#i was practically meditating when trying to go over everything i knew about each character
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little-pondhead · 11 months ago
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[ohhhhh sHIT. This is like my dream question. I hope you know what you're getting into.
I don’t drink alcohol, but boy, do I have Opinions™ on what flavor and color people would be, especially for drinks. I literally work at a pizza and soda shop for my second job; I adore making mixed drinks.
This isn't in any particular order, and I'm not going off what best represents a character. I'm just going by the Vibes I get. I'll also stick with mainly berries and flowers since I think they have a simpler flavor profile that's easier to adjust (In my experience). Feel free to argue with me if you think I'm wrong :)]
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IMMEDIATELY my mind jumps to Damian, who’s dark purple or red. He’s also angry, brooding, and a scary assassin child who screams dark berry to me. While there is a wide selection of dark-colored berries to choose from, mulberries just seem right to me. I heard they also make excellent fruit wines?
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Duke is bright yellow, but I think that’s obvious. He's a little hard to nail down as a flavor since I don't know him that well as a character. I like to think that golden raspberries fit him as a hero, and dandelions fit him as a person. Not that I've ever seen golden raspberries in my life, but it was either that or gold kiwis (the fruit, not the bird).
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Tim was a doozy. He's Red Robin; red should be obvious, right? Well, yes, he's red, but he can also be another color. I just can't figure out WHICH color. Being Red Robin is such a massive part of his character that it's really hard to separate that from him in my head. So here's where I deviate from the color/flavor association. Rather than choose a red fruit or flower, he'd be blueberry coffee. And while blueberries don't fit him by themselves and he's more fond of energy drinks, this is a good balance.
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Cranberry, pomegranate, and Geraniums. Jason is cranberry, pomegranate, and geraniums, but he's the color of marigolds. Sue me, I said I wouldn't go off what represents the character. But marigolds and pomegranates just have me in a chokehold! The symbolism! The colors! He's not exactly solid red like Tim, but he's not a weird in-between color like Dick. He's marigold, and you can pry that from my cold, dead hands. If you want to make a drink based on marigolds, I won't be upset about it.
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Dick is, very specifically, the color of a peacock. You know that weird green-blue color that is the base for any and all peacock designs, art pieces, or merchandise? That color. I've taken a liking to using blue curaçao and vanilla syrup in Mountain Dew drinks at work, so I'm going to go ahead and assign those two specific flavors to him as well, just to make things complicated. Lime also works wonders with that drink, but it's not a flavor I would associate directly with Dick.
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Stephanie, believe it or not, isn't purple to me. Like, in terms of character design, purple is an obvious choice. But I always get Spring vibes from her, like the literal season. It’s hard to nail down a specific color, but it HAS to be pastel. She'd be really good with flower flavors, I think. Lavender, pansies, peach roses, colored daisies, carnations, Queen Anne's lace, etc. It might depend on what kind of alcohol or drink you're pairing it with.
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Barbara IS purple. Royal purple. It's HER color. (Sorry Steph) She was the most iconic Batgirl, and now she's Oracle. She's just...purple?? One of a kind?? Has her shit together?? She'd probably be a bigger fruit, like passion fruit or plums. Or purple grapes if you want to really lean into the color meaning.
EXTRA: My mother would like to input her opinion that Batgirl is strawberry peach. I did not tell her which Batgirl I was talking about, but I'm putting it here anyway.
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Cass is blue. Literally any shade of blue, it does not matter. In my mind, she's just Blue. Powder blue during ballet, midnight blue as Orphan, etc. She's so delicate yet intense that I can only think of butterfly pea flower tea. There are probably other fruits or flowers that fit her better, but I've actually tried this tea, and it just-it just works? In my head??
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My sister @cactusblossom09 insists that Bruce is blackberry and blue raspberry. I like that train of thought but want to replace blue raspberry with currants or elderberry. Blue raspberry is too much of a fun kid's flavor. He'd definitely carry blue raspberry lollipops in his belt, though. And they'd be Nightwing's favorite flavor to steal. >:)
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Alfred is a flower. I just know it. He seems like a soft grey character to me, but not many foods and plants are grey in color. So I'll allow white as well. My knee-jerk reaction is elderflower, which might be a little on the nose. Chamomile will also work, although I'm not sure which flavor is stronger. I use elderflower syrup as a way to tie together a drink based on one of my coworkers, and it seems right since Alfred does the same for the Wayne family. The base drink needs to be strong as fuck, though. He deserves it for all the shit he puts up with.
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Danny is literally changing all the time. It's his thing. That's the whole point of his character, so it's only fair he gets more than one color and flavor. Cartoon characters are so heavily coded that it's hard to separate them from their color palette, so I will go with the classic baby blue and bright fucking green for Danny. As a human, blue borage flowers will do nicely. As a ghost, I can't give him battery acid, unfortunately. But I can tell you that honeyberries come to mind. If you really want the whole ectoplasm experience, however, might I suggest Toxic Waste candy?
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Sam is the purple character of the show. Truly, she'd probably be something cliche like Nightshade or Foxglove, but in the spirit of not killing OP, I'd like to redirect your attention to sweet violets or huckleberry. Personally, I adore huckleberry. I know many people who will put it in every dessert possible, and I have been trying to expand our drink list at work to include more huckleberry syrup. (Not only is it delicious, but we also have fucking fifty bottles of this shit in the Cupboard of Shame.)
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Is Tucker a red or yellow character? I'm not sure, but I'll go with yellow again. I'm going off the script of fruits and flowers to say he's mainly a walnut flavor to me. I can't physically explain it. I know walnut liqueur exists, but that's not what I'm talking about. Like, he's just a walnut. You can use walnut wood to add smoke or crush a nut and rim a glass with it. I do not care. He's walnut.
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Again, is Jazz blue or orange? I'll stick with orange because Jazz is so orange blossom-coded that it's not even funny. Like with Tucker, I can't explain it. She just is. I don't care about the symbolism or even remember when it blooms. But Jazz is such a simple yet complex character, just like orange blossoms. The flowers look so delicate and pure in nature, but the actual taste of the oranges can be overwhelming if it's not in moderation. Just like Jazz! :)
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[Okay, I'm done, I promise. I chose the most popular characters used in the crossovers, and I imagine that a drink based on a specific ship would mix two characters' flavors. Like, Dead Serious could be mulberries and honeyberries or blue borage flowers.
ALSO I'M DYING AT THE BURGER VODKA PLEASE KEEP US UPDATED (>▽<)]
Weird association game for you
What FLAVORS do you associate with DPxDC?
Could be something that makes you think of a character, or a ship
Why?
Kind of want to make some DPxDC themed hooch. Combine my hobby of wine making and infusing with fandom
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oldhalloweentape · 7 months ago
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🪨Venture (OW II) x (fem) reader ⛏️
(DC Raven Reader Edition!)
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(Request here! @thequeenofcupps I LOVE Raven sm, I’m so happy to do a reader based off of this character you have NO IDEA.)
- So… You're the hybrid child of a cosmic demon and a human woman, constantly fighting for control and balance against your demonic origins as you learn to harness your powers, attuning to the mystical forces to protect you and the people you love? Rad.
- Now you have a little rock-collecting raven-brained archeologist to back you up <3.
- The usual sarcastic, brooding, and standoffish personality is only natural considering everything you’ve gone and are still going through as a powerful empath of the magical arts—
- But unlike anyone else in Overwatch, Talon, and beyond can click with you like Venture does.
- Leaving many scratching their heads as they see Venture run up to you and you happily wrapping your arms around them, encasing them in that long cloak of yours as you kiss them over and over again on their face.
- As we all know, Venture is all for it, happy as a clam as they get treated with affection by their sweet and grumpy girlfriend :)
- Thinks your glorious and damn near invincible (you damn well can be considered as such) like a Valkyrie, and loves to see you train and fight …. Power is sexy ok?
- And they’re always eager to learn everything about those powers of yours, cause they know well that your magic is a big part of you and love learning about you.
- Which in turn helps them better understand when your emotions and powers are fluctuating negatively.
- This dynamic in general has so much potential, Venture has always had a rather hungry and morbid curiosity. The weirdness and strangeness aren’t much to deter them, rather only encouraging them to learn more.
- They’re the kind of person who can and will take the time to establish trust together to get you where you guys are now, and that kind of bond is something that can withstand a whole lot because of how well you both are attuned to each other.
- If something is bothering you they immediately catch on and get you away from it, and when you’re trying to practice your magic or meditate they know to make sure people aren’t going to disturb you.
- Asks permission before reading/examining your ancient tomes and manuscripts, and considering their career path if you were going to trust anyone with things like this, Sloane is the one to trust.
- In general, the romantic relationship is the best-case scenario for how your dynamic ends up because of how well your personality meshes up.
- For example, you keep Venture from being too impulsive and running into the fray without a proper plan, and Venture provides you a way to be normal— To have a more positive outlook on the life that’s been constantly being threatened with peril, loss of self, and a destiny that other people try to control.
- If you both had a choice, you guys would be forever together, limbs entangled with one another like the Lovers of Valdaro.
- Or move and exist in tandem with one another like Tui and La from Avatar: The Last Airbender in an eternal dance, push and pull.
- An easy and normal life is something you haven’t experienced in a long time, and even the life you had before realizing your paternal heritage was filled with oddities that eventually seeped into a life of learning discipline and self-restraint is something Sloane can’t possibly fathom— But, they knew then and they know now that you’re not an evil force or a ticking time bomb.
- The things you’ve gone through, the trial and strife something they can never relate to— But they have that emotional intelligence and understanding that was able to get through the rough exterior and reveal this extremely caring girl who they came to love.
- Cracking those walls you had open was a feat but it was worth it, you are as beautiful on the inside as a gorgeous geode. They can’t express that enough.
(Also, here’s a shoutout to one of my friends @goohts ! Happy birthday man, I’m so happy to have met you all those months ago, experience life with you has made life a bit easier then it used to be. Your support and help with so many things has given me the strength to be where I am now— I love you!! 💕 🎂🎉)
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parvulous-writings · 1 year ago
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Flowers in Hardship // Lifeweaver x GN!reader
Summary: You fall very, very ill - and Niran hates to see you in such a state.
Warnings: Descriptions of unspecified illness.
Words: 2.7K
Notes:  Includes Platonic!Genji! My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist!  Original character list - please request for these too!
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Not my gif
You had felt it coming on for a while now. There was just this feeling, of something practically gnawing behind your eye. Not literally, of course - if that had been the case, you would have gone to see Ziegler a lot sooner. It started with a light headache. You thought it would go away with some water - which you drank in abundance, along with a couple of painkillers, to try and help the headache's swift departure. However, this did nothing. By the end of the first day, your head was pounding. Nothing besides laying still would sate the ruthless and unending hammering inside your skull. So, you resigned yourself to your room - the cool air of the place surrounding you in your little cocoon of sheets and pillows, your eyes creaking shut with a relief that you couldn't voice the pleasure of.
You had had the vague hope, when you laid your head down to rest, that by morning, the ache in your temples and behind your eyes would have subsided enough that you could just take some more painkillers, and go on with your day as normal. However, upon opening your eyes you had to throw that plan right out the window. The small amount of light that had managed to get itself past your company-issued blinds felt like you were staring straight up into the sun. You groan, shuffling as much as you can to shy away from the light. This proves much more difficult than expected, however - there's a stiffness in your neck that stabs at your muscles with each little flex. There go today's plans, you think to yourself. And just when you thought you had everything for today under control, too. You had planned everything out; you'd start the morning off with breakfast as normal, before spending some time in the Zen room, meditating with Genji. That was an activity you hadn't had the luxury of partaking in for almost three weeks, and you had been dying to be able to do it again - it always started out as a normal meditation session, but would always eventually devolve into you both sharing stories or gossip with one another.
A part of you hoped that Genji would notice you not turning up to your shared meditation session today - especially since you had both been talking so avidly about it over the past few days, in almost childish anticipation. But the more logical part of you - as defunct as your headache made it - knew that this would likely not be so. As caring as Genji always was to you, he was never one to pry. If you didn't show up to something, he wasn't going to chase you down about it - though he would normally ask next time he saw you, in case it was something that he could help get off of your chest. Your thoughts swim in your head as you try your damndest to try and grab one and hold onto it. It doesn't work very well at all. You're hardly even able to comprehend a word or image in your mind, let alone an entire thought. Your eyes clamp shut again as you half-heartedly shuffle to lay on your side, your back now to the window. It helped a little bit, but your head protested at even that movement. You let out a quiet, involuntary groan at the pain settling itself at the front of your head, pounding against your skull with a vengeance. Your body falls still as it begins to rest once more, trying to naturally shake off the headache. Your chest rises and falls slowly, almost laboured from having to actually use the muscles despite it being necessary, as the pain starts to spread down from your neck into the rest of your body.
It was difficult for Genji not to notice your absence in the Zen room - though, as you had rightly predicted in your headache induced haze, he hadn't thought too much of it as of yet. There was a lot of pressure on you - and many of the other operatives still involved with Overwatch. It wasn't uncommon for mental health days to be mandated by those working the med-bays, particularly Doctor Ziegler. So, Genji just assumed that this was what you were doing that day - he'd catch up with you when he saw you next. Though, as he sat across from one of the others you were meant to spend the day with, eating lunch, the subject was sprung upon him much sooner than he had expected. "Where do you think they are?" Niran - one of the newer members of the force - asked Genji. The cyborg glanced up, his eyes narrowing beneath his mask for a moment. He just wanted to eat his food - as difficult as it could be at times, removing the lower half of his face plate wasn't exactly easy, nor comfortable. So, he just continued eating, knowing full well that Niran would continue the conversation by himself anyway. "It's so odd that they wouldn't turn up, and not say anything…" He pondered, pursing his lips before eating some more of his own meal. "I mean, even if it wasn't anything to worry about, they'd still say something, I know it-" The man continued, his mouth half-full of salad. "Do not talk with your mouth full." The other replied, his voice low, and quiet. It wasn't threatening, but it certainly was a warning. Niran quickly covered his mouth with one hand, making sure the remainder of his mouthful couldn't be seen by the much calmer of the pair. "Sorry!" He replied bashfully, looking down briefly as he spoke. But, within a moment, he was back on his original train of thought. "But my point still stands... Perhaps someone should go and check on them!" Niran's normal optimistic tone was now laced with worry - ordinarily he tried to keep his thoughts aligned with the optimism that he often found lacking in his colleagues, but this had never stopped him from also being an avid worrier. "Are you going to?" Genji asked, mostly a rhetorical question. But instead of just making Niran think, it gave him a sparkle in his eye as his face spilt into a smile; "That's a wonderful idea, Shimada!" He exclaimed, getting to his feet. Genji just... Stared at him. Niran stared right back. "Aren't you coming...?" "No." Was the Cyborg's curt reply. "My question was purely rhetorical. I had no intention of going." "Oh... I suppose that... makes sense." Niran said slowly, pursing his lips and raising his brows for a moment as he thought this over. "But I'm still going to go." He told him, starting to turn away. "I would finish your lunch first." "No, no... I'll have something more later." Niran waved his arm in dismisal, as he started off down the hall, making his way to the living quarters.
Niran was very familiar with where exactly your quarters were - the number of times he had walked back with you, and even stayed the night, were immeasurable. Without a doubt, he could walk this route with his eyes clamped shut. Of course, the closest he would ever get to that was if his eyes were fixed on you, whilst you were both in the deep throes of blissful conversation - which, admittedly, was more often than not anyway. His steps were light, almost silent, on the cold hard floors as he rapidly approached your door. Cheerfully he lifted a hand, knocking three times fast, a signature knock you would have noticed and recognised immediately - if you were awake. Unfortunately for Niran, you were not, and thus no response came from your humble little room. This confused Niran - you were not normally one to miss out on a whole day of spending time with your closest companions for nothing. His brows drew together, as hundreds of possibilities ran through his mind; had you run off? Were you still in your room? Had you - somehow - gotten lost in the facility?
Niran shook his head. Of course you couldn't have! This was your home- how could you ever get lost? With this in mind, he slowly slid the door open, peering inside your darkened room. "Hello?" His voice wasn't too much more than a whisper, as he was now starting to worry that he had disturbed an impromptu nap of yours - which, of course, he was right. Your groan of discomfort was the only response he got at first. So, he started to slide the door open a little more, only to be met with a louder, more disgruntled moan. You fling your arm over and try to lob a pillow at him, but you fail miserably - the pillow doesn't even go past the end of the bed. Niran gets the message, though; close the door. He hurries in, sliding the door quickly shut behind him. "Oh dear..." He mumbles, mostly to himself, as he draws closer to you. "You don't look well at all.." He states, as if it weren't the most obvious thing in the world. You feel the back of his knuckles gently press against your forehead, as he takes your temperature. You try to bat his hand away, but the action is less than half-hearted; you just don't have the strength to put up much of a fight. "'s cause 'm not..." You grumble, your gravelly voice partially muffled by the pillow you're still laying on. "Let me help you..." You sense him moving by your side, and you absently wave a hand in his direction, trying to shoo him off. You didn't want any interaction, you just wanted to be left alone. You groan again, attempting to get the message across without actually uttering another word - you just didn't have the energy to talk any more. Niran gives you a pitying look, even though you can't see it you can almost feel it. The way his face falls when something upsets him, the way his bottom lip juts out as he starts to pout a little bit - it's all there, in your mind's eye, fuzzy as it may be at the moment.
