warm sensation of his juices filled your throat, making you cough and separate from him, his seed slipping through your chin and some drops falling to your chest.

Seungmin opened his eyes and looked at you, a tired smile on his face.

"You took me so well, baby. Come here" he patted his thigh for you to sit on it. You did, grinding shamelessly on his softening cock that got hard again at the contact of your wet pussy.

His hand slipped, moving your pantie to the side and passing a finger through your folds. "You're dripping wet, baby, and I haven't even properly touched you yet" he said, sliding one digit inside you.

You gasped, surprised at the sudden irruption in your warm pussy. "M-more…" you sighed, raising your hips so it was easier for him to slip another finger in you and stretch you before he let you take his length.

He started moving his fingers inside you in scissoring motions, you moving your hips to let him slide deeper inside you. Your head was thrown back and a choir of sinful moans escaping your lips, you were such a sight for him to see, for his eyes and his eyes only.

Your body started to shake as the tingling feeling of an orgasm washed over you, and you couldn't help but release around his fingers, shouting his name in ecstasy. You were in heaven.

"Y/N, you did so go for me. But I still haven't unwrapped my present, and I can't wait to play with my doll all day" Seungmin said, pulling out his fingers from you and taking them to your mouth for you to clean them for him. You sucked on them greedily, eyes still closed and moaning, sending vibrations through his fingers.

And he took them out again, his hands taking your hips and you alining his cock to your entrance. There were butterflies in your stomach as you slowly sunk down on him, his member stretching you carefully, it felt… Exquisite, so wonderful. It was great to have him in you, making you feel so full and complete.

"Oh, doll, you feel so tight" Seungmin grunted, his hold on your hips helping you slide up and down on his cock.

"Y–you're so big, Seungmin…" you moaned, tugging on his shirt trying to take it off. He understood and stopped holding you to take it off himself, your eyes admiring his chest and one of your hands traveling all over him.

Soon, your legs grew tired from all the movement you were doing, and your rhythm decreased slowly. Seungmin seemed to notice, because he held you still and flipped you so you would be lying on your back and he was the one to do the job now.

Rolling his hips into yours, Seungmin's pace was slow, he thrusted into you carefully instead of slamming himself against you. It was nice, but you were needy, you wanted something else, you wished that he would get a little fought with you but instead he seemed to be punishing you. But you couldn't say anything. You were his gift, you wanted him to use you however he wanted to, no matter how torturing this resulted to you, you didn't want to complain about anything.

But your body had other plans, your legs wrapped around him pushed him deeper into you, helping your boyfriend reach the sweet spot that could have you seeing stars in minutes, and once Seungmin found it he would not let it go, he would use that knowledge to his own benefit and torturing mechanics. And you were hating every moment of that.

Every time he entered you again, he aimed directly to hit that spot, it was just a matter of time until you were scratching his back and squirming under him, drowned in pure hot pleasure. The arrival of another climax hit you, but it wasn't until Seungmin spilled his cum in you that your own orgasm was triggered from feeling how he emptied inside you. Inevitably, he collapsed on top of you, kissing you messily. It was cute, knowing he needed to kiss you after finishing inside you, somehow it made you feel loved.

Seconds passed, his cum was starting to ooze out of your hole, he was still above you and filling you up, but neither of you were saying anything. Your hands were running all over his naked back and he was hugging you with his whole body.

"Seungmin, let's get clean, love" you whispered, your other hand playing with his hair. He made a noise that seemed like a negative hum, that made you look at him with a raised brow.

"We can't shower yet, Y/N, Christmas has just started and I haven't unwrapped my present at all" he got up, looking at you from above "look, you're still dressed, I haven't started playing properly with you, doll" he smirked. You blushed at his words.

Technically, he was right.

"Let's at least continue in the bedroom, there's more space in my bed" you whined. Seungmin stood up, giving you his hand for you to take and he made his way to the room he was so familiar with.

He told you to lay on your back in the bed, following after you and lying on his stomach under you, his face in front of your wet pussy.

His big hands rested on your thighs, and before he did anything else he murmured something to himself; "God, this is the absolute best gift I've ever gotten" in the sexiest voice you'd ever heard. And without wasting any more time, his hands grabbed the edge of the red lingerie finally, sliding them down your legs, leaving you completely exposed to him.

His eyes were shining and he liked his lips, all that before looking up at you and saying: "Merry Christmas doll, I love you."

[raphaellalacognizi]

so remember last july when i thought to myself, "haha, wouldn't it be cool if i made a mechsona?"

well, turns out a year of living with that thought in the back of your head will only get you 4,977 nearly 5,000 words of backstory and a spotify playlist, so, solid 7/10 experience

(okay look, Day 2 of the Mechtober prompts was the most coincidentally perfect overlap of "Mechsona" and "Blood," so I finally decided to stop being a coward and actually let people who aren't my classmates see this. ALSO, quick warnings for violence and death, if you're a bit squeamish about those sorts of things. So, with that said, the story itself...)

Introducing!

La Vie en Rouge

Dear Reader:

In this strange world, so bright and so bold

You may, somehow, find a Tale Yet Untold

You could read one now, if you so choose

This Tale- of the Blood-Red Dancing Shoes.

It had started like any other day. And not even an interesting kind of “any other day,” like a Saturday, which always promises adventure, or a Thursday, which has a tendency towards mystery. No, this was a Tuesday kind of “any other day,” which merely meant inescapable boredom.

At the very least, that’s how it started.

However, as Adeline Troffea was leaving her house, she heard the trumpets that signaled Lord Vitus’ arrival. She groaned. A visit from Vitus- sorry, His Most Esteemed Lord Vitus, she snorted as she mentally corrected herself- never went well. He was a deeply unpleasant person to be around, as he looked like a spoiled child and acted twice as bad. Additionally, he was usually about two seconds away from screaming nonsensically at any townsfolk who bothered him, like some sort of Saturday-morning-cartoon villain. Sometimes Adeline was sure he must be doing it on purpose- his ridiculous moustache (twirled oh-so-carefully at the ends), his pale skin and delicate hands (that had clearly never done anything harder than gesture dramatically from the shade provided by his servants), the too-fine crowns and jewels and capes his draped himself in (who even needed more than one crown? Isn’t that too excessive, even for Vitus?)- he couldn’t be for real, right?

Reader, Lord Vitus would prove himself to be more real than Adeline could imagine before this story’s end. But we’ll get to that in time.

Hopefully, Adeline thought to herself, walking down the well-trodden path into town, I can be in and out of the market before Vitus takes a single dainty step out of his carriage. Fabien, her best friend (practically an older brother, really) as well as the town’s shoemaker, had promised her something special today- an early birthday present, he had called it the day before, as the birthday in question was “an entire week and a day away” and he didn’t know if his “poor, old heart” would hold out that long.

“Fabien, you’re barely 30!” she had protested, shaking her head.

“I know, Addie, I’m ancient!” he’d moaned, before adopting the affectation of what was probably supposed to sound like an old man, but instead sounded more like a wheezing duck. “I can feel my brittle bones crackin’. They ain’t what they used to be, I tell ya. You know, when I was just a boy, I had to walk to school every day? Uphill! In the snow!”

“Both ways!” Adeline joined in before they both dissolved into laughter.

So now, here she was, in front of Fabien’s shop, feet tapping on the ground in a sort of nervous excitement. Gingerly, she opened the door.

“Hello?” she called. The response came from somewhere in the back of the shop.

“Ah, Addie! What a surprise! What sort of thing-that-I-totally-don’t-know-about brings you here today?”

She rolled her eyes as she began to make her way through the shelves and around the cobbling stations to the back of the building. “You know, it’s a funny story actually, but my best friend- well, former best friend, I should say-” she was cut off by a sharp laugh as she turned the next corner and came face to face with Fabien, holding a beautiful red box.

“‘Former best friend?!’ Is that any way to treat someone who’s gotten you such a spectacular present?” he asked, schooling his face into an over exaggerated pout.

“It is if they’re going to be stupidabout it,” she replied, yanking the present from his hands with ease. Fabien made a wounded sound, and Adeline stuck her tongue out in response before opening the lid of the box.

Inside was the most beautiful pair of tap shoes Adeline had ever seen. The leather they were made of was white as freshly fallen snow, and the perfect balance between flexible and sturdy. She turned them over in her hand and gasped, brushing her finger over the engravings on the metal taps.

“Roses,” Fabien smiled softly, “because I know they’re your favorite.”

Overwhelmed, Adeline could only set the shoes aside for a moment and tackle Fabien in a hug. And for that one shining moment, everything was perfect.

“Oh, I simply must have these!” a haughty voice sang out behind Adeline, who jumped at the sudden noise. Standing there was none other than Lord Vitus himself, bedecked in his finest golden cape, and holding- oh no, absolutely not. Before she could even register her own movements, she yanked her shoes back.

“No, you simply mustn’t have these, actually,” she quipped in that same snooty tone, stuffing the shoes back in the box, before suddenly realizing what exactly she had done. Refusing the Lord? Taking things right out of his hands? Mocking him to his face? How could she possibly get out of this?

Clearly, there was only one answer.

She bolted.

She heard Vitus’ petulant cry of “After her!” ring out from behind, and then the heavy sound of soldiers’ footsteps, but she dared not look back. Instead, she ran harder, her mind racing almost as fast as her feet. There had to be someplace to hide. She turned a corner, onto a smaller side street. She couldn’t go home, it was too far away.She burst out onto another street before turning abruptly, one hand wrapping around a streetlamp to keep her momentum as she flew back where she’d just come from, the soldiers falling over themselves in their confused haste. But there were so many soldiers, and there was no way she could outrun them forever.

She ducked into a dark alley for a moment, throwing herself behind a couple of barrels just as the men appeared at the mouth of the alley. She held her breath as they hurried past her, trying not to catch their attention with her heaving gasps. And this is why I’m a dancer, not a runner, she thought, half delirious on a cocktail of exhaustion and adrenaline. Could it have been minutes? Hours? All the streets had blended together long ago, and her muscles ached with exertion. Unintentionally, she closed her eyes, just for a moment.

A strong hand clamped down on her shoulder and Adeline’s blood turned to ice in her veins as her eyes shot open again. Her despairing cry was cut short as another hand covered her mouth. She shook her head wildly, terror taking over, before she caught the gaze of her captor.

Fabien.

Adeline felt her entire body sink back in relief with his appearance. Slowly and ever-so-softly, Fabien removed his hand from her mouth, making a shushing motion before Adeline could even open her mouth to ask what was going on. He carefully undid the buttons of his cloak, taking if off of himself and wrapping it around Adeline. It dangled loosely from her small frame, making her look even smaller. A disguise, she noted distantly, hiding in plain sight. Once he’d secured it around her shoulders, Fabien began to explain.

“Everyone’s pretty proud of you, you know, standing up to Vitus like that. I know you’ve always been a bit of a wildcard, but that was even better than expected. You should have seen his face when you ran, oh my-”

Adeline made a small noise of distress. She hadn’t been making a statement, she’d been making a mistake! It was all a big misunderstanding, and now she was going to be killed, or worse, and she hadn’t even had the chance to wear her beautiful birthday shoes, and-

Fabien shook her gently, murmuring comforts, and she took in a shuddering breath, focusing back on him.

“You’ve been brave enough today. Let me take a turn, okay?” he said softly, gesturing at the shoebox. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed it from her still shaking hands. In seconds, he had pried open the lid, taken the shoes out, and tucked them into the inside pockets of the cloak Adeline now wore, continuing to talk as he did so.

“The village has been giving Vitus the run-around all day, trying to keep him off your trail, and honestly, I’m not sure he’s noticed. That man is so far up his own ass that I genuinely think he can’t even comprehend the thought of people working against him.” Fabien smiled a bit as Adeline giggled weakly. “Just keep a low profile. We won’t let anything happen to you. Promise.”

For a moment, Adeline was so overcome with emotion that felt like her legs might give out underneath her. Instead, she threw herself forward and hugged him, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could.

“Thank you, so much. For everything.”

Fabien squeezed her in return.

“Nothing to thank me for, Addie.”

It was at this moment the sound of soldiers came rushing back, hurling them both back into reality. In a flash, Fabien pulled the cloak’s hood up, casting Adeline’s face in shadow. He gave her a little push towards the other end of the alley, nodding reassuringly. Adeline took a deep breath, steeling herself, before walking, confidently as she could, back out onto the crowded street.

There were soldiers everywhere, knocking on doors, stopping bystanders and asking them about Adeline’s whereabouts. A customer just coming out of the bakery- Monsieur LeClair, she noted- was having one such conversation… if one could call “a man taking obnoxiously large bites out of a muffin and then speaking with his mouth full, spraying bits of food directly into the soldiers’ faces” a conversation. As the soldiers hurriedly excused themselves, disgustedly wiping the muffin bits from their faces, Monsieur LeClair caught Adeline’s eye and winked. She smiled and bowed her head in return before scurrying off again. As she made her way to the town square, she passed at least a dozen or so variations on this conversation- townsfolk left and right making excuses, even outright lying to the soldiers, distracting them long enough for Adeline to slip away, towards the town square.

Vitus was exactly where she thought he would be- right in the middle of the town square, complaining loudly to anyone who would listen (and all those who wouldn’t). She leaned against the brick wall of the closest building, trying to make herself look as small and unassuming as possible. She bit her lip as she thought through possible escape scenarios, keeping Vitus in her peripheral vision, right up until-

“We found the shoemaker, Your Lordship, but no sign of the girl or the shoes.”

Adeline felt her heart stop as her head turned on autopilot. A crowd had gathered in the square, following three figures that Adeline loathed to recognize as Fabien and Lord Vitus’ men. One soldier shoved Fabien down roughly, while another threw the shoebox down with such force that it popped open, revealing its empty inside.

Vitus rolled his eyes at Fabien, looking bored out of his mind. “Where are they?” he sighed.

“Where are what, My Lord?” Fabien asked through gritted teeth.

At this, Vitus seemed to revert to an overgrown toddler.

“My shoes! They were so very pretty and I wanted them, but that little wretch stole them from me and ran off and I want them baaaack!”

Fabien, still on his knees, snorted.

Vitus blinked, clearly surprised. Suddenly, another laugh joined in, and another, and another, and in seconds the entire crowd was laughing at this grown man’s tantrum. Even Adeline found herself giggling, albeit shakily.

It was as though Vitus had only just now realized what kind of a predicament he was in. No one was going to give up the shoes, or the girl, and to make matters worse, they weren’t going to take him seriously either. He glanced nervously around the crowd for a moment before his lip curled and his nose scrunched up, as though he had just smelled something particularly unpleasant. Standing to his full height, he raised his voice.

“You have one week to hand over the shoes! If you do not, there will be, shall we say… severe consequences.” He turned around dramatically, which reignited the snickering, and quickly made his way back to his carriage processional.

As the carriages rattled away, Adeline was struck by an idea. It was a bad idea, she knew, and probably too risky, but she had already defied the odds once today, and with the adrenaline still coursing through her veins, she felt unstoppable. She nimbly climbed to the roof of the nearest building to pay her respects, so to speak, waving in the direction of Vitus’ window. She ripped off her hood dramatically, snorting when Vitus’ face contorted in rage. And as her heart sang with love for her town and her people, her feet were helpless to dance along for all the world to see. From her perch on the roof, she watched the other townsfolk join her in celebration, dancing in their own little ways. Madame Beaumont lifted her son Jean into the air, spinning him around as he giggled. Michel Rousseau was doing a little shoulder shimmy. Even Old Lady Coralie was dancing a little two-step. Adeline beamed at them all before turning toward Fabien. Several people were still gathered around him, making sure he wasn’t too hurt, and Adeline almost climbed right back down to join them. But, as though he could sense her worry, Fabien looked up suddenly at met her eyes. He smiled at her before winking conspiratorially. Relief flooded through her as she winked back- a sign that everything was going to be okay, and one she believed wholeheartedly.

Just before she climbed back down to go home, she chanced a glance back at Vitus’ carriage. For a second Vitus met her eye, his glare an ice cold promise of revenge. Adeline shivered under the threat, before gathering herself just enough to make a rude gesture back at him. The distressed shriek that followed was music to her ears.

That pompous man-child had it coming anyway, Adeline thought, and resolved to put the matter out of her mind. Of course, Reader, it wasn’t so simple as that, but let it not be said that she didn’t try her best to hide her misgivings from everyone, even herself.

After what was probably too many hugs goodbye, even for her, Adeline finally made her way back home with her new shoes. The moment she closed her door, she slumped against it and slid down to the floor, exhausted and terrified. Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she recalled the look in Vitus’ eyes as he took his leave. She was no fighter! She had no money, no strength, no prospects- no hope. How could she possibly try to stand up to the army Vitus would surely bring back with him? And she couldn’t- wouldn’t- put her people in danger like this, not after they’d already done so much for her. That’s it, she thought, rubbing her eyes, she would go right back to the village and work something out with everyone else, something to keep everyone safe and out of harm’s way before Vitus could return.

But as she opened her eyes again, her gaze fell upon the shoe box, lying on the floor beside her. The shoes themselves had tumbled out from her little outburst, and they almost seemed to be calling to her, begging her to at least try them on, to dance in them. And after so much trouble, how could she possibly refuse?

The shoes were a perfect fit- of course they were, they were literally made for her, she thought as she snickered a little under her breath. Watching herself carefully in the mirror, she raised her right foot ever so slightly before kicking it forward in a test shuffle. She smiled. The sound of metal against the waxed wood floor was perfection. Unable to help herself, she hummed a little tune, matching each note with another step- a cramp roll here, a paradiddle there, a set of triple time steps- she was in her element as she lost herself to the dance.

Dancing in the shoes filled her with such joy that she really could almost forget about the whole thing with Vitus. Adeline knew he wouldn’t take this lying down, and with his power and resources- she knew she had to be prepared. First thing in the morning, I promise I’ll figure out a plan, she reasoned. It’s not as though he could even attack tonight anyway.

So she danced and danced and danced, until the day finally caught up with her, and she quite abruptly fell asleep, not even bothering to take off her new shoes.

That night, Adeline had the strangest dream. She- no, the whole town, was dancing to song unlike any she’d heard before. It almost… hurt, in a way, to listen to, and yet she was sure it was the most beautiful melody she had ever heard. It felt as though it had wormed its way into her soul, her very existence, and intertwined itself so deeply that it might never leave. For a moment, Adeline felt fear, the likes of which she’d never known. She tried to wake herself up, to scream for to someone to help her, to do something, anything to stop this, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stop-

And then Calm washed over her completely, every other thought and sensation lost to the ocean of the strange melody as it lulled her back to sleep.

When she opened her eyes the next morning, it was to find that the song had followed her into the waking world. She knew something was wrong, but as she tried to figure it out, every thought was just out of reach. She stumbled out of her room, towards the front door, but her limbs felt almost disconnected from her, almost as if they were being of their own. She slammed face-first into the door, and, for a split second, the ringing of her ears overpowered the music enough to. I need… help, right, that was it, I need help because of…

Because of……

The music, the music, the music- it consumed her every thought. Every step and every breath taken in time with that exquisite, unending song. Every note whispered sweet nothings in her ear, asking, pleading, begging her to join them and become beautiful too, until she was helpless to resist any longer. Until finally, she began to dance.

And dance, dear Reader, she did.

She found herself completely at the mercy of the music as it maneuvered her around like a marionette. She was only vaguely aware that she had somehow made it to the town square, and that several of her concerned neighbors were trying to talk to her, but nothing could break through the haze of the music.

As the day went on and on, passersby occasionally stopped to try to rouse her from her state, all to no avail. It seemed there was no way to reach her, and as night fell, they stopped trying. The light of the moons illuminated her as she danced, and were it not for the sound of the metal in her shoes they might have assumed her some dark spirit. Perhaps some still did. But the fact remains that all the townsfolk, save one, eventually found their way to sleep, secure in their ignorance of the events to come.

The next morning, as the suns rose over the horizon, the people of Strasbourg woke to the sight of not one, but two figures dancing in the square. By breakfast, it had been made a dozen. By lunch, it was nearly half the town. And by 8:46 pm, on the dot, all 398 residents of Strasbourg had found themselves unwilling victims of the dance.

Reader, there are many things I wish I could tell you.

I wish I could tell you that the dancing stopped just as strangely and suddenly as it began, and it became a scary story told for many generations. Or else, I wish I could tell you that the townsfolk found a way to weaponize their dancing and rose up against Lord Vitus, and discovered the cause of their dance- a machine of Vitus’ cruel creation, designed to transmit an almost imperceptible signal into the minds of those who heard it and drive them to madness. Picture it now, Reader: Vitus, stroking a gloved hand down the side of the machine as its whistles blew and the steam that rose from the spouts shrieked, the sound of his dastardly laughter barely audible over the chaos, until it was suddenly cut short by the doors to the hall as they opened with a BANG, and Vitus would finally come face to face with the consequences of his actions.

But more than all that, I wish I could tell you Adeline never remembered what happened as she danced. That for the seven days and seven nights that she danced in the town square, without food, without water, without rest, she was never aware of the fact that everyone she had ever known lay dead or dying at her feet.

None of these things are true, of course. The dance continued, the machine was not destroyed, and as the days passed Adeline slowly became more and more conscious. She watched, helpless, as all around her, her friends, her family, fell to the ground to dance no more. She yelled, screamed, pleaded to anyone who would listen, to anyone who could help- and the only response she got was the answering cries of her village, getting smaller and smaller.

By the sixth day of the village’s dance, there was only one other person still dancing beside her. It was Fabien, because of course it was Fabien- she didn’t know if this was supposed to be a blessing or a curse, though she was leaning heavily towards the latter. His steps had been slowing and his wheezing had increased exponentially in the past few hours, and Adeline knew what was coming, even if she couldn’t bear to say it aloud. Fabien, on the other hand, had no such qualms.

“I did warn you,” he rasped, after a coughing fit had nearly sent Adeline into a heart attack of her own, “That I wouldn’t make it to your birthday. My heart is just so-”

“God, shut up, please, for once in your life just shut up!” She screamed, her voice breaking. Her outburst seemed to shock him, and she turned away before she could see the tears streaming down her cheeks. She took a shuddering breath before barreling on.