You grumbled again - you were trying to say 'please leave me alone', but of course, all that left your lips was a load of garbled sounds, of which nothing could be made out. "Here... Let me get you some water..." Niran says gently to you, and you're somewhat aware of some footsteps moving away from you - you don't particularly care for the other sounds after. You try to get yourself back to sleep, shuffling a little bit to get comfortable again. "No, no... Let's try and sit you up..." It's Niran's voice again, and you feel a pair of hands on your arms, gently trying to move you into a seated position. You don't struggle, but it still takes quite a bit of effort for him to get you sitting comfortably, even if your head does keep lolling from side to side. The room is swimming, spinning as you try to focus your eyes on something. You can't settle them, only close your eyes to try and dull the sensation that the sudden movement has caused. "There, there..." He soothes, "It's alright... I've got some water for you..." He says gently, as you feel something cool tap against your bottom lip. You hesitantly part your lips, and as soon as you felt the water hit your mouth, you drank hungrily. "Woah, slow down..." Niran warned, pulling the glass away from your lips for a moment. "You'll make yourself sick if you keep drinking that quickly..." He brushes some hair from your face, before allowing you to drink again. "I've never seen you so ill... Even in this light you look awful..." He says gently. He moves the chair you keep at your desk to your bedside, slowly lowering himself into it. "You rest, for now... I'll make sure you get drink when you wake... And then, when you can sit up properly again, I can make you some food..." He pauses, allowing this to sink for you. "I could make you some Som tam, if you'd like..." He offered, though you don't reply, slowly sliding down from your seated position, back into a more comfortable laying one. Niran lets you, his only interference being how he moves your pillows around your head. He crosses one leg over the other as you settle properly, making himself comfortable. He was going to watch you as long as you needed him to.
As he sat, and the day wound on, he started to work on something for when you woke. It wasn't exactly difficult work per se, but he was working almost tirelessly to make sure that it was just right, exactly perfect for you. He worked on some holographic roses, fashioning each petal carefully, so they sat just so amongst each other. He had about seven by the time that you finally awoke, feeling... A little more like yourself. "Niran?" Your voice takes the Thai hero from his work, his brown eyes instantly seeking your face in the slightly pink tinged light coming from the roses he had been making. "What are you doing?" Your voice is a bit gravelly, but he can make you out just fine. "Why, making some flowers for you, of course..." He replies, proudly holding his handiwork out to you. You carefully reach out to take them, unsure if you can actually hold them in the first place. Turns out, you can. They feel quite warm, unlike normal flowers. "You didn't need to do that..." "I thought it was customary to get people flowers when they are ill?" "Well, yeah, sometimes, but it's just me... You really didn't need to-" "I wanted to..." Niran chuckles. "I care for you, of course I wanted to give you flowers... Is that so wrong?" He asks, and you can't help but smile at him. "I guess not, no..." You reply, "But how long have you been sitting there?" "Oh, since yesterday." He tells you, waving a hand as if it is not a big deal. You stare at him, slack jawed. Before you can say anything, Niran holds up a hand to silence you. "I have had food, drink and sleep, before you even think about telling me off..." "You shouldn't have-" "I wanted to... I didn't want you to be alone whilst so under the weather..." He told you, "I know you'd do the same for me in a heartbeat, so..." He shrugged lightly. You reach out, carefully taking his hand in yours - like the roses he had given you, they were warm. "Thank you, Niran..." He smiles at you as you speak, lowering his head for a moment, somewhat bashfully. "Oh, really, it's no problem - I was happy to do it... Just... Don't go getting sick on me all the time, hm? I'm sure I'd be called away sooner or later, and I'd hate to leave you..." You both laugh a little bit.
Niran decides to break the silence that falls over you both. "When you're back at full health... I'd like to take you out.. I can get us reservations at this fantastic restaurant. I've wanted to go for almost two months now, but I've had nobody to go with!" He exclaims, chuckling softly. "I'd love to go with you..." You tell him, "Only if I can pay, though." "No, no.. I'll be paying, I insist!" He replies quickly. "It's the least I can do for someone as wonderful as yourself... Let me treat you..." He pats your hand gently. "But only once you're completely well again... Until then... You rest.. I'll be right here..." He keeps his hand on yours, giving you that warm, gentle smile. "Now... Have another nap... I'll be right here, for when you wake again..." He tells you, and you slowly nod - you know he's talking sense, so you slowly get comfortable again, falling quickly back into a deep, restful sleep, assured that Niran is watching over you.
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hikari-kaitou · 3 years ago
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Capcom's Official AA Fanclub Surveys - DGS Edition
Many Western fans may be familiar with the Turnabout 4koma comics that get posted on the official AA fanclub site that Capcom runs, thanks to some lovely fans on tumblr and elsewhere who have shared their translations. What fewer people seem to know about is the character surveys.
Back in the old days, they used to hold a survey on Capcom's official AA fansite every few months where they'd write about the seasonal activities of a handful of characters and ask fans to vote for the funniest/most pleasant/strangest/etc answer.
They stopped doing them in like... 2016? 2017? The original text is lost for good as far as I can tell. Even the wayback machine couldn't help because the content was password locked and you can't get past the password wall while remaining in the archived version.
Fortunately, I saved some of my translations of them so I thought I’d share them.
Cut for length...
"February has begun, and the DGS cast is nearing the end of their journey aboard the RFS Alacrei. Which of them acted the most strangely?"
Ryuunosuke ~ Exhausted from his intensive study session, he decided to try some katana swinging practice as a change of pace and to combat his recent lack of exercise. But because he wasn't used to handling the katana, he swung it too hard and it went flying out of his hands and got stuck in the wall right next to Sherlock, who had just entered the room. Sherlock asked him, "aren't you supposed to be studying right now, Mr. Naruhodo?" and handcuffed him to his desk.
Susato- worked on developing a curriculum for Ryuunosuke. 'If we keep going at this pace, he won't be able to learn it all in time... It'll be hard on Naruhodo-sama, but we'll have to work hard through a couple of nights together.' With that thought, she created a harsh study schedule, and almost seemed to be looking forward to it for some reason.
Sherlock- Driven by excitement over the thought of returning to England after a long absence, he went up on deck to stare at the ocean. Being February, it was very cold out there and he ended up being chilled all the way to the tips of his fingers. He returned to the ship cabins and amused himself by putting his frozen hands on Ryuunosuke, who was stuck in his room studying.
Van Zieks- Upon hearing from Vortex that there was a Japanese exchange student coming to England to study law, he smashed a Lord's Bottle. He apparently also didn't care for the fact that that Japanese student wouldn't be alone, because he proceeded to shatter his chalice, too.
Hosonaga- in order to provide a respite from studying, he provided some hot chocolate. They enjoyed a pleasant tea time, marveling over how sweet and delicious the drink was until Sherlock piped up with some unnecessary trivia: 'Actually folks, chocolate has long been used in Europe as an aphrodisiac!' Everyone promptly spat it out."
"The long winter is nearly over and spring is on it's way, putting the DGS cast members in a celebratory mood. Who found the best way of enjoying spring?"
Ryuunosuke: the Yuumei University faculty members were holding a flower viewing event, and he joined the assistance committee. He exhausted himself keeping the blankets clean so the intense shower of flower petals wouldn't pile up too high on them, delivering sake and snacks, and mediating whatever pointless fights arose. To top it all off, for some reason his compensation was only a single piece of leftover candy. Talk about a sad result!
Susato- her father and the others living in his dormitory were  holding the flower viewing event, so she got up early to prepare the bentos. But her father carelessly forgot to tell her that they wanted tea cakes, so she had to go around the house and neighborhood collecting sweets. For some reason, she ended up being able to gather caramels, biscuits, candy sticks, basically everything but tea cakes, for the tea ceremony.
Sherlock- he disguised himself as a beat officer and infiltrated Scotland Yard to have some fun. There was a real beat officer napping on his feet in the spring sunshine, and while observing him, Sherlock ended up falling asleep too. Detective Gregson gave them a good scolding when he found them, but then Sherlock revealed his true identity with a "hey, it's me, folks!" "What the blazes do you think you're doing?!" Gregson shouted, his rage growing even more, and Sherlock ended up making a run for it.
Van Zieks- went to the vineyard to oversee the production of the contents of his Lord's Bottle. As he viewed the still unopened grape blossom buds, he thought about how they would someday grow up to fill his Lord's Bottle, and ended up going around to look at each one. But the farm hands couldn't stop wondering whether the bottle itself or its owner's heel might come flying at them and were quite uneasy.
Asougi: exhausted himself running around since early morning helping with the professors' flower viewing event. When it was over, he took a break, sharing his reward candy stick [the name of the candy literally translates to 1,000 year candy] with Ryuunosuke, who had also been helping out. 
"I wonder if the candy's effect is halved if you share it with someone."
"That still gives us 500 years."
They laughed and enjoyed looking at the flowers until dark. Then they parted ways with a handshake and a "see you later, best friend."
(This one was something about celebrating New Years. For some reason I didn't save the original question)
"Ryuunosuke ~ To celebrate New Years, he planned to pound mochi with everyone at the office. He somehow managed to get his hands on some mochi rice and he and Sherlock started pounding. Iris was having such fun watching them that she steamed a whole bunch more mochi rice so they could have some to share, and he and Sherlock spent the whole evening pounding mochi like crazy.
Asougi~ Because it's New Years, he went around to a bunch of shrines. When he drew his new year's fortune, he got a "horrible luck" result. "I'm not worried about it," he claimed, and headed up to the mountains early on New Years morning and work hard on a full training course of purification by water, meditation under a waterfall and wooden sword practice. It seems that he was working really hard to clear his mind of all earthly thoughts
Sherlock- Agreed to help Ryuunosuke pound mochi. As Ryuunosuke was flipping the mochi over, he carelessly dropped his badge into the bowl and Sherlock mixed it in without noticing, so they had to crack open both the hard and soft mochi to look for it. Fortunately they found it in the 4th one they checked, but apparently Sherlock got his hands and face covered in sticky white mochi in the process.
Susato- Wore a furisode and went with her father to do the first shrine visit of the year. The shrine was incredibly crowded and they had to wait in line for a long time, but she brought the Encyclopaedia of British Law and a copy of the Strand Magazine in her sleeves to secretly read as they waited so she actually ended up enjoying the wait.
Van Zieks- Ryuunosuke cheerfully gave him some mochi as a New Year’s (which at that time was celebrated at the same time as the Chinese New Year) gift, which he accepted confusedly, wondering “...Can the Japanese not even keep track of when the New Year is?” Because Ryuunosuke referred to it as a rice cake, he tried to eat it like a regular cake without softening it with heat first. It was so hard that he couldn’t imagine how it could possibly be food, and ended up misunderstanding the Japanese even more!
"Autumn has arrived, and the weather is starting to cool off, which means that everyone is becoming more active. Which character chose the most pleasant autumn activity to keep busy with?"
Iris was making bread but her hands are small and it’s difficult for her to knead the dough, so she asked for Ryuunosuke’s help. She wanted to make enough to hand out to Gina and all the other homeless children in the East End, so she made a massive amount and Ryuunosuke was stuck kneading this massive mountain of bread dough all day. Apparently he became such a expert at kneading that he could be a baker now.
Asougi was practicing with his sword, slicing autumn-colored ginko leaves as they fell from the tree. He cut so many leaves, though, that he ended up making a big mess on the ground, the number of fallen leaves now having increased, and it took him a long time to clean it all up.    
Sherlock: Ryuunosuke told him that he was making anpan (bread filled with sweet red bean paste, the bane of my Asian-dwelling existance) and asked Sherlock to help by being in charge of getting the poppy seeds they’d need to sprinkle on top, so Sherlock went out and gathered a ton of poppy seeds. In fact, he got so many of them that no one knew what to do with them all cuz they had a huge amount of leftovers. Sherlock said, “Well, they’re only the size of poppy seeds! Surely you two can deal with them somehow! Ahahaha!” and Iris scolded him.   
(I couldn’t capture it in English, but Sherlock’s line contained a pun, and a pretty stupid one at that, so that’s part of why he got scolded)
It’s grape harvesting season, so Van Zieks commutes to the winery regularly to direct the production of the contents for his “Lord’s Bottle.” He demands perfection in everything from the selection of the grapes to the way they’re squeezed, and the winery staff is terrified by the “grim reaper’s” gaze and heel swinging (i.e. the leg thing he does in court) so they grumble as they work. 
"Hearing that there’s a holiday in the West called Halloween, the people involved with the court in Japan decided to try it out themselves. Naturally Halloween is a big deal in England as well. So, which member of the DGS cast had the best celebration?"
Team Ryuunosuke and Asougi- Asougi got Naruhodo up on his shoulders and they draped a white sheet over themselves to make a ghost costume. They went out like that, but Naruhodo had such exaggerated reactions to the fear of the people who saw them and to bumping his head on tree branches that they ended up losing their balance and falling on top of each other?!   
Sherlock Holmes- went wearing a horse’s head mask. Iris used her skills to make it a fancy horse covered in stars, but the eye holes weren’t well made and he had to wander around blindly. Because of that he tripped hard over a pile of coal! He ended up getting so dirty that the stars on his costume were covered up!
Van Zieks- took inspiration from his nickname and dressed up as the grim reaper. He covered himself up with a skeleton mask and hood figuring no one would know it was him. Unfortunately he got angry when he saw Megundal (McGilded) pass by and started throwing bottles and glasses and ended up giving himself away.
"November has arrived, and autumn is nearing its end. However, the DGS cast is still keeping busy, even on their days off. Which character chose the most interesting way to spend their late autumn day?"
Ryuunosuke- Thinking that he’d better learn more about British culture if he was going to be a defense attorney in Britain, he went down to the East End with Gina for a little observation. However, because an Asian like him stood out so much, he got mobbed by the other children. On top of it all, his arm band got stolen from him and he had to send a replacement request to Yumei University on the other side of the ocean.
Asougi- He went for a meal at La Quantas. The customer at a nearby table got a persimmon for dessert and scarfed it down, saying “Mm! This is it! This sweetness makes it worthy of being called a treasure among foods!” Asougi tried to comment on this by saying, “The customer at that table sure is enjoying his pershim--gak!” but he may or may not have accidentally bitten his tongue in the process and been unable to finish his sentence.
Iris- She accepted Ryuunosuke’s request to learn more about British culture and prepared a bagpipe and kilt costume for him. “This outfit sure is breezy,” Ryuunosuke said shyly upon trying it on. With Ryuunosuke now dressed, he, Iris, and the others from their office headed over to Gregson’s place to get him to treat them to some fish and chips.   
Sherlock- He accepted Ryuunosuke’s request to learn more about British culture and cooked up some European style curry for dinner. Thanks to the fact that his secret ingredient was a large amount of Chinese herbal medicine style spice, it caused some strange side effects and Ryuunosuke, who’d eaten it, ended up passing out and falling over.
“Another taxing trial for Ryuunosuke has finished and now it’s December. As the year draws to a close, which character acts the strangest?”
Ryuunosuke- he was recruited to help with snow removal around Yumei University and the courthouse and he enthusiastically began his task with the help of a large shovel. He got a little carried away, though, and ended up accidentally burying his umbrella, which he’d left propped up against the side of the building, in the snow he’d just finished shoveling.  He had no choice but to share Asougi’s umbrella on the way home.
Asougi- On the way home, he nods silently to Ryuunosuke’s question of whether he’d finished his travel preparations and changes the subject: “...Come to think of it, it seems that tomorrow is celebrated in the West as God’s birthday.” “I’ve heard that they eat chicken as part of the traditional celebration. Wanna try it?” Ryuunosuke asks invitingly. Asougi is strongly opposed to that particular menu item, however, and they end up going out for their usual beef stew that night instead.           
Susato- in addition to her year-end travel preparations, she also was busy with straightening up the book room in her home. She managed to get the law books in order when she suddenly stumbled upon some old issues of Strand Magazine! She hurried through the rest of her cleaning, then began flipping through the magazines she’d found, trying to decide which to take with her on her trip. She accidentally lost herself in her reading and didn’t realize it until it was already the middle of the night.
Sherlock- he was in the middle of a long ship voyage when Christmas night came. His mind on his partner in a far-off country, he made a toast alone on deck, when suddenly the crew began shooting off fireworks with a cry of “Merry Christmas!” Sherlock had to dart back and forth across the deck to prevent the fireworks from hitting him and setting off the explosive chemicals he carries with him.
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quartzwriting · 4 years ago
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Attack in The Library
Pairing: Doctor Strange X Fem!Reader
Description: Stephen sends you to Kamar Taj to get some books, but some invaders attack you. Stephen comes to the rescue, and he’s not happy.
Warnings: Fighting and violence
Word Count: 3.5k
A/N: Originally posted on Quotev  // School has be busy so one shots that are already on my quotev will be reposted here, all requests on hold for now sorry // Originally requested by Coppercat615 on quotev <3
Masterlist | Fic Reading Recs | Ao3 | Quotev | Coffee
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You had just finished a meditation and astral projection practice session on the Sanctum rooftop. The background noise of the frantic and angry city below sometimes helped you focus. It was just what you needed today. Feeling relaxed, accomplished, and satisfied, you went back inside to see what Stephen was up to. It was getting close to noon, and maybe you could pull him away from his studies for a little to grab lunch together.
Stephen was standing over his desk in his office, a few books open before him and his eyes darting from one to the next. He looked deep in thought and you almost did not want to bother him. The Sorcerer Supreme in his natural habitat, it was like there was naturally a 'do not disturb' sign plastered onto him. You did anyways.
"Hey Stephen, I finished my practice."
"How did it go?" He did not even look up from his books.
"Pretty good!" You walked up to the desk and rested your hands on it, trying to see what he was looking at even though it was upside down for you. "Looking for something?"
He shrugged and flipped one of the books around so you could see it the right way up. The book was old and small, the wear and tear from over the years showing through its pages. There was writings in characters you did not understand scribbled across the page, directions for a spell you assumed. He then showed you another book that had the same letters translated to English, but there were so many variations of each and it looked hard to decipher.
"I've been trying to decode this spell. This is the only instance of it in writing. The Ancient One left it behind but I cannot seem to understand it." There was a frustration in his voice and you could tell from his messy hair that he had been running his hands through it in said frustration.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." You handed him back the books.
"Hey (Y/N), can you do me a big favor?"
Curiosity struck you, "What is it?"
"Can you head over to the Kamar Taj library and find these books for me."
Stephen handed you a list on a piece of paper. Titles and authors were listed in his slightly messy handwriting. You counted six books.
"Why can't you go get them yourself?"
"I'm busy."
He did have those books in front of him, certainly looking busy. But he could go over there himself and it would only take about ten minutes. It felt like an excuse to you.
You gave him a look, before growling under your breath, "Fine. I'll get you your books..."
Raising up your hand that had your sling ring, you started to conjure up a portal before Stephen interrupted you.
"No, take the door."
"Seriously?"
"You can't rely on magic for everything, (Y/N)."
"Well that door is magic too, you idiot. What do you want me to do? Jump on the next flight to Nepul?"
"Just stop complaining and go take the door."
You rolled your eyes and stomped off down the hallway and towards the door that connected the Sanctum to the two others and Kamar Taj. He did that all the time, scolding you for using magic for minor conveniences. Whether it be you quickly grabbing something from across the Sanctum with a portal or teleporting to the other side of the room for split second. The thing is was that he did it sometimes. When you pointed it out he just told you to shut up. Typical.
Walking through the door that lead directly to Kamar Taj, you entered the library and found just how like a library should be: calm and silent. It was nighttime in Kathmandu so the lack of people in the place did not surprise you. But when you walked past a few shelves, you saw Wong with a stack of books in his arms.
"Hey Wong." You said cheerily, coming up beside him to look on the same shelf he was organizing the books onto.
He bowed his head, "Master (L/N)."
Your mouth formed a tight line for a split second, "How many times have I told you to just call me (Y/N)?"
"Well it is out of respect," He replied, and you shrugged a little in understanding, "But on your word, (Y/N)."
You smiled and went back to looking for one of the books on the shelf. It had some weird and long title, you scanned the book spines for it.
It still felt a little weird when others would call you that, Master (L/N). It came with the feeling that you were in a high position. You kind of were, being taught personally by the Sorcerer Supreme himself. Not to mention being his girlfriend. The people around Kamar Taj and the other sanctums treated you with a lot of respect. Sometimes you did not feel like you deserved it, you still felt like you and being a master of the mystic arts did not change that.
You shook the thought away from your head as you found yourself not even reading the titles. You went back over while Wong moved to the other side of the library to keep working. Then you found it, it was a bigger book. When you took it off the shelf the weight of it dug into your hands. This made you hope the others were smaller, otherwise you would be taking a big stack of heavy books back home. That could be dangerous due to your sometimes clumsy nature.
Opening it to a random page, it was full of runes with descriptions of their spells. You feathered through more pages and they were like that, covered in artworks of detailed images of runes. Then you remembered that Stephen was working on a lot of rune magic recently so it made sense. You closed the book and tucked it against your chest as you moved to another shelf to keep on looking.
While you were reading the little list of books, there was a sudden sound. It was soft. It was very familiar. It was the sound of a slingring portal opening. You turned around, looking towards where the sound came from. From in between the shelves and the tops of books, you saw a figure and the sparks from a portal. You did not recognize the figure, but on a closer look it was a man with black and red robes. For some reason the sight of him was slightly unsettling.
What happened next confirmed your suspicions.
He walked right up behind Wong. Just as Wong turned around at the sound of heavy footsteps, the sorcerer made a fast motion with his hands that made sparks explode from his fists. The energy shot into Wong and he was soon on the floor.
You quickly ducked behind a bookshelf, tucking the book you held tightly against your chest. That came out of nowhere and you assumed it was an attack. Wong was now unconscious and no one else was around. At this hour not many sorcerers were up and about around Kamar Taj. So you guessed it was up to you to stop it.
There were two more portals opened, and the first man instructed someone to look for 'it'. The 'it' they were referring to was probably a book, what else would they raid a library for? It could be any one in this whole library, so you needed to do something before they found what they were looking for.
Sneaking in between the shelves, you tried to think of a plan of action. The adrenaline was already pumping and your heart racing. This kind of distracted you from the planning, but you managed to think of something.
You heard someone nearby tossing books off the shelves, ones that were not what they needed. You slowly made your way closer, your boots against the floorboards not making a sound. Carefully, you summoned energy to create a whip, hoping that the sound of the sparks would not give you away. You threw your magic, the rope wrapping around the sorcerer's ankle and you pulled it back. The man fell to the floor and you cracked the whip on top of him to keep him down.
Before you could land another strike, something from behind grabbed your hand as it was raised up. While turning your head to see what happened, you were struck with a very powerful punch. It send you right down to the ground, the book skidding across the floor as it was knocked from your hands. You scrambled to get rid of your dazed vision and to grab the book again. When you felt the hard cover and clutched it to you chest, three figures were standing over you.
"We're going to need that."
You looked down at the book that you were clenching to your chest, the thick volume was one of the books that Stephen wanted you to bring back. Of course it had to be the exact book you were holding. From the looks of the group, and what they had did to Wong, you knew you could not let them get their hands on this book.
Looking him right in the eyes you said a calm but stern "No." Your eyes were full of seriousness and daring, but inside you knew you were insecure. You were scared.
"We thought we did not need to hurt anyone today." The woman with a thick accent peered at you, a glint in her eyes that you did not like.
You would not stand down though.
Thinking quickly, you cast a teleportation spell and hid yourself among the maze of shelves. From across the library you heard the three separate to search for you. You were still dizzy from that punch, knowing there was going to be a mark on your face later. You teleported again, hoping to get away from them.
Big mistake.
You accidentally appeared right in the sight of one of them. He warned the others and started running towards you. You were in the middle of summoning a spell to protect yourself when from in between the bookshelves the woman slid right past you and struck you in the leg. Soon there was a sting running down your leg and something hot started to coat the leggings you wore underneath your robes. You let out a cry and collapsed onto the ground. Feeling a boot kick itself into the back of your head, you seethed with pain and blurry vision.
"Well that was easy." One of them said going to pick up the book you had dropping in the impact.
"This one is weak, convenient for our mission."
There was another kick that went through you, this time to your stomach. Then again. And again. It felt like the air from your lungs was being forced out, being unable to breathe. Your head was ringing, your leg burning, and your very existence aching.
And they were laughing while it was all happening.
"Make one more move and I'll kill you where you stand."
The deep voice came suddenly, purring the threat out to the attackers.
The hits instantly stopped. You leaned on your elbow to prop yourself up, struggling against the weakness that had over come you. Looking up at Stephen as your vision was starting to become clear again, you saw a darkness in his eyes. This said that all hell was about to break loose.
He used the word 'kill'. Stephen would not kill anyone. Whenever he fought, he did it without the intention of harming his opponent. That was probably one of the doctor qualities he kept, swearing not to hurt anyone.
But this darkness you could see in him. It was unsettling. You felt a chill go about the room. You knew it had nothing to do with temperature.
The gang looked taken aback from his sudden appearance and froze in place, he must have teleported in. The expressions that washed over their faces told you that they recognized him. They were being threatened by the Sorcerer Supreme, his cloak flaring out to make him look bigger and a death glare staring them down.
"How dare you touch her."
The attackers broke out into a run, but Stephen was right on their heels.
You tried to crawl over to a bookshelf to lean against for support, but it took a while since the pain was so strong. You started to grow dizzy again from moving, your breath heaving in your chest. With your vision all fuzzy and body refusing to cooperate, all you could do was listen.
What you heard was brutal.
There were sounds of magic, struggle, heavy breathing, grunts, cries of pain. Also you might have heard the snap of a broken bone, which made your skin crawl a little. Stephen sounded mad. Very mad. What you realized that there was less sounds of magic, but more sounds of physical fighting. You could only imagine what was happening. It scared you a little. When Stephen got angry it was usually bad, but you have never seen (heard) anything like this. The fight continued out if your sight until the sounds stopped. You did not know if your attackers had escaped, been subdued, been knocked out...or worse...but you had no way to tell. You did not know if you wanted to ask him later either.
Stephen snapped back out of his fury-filled state, it being quickly replaced by concern and anxiety. There you were on the other side of the library, leaning on a bookcase and clutching at your leg. He noticed the trail of blood smeared on the ground from where you were pulling yourself across the ground, a deep red soaking your robes. Retaliation hit him that you were stabbed.
He rushed over to you. Kneeling down over your figure, his eyes darting everywhere in concern, he took you in his arms. "It's alright, you're okay."
"Stephen, it hurts..." You tried to say, but it came out as a quiet breath.
"I know." You were surprised he heard you. "Don't worry I'm right here."
He had to act quickly. What he needed to do was get you somewhere safe, clean your wound and stitch it up, and lay you down just encase you had a concussion. The weakness in your body and the pained look on your face made him want to let out more rage, but also hold you close until you were better.
"Okay," He took a breath and recollected himself. "I'm going to take you home. I'm going to lift you up. This is going to hurt. Deep breath for me." He reached around your body, one hand under your knees and the other supporting your back. He counted down so you could brace yourself for the jolt of pain he knew would hit you as soon as you moved. On one, Stephen lifted you up in a controlled motion, his muscles aching a little from fighting the attackers. You let out a cry as soon as the pain came and clung onto his neck and shoulders, you needed him there through it.  
You desperately held on, wishing it was over the entire way. Stephen would have used a portal to get you home faster but his hands needed to carry you. He carried you through the door and you were back in New York in no time. But for you the pain made it feel like a lifetime. He brought you to the bedroom which was close by. As carefully as he could, he put you down on top of the covers. The pain slowed to a quiet beat as you began to relax.
Stephen rushed out of the room to go find a first aid kit. Once he found one, hidden in the back of a closet in the hallway outside, he came back right by your side and started to rummage through the box. As he was doing so, he came to the realization that this was gonna be difficult. His hands. His hands shake more when he was panicking. And in that moment they were trembling like crazy. Seeing you like this, the hurt and the worry he felt. It went right to his hands, bringing back the state they were in when he was stripped away of everything he had. When he felt hopeless.
But he told himself to push past it. Because he needed to help you.
Before he did anything else, he put down the first aid kit. Raising his hands up and making a few sharp movements with his hands, energy summoned and made a little rune in front of him. His hands absorbed the bright colours. The shaking slowed, almost to a compete stop. Now he could work. Trying to remember his basic studies from medical school, he began to tend to the gash in your leg.
~~~
You had passed out from being so tired and being in so much pain. When you woke up, it was dark outside and it was a little colder in the bedroom. Stephen was still beside you, sitting at your bedside currently looking through a book that had a title that implied the pages contained mystical information on healing. There was this look in his eyes, like he was trying to stay calm. You could only imagine the rushing thoughts running through his head. Once he realized you had woken up, he put his book down like he was called to attention.
"How you feeling?"
"Dizzy..."
He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead.
"You're going to be just fine." He said, moving a little closer to you. "The stab wound is not too deep, needed to be stitched up. Bruising on your torso and arms." He gestured to the areas as he spoke. "You also got hit in the head pretty bad, maybe a concussion so you need to rest." He pulled the warm blanket further up to cover your cold body.
You have not seen Stephen in doctor mode in a while. It was comforting, knowing he knew exactly how to treat something and how to take care of you. You smiled at him, remembering back when he was a surgeon. He might have changed as a person from doctor to sorcerer, but he kept a few qualities.
"Is Wong alright?" You asked, suddenly remembering that little detail from the attack.
"He's fine. I made sure someone is watching over him."
You nodded, instantly regretting making the movement as it came with a headache.
"Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine."
Then you remembered something else. Earlier you did not think you were going to ask about it. But you needed to. It was nagging you in the back of your thoughts.
"What did you do to them?"
He paused. "I stopped them from hurting you." You thought he was going to stop there. He was, it if were not for the look you gave him to keep going. "I beat them up. I know it was wrong. I was just so angry. I did not like what I saw. Them hurting you like that."
You noticed he kind of dodged your question directly. He gave no details of what he physically did to them. Even with your worry and slight curiosity, you did not press him for the answer you wanted.
You understood why he did it though. He was full of rage and it overtook his mind. But that did not excuse his actions, and you knew he knew it too. He looked a little ashamed of it. He was never good at controlling his anger. You reached out your hand and rested your palm on his cheek. You did not need to say anything because from the look in his eyes you could tell he understood your gesture. Bending down, he kissed your forehead again. Angry Stephen was gone, now it was just protective Stephen.
"One more thing." You said.
He hummed in response.
"You stitched me up?"
He nodded.
"But...your hands..."
"I learned a new rune that suppresses nervousness and its physical reactions."
You had to let out a little laugh, "Of course." Must have been from his recent rune studies because that was new.
"I had to do what I needed to." Shrugging, he gave a smile.
"What about your gloves?"
"I did not have time to go get them," He replied, this made you smile.
The rest of the night consisted of Stephen staying up with you and making sure you were comfortable. He brought you pain killers for your sore muscles and headache, something for you to eat, and anything else you needed. He let you cuddle up to him to rest and stay warm. You had made him renew his promise, and to make a new promise to you, that he would never hurt anyone like that ever again. He agreed and you could see the shame and guilt in his eyes. But you knew he did it to protect you even if his anger had taken over. You both fell asleep into the night, Stephen there to protect you.
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bbugyu · 4 years ago
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for you + yoon jeonghan
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everyone in his life described you as his weakness, and he couldn’t even argue.
part one | part two
wc.10234 (LMAO) | fluff, smut, humor, etl/uni!au, ~new relationship stuff~, gender neutral pronouns for reader (but they have a pussy sorry), vague softdom/brattysub dynamics (guess who’s who!), there are - count em - 4 different sex scenes, more bff!gyu, filth, language, you know the drill, reader gets a lil tender, so does han, *sniffles* they just suit each other so well, please use condoms
this is where i admit that i wrote 20k of enemies to lovers garbage all based off a single line in falling for u, where they say they meant to drink a coffee with you but they accidentally chugged it bc theyre nervous. yup! all this mess for that one line! this is incredibly self indulgent and i apologize but also i don't because i needed this
~
visual culture was your new favorite class.
while there was absolutely no trouble making time to spend with jeonghan, your previous meditation time served as an allocated two hours every week where you could just sit and mess around with the boy you had growing affections for. the two of you would chat in hushed tones as the professor lectured, jeonghan’s fingertips tracing invisible patterns on your thigh as you diligently untangled his headphone cord for him, his thumb nails having been chewed too short to do it himself. he would bring you coffee on thursdays, when it was his only class of the day but your third and last. the caffeine was a well accepted afternoon pickmeup, and he never let you go after class without taking you out for lunch somewhere, claiming to be celebrating the end of your school day. then you might as well just come over to his apartment, he’d tell you. his place was closer than yours, he’d explain, swinging your hand in his. you didn’t wanna say goodbye yet, did you? afterall, the night’s still young, he’d tease, luring you with the promise of kisses between droopy eyed smiles.
jeonghan had become the complete opposite of your initial impression. he was sweet to you, genuinely, and if you liked him any less, you would say he was obsessed. you do say that, occasionally, when you’re hanging out with your friends and he texts you some purposefully cheesy line knowing it would make you roll your eyes, forcing you to mention him to your questioning friends, but you never truly meant it. you’d be a liar if you said every eye roll wasn’t just to cover up the faint feeling of butterflies in your gut. he always knew exactly how to make you want to see him, and you never hesitated to tell him when you did.
on one such day, when you had told him that if you went home you would need him to drive you into the woods and help you dig your roommate a clandestine grave, he stopped by your friend’s apartment after a shift, waiting dutifully by the door with his shoes still on and his hands shoved into his jean pockets as you searched the kitchen counter for your keys.
“serious, mingyu, what did you do with them? i know i left them next to the toaster.”
“i used your bottle opener, but i swear i put them on the coffee table,” he said, pushing back his hair as he looked around the small living room.
jeonghan watched you and mingyu tear apart the couch, trying to ignore the roommate that was leaning against the wall, eyeing him.
“where do you live?”
jeonghan blinked and looked at him. “uh, my apartment’s a couple streets over and a few-”
“roommates?” minghao watched as the older straightened his spine involuntarily, arms folded across his chest as he appraised his friend’s new chew toy.
“yeah, three,” he responded. minghao kept eyeing him. he fidgeted under the gaze, then coughed to clear his throat. for some reason unknown to even him, he said “they’re good people,” as though he was seeking some kind of approval.
minghao nodded slowly. “they act tough but they’re not. if you break their heart, i’ll break you.”
“what?”
“y/n,” he said, causing you to perk your head up from across the room while simultaneously clarifying. he lifted his hand and jangled your keys, holding them by the novelty hulk fist bottle opener. “found ‘em.”
“jesus christ, myungho, you had them the whole time?” you exhaled sharply, shoving a couch cushion back where it was meant to be. “don’t be a prick.”
you snagged the keys from him and shoved your feet into your shoes, taking the bag that jeonghan was holding for you.
“wo ai ni.”
you batted at minghao’s arm. “yeah, whatever. love you, too. see you guys later?”
mingyu threw up a peace sign from the couch, where he had promptly laid himself out after the search for keys had ceased, and minghao smiled as he waved you off and closed the door behind you.
you asked how work was, and jeonghan sighed, describing it shortly as work, but said he was glad it was over so that he could spend some time with you.
you giggled, knocking shoulders and slyly lacing your fingers between his. “cheesy.”
he gave you your favorite sideways smile, though he didn’t know it was your favorite, and you, again, ignored the flitting in your stomach that he always seemed to cause. “so, uh… myungho…”
you exhaled. “what did he say to you?”
“nothing, really,” he said quickly, knowing you would get mad at your friend if he told you the full truth. “i was just kind of curious if you two had ever, y'know…”
you looked at jeonghan. “you’re not jealous, are you?”
he looked back. “i don’t have reason to be, do i?”