“Fabien, this is all my fault, I’m so sorry, I should have-” he made a sharp noise and she cut herself off, choking back a sob.

“Don’t you dare think, for even a moment, that this is your fault,” he whispered, sounding more serious than she had ever heard him. “We all made our own decisions, you and me and everyone else. This is not on you, even a little bit. It was my choice, and I would choose it in a million lifetimes, okay? I just-” Fabien dropped to his knees, gasping, legs shaking almost imperceptibly, and Adeline felt her heart shatter.

“Addie, I’m so sorry,” his every word sounding like it had been ripped from his throat, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”

And with that, he, too, was gone, and Adeline’s last remaining hope had died with him.

Oh Reader, what could she do but cry? So she cried. She cried for Fabien, for Monsieur LeClair, for Madame Beaumont, for Michel Rousseau, for Old Lady Coralie, for every lost soul of Strasbourg, until only one remained- and only then did she cry for herself, dancing alone once more.

The tears still streamed down her face when Lord Vitus returned with only a small squadron the next day, a full week after Adeline’s dance had begun. Towering over them from atop his horse, Vitus called out to his men.

“Oh ho, what have we here? An entire village, destroyed by some sort of plague, it seems. What a tragic end… But look! It seems one still suffers. Let us put the poor thing out of its misery, shall we?”

The largest of their number stepped forward, an axe readied in his hands. An executioner, Adeline realized tiredly. He made his way towards her, gingerly maneuvering around the corpses littering the town square, and Adeline wished she still had the strength to huff out a laugh. To show respect for the dead, on the path to kill another? How utterly ridiculous! Without a sound, the executioner raised his axe above his head, and Adeline closed her eyes, prepared to meet her end.

“Wait!” Vitus’ whining cut through the air. “Bring her to me first! She has something of mine that I want back.”

The executioner shrugged, before lunging towards the unsuspecting Adeline and hefting her over his shoulder with a grunt. She struggled against him, as much as one can struggle with a body that refuses to stop dancing, but it made no difference- he was simply too strong. Within moments, she was set down before Lord Vitus.

“The shoes,” he demanded. “Hand them over.”

“Are you kidding me? All of this for some shoes?” Adeline whispered hoarsely. “Hundreds of people, an entire town, dead, because you couldn’t stand the thought of someone else wearing these stupid fucking shoes?”

Vitus sneered at her. “On the contrary- I’m killing you because of the ‘stupid fucking shoes,’ as you’ve so crassly called them. Everyone else was… shall we say, collateral damage.”

Adeline’s breath caught in her throat. Her village, her friends, her family- they weren’t even some kind of fucked-up punishment for her, to drive her mad with grief and guilt. They were just “collateral damage,” not even worth an afterthought in the mind of their murderer. Her rage boiled inside of her, and had Adeline been able, she would have killed the man herself just then.

“Oh no, look!” Vitus sounded so genuinely miserable that for a moment Adeline was taken aback. “You’ve gone and ruined them!”

She glanced down as Vitus gestured towards her shoes and saw it was indeed true. The once-pristine white was long gone; now the leather was completely stained through by her own blood.

Reader, do you know what she did then? Why, she did the only thing she could.

She laughed, Reader. She laughed for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, all her frustration and sorrow and fear and anger and fatigue welling up from within her as she faced this utterly ridiculous man. She laughed. And as Vitus’ disappointment turned to shock, then to an angry pout, she laughed even harder. Even the dance, for a moment, seemed to laugh with her, each shuffle taking on the tone of ha-ha, ha-ha.

Finally, Vitus had had enough. He struck her, clean across the face, and for a moment, the laughter ceased as she gasped in pain.

“You know, I think they look better this way,” she drawled after catching her breath. “The red really brings out my eyes.”

Lord Vitus, clearly having expected Adeline to fall to her knees and grovel for forgiveness (fat chance, she thought, even if I hadn’t been cursed), puffed up like a particularly unpleasant frog as he spluttered through some sort of retort. Even his stupid moustache seemed to puff up with him, Adeline noticed in tired amusement, as he finally settled on, “W-W-Well, I never!”

He turned away from her sharply and caught the eye of the executioner. Adeline’s stomach dropped as Vitus’ face returned to that arrogant smile. He looked back at her, malice gleaming in his eyes, and addressed her once more.

“I do soapologize, it seems that I have forgotten myself for a moment. I am, however, fully prepared to make it up to you. You see, I do, in fact, possess the antidote to your little ‘Dancing Plague,’ as it were, and I would be delighted to offer you the cure.”

Adeline couldn’t see it, but as she felt movement at her back, she knew what was about to happen. In one final act of defiance, she spat at Vitus, who squealed as he tried, and failed, to avoid it. He huffed once more as she laughed at him, before screeching his final command.

“A PERMANENT CURE!”

And with that, Adeline felt pain explode in her legs, near blinding in its intensity. For a moment, a scream overpowered the music, and it took a moment longer to realize the scream was her own. She blinked though unnoticed tears to look up -when had she fallen- at Vitus, but she couldn’t quite focus on him -or anything else. She felt so -tired sick- dizzy, and she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and –die- rest. But the pain in her legs screamed for her attention, and as she dragged herself up, she realized why.

At its simplest, a cure is just a way to remove a problem. It doesn’t need to be as advanced as a vaccine, or as complicated as the witches’ remedies of old. In fact, Lord Vitus’ antidote was both exceedingly simple and remarkably effective.

The permanent cure for the Dancing Plague? Simply remove the problem.

Namely, the legs.

How strange, she thought, in that last moment of lucidity, as she stared at the legs- her legs- lying on the ground a few feet away. I almost expected them to keep dancing.

And with that, she fell, lifeless, to the ground.

But Reader- she did not die.

[themonotonysyndrome]

Successors to the Future

I like to get lost on Tumblr when work becomes frustrating and I was immediately inspired by the Second Wive AU from @tri3tri! 

If you’re a TW’s fan and enjoy reading yandere content, you just gotta check @tri3tri out. They’re one of the best yandere content creator for the TW fandom!

And since I’ve been playing Blazblue Centralfiction a lot lately and love badass girls, this plot bunny won’t leave me alone and so I want to add a little something to their amazing AU. 

FD/N = First daughter’s name/Renata Draconia (half-human, half dark Fae Princess. Malleus & MC’s eldest child)

SD/N = Second daughter’s name/Sherrie or Cherry Draconia (half-human, half-dark Fae Princess. Malleus & MC’s middle child)

S/S = Son’s name/Lucien Draconia (half-human, half-dark Fae Prince and the heir to the throne. Malleus & MC’s youngest child).

MC/S = MC’s surname

-

“Oh. My. God. What did you do!?”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! I got it all under control!”

“Under control - the pasta is on fire! How the - ”

“I can fix this! ...I think?” 

“Move. You’re a human disaster, you know that? I told you to wait for me if you’re planning to cook dinner! Now the kitchen looks like an eldritch god just threw up! Mama is gonna be so sad when she gets home.” 

“I tried yelling for you, but you were too busy livestreaming Among Us to hear me! Now help me scrap the pasta off the pot while I clean the counter before Mama gets - .” 

“Sweethearts?” 

Both teenage girls yelp at the sudden voice and instantly turn around. The pot of burned pasta clattered on the dirtied floor. MC looks around her kitchen in exasperation. She was wondering why none of her children didn’t greet her as soon as she got home from work. When she heard bickering from the kitchen, she saw her daughters were frantically cleaning up the mess that was Renata attempt at cooking dinner. 

But instead of being upset over it, MC just shakes her head fondly. 

“Did you use your fire magic to cook the pasta, sweetie?” 

Renata sheepishly scratch her cheek in embarrassment. “I thought it might boil the pasta a lot faster...” 

Her younger sister gape at her admittance. MC just smiles as Sherrie proceed to lecture her older sister about using her magic to cook while Renata slowly inch closer to her so she could hide from her sister’s wrath behind their mother. 

MC will never get tired of seeing her children so comfortable and vivacious in their own home. A stark difference when they were all living at that place back then. She could still remember how Renata barely smile, barely interact with anyone that wasn’t her parents and little sister. Her Sherrie weren’t any better. Back then, she was too young to understand why the castle’s servants would whisper that the King’s daughters were imperfect because of their human halves. Why their lingering and judgemental eyes would upset her so. 

MC could bear being a pet bird living in a gilded cage, could bear Sebek’s condescending remarks, Lilia’s cruel smiles, Silver’s guilty passiveness and even Malleus’ lack of empathy. What she couldn’t bear was how her daughters were treated at the castle. They expected their Princesses to be as aloof and noble as their father, but refused to acknowledge that they were children first and foremost. Refused to accept their human side. 

And when the announcement were made public that Malleus would take a second wife to provide him a male heir at the behest of his council, MC decides that it’s time to leave. 

Especially when she saw how the news broke her eldest child. That night, she was frightened at how intense Renata hatred of her father. While she could care less about Malleus taking in another woman into the castle, MC never thought that his second marriage would be an act of betrayal to her daughter. 

At that moment, MC knew that if they were to stay in that place any longer, she would’ve lost her daughter to her own hatred. They needed to go, they needed to escape. 

And so in the dead of the night while the entire Valley of Thorns were celebrating over their king’s second marriage and superior wife, MC and her children scurried away to the only place she could think of. 

Night Raven College. 

She didn’t know when Lilia or anyone else in the castle would realise her and their princesses’ disappearance, so she begged a stunned Dire Crowley who thought she had died when no one could find her after Malleus graduated to send her home. 

The headmaster finally came through for her and her confused, distraught children. Crowley had quietly explained that he already found a way to send her back to her own world years ago. However, she disappeared before he could tell her. A quick glance at the two little girls alongside her and he couldn’t help but grimace with deep guilt.  

As atonement, Crowley hurried to grab a few books and journal that he can find about the fae court (both dark and light) and their magic. He pressed the materials into MC’s arms and explained that after she and her daughters step into the mirror, he will shatter and destroy any remaining fragments so that Malleus and his men could never find them ever again. However, MC must teach her daughters about their Fae side and how to glamour their otherworldly features from humans. 

MC tackled the headmaster in a hug with tearful eyes, grateful that he could help them. They were then ushered into the mirror and finally, finally, her nightmare was over.

Years have passed since that night. With each passing seasons and being able to explore the world without Malleus’ oppressive court, the castle servants and his retainers, her daughters flourish into amazing young girls. 

Their little brother equally so. 

As Renata try to persuade Sherrie to allow her to use her magic to clean the kitchen up, MC asks, “By the way, where’s your brother? I’ll just order some takeaway for dinner. They should arrive soon.” As she said this, she already whips out her phone to order their food. 

“He was napping in his room.” Sherrie reply her as she wipes the stove clean. Renata grumbled under her breath as she was made to mop the floor manually.  

Mc thanked her and left the kitchen to wake her son up. Her son was the unexpected gift that they were blessed with after they crossed to her world. She didn’t expect to be pregnant, but consider how feverishly Malleus made love to her as his way to console her that the other woman and his second marriage would mean nothing to him and that she would still be the only woman he truly loves, MC really should have known.  

It was so difficult to hide her joy that with the presence of a second wife, it would mean that Malleus would focus more on the other woman. Which meant Lilia would also need to make sure that she would learn all the proper court etiquette and Silver and Sebek would need to arrange the proper security for her as Malleus’ concubine. 

The arrival of her son was unexpected, but dearly welcome by her and his older sisters. Although MC was not able to give her daughters the childhood that they should have, she made sure that her son - Lucien - was raised in an environment that allowed him to be a normal child. 

Well, as normal as a half human and half fae could be. 

Shaking the lump underneath the thick duvet, she receives a tired groan. 

“Wake up, dear. Go freshen up. We’re having dinner in a little while.”  

Worming his way out of the duvet, Lucien poke his head out and smile blearily at her. “Welcome home, Mama...” 

MC pressed a quick peck on his forehead before ruffling his dishevelled hair. Her son looks so much like Malleus except he inherited her eyes and soft heart. While her oldest daughter is a carbon copy of Malleus and her second daughter looks exactly like her but with Malleus’ green eyes. 

She’s so happy that she can provide her children that life that they deserve. 

Dinner that night was as lively as usual. Renata was still riding high from her sweet sixteen birthday party that they just had last two days ago. It was quite a celebration and it ended with the revelation of her Unique Magic. Since it was a warm Summer evening, the small family enjoy their meal at the garden outside. 

“ - we should totally play Among Us together! Including you, Mama! I think you’d love it!” Sherrie gushes after she pushes her glass of water away.

Renata gasped as if affronted. “Are you trying to tear this family apart!? The moment we suspect someone is the imposter, it’s anarchy unleash!” 

Sherrie rolled her eyes at her oldest sister need for the dramatics. “Oh please, you live for the anarchy. You’re the one who started the fire when we played last time.” 

Lucien winced as he recalled their last gameplay. “It was a mess. Everyone couldn’t stop accusing one another. My classmates even swore they wouldn’t dare to play with you ever again.” 

MC smiles to herself as her children chatted with one another. It always warms her heart to see how close the siblings are to one another. From the stoic and hateful little girl, Renata had grown to be a playful and brilliant young woman. Brilliant in terms of magic. Even from a young age, Renata could control her elemental magic well. MC still remembered how wide she would smile whenever Malleus praises her during their training. After coming to this world, she continued to mastered her magic with the helps of the materials that Crowley provided them. By the age of 14 years old, MC realised that her creativity had led her to combine her elemental magic into an arsenals of powerful spells. 

They decide to celebrate her newfound skills out to dinner. 

And with the recent discovery of her Unique Magic - Observer - their family is aware that Renata has been experimenting with it almost every day. 

“Oh yeah, uh, Mama?” Renata suddenly broke MC from her train of thought. Beside her, Sherrie and Lucien are comparing their two favourite games.  

“Yes, dear?” 

“Umm... Last night I Observed myself and something came up.” Renata began to explain and she started to fidget in her seat. 

MC grows concern over her daughter’s hesitant expression. 

“What is it dear? Is something wrong with your Unique Magic?” 

“No, no, everything’s fine! It’s just that, well, so you know my Unique Magic give me the ability to observe my possibilities, right? Well, 99% of my possibilities shows that I’m going to participate in Night Raven College’s entrance ceremony soon.” Renata explains. 

“Say what?” Sherrie suddenly intervene, eyes wide in surprise. Their own conversation paused. 

MC could feel her blood froze at her daughter’s words. Suddenly, she no longer has any appetite for dinner. 

“Night Raven College?” Lucien asked, confused at the sudden tension in the air. “I remember Mama said she studied at a place call Night Raven College.” 

MC wanted to spare her son what she and her daughters had been through in Twisted Wonderland. But at the same time, she didn’t want to hide their past from him. So he told her all about Twisted Wonderland and Night Raven College. Of the good friends she made during her time at the school. About all sorts of shenanigans they got themselves into.  

About a dark fae that she could see herself falling in love with at the beginning of their friendship, but that became a distant dream when Malleus let his fear of her mortality and his selfish, draconic desire to hoard her all to himself overwhelmed him. 

No matter how much she tried to pleaded with him, reasoned with him, Malleus refused to yield. He threatened to harm her friends should she ever think of anyone other than him and gave her all the luxury in a world while locking her up in castle full with creatures who believe they’re superior to humans. 

Lucien was stricken when she told him everything. In the end, all MC could do was smile sadly and told him that while Malleus might have love her and his children, in the end, it doesn’t mean anything when he allow his own council to dictate that Renata was not suitable to become his heiress just because she’s a girl. 

In the dead of the night when Renata couldn’t sleep after they settled down in this world, she went to MC and with tearful eyes yet resolute face, her daughter informed her that she never wanted to be Malleus’ heiress. Having a taste of freedom, everything that this world has to offer to her and the loving support of her family, Renata knew she could be so, so much more than a mere Queen to a backwater country and its people. 

And so the thought of her going back to Twisted Wonderland - where Malleus would no doubt still be searching for them - scares MC. 

“Is there a way to prevent it?” MC quietly asks, though in her heart, she knows the answer to her own question. 

Renata regretfully shake her head. “I can’t make the 1% where I don’t go back to Twisted Wonderland into a reality.” 

“And why not?” Sherrie demanded. 

“Because in that possibility, I’ll die here from Overblotting.” Renata dryly reply. 

That’s the drawback of her daughter’s Unique Magic. While she could observe her every possibilities and acknowledge one and turn it into a reality, Renata can only see hers and not other people’s. Not only that, she cannot changed the many paths that had been laid in front of her. She can only observe and choose. Not altered.  

Both Sherrie and Lucien flinch. MC shove the image of her daughter dying as a monster into the back of her mind. Renata lowered her head slightly. 

“I... I don’t want to go back there.” Renata whispers. “I want to stay here. All my friends are here.” She raises her head when MC hold her hand and squeeze it comfortingly. 

She needs to be strong for her children. Being a single mother wasn’t easy. They used to live with her parents and they were pillars of endless support to MC and her children. They didn’t turned her away when she appeared out of nowhere after months of disappearance with two horned children in tow. Instead, they helped raised and care for her children when she’s out working under long corporate hours. 

The kids adore their grandparents and were heartbroken when they passed away.      

But by that time, MC was financially secure to move her family into a new house and support her little family all on her own. She understood what it meant to be strong for her children and she will continue to be just as strong. 

So with a sigh, MC narrowed her eyes and said, “If we can’t change the outcome, then we will do out best to prepare for everything that will stand in your way, Renata.” All three of her precious children jerk their heads towards her. She press on, “Each one of you posses your own strength; and I don’t mean magical capabilities. Your oldest sister’s greatest strength is her creativity when it comes to magic, Sherrie possess an intelligent mind for planning and strategising and you, my son, I’ve seen how big your heart is. You understands that compassion isn’t a weakness and that’s something the faes from the Valley of Thorns can never understand.” 

Sherrie interrupt her speech with an abashed expression. “Uh, I don’t think me playing Total War: Rome II counts as a mastermind, Mama.” She sheepishly said. 

Her attempt at the joke lessen the heavy mood a little when Lucien giggle and Renata crack a smile. It’s amazing to see how much her children have grown. 

MC playfully roll her eyes. “Be that as it may, what I’m trying to say was that we can help Renata survive in Twisted Wonderland by doing our damn best to prepare her.” 

Renata nodded eagerly while Sherrie and Lucien cheer. 

And so MC clap her hands once and her children sat straight. “Let’s turn this into a family project. Now, sweetheart, do you know when the Ebony Carriage will pick you up?” 

“Hang on, lemme check again...” Renata’s scleras suddenly tinted black and her green eyes glow brightly as she activates her Unique Magic. While she Observe all her possibilities, SD/N left the table to fetch her tablet while MC explains a bit more what being a student of Night Raven College would mean for Renata. After Sherrie sat back down at the table, Renata blink and her eyes return to normal. “I’ll be at the entrance ceremony two weeks from today. The headmaster is going to be so shocked when he sees me.” 

MC hums. “Two weeks... we can work with two weeks. We need to prepare a countermeasure when it comes to your father. Words will surely spread that someone that looks like him is attending Night Raven College.” 

“I can Observe further ahead what he will do once he realised that I’m there.” Renata said and furrowed her eyebrows, contemplating. “I need to test my magic against other people so I can see if I’m able to fight him or not.” 

“Actually, I think I might have an idea on how to handle that.” Sherrie intervene. She’s holding a stylus pen and is scribbling something furiously on her tablet. Lucien crane his neck to see what his sister is writing, only to tilt his head in confusion. 

As the family continue to brainstorm into late in the evening, MC silently swore to herself that she won’t leave her daughter all alone to defend herself in Twisted Wonderland. She doesn’t know how, but she will be there with her and still keep her children safe. 

And then, the fateful day arrives. 

-

“Next student, please come forth!” 

“State thy name.”

“Renata MC/S...” 

She said nothing when she heard Headmaster Crowley gasped beside her. “You - how!?

The Mirror of Darkness ignores him. “You were born with a different name, but live proudly under your mother’s legacy.” 

“Damn right.” Renata smirks. “I’m my mother’s daughter first and foremost. I’ll continue to live as free as her.” 

“Such conviction. You possess a deep desire to protect your loved ones which is both admirable and ambitious with the power that you were gifted with. Becaue of that, the shape of thy soul is a blazing green fire and towers of thorns that serve as your shield. You belong in Diasomnia.” The Mirror of Darkness declare. 

The headmaster mutter something about fate playing a cruel joke on his once poor prefect. 

And when the current Dorm Leader of Diasomia greeted her, he took a step back when he sees her face and horns. His eyes wide with shocked and words failed him. For every Diasomnia member had seen the tapestries of their previous Dorm Leader and especially one as great and terribly powerful as Malleus Draconia. 

“Nice to meet you, senpai. My name is Renata MC/S.” She said as politely as possible. “I’ll do my best not to cause any trouble to this dorm.” 

Renata tilt her head and pretend to look confused when her Dorm Leader continue to gape at the sight of her. Whispers of her true heritage and family began to circulate among the crowd. 

At that moment, she recalled the advice given to her by her family:

“Don’t show off your spells. Ever. Lay low as much as you can. We can’t really control the rumour mill so let it travel on its own. While you’re there, gather all the intel you can about father and the current affairs in the Valley of Thorns. Anything that can be used against them. Also, you need to watch Bungou Stray Dogs with me. You can learn a thing or two from some of the characters in that anime.” Sherrie had said while showing her tablet and a messy flowchat of her plan. She tapped her stylus pen on the ‘Phase 1’ section with great importance.  

“You need to keep your cool, big sis. You like to set the things that irritate you on fire. Like that girl’s handphone after she copied your test paper.” Lucien reminded her. Renata stucked her tongue out while Sherrie laughs. 

“You need to make good friends, sweetie. Friends that can help you from the sideline. I have a list of people that might be able to help you against your father. I think it’s safe to assumed that their kids would also be attending Night Raven College too. Though some of them need to be offered a reward or be persuaded to help you first. Don’t worry, I’ll write down on how you can win them over.” MC assured her. 

With her family supporting her even from another world, confidence in her magical abilities and a plan already in motion, Renata would not let her other so-called family trapped them ever again.   

“It’s showtime...”

-

Did I really based Renata off Nine the Phantom? Hell yeah! I love her fighting style in the game. I HC that Renata is as badass as her. 