“of course not,” you said, pulling your bag up on your shoulder. “i’ve kissed hao once, on a drunk dare, and we both agreed to never try it again. he’s like a brother.”
jeonghan nodded, thinking about the protective stance the tall lean man had taken when he tried (and maybe succeeded, though jeonghan would never admit it) to intimidate him. no matter the vibe he got, he trusted you, and he understood the intent - however, you made him want to do everything in his power to keep you happy, so he didn’t think this myungho character had much to worry about.
“oh my god, hannie,” you gripped his hand tighter, your other hand clutching his elbow. “look at that dog.”
he laughed and followed your gaze across the street to the pom that was nose up, walking beside its owner. “cute.”
“isn’t it?” you sighed. “god, i want a dog. i hate living in a dorm. i hate my roommate.”
“move out, then.”
“and go where? back to my parents’ place?”
he rolled his eyes. “into the apartment you practically live at anyways.”
“dumb, dumber, and dumbest?” you scoffed. “i would kill all three of them in under a week.”
jeonghan wondered which was which, then pushed the temptation to mention his idea of you living with him out of his brain. “sounds like you’re shit outta luck.”
you sighed, craning your neck to steal a look at the dog again. “i guess you’ll just have to get a dog for me.”
he smiled back, eyes lingering on your face even after your gaze went back to the scenery. “i have a question.”
you blinked at him. “yes?”
he watched a cloud for a second. “what do you call me?”
“hannie.”
he laughed. “i mean to your friends.”
you eyed him sideways. “are you trying to trick me into calling you my boyfriend?”
he eyed you back, a smile teasing his lips. “are you admitting that you call me your boyfriend?”
“what do you call me to your friends, then?”
“y/n.”
you rolled your eyes. “you’re the most annoying person i’ve ever met.”
“woooow,” he went, sighing and pulling his hand from yours to shove it in his pocket. “here i was thinking we were in a healthy, mutually respectful relationship.”
you giggled, tugging on his arm. “oh, shut up. we are. you call me by my name, and i call you by yours. that’s as mutually respectful as we can get.”
jeonghan rolled his eyes, but allowed you to pull his hand out of his pocket and put your fingers between his again. he had never been the type to hold hands in public, but with you it felt right. “whatever. it’s only been a month. i’ll break you eventually.”
you exhaled. “if you want me to tell people you’re my boyfriend, you just have to ask.”
“why would i want that?”
you pouted. “i dunno, i thought maybe you liked me or something.”
he squeezed your hand. “don’t flatter yourself.”
you laughed, forcing a smile onto jeonghan’s face, and he didn’t stop you when you changed the subject to the fact that mingyu had informed you that a dissected sheep brain looks a little too close to ssamgyeopsal for comfort.
one day, he told you that he thought you’d be different, back before you started dating. you were gentler than he imagined, despite your continued quick wit and sharp tongue. sweeter.
“i dunno,” he said, leaning back against the couch with your head in his lap. “in my head you would just be mean all the time.”
you didn’t take it as an insult. “the version of me you created in your head is no responsibility of mine.”
jeonghan thought you were beyond incredible. while his original judgement of you being rude, pretentious, and, well, mean hadn’t necessarily been wrong, he had found you to also be incredibly caring, thoughtful, and maybe the funniest person he had ever met. you would sigh about how broke you were that week, how you were sick of eating cup noodles, but you wouldn’t hesitate to spend the last of your budget on soju and kimbap for your friends on your walk to their apartment. you always picked up on his subtle mood changes - when he would press his hands to his temples as he tried to process his literature homework, your hand would sneak onto his thigh and squeeze his knee to remind him to let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, despite your eyes never leaving your own textbook. he swore he never saw jihoon laugh as hard as he did when you and mingyu went off on one of your stupid arguments that only best friends could have, especially after you called mingyu a “grey’s anatomy-worthy harassment claim waiting to happen.”
“seriously, why am i friends with you?” mingyu grabbed his drink from your hand and glared at you when he noticed how much lighter it was (you had said you didn’t want one but definitely stole more than one sip). “can anyone else stand this bitch?”
“i like them,” jeonghan said matter of factly, his chin in his hand and elbow on the table as he stared at you fondly. 
mingyu rolled his eyes. “you don’t count, evil twin.”
jihoon had his back on the floor, hands on his face, still trying to recover from your grey’s anatomy joke, and mingyu’s twin comment only set him off again. you giggled as you watch him roll onto his side, and briefly looked around this new grouping you found yourself in, sat around the low table covered in takeout in jeonghan’s living room. “how come you call me every day, then, dr. hate-my-guts?”
“free therapy,” he said, not missing a beat as he shoved a massive spoonful of rice and meat into his mouth. jihoon coughed, and mingyu narrowly avoided laughing as he chewed.
“i don’t buy it,” jeonghan said, running a hand through his hair and leaning back on the other. he watched you steal from his plate. “i think you like y/n the same reason i do. they’re the first person that didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear just because you’re good looking.”
mingyu kept chewing as he stared at jeonghan, his almost tired gaze going to you before he spoke. “you guys are really made for each other, huh?”
you didn’t think it before, but everyone kept telling you two that, and it definitely served as a pretty good ego boost for the existing confidence in your newfound relationship. you, of course, enjoyed jeonghan’s company even more without the validating eye rolls and gagging noises from friends whenever one of you made some praising comment about the other. you thought he was funny when he was making scathing jokes at his friends’ expense, but you thought he was absolutely hilarious when he was muttering every stupid thought that popped into his head with the specific intention of making you laugh too loud as you laid with him in your bed, his hand rubbing your back, overly aware of the fact that your roommate was trying to study at their desk as you planted your hand over your mouth to stifle your laughter.
as more time passed, jeonghan found it increasingly annoying that you both shared bedrooms with other people, considering how easily you could tease him into a bothered red-eared state with just your words. times that the two of you had gotten yelled at by whoever had to witness to get a damn room, or whispers between drinks that turned into standing too closely at parties, catching each others lips teasingly. disappearing into a bedroom only to be interrupted before anything can happen by some combination of party-goers and friends that somehow always managed to ruin the mood for one or both of you in an extremely targeted way. you had managed to help each other get off, of course, and he loved the look of you sinking to your knees in a bathroom stall, gaze catching his while you unbuckled his belt, or the way you squirmed against him, stuck between a closet door and his hard place, your breath hitching as he dug his fingers deeper into you. both activities were satisfying in their own right, but it would never be enough for him.
then there was that frustrating time jihoon had walked in, catching you with your hand down jeonghan’s pants, and he would never forgive you for the way you hesitated to loosen your grip on him despite the interruption. those few seconds of sheer terror he had felt, making direct eye contact with his roommate with his dick hard and in a hand that wasn’t his, the only thing stopping you from continuing being his annoyed “can you let go, now?" 
he had decided to get back at you, and he got the opportunity a week later, when he had woken up behind you in your bed with your laptop asking if you were still watching and your roommate sleeping only a meter or so away. his lips ghosting across your neck, rousing you from your shallow sleep just to find his hand gently squeezing your hip, running over your mound until you were begging him to slip it under your pajama shorts. he had to put his free hand over your mouth to keep you quiet as you melted under his touch, your toes curling against his shins as the string in you snapped, and you punched his chest when you finally rolled over and caught your breath for getting you so needy when you weren’t alone. he just giggled and looked at you, half lidded, then kissed you like he hadn’t just been muttering voyeuristic filth in your ear.
jihoon was going home for the weekend, and the second jeonghan had found out, he told you you weren’t allowed to make any plans and swapped his saturday shift with a coworker. you had laughed in his face when he told you he intended to keep you in bed the entire weekend, but part of you had been waiting just as much as he had.
on friday night, when the two of you were sitting on the couch watching some documentary that you could barely pay attention to, seungcheol asked again if you guys wanted to go to the bar with him and soonyoung.
"cheol, i swear to god,” jeonghan said, the arm over your shoulder stiffening as he pointed at his roommate. “if you ask one more time, we’re gonna fuck in your bed, and it will be messy.”
seungcheol groaned in disgust as you laughed. “fuck you, jeonghan. i was giving them an out.”
“sorry,” you said, your head leaning back against the arm. “i’ll try to get him to wash the sheets, but no promises.”
“you guys are so fucking gross,” seungcheol said, snatching his wallet off the counter and shoving it in his pocket as soonyoung came out from the bathroom. “we’re leaving before they jump each other. do you have everything? if you forgot something, we’re not coming back,” he said, pointing. “i’m not risking it.”
soonyoung patted all his pockets, nodded, then smiled and waved at you. “see you guys! use protection!”
“don’t take the sixth shot,” you warned, smiling and waving back. soonyoung laughed as he got shoved out the door by his roommate, and when it shut behind him, you felt a chill run up your spine for no good reason.
“we should probably wait a minute,” you said, turning back to jeonghan, who was already leaning into you and letting his gaze flicker unapologetically between your eyes and lips.
“or, and this is just a suggestion, we can decide that we’ve waited long enough and that if they come back after all of that they deserve to see whatever they see,” he pitched, his fingers already brushing against your jaw.
you blinked at him from only a breath away, his honeyed eyes putting a sweet taste in your mouth. you swallowed, your stomach feeling light suddenly. “or that.”
his lips were on yours as soon as the words left them, and your hand rose to grip the front of his shirt - one of the many plain shirts that seemed to rotate around the household. you fidgeted for a second, before deciding you were impatient and pulling away from him only to swing a leg over his and straddle his lap. he grinned at you, hands landing on your thighs, lips excitedly welcoming back yours.
you really enjoyed kissing jeonghan. he always started soft, gentle, with light caresses and reassurances of how beautiful he thought you were. though you never catch him applying any, you know he has a peach flavored lip balm hiding somewhere in his daily routine, and you tasted it on him as you dove a little deeper into him, his hands squeezing at your waist as your tongue dipped past his lips. 
jeonghan also really enjoyed kissing you, which was both good and bad for him. good, of course, because you could happily trap him in liplock for hours, and he never got bored of your soft sighs and adoring touches and wanton noises. bad, though, because his enjoyment becomes incredibly obvious embarrassingly fast, and he wished he could wipe the smirk off your face as soon as you noticed, but he always found himself completely powerless against you when you decided there was something you wanted.
and so, jeonghan’s eyes flicked over your chest as you pulled off your shirt, tossing it to the side as you stood and spun around, planting your hands on his knees and spreading his thighs as you sat back directly on his already straining bulge.
“holy fuck,” he managed, fingers running over the soft fabric of your gray sweatpants before kneading at your ass. you wiggled against his grip before grinding down against him, satisfied by the reaction, loving how clearly you could feel him and the way he sucked in a breath. you made no effort to stifle the noise caused by feeling him against your already dampening core, even through far too many layers. he whipped of his shirt quickly, his hands running up your back, twisting over your waist and pulling your back against his chest. you felt his lips start at your shoulder, then a hand on your chest, then the other snaking down your stomach.
you chuckled lightly. “can’t take a lapdance?”
“from you?” his lips landed behind your ear. “absolutely not. you’ll make me cum, and i have other things i’d like to try first.”
you sighed, rolling your hips as deliberate fingers moved from your stomach to inner thigh. “ever the poet.”
he smirked against your neck. “try it again later. right now, you’re making me insane.”
“mm,” you agreed. “i’ll keep that bookmarked, then.”
“god, how are you this hot?” jeonghan almost laughed. “you’re so annoying, why are you so good at teasing me like this?”
you smirked as his hand ghosted over your core. “yoon jeonghan, you make it incredibly fun to tease you.”
“i refuse to believe that it’s my fault you’re this sexy,” he said, drinking in the way your head dropped to his shoulder and a moan fell from your lips as he ran a finger up your slit. even through fabric, he felt the arousal gathering at your core, making his cock jump against your ass. you smiled, a hand snaking against his scalp, tugging gently at the hair at the base of his skull as he bumped over your clit, his reactionary groan matching yours.
“baby,” you whispered, your breath hot against jeonghan’s lips. “please.”
he licked his lips, tongue almost brushing yours in the process, using his hand on your waist to grind himself against you. “please what, darling?”
“fingers, jeonghan,” you whimpered, arching your back against his chest slightly in hopes to get friction against him, but he stopped his grinding as you did. you huffed. “please, i need you.”
he nudged at your jaw, making you roll your head as he planted his lips on your neck. his fingers undid the drawstring of your sweats to comfortably push under the fabric, and he let out a sigh as he didn’t find another layer.
“you’re evil.”
you giggled, gasping as his fingers quickly ran through your wetness. “and it turns you on.”
you let out a prolonged moan as he pushed his middle finger into you easily, sucking the base of your neck between his teeth. you gripped him, nails surely leaving crescents against his neck as he groaned about how absurdly wet you were, and you said something about how he was in no position to tease when you could feel every time his dick throbbed against you. he asked if you were dirty enough to admit how long you hadn’t been wearing underwear, and he watched you lick your lips before you told him all day. he smirked when you brought your lips to his, moaning against him as he pushed a second finger into you.
his fingers curled deliciously against pressure points, making you gasp as you tightened around them. jeonghan watched your heavy eyelids as you tried to focus on him, he watched your chest rise and fall as it flushed. he brought his free hand up to pinch your already puckered nipple, your temple landing on his cheek in an attempt to hold yourself together.
“i can tell you’re close,” he teased, and you only whined in response, eyes squeezing shut as his palm rubbed at your clit with the gentle movement of his fingers curling in you. “are you gonna cum on my hand, darling?”
you nodded hurriedly, your fingers curling in his hair, then opened your eyes to find his. he smiled at you, which only made you feel as though your world was crumbling. your back arched against his chest again as you came, and he held you by your core as you squeezed at his fingers, lips leaving repeated kisses across your cheek and neck.
despite the orgasm, you couldn’t help but continue to grind down against jeonghan’s hand, and he indulged your neediness by pumping them into you again before slipping his fingers out of you and pushing you forwards. “wallet.”
you groaned, pushing your ass back against him, smiling at the way his hand tensed on your side. “no please?”
he stared at where you were rubbing against his length. “i’m either cumming in a condom or your ass. your choice.”
he gave you a smug look when you turned your head to giggle at him, but his face almost completely dropped when he realized you were considering it.
“okay,” you said. “condom. this time.”
jeonghan’s cock flinched against you again, to which you responded with a wiggle before pushing off him and walking to the kitchen to retrieve a foil packet from his wallet, leaving him staring after you dumbly. when you turned around to walk back towards him, he had shoved his pants over his knees, leaning back heavily as he stroked himself using the hand you had so graciously wet for him. you gulped involuntarily, suddenly aware of how much saliva was gathering around your tongue as you tore open the condom.
he watched you kneel between his knees, his hand stilling at the base of his cock as you lapped a wet line up the underside of it, tongue swirling over his head. he tasted like you, and you had to swallow again before you rolled the condom onto him. you stood, turning your back to him as you hooked your thumbs under the waistband of your sweats and leaned over slightly as you pushed the fabric over your ass. jeonghan’s hand tightened around himself involuntarily, his other going to feel you. squeeze your hip, pinch at the soft flesh. guide you down onto him as you braced yourself on his knee. you pulled at the underside of your thigh, spreading yourself wider as you sat back onto him, sighing as he stretched you out.
“fuck,” he choked out, both hands gripping at your waist to stop you from sinking more. “shit, you feel really good.”
you whined, rolling your hips back in need. “i’ll feel even better if you let me sit.”
he chuckled. “why do you think i stopped you?”
you looked over your shoulder. “two pump chump?”
jeonghan pulled you down onto him harshly, forcing a squeal out of you as you curled over yourself. it had been a long time since anything had been this deep, and you could already feel your release building with one touch of his head to your spot. “shut up.”
“shutting up,” you muttered, voice almost cracking when he held you still and rutted up into you. 
“god, i can’t believe it took us this long,” he said, steadying you with his grip so you could roll your hips on his lap. “to get me in you.”
“m-maybe if your roommate ever went to cl-lass,” you stuttered, beyond pleased that you could finally relieve this frustration as you slowly bounced on his lap. “f-fuck, you feel better than i imagined.”
you could hear the grin on his face when he spoke again, running his fingers up your side. “have i been fucking you in your dreams, baby?”
“well, you sure - mf! - haven’t been fuh-hucking me in real li-” your sentence getting cut off by a whiney moan when his hips bumped up to meet yours. “god, fuck, jeonghan!”
he pulled himself off the couch, pressing his chest against your back. he pushed up into you, almost desperately, his teeth running across your shoulder as much as his lips did. you gasped, leaning back into him, spreading your legs until your knees hooked on the outside of his, his unrelenting fingers finding your clit, just to make you beg as he pumped in and out of you.
“please what, baby?” he asked sweetly, despite the hair sticking to his sweaty forehead and the way his eyebrows knit together.
“p-please, can i cum again?”
jeonghan groaned, almost taken aback by your complete switch in attitude. while he knew you liked it when he tried to take control, he had never seen you go down without a fight. “who knew all you needed to stop being such a brat was my cock?”
“p-please, h-hannie…” you whimpered, and he could feel your walls constricting around him. “please, i wanna cum.”
desperation became obvious in his own hips, just by taking in your face. he had gone into this with every intention of milking you of everything you had, but he was man enough to admit that your begging made him too close to cumming to stop. “get my dick wet, darling.”
your mouth gaped in a silent cry as you crumpled into his chest, your legs twitching inwards as he moved his hands to your hips and continued thrusting up into you, your walls squeezing him tight until he let out a low groan, slowing his movement until he eventually stilled completely.
the two of you stayed there, a sweaty, entangled mess on the couch, both just trying to catch your breath.
“fuck,” you said finally, and jeonghan thought he couldn’t have said it better himself.
after two packets of slightly overcooked ramen, a conversation about how leaving a used condom on cheol’s bed would not be a funny prank, and a generous spray of febreze fabric refresher, jeonghan watched proudly as you walked with a slight unintentional wobble towards his bedroom, assuring you he’d be right there as he rinsed out your bowls in the sink.
when he did finally join you, you were laying on his bed with your phone to your ear, and he crawled up over you as you giggled into the phone, knees spreading to accommodate. “hannie’s. i told you, i’m staying here for the weekend.”
jeonghan could hear mingyu’s voice on the other end, saying something about how he thought it was next weekend for some reason and that getting laid would be good for you, but he just smiled as he kissed at your neck, your free arm settling around him comfortably.
“why are you calling this late?” you asked, looking over at jeonghan’s bedside to confirm the time. “are you guys going out?”
“yeah, of course. rockbox in an hour. you guys in?”
you tipped your head to the side as jeonghan continued his gentle kisses up your neck, hands running up under your shirt, making you sigh softly. “nah, we have plans. cheol and soonyoung are there, though.”
“okay, no worries,” mingyu said, then paused. jeonghan took the opportunity to bite just below your jaw, gently rolling his hips between your thighs to make you aware of what he was thinking. “are you busy right now, or can you talk?”
a pang of guilt ran through you as you held your breath, trying to not audibly react to the movement against you. you hadn’t been able to sit and chat with your best friend in way too long. “i’m, uh, a little busy? maybe we could get lunch tomorrow?”
jeonghan pulled back and glared at you, a stark reminder that he had asked you to not make plans, but you just put a finger to his pouting lips.
“as long as it’s after noon, i’m down.”
“okay,” you said, brushing your fingers across jeonghan’s cheek and pushing his hair behind an ear. “one? two? stew?”
“one’s good,” mingyu said, his voice sing songy. “okay, i’m gonna get ready. have fun! use protection.”
you rolled your eyes. “everyone keeps saying that.”
“yeah, because you guys are crazy and no one wants to risk it.”
after your byes, you hung up and looked at jeonghan, who was still staring at you with disdain. you sighed. “it’s just lunch.”
“i said no plans,” he reminded you, pouting. “now we have to go get lunch with mingyu when i could be fucking you stupid in my roommateless bedroom.”
“no we don’t,” you said, running your hands through his hair. “i have to get lunch with mingyu. you can do whatever you want.”
“oh, so i’m not even invited?” his eyebrows raised at you. “you do realize i switched a shift so i could spend all day with you, right?”
you giggled. “hannie, i would love to spend all day with you, but i haven’t sat and gotten lunch with mingyu in a month. i miss my best friend.”
he groaned, burying his face in your neck. “stop making sense, i’m trying to be mad at you.”
“you can still be mad,” you said, your fingers softly massaging against the back of his neck. “i like it when you think you’re punishing me.”
he groaned again, hating how you could so easily say the perfect thing to make him forget about anything else. “you’re evil.”
you giggled. “and it turns you on.”
he adjusted against you, trying to ignore his increasing arousal despite his original intentions. “sometimes, you seem like my own personal demon.”
“oh, fun,” you vocalised, brushing your fingers knowingly through the hair behind his ear, triggering a huff as you hit your favorite soft spot of his. “two demons trying to torture each other.”
he laughed as he raised his head, propping it up with a hand. “would you consider this torture?”
“maybe for normal people,” you said, sneaking a kiss onto his lips. “but we’re demons, remember? this is fun for us.”
his lips pouted, less to make a point and more because it was their comfortable, natural state after your lips leave. “i think i like you a lot.”
your face burned. it wasn’t the first time he had said something to that effect, but it made your chest feel funny nonetheless. “that’s reassuring.”
“i’m serious,” he said. “i really like you. and i don’t like people.”
you smiled softly. “i like you, too, yoon jeonghan.”
he adjusted his elbows on either side of you. “i want to be your boyfriend.”
you stared at him. “nah.”
“aye,” he cocked his head, making you laugh. “you said all i had to do was ask!”
“i’m kidding,” you said, putting your hands on either side of his face, pushing his cheeks in. “do you want to meet my parents, too?”
he looked at the wall behind his bed. “maybe that can wait.”
giggling, you pulled him into a kiss. “okay, boyfriend.”
the smile on his lips lingered as you kissed him, and he decided it was time to make sure everyone knew you were officially taken.
“you could have worn a scarf.”
you rolled your eyes, pulling the hood of the sweatshirt you stole from jeonghan’s in an attempt to hide the purple marks on your neck over your head. “it’s not my fault he tried to kill me,” you said, tugging on the drawstrings. “how was rockbox?”
“good,” mingyu said, leaning back. “weird. vernon ended up on stage.”
you almost choked on your water. “and i missed it?”
he laughed, then pulled out his phone to show you a video. “seungkwan made him do the features on a beyoncé song. he killed it, though.”
you watched the shaky vertical video of vernon on stage with a boy you knew but never really spoke to, watching in disbelief and laughing at mingyu’s hollering in the background. “wow. bey seungkwan and jay-v. that’s pretty legendary. i can’t believe i wasn’t there.”
mingyu laughed, shoving his phone back into his pocket. “how was your night? productive, obviously,” he said, gesturing to your neck.
“good,” you said reflexively, then exhaled as you looked at your best friend. “like, really good.”
“okay, spare the details, but like,” mingyu tipped his head and looked at you through his lashes. “good good?”
“mingyu, you know i would never say this lightly,” you put your hands on the table. “the best. seriously. man has a surprising amount of stamina for how much he naps.”
“damn,” he sighed and looked away from you. “y'know, that makes sense. i’ve always heard he was good in bed, and you two have some insane chemistry.”
you spotted the waiter coming, and before they were in earshot, you hurriedly said “plus his dick is huge.”
“oh, my god,” mingyu reeled back, then realized what you had done as the waiter put side dishes on your table. as soon as they left, he glared at you. “why are you like this.”
you grinned. “you were curious, though, right?”
he squinted at you. “doesn’t mean you should just offer up the info.”
“when’s the last time i slept with someone?” you asked. “like, really. it’s been, like, almost a year since i hooked up with rubin.”
his brows ruffled as he thought. “damn, is that true? has it really been that long?”
“let me brag,” you pleaded. “please? he’s so hot, i’m gonna lose my mind if you don’t let me talk about it.”
“i don’t know if i can be friends with you anymore.”
“dude, he spit in my mouth this morning.”
“oh-kay, so you’re buying lunch,” mingyu said, sitting up suddenly. “damn, this morning? have you guys just been going at it like rabbits?”
“i don’t wanna hear it,” you said, pointing at him. “you had to tell me about every guy you hooked up with during your 'hoe-liday’ last winter, you can listen to me talk about a guy i’ve been seeing for almost two months.”
“fair enough,” he laughed. “i don’t think i’ve ever seen you like this.”
you groaned, sinking your head to the table. “it sucks.”
he stared at you. “oh my god, his dick made you fall in love.”
“shut up,” you said, lifting your head to land your chin on the table, curling a paper napkin over your spoon. you pouted as you tried to come up with an argument, but failed. “he’s sweet.”
“he’s mean,” mingyu corrected. “but he’s sweet to you.
"and dogs,” you defended. “and kids.”
“oh, so he’s husband material all of a sudden?”
you shrugged. “i’ve dated people much less likeable than yoon jeonghan.”
mingyu sighed, eating some kimchi. “that’s true. we both have.”
“yeah, so stop making fun of me, asshole,” your eyebrows creased as you leaned back and crossed your arms. “try being happy for me for a change. didn’t you want this all along? trying to get me to ask him out?”
“i am happy for you,” mingyu said, showing some genuinity as he laughed, also leaning back as your food arrived. “you just make it really hard sometimes.”
mingyu had the courtesy of dropping you off back at jeonghan’s so he didn’t have to borrow seungcheol’s car to come get you, and as he pulled up to the familiar apartment building, he gave you his usual “say hi to your boyfriend for me,” as he put it in park, quickly checking his phone.
instead of your normal “not my boyfriend,” you looked over at your best friend and bit your cheek. “sure.”
mingyu’s neck nearly snapped to look at you. “wait, what?”
you giggled. “sure, i’ll say hi for you.”
“did you-” he started, then stuttered, trying to figure out what he was asking. “are you guys, like-”
“he asked,” you said shrugging. “i said yes.”
a grin spread across his face. “really?”
“well, actually, i said no. then i said okay.”
mingyu laughed. “yeah that sounds right. wow, y/n got a boyfriend.”
you rolled your eyes, pulling the hood further over your head to hide your involuntarily hot ears as you adjusted to open the car door. “bye, goo.”
“this is my best friend,” he said loudly, making you stare at him with wide eyes as some innocent bystander walked past the car, all while you tried to pull yourself out of the door. “beautiful, right? sorry though, they’re taken, i’m dropping them off to see their brand new boyfriend.”
“you’re embarrassing,” you said, pointing an annoyed finger, grateful the person only looked back once before continuing. “go home.”
“you have done ten times worse to me,” mingyu said, grinning from ear to ear. “have fun with the pretentious asshole that can’t make an americano right, yoon jeonghan!”
that made you laugh despite yourself, and you shot him several expletives before slamming his door shut and running up the stairs.
after punching in the door code that no one had told you but you had seen enough times to know, you announced that you had returned. seeing jihoon’s chair empty on a saturday was strange, but at least seungcheol and soonyoung were up to their usual antics of playing some game extremely poorly.
you stood and watched the screen for a moment. “you know you can catch the arrows, right?”
soonyoung looked at you. “you can catch the arrows?”
seungcheol groaned. “why would you tell him that? i’m actually winning for once!”
you giggled. “if you dodge when the arrows are coming, you catch them.”
“you can dodge?”
from the other room, you heard a muted “hurry up,” and you saluted to the boys as they argued, following your cue to exit the situation.
jeonghan was on his bed when you shut the door behind you. “what are they yelling about?”
you sighed as you walked over to him. “apparently soonyoung didn’t know you could dodge in towerfall.”
he watched you pull off the sweatshirt - the same one he had worn on your first kinda date - to admire the marks he had left on you, then blinked when he realized what you had said. “we play that game all the time, how did he not know?”
you shrugged, then crawled into his waiting arms. “he’s not very observant.”
you sighed as you settled against jeonghan, and he kissed the top of your head. “how was lunch?”
“good,” you said, smiling. “gyu is good. it was nice to catch up.”
jeonghan clicked his tongue. “you guys talk every day.”
“okay, yeah, but,” you adjusted to look at him. “talking on the phone and hanging out with other people is different. we can’t talk about the same stuff.”
“well, what’d you talk about?”
you smiled. “wouldn’t you like to know?”
he squinted at you. “aren’t we supposed to be a team now? no secrets?”
“okay,” you said, fixing his bangs. “what were you and seungcheol talking about in his room yesterday before i got here?”
jeonghan couldn’t help the tiny smile that worked its way into his face. “did soonyoung tell you?”
“i would never reveal my source,” you said triumphantly, knowing it couldn’t have been anyone else, considering jihoon had already left. “also, he was pissed that you kicked him out while he was still sleeping.”
“if i could have just dragged cheol into my room, i would have,” he sighed. “trust me. i can pull soonyoung out of bed, but seungcheol is dense.”
you inspected his lips a moment. “were you talking about me?”
“uh,” jeonghan adjusted under you, putting a hand behind his head. “no, not really. soonyoung got a job, and me and cheol are both working more now. i wanted to talk about getting a bigger place, since our lease ends in the summer.”
you vocalised excitedly. “does this mean you’d get your own room?”
“that’s the idea, yeah,” he said, grinning. “you could stay over more.” and while he hadn’t lied - they had discussed larger apartment options, and decided to start looking by the end of the month - he failed to mention that the main purpose of him isolating seungcheol was to confirm he was crazy for wanting you to join them if they did move.
“i mean,” cheol had said, barely propping himself up in bed. “it might be a bit too early to tell, but you guys seem like the real deal.”
jeonghan spun in soonyoung’s desk chair, arms crossed. “but i’m insane, right? like, we haven’t even slept together.”
“they’re coming over for the weekend, yeah?”
“yeah.”
“so let’s talk about it again on monday?”
jeonghan kneaded at his jaw, exhaling. “yeah, okay.”
now, you had slept together. not only that, but you slept together, all night, in the same bed, and jeonghan woke up with jumbled poetry in his head when he found you curled up by his side. despite living in this apartment for nearly a year, it felt most like home with you in it. 
and he had told seungcheol, when he got home from dropping you off for lunch, that he was pretty damn sure he wanted to wake up like that every morning.
he wondered how you would react, if you would want to take the leap and move in with him. part of him felt as though he was taking advantage of your situation for his own selfish want to have you around all the time - you would do literally anything to avoid being in a dorm next year, but your housing budget wouldn’t accommodate for anything more than a goshiwon. while that wasn’t the worst option, you always talked about how much you missed living in a normal space, with a stove. a full sized fridge. a real bathroom, instead of a cramped wetroom. if he were to ask you to live with him, you would likely say yes, but would that put too much strain on your relationship too early? or would you think he was moving too fast and say no? his mind whirred silently as you buried your face in his neck.
“what’s on your mind?”
jeonghan blinked. “nothing.”
“liar.”
he sighed. “you.”
you lifted your head. “am i what’s making your heart beat so fast?”
he hadn’t even realized his pulse had quickened. he swallowed, briefly wondering if he would ever be able to truly hide anything from you. “maybe. what did you and mingyu talk about?”
you laughed. “i was hoping you would forget.”
“i never forget.”
“we talked about a lot,” you said, fiddling with the collar of jeonghan’s tee. “classes, summer plans, boys…”
he raised his brow at the last subject. “boys, huh?”
you smirked at him playfully. “yeah, our waiter was cute.”
he scoffed in your face and you giggled, then flattened his shirt against his chest.
“we talked about you. i told him we were official.”
“how’d that go?”
“he made fun of me, but it’s fine because i told him you have a big dick.”
jeonghan’s hand went from behind his head to cover his eyes, letting out a half-groan and half-“really?”, but the smile on his lips told you he wasn’t mad. “why? why would you tell him that?”
“he’s my best friend!” you laughed.
“okay, why did you tell me that?”
“i’d thought you’d like to know,” you said, pouting slightly. “he might respect you now.”
he uncovered his face just so you could see him rolling his eyes before he tried to sit up. “okay, no more cuddling.”
you whined, trying to keep him in place, but failing. “but i just got here!”
“maybe you shouldn’t have left in the first place,” he teased, getting out of bed to turn off the air purifier he usually only ran at night, but had been too preoccupied to turn off that morning. “i told you i intended to keep you in bed all weekend, but you didn’t care.”
“i’m here now,” you pouted. “in your bed.”
“take a nap, then,” jeonghan said. “i’m gonna eat.”
you groaned. “you didn’t eat while i was gone?”
“too busy pouting in bed. your turn.”
you floundered and whined childishly for a moment as he laughed at you, leaving the room without another word. sometimes you hated how similar you two were, but only because it made you completely aware of just how annoying you were.
when jeonghan returned, you had completely passed out, holding his pillow under your head as you laid on your stomach. he smirked in the direction of the sleeping body and fiddled with a few things - closing the closet door, throwing a rogue shirt into his hamper, etc. - before making his way to the bed to join you.
his touch was gentle. enough to rouse but not frighten. you squirmed slightly, recognizing the way his hand dipped into even the most subtle curves of your body as you laid out comfortably. you gave a noise of approval when it ran over your ass, squeezing slightly. jeonghan smirked again, and you turned under his arm to face him, a soft smile on your lips.
“g'morning.”
“it’s four in the afternoon,” he corrected.
you sighed. “and it’s a good morning.”
“sure is, babe,” he drawled, smiling as you planted a smooch. his hand ran unhurriedly up your back, under your shirt.
you hummed. “are you really horny again?”
“listen,” he mumbled, almost laughing. “i just want to get of much of you as i can, while i can.”
you supposed that was as good a reason as any as you kissed him again, only for him to pull away and straddle the backs of your thighs. he pushed the balls of his palms into your lower back on either side of your spine, and you let out a low moan. jeonghan did this on occasion, treat you to a back rub. he claimed it was because you had the worst posture he had ever seen, but you knew it was an excuse to get his hands all over you, and you couldn’t hide how much you enjoyed it. you adjusted to lay straighter, burying your face in the pillow when he hit a particularly evil knot and had to dig it out with a thumb. you groaned as his hands travelled up your back, sliding the shirt up as he massaged into your shoulders. you sighed as you got up on your elbows and ripped off the shirt, tossing it somewhere on the floor, exposing your full back to him, your shoulders and neck littered in his marks. he admired them, even planted small kisses atop a few, then worked his way down your back, curving his hands over your ass.
you muttered a quiet thank you, and he smiled, giving you a succinct “of course” in response. he moved down to your legs, thumbs sneaking in your inner thighs and subtly spreading you out despite your pants. you hummed, pushing your hips to meet his touch, encouraging him to knead at your cheeks.
“have i ever told you you have a great ass?”
you giggled. “it’s average at best.”
“uh, no,” he said, voice pitched upwards in a teasing manner. “i think i’m a really great judge in asses and yours is fantastic.”
“yeah?” you peeked over your shoulder. “what’s so fantastic about it?”
jeonghan’s fingers dug into it, eyes shooting up to meet yours. “well, for starters, it’s connected to you.”
he ran a thumb over your crease, making you let out a small noise in response, and you buried your face in the pillow again. “shut up.”
he smirked against your shoulder, hands running up your back again and one landing on the mattress beside you as he pushed his hips against your ass. “yes, boss.”
you sighed, arching your back to get as much friction as you could while he ground his hard member against you. he sucked at your neck, and your hands dug helplessly into his hair as you whined.
“are we teenagers?” you asked, huffing. “do we have to dry hump or can we fuck like adults?”
jeonghan laughed as he lifted his mouth to ghost over yours. “impatient. if you were better, you would have asked for my cock nicely.”