I like to continue part 2 to this oneshot next week if my workload isn’t so crazy. I’m having so much fun writing for this wonderful AU! 

[nyxdelanuit]

Lay All Your Love On Me (Suga x Reader)

Happy (late) birthday Suga!!

WARNINGS~ NSFW content ahead. Yandere themes, breeding kink if you squint, dubcon

You’ve been warned~

You should have taken the hint a few months ago when Suga approached you after a long night of celebrating a promotion for one of the former Karasuno players to lay a precious kiss to your lips. He waited until you closed your door behind you to leave that night, smirking at the color flooding your cheeks. But the next day, he was back to the calm, kind Suga you had always known. The rest of his friends seemed to take a step back from you, but not Suga.

 You had been sad, of course, they were your friends too, but Suga made sure to make up for their lack of attention. It had all been going right, you were getting closer to Suga, and you were considering confessing to him. Until he saw someone confess to your first. That stupid party started all of this, an annual get-together for all of the people that you graduated with. You didn't even remember his name, but Suga had acted coldly towards you for the rest of the night.

You had one too many drinks, you knew you did. It was the only solace you could find. You tried to teeter home on your own, only to slump against Suga the moment he wrapped his arm against your waist. You were so relieved he was by your side again, you didn't realize how he stared down at you.

 Now you found yourself in Suga’s house, entirely alone with him. His hands, soft and warm, gently cleaned the makeup from your face, took the shoes from your feet as if you were royalty. The kiss he placed to your knee would have normally sent pleasant shivers down your spine, but the emotion in his eyes gave you pause. Suga’s house always felt like home, why did it now seem so cold?

 The room spun as you were sprawled over his bed, Suga’s lithe body caging you in. The liquor swum in your head, making it hard to see straight.

 “You look so precious like this, I’ve dreamt a thousand dreams about having you under me like this.” Suga placed delicate kisses over your throat. He paused over your pulse, savoring the way it quickened under his touch. “All I’ve wanted is for you to love me, yet you don’t look my way. So now I have to show you how good we are together.” Words caught in your throat, you desperately wanted to protest, tell Suga all you had felt about him, but fear froze you in his hold.

 You cursed yourself for trying to dress up, Suga's hand easily sliding up your thigh unhindered. Suga took advantage of your hesitance, drawing your dress off your hips and over your head before you could even struggle. Laid out in only a lacy matching set, you attempted to cover yourself. The cold in the room was biting, and you couldn't hold back the shiver. Suga's eyes drank you in, knowing you couldn't cover all the bare skin he exposed. His hands turned greedy as he sat back on his knees, grasping at anything you couldn't hide. He threw his shirt to the corner of the room, allowing you a look at his bare chest you could have only dreamed of before. You acquiesced to his touch, sheltering only your breasts under your hold. The glee practically shone in Suga's eyes, raking over your exposed stomach as his hands trailed up your thighs. It was painfully easy for Suga to part your legs, the plush of your thighs succumbing to Suga's toned arms. You writhed as Suga's eyes locked onto your clothed core, a single finger coming to graze the darkening patch.

 "You're such a pretty little slut for me, aren't you?" Suga cooed, a ghost of his familiar tone. "We haven't even started, and you're getting so wet for me." His tongue darted out to wet his lip, meeting your stare. He surged forward, wrenching your arms from your chest to pin them to his soft sheets. You went to protest, but were quickly silenced by Suga's lips on yours. His hips rutted against yours, the button of his jeans catching on the thin material. He ripped himself away from your lips, releasing a wrist to unbutton his jeans and shimmy them off.

 With your hand free, you went to push at his chest. The feel of his warm skin finally under your touch made you falter, something that Suga noticed once his attention was back on you. He rolled his hip slowly against your core, pulling a gasp from you. “Does my needy little slut want this?” He whispered in your ear, letting you ground yourself with your hand on his chest. He trailed pecks and nips from below your ear to the valley of your breasts. His hands worked quickly to tuck the delicate bra under your breasts, wasting no time in wrapping his lips around a nipple. The feeling of his tongue circling the sensitive bud caused you to buck against his length, pulling a groan from his throat.

"You're being so good for me, baby." The vibration of his voice against your skin only sent you writhing more. "I can't hold back if you keep doing that." With a soft pinch to your neglected nipple, he traced down your stomach, wedging his hand between the two of you. Your panties were quickly moved to the side in favor of Suga slowly dipping two fingers into your heat. His thumb quickly swiped through your leaking essence, using that to soften the drag as he ground it against your clit. Moans bubbled up from your chest as he stretched you open, slow enough that it wasn't painful, but the pressure remained. He was becoming impatient, but the way his gaze fell to you so adoringly told you he'd wait as long as you needed.

 You keened for his touch, momentarily forgetting how you'd gotten into this position. The hand that tried to find purchase on his chest dove into his hair, pulling his face to yours. Suga released your captive hand as you brought him in for a kiss, startled that you had begun to reciprocate. It severed the last hold he had on his patience, quickly shucking his boxers and tearing a hole in your panties. As you were lost in the feeling of Suga's lips against yours, he pulled his fingers from you. His tongue traced the seam of your lips, and you opened gratefully, losing yourself in the taste of the man you had wanted for so long. While you were distracted, he slid through your slick a few times before plunging into your tight cunt.

 You screamed soundlessly as he filled you, placing apologetic kisses in the dip of your throat. “It’s okay, my sweet baby. I’m sorry it hurts, let me make it up to you. I’m going to make you feel so good.” One hand tangled in your hair, rubbing soothing circles on the base of your neck while the other wrapped around your hip. Teasing little thrusts dulled the ache, bringing you closer to pleasure as he whispered amends into your skin. You no longer resist the urge to wrap your arms around his shoulders, digging nails into his back.

 “You look so sweet with tears in your eyes,” he mutters, wiping away the moisture lining your lashes, “don’t worry, I’ll make you love me.” Suga starts to lose himself to your embrace, sheathing himself fully to savor the heat wrapping around his cock. He grinds himself along your walls, dragging your clit along his sparse silvery hair. You cant your hips into his, angling so he strokes along your sweetest spots. “Such a good little slut for me. Tell me no one else will see you like this. Tell me that I’m the only one who gets to see such a messy face on my baby.” The grip on your hip turns bruising before he lightens his touch, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb.

 You nod, but he doesn’t seem satisfied, with a harsh thrust, he repeats, “Tell me, baby. Tell me I’m the only one.”

 "You're the only one, Suga." Suga starts a slow pace, teasing you with a taste of what he could give you.

 “Koushi, baby, call me Koushi. Tell me I’m the only one who gets to use your sweet pussy like this.” He all but whines, pleading with you.

 “Koushi’s the only one!” You squeal as he increases his thrusts, making sure to grind against your clit with every dip of his hips.

 “The only one what, baby?”

 "The only one that gets to use my pussy! Please, Koushi, please move faster." You weren't sure how the roles got flipped, but Suga had you wrapped around his finger. Anything he wanted, you wanted to give.

 “Tell me you love me.” He groans, eyes desperately glued to yours.

 "I love you, Koushi." The sincere tone your voice carries breaks him, and he can no longer tease you.

 “I love you, I love you, I love you.” The phrase falls from his lips as he bucks desperately into your cunt, throwing a leg over his hip to rut deeper into you. The ghosts of tears line his lashes, a token of his guilt gnawing in his stomach as he chases his release in you. You take pity on him, the love you held for him not as tarnished as you knew it should be, kissing away the jewels that fall from his wide eyes.

 His fingers are desperate, rubbing hurried circles into your clit. “Please come for me baby, please show me that I love you right.” The words wind around your stomach, bringing a new intensity of heat to your veins. You start to meet him thrust for thrust, his words falling apart to incomprehensible babble the closer he gets.

 With a last murmured ‘I love you’ echoing in your ear, you fall apart on his length. The feeling of your juices trailing down his length mixed with the absolute bliss of you tightening around his dick sends him reeling, faltering in his passions as he reaches his peak. He floods you with his release, prolonging the time he stays within you, worried about what you’ll be like once he retreats.

 Still, he can't help but care for you. It's in his nature. He kisses every mark he left on your body once he pulls from your heat, watching enraptured as the evidence of your coupling falls and cools against your thighs. You feel boneless, barely able to move, and so you allow him this. Allow him to slide out of the room unquestioned to return with warm cloths to clean his spend from your thighs with feather-light touches.

 He speaks poems into your hair as you start to drift to sleep. That’s what they sound like to you. Dreams of the two of you in some idyllic future, happily married and carrying his children. Promises to keep you close and kept, to make you happy and his. You’re not sure if you quite believe them yet, but maybe the morning will bring some clarity.

[princesslocket]

🥣 Made With Love 🥣

Hi hi! Before we get to the fanfic, I'd just like to say a big thank you to @ina11writingexchange for hosting this awesome writers exchange! I'm so glad to have been able to participate for this round as well as being given the opportunity to gift @hachuna yet another gift this year!

With that being said, I hope you enjoy this Hachuna! It was a lot of fun to write ((Btw this fic is also cross-posted on AO3 if anyone is interested in reading it there too! The link is in the title))

If anyone were to ask Endou Natsumi what her favorite pass time activity was, she’d automatically answer with “cooking!” and then excitedly list off all the dishes she had made within the past week. It always amazed her friends just how passionate she was about preparing food in the kitchen.

However, she hadn’t always been a fan of cooking.

Natsumi’s love for cooking had originated during her time spent managing the Raimon soccer team in her middle school years. In the beginning she had been quiet hesitant to even try making a rice ball but after she mastered the art of the rice ball, her love for cooking sparked almost instantaneously. It only took preparing a couple more meals before Natsumi was fully onboard with the idea of preparing food in general. It filled her with a sense of pride whenever she was able to witness the team enjoying the meals she, Haruna, and Aki made for them. The compliments they dished out were a great source of ego boosting as well, but she always made it point to stay humble. And even after the team graduated, leaving her with no one else to cook for, Natsumi continued to search up new recipes to try making for herself in the comfort of her own home.

Over the years her cooking had improved, albeit not as significantly as everyone had hoped for, but just enough to where she no longer mixed up the salt and sugars when she tried baking the occasional birthday cake. It was a subtle yet profound type of improvement that left Endou that much more hopeful for their future meals seeing as he had married her not too long after her cooking had started to improve.

One thing that really helped Natsumi improve in her cooking was through the aid of an old looking cook book she just so happened to borrow from Endou! She’d seen the book several times laying in various places throughout their house but had never bothered to look through it until one day when her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself rejoicing at all the cool looking recipes inside. Oh the joy she felt while flipping through the pages was almost too good. How had she not opened the book sooner?

Following the days upon opening the cook book, Natsumi happily followed the messily written instructions provided by the cook book to prepare dishes that she could only assume had been passed down from Endou’s family. She would later find out from Endou himself that the cook book she had been using was actually Endou Daisuke’s hissatsu manual. The discovery came as quiet a shook to Natsumi seeing as she had been following the instructions of the book for several weeks, even going as far to serving a boy named Matsukaze Tenma some of said dishes as well. But all Endou could do was laugh at the situation they found themselves in.

“You mean to tell me that this really isn’t the kanji for egg?”

“I’m positive, Natsumi. These are the instructions for God Hand- Wait a second! How were even able to mistake this for a cook book? I thought you knew what Daisuke’s hissatsu manual looked like?”

“It’s been a while since I last saw it okay!”

Even after the discovery of the ‘cook book’s’ true nature was revealed Natsumi continued to use it. Admittedly, the food Natsumi made following the hissatsu manual never inherently tasted terribly bad. So what harm was there in letting her continue to use it? As long as Endou was there to assist her with some of the misinterpreted kanji of the book, everything was fine.

Unfortunately, not all good things lasted forever. On one particular day an unforeseen disaster appeared out of nowhere…

Natsumi had been preparing dinner in the kitchen when it happened. She hadn’t thought anything of it at first. Ever since Endou took over as Raimon’s coach, he would occasionally return home late, so why would this time be any different? As the minutes ticked by Natsumi continued to prepare dinner. While she maneuvered around the kitchen she kept herself entertained with the quiet sound of the T.V. playing in the background.

Although she usually paid no mind to what the news anchors were saying, something about that night in particular urged her to listen carefully. She had been cutting away at a bundle of carrots when a certain news report caught her attention. Although they weren’t showing video footage of the incident taking place, the news anchors reported a massive car crash near Raimon.

Upon hearing the name of the school, Natsumi put all food to the side and quickly ran to her phone, dialing up Endou to ask if he was still at the school. Knowing her husband, he would most likely be assisting whoever had been unfortunate enough to get hurt outside of their old school. But when he didn’t answer her first, second, or third call, Natsumi began to worry. The news anchors wouldn’t disclose the names of the people involved in the accident, nor would they show the faces of anyone other than the reporter on duty. They did, however, announce the arrival of special dispatched services on the scene as well as the name of the hospital the heavily injured were being taken to.

After a while Natsumi’s phone began to ring, which she immediately answered. Letting out a sigh of relief, Natsumi pressed the phone to her ear, ready to hear Endou’s cheerful voice. With everything appearing to be taken care of on screen, Endou was surely going to fill her in on everything that had happed. It was a good thing she had prepared so much food for the night!

“Natsumi, it’s Kidou, we don’t have much time- It’s Endou… He got into a car crash and- You need to hurry. An ambulance is already taking him to the hospital but… I’ll fill you in on everything once you get here-“

“I’m on the way.”

Within seconds Natsumi was already racing out of the house, dinner abandoned in the kitchen and T.V still playing quietly in the background. She did everything in her power to get to the hospital as fast as she could but it was too late. By the time she came rushing in through the hospital doors, Endou had been pronounced dead.

Time flashed by in a blur following Endou’s death. His funeral came and went, the days following blended together a little too seamlessly and Natsumi’s love for cooking diminished along with her once cheery life. Without Endou around, she no longer held the motivation to prepare any kind of meal in or out of the kitchen. Even when Haruna, Aki, and Fuyuka tried to rekindle their little cooking arties, Natsumi couldn’t bring herself to make anything. Everything she had ever made was out of her love for Endou.

As time went by, Natsumi slowly began to store her cooking utensils away. If she wasn’t going to be cooking anymore, than why bother keep them out in the open to collect dust?

She was in the middle of labeling a soon to be packed away box of kitchen ladles one day when the sound of knocking stopped her. Setting her marker to the side, Natsumi walked to the front door. Her knees nearly buckled when she gazed out the peep hole to see who was outside.

Standing just outside the door was Endou… But it couldn’t be him, right? He had passed away months ago. She had gone to his funeral and everything! There was no way her could possibly be standing outside. As she was thinking these thoughts an almost indescribable feeling washed over her. Suddenly she couldn’t remember attending a funeral nor could she remember why she had started packing away all her cooking supplies. It was as if she was just now waking up from some type of horrible nightmare, a nightmare had clouded over her real life for the past several months.

Whatever nightmare she been under was finally over. Any trace of sadness and despair melted away the longer she stared at Endou. Instead, the feelings were replaced with joy and relief. Although the sudden change in feelings were a little unexpected, they weren’t unwelcomed. In fact she was all the happier to embrace them!

Not wanting to keep Endou waiting any longer, Natsumi decidedly threw the door open, startling Endou as it swung to the side, and proceeded to jumping into the arms of the man in front of her.

“Mamoru!” Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she pressed herself as tightly as she could to her husband. “I can’t explain it but it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever! Where have you been all day?”

“Woah! I missed you too! Oh man, Natsumi, you wouldn’t believe all the crazy things that happened to me ‘today.’ I’ve got so much to tell you but, uh, I think it’d be best if we went inside first.” Contradictory to his own words, Endou hugged Natsumi even closer to himself, thus rendering any attempt to head into the house useless.

For several long minutes the two stood outside their house, hugging each other, and exchanging a few words before wither one of them made any real attempts to pull away. But when they did, it was Natsumi who moved away. She waisted no time in dragging Endou inside and towards their dining room table, pulling out a chair for him to sit in and then rushing off towards their refrigerator in search of something for them to eat.

Strangely enough, the refrigerator was once again filled with an abundance of food Natsumi had almost no recollection of buying. She glanced a look to Endou, who at first made no comment, but as soon as she turned her back had heard the faintest of words from him.

“I guess time really did reset itself.”

From that day on life returned to normal, or as normal as it could be with Natsumi knowing her ‘nightmare’ had in fact been real but was now a part of a separate timeline of sorts. But seeing as their current timeline was restored, Natsumi decidedly let her supposed bad months drift away.

She started cooking again, only this time she followed tutorials online through YouTube and an odd app called TikTok. When Endou asked why she was following so many different cooking videos, Natsumi would claim that “the hissatsu manual could only offer so much.”

Despite her best efforts her cooking still left much to be desired from. But Endou never truly cared about the overall outcome of the food he’d be offered.

“It’s the thought counts.” He’d tell himself whenever a dish was placed in front of him. “If it’s for Natsumi, I’d gladly eat a thousand more meals of her cooking- I’d do anything to make her happy.”

[justatiredpotato]

Set Me Free | Chapter 5

Chapter List

Pairing: hybrid!Yoongi x human!reader

Genre: Angst, fluff, coffee shop AU, hybrid AU

Word Count: Chapter: 6,000~  Total: 40,000~

Updates daily at 10pm MST

Warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, violence (kinda?), mentions of abuse

Summary: Yoongi, a cat hybrid, has been hurt time and time again by a world that would have him believe he’s worthless. One day he finds himself in your protective care, and gets a new family to boot. But is it really that easy to escape the past and embrace a new beginning?

Author’s Note: In this fic the reader’s name is Yeoji

The next weekend you took Yoongi out to get a tag. Jungkook and Jimin took care of the cafe for the day, so you had the afternoon to take care of your errands. After extensive googling you found a shop on the other side of town that had a variety of choices, so that was your first stop. 

The store had lots of hybrid supplies, and after browsing around for a bit you found the tags. Most were obviously made for collars, but a small display on the bottom shelf held the new earring-style. Yoongi looked through them for several minutes before holding up one for you to consider. It was a simple metal hoop with a pendant spike that held the tag. 

The tag itself was just a small microchip that held all the ID information. You’d received Yoongi’s in the mail that morning. For several years the tags were actually used like pet microchips, placed under the skin. Thankfully that was deemed inhumane a decade ago, so tags were made wearable instead. The earring design made the little device far less noticeable, though some people still force hybrids to wear a collar. You thought it must be rather degrading, but Jimin liked to wear his on a choker.

Yoongi held the earring he’d selected up in the mirror and nodded approvingly. “This’ll work.”

“I like it!” you agreed. “It’s pretty.”

His face visibly reddened and you regretted your choice of words. You were about to correct yourself when you caught a trace of a smile as he turned toward the register. You followed him and purchased the earring. In the car, he used the mirror on the visor to replace his old earring with the new one. He tilted his head to assess the piece, then turned to show you.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t realize it’s a tag if I didn’t already know,” you said.

He shrugged, turning back to the mirror and nodding. “Yeah, it’s not bad.”

On your way home you stopped at the store to buy soju and restock on a few snacks that Yoongi had gone through rather quickly. Saturday was your usual movie night with your family. You’d skipped it the previous week, not sure if Yoongi was ready for a big social gathering yet. But the boys really wanted to have a welcome party for him. Jungkook in particular seemed excited, saying he had a surprise. Him and Yoongi bonded quickly over the previous two weeks, Jungkook even came over a few times after his classes so they could play music together.

That night was going to be the first time all of your boys were together since Yoongi came to stay with you. Despite your nerves, you knew they would make him feel at home. Yoongi was quiet on the drive home, but you could tell he was nervous. His leg bounced rapidly, hands clasped in his lap.

“You’ll like them,” you said abruptly. You reached over and took his hand. “And they’ll like you. I promised I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, remember? This is my family, and that means they’re your family now too.” He nodded, meeting your eyes for a moment before turning to look out the window.

By the time you got back to your place you had about an hour before the boys arrived. Jimin and Jungkook were coming straight back after they closed the cafe. You tidied up and pulled out the take-out menus, then grabbed a couple of extra blankets for the couch and loveseat; Jimin and Jungkook liked to be warm. Yoongi puttered around after you, helping clean up and remaining more or less glued to your side until seven’o’clock rolled around.

A knock came at the door between the apartment and the cafe, and you hollered for them to come in. Two bunny ears peaked inside. The owner of said ears quickly followed as the smaller boy behind him pushed him through the door. Jungkook waved at Yoongi, who stood slightly behind you. Jimin smiled brightly. You flashed him a look; a reminder to keep it chill. He nodded understandingly and approached to pull you into a hug.

“How was your day, noona?” he asked, nuzzling into your jaw. 

He pulled away and you ruffled his hair. “Good! How was the cafe today?” You glanced behind him to Jungkook. “I hope it wasn’t too crazy.”

Jungkook shook his head. “Nah. It was busy, but nothing we couldn’t handle,” he said, placing an arm around Jimin’s shoulders. “Did you have a good time shopping, hyung?”

Yoongi glanced up at him and subconsciously fidgeted with the new earring. “Yeah, we found a tag that looks alright. So that’s good,” he finished awkwardly. He seemed so nervous, even with the addition of just one new person. You hoped it wasn’t too soon to be bringing everyone around. You didn’t have much time to worry as the doorbell rang. Yoongi trailed behind you as you went to answer it.

The rest of the guys stood on the step, holding what you assumed to be food.

“Jin-hyung and I grabbed takeout on the way,” Hoseok said, gesturing with two large bags with the logo of your favorite Thai restaurant on them. Jin held up a box containing even more takeout containers. 

“You’re the best, Hobi! I’m starving.” You took one of the bags from him and stepped aside to let him in.

“He’s the best? What about me?” Jin asked, indignant.

“You’re alright,” you said. He pouted and you wrapped an arm around him, grinning.

Namjoon and Tae followed you inside. Tae went to the table to set down a box before hurrying back to you. He wrapped you in a tight hug, even his tail curling around you to keep you close.

“I missed you, noona!” he said, nose buried in your hair.

You laughed and hugged him back. “I missed you too, Taetae.” You hadn’t seen him since the night you found Yoongi. The tiger hybrid made a rumbling cough-like noise in his chest, which you knew meant he was happy. 

After a moment, you turned to see Yoongi hovering awkwardly next to the kitchen island watching the whole exchange with his hands folded in front of him. Upon seeing everyone looking back at him, he quickly looked down to the floor and bowed politely.

“Welcome,” he said, directing his words toward the three human men standing around the kitchen. “Can I get you anything?” His voice was soft and polite, words oddly hollow. You hurried over to him, startled by the sudden shift in behavior. You wrapped an arm around his slight waist and waited for him to meet your eyes. He looked at you for a moment before seeming to come back to himself. He shuffled his feet, nervously and looked up at the guys again. 

“Thanks, Yoongi, but don’t worry about us. We can grab stuff if we need it,” Jin assured him, heading to the fridge to grab a beer to illustrate his point.

“Yeah, hyung. We basically live here,” Joon added, ruffling your hair before walking over and plopping down on the couch.

Hoseok threw Yoongi a sunshine-smile. “So, Yeoji-noona tells me you’re a musician? She said you’re incredibly talented.” You shifted awkwardly, but didn’t remove your arm from around Yoongi just yet.

“Yeah!” Jungkook said. The bunny bounded over, childlike excitement in his eyes as he scanned the room. His eyes landed on the kitchen table and he took Yoongi’s hand to pull him that way. “I’ve got something to show you, hyung!”

Yoongi followed, ears twitching curiously as he eyed the box on the table. Jimin came to join them, sitting cross-legged on a dining chair. Everyone else observed quietly, curious, but not wanting to crowd Yoongi.

“I’ve been wanting to give you this, and hyung said it’d be a nice welcome present!” Jungkook said, gesturing for the older boy to open the package.

“Present? This is for me?” Yoongi asked. He glanced at you, as if looking for permission. You smiled and gave the tiniest nod of reassurance. Yoongi pulled open the box and slid out a canvas bag. He glanced up at Jungkook one more time before unzipping it. Inside was an electric keyboard. You saw Yoongi’s jaw clench and he continued to stare blankly at the instrument. Jungkook shifted from foot to foot.

“I know it’s not brand new or anything, but Joonie-hyung got me a new one for my last birthday and he said I could sell the other one if I wanted. I thought maybe you’d like to use it. At least until you get a new one. If you don’t want it I can take it back…” the boy rambled nervously. 

Yoongi looked up sharply at those last words. “I- I can keep this?” he asked. 

Jungkook’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah. It’s a gift. You’re really talented, hyung. It’d be a shame if you were stuck without a keyboard.”

Yoongi looked from Jungkook, to the keyboard, then back again. Then he surprised you all by pulling the younger boy into a hug. Jungkook stiffened at first, clearly surprised. But then he returned the hug, a bunny smile creeping onto his face. 

“Thank you, Kookie. Seriously,” Yoongi said quietly. “You really didn’t have to do this.”

Namjoon appeared beside you, placing a hand on your shoulder. You blinked rapidly when you met his eyes; when had they started watering? Namjoon simply smiled before returning his attention to the men at the table. Jungkook spent a few minutes showing Yoongi some of the keyboard’s features while the rest of you set up the food on the coffee table in the living room. As much as you hated to interrupt, you had to call them away before the food got cold. Yoongi scanned the food on the table.

“I’ve never tried any of this stuff before,” he said.

“You’ve never had Thai food?” Taehyung asked, horrified. Yoongi shook his head. 

You filled a plate with things you thought he’d like and passed it to him. His eyes widened as he took in the precarious tower of food. You might’ve gotten a little too enthusiastic with your servings.

“Jeez, noona. Leave some for the rest of us!” Namjoon teased. The other boys snorted, but you ignored them.

“Try these. If there’s anything you don’t like you can give it to me,” you said. Yoongi cleared his plate in record time, even getting seconds upon your encouragement. His lack of pickiness when it came to food continued to impress you. After you cleared the plates away you settled into your favorite spot on the couch with Yoongi on one side with his arm around your shoulder, and Jungkook on the other. Jungkook laid his head on your lap so you could pet his ears. You smiled as Yoongi took your free hand and laced your fingers together, resting his cheek on your head.

A contented sigh escaped you and you looked over your mismatched little family, catching Namjoon and Jimin exchanging a look. Jimin turned to you and you raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, but he just smirked. You frowned, looking to Namjoon instead. He chuckled and turned his attention back to the movie. Jungkook had selected some b-movie he read about online. It featured mostly bad special effects, bad acting, and cheap jumpscares, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. 

You could feel Yoongi already dozing, his breathing deep and even against your hair. How he could sleep through the loud musical stings that seemed to happen every twenty seconds you couldn’t fathom. Despite the poor production quality, you got pretty into the movie. Your attention was split between trying to keep up with the convoluted plot, petting Jungkook, and drawing soft patterns on the back of Yoongi’s hand.

When the film ended you shifted, giving Yoongi’s hand a gentle squeeze to wake him up. He blinked at you, looking around as you sat up and started clearing glasses and drink cans away. He stretched before moving to help you.

“Why don’t you sit and chat with the guys for a bit?” you suggested.

“I’ll help you, noona,” Jungkook said. He, Jin, and Namjoon helped you clean up while the other boys visited.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

Yoongi fidgeted nervously in his seat, uneasy without you next to him. Jimin sensed the discomfort and moved to sit next to him. Tae turned to face the other boys from his spot on the floor.

“So, how’s it been? Staying with Yeoji-noona, I mean,” Tae asked.

“Good. She’s really good to me. I owe her a lot,” Yoongi said.

“From what I hear she doesn’t feel you owe her anything. I think the last few weeks she’s been the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time,” Hoseok said. Yoongi blushed, but failed to hide his smile at the statement.

“It’s definitely the happiest I’ve ever been,” Yoongi said quietly.

“Well we’ve been dying to meet you,” Taehyung interjected. “Jimin won’t shut up about you.”

Jimin’s tail flicked. “It’s just been so long since I’ve had another kitty around.” Yoongi finched, tail wrapping protectively around his waist. Jimin continued, not noticing. “I mean, Tae is a cat. But you can’t exactly call a tiger a kitty. I miss purrs and snuggles from my other kitty friends. Tae doesn’t really purr. He makes this funny coughing sound instead.”

“It’s called ‘chuffing’ thank you very much,” Tae protested. Jimin’s tinkling laugh filled the room as the two bickered good-naturedly, but Yoongi’s mind was far away. A voice echoed through his mind, but not from anyone in the room. The man’s voice came from memories he’d pushed away and tried to forget. He curled in on himself, ears flattening as he tried to push the images of his past away.

The tone of the guys’ conversation shifted and he thought someone might be calling to him but their words sounded like he was hearing them through glass.

“Hey, hyung.” A hand came to rest on his shoulder and his body reacted before his mind could. He lashed out with a fist, and flinched away from the person’s touch, toppling off the couch in the process. A yelp of pain and surprise cleared a bit of the fog from his mind and he glanced at the faces surrounding him, pupils blown wide as adrenaline coursed through him. Rather than being comforted by the reality in that moment, he only felt dread in the pit of his stomach.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

You were laughing with Jungkook and Jin when you heard Namjoon’s shout of surprise. You whirled to see the boys suddenly quiet, startled expressions on their faces. You hurried into the living room just in time to see Yoongi getting off the ground and darting away into your bedroom.

“What happened?” you asked, turning to Namjoon for an answer. He held a hand to his cheek, the skin already bruising beneath it.

“I’m not sure. I came to check on them and Yoongi-hyung seemed… off. I must’ve scared him because he freaked out and hit me,” he said.

“We were just talking and then he got really quiet all of the sudden. Then when Joon-hyung touched him he just-” Taehyung trailed off with a shrug.

“Is he okay?” Jimin asked. He looked up at you with wide, concerned eyes.

“I’m sure he’s okay, Chim. I’m gonna go take care of him,” you ruffled the boy's hair. “Jin, can you get Joon some ice?”

Jin nodded and led the younger man back to the kitchen while you hurried after Yoongi. You pushed open the door gently. He hadn’t even bothered to turn the lights on.

“Yoongi?” you called softly. You scanned the room, but didn’t see him. “Sweetheart where are you? What happened?”

Your eyes fell on the door of your closet, which was slightly ajar. A sliver of sock-clad toe poked out. You approached quietly, not exactly sure what was going on, and opened the door. Yoongi sat on the floor, half buried in a pile of sweaters you hadn’t bothered to hang up after wearing them once.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. You crouched in front of him, leaning close to hear better. He flinched away as you drew closer and your heart broke.

“What?” you asked.

“Please…” he whimpered.

“Sweetheart, I don’t understand. What happened? Please what?”

“I messed up. I was bad. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please don’t make me leave. Please,” he repeated over and over like a mantra. His ears were flat against his head. His whole body trembled.

“Oh, Yoongi,” you cooed, reaching out for him. He shrank away again, but you didn’t give up. “Yoon, it’s me. Please, can you come out?” He finally met your eyes, scanning your face for anger before carefully crawling out of his hiding place. When he finally accepted your outstretched hand you didn’t hesitate to pull him into your arms.

“I’m so sorry, noona. I’m so sorry. I was bad. I know I’m in trouble but please don’t get rid of me.”

“Sweetheart, I would never get rid of you.” You pulled him close, nuzzling into his hair as he tucked his face into your neck. “This is your home. And you aren’t in trouble. No one is mad at you.”

You sat quietly for a moment, just stroking his hair as he took deep shaking breaths, struggling to slow his breathing. When he seemed to have calmed down a bit you spoke again.

“Do you think you can tell me what happened?” you asked gently.

“T-that name. It just made me think of my old master,” he said the last word with venom in his voice. “Kitty, that’s what he called me and- and I just felt like I was there again. Back with him, at the club. And I- I couldn’t- It-” the panic seemed to be returning and you held him tighter, shushing him, trying to shield him from the rush of painful memories before they could overwhelm him again.

“Hey, hey. Slow down. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. You’re here, with me. I’ve got you.”

He nodded against your shoulder, clinging to you as if you were the only thing keeping him from drowning.

“Let’s get you off the floor, yeah?” you said, coaxing him to his feet and guiding him over to the bed. You tucked him in, pulling an extra blanket up from the foot to tuck around his shoulders and placing a soft kiss in his hair. 

“I probably should go check on the boys,” you said, glancing toward the living room. You could hear them murmuring, discussing quietly.

“Wait.” He looked anxious at the prospect of you leaving his side. “Can’t you...” He couldn’t seem to get out what he wanted to ask.

“Okay,” you said. The idea of being away for him at that moment tore at your heart more than you’d admit. You crawled under the covers and snuggled up to him. He tucked his face into your neck; that seemed to be his favorite spot. What you weren’t aware of was that your scent was such a comfort to him, it was the only thing that could push the shadows from his mind in moments like this. You slipped your phone out of your back pocket.

You put your phone on its charger and wrapped your arm around Yoongi again.

“Are they mad?” he asked suddenly.

“What? No, of course not.”

You felt him sigh, breath warm against your collarbone. “What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

He pulled away from you to look you in the eye. “I know I’m in trouble. You have to punish me. I hurt your brother. And I could hear Jimin. I made him cry. So what are you going to do?” He averted his eyes, clearly expecting you to hurt him somehow.

You placed a gentle hand on his cheek to make him look at you. “Yoongi, you are not in trouble. Namjoon is not mad at you. He understands, in fact he was actually worried about you. And Jimin was only crying because he hurt you. He didn’t mean to say something that would upset you. He understands what it’s like to have things you’d rather forget,” you said sadly.

“Is-Is he still here?” Yoongi asked.

“I think so.”

“Could I-? I’d like to apologize,” he said. “To him and Namjoon.”

Your eyebrows shot up as you studied him. “Are you sure? You could talk to him after your shift tomorrow. You don’t have to do this now.”

“I don’t want them to worry.”

You scanned his face, but he seemed certain. You sat up, tucking a blanket tighter around his shoulders before calling, “Jimin, Joonie, can you come here for a second?”

Yoongi fidgeted with his fingers beside you, and you reached over and wrapped his hand in yours. There was quiet shuffling outside your door before a shock of pink hair and white ears appeared through the door.

“Hyung?” Jimin’s voice was even softer than usual, barely audible to your ears. He slipped through the door, Namjoon following cautiously behind him.

Yoongi cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, guys. I’m so sorry I hit you Namjoon. That was bad of me-”

Namjoon stopped him. “You have nothing to apologize for, hyung. It’s not your fault that other people hurt you. I’m sorry I scared you, even accidentally.”

Yoongi nodded his gratitude, thinking for a moment before turning to Jimin.

“And Jimin, I’m sorry I reacted like that. I didn’t mean to upset you...” He stopped short when he realized there were tears streaming down the younger man’s face. “Oh s***. Did I make it worse?” Yoongi said. He turned to you confused and concerned.

“No, hyung. I’m just so sorry. I-” Jimin sniffled and wiped at his face with his sleeves. “Can I hug you?” 

Yoongi looked startled, but he nodded. Jimin practically ran over and sat next to Yoongi, hugging him tightly and burying his face in his chest. After a moment’s hesitation, Yoongi wrapped his arms around him. There was a beat of silence before a soft, melodic purr started to fill the quiet.

“I know what it’s like to have… bad things happen. And I’m so sorry I made you remember.” Jimin’s grip on the back of Yoongi’s sweater tightened. “If you need to talk about it, you can talk to me, hyung. Anytime.”

Yoongi nodded again, a purr started to echo from his chest as well as he tried to keep himself together.

Namjoon and Jimin left a few minutes later, and Yoongi settled back in with you. He fell asleep quickly after all the guys left. You snuck away as quietly as you could to wash your face and change into pajamas, but found yourself rushing to return to his side.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

Over the following months you tried to get Yoongi out of the house more. As the winter warmed into spring he went and performed in the plaza some days. One particularly sunny afternoon you had to go see your supplier since there was an issue with your latest order. 

The two of you strolled casually down the street toward the restaurant supply company, window shopping as you went since your appointment wasn’t for another twenty minutes. Yoongi pointed out a couple of items in shop windows, and you filed away his preferences for later. He finished paying you back for the things you bought him a few weeks before, so you looked for any and every opportunity to spoil him. Not because you thought he needed it, but any time you were responsible for that gummy smile blossoming on his face it warmed your heart like nothing else.

You passed a shop on the corner a block from your destination and paused when you noticed him lingering by the window.

“Yoon? What are you looking at?” You turned and joined him at the window. It turned out to be a salon, not a shop. You looked Yoongi over. His hair had grown since he’d come to stay with you, to the point that he tied it up with one of your hair-ties when he was working on something.

 “Do you want to get your hair cut?” you asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. I should, huh? I actually like this.” He pointed at a poster in the window. The man in the picture had kind of a mullet going on. You couldn’t tell what color it was since the picture was black and white, but it was clearly a lighter color.

“This one?” You pointed at the picture, confirming. The cut wasn’t really your style. But if Yoongi liked it, that didn’t matter. He’d be adorable in any style. “Yeah,” you said encouragingly. “I think your hair is long enough.”

“What? No, I meant the color. I’d be cool to have lighter hair.”

“You wanna dye it?” you asked, surprised. You hadn’t expected him to be interested in something like that.

He nodded. “Do you think it’d look weird?” He suddenly seemed unsure, turning slightly away from the window, ears turning down slightly.

“No! I think you’d look cute in any color!” In your haste to reassure him you entirely missed the pretty blush that appeared on his cheeks. “You should try it,” you said.

He looked back up at the picture, contemplating. “Would that be okay?”

“Of course, sweetheart. It’s your hair.” You laughed and ruffled his soft black locks with your fingers. “Do you want to do it today? If they have an appointment you can do it while I go to my meeting.”

His tail swished behind him, ears perked forward. “Really?”

“Of course! Let’s see if they have any openings.”

You entered the salon, the bell chiming cheerfully above you. “Welcome to Worldwide Handsome Salon! How can I make your day more beautiful?” the girl at the reception desk greeted you. You turned to Yoongi, waiting for him to speak.

“I’d like to have my hair cut and colored,” he said quietly.

The girl glanced from him to you. “Of course, we happen to have an opening in 15 minutes if you were looking to have it done today.”

Yoongi nodded.

“Great!” the girl chirped. “I’ll go grab one of our stylists for a consult.” She hurried off to do so. You and Yoongi took a seat in the waiting area.

“That works out perfectly! I’ll come pick you up after my meeting. Is that okay?” You didn’t say what you were actually asking, though you knew he understood what you meant. ‘Will you be okay without me?’

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Good.” You took his hand, bouncing it happily on your lap. “I can’t wait to see what you do!”

The stylist emerged from between the rows of chairs and counters, greeting you with a big smile. He wasn’t very tall, but he still managed to be imposing. The lean muscle in his arms stretched the sleeves of his t-shirt, and he carried himself with more confidence and power than you would’ve expected from him. His hair was a shockingly pure platinum, and he pushed it back from his face as he approached to greet you.

“Hey! I’m Jackson.” He reached out to shake your hand, shaking Yoongi’s as well.

“He’s our best hybrid stylist,” the girl chimed in from beside him.

“I thought I was the best period, Irene,” Jackson teased. The receptionist, Irene, giggled and turned away.

“That too.” She bowed to you and Yoongi. “Let me know if you need anything else.” She returned to her place behind the front desk.

“I assume we’re doing something for you today?” He inclined his head toward Yoongi with a small smile. “Alright, what are we thinking?” He directed the question at you. You frowned at him before turning to Yoongi, again waiting for him to speak up.

“I want it cut and colored,” he said. 

Again, Jackson glanced at you expectantly. “Do you know what style you want exactly?” he asked politely.

“Don’t ask me, it’s his hair,” you said, getting a little irritated. Yoongi, sensing this, took your hand and leaned closer to you, tail wrapping soothingly around your leg.

Jackson’s eyebrows rose, apparently surprised. “Sorry. You have to excuse me. Most people who bring their hybrids in don’t give a damn what they want.” He smiled awkwardly. “Alright man, what are we doing today?” He addressed Yoongi this time, giving him a genuine smile and seeming almost relieved.

“I was thinki-”

“Wait!” You interrupted him, pulling your hand free so you could cover your ears. Both men looked at you, startled. “I want it to be a surprise.”

Yoongi grinned and nodded, happily agreeing to your plan.

“Text me when you’re finished, and I’ll come pick you up. You have your phone and your card?” Yoongi nodded. You got him a debit card once he started earning wages at the shop so he wouldn’t have to carry everything in cash. The account was technically under your name, since hybrids couldn’t have their own, but shopping was a lot easier for him with a debit card.

“Alright, call me if you need me.” You leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. “Have fun!” you called as you left the salon.

Jackon observed how Yoongi watched you leave, brows raised.

“What?” Yoongi asked when he caught the other man’s expression.

“Nothing,” Jackson said casually. He smiled and glanced after you. “It’s just nice to see. You guys seem happy together.”

Yoongi colored, but couldn’t hide the grin that appeared on his face.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

After your meeting, you went to the coffee shop next to the Worldwide Handsome Salon. You tried to busy yourself reading over the documents your supplier had given you, but it was hard to focus when you could hardly wait to see what Yoongi had done. You hopped out of your chair a little too energetically when he finally texted, drawing an irritated look from fellow patrons you’d startled. You bowed apologetically, dropped your dirty dishes in the bus bin, and hurried next door.

Irene greeted you when you entered. “Hi! They’re just finishing up. I’ll let them know you’re here.” She got up and disappeared into the maze of mirrors and counters. A moment later she returned, Jackson in tow. He flashed you a proud grin.

“You know, I think this might be some of my best work.”

Irene nudged him with her elbow and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it has nothing to do with him being handsome to start with.”

Jackson waved Yoongi over and he peeked out from behind a mirror. Your eyes widened as you took in his slightly curly honey-blond hair. Yoongi measured your reaction, black ears twitching nervously as he stood before you.

“What?” he asked when you didn’t say anything. “Do you not like it?”

You broke into a smile and finally couldn’t hold back a delighted squeal.

“Oh my god I love it!” You stepped closer to him. “Can I?” You made grabby hands at him and he leaned his head down so you could reach better. Somehow, the light color and soft waves made his hair look even softer. Upon feeling it you found it was, in fact, extremely soft. 

“Agh!” You made an exasperated sound, overwhelmed with affection for the soft boy before you. “You look so cute!” you cooed.

Yoongi pouted a little. “Jackson and Irene said I look handsome,” he protested.

“And handsome.” You nodded in agreement, scratching the base of his ears. He purred and leaned into your hand. “My handsome honey boy.”

Yoongi’s eyes opened quickly and you wondered if he disliked the nickname. But his gummy smile quickly reassured you before he wrapped you in a hug, burying his face in your neck. His purrs rumbled through his chest and into yours, tail swishing happily behind him. You chuckled, continuing to stroke his hair.

“It looks great,” you said, placing a soft kiss in his hair. You glanced up at Jackson and Irene. She was watching the exchange with her head resting on Jackson’s shoulder, starry-eyed. You blinked, coming back to yourself and stepping away from Yoongi.

“Thank you so much for taking good care of him,” you said.

“Anytime,” Jackson answered. “Please come again. We do women’s hair too, you know.”

Jackson took his leave as Irene walked you to the counter to pay. Yoongi swiped his card with a bit of pride, though you winced at the hit his funds were taking. You were happy for him, since you knew independence was important to him. But you still wished he’d let you take care of him a little more.

Irene smiled as she watched the two of you, Yoongi’s free hand firmly clasping yours. “You two are really cute together,” she said. “You don’t see a lot of human-hybrid relationships like yours. It’s refreshing.”

You looked at her dumbly for a second before realizing what she meant. “Oh! We aren’t a couple,” you said. Yoongi flinched beside you and released your hand to put in his pin number. Irene frowned, not convinced.

“What about you and him?” You nodded to the direction where Jackson had gone. 

Irene blushed and stammered, effectively redirecting the conversation. “Jackson? We aren’t, like, official or anything. Just coworkers. And friends. He’s technically my boss, too.” She laughed awkwardly, busying herself getting Yoongi’s receipt. You let the subject drop, heart beating oddly fast. Were you seriously that worked up by the suggestion of you and Yoongi being together. 