“better,” you repeated, hating the way a hard wave of arousal washed over you, suddenly wakening your senses like it was from the pacific. “for you?”
the tip of his tongue barely swiped at your lips, your jaw twitching slightly in reaction. “you gonna be good?”
you tried to focus on him, your blown out eyes flickering hopelessly to his lips. “i-i can try.”
and with that, jeonghan yanked your pants over your hips and down your thighs, scooting them down as you hiked your ass up slightly, hoping to tempt him as efficiently as possible. his hands found your ass again, spreading you out as you groaned. “look at you, soaking.”
you bit your lip, making a pathetic noise into the pillow to avoid talking back. “please, jeonghan.”
two fingers ran over you, and you tried to muffle your moan as best you could as your hips moved involuntarily, pushing into his fingers. he smirked down at you, wondering how far he could take you as he messily spread your arousal. “bet you could take two right now.”
“yes,” you said, gasping slightly. “please, hannie, please, i can take it.”
he pushed two fingers into you, barely even scissoring them before pushing in a third, making you bury your face in his pillow as you groaned. “i’ve been fucking you good, huh?”
you nodded frantically, pushing against his hand as steadily as you could. he noted your neediness, and indulged you by thrusting his fingers into you until you were whining rhythmically to his pace. he pulled a finger out, then another, and you instinctively threw a hand back to catch him before he pulled away completely. he laughed lightly, his hand easily overpowering yours and pressing a kiss against your shoulder blade.
“sorry, were you close?”
you exhaled sharply. “that was so mean.”
“i’ll make it up to you,” he said, pulling your hips further off the bed and pushing you further apart. he licked a wide stripe up your core, and you moaned deeply into the pillow, gripping it with all your power as his tongue expertly ran over your clit. “you taste incredible.”
you panted as you turned your head. “i thought you just ate.”
“i have a separate dessert stomach.”
your thighs buzzed and gut fluttered, and you wondered how he always managed to make you weak in the knees, even when his tongue was buried in you. it wasn’t long before you were gripping at his wrist, knuckles white, quaking as his lips guided you through your orgasm, and he lapped at your release, licking wet stripes up your inner thighs as well.
when he backed away, you exhaled again. “jeonghan-”
“what?” he asked, pushing his own pants down his thighs. he stood to drop them to the floor before straddling you again, pulling your hips back against him. “is this what you want?”
your hand found his thigh, urging him towards you. he rubbed the head of his cock, already shiny and scarlet, against your core, and you practically begged on the spot. suddenly, he pushed you into the mattress, pushing his hips against yours but fucking into your thighs. you whimpered, his cock rubbing against you absolutely deliciously, but not at all what you were expecting. he groaned into your neck, snaking a hand up under you.
“god, you’re so wet, i almost don’t even need to fuck your pussy.”
you yelped when his fingers found a nipple and pinched. “h-hannie, please-”
“please, what?”
you squirmed. “please fuck me.”
he looked at you. “you get one more try.”
for a moment, you looked back at him and your mind went blank. “please, hannie, i need your cock.”
he smiled. “was that so hard?” his tone and kisses were sweet, but completely mismatched the frustration bubbling in you as he pulled back, making you moan again as the head bumped over your clit. “do you trust me?”
“yes, baby, please just fuck me before i scream.”
with one hand on his cock, he guided himself into you, a moan tumbling from his lips as he felt you completely unsheathed for the first time. you gripped the pillow in a tighter fist as he filled you out, and it took all your concentration to not squeal in a way that absolutely would have been heard by the entire apartment. his hands gripped your waist, pulling you back onto him as he fucked into you. as you adjusted to him, you began to curse the fact that this was only temporary - you would have to go back to unreliably private quickies in a few short days - and you suddenly got the urge to really savor the way jeonghan’s cock felt in you.
he leaned over you, changing the angle ever so slightly and just enough to make you cry out, and he put a palm at the base of your neck, wrapping his fingers around it slightly as he pushed you into his pillow. “i could fuck you raw forever.”
you tried to catch your breath to respond. “i would let you.”
you internally celebrated the low groan that escaped him, and the way his hips pushed impossibly further into you. externally, you rewarded the movement with a matching moan, though you slapped a hand over your mouth when you heard the game pause in the other room.
“don’t want them to hear you, baby?”
you whimpered into your hand as jeonghan kissed a line up the side of your neck, steadily rolling into you.
“can’t even talk?”
you shakily pulled your hand away from your mouth, trying to stifle your noises with just your will. “cheol already hates me.”
“he doesn’t hate you,” he said, his voice getting slightly more labored as he continued his pace. “i bet he’d love to hear your pretty moans.”
you clamped your hand over your mouth again, resisting jeonghan’s luring the best you could. he smiled against the hollow of your ear, nipping at it slightly.
“i know you want to, baby. just let it out.”
as he spoke, he shifted his hips, making you let out a high toned moan that was barely muted by your palm, and you buried your face in the pillow to avoid jeonghan’s shiteating grin.
“i love the way you sound when i’m fucking you,” he said, his voice never raising above his lowest register. his ability to keep his cool as you were utterly falling apart was perhaps simultaneously the most aggravating and sexiest part of the whole affair. “and you always back up against me like a bitch in heat.”
you reached back for a hand, but he swiftly grabbed your wrist to push it against your lower back. your chest heaved, and you hurriedly added your other wrist to his grip. with one hand restricting your arms and the other pulling your hip back against his, he licked his lips at the sight.
“i’m going to wreck you,” he panted. “i’m going to make you forget anyone you ever fucked before me.”
you let out harsh breaths as your chest pushed into the mattress. “already have,” you managed, peeking best you could over yout shoulder to the glorious view behind you. you enjoyed the way his tongue shot out between his lips, the way he watched his cock fill you tightly. you even liked the way his hair flopped over his eyes, even if you thought he was in need of a haircut. but you especially liked that he looked like he got lost in you. like he would never want anything but you.
you came fast and hard, squeezing him temptingly as you whined into the pillow. with that, he pulled out and rolled you over, fingers hooking at your pants to pull them off completely. you bicycle kicked to help him, then practically pulled him into you as his lips crashed into yours, hands pulling you as close as he could while you both repositioned your bodies. your hand went down to position him at your entrance again, and you gasped into his mouth when he slid into you again. his teeth tugged at your bottom lip, one hand gently massaging the back of your neck as you whimpered against him.
“you’re being so good for me,” he muttered, purposefully brushing his lips against yours with every syllable. “have i finally tamed you?”
your legs wrapped around his waist. “no chance in hell.”
he grinned, letting you pull him into more sloppy kisses as he steadily pulled another orgasm from you, and you couldn’t help but want him to cum with you. his eyebrows knit as your hands dug into the hair at the base of his head, eyes barely focusing on your lips as you begged for him to cum in you.
“you’re evil.”
you could barely smile. “and you love it.”
you choked slightly, body edging into overstimulation as you came again, and jeonghan pushed up off of you to better chase his own high. he pumped into you, hard and rough, for a few more seconds before you felt suddenly empty and he was shooting hot ribbons of cum up stomach and chest.
you bit back a moan, arching your back slightly as he stared down at your chest, leaning down to lick his cum off your nipple. you gripped his hair again, squirming as he sucked lightly, lapping more cum towards the peak. you tugged at his roots slightly, pulling him up to kiss you before he got you hot and bothered again when you weren’t sure you could handle more. 
“i can’t believe you pulled out.”
jeonghan laughed in your face. “i asked if you trusted me.”
you pouted. “i thought that meant you were going to choke me out.”
he kissed you again after a short chuckle, then sat up to grab tissues. “maybe next time.”
he didn’t say it like it was a promise, but he kept it like it was one.
and when your weekend of nonstop bedroom antics was over, you admittedly had fulfilled yourselves enough that the following privacy draught was almost bearable. sure, jeonghan asked you a couple times to come sit on his lap while he worked on lab reflections, and yes, it was much less innocent than one would think, but the two of you managed to keep unfortunate walkins to a minimum, which was only made possible by finally getting it out of your system.
also because you decided your thursday 7:30 was barely worth it most weeks, and jeonghan was always happy to run over to your dorm to fool around for a few hours while your roommate was in class.
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sysmedsaresexist · 3 years ago
Note
(Thank you)
1. Can you be a system with absolutely no idea what caused you to split? Or to not be aware of your trama at all?
I’ve only very recently come to terms with the fact that I have trauma and haven’t done any work on it yet. I don’t have an event I can point to and go “this traumatized me.”
2. What does it feel like to have an alter front?
3. Are systems usually aware they’re a system before they’re diagnosed?
4. Do alters always know what they look like beforehand? Previously I thought alters knew everything about themselves but one of the answers I got mentioned hosts sometimes helping to figure out names.
I'm curious what kind of answers you've gotten to these so far that made you seek us out, of all people, lol
1. Can you be a system with absolutely no idea what caused you to split? Or to not be aware of your trama at all?
Absolutely, both of these scenarios are not only possible, but completely normal. We're going to switch these around and talk about them in the opposite order, starting with, "not aware of trauma at all". The purpose of a system is to hide trauma. When you're young and going through traumatic situations, and you dissociate, what usually happens is one of two things. Either the child mentally goes away (dissociates, imagining being in a different situation, ignoring what's happening to them in the moment), or they imagine actually being someone else ("this isn't happening to me, it's happening to someone else, I'm (fuck it, uh) Zoro, and I, Zoro, can handle this"). Both of these scenarios lay the groundwork for the creation of a system, and both cases lead to the loss of memory of traumatic events when a child experiences that extreme level of dissociation over prolonged periods.
What this means is, there is no one event that creates a system. It's event, after event, after event, until the child can no longer form a cohesive sense of self. They've become too reliant on dissociation as a coping mechanism, these dissociated parts have taken on a life of their own, and a child's identity has become so fractured and they're so confused that they can't tell who or what they are, and the memories of why are scattered between these parts.
It's not as easy as pointing to an event and saying, "That was it. That was what happened, that's what did this to me-- to us."
This sort of plays in to the next point of, "why did a specific alter split." And this can apply to childhood, later, hell, today, ten years ago, fifteen years from now. It's not always as easy as pointing to a specific event for each alter, either. Some alters take months and years after an event to come forward and make themselves known. This can make pinning down their "origin" almost impossible. What made them could have happened a long time ago. Sometimes it's not a specific event, but a combination of several events, just like in childhood. Are your parents always fighting? Maybe, by the tenth time they're blowing up at each other and you're curled up in your room trying to ignore it, a part finally splits to help you handle that stress. It wasn't specifically the tenth fight-- it was the combination of ALL of the fights.
2. What does it feel like to have an alter front?
This depends. I'm old. I've experienced a lot of different feelings when someone else fronts. When I was kid, it sometimes felt like I was asleep. No memories of it, just blissful darkness, no real time loss, things would go dark for what felt like ten minutes, and then I'd be back, several hours later, barely even realizing I had missed an entire day. I also had pretty bad maladaptive daydreaming, and sometimes I would go into my daydreams while another alter took over. I just thought this was normal. I was just REALLY good at multi-tasking, you know?
When I got older, and I learned more about what was happening, sometimes it would feel like a battle to the death-- two of us fighting desperately for front. Sometimes it honestly felt like a punch to the head-- a knock out when I lost, unpleasant darkness, fear, anxiety, what was I going to come back to? Other times, when I won, I was left with a massive headache and exhausted. Sometimes I welcomed the break, and over time, it became easier. It became like watching things happen through a foggy window. Sometimes I wanted to do something, and I couldn't, and sometimes I felt helpless and lost. As communication got better, I could see more clearly, I could ask for things to happen, I could occasionally... steal a moment, use a hand, set something straight on the counter that was bothering me.
When an alter fronts, it can feel like a lot of things, depending on the situation, depending on communication levels. There's no "one way" or "right way".
3. Are systems usually aware they’re a system before they’re diagnosed?
I would say, in the age of the internet, it's more likely than not that someone is aware they're potentially a system, than it is for them to be completely unaware at the time of diagnosis. Before the internet, before you could just google symptoms, a lot of people weren't aware prior to diagnosis. Even these days, it's not unheard of for someone to only find out around the time of diagnosis, because you don't always realize you're losing time, or have amnesia. Your alters aren't always so completely different that the people around you notice and point it out. The entire point of this disorder is for it to be unnoticeable. It really just depends on the person, their exposure to information about the disorders, and how bad their dissociation is. Some know, some don't. Some go seeking therapy for help with other issues and eventually it just comes out over time that you have something else going on. Sometimes you suspect, and you go to therapy specifically for it. It's different for everyone.
4. Do alters always know what they look like beforehand? Previously I thought alters knew everything about themselves but one of the answers I got mentioned hosts sometimes helping to figure out names.
Not at all. It's actually really common for alters to be... essentially blank slates in the beginning. Let's look at the example above, of the child dissociating out of a bad situation. If they're going away into their daydreams, the body is essentially left unattended. Any alter that forms in that moment could considered to be "blank" at the start. In the other scenario, you know who Zoro is, what they look like, what they like and dislike, what their history is. It doesn't even need to be a character you know of, maybe you, like me, had MaDD, and you'd become one of your characters, your OCs. I had one.
She was strong and had superpowers and was beautiful and confident-- and that was one of my first alters. I imagined being her often enough that I could eventually take the other route, disappear into my mind while she handled it herself (this was totally normal multi-tasking, apparently). She knew who and what she was right off the bat. What she looked like, her history, her personality. In the first scenario, that alter may or may not come up with that information on their own. They may remain blank until communication is good, and then they might start to grow, maybe you do help them find a name, maybe they find it years later on their own. Again, there's no "one way". It depends on the circumstances.
-
You sent a second ask with some more questions, and I think this leads into the next one.
Is it normal for an alter to feel more comfortable in the body than the original host?
Like, you look in a mirror and you think “yeah this is [alter name]” Not really as a negative or positive feeling, just a neutral and true one. Being trans (or mistaking the presence of a different gender alter [the alter in question] for it?) might also effect this.
This can happen, yes! In the case of my OC/alter, of course she looked like me. She was everything I wanted to be when I was a child. She can look in the mirror and say, yup, definitely me. This is what I've always looked like, and I'm perfection.
I have another alter that just... isn't bothered by appearance. He looks in the mirror and it's like, "yup, I guess so, cool -finger guns-"
There's a lot of reasons some alters might be more comfortable in the body than others, and they're all totally normal.
-
And finally. The last question:
What is a tupla?
This is, surprisingly, a very loaded question.
First, right off the bat, the use of the term tulpa is cultural appropriation. I don't claim to be an expert, but to put it simply. The actual practice of tulpamancy is nothing, NOTHING, like what it's being used for in system circles. Here's a really, REALLY good post on how it's been twisted from the original practice and westernized.
The more accepted terms in system circles are willogenic, parogenic, and thoughtforms. These are "headmates" that are intentionally created. They're imaginary friends brought to life through meditation and practice. Some systems claim to be DID/OSDD and say they've intentionally created some alters, making them "mixed origin" (it's more likely that someone has convinced themselves that it was intentional and their choice in an attempt to feel a sense of control over their situation). Some endogenic systems claim to have intentionally created their entire system (which, because on the levels of dissociation needed to create alters, I don't believe is possible without a traumatic origin).
I hope this all helps, I hope it all made sense, if you have more questions, let me know!
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toastedqueso · 4 years ago
Text
Show Me The Way
Pairing: Yuta x Original Female Character | Reader
Genre: Friends With Benefits, Smut, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Warnings: Unhealthy coping mechanisms, Explicit sexual content (Oral Sex, Unprotected Sex), Language, Yuta has tattoos and nipples piercings (I put that out in the universe, please make it happen)
Word Count: 2.1k
Summary: After an unpleasant meeting with her mother, Chloe seeks comfort in her best friend Yuta. She thinks back to how they started and how they got here. Two hearts beating together, but can the two hearts be together?
Random Word Generator Prompt:
Must be about Yuta
Must contain these words: Therapist, Benefit, Judgment
A/N: This is part of the Random Word Generator Challenge with a friend. I tried to keep to 2k words, but it's slightly longer. Oops! Also, please practice safe sex!
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Dinner with her mother leaves Chloe fuming. Chloe’s mother has a habit of dropping by unannounced under the guise of motherly duty only to remind Chloe how disappointing she is. In her eyes, Chloe could never meet her standards for perfection. After graduating high school, Chloe left to go to college on the other side of the country to escape her mother’s suffocating clutches. Unfortunately, her mother started making unannounced visits when she sensed Chloe trying to distance herself.
For the sake of her sanity, Chloe always spends their time together going through a list of her favorite things - shows, songs, food, even her favorite socks. This was something her Therapist had taught her to do - do something pleasant when faced with something unpleasant. This time, she only makes a list of 25 songs before her mother cuts their meeting short. Fortunately for Chloe, her mother has to get drinks with her business partners - the real reason she’s in town.
Now back in the comfort of her apartment, Chloe does breathing exercise from a meditation app to calm down. This is step 1 in her “post-motherly interrogation meltdown” recovery manual. Step 2 is waiting for Yuta’s text. A notification appears on her phone alerting her of Yuta’s text.
Yuta I’ll be over in a sec your mom she sucks
The text calms her a little. Step 3 was set to go. Yuta is the only person she finds she can confide in without judgment.
While she waits for Yuta to arrive, she thinks back to how their friendship was molded. They met during Freshman year when they both ran into their English class late and the Professor kept them both after class to reprimand them. They both sulked out of the class, but once out of the classroom they burst into fits of laughter. Their shared misfortune from the start of their college careers led to their inseparable friendship.
Yuta was an open book. He spoke freely and Chloe never had to second guess his intentions. It took Chloe some time to open up, but Yuta was patient and never pried for information. Chloe’s relationship with her mother further strained when she told her she switched her major from Business Administration to Psychology. Yuta was there to witness the call and was there to lift her spirits by dragging her to a wild night out to get absolutely trashed.