You glanced over at him. The muscles in his jaw were tight as he focused determinedly on reading the ingredients of a shampoo bottle he had picked up. You hoped the statement hadn’t made him too uncomfortable. One of your greatest fears was Yoongi feeling like he owed you that. From what little he’d told you of his background, he wasn’t used to having a choice. You’d never want him to be with you out of some ingrained sense of obligation.

Yoongi interrupted your thoughts when he spoke. “Thank you,” he said again, bowing politely. Then he took his receipt and quickly turned to leave. Irene gave him a sad smile as you hurried after him. What was that about?

“Yoongi, wait up!” you jogged after him. When you caught up you looped your arm through his. You examined his face, but his expression was totally neutral. You tugged on his arm to get his attention. “What should we do for dinner?” He gave a noncommittal grunt. “What do you feel like eating, honey boy?” His stoic expression cracked a little, even as he turned his face to hide it. You laughed triumphantly.

“How about meat? Hanwoo?” you suggested, knowing his weakness all too well.

His eyes sparkled at the mention of the dish, which the two of you reserved as a treat for special occasions. He nodded, finally rewarding you with a small smile. You tugged on his arm playfully and dragged him toward the alley housing your favorite barbeque restaurant, happy that any tension seemed to have faded.

[burnedbyshoto]

Amelioration

pairing: todoroki shouto x reader

warnings: cursing, soulmate!au

word count: 5,792

a/n: here is the final part to the happiness series!!!! does reader forgive shouto??? does shouto marry momo??? who knows!!!

Happiness (part one) ~ Bravado (part two)

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

amelioration: (n) the act of making something better; improving

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

For the first time since that night seven months ago you feel truly and completely happy.

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

Two Months Later

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

It took time, but you believed after months of being upset, you were happy.

The periods of you crying over a boy, who didn’t want you, had stopped two months ago. Two months of rediscovering who you were. Two months of figuring out what kind of person you were outside of this soulmate ordeal.

Why did romance always have to overpower everything?

Why did everyone need someone else to love them when they could love themselves?

Why the hell couldn’t you love yourself despite believing no one else could?

So you had thrown yourself into work. You decided to invest yourself into what you did best as you figured out how to make yourself happy. You hadn’t spoken to anyone in your old class since Kirishima’s birthday celebration; you weren’t embarrassed by your actions, but you didn’t want to discuss anything with them.

Your phone number was changed, and you had moved out of Kaminari’s place within twenty hours. You hadn’t opened any sort of social media in weeks because you had started to get DM’s from your friends— if they even wanted to consider you their friend after that.

Yes, your guilt had quickly consumed you after that night, but the truth of the matter was that you were, in fact, happier. Your role as a sidekick to Miruko kept you busy (she was aiming to climb the charts again) and you, finally a Pro Hero, were now inducted into the chart. You needed to perform well to keep Miruko happy.

Todoroki’s name on your wrist was no longer covered; it was visible by anyone and everyone who dared to look.

“Todoroki Shouto?!” the man in front of you exclaimed as he held your wrist gently in his hand. “Isn’t that the Pro-Hero Shouto, son of the number one hero?!”

You nod your head with a smile. It was the downside of being soulmates with someone as big of an influence in Japan as the Todoroki’s. “It is,” you say as you pull your arm back. “Is that a problem?” You ask, your head tilting to the side.

You were on one of the many dates you’d had since that night two months ago.

Each one started or ended sort of like this.

You were happy, yet no one else would let you forget about your cosmic mistake.

“Don’t you know Shouto?” he asks with a confused look. “Didn’t you two go to U.A. together? I remember watching the two of you compete at the Sports Festival!”

“As much as I would love to discuss Todoroki, I am trying to learn about you tonight,” you say as coolly as you can.

It was nearing Christmas Eve.

It was a holiday for lovers. A day that held the record for the most black ink tattoos turning gold in Japan. You just didn’t want to spend it alone, especially seeing that you would most likely not be celebrating it with your old classmates.

“Yeah, but the thing is I’m friends with Shouto! I can’t be here romancing his soulmate!” He exclaims whipping out his phone, and immediately you’re on guard.

“What are you doing?” You ask trying to peer at his phone screen.

“Just texting my friend,” he laughs as he pockets his phone, “but I mean, what did he do to deserve the silent treatment? I know there are fangirls out there who would die to have his name on their wrists! Did you know that some girl actually got his name tattooed on her wrist over her soulmates?!”

Your eyebrows scrunch and you felt uneasy, but you let it go, deciding to continue the conversation instead. “You’re not able to put ink over soulmate tattoos.”

“It was part of her quirk or something like that!” He laughed merrily. “But what made you run away from him? Is it because he’s the worst at keeping conversations going?”

“I don’t really want to talk about Todoroki,” you admit as the waiter set your plates in front of you.

You wanted to leave. You didn’t want to be associated with anyone that would remind you of Todoroki. You could handle your dates being in awe over your soulmate, but them knowing him on a personal level? That was too much.

“Oh, okay sure!” he nods as he grabs his chopsticks. “I have no filter, sorry!”

Your smile is strained, but the dinner goes on smoothly.

The conversation between the two of you flows as smooth as it can. You’re apprehensive about getting too personal with him and he asks anything on his mind. Besides knowing about his connection to Todoroki, it wasn’t a bad date. But it was not likely that you would go out with him again in the foreseeable future.

“So you’re a sidekick over at Miruko’s agency?” He asks.

The plates that had held your food have been eaten to completion. The waiter returning to grab the dirty dishes as he leaned towards you. Your fingers grasped onto your glass of water as you drink it slowly. Your head nodding as you place the cup down.

“Yeah, I started off as an intern my first year at U.A., and I think it’s safe to say we clicked.” You explain brushing your hair out of your face. “It’s really great getting to work with her, I love Rumi.”

“Oh, I bet! Miruko scares me though! But again, I nearly crapped myself the first time I met Endeavor.” He laughed good-naturedly and you smiled in amusement. Being a side-kick at Endeavors agency was a testament to his strength as a hero. Getting in and staying there was no joke. “Plus with that ugly-- oh, hey! Over here!” He exclaimed with a large grin, his arm-waving to someone behind you.

Your eyebrows scrunched in confusion but the warmth of your tattoo grew as you felt someone standing by you.

“Shouto,” He says standing up and bowing to the man behind you. You stay in your seat, frozen stiff while burning holes into your dates head. “I’m so glad you came!”

“You invited a stranger on our date?” You snap as you stand up, immediately grabbing your purse and jacket that hung on the chair. “Thanks for a good evening but I have to go now.” You say ignoring his protests.

Your fingers grabbed a few yen you had and threw it on the table.

Making sure to turn out towards the side that Todoroki was not on, you hurried out. Their calls for you to come back falling deaf on your ears.

Your name being called did not stop you, nor did the looks being thrown your way. Weaving through people, you finally made it outdoors.

It was empty outside. No cars were driving by; no people walking either. It was empty with only the slowly falling snow to keep you company. Your jacket was hastily pulled on and the cold air stung at your cheeks as you continued walking. You needed to get away, yet you have no idea where you are right now.

“Y/n!” A voice called out for you.

It was him.

Your step doubled in speed, not quite running because of your low traction shoes. But the air stung more against your cheeks, and your nose turned red as you continued hustling.

“Y/n, wait!”

You didn’t want to wait. It had been months of you waiting, and now he wanted to make amends?! Now he wanted you to wait?

No.

Fuck that.

But then you heard the all too familiar sound of his quirk being used, and your feet were frozen in place.

Your eyes widen as you nearly fall over, your balance uneven.

“Fucking let me go!” You yell as you power your quirk through your legs, snapping yourself free from his trap, but it’s too late.

He holds your wrist before you can get away, pulling you towards him, and still, you don’t look at him.

Todoroki’s hand burns through your jacket and warms up your body and you hate that it makes you dizzy. You detest how unnaturally your body wants him near. How your heart yearned for him to win you over, but your brain screamed louder. Your brain demands you to move, and you comply.

“Let go of me.” You growl lowly, as you pull yourself away from his grasp.

“Please hear me out.” Todoroki pleads, once again holding onto you, but this time it’s by your jacket.

You despise the cold but it makes you unhappy being trapped by Todoroki. It makes you unhappy feeling like you will forgive someone when they don’t deserve it. So defiantly you slip out from the jacket.

The bitter and sharp air stab into your skin as you continue storming away, his shouts falling deaf on your ears. You didn’t want this, you didn’t need this. You were perfectly okay without him in your life, and now he was doing what? Trying to get you back into his life?

Was he going to ask you for permission to marry Momo?

Demand that you continue being unhappy for his sake?

That wasn’t going to happen, you wouldn’t let him use you like that.

Hot and angry tears freeze on your cheeks as you sniffle from the cold.

Footsteps hit the ground and your eyes widen as Todoroki is suddenly in front of you. His chest heaving, his eyes angry and sad.

“Put on your fucking jacket, idiot.” He speaks as he puts the warm fabric back around you.

“I don’t want it.” You sneer throwing the jacket onto the floor. Your eyes glaring daggers into him as smokey breaths expel from your mouth. “What do you want?! What is so damn important to you that you’re chasing after a girl you don’t fucking want?!”

“You’re my soulmate,” Todoroki flatly states, bending down to grab your jacket. He misses the way you roll your eyes and the temptation you have to kick him square in the dick and run away.

“I’m not your soulmate.” You say, your eyes locked on his as he stands back up. “You made that perfectly clear the first night. Say what you need to say and leave me alone.”

He stares at you at a loss of words.

It’s so cold, and you want nothing more than to leave him standing outside in the cold. You want to take your jacket from his hands. The jacket is warm because he’s using his quirk, and yet you want to yell at him to stop it. Why is he doing this? What is his purpose in standing here in front of you?

“What is it!” You scream but it’s broken. It sounds like a pathetic plead as your heart pounding in your chest.

“I’m…” Todoroki looks at you with panicked eyes. He doesn’t know what he needs to say, and it makes your throat tight. “I’m sorry…” He mumbles, his eyes falling from your face down to the jacket in his hands.

“You’re… you’re sorry?!” You repeat, your voice pitching as you stumble backward. Your face is twisted with anger and defeat. “Why the hell are you sorry?”

Todoroki looks back at you, his jaw dropping to respond back to you, but you don’t want to hear his reasoning. You don’t want to know what dared him to feel sorry.

“Shut up.” You whisper, making Todoroki stop in his tracks.

“What--?”

“You didn’t want me. You were the one who told me that you wouldn’t break your promise with Momo! You were in love with someone that isn’t yours and you decided that no matter who your soulmate was, she was the one. You rejected me! I wasn’t the one who fucking rejected you! A-And now what?! You’re goddamn sorry?!” Your voice is shrill. This is a never-ending fight, a looping argument that will never find its peace. “I deserve someone who fucking wants me for me! You didn’t want me until my name was slapped over your wrist, and even with that, you didn’t want me! So why on fucking god would I want your apology?!”

Your chest heaves and all Todoroki can do is stare at you, his eyes wide, his mouth locked together.

“I wasn’t lying, nor was I being petty when I said I wanted you to drown in your guilt and your thoughts. I want you to never be able to look at me again because you broke me in seconds.” Your finger jabbed against his chest as you took your jacket and pulled it around your steaming body. “But I also wasn’t lying when I said I wished you and Momo happiness and love, so I hope whenever you marry her… whenever you’re years down the road and you have your own family and are happy... I want you to see my face. I want you to remember that it was my unhappiness, my sacrifice, that gave you that.”

Your eyes held no tears as you turned away, the cold wind futile as you walked away.

“You rejected me on my birthday, and now this is me rejecting you.” You mutter just loud enough for him to barely hear you.

The snow falling onto your head a joke. It was a mockery of the beauty and innocence of yourself.

But you felt better, you were getting better, and now you were going to move on.

You were improving, even if it was ever so slightly.

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

Ten Months Ago

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

Shouto’s eyes stared at your name inked into his skin.

The black ink mocking him of what had transpired that night. It wasn’t that he was unhappy with your name being there. Had it not been for Momo he would have thanked the world for giving him someone he already trusted. But that was not the case right now.

Momo had been there for him for years. A force that reminded him that someone cared for him. She was a great friend, and it was only a matter of time before he fell for her.

Shouto had been there the night of her eighteenth birthday, the white light consuming her as Shouto realized that they weren’t meant for each other. He hadn’t been sad, and in fact, he had been happy for his friend as she exclaimed she knew who was on her wrist.

Shouto listened as she pulled out her phone, immediately calling the name of the person who was meant to be hers. It was exciting, and Shouto remembers laying on her mattress looking up at the ceiling in happiness for her. That is until her voice cracked.

Momo pulled the phone away, dropping it to her lap as she smiled.

Her soulmate was leaving the country.

They weren’t coming back to Japan ever.

Momo sniffs as she brushed away a tear. “What’s a girl to do about it,” she whispers.

“I’ll be your soulmate then,” Shouto said without thinking, as he normally does.

“Wha--”

“I’ll do it.” He insists as he sits up. “Being rejected isn’t something anyone should go through, especially if it’s just about distance. I know you don’t believe me, but if by the time it’s my birthday and I don’t have a soulmate I’ll pretend to be yours.”

“Todoroki-san, I can’t ask that of you!” Momo says shaking her head. “That would be unfair to when you have your own soulmate!”

“I want to help you out,” Shouto insists. “I won’t force you of course, but if you show up tomorrow with the ink-covered up, I’m all for it.”

It was then that Momo’s face flushed red, and her head turned away.

Shouto watched as the following day she appeared with her wrist blank, and his heart pounded at the thought of just what they were hoping to pull off.

But as all things go, a fake romance and a tight companionship turned into a real one, and Shouto found himself falling for the girl who couldn’t be his. Her persona became his drug and like a madman, he craved her, and the thing was she did too.

His birthday came around and he had no soulmate, so they went public.

Shouto was allowed to love the heiress out in the open, his own future soulmate wasn’t a thought on his mind.

That was until that March night.

He had been close friends with you since the end of the first trimester of the first year at school. Having Hero Work so frequently together only strengthened his friendship with you, and when he saw his name appear on his wrist, the reality of his lie came at full force.

Shouto should have known, he’d never been lucky in life. His soulmate both knew of his lie and was someone important in his life. Shouto didn’t know how to respond as you stood before him in complete euphoria. There was a serene look on your face as you seemed ready to give him anything.

But he panicked.

His feelings -- his love -- for Momo were too strong, and he had long ago said fuck what the universe wanted. So, like a fool, he denied you. Rejected a soulmate as Momo’s had done to her. But you were relentless, albeit correctly so at that, and burned away all the reasonings he had for this predicament. Your eyes inflamed, your energy wild, and Shouto made the mistake of lashing out as well. Submitting to his own emotions and saying things he regrets.

So currently, Shouto found himself in Momo’s room as routine. Sitting on her chair, he was silent as his girlfriend chatted about her dream. She then went on about how hopeful she was that you would have your soulmate’s name on your wrist. Shouto wasn’t listening though, his eyes locked on your name, the most twisted reality was coming to life and he didn’t know how to stop it.

“Okay, but my foundation is almost out so we need to go buy some later,” Momo announced as she walked over to him, the permanent marker in her fingers. “I know we tested out the new pen last time, did it work…” Her voice trailed off and Shouto looked up at her.

She had seen it.

“Oh, my god!” Momo panics as she drops the pen. “W-What are we going to do?!”

Shouto looks up at Momo, his face as confused as hers, “I… I don’t know?”

“Where you still with her when she found out?”

Shouto groaned as he put his face in his hands and dropped his head.

“Shouto…”

Shouto looked up at her, his face full of guilt and told Momo exactly what had transpired. Her face only grew in anxiety and a look of guilt exploded within her eyes.

“I can’t believe you told y/n that!” Momo cried as she shook her head. “You probably destroyed her! She’s your soulmate, Shouto! I would have understood!”

“But I promised you that I would be yours.” Shouto whispers. His head feels like it’s ready to explode. He wants to be with Momo but everything within him yearns for you.

Duty versus love.

Which was more important to Shouto had never been touched before, and now it was making his head split.

“I want to try with her, but I don’t want to just leave you… and the class thinks we’re soulmates!” Shouto groans even more as his fingers clutch at his hair. “We fucked up.”

“We can figure things out later?” Momo suggests with a confused face. “We need to discuss this more before we make a final decision.”

Shouto found himself unable to keep his eyes off of you from that moment on.

Your wrist was clear of his name, and he watched as other boys in the class continue to flirt with you. Shouto noticed every fake smile, every moment where you weren’t being truthful about your feelings, and it made him feel like throwing up.

You were everywhere all at once, and Shouto could only watch.

It didn’t help that you absolutely hated his guts now. Every single private interaction had you fifty steps ahead of him. Your steps light as a feather yet felt like an earthquake as you denied him the chance at looking at you.

Shouto found himself in Momo’s room with his decision one morning. The morning that ended with you telling him to forget all about you.

“I want y/n,” Shouto whispered to Momo. “I know I said I was going to stay with you, but… I can’t do this to her anymore. I thought I was sure about you but is missing your soulmate this hard?”

Momo was silent as she rubbed his back, her fingers stiff and foreign. Since your birthday they hadn’t been able to be comfortable around each other anymore.

“Well,” Momo whispers with her lips pursed. “I had you to distract me, it made it so much… more bearable. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them any less, but you have me enough love and attention it wasn’t always in my thoughts.”

That sent a painful twang to his heart as Shouto groaned, yet another heated line to your argument was true. He had fucked you over and now you didn’t want a single thing to do with him. “I fucked up.” He rustles.

“We both did, I owe y/n the biggest apology, I just hope she’ll forgive us,” Momo mumbles. “And I know that the situation is awful timing, but my soulmate reached out to me last night, and well… they’re coming back.”

Despite the bittersweet feeling of that revelation, Shouto smiled for his friend as he pulled her into a hug.

“I’m happy for you,” Shouto says. “I hope that you’ll be happy.”

Momo sobs and Shouto pulls away to see the heiress rubbing tears away as she shakes her head.

“I should have just dealt with it! I wouldn’t have put you into this situation and you would have been happy! It was just six m-months! I could have dealt with six m-months of h-heartbreak!” She guilty cried into her hands.

“I was the one who did the most damage,” Shouto disagrees as he rubs her back softly. “At the end of the day, it was me.”

It was hard for him to admit it but as he said those words Shouto felt the need to prove to you that he was your soulmate. A soulmate you could love.

He was going to win you back, no matter how long it took.

The next day was their graduation, and for the first time ever both Shouto and Momo wore their true soulmates names on their wrist. It just so happened that no one noticed, and before Shouto could confront you, you were gone.

His school uniform, a proud symbol of where he was from and of his journey, wilted. The second button on his jacket broken and in his hand. It was to be a gesture to you, the sign that you held his heart, but you were gone. The worst part was that he had no idea where to begin looking for you.

It seemed that the universe was not in his favor either.

You had blocked his number, no longer lived at home, and Miruko was no longer working in collusion with Endeavor.

He wasn’t sure where you were and no one would give him any hints. The birthday celebrations for his old friends were always attended by everyone, but you. The one he missed you showed up to. It was a constant reminder of his tragedy, and it was the same for Momo.

You wouldn’t let him get near and the first time he saw you, it was in a situation he didn’t want, and yet couldn’t blame you for.

Shouto was running late to Kirishima’s party. He had accidentally fallen asleep at his desk at work and woke up to it being nearly midnight. Cursing he changed quickly and rushed to where Momo was hosting the party. Tonight was the night where he was going to get you to talk to him. He was going to confront his mistakes, and for him to apologize for being one of the biggest douches on the planet.

When the taxi pulled outside of the house Shouto clutched his present close to him. His anxiety high, his heart pounding at the thought of finally being able to see you.

But the first thing he saw were two figures kissing sensually on the doorsteps. He didn’t need to wonder who it was, he could point you out in a crowd of imposters.

Shouto watched in silent jealousy and horror as you pulled away, and your face shines with joy.

You were happy.

Shouto watches with swinging emotions as he can’t figure out whether to be happy, mad, jealous, or sad. Did he have a right to any of these emotions? God, he knew he didn’t but they were stirring within him.

Paralyzed and overwhelmed, Shouto continues staring at you, unable to figure out why the fuck Kaminari is touching you like that. Your head leaning against his shoulder as your fingers play with his hands.

It takes everything within him not to freeze the world into the next Ice Age, but the feeling disappears when Kaminari glows a bright white.

Shouto can’t help the small victory that erupts in his chest as he begins to walk over, his mind on a single track of getting you back. You and Kaminari seem immersed in a conversation so that you both don’t notice Shouto.

He stood there, hearing from you about how you had been hiding your soulmate, and Kaminari talking about staying with you. It angered him, this shouldn’t have been a thing to happen to begin with!

So when his name was finally spoken, and you told Kaminari to shut up, did Shouto finally speak up. But it wasn’t the conversation or tone Shouto wished for. He was angry still, emotionally stunted as he couldn’t keep quiet. Your comments about this being a mistake piled up onto his emotional horror. His anger palpitating as he wanted to say what he had been rehearsing, but it wasn’t coming out.

Blame and anger were what was expressed instead. Hurtful things pouring from each other’s mouths and accusations of not waiting.

You had been angry about something that had happened seven months ago. Shouto thought it was about you hiding away from him, not an engagement ring that sat on Momo’s finger. But when that was revealed to him it was too late to apologize. The deception Momo and he had pulled months earlier was revealed as you left with the last laugh.

Nothing had been accomplished, and Shouto felt like the world was crashing around him once more. He kept fucking up… why was he so bad at this?

Shouto wanted you, he needed you; still, whenever he confronted you it seemed to end in a battle.

Even tonight as he stood under the falling snow watching your figure storm away he paused. He wanted to make things work, but you weren’t bending to his pleas.

He shivered due to the cold, his eyes looking at your name printed on his wrist. Shouto couldn’t blame you for behaving the way you were, and with one final resolve he took after you in the snowy environment.

Even if you didn’t want him back, even if you truly rejected him, he was going to make you listen to his apology.

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

You climbed the staircase into your apartment, the sounds of your shoes echoing through the hallways were loud in your ear.

Why was it that you couldn’t get away from him? Why were you never able to be free of your goddamn soulmate? You didn’t want him and he didn’t want you so why did it matter?

You pushed through the third-floor door and your ears caught onto the main floor door slamming open. Someone was in a rush, you thought as you walked down the halls pulling out your keys and entering your apartment.

It was a hot tea and bath night. You wanted to rub his touch off your body.

Fuck the universe and everything it claimed, you weren’t happy with who they had chosen for you. What made them so sure you and Todoroki of all people were destined lovers?

What made him perfect for you?

You slipped your key into the lock and stepped in. The door clicked behind you as you take off your shoes, saying hello to an empty apartment that was still littered with your moving boxes. You didn’t even have that many belongings, but you had been too busy to start unpacking, too unmotivated to begin.

The apartment was warm and you slipped your jacket from your shoulders and hung it on a hook. Ready to end your night with a cup of tea and a nice soak in the bath, you turned on your heel.

But you stopped.

A frantic knock echoed through your hallway, your front door physically moving from the pounding.

Your eyebrows knit as you walk over to the door, your guard up as you open the door.

It’s Todoroki, his eyes widen as you open the door, and his hand flying out as you try slamming the door in his face.

“Please hear me out!”

“I don’t have to give you shit!”

“Y/n--!”

“Stop! I don’t fucking want to hear it!”

“I want to say sorry!”

“I said I don’t want to hear it!”

“I know you don’t, but -- fuck -- y/n, please!”

You hate that the desperation, pain, and sincere guilt in his voice makes your constitution crumble.

Sighing, you open the door, and Todoroki pulls his hand away. It’s slightly bleeding and most likely bruised from having been trapped by the door.

“You have ten minutes to explain yourself, and after that, you will respect what I want to do concerning you.”

Todoroki walks into your apartment, and you watch as he walks to your living room. You follow behind and sit down on the chair furthest away from him.

“You have eight minutes.” You say as you sit down, your legs pulled up on the chair, your chin sitting on your knees.

Todoroki nodded, his fingers clenching with his nerves as he began.

You listened to every word, every excuse, and every reason for what happened.

Your eyebrows scrunched together as his apology became a speech. His apology was a story that you knew was coming.

Months of wondering what made him choose Momo unraveling before you as he apologized. His fingers locked into his pant legs as you stared at him.

“I know I fucked up. I fucked up more than anyone really could, and I don’t know how to fix it.” Shouto dragged his fingers through his hair, a clear indication of his frustrations. “I know that my apology can be seen as something you can see as being pure guilt, but I want to go back. I want to go back to that night and yell at myself for being an idiot. I shouldn’t have rejected you, and I should have done more to get you back but I didn’t. I just can’t stop thinking about you, and I want you, but I know it isn’t right of me to demand such things.”

Your eyes fall away from his face as you try to figure out your own thoughts.

What should you do? What can you do?

You were becoming happy without him, why did you need him now?

“What are you expecting from this?” You whisper staring at him. Shouto’s eyes widen, he wasn’t expecting that question, and eight minutes had been up ages ago. “What do you expect me to do?”

“I don’t expect anything,” Shouto confesses, his eyes looking at the floor. “I apologized for myself, as you said. I’m not expecting you to forgive me or give me a chance at winning you over again. I know I messed up a lot, and if you don’t want me that’s okay.”

You fall silent, your mind roaring as you try to figure out what to do.

What should you do?

“I can forgive you,” you said with a soft sigh. “I can forgive you, but I won’t be your girlfriend, nor will I be romantically involved with you.”

Shouto’s face falls as he takes in your words.

“Y/n--” 

“Let me finish,” you interrupt as you raise your hand. “If you want my name to turn to gold, and if you want my genuine love, you have to work for it. Just because the universe chose you for me, doesn’t mean I agree. Make me agree with the universe. Fight for me, woo me, make me want you in return. I’m willing to love you for the rest of my life, but you need to give me a reason to want you.”

Shouto’s eyes warmed as he nodded, a smile falling on his face as he nodded.

“I can do that.”

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

Bonus!

Your arms wrapped around Shouto’s neck as you grinned.

Your mouth pressed kiss after kiss after kiss on his mouth.

“You’re. An. Idiot.” Shouto laughs between every kiss, his fingers tracing up and down your thighs as he had you lifted up on his waist.

It was a year later, and the mess that had come about for the two of you had finally dissolved. The two of you were in love, and yet those words had yet to be told between the two of you,

You hadn’t said it because you still weren’t sure. Shouto refused to before you because he was scared of how you’d respond.

Your mouth moved fluidly against his as he hummed in appreciation.

“I love you,” He whispers as your lips pressed against his jaw.

You freeze as you feel Shouto still underneath you. You pull away as your heart pounds in your chest. It's silent as neither one of you speak. Eyes lock on each other and your smile grows as you press a kiss against his mouth again.

“I love you, too,” you whisper as he drops you to the floor. His hands cup your face and it brings you elation as his mouth pressed against yours.

Neither one of you sees it at the moment, but as his sleeve falls from his wrist and your wrist is exposed as you clutch his shirt, gold ink stains both your wrists.

True love after the pain is possible, sometimes it takes a bit of personal improvement to get there.

[mrspillow]

Happy Birthday (Sting Eucliffe x Reader)

The day had been normal, in fact so awfully normal that you couldn’t quite understand how that was possible. How the hell could just this one day be so boring and unexciting as you never thought it possibly could be when being part of a guild as Sabertooth?

In fact, it was the only day that you never thought to ever be normal.

Because it was your freaking birthday, the day that was undoubtedly thought to excite you the most.

You thought of it the second you opened your eyes in the morning and you weren’t able to pry that thought off your mind. Now, rest assured, normally you weren’t that excited for something that would happen either way and every year.

But still, this year was so very special for you because it was the first time in forever that you actually got to celebrate it with people whose company you enjoyed more than anything. Sure, there had been your parents and some friends you had during your childhood, but that had been it.

But now, that you finally – after such a long time of working hard on getting better and practicing with everything you got – finally, were a member of the infamous Sabertooth guild, you felt at peace. With Sting as a master, the guild had made nothing but progress and the people you would meet every morning in the guildhall were the people that you loved the most.

As fast as you could without being in a hurry, you got ready, ate something and went straight out the door and closed it behind you to get onto your way to the guild.

It was not a long way to go, but today, it felt even shorter than it was. Near your apartment went a river to downtown which you followed in a modest, but not slow tempo with a skip in your step one or two times. Brushing a blown-over strand of your (h/c) hair out of your face and behind your ear, you let your thoughts drift off.

Did they remember your birthday? You remembered the books you read where the protagonist was always surprised by the party the threw for him. Would they do the same for you? 

A grin appeared your face when you thought about the day of Yukino’s birthday. The moment the white-haired girl had entered the door to the guildhall, everyone had shouted a ‘Happy Birthday!’ at her, swinging confetti through the air and waving happily. Yukino had been so surprised and happy that she was even crying out of happiness.

You pushed yourself out of these daydreams when you neared the entrance that was wide open so that everyone could walk straight in. Taking in a short breath, you stopped for a short amount of time before getting in as well to start your day at Sabertooth.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes went by and nothing happened. 

Not a single person in this room made a move, uttered not even a word to show that they remembered your birthday. Confused, you stood in the middle of the hall, somewhere between hoping that just one of your guildmates would remember and feeling like all of the let you down and not even knew it.

Was it a bit childish of you to expect them to? Maybe.

Did it hurt like hell to know that even the people which you spent the whole day with forgot? Definitely.

Urging yourself to do more than just stand there like an idiot, you did only a few steps to the nearest table, taking a seat next to Sting, who barely nodded, welcoming you. Lector was busy sitting with Frosch and discussing the newest encounter with Charle while the other exceed was busy scratching over a paper with his colorful crayons, working on his masterpiece.

“Sooo… how’s it going?” You asked, taking a look at all of them “Something new?”

Stings eyebrows furrowed in an annoyed and bored manner, staring up at the ceiling as if there was something that would get him out of this.

“Nah”, he answered and moved his arms forward and over the table to stretch “Not a single thing.”

Rogue nodded in agreement while Yukino stayed silent, her dark eyes locked onto the surface of the wooden table with a gaze you could not quite place.

“Nothing”, you repeated shallowly and went silent. This day had started so well that you would have never thought it would turn out like this. 

Like a day so normal that nothing exciting ever happened.

Except for the ache that came from the tiny crack in your heart. Especially these people, the ones you spent most of your time with, laughing, joking and sometimes even crying together. It was like yesterday that you went in here for the first time in your life, stunned by the high ceiling of the building and the many members that swarmed around, taking jobs or a day out. You still know how unsure you were if they would even take you, an unexperienced wizard with only average talent and charisma that clearly needed some polishing.

And in this time, a certain blond took you by the hand, making you feel at home from the first day since. Sting had smiled at you, took that administration sheet out of your hand and pulled you back to the main hall where he had introduced you to all the members the guild had to offer. The White Dragon Slayer had not needed more than a day to get you to like him immediately.

And now the moment had come where you had to admit that none of those feelings of adoration or simple happiness about being with him would possibly be returned.

‘Don’t make such a fuss over something as simple and childish as a birthday, (Y/N).’ you told herself, ignoring the lump in your throat as far as possible. But even still, you felt betrayed. Ever since you were a young child your parents had told you that would someone care about you, they would remember everything that made you you.

All of them had asked for your birthday, more than once, and they seemed so mindful and caring. You had to admit that you had believed in at least some of them to remember the date. Yes, Sting had his moments where he’d forget the things, he wanted to do just seconds before, but in the most serious of times, he had never forgotten something about you.

Sighing, you stood up from the table, ignoring Rogue’s side glance at you and excusing yourself, saying you would take a job. No one offered to go with you, not even polite Yukino but you did not dare to ask one of them if they wanted out of fear the would turn you down.

Pressing your mouth shut to make sure no noise would leave those treacherous lips of yours, you went over to the Request Board, taking a random sheet of paper into your hands and walking straight to the entrance from which you had come just minutes ago.

“(Y/N)!”, a familiar voice shouted from behind you and made you turn around just to look into the sky-blue eyes aimed at you. His smile stretched from cheek to cheek as he waved at you and you waved back, feeling a little bit relieved.

“Promise you won’t do anything reckless, will you?”, he shouted as you left the guildhall to make your way to the carriages and out of town. 

Watching you disappear out of sight, Sting turned around to the group that was still seated at the table and he sighed and slumped back down onto the chair.

“She looked sad that nobody mentioned something”, Yukino threw in and made a guilty face, looking sideways.

“I know”, the blond answered and crossed his arms in front of his shoulders “But she will be even more excited when she sees the surprise when she comes back! I’m sure about that!”

Confidently he grinned at his friends as all of them got to work.

Oh god, it fucking hurt. That was now how it was supposed to go, definitely not.

Bringing your upper body against a nearby tree and leaning your head on the wet bark of the tree, sighing. Everything in your sight was still spinning and you felt like you were going to puke any second now.

When you had taken that job from the Request Board you had not looked onto the type of that request until you were at the carriages to know where you were going. It was a Quest like the ones you had already taken before but always with the help of someone else, most of the time Sting.

You had looked down onto the piece of paper, then shortly back to where the guild was down the road but you could not bring yourself to turn around and ask someone for help just because you weren’t able to take on a few thieves on your own.

From then on, you had been so motivated and self-confident in your powers. You had trained months, years and slowly you were gaining enough experience to do it on your own, like a wizard of Sabertooth.

But hell, had you underestimated those folks. Not only were there more than you had expected when the major of a nearby town had told you about their problem but also had them been equipped with weapons sharp enough to cut you even with only a small graze. And you had nobody to cover your back.

So, basically, it was clear that you would not be able to get out of this unscathed but the pounding in your leg was unbearable still. And frankly, you considered yourself quite lucky that you weren’t hurt that fatally but only with some broken bones and somewhere on the downside of a slope.

At first, it had been nothing more than the usual beating up of those thieves but the longer the fight continued the more tired you got until it was nothing more than a question of time that you were getting hurt.

You did not even notice one of the other thieves sneaking up from behind you until  he was pushing you down from the road and into the woods, rolling down with no way to stop until you crashed legs first against the stone that came nearly out of nowhere.

On the bright side of it, those thieves hadn’t bothered to look for you to take you down for real this time. Sadly though, your right leg seemed to have taken it worse because just turning your leg a bit felt like fire running through your veins.

When you finally sat up to look at your surroundings your eyes caught your bag only a few feet away so you snatched it quickly to look after the communication lacrima which you remembered you put in there.

Feeling the item you pulled it out only to reveal the cracks in the surface with no possibility that you could get it to work again to call someone – anyone.

Sighing, you closed your eyes and you thought crossed your mind. Sting would be so, so angry with you when he found out that you hadn’t asked anyone for help and failed the job. He would probably yell at you for being so stupid and right now you could only agree.

Shuffling a bit over the ground you tried to get both of your legs to at least do something that reminded of walking but as soon as it came to your right leg it failed miserably, leaving you on the ground.

“Great, just great”, you mumbled to yourself as you dusted some dirt from your clothes and stared at the sky, somewhat angry. If it went on like that, there was no other way but for you to wait for some passers-by or the guys from Sabertooth getting suspicious about your lack of return.

Even your surroundings seemed to be abandoned and so far away from the street that you doubted people would find you soon and there weren’t many options except getting help and waiting for help but the latter was perhaps the best idea in your kind of state.

And so, you started shouting occasionally, hoping that by some miracle, someone would find you.

You had been sitting at that stone for hours, shouting until your lungs burned, and your throat hurt but with the dwindling daylight, it became so cold that you just wanted to get away from here, as fast as possible. And so, you went on with shouting.

When the sun touched the horizon and filled the woods with a rainbow of red, orange, and purple you became quiet for a moment just to watch the spectacle until a familiar voice drew your attention.

“(Y/N)!”, someone shouted, voice echoing through the woods but nonetheless so clear that you did not doubt who it possibly could be. “Where are you?”

Taking in a breath and shouted from the top of your lungs you tried everything to not cry from the happiness of being found before you would spend the whole night in the woods, alone.

“I’m here!”, you answered, and steps became louder until the blond hair made your heart skip a beat. Sting came running down the slope, only stopping his running when he stood just in front of you, his chest heaving up and down.

The next thing you knew, the White Dragon Slayer was looking at you with those deep blue eyes but you did not found the expected anger in them. There was nothing but worry and relief that these orbs mirrored.

“I’ve been looking for you for hours!”, he started once he caught his breath, crossing the both of his arms in front of his chest and mustering you with such a serious gaze that you shuddered. His eyes traveled to your leg, clearly seeing how injured it was. He furrowed his brows.

“You promised me you weren’t going to be reckless!” he said, his voice coming out sharper than he had planned, but he couldn’t care less “You promised!”

“Sorry”, you whispered and gulped hard. Fumbling with your fingers you looked at the ground and away from the blond and wishing nothing more than that the ground would swallow you altogether.

Sting sighed and knelt beside you, suddenly feeling a calmness overcoming him and he smiled.

“I’m just happy that you’re okay” his look came back to your leg “Kind off, at least.”

Without even a further word, he scooped you up effortlessly. You squeaked from the sudden lift into the air and your hands clanged to his vest in fear of him letting you fall (not that he would ever do that, but you couldn’t be sure).

“And now”, he stated, “We’re going back to Sabertooth and we will get you a proper birthday party.”

“Wha…?”

“You didn’t really think we would forget, did you?”

Maybe today hadn’t been such a normal day after all but in all the good ways.

[tired-buttercup]

Last Christmas

On AO3

Jaskier stopped the car, and stared at the hundreds of blinking fairy lights that decorated the house in front of him. This year’s cabin was incredibly pretty. Jaskier would be the first to admit that when the booking for the place to celebrate that year’s Christmas fell into Lambert’s hands, he was afraid they would end up in a creepy and deteriorated house, by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Yet, somehow Lambert managed to outdone every one of them. It was their annual tradition, their special time. A Christmas with their chosen family and their friends. It was a time that Jaskier kept close to his heart, and nothing would keep him away from it. Not even Geralt.

With a sigh, Jaskier left the car. He hung his bag on one shoulder and took the tray from the passenger seat. He was on pastries’ duty this year. Closing the door, he headed towards the cabin, but before he could even knock, the door jerked open.

“Fucking finally! You were just being late so you wouldn’t have to help!” Lambert grumbled, taking the tray from his hands. Jaskier knew he didn’t want to help, just to steal some sweets.

“Did it work? I can come later if there’s still something to do”

“Ha, ha,” Lambert said pointedly. “Eskel hasn’t arrived yet, so he beat you at that.”

“No? I thought he would be here already,” Jaskier’s heart skipped a beat.

“Don’t look so disappointed, buttercup, he’s on his way. Got delayed at work,” Lambert said, watching his face carefully, searching something.

Jaskier hummed in acknowledgment, finally taking off his coat. For a moment he felt ridiculous of having thought that Eskel wouldn’t be here. He would have told him yesterday, when they talked.

“Jaskier!” Triss' voice called him from another room, guiding him where she was. Lambert disappeared with the tray of cookies, while Jaskier followed his friend’s voice to the living room. Triss was decorating the Christmas tree, wearing an ugly sweater that somehow she managed to pull off perfectly. Life was unfair.

“Hello dear, you look lovely as always,” he said as he kissed her cheek.

“You don’t look that bad yourself”

“You know that’s a lie, lass,” Vesemir teased, making his presence known. Jaskier just smiled, and went to hug him, kissing his cheek too. He had missed the old man so much this past year. “You know that you don’t have to wait till Christmas to see me, right?”

“Hey, I also saw you on birthdays too” Jaskier joked back, but more seriously he murmured, just for Vesemir to hear “It’s been a rough year”

“I know kiddo, I know”

Jaskier could feel the tears trying to embarrass him, so he hid his face on Vesemir's shoulder, in a valiant effort to control his emotions. This man was the paternal figure he had never had, and even though he met him well in his twenties, the feelings weren't less for it. Vesemir was always there for him: for the advice, for the scolding, and for the laughs. And he was eternally grateful for having been practically adopted by the man.

“Where’s Aiden?” asked Jaskier, clearing his throat and letting Vesemir go.

“Here I am. Wouldn’t mind a little help”

He was carrying more firewood than he should, and Jaskier rushed towards him, taking half of the load and heading towards the fireplace to replenish the stack of logs for when it gets too cold to get outside.

Aiden was one of the last additions to the family, besides Triss. Yet, somehow, Triss has always been there, in the background, till she was invited to celebrate with them a few years ago when she didn’t have where to spend Christmas. After that, it became a kind of tradition for her too.

Aiden, on the other hand, was introduced last year by Lambert, and he got on so well with them that it seemed as if he had always been one of the merry band of misfits. It was a surprise, really, and they couldn’t help to tease Lambert a little bit, how an asshole like him ended up a cool and charming guy like Aiden. Deep down, really deep down, Lambert was a sweetheart too, and Aiden was a lucky one as well.

Jaskier was making the pile of firewood neater, when a well-known gruff voice called his name. Even though he was resigned to meet him there, the pang of anxiety he felt was like fingers closing around his throat. He willed himself to breathe, schooled his face in a neutral smile and turned around to face Geralt. Of course, Yennefer was with him.

“Geralt! Yennefer! It’s good to see you two!” for his surprise, he only had to half fake his enthusiasm. He felt a little spark of happiness at seeing them. At seeing him. He didn’t reach for a hug, though.

“We didn’t know if you’d come,” Yennefer commented offhandedly. Of course they had noticed how much he had been avoiding them. It had been odd, to be honest. He was so used to being around Geralt, that it had been terribly hard at first to keep his distance. Geralt didn’t look for him either, and he came to realize that he was the one who always reached for the other. He didn’t blame him though, he knew it was hard for him to socialize, but it hurt a little bit nonetheless. He felt so stupid, on one hand he was desperate to avoid them, and on the other he wished Geralt had tried harder to reach for him. But he didn’t, and Jaskier had been a mess for many months.

Something broke between them last Christmas, and none of them had been willing to acknowledge it on those times they had no other choice than to meet. But it was hard to ignore it now. The hesitancy in Geralt’s demeanor, and Jaskier avoidance were clear enough. If Eskel hadn’t caught him on that fateful day, if he hadn’t been a solid figure in his life for this last year, Jaskier was sure he wouldn’t have been able to be there that night.

“I’d never miss Christmas”, he smiled.

Vesemir diverted their attention to some other topic Jaskier had no presence of mind to follow, yet he felt grateful for the help. He let his eyes roam on the decoration of the room, before inevitably landing again on the couple. He couldn’t help to remember.

*

Geralt had been in a bad mood, but what else was new? He had quarreled with Yennefer yet again. Jaskier didn’t even know why this time, but Geralt decided to drink every bottle he could find in the house. The rest were sleeping, and Jaskier self-appointed himself to be the one in charge of keeping Geralt from drowning in his own vomit.

He had been a fool. Geralt was on the way of being too drunk to even put two thoughts together, but still he tried to speak with him. Deep inside, Jaskier knew that it was just a matter of time before whatever was happening between Yennefer and Geralt turned into a heartbreak for him. He just knew, but he had to try. He had too. So he spoke about longing and about happiness. He invited him to get away, maybe to the coast, wishing with all his heart Geralt understood what he was trying to convey. Even though he had plucked up a lot of courage to talk to him, he still wasn’t brave enough to hand him his heart so overtly. He had hoped for the best, yet Geralt brushed it off, and started to snore in no time. It hurt, it really did, but somehow Jaskier was relieved that he wasn’t rejected directly or harshly, that their friendship was safe.

“Well, that could have been a lot worse,” he said to the air and took a moment to calm his heart. Counting his breath, in and out, he tried to put himself back together. When he felt as ready as he could be, he pushed Geralt lightly, waking him up. “Alright sleepy head, time to go to bed.”

“Jaskier?”

“No, it’s Santa. Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Jaskier said, pulling Geralt’s hand in an attempt to help him get up, but the man was dead weight. “I wouldn’t mind a little help here,” he encouraged, yet instead of sitting up, Geralt pulled him down so abruptly that Jaskier fell heavily on him.

“I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” Jaskier cried, trying to get up and assess the damage, but Geralt just held him tighter, without letting him move an inch. His breath caught in his lungs, and he could almost feel the shift in the ambiance. He put a little distance between them – the little distance he was allowed to –, searching into Geralt’s eyes.