Their relationship took a turn after Chloe had drunkenly confessed to Yuta how sexy she thought his tattoos were.
“Only my tattoos?” Yuta teased.
Chloe shoved Yuta. “You’re sexy. And I’d fuck you right here. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
Yuta laughed. “I only wanted the truth. And for the record, you’re sexy and I wanna fuck you too.”
Chloe blushed, more from his words than the alcohol. She leaned in to give him a kiss with more tongue than her sober self would have allowed. Yuta broke the kiss and looked in Chloe’s eyes.
“While I want nothing more than to fuck you till you can’t walk, you’re drunk. If you remember this tomorrow, then we can pick up where we left off,” Yuta offered.
The next morning, Chloe sported a hangover, but remembered everything from the night before. Yuta knew she’d be embarrassed to face him, so he came over with breakfast to help lighten the mood before they talked. She was silent while eating breakfast, but after her stomach felt slightly better she had enough courage to broach their drunken proposition.
“Soooo the cat’s out of the bag,” Chloe tried to joke.
“You mean pussy?” Yuta replied in a playful tone.
Chloe scoffed while Yuta laughed at her reaction.
“Well, we’re both hot and we know how we feel about each other, SOOOO,” Yuta replied. Though he wanted more, he wanted Chloe to decide what she was comfortable with.
“Yuta, I don’t want a relationship,” Chloe shot down instantly. Judging by the look of shock on Yuta’s face, she knew that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“Don’t get me wrong, I want you. I want you SO bad, but, you know, me and relationships, they don’t work out,” Chloe explained.
Yuta did know. He witnessed Chloe have her heart broken countless times throughout their friendship. He guessed her failed relationships might have also had something to do with her mother.
“Well, you can have me how you want me, Chloe. We can still be the same Chloe and Yuta, best of buds, but now upgraded with the physical benefits. You know, friends with benefits,” Yuta suggested cautiously. He looked rather shy and seemed a little unsure of himself.
“Are you okay with that?” Chloe eyed him carefully.
“Seriously? Already trying to kill off my genius idea?” Yuta reverted back to his usual playful nature.
“I don’t want to hold you back from relationships. If you ever want to move on or get tired of me, just tell me. I’ll be fine.”
Yuta reached out to cradle her face in his hands.
“Chloe, don’t overthink it. I’ll never get tired of you. We’ll always be friends. We’re just two very hot friends having sex like all the time. It’s what the universe wants.”
Chloe laughed and sealed their deal with a kiss.
The knocking on her front door breaks Chloe from her reverie. She quickly opens the door and Yuta practically jumps in to hug her.
“I came as fast as I could,” Yuta says out of breath. Chloe feels slightly guilty for making him rush over.
“Thanks Yuta. Sorry if I interrupted something,” Chloe says as she sits on the couch. He shakes his head to brush off her apology.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Yuta asks softly as he sits down and places a hand on her knee.
Chloe is touched by his genuine concern, but brushes it off. She takes his hand off her knee and straddles him.
“You know I didn’t call you here to be my Therapist,” Chloe replies. She grabs the bottom hem of his shirt and swiftly takes it off.
“You want me that bad?” Yuta tilts his head back on the couch and laughs.
“Shut up and kiss me, idiot,” Chloe demands. Yuta smirks before he molds their lips together. He starts off slow and tender, before she licks his lower lip signalling him to go deepen the kiss.
Chloe quickly takes her clothes off while Yuta struggles out of his jeans. Growing impatient, Chloe pulls Yuta closer as she sits naked on the couch. She moves her hands down his chest before her fingers delicately brush over his nipple piercings. He lets out a soft moan before he grabs her hands.
“Tonight it’s about you,” Yuta says, taking her hands off of him.
Yuta kneels in front of her and throws her legs over his shoulders. He licks her clit and feels her legs shaking already. He slowly inserts a finger in her pussy while he continues licking her clit. He sneaks a peek at Chloe and sees her writhing in pleasure.
“You’re so wet,” Yuta comments.
“Shut up and make me come,” Chloe demands. She grabs his hair and pushes his face closer to her clit.
Sensing her impatience, he adds another finger and picks up the pace of the thrusts. He slightly curves his fingers and goes back to licking her clit. Chloe tightens her hold on Yuta’s hair and curses when she feels her orgasm come over her. Once she comes down from her high, she lets go of Yuta’s hair. She looks down and sees Yuta looking in her eyes while licking his soaked fingers.
Before Yuta takes his boxers off, Chloe pushes him onto the couch. Chloe kneels in front of him and softly kisses the butterfly tattoo peaking out of his boxers on his left hip. She grabs his dick out of his boxers and smiles at how hard he already is. She licks the head of his cock before slowly licking up and down the shaft. Yuta lets out a moan when she takes his whole dick in her mouth. The sight of her sucking his dick makes him want to lose control and fuck her mouth. Chloe’s mouth keeps a steady pace on his dick, which makes him whine.
Yuta grabs her hair and pulls her up for her kiss. Tasting Yuta’s restlessness, Chloe straddles him and lines up his cock to her pussy. Without breaking the kiss, she slowly lowers herself before raising her hips then slamming back down faster. Yuta grabs her face to break the kiss.
“God, your pussy feels so fucking good,” Yuta says before he delicately kisses her earlobe.
Chloe finds her rhythm and picks up the pace taking him deeper each time. Yuta’s hands move up to massage her breasts, inciting a moan from Chloe.
Yuta can sense that Chloe is about to reach her orgasm soon by the way she’s digging her nails into his shoulders. Taking over, he grabs her hips to steady her before he starts thrusting up into her pussy at a rapid pace.
“FUCK! I’m gonna come,” Chloe warns as she starts rubbing her clit.
Chloe moans as her pussy tightens around Yuta’s dick. Yuta kisses her as she rides out her orgasm. Yuta reaches to pull out, but Chloe stops him.
“I want you to come inside me,” Chloe whispers in his ear before she kisses his neck.
Yuta grabs her ass to press her body closer to him and picks up the pace of his thrusts. Chloe kisses down his chest before licking his left nipple piercing and rubbing the other.
“Fuck! Keep doing that,” Yuta demands.
Not long after, Yuta feels the familiar feeling of pleasure and comes deep inside Chloe. He pulls her face away from his nipple piercing to meet him in a kiss. Coming down from his high, he holds her close as they steady their breathing.
Yuta quickly grabs some tissues as he pulls out and wipes his cum off before it drips out Chloe and onto the couch. He throws the tissues away before returning to the couch to snuggle with Chloe.
Although neither of them would say it out loud, cuddling after sex was one of their favorite things to do together. Yuta buries his face in her hair, pondering how to best choose his next words. He gives Chloe a kiss on her temple, catching her attention.
“You know I’m here for you whenever you need me.” Yuta reminds her as he combs her hair with his fingers.
“I know,” Chloe replies, fearful of what Yuta may say next. Yuta wasn’t usually much of a talker after sex.
“Chloe, I want to be there for you even more than I already am. If you let me,” Yuta confesses.
“Yuta,” Chloe starts. Even if he doesn’t explicitly say it, she knows he wants more.
“Come on, Chloe.”
“You know why. You know what I’m like.”
“Yes I do and that’s why I want you,” Yuta tries to convince her.
Yuta accepting her despite all her issues and flaws should be comforting, it is comforting, but Chloe doesn’t want to let him in. Chloe sighs and closes her eyes. This was not what she wanted to deal with after mindblowing sex. She needs to keep herself centered from her conflicting emotions.
“Forget what I said. I’m leaving,” Yuta announces. He quickly picks up his boxers and jeans from where they were strewn.
Chloe stays silent as she watches Yuta get dressed, unable to find the words that might comfort him. She would be lying if she said she didn’t feel the same as Yuta, but she didn’t feel that she deserved something so good when there was so much bad in her life.
“The sooner I’m out of here, the sooner you’ll want me back anyway,” He lashes out as he grabs his shirt.
“Yuta, It’s not like that,” Chloe starts.
“No it’s cool. I know my place.” Yuta hastily slips on his shoes and opens the front door. “See you tomorrow.”
He steps out of the apartment without turning back.
Chloe feels bad for putting him through this. She feels bad he wants more. She feels bad she can’t bring herself to say she wants more too.
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solivagusdraco · 3 years ago
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From the Depths of a Lab: Boundaries Between Nonhumanity and Creativity through the Journey of a Potential Silvally 'kin
I'm a dragon.
That's a fact I've known for over a decade at this point. It was pure chance that I ever even learned of otherkin - somewhere along the line, one of my best friends mentioned being a therian, and so I asked what that was. If I ever had any doubts about my draconity just being something developed because I heard this new fascinating thing… the fact that I still feel my wings and get sense memories when I search for them, even after this long, would eliminate those… we'll call them worries. Perhaps a poor choice of words, but it's what fits in my experience - I'm firmly in the spiritual otherkin camp.
And perhaps that, and my continued journey to understand psychological 'kin, is part of the "problem" that spurred this essay.
Again, perhaps a poor choice in words.
This isn't some discussion about facets of the community, or debate on origins. My experiences aren't another's, just as theirs aren't mine. This is an essay on personal exploration, and the adventure of trying to confirm or deny a kintype whilst sifting through muddy water, years after I've last done any serious introspection on such topics. But if you're still interested in the personal ramblings of this dragon, then I welcome you and will pull up a nice rock for you to sit on. All I ask is patience, for words are hard for me. Talking about myself is even harder.
I awakened as a Dragon in 2010. I found a hearttype in Painted Dogs in 2014. Both of which were… simple.
I found my dragon in meditation and introspection, finding memories of both sense and the more traditional kind. The senses persisted, and still persist. Perhaps one day I'll wake and realize I'm not a dragon, but that doesn't change what I am now, nor how I feel. I am a dragon, and I found that through soul searching.
I found a home in painted dogs during a chance trip to the zoo. They had just recently finished a new exhibit for those fancy canines, and for some reason I just felt so excited to go see these creatures I'd never heard of before that moment. And then I saw them and while I didn't feel like looking in the mirror… It felt like looking through a photo album. I'm not them, yet still they're so familiar.
But this isn't an essay about dragons or canines. Or perhaps it's an essay about them both, just in a different, chimeric form.
Pokémon has always been a part of my life. As of writing this, I'm 27 and the franchise is 25 - the only part of my life without Pokémon are years I don't even remember. I learned the TCG, my first video games ever were Gold and Silver, I had plush and played pretend with my friends. I had favorites… but I never made a character. Not a trainer, not a Pokémon. Rather, it was literal decades before I made a proper Pokémon OC.
Sev the Silvally was made out of a desire to try and run a Pokémon ask blog as a means to improve my art skills through regular practice. I don't even remember the thought process that made me choose a Silvally over any of the other hundreds of Pokémon - I just knew that I'd started drawing and suddenly I had a crime against Arceus with a broken RKS Drive. Granted, Type: Null and Silvally had been my favorite Pokémon of that generation, and my inspiration for the blog was a Type: Null blog.
Later on, Sev would become something of a comfort and coping character for me.
I had been abused by someone I considered one of my best friends in high school, and while I had since recognized it as abuse by the time of Sev's creation… It still bothered me. So I decided to have Sev's escape from the Aether Paradise be that he was stolen by an abusive trainer, and his evolution happened when that trainer turned her abusive hand to a Rockruff pup - an evolution not through love for his trainer, but rather through a desire to protect. Sev escaped his abuse and got the chance to learn how to live without the shadow of his trainer looming over him, just like I hoped to do. Escape that shadow. Let Sev be my guide through the nightmares and hate scrolling that still persisted.
He stopped being just a character.
But what does this all have to do with otherkin?
As I mentioned, Pokémon has been a part of my life for effectively my whole life. Yet despite that… There's never been a Pokémon that gripped me with the intensity that Silvally has. I've hungrily looked for merch, official and unofficial. I'm in the midst of making a fursuit, complete with electronics. One of my Tumblr usernames is multi-attack, and oftentimes now when making an account on a website, the first thing I check is if 'Silvally' is taken as a username. The design I painted on my mailbox is of my dragon and Sev, in a sort of "coat of arms" reminiscent style. This chimeric Pokémon latched on to some part of my mind and refused to let go.
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And yet it wasn't until this past year that I even considered that Silvally could be something other than a "mere" favorite character.
Perhaps it's a hearttype. Perhaps it's a kintype. Perhaps it is just a mere favorite character. Introspection is the answer, regardless. My way to find just what Silvally is to me. But then there comes another question. Another problem.
With my dragon, the hunt for memories was clear cut. I had no existing thoughts to sway the hunt, and what memories I eventually found… They had little comparisons to various dragon media I'd consumed. But I start this investigation with Silvally at a disadvantage - I've made a character with crafted backstory, and consumed what little canon information exists on the species. There's no blank slate for me to start from - whatever search I do will always be colored by Sev and his tale.
So then I have to ask myself:
Is Sev his own character, or is he me?
I've never had a character that I was able to just write. Perhaps it's akin to soulbonding, but what I've read on that experience just doesn't quite taste right for the circumstance. I'll create a path for my characters, a baseline for their personality to grow on… but all too frequently, they end up bucking those guidelines and becoming their own person, as it were. They don't keep me company in my mind, but they still make their own minds clear should I try to direct their story or actions in ways they don't agree with.
Where does one find the boundary between self and other, when those "others" make their own decisions yet aren't their own entities?
To say nothing of my tendency to dole out my flaws and traits to each of my characters. Each little facet of myself being the seed from which a character will grow. Sometimes as the simple fact that the familiar makes creation easier. Sometimes as a means to work through a problem. But regardless of reason, it doesn't change the fact that almost every character I've ever made has had some piece of me in their core.
But… When every character you make is a facet of yourself, the moment you consider that they might be more than just a character gets muddy. Is it a hearttype, born from a facet of yourself that your subconscious decided you needed to care for more? Or is that facet just a part of you that recognized what you were, long before your consciousness connected the dots? And if kintype it is, then how do you determine what memories are real? Were the plot points and character biology you designed mere fabrication of the mind? Or were they flashes of another life, fleshed out, recorded, and/or adapted in the name of writing?
As if the discovery and determination of memories wasn't already complicated enough.
Sev's name was the only decision I consciously made whilst creating him - shortened from 'severance', as his creation was for the partial purpose of finally separating myself from old memories. Everything else just… happened. There was no rhyme or reason or choice to anything. Not his color, not the reason he and the other Silvally of his world were created. Every plot point, every musing on his biology was a simple moment of "Oh, so that's how it happened".
In what way is that different from how I found my dragon, with her quiet nights of meditation and introspection until the memories and feelings fell into place?
Now don't misunderstand - this isn't me saying that discovering a kintype is nothing more than making a character. That couldn't be farther from what I'm saying! Rather, I'm musing on the question of where the boundary is between the creative process and the discovery process. If Sev (or just Silvally in general) isn't a kintype, then it's still fascinating to me that his creation was so similar to me discovering my dragon. And if he is a kintype? Then is that particular creative process something to be mindful of when contemplating "original character" kintypes?
Perhaps this question would be easier to find an "answer" to if I knew what Silvally was to me… but I don't! That's almost the point of this essay - a vague attempt to knock some solid feeling thought loose from my mind.
It just happened to lead to a fascinating line of thought.
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gffa · 4 years ago
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Star Wars: The Jedi Mind takes quotations and lessons from Star Wars and pairs them with practices such a breathing, posture, and meditation. The Jedi Code is focused on peace, knowledge, serenity, and balance—principles that readers can engage in their own lives. The philosophical tenets are applicable not just in the galaxy far, far away, but also in our own galaxy, here and now.
Quoted wisdom offers day-to-day life lessons
An accessible pop culture spin on the Star Wars universe
Features 20 color illustrations to illuminate the book's thoughtful advice
"Trust your feelings."—Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars: The Jedi Mind is the perfect gift for Star Wars fans looking for balance, and seekers of inner calm open to learning from the Jedi Masters.