Jaskier was so aware of the arm around his waist, of Geralt’s chest underneath his palms, and of the warmth of the body he was lying on, that he couldn’t really process what was happening, and before his brain could even catch up, Geralt was kissing him.

For a moment, it was all emptiness and confusion, and then his heart was soaring. Geralt had understood what he was trying to say, and he was kissing him. Jaskier felt as if he could laugh maniacally of happiness. He couldn’t really believe it, but it was happening. It was really happening.

They kissed, and kissed, and then a little more. Jaskier felt as if he was in a dream, and couldn’t help to giggle in between kisses. This was the best Christmas present he could have ever hoped for. He lost track of the time, and before he was aware of it, they drifted to sleep.

*

Jaskier woke up when somebody threw a pillow at his face.

“Come on, sleeping beauty. Get ready, we are going to get breakfast”

He blinked slowly, trying to chase the sleepiness and the confusion away. It took some effort to recognize where he was, and immediately he spotted what was missing.

“Where is Geralt?” He felt a little bit disappointed in waking up alone.

“Upstairs, I think. Hurry up!”

“Alright, alright”

Jaskier yawned his way upstairs, still half asleep but feeling giddy inside. The excitement from the previous night was still running through his veins, making his steps look like a little dance. He was so happy he could hardly believe it. Happy and greedy, because there was no way he’d miss a good morning kiss. With that idea in mind, he peeked into Geralt’s room ready to singsong a good morning, but the words got stuck in his throat.

Yennefer and Geralt were there. Kissing. Pressed against each other as if they wanted to fuse.

He could swear he felt his heart stop and break. He wished to feel confusion, he wished to feel betrayal, but the only thing he was feeling was resignation. He knew it was too good to be true, but he had wanted so hard to believe that Geralt would want him in that way. But reality punched him on the face.

The couple made a noise, and that cued Jaskier to escape before he was caught being his pathetic self. He turned to go, but before he could do so, he found Eskel, watching him. When their eyes met, Jaskier was sure Eskel knew exactly what he saw, what was happening just in front of him. The understanding he found in his expression made his eyes start to sting, and when steps echoed from the stairs he could only stare at him in panic, wishing that Eskel could make him disappear.

*

After that horrible day, Jaskier avoided Geralt and Yennefer whenever he could. Sometimes it was hard, since their lives and friends were completely intertwined. But Eskel’s constant company and help was a pillar for him. They had always been good friends, but after what they shared that day, they had become incredibly close.

At first, Eskel was there because of his heartbreak, the mountain of a man too soft for his own good, but as Jaskier became better at handling it they somehow stuck together, too used now to each other’s company. He would sometimes drop at Eskel’s house to help him to mow the lawn, or Eskel would pick him up after work to have dinner in that new place they wanted to try, or just sit on the sofa and watch some awful random movie while eating pizza. The worse the movie was, the better.

With time and Eskel’s constant presence, he got better. He was better. It still hurt a little to see them together, he had spent so many years loving Geralt that he somehow had to learn how to deal with this new reality. He was doing well. Even now, watching them being so domestic made him smile a little bit. He was fine, and he was going to get better.

After a while, when everyone started to play Gwent, he moved to sit by the window, staring outside feeling a little anxious. It had started to snow lightly, but the weather forecast predicted heavy snowfalls for the rest of the night. Soon, it wouldn’t be safe to drive anymore, and Eskel hadn’t arrived yet. He’d call him, but he didn’t want to add a distraction.

Another thing that changed along the year were his feelings for Eskel. His lovely and kind Eskel. At first, he thought it was just because he felt grateful, but as the months went by, he had to admit to himself that it wasn’t the case. He had fallen in love with Eskel. His kindness and thoughtfulness planted a seed in Jaskier’s heart, and as time went by, and he got to know him better, it started to bloom. He couldn’t stop it, and not because he didn’t tried. He tried so hard at first. What if he just was replacing Geralt? What if he just was using him? What if he just was like an odd duckling following the first person to show him that kind of care? But time proved that he was selling himself short. He wasn’t using Eskel, he wasn’t confused. He was falling in love with Eskel, just as he was falling out of love with Geralt. And he didn’t know what to do with it. He was enjoying having those soft feelings, and how his heart started to run wild every time he even grazed Eskel’s hand, but at the same time, he was afraid. Geralt’s shadow still too present in his mind, making him feel like a coward, but he wouldn’t make the same mistake. He was just his friend and Eskel didn’t want him.

“You look like a kicked puppy,” teased Lambert, materializing besides him. It always annoyed him that such big guys could move so silently.

“Oh, shut up”

“He’s on his way, stop behaving like a lovesick fool”

“I’m not lovesick!” Jaskier complained feeling his cheek heat up with an annoying telltale blush. Was he that evident that even Lambert could catch up with his feelings? Did everyone know? He was starting to panic inside when Lambert’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

When Jaskier's eyes met Lambert’s, he could find just warmth in them. Yet, as always, it was ruined when the little shit opened his mouth again.

“Sure not, buttercup. Don’t tell Geralt, but Eskel has always been my favorite too”

“Lambert! Shut up!” Jaskier murmured in between clenched teeth. He didn’t mind Lambert’s knowing, but that didn’t mean that he wanted the whole house to know.

“Ok, ok, I’ll shut up, buttercup. I just wanted to let you know that I’m happy you are here tonight, I missed you this year… we all did.” Lambert’s words were so sincere, that Jaskier felt touched by them. He was about to reply, when his friend talked again. “But more important, I’m happy that you are better and moving on after that fine ass”

Jaskier just threw a pillow at him.

***

Eskel wasn’t driving as fast as he’d have liked. The weather was getting worse and worse, and he didn’t want to take chances. And perhaps, he also might be delaying his arrival, feeling a little bit anxious and suffering a tinsy-bit of a cold feet situation. He had made a decision, but after things kept going wrong all day, he started to have second thoughts.

Everything seemed against him. At work, two people called sick, and he had to take over their duties. Of course, he had to redo all the work of one of his colleagues, since the file got corrupted. Then, his boss asked him to stay a few over hours to help him finish their job before they closed for the holidays. He couldn’t say no. His boss was a good man who wished he was with his family as much as Eskel did, so the two of them stayed behind to finish the job. Then, when his truck refused to start, he was ready to smash something into pieces, his frustration raging in his blood. Yet, he managed to calm himself. At the end, his boss – blessed the man– lent him his car. It was a little uncomfortable for somebody of his size, but he felt ridiculously grateful for it.

And here he finally was, on his way to the cabin, more than five hours later than he planned. He had wanted to be one of the first to arrive, being prepared always calmed his nerves when he felt anxious. Not that he normally was, but with what he had planned for the day, feeling all that anxiousness was nothing. Last year’s Eskel would be amazed if he knew how things would end up being after that day.

*

“Shit,” Eskel murmured when Jaskier’s watery eyes filled with the panic of being discovered. Without even thinking, he took a few big strides, and pulled Jaskier behind him just in time for Lambert to appear.

“Let’s go, losers!” He called. Geralt and Yennefer left the room, hand in hand, and Eskel could feel Jaskier’s grip on his clothes get tighter.

“You just go, we’ll catch up later”

“You sure?” Asked Lambert, searching into Eskel’s eyes, aware that something was amiss.

“Yes” Eskel knew he would ask later, but for now, Lambert let them escape with that. Geralt and Yennefer seemed to be too invested in their world to notice anything outside their bubble.

The three went downstairs, but only when he was sure everyone was outside and the door closed behind them, Eskel turned around.

“Jaskier…,” he called, putting his hands on Jaskier’s shoulders, trying hard think in a way to soothe him. He knew how Jaskier felt about Geralt, everyone knew it. Everyone except Geralt, it seemed… that, or if he knew his friend as well as he did, he knew but he chose not to do a thing about it. Not letting Jaskier know he was interested too, nor the other way around, whatever he chose to do. Somehow he felt it was a little bit unfair for Jaskier, but he was no one to dictate how Geralt should behave.

Being honest with himself, he pitied Jaskier a bit. He was so in love with Geralt that sometimes it hurt to see their interactions. And when Yennefer appeared, he knew she’d be bad news for Jaskier. He wished he had been wrong, but here they were.

“I’m fine,” Jaskier said, without trying to explain himself to Eskel, he clearly knew what it was all about. “I’m fine”.

“No, you are not,” Eskel said softly. He could see the tears unshed, he could feel him trembling slightly under his hands, and he wouldn’t let him lie to him; not when he always pushed his feelings aside just for Geralt’s sake.

Just with that, just with Eskel’s concern, Jaskier broke. Big heavy tears started to flow, and Jaskier started to cry, his body shaking with the force of his sobs. Eskel just hugged him, not knowing what to say to make it better, not needing any explanation to know what was wrong. He knew, somehow he had always known everything would end up like this. He never thought he’d be the one to catch Jaskier when it happened, but he was glad he was there. Even though he couldn’t find anything to say, even though he felt his own heart ache with each raw sob, he was glad he was there for his friend.

Eskel hugged him tighter, rubbing small soothing circles in Jaskier’s back.

Jaskier just clung to him, crying his heartbreak out.

*

After that day, they became inseparable. They had always been good friends, but now it seemed they were joined by an invisible thread.

Eskel had tried not to leave him alone. Jaskier was a social butterfly, but in reality he didn’t have many close friends. He spent most of his time with Geralt, and when he started to avoid him, he was bound to get lonely. Jaskier’s family was out of the picture too, so he was alone most of the time. And being honest with himself, after what happened with Geralt, he was worried about him, so he tried to be there.

It had taken Geralt a few months to even notice the change in Jaskier behavior, and Eskel knew who was the one who put all the effort in making that friendship last that long. Jaskier had been avoiding Geralt, and Geralt didn’t seem to notice that absence in his life. The longer he spent with Jaskier, the more incredulous about it he felt.

Days became exciting for Eskel. Even though he tried to be the one helping the other, Jaskier’s constant presence improved his life in ways he couldn’t have ever fathom. Just having a laugh over silly things, shopping together, or even cooking dinner became a pleasant task instead of a duty. He started to enjoy the day to day in ways he thought it wasn’t possible in his usually boring –but still pleasant– life.

Those first months he couldn’t say that he had been in love with Jaskier, not really. Sure, he loved his friend, but he wasn’t in love with him. That changed rather suddenly. One minute they were both washing the dishes, chatting about nothing, and when Eskel looked up and saw Jaskier’s small smile he had his proverbial ‘Oh’ moment. Yet he couldn’t do anything about it, it wouldn’t have been right. He was trying to help Jaskier put his broken heart back together, not to take advantage of his vulnerable situation. So he waited and pined from afar.

As weeks went by and Jaskier was back to being his old self, Eskel started to long for him more than ever. Could he take a leap of faith? Sometimes he felt that Jaskier was interested in him too, but he didn’t want to be presumptuous in assuming it. After pondering about his course of action, he finally decided he’d take a chance. Jaskier was worth it. So he planned to do it that Christmas, he thought it’d be a romantic gesture, to soothe a bad memory with a – hopefully– good one.

However, nothing that day was going according to plans, and Eskel was having second thoughts. He was a fool, he couldn’t do that to Jaskier on the anniversary of a painful day for him. He wanted Jaskier in his life, as more than a friend, he couldn’t make him feel bad.

It was so difficult. He didn’t know how to confess his feelings without making Jaskier feel bad for rejecting him, or worse, making Jaskier feel that he had to say yes to him in order not to hurt his feelings.

He sighed. He was so sure in the morning, and now he was so full of doubts… maybe he’ll just stop thinking about it, and start wishing for the best or for a Christmas miracle. Maybe he had to just act normally and see where the night went.

Eskel parked in front of the cabin, and seeing Jaskier with his face pressed in the window, waving and smiling at him made him relax little by little.

**

Eskel was putting things away in his room when he heard a knock at the door.

“Come in”

It was Geralt. He seemed a little tense, fidgeting uncomfortably without saying anything. On any other night, Eskel would patiently wait for his friend to say what he wanted to say, but that night he wasn’t feeling particularly patient, especially towards Geralt.

“Geralt, what do you need to tell me?”

“Last year… I’m aware that… that you know what happened… I know you were with him throughout the year… I should say thank you, I guess,” Geralt sounded so unsure that Eskel felt a bit sorry for him. He loved his friend, but if they were going to finally talk about it, ha had to be sincere.

“You don’t really have to. I didn’t do it for you”

“I know. I regret what happened… I was a mess… I wasn’t sure… Yennefer was…is so volatile, and Jaskier ‘s … Jaskier”

“I know,” he truly did, he was not blind. He saw how Geralt used to watch Jaskier sometimes, till he met Yennefer. But that didn’t seem to mean anything for him. Somehow Jaskier was never enough for Geralt, and Yennefer was always too much. It wasn’t fair for Jaskier to be discarded every time she was around. “But you shouldn’t have given him hope, though” it felt good to finally say that, his voice betraying the anger and disappointment he felt. He loved his friend, but he was a fucking idiot sometimes.

“I shouldn’t have. But I made a choice”

“You did. And I made mine. I hope that doesn’t change things between us,” Eskel said. They knew each other well enough that he was confident that Geralt would understand. He waited, staring seriously at him.

“It won’t. Go for it”

**

“Where’s Eskel?” Jaskier asked. They had already had dinner, and everyone were in small groups, chatting so noisily that nobody hearing them would have guessed they were so few in the room.

“I think he said he was going to the car,” Aiden said.

“Is he still there?”

“It seems so”

Jaskier frowned, confused, it had been a few long minutes since Eskel went outside. He should have been back by then.

Making a quick decision, he went to grab a coat to chase after his friend. Normally, he’d have stolen it from Lambert, his leather jacket was amazing, but when he saw Eskel’s coat he couldn’t help himself and put it on, enjoying being surrounded by Eskel’s pleasant smell. Jaskier wasn’t a small man, but his stomach did a weird flip when the sleeves engulfed his hands, and he noticed that the shoulders of the coat were too big for him. He was sure he looked ridiculous, but he loved it.

He opened the door and the slap of the cold air almost made him regret the idea, but he kept going. He really wanted to spend Christmas with Eskel. Jaskier walked a few steps, and even though the first freezing impression, it wasn’t that bad outside. There was no wind, and the snow was falling so ethereally it seemed as if it was dancing its way down to the ground. And in the middle of the peaceful white scene, Eskel was resting against the car, staring into the night.

“If you are looking for Santa, I’m afraid to tell you that you missed him, he already left the gifts underneath the Christmas tree”

“Maybe not all the gifts I want fit underneath the tree”

“I knew you were a greedy bastard!”

Eskel smiled softly, but his eyes were oddly intense when they fixed on him.

“What are you doing here?” Jaskier asked when he was finally standing in front of Eskel. He was curious, but he was also trying to distract himself from the way Eskel’s was looking at him. It made him feel a little bit nervous and giddy at the same time.

“I needed a moment to think.”

“Am I bothering you? I can go inside…”

“No, you’d never bother me,” his voice, soft and lower than normally, made Jaskier weak.

“You scared me for a moment. I thought you wouldn’t be able to come. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without you,” Jaskier confessed, feeling the need to make Eskel aware of how important he was for him.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. For me, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without you too”

For a moment Jaskier didn’t know what to say, so he cleared his throat and blurted out the first thing he could think of.

“Aren’t you cold? I’m sure your hands are freezing,” he said, taking one of Eskel’s hands into his, in an attempt to warm them, but before he could fully start rambling, Eskel interrupted him.

“Are you wearing my coat?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, it was the first one I found,” Jaskier lied, feeling sheepish.

“It suits you. You should use more of my clothes,” he said, with a smug smile.

Jaskier froze on the spot, and his heart started to beat wildly, nervous and hopeful at the same time. What was Eskel trying to say?

“I’d like that,” he said, breathlessly.

Instead of replying, Eskel pulled him from the coat. Jaskier went with the movement, his legs shaky and clumsy, till he was almost pressed against Eskel’s chest.

“Eskel?”

“Jaskier, I really hope I’m not reading this wrong… if I am, please, tell me now before I–“

Jaskier interrupted his struggle with a quick kiss, only managing to get a hint of the softness of his lips. He couldn’t help it. Eskel was nervous, and he was too sweet, and Jaskier’s heart was beating hard in his chest. Could it be? It had to be, right? He couldn’t have interpreted things wrong. Suddenly he didn’t feel so sure, and panic started to constrict his lungs.

“You aren’t? Am I reading it wrong? If I did, I’m so so–”

This time it was Eskel’s turn to interrupt him. His lips, soft but sure, muffled Jaskier’s squeak of surprise, and his arms hugged him tightly against him. Jaskier’s hands came to rest on his chest, as Eskel licked his lower lip, asking for permission to deepen it. Jaskier just moaned and willingly opened his mouth, caressing Eskel’s tongue with his. That was enough permission for Eskel to kiss him as thoroughly as he needed to.

The surrounding cold seemed to disappear, and even the falling snow didn’t seem to be able to touch them. Their world was reduced to each other’s arms, to each other’s lips, and the sensations that threatened to drown them. They kissed softly and deeply, savoring the moment they had desired for what it felt like ages, and none of them thought it would be really possible. But it was, and it was everything they could have hoped for and more.

Eskel broke the kiss, resting his forehead against Jaskier’s, and taking a moment to bask in the sensations that flooded his heart. He’d never thought he could achieve this kind of happiness, yet, here he was.

“You didn’t read it wrong. I love you,” he murmured, his voice hoarse and low, and his eyes fixed on the face of his love. Jaskier beamed at him, taking his breath away with his next words.

“I love you too.”

*************

I hope you liked. It’s been years since the last time I wrote anything, but I really wanted to write this silly thing down. I know it’s clumsy, but it made me really happy to write it.

Happy Holidays everyone!

[chincilla-on-the-moon]

Birthday Wishes-Connor Murphy X Reader

Word Count: 1,962

A/N: Hey everyone! It was my birthday a while ago so thats where i got this inspiration for this lol. I just want to say I am in no way trying to take attention away from the Black Lives Matter movement I just thought this would be a nice way for people to take a break and unwind with everything going on in the world right now, but there’s a post on my blog with a link that has information on how you can help so please visit it! Thanks you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day! :)

You and Connor Murphy had celebrated many birthdays together since your parents were best friends in high school and you and Connor were also best friends. You had been at each other's birthday parties since you were born. You had always given one another thoughtful gifts and wonderful cards with handwritten messages full of love. You would never tell Connor but, you kept all the cards he gave you in a box in the back of your closet. 

But this year was different as it was your first birthday when you and Connor were dating. He hadn’t said anything about it so you just assumed that it was going to be a low-key night as usual where the two of you just hung out and watched movies at someones house or something like that, what you didn’t know was that Connor was planning a romantic night for the two of you. Before you even started dating you always talked about wanting to go stargazing with your significant other when they finally came along, so he figured why not do it for your birthday. A couple of days before your birthday when you were busy staying after for some kind of club he went to the store and got fairy lights to hang on the back of his beat up truck and a bunch of your favorite snacks. That night he also made a playlist full of all your favorite songs and found the extra mattress his parents kept in the attic to put in the bed of his truck. As the day got closer and closer he took almost every single blanket and pillow from the Murphy household to make the perfect stargazing fort. 

Then the day finally arrived, you were on the phone when the clock struck midnight so he could be the first person to wish you a happy birthday, a few minutes after you hung up and went to bed as you were tired and wanted to be well rested because unfortunately you had to go to school, but luckily it was Friday. After you went to sleep Connor wrote you a long birthday message for you to read once you woke up and then went to sleep himself. Connor got up extra early in order to get you your favorite drink from the local coffee shop before he picked you up, you were over the moon and thought that this would be the extent of the birthday celebration, but boy were you wrong. While you were walking in the halls a few people wished you a happy birthday and you  said thank you quietly while blushing. 

For lunch Connor took you off campus to your favorite fast food restaurant and gave you the first of many presents, this one was a stuffed animal from Build-A-Bear Workshop which he drenched in his cologne which you loved so much. He told you to press the paw and when you did a recording of Connor saying “I love you Y/N” played and you just about died. Connor swears he saw you start to cry but you fiercely denied it. Much to both your dismays your lunch period was almost over and you had to head back to school. The rest of the day went by fairly fast and you got a few more birthday wishes from your peers and even some teachers. At the end of the day Connor dropped you off home so you could have dinner and celebrate with your family. You wanted him to stay for the festivities but he insisted Cynthia needed him home, but he would see you later. 

Your family celebration finished at about 6:45 and Connor came and picked you up at 7:15. You went over to the Murphy residence, when you arrived Cynthia, Larry and Zoe were all sitting at the dinner table talking, they stopped their conversation and wished you a happy birthday. You said thank you while blushing madly, you then practically ran up to Connor’s room to get away from all the attention. Once you got into Connor’s room you plopped down on his bed and threw your arm over your eyes. You heard Connor shuffling around the room but then he stopped suddenly, you removed your arm from your eyes and saw Connor standing at the foot of his bed with a picture frame full of pictures of the two of you. “Oh my gosh Con,” you say while getting up and going over to him. “I love it, so much.” You gave him a gigantic hug and he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head. The two of you stood like that for a moment, just enjoying one another’s presence. After you broke apart you took the frame into your hands and looked at all the pictures, there were some form when the two of you first met in middle school, then some from various dances which you dragged Connor to throughout the years, some from dates, and then some candid ones your friends snuck of you when everyone was hanging out together. Those were your favorites cause you could see how much you and Connor adored each other. After staring at the pictures for a few minutes you and Connor decided to just cuddle, what you didn’t know was that he was just waiting for it to get a bit darker before he took you out for the night's final activity. 

You were just about to fall asleep to the sound of Connor’s heartbeat when he pressed a kiss in your head and softly said, “Hey sleepyhead, time to get up.”

“Huh?” you said sitting up, head fogged with fatigue.

“Get up. We’re going somewhere,” he gently cooed. 

“Where are we going?” you asked, very confused. You figured the two of you were just going to spend the rest of the night cuddling or something like that.

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and find out,” he said booping your nose while getting out of bed. “Come on you slowpoke,” he said already halfway out his bedroom door. You had finally woken up all the way and were following Connor out the door. By the time you made it down stairs he was already waiting at the door with his shoes on. You hurried to put your shoes on because you didn’t want to keep him waiting any longer than you already had, because of this you lost your balance. “Woah slow down babe!”, Connor said while grabbing your arm to make sure you didn’t fall. 

“Sorry I just didn’t want to keep you waiting,” you said, cheeks turning bright red while you finished putting in your second shoe. 

“You ready to go, Lovely?” he asked, holding out his hand for you to grab. 

“Yes,” you said, happily accepting his hand. 

Once you got out to his truck he opened your door and you thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. Once you both got settled in Connor handed you the AUX cord and you put on the playlist the two of you made together for car rides, it was filled with your guys favorite songs and songs that reminded one of you of the other person. There wasn’t much talking during the ride as you were trying to figure out where the heck Connor was taking you but the two of you did hold hands over the center console and he was rubbing small circles on the back of your hand with his thumb. After about 15 minutes of driving you finally arrived at your destination, the old abandoned orchard on the edge of town.  

You were very confused as to why Connor took you here. “What are we doing here Murphy?”

“Well you always mentioned how you wanted to go stargazing with your special someone, so I figured I would do it for you on your birthday, I just hope I'm special enough for ya,” he says looking down and blushing when he says that last part. He points to the back of the truck that's all decked out with blankets, pillows and even fairy lights, still not meeting your eyes.

“Connor, honey, look at me,” you say, grabbing his hands in yours to make him look at you. At some point you started to tear up because you're amazed he remembered when you said you wanted to go stargazing and amazed that he cared this much about you to set this all up. “I love this very much just like I love you very much. You are more than special to me Connor Murphy.” Once you were done talking you gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose and then hugged him. He rested his head on top of yours and the two of you just stood there for a little while.

Once you finally pulled apart you went and hopped into the back of his truck and snuggled into all of the blankets. Connor pulled his phone out and took a photo of you, “Oh yeah this is definitely my new lockscreen,” he said with a smirk. 

“Hey you asshole! It's still my birthday you can't be mean to me!” You said with a pout like a small child. 

“Its cute i swear babe,” he said, still with that stupid smirk on his face. 

“Come get in here with me you dummy,” you said reaching out for him with your hands. 

“Give me two seconds you big baby,” he said while over dramatically rolling his eyes and scoffing. He went into the front of his truck and plugged his phone into the aux and started playing the playlist he made for the night and getting your final gift of the night.

 After what seemed like an eternity Connor came and settled into the truck with you. You laid your head on top of his chest and tangled his legs with yours, two of you just stayed like that for a while and enjoyed the stars along with each other's presence. After a while the two of you sat up and started eating the snacks Connor brought and were just talking. He eventually said “I actually have one more present for you.” He dug around in his pocket for a minute before pulling out a small jewelry box. He handed it over to you and when you opened it up there was a small heart shaped necklace with his initials engraved onto it. “It's a locket so open it, there's something inside,” he said watching your face intently while you looked at the necklace. WIth some struggle you opened the necklace and inside was your favorite picture of Connor and another engraving that said “My love forever and always” and your anniversary date. You fully started to bawl now because this was the best gift someone could ever get you. 

“Hey, hey, hey what's wrong lovely?” he asked voice full of genuine concern and internally freaking out because he thought he did something wrong. 

“Nothing, it's just… this night is so perfect no ones ever done anything like this for me ever. And I love this necklace so much Con,” you said while wiping at your face. 

“Come here baby,” Connor said, opening his arms for you to go in between them. You just cried for a little bit because you felt so loved and whispered thank yous into Connors chest. 

Once you calmed down  Connor helped you put your locket on and once he finished you settled into his chest and  looked back up at the sky and saw a shooting star. “Hey look,” Connor gently whispered, “Make a wish”. You didn’t make a wish though because you already had everything you needed right there

[goth-girlfriend]

Endeavor’s Intern

(3/?)

Request: Quotev

Pairing: Enji Todoroki/Endeavor x Reader

Type: fluff,

Warnings: Reader is a student, even though that was clarified in the beginning.

(If there is any misspelling or improper grammar I apologize in advance.)

💙❤️🖤💙❤️💙🖤❤️💙💙❤️🖤💙❤️💙🖤❤️💙

“Nani!?” A mans voice screamed.

I tilted my head watching whatever drama Todoroki played on the secretaries computer.

She called in sick so we’ve both been manning the desk. So on my third day, I’m doing exactly what I threw a tantrum about not wanting to do.

“Wait wait wait,” I paused the show, “So, his wife is pregnant?”

“Yes?” Todoroki answered.

“But He had a vasectomy four months ago.” I pointed out.

He looked at me, a blank expression, I looked back and his eyes widened slightly. “What a scandalous woman you are Sakura Tsukino.” He looked at the screen and went to push play.

I smiled and shook my head, I leaned my head into his shoulder and went back to watching.

“Who do you think she cheated with?” He asked as her husband sat down and hurried his face in his hands.

“Hinata, that guy from her work space.” I mumbled staring as she broke into tears after her husband told her about what he had done.

“That’s messed up, he was all, not good looking.” Shoto mumbled and sighed.

‘HOW COUKD YOU DO THIS TOME?!’ She screamed.

‘DO WHAT?! YOURE THE ONE WHO CHEATED ON ME! YOU SLEPT WITH ANOTHER MAN! AND YOU WERE GOING TO PLAY IT OFF AS MINE?! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!’

Her husband was standing and screaming back at her. I bit my lip becoming more interested.

“Divorce.” I said, as he pulled his ring off placing in on the table.

‘I should’ve never given you my heart, everyone told me you’d only turn out like, like this. I denied it I trusted you and believed you changed.’

He backed up to the door, ‘I was wrong.’

He left, the camera moved to her sitting on the sofa. Her elbows on her knees, she looked down, eyes dripping tears, body shaking.

The screen went black and asked to start the next episode.

“Oof.” Was all I said as Todoroki clicked next.

“W-” i was cut off by the phone ringing.

“Hello, Endeavor Hero Agencies how may I help you?” I asked.

Todoroki just eyed me and paused the show.

“Hello yes? This is I’m calling to talk to Enji Todoroki. I was given this number to get into contact with him.” It was a WOMAN.

“Oh, of course. Please hold, I’ll see if his line is busy.” I lied.

“Of course, thank you.” I put her on hold then mute and sighed sitting back.

“Being a Secretary is so hard.” I stretched in my chair.

“Yeah.” Todoroki said stretched.

“Let’s get something to drink, also someone has to tell your dad he has a call.” I yawned and stretched up.

“You do it.” Was all Todoroki argues back.

“Alright.” I didn’t even argue back.

I knew his office was free, the only people who showed up for a meeting had left already. So I walked into his office, he quirked his brow at me and then looked back down at his paper work. I walked over to his desk and looked at his phone. A red light was blinking, the lady was still on hold. Okay, this is great I walked around his desk and squeezed my way onto his lap. I smield up at him and he looked down at me. He hand little Endeavor and Todoroki sitting infront of his monitor blocked form public sight by a stapler.

“You have a lady on hold. She didn’t tell me what she’s calling for just that she’s trying to get in contact with you.” I sighed and leaned against his right shoulder.

“Did you get her name?” He asked.

“No, she just asked for ‘Enji Todoroki’ because she told she could get into contact with him.”

“Then Get her name and figure out what she wants. I can’t waste time on useless things.” He argues and rolled his chair closer to his seat.

My stomach and hips pressed against the edge of his desk as he got back to work. This man made a great booster seat not going to lie. I sighed and picked up his phone, taking it off of hold.

“Hello, are you still there ma’am?” I asked and leaned onto the desk.

Fingertips ghosted my right hip.

“Yes, I’m still here.

“Alright, I’m calling to ask for your name and purpose of call. Endeavor is a bit busy but is able to call you back in thirty to fourth minutes if you can leave a name, number and purrpose of call.” I lied to her easy.

“Oh well, I’m Inosu Nara, I’m calling because we met almost a month ago. He gave me this number to get into contact with him.” She answered.

“Alright, well thank you Ms.Nara, I’ll tell him what you’ve told me and you should get a call back from this number in about thirty minutes. Can I get your number?”

“Yes it’s xxx-xxx-xxxx”

Alright that should be everything I need.”

“Thank you.”

“No thank you for being patient and calling Endeavor Hero agencies.”

I ended the called and wrote down the number, Inosu Nara

“Inosu Nara.” I picked up the sticky note, “She says you meet a month ago and you gave her this number to call you.”

He tended a bit and his face turned into a scowl. Wait half an hour and then Call her back, tell her the position I was offering has already been filled.” His left has copied his right and grabbed my other hip.

“So....Why does Shoto watch romantic Dramas?” I asked and started to click away on Endeavors computers.

“What?” He asked.

“Watch this, it’s just three minutes it’ll summarize what he’s watching.” I said and pushed play.

He sat and watched, and cringed, he paused it halfway. “That’s Enough.”

“Yeah.” was all I said and moved to sit on his right thigh, my left side and shoulder to his chest.

“Have you ever been to Universal?” I asked and tilted my head.

“Once, I took all of my children for two days to film a commercial.” His answer was boring.

“Did you go on any of the rides?” I asked wanting to know if he liked it.

“No, I didn’t have time to do anything. I was being filmed and meeting fans.” He didn’t seem amused.

“Oh, well that’s boring.” I slouched and sighed.

We sat in silence, I was looking on my

Phone and just casually chilling. Endeavor was watching me, I could feel his stare. It was very intense but not in a scary way, more of a concentrated way.

I opened snap chat and smiled, “Take more puctures with me.”

His brows dropped, he didn’t seem interested at all. I ignored it and leaned into his chest and opens the filters. He didn’t smile exactly but he wasn’t wearing a serious expression either.

He looked cute with a flower crown. After about five minutes of me smiling and taking pictures and Endeavor slid his hand around my waist and pulled me against him. I didn’t know what to do, I just moved the side slightly and looked up at him.

His chin wa son my shoulder, the stubble of his beard rubbing on my neck. It hurt a bit, but it felt nice.

“No more.” He tried to push my phone down.

“Just one more.” I raised, “But you have to smile.”

I got the filter onto both of our faces, he had a forced looking smile, I’d take it, I had a plan anyways. I held down the button and moved to kiss right on and under his jaw bone. I felt his hands grip my hips harsh and he tended.

I smield agaisnt the skin I had just violated as he cleared his throat.

“What are you doing?” He asked and moved back to look at me.

“Spreading love.” I moved my phone and got us both into frame again, “Now really smile this time.”

I took his left hand in mine and a very faint smile came to his lips.

After that I saved the video once to snap and twice to my camera roll. Then I recorded another video, it was of mini Endeavor and Todoroki, and then I panned to him and he seemed unamused during me recording random moments. I even recorded him letting out a short chuckle as I told him a story of the first time a cat meowed at Todoroki and he panicked. It was such a beguiling sound.

I even caught the small smile he had and the joy in his eyes when I told him Todoroki actually remembered his birthday, and sent a message from a random number so he wouldn’t be caught. He smiled at the thought, a look of regret in his eyes, there was a sincerity.

“Well, I’m pretty sure it’s lunch time.” I said standing up.

“Can we go eat?” I asked looking at my phone for the time.

“Take the lunch orders for the floor, than you and Shoto can go.” I admired the way he leaned back into his chair, legs spread, arms resting on the arms rest and head falling to the side slightly.

“Yes sir.” I smiled and went to get a notepad and Shoto.

Lunch passed, time passed, Shoto and I watched more drama as we waiting for our patrol shift, we’d be on different sides of the city but that’s fine I guess. I mean we’re literally spending all day together just watching tv and eating.

I cut my noodles with my chopstick and swallowed quickly.

“I forgot to call that lady back!” I panicked, “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Finally our turn for Paroels came, Shoto left, then a few others, familiar faces poured into the building taking a brief break from patrolling all day. I was waiting for Endeavor for my patrol to start. Finally he came down, I smiled at him and we took off. I had my cloak on and wings out. Everything was normal, it felt like just a walk. I mean, we stopped a break in at the most. Poor guy didn’t see it coming, he ribs definitely felt it before he knew what was coming. We carried on and ran into Hawks and Tokoyami. He didn’t leave, so our duo turned into a squad. We kept patrolling, nothing really happening, Hawks said something about it being to quiet lately around the city. Endeavor agreed, that was until we sat on a roof top, well, I stood on the edge, Endeavor was siting at a bench table, Hawks was walking on the edge and Tokoyami was leaning against the stair exit wall.

“We should become a squad.” Hawks said as he stopped to my right.

I looked at him, “what?”

“Imagine how cool we’d be, we could call ourselves the fire birds.” He took my hands and spun us both, to get read Incase I fell i spread my wings out quickly, the sound of fluttering and wind being pushed out from behind me was all I heard as I looked at Hawks.

“Get it? Because Endeavor is fire, I’m Hawks” he spread his wings, “Tokoyami has a bird in his belly, and you also have bird wings, I feel like your hiding more from what we know but I won’t push it yet.” He was still holding my hands in his.

“Well, it’s an interesting name. But I don’t think it’d work out.” I shrugged.

He pouted, “Why not?”

I shrugged, “Well, I don’t know actually l, we don’t always have the same patrol hours.” I shrugged.

“I see,” he spun us again and I kept my wings spread. He lifted his own.

I could definitely feel Stares, I sound of my rubbers soles scrapping again the concrete was the only thing I could hear. Hawks walked us back and forth, “let’s see who’s faster.”

He threw us off the Edge of the building I panicked and started flapping, after the third flap I caught wind and balanced myself. There I was flying above Hawks, he looked up at me. Hs was on his back his wings holding him in the air.

“Alright then.” I said and straightened out, “I could beat you anyday.

I move higher to bring myself to the edge of the building.

“Name a spot, and I can be there and back before you can.” I looked down at him.

“Great! I was hoping you’d agree I set it up today.” He came to my side, I heard Endeavor sigh.

“In the park by the koi pond, I stabbed a feather into a the ground,” he said plucking a long feather out of his wing.

I cringed and imagined the feeling, it’s all to painful.

“First one back with it wins.” He said and got ready, I squatted oh the edge and got ready.

“Toko! Give us a count off.” He screamed over his shoulder.

Another sigh from the party behind us, I smiled.

“Three,” a paused, “Two,” another, “One.”

We took off, I didn’t see Hawks ahead of and I wasn’t making the mistake of looking back. I pushed harder and gained more speed. I was focused on a short route I normally took until I felt something grab my wing.

I looked over to see Hawks, he was grinning and knocked into me, I knocked back into him and he only smiled wider.

“Oh, so you wanna play dirty.” I laughed.

I went up into a cloud and tried to time it, I saw Hawks in break, he looked around I dropped down on him and pushed his wing down he flipped onto his back and kept flying.

“Nice try but I’m all to use to it.” I scoffed.

“Sure.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed his boot to flip him around to face the other direction.

He did exactly that, flew in the other direction. He came back and landed on my back, his back to my back he just layer there.

“I don’t see why they don’t make this a way to travel it’s comfortable.

I did a quick roll over and he spread his own wings.

“WHAT?!” I asked as he didn’t leave my side.

“How do you get these so shiny and black?” He asked as he moved back to my side.

“If I told you I’d have to kill you.” I regretfully pulled a father of my own it hardened and caught a nice shine.

“I can do that too!” He cheered and pulled his own out. “WING BUDDIES!”

I rolled my eyes with a smield and dived down, I saw the feather and swooped in, hows swooped down. We’ll crash if one of us doesn’t pull back, or at least I’ll have to to use my whole quirk.

We pushed in before smoke filled the space I grabbed the wing and pulled back, I heard coughing and looked back to see a panicked Hawks. He didn’t notice me.

“(L/n)?” He looked around panicked.

“I let out a bird cry.” He looked up, there I was full form.

“YOU CHEATER.” He screamed and took out after me.

I flapped harder and tried to move faster and into places he wouldn’t be able to reach.

I saw Endeavor’s flames, I was so close, until Hawks pulled up infront of me. He grinned like a mad man, I changed back and stepped on his shoulder and made the jump. Feathe rin mouth I spit to get the taste of bird off my tongue.

“You should use dog shampoo, you’ll dull the color.” I said and waved the feather around.

He sighed, “I guess you win this round.”

We sat a whole longer, until the ground started to shake. There was the sound of rumbling and screams. We all rushed to the opposite side of the building. A big guy was trying to take down a building.

“Tokoyami, Go low with Endeavor, (L/n) and I will go ahead and try to save who we can from the top floors.” Hawks said taking off.

I looked back at Endeavor, “Go, it’s your job as a hero.”

I nodded and took off after Hawks. I caught up and we moved as fast as we could to get everyone out of the top floors. It was harder considering it was almost midnight and everyone one was home sleeping. I pulled out kids and men while woman tried to cling to Hawks at the chance they had. I laughed as one woman wouldn’t let him go. I heard a cry and dived in, the building was about to crumble, I can do this.

I found it, it was a little boy, he had red hair and white eyes. He was screaming for his dad. I picked him up a don looked for his dad. His dad was bleeding slightly.

“Hold onto my back and I’ll save you and your dad. Just don’t let go.” I calmly told the kid he nodded and crawled onto my back.

He held tighter then I expected. I grabbed the dad by his shoulders, “Come on.” I said and used all the arength I couldn’t o carry him at least bridal style.

With struggle I managed I ran to the holw in the wall and dived down flapping so we didn’t die from Just jumping.once on the ground I handed the guy over to Hawks and told the kid to sit with them. Hawks said ambulances were coming.

I looked back, this guy was kinda huge, what were we supposed to do? Endeavor and Tokoyami showed up. Endeavor rushed in and Hawks followed, Tokoyami knew what to do. I was still calculating and trying to figure out the best approach for myself. I found an opening, All three we’re taking him from the front, I found an opening form the back, I went for it. I flew up and spread my wings as far as they could go. At twenty four feet stretched out completely I did my best to blind him, Hawks was beside me in a flash.

“If you blind him long enough, I can get Tokoyami and Endeavor to help me.” He was gone.

I plucked out my longest, feather and used it to fight against his hands as he tried to grab at me. I stayed stretched out and tried to blind him. That was until I felt myself falling. I watched the sky swirl as I was pulled down. A sharp pain and a loud snap, my back arched. There was a loud crash, I was diving head first, the problem was, I could see where I was going, all I saw was a starry sky swirling as I started to spin while falling. The last thing I saw was Hawks Wide eyed reaching out to me and a deep scream. I was out, was I going to die?

I woke up from my dream as I started to hit water, everything was bright and white. I looked around rubbing my eyes. I tried to bring my hand up, it was held down, I looked at it and smield. I brought my left hand to my right. I brushed my fingers over the knuckles and skin that held my own.

“Endeavor.” I whispered.

I tried to sit up feeling pain in my back.

I brought my left hand to his jaw and held it, his eyes opened, he looked at me through his lashes.

“How are you?” I asked him even though it should’ve been the opposite.

“Are you alright?” He took his right hand to grab my right hand.

His left hand rested on my back, he rubbed it up slowly to help me sit up. His warm hand eased the pain that filled my muscles.

“Y-yeah, what happened?” I asked.

He sighed and tried to pull away.

I stretched with regret and grabbed his arm with my free hand.

“Please don’t,” I was basically begging for his heat.

He placed his hand back against my tender flesh.

“The criminal grabbed you by your wings when he started to fell back. I rushed in to catch you, and Hawks tried his best to grab you but his grip on yours wings was strong. He ripped out the feathers and fractured them.” He looked down.

I smiled at him, “Don’t worry about it, they’ll be fine by tomorrow morning...”

He looked up at me, he was soft, his eyes were glossed over. Tears filled the corners of his eyes. I moved my hand form his arm to hold his right cheek and get him to face me, his eyes held regret.

“You were my intern, I was supposed to protect you. I let you get hurt.” His voice was low.

“I’m your intern, I’m supposed to learn what it’s like to be a hero, and that’s exactly what happened. So you don’t have to worry. I’m happy that if I was going to experience this, that at least it was with you.” I smield at him, and looked down.

“I-” I cut him off with a look.

“Don’t worry about it.” I stopped him.

“I can make this up to you.” Her stated.

“You wanna make it up to me?” I asked and tilted my head with a slight smile.

“Yes, what’s something you’ve wanted?” He asked and fumbled around his costume and pulled out a wallet.

“Something? I’ve always wanted?” I asked and thought about it while staring at my hand with his.

“Well.” I looked up at him again with a grin.

“There’s this.” I pulled my hand free form his and grabbed his other cheek and pulled him closer.

His lips were soft, heat radiated form his face, quite literally because of his body temperature. His large hand landed on my cheek. He moved his hand so his forefinger and thumb took my chin and angled my head upwards. He kissed back eyes closed, I closed my own and brought my right hand down to his nape and ran it back up to feel the hairs at the base of his head. His hand still hot and comforting my back, I smield agsint his lips and pulled away.

“Okay, so I wanna go to Univeral with you and Shoto.” I smiled and he only looked down at me.

His eyes were so soft, they were clear, the bright color still outshine the bright white colors of the hospital I’m guessing I’m in.

“I don’t see why not.” He sighed and moved closer.

Kissing him a little longer the door opened and we pulled back, it was Shoto.

“SHOTO!” Enji screamed and pulled away.

His beard and mustache bursted into flames as he backed away and reached out for his son.

“Stop it dad, I already know what happening.” He sighed and looked down.

Enji sulked slightly and moved away from the bed side. I sat up straighter and smield at Shoto.

“So?” He asked.

“What?” I asked playing it off.

“Did your wings get better?” He crossed his arms over his chest the same way his dad does.

I forced them out and open, they were new and glossy.

“Of course they did!” They ruffled slightly, “I’m not an (l/n) for nothing!”

“Also, were going to universal!” I cheered and they spread out a bit.

“What for?” He asked.

“To Celebrate me becoming your step mom.” I winked at him, his eyes widened as his cheeks reddened.

“What?” He asked in disbelief.

“Why don’t you ask your daddy?” I joked.

He whipped around, Endeavor just looked at him.

“Told you.” I whispered to Shoto and smiled at Enji who was very slightly, smiling.

“HEY GUYS SORRY IM LATE!” And just like that, Hawks ruined the moment.

✨✨✨✨✨✨

Support a small business