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YOUR FOCUS DETERMINES YOUR REALITY IN THE JEDI MIND — EXCLUSIVE      Breathe. Just breathe. Reach out with your feelings. What do you see?      Mindfulness is as much a part of the fabric of Star Wars as the Force itself, guiding characters to pause, reflect, and get in touch with their feelings as well as their surroundings. So it seemed like a natural fit as Amy Ratcliffe was exploring the topic for her new book, The Jedi Mind. Part self-guided mindfulness primer and part appreciation of the practice of mindfulness woven throughout the Jedi teachings, the book is paired with beautiful illustrations from artist Christina Chung to give readers bite-sized meditations on everything from letting go to looking inward.      StarWars.com is pleased to give you your first look at the cover as well as pages and passages on gratitude and more! Plus, we sat down with the author to discuss what inspired her to link her own practice of mindfulness to the Jedi mind and how she hopes the book can help readers and fans who are new to the idea.      Before we clear our minds of questions, here’s what Ratcliffe had to say to a few of ours… StarWars.com: Fictional stories can be such an important tool for understanding our own feelings as well as universal experiences and ideas. What inspired you to start thinking about mindfulness and how it’s exhibited in the Star Wars saga?      Amy Ratcliffe: It started with meditation. Pausing to meditate and breathe opened the door to mindfulness for me. It’s just one of the many ways to practice mindfulness, but it’s the cornerstone for me. Whenever I would meditate, I would think about the Jedi. Specifically, I think of Qui-Gon Jinn dropping to a seated position and meditating during his battle with Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The first time I saw the movie I was so surprised by that. Like, “Buddy, what are you doing right now?!” But as I sank deeper into the world of Star Wars, I realized how much sense it made for Qui-Gon — specifically Qui-Gon — to pause when he had a chance and be in the moment.      Then as I thought more about that I considered the Force and how the Jedi teach others about it and the things Jedi say about the Force. Obviously the Force doesn’t exist in our lives and mindfulness is not called out in Star Wars, but they pair together beautifully. StarWars.com: I love that you connect a quote, character, or moment to a real-life aspect of mindfulness on each page and include a suggested practice. As a self-proclaimed worrier, do you have a favorite passage or page? Can you talk about why it speaks to you so profoundly?      Amy Ratcliffe: Mindfulness helps me stay more centered, but I’m always going to worry. I can spiral like a champ. Writing this book and going through all the practices repeatedly meant I really got to learn which ones work the best for me. One thing I struggle with is how I react to situations around me and how I allow external forces to affect me — particularly the ones I can’t control. In Star Wars Rebels Bendu told Kanan, “Only you can change yourself.” I connected that moment to a self-acceptance meditation. Kanan was carrying so much weight on his shoulders, particularly after his battle with Maul and losing his eyesight, and Bendu’s guidance helped Kanan accept himself as he was. That really hit me. StarWars.com: It’s also important to note that you can really jump around in this book. You could read it in one sitting or pick a few pages at random, or even bring it into your yoga practice and read one page before starting each session. Why was it important to you to structure it this way?      Amy Ratcliffe: I didn’t want the book to be daunting. Especially if someone isn’t sure about mindfulness or how to approach it. Mindfulness is a vast world; it can be hard to know where to start. And while I absolutely encourage anyone interested in learning more to do so, The Jedi Mind goes over mindfulness basics and then it’s kind of like a sampler platter (which is always a terrific choice when you can’t decide on a single appetizer). Pick the book up, admire a soothing illustration, read a quote tied to the Force, and learn how to adapt it for practical use. Maybe you’ll skip around a few pages before finding one that catches your eye. Maybe you’ll want to go page by page and try everything. It’s about whatever works best for your style! StarWars.com: Christina Chung’s illustrations are also just gorgeous! We have two pages to share today. Can you tell us a little bit about each one and your collaboration with the artist?      Amy Ratcliffe: I almost just suggested skipping through to look at all the illustrations first because Christina’s work is so beautiful! So, do that. Christina contributed to Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy, and when my editor and I started discussing what kind of illustrations would be in The Jedi Mind, we knew she would be perfect. As I wrote the text, I made suggestions for characters and possible poses for every quote and practice. I didn’t know which ones we’d end up illustrating, so I wanted to cover my bases. For “Gratitude,” I gave a very basic note like, “Anakin and Ahsoka.” That was it. So helpful. With “See What is There” I suggested Maz Kanata peering through her goggles as she did in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.      And in both of those cases, Christina took those suggestions and made them blossom. She chose such calming color palettes and all her strokes are elegant and truly elevate the text. Her work adds such a unique factor to the book. I’m so grateful she was willing and available to contribute. StarWars.com: What do you hope fans and readers will get out of this book?      Amy Ratcliffe: My wish is that readers find at least one practice to help them savor a moment. To experience it fully. Because mindfulness isn’t about zoning out, it’s about tuning in with all our attention. And to readers unfamiliar with mindfulness, my hope is that framing practices in the context of Star Wars will encourage them to take their first steps into a larger world.
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thomasthetankengine · 4 years ago
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MGAU - Rosie’s Element
Characters: Rosie, Daisy, Nia, Mavis, Rebecca, Emily, Thomas (Minor), Henry (Mention), Sir Topham Hatt (Mention)
take some LORE! theres more to the magical girl squad than just weapons :0000 
Rosie and Daisy were sitting together in Daisy’s garden, watching the frogs hop past and the stream babble along and the leaves sway in the breeze. Everything was a magnificent green; flowers offered splashes of color and illuminated the bright landscape. 
“Something you get with being a magical girl,” said Daisy, “is powers.”
“What kind of powers?” asked Rosie.
“Oh, y’know, powers.” Daisy laughed at her lack of explanation. “But for real, you find your element and that element enhances your physical abilities. Ever wonder how Emily can do all those flips and jumps without breaking a sweat?”
Rosie nodded. 
“Her element is Wind. Air’s manipulated to give her boosts when moving.” Daisy plucked a flower from a nearby bush, cradling it in her hands. “Mine is Life. It’s honestly the only reason this garden isn’t dead yet.”
Rosie laughed too, leaning over to look at the flower. “What can you do with your element? Besides, well, gardening.” 
“Good question, mon amie.” Daisy poked Rosie’s nose playfully as she spoke. “And the answer is, you never know. Magic manifests itself in mysterious, fickle, uncontrollable ways.”
“What does that even mean?” Rosie asked. 
“Well...hm…” Daisy thought for a moment as she began to think her answer through. “Magic decides what it wants, when it wants, and how it wants. It’s just hard to control and will act on its own.” 
“Oh.” Rosie was quiet for a few moments. “That sounds difficult.” 
“Oui, it’s frustrating at first, but you get used to it. You adapt.” Daisy removed the petal from the flower, and another one grew in its place only seconds after. “You just have to think how your magic thinks.”
“...magic thinks?” 
“For lack of better words,” said Daisy. “It chooses what it wants to do, rather than you. I’m not sure why, but Nia said she’s been studying it.” She paused, then gave Rosie another boop on the nose with a smile. “Something tells me you haven’t figured out what your element is.”
Rosie smiled back at her. “How so?”
“You’d know at least some of this, then.”
“Alright, alright, you got me,” Rosie said with a laugh. “How do I figure out my element though?”
Daisy put her hand to her chin in thought. “I found out mine through meditation. Why don’t we try that?” 
Rosie nodded and crossed her legs and shut her eyes. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Twenty. Twenty-five. Thirty. Rosie concentrated long and hard on finding her element--or, her element finding her--but didn’t have much luck.
“I don’t think this is working,” Rosie said, finally.
Daisy shrugged. “Why don’t you ask Nia then? She’s been researching magic.”
Rosie nodded and stood up. She bid farewell to her friend and went on her way to find Nia. 
~~~
“Yeah, and then she told me to ask you, since you’ve been looking into magic,” said Rosie to Nia. Nia was hard at work repainting her engine, while Rosie sat upon the loosely constructed fence. “So...what is your element?”
“Fire,” Nia answered. She kept her focus on her work, choosing not to demonstrate her power. 
“I thought you had Wind too. Since, like, you and Emily both were good at all those acrobatics,” said Rosie.
Nia perked up. She loved explaining this aspect of her ability. “Well, it all begins with how hot air is less dense than cold air, causing it to rise. I heat the air to give me a boost! Well, my magic does, hehe.”
“Makes sense, makes sense.” Rosie nodded. She did not understand at all. “So...you and magic are separate, yes? How does that work?”
“Think of magic like...a dog. It’s its own being, y’know? But you can teach dogs tricks, like how you can teach magic to help you,” Nia explained. 
“Oh, that sounds easy!” Rosie smiled. 
“Mhm, it’s pretty quick to get the hang of. Our powers are granted by Lady, so, y’know, they like to do good things.” Nia turned around. Her overalls were stained with orange paint, but she didn’t mind. “What’s your element, then?”
“I’m...not sure, actually.” Rosie rubbed the back of her head. “That meditation session with Daisy didn’t really tell me anything, hehe.” 
Nia put her hands on her hips and thought for a moment. “Maybe you were forcing it. Magic is fickle.” 
“So, how would you recommend I find my element?” Rosie asked. 
“I found my element while working. I was having trouble getting my engine’s fire started, and boom, there it was,” said Nia. “So, maybe you’ll find yours when working on the railway. After all, Lady is a goddess of the railroad…”
“You’re right,” Rosie said, and she bid her friend farewell in order to get ready for her next shift and continued on her quest to discover her element and master her magic. 
~~~
The next day, Rosie worked long and hard on the railway. She shunted trucks and passenger cars. She brought empty trucks to the Ffarquhar Quarry, where she stopped to have a chat with Mavis while she had spare time. 
“Element?” Mavis raised an eyebrow as she took a sip of her cola. “Yeah, that came pretty easy to me, I guess. But I wasn’t working when it happened, nah.” 
“So...how did you find it?” Rosie asked. 
Mavis hummed to herself as she thought. “Well, I was arguing with my brother, and uh, well, the ground started shaking. Guess I got so pissed my magic took note.” 
Rosie blinked. 
“Yeah, it was weird.” Mavis then laughed. “I had to lie and say Sodor is on a faultline so that’s why it happened.”
Rosie laughed too, but she wasn’t quite sure why it was funny. “If I get really mad, maybe I’ll find my element,” she said.
Mavis shrugged. “Try me. Get pissed.” 
Rosie scrunched up her fists and face and thought very angry thoughts. She thought about the magical beasts threatening life on Sodor. She thought about Ska and how her physical form was taken from her. She thought about how Sir Topham Hatt was a capitalist. Her thoughts were very angry. 
Mavis laughed. “Sorry, sorry, you look like you’re taking a shit.”
Rosie stopped and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Mavis was right. 
“Hm, maybe you should try asking Rebecca,” Mavis suggested. “She found her element in the middle of a fight with my dad.” 
“Really?” 
“Yeah! Big guy came home telling me how cool it looked,” Mavis said.
And once their break was over, Rosie entered the driver’s cab of her engine and went on the search for Rebecca. 
~~~
Rosie met with Rebecca at the end of the work day back at Tidmouth Sheds. The sun was setting over the sheds, reflecting off the murky brown pond water nearby. 
“Roro!” Rebecca smiled and greeted Rosie with a hug. “Do you need something?”
Rebecca hugged too tight, causing Rosie to let out a quiet squeak. Nonetheless, she hugged back. “I’m trying to find my element, and Mavis said you might be able to help.”
“Oh, really?” Rebecca let go and tilted her head to the side. “I don’t think I’ll be of much help with this.”
“C’mon, every little bit helps!” Rosie took Rebecca by the shoulders and playfully shook her back and forth. 
“Alright, alright-!” Rebecca put her hands over Rosie’s to stop her from continuing to shake her. 
Rosie stopped and listened to Rebecca’s story. 
“Alright, so I was in a fight with Dayton, yeah?” Rebecca leaned back against the wall of the sheds. “By the beach. And he retreated into the water since, oh, let’s be honest, Daisy would’ve killed me if I got my dress wet.”
“Hehe, she would’ve.”
Rebecca kept speaking. “That was when my magic kicked in. The sea split, and Dayton was so in shock I could just walk up and whack him!” 
“It was that easy?” Rosie asked.
Rebecca nodded.
“Can we try?” Rosie added. 
“I think I’ll kick your ass,” said Rebecca, “But I don’t mind a spar.”
That was when Thomas, their coworker, walked by. “A spar?” he asked. 
“I’ve been taking fencing lessons,” Rebecca lied. “I was going to show Roro a thing or two about the basics.”
“Woah! That sounds sick!” Thomas said. “Can I watch too?”
Rebecca could only laugh and nod, though she really didn’t know much about fencing. She only knew the swordplay Nia had shown her, and she hadn’t practiced that at all. Nonetheless, she tried her best, and her best was enough to convince Thomas that she knew how to fence.
The sun then set over Tidmouth Sheds, and Rosie and Rebecca each returned to their own home to rest the night and begin tomorrow’s day. 
~~~
On her way to work the next morning, Rosie stopped to chat with Emily. Emily lived down the lane, in a neat little apartment, and over tea they spoke. Emily brewed better tea than Henry, Rosie noted. Both brewed bitter teas, but Henry’s always had a salty taste. 
“So you’re looking for your element,” Emily said with a sip of her tea. No sugar, no milk, just pure black. “I think I was the first to find mine.” 
“And how did you find it?” Rosie asked.
“Hmm…” Emily paused for a moment in thought. “I sneezed. Silly, I know, but that was when I first noticed it showed up.” 
“That’s weird. So, it was just random?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Sneezed, then accidentally made a small tornado,” Emily explained. “If you’re looking for your magic, I suggest you take it slowly. You can’t really force it.” 
“I know…” Rosie sighed. “It’s just, it all sounds so cool, y’know? Nia’s fire, your wind, Rebecca’s water, Daisy’s life, Mavis’ earth...I just am pumped to see what I wound up with.”
“And you’ll find out soon, don’t you worry. It’ll come with time,” said Emily. She gave Rosie a pat on the shoulder. 
“Waiting is boring.” 
Emily laughed. “I’m sure it is. Why don’t we go cause some confusion and delay to take your mind off of it?”
Rosie could only laugh too, and she nodded. 
That day at work, Rosie shunted slower than usual and mixed up the order of Henry’s passenger cars and trucks. Henry and Emily thought it was very funny, but Sir Topham Hatt was cross. However, Rosie was in the union, so there was nothing Sir Topham Hatt could do about her minor mixups on the rails. 
~~~
That evening, Rosie curled up in her bed after turning off the room light. She had enjoyed the past few days. She got a joke fencing lesson from Rebecca, had a meditation session with Daisy, learned about magic and elements with Nia, shared drinks and jokes with Mavis, and had fun causing confusion and delay with Emily. She didn’t know her element, but she was happy. 
She turned over in bed to turn on the lamp on her bedstand. Perhaps she’d finish reading that book Henry loaned her that night. However, just before her hand hit the switch, the lamp turned on. 
This was her magic. Electricity. With an excited grin, she picked up the book and began to read, illuminated not by the work of a power station but her own power. 
~~~
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kristallioness · 4 years ago
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The candy thief
Summary: Kya goes to search for some healing candy.
Word count: 3,218
Author's note: Honestly, I came up with this idea BEFORE I fell ill this past Thursday. *angry muttering* Long story short, my dad caught a nasty cold about 2 weeks ago and apparently, now I finally have it, too (so does my mom, which makes sense since we're all cooped up together at home, as most people are nowadays). Luckily it started off with only a mildly sore throat this time (that's pretty rare in my case) and the rest of the symptoms were barely noticeable, so I'm fine with that (and as of this Tuesday, I already feel quite normal again, which is good since I gotta be healthy if I wanna get my flu shot next Friday). At least I had a personal point of reference while writing the story (not that I intended to have one *lol*)... Anyways, I remember when I was a little girl, then sometimes I didn't dare to admit that my throat was sore, or I really hoped that it'd go away if I waited long enough. Instead, I chose to suffer for at least half a day (before the pain became unbearable or I realized that it isn't going anywhere), cause I was afraid that my mom would start lecturing me that I wasn't careful enough when I caught that cold in the first place (she did anyway, but just a little bit, and after that she of course did everything to help me feel better). So, I kind of took that idea and self-inserted my silly child version into Kya's character, to show how she'd try to keep it secret for as long as she could by sneaking past her mommy to find some medicine on her own. Which, knowing Katara, is practically a "mission impossible".
----------x----------
Telling mommy was the last thing on Kya's mind. The 3-year-old reluctantly swallowed another mouthful of warm jook, lifting up the next bite with her spoon as she still had the other half of the plate to finish.
"What's the matter, sweetie? Aren't you hungry?"
Kya shook her head and quickly took a bite to not arouse suspicion. Katara eyed her for a second longer, then shrugged her shoulders and continued drying the rest of the dishes.
The poor little waterbender had no idea how much longer she could possibly tolerate this pain. Ever since she woke up, her throat had been killing her. Last night, it started off as a weird scratchy feeling on one side, which didn't really seem that bad when her mother tucked her in bed. But by the time morning arrived, it had spread all across the back of her throat.
"You seem kind of quiet this morning. Is everything okay?" Katara wondered, running the towel over the ladle she'd used to cook breakfast for herself and her baby girl.
"Mhmm," Kya hummed and nodded with her mouth full. She wished that she could enjoy this delicious food more without having to think and prepare herself for the burning sensation each time she swallowed it. Jook was one of her favourite dishes, but it certainly didn't taste as pleasant as usual right now. She'd had enough of this torture.
Kya grabbed her half empty plate from the kitchen table and hopped off the high chair to walk over to her mother and hand the dirty dishes to her. Katara smiled and squatted down as she saw her baby girl approach her, taking the plate off her hands.
"Can I go play?" she asked innocently.
"Yes, sweetie. You can go ahead and play in your room now."
After receiving a tender kiss on her forehead, Kya hurried out of the kitchen. But instead of scampering back to her bedroom, she tried to be stealthy and reach the infirmary without her mother, or anyone else seeing.
Kya knew very well what would happen if she told mommy the truth: first, mommy would become angry and she'd get berated for not taking care of herself better. Then, she'd get dragged to the healing hut inside their temple and her mommy would poke her with these scary instruments to find out what's wrong. And finally, she'd have to drink some sort of bitter tea or take some other kind of nasty medicine for a couple of days before she started to feel better.
Coming clean was surely out of the question. There had to be another way she could both hide, yet relieve her suffering. So she decided to take matters into her own hands.
Kya managed to sneak into the infirmary room unnoticed. She gave the hallway one last glance to be certain she wasn't followed, after which she made her way to the cupboards at the back of the room.
The healing hut, as her mother liked to call it, was a spacious room no bigger than the dining hall used by the residents of their little island. She passed several empty beds, which were covered with indigo blankets that had pretty flower patterns on them, and white pillows for resting your weary head on. These beds were meant for mommy's patients - be it a member of their own family, one of the air acolytes, or sick strangers who desperately needed mommy's help from time to time. Kya never liked having to sit on or rest in any of them.
As she reached the other end of the room, she paused for a minute to think. There were two cupboards on the floor and three cabinets hanging up on the wall. They all looked the same with their delicate wooden carvings, but they contained various items that mommy usually used to help sick people feel better. Now came the hard part: where to find the right medicine?
Kya knew what she was looking for. The last couple of times she'd suffered from a sore throat, Katara had given her some special lemon-flavoured candies to suck on, which helped soothe the pain until it disappeared a day or two later. If she could get her hands on them, she might be able to make it through without having to tell her mother.
The little waterbender opened the squeaky doors of the first cupboard and had a peek inside. She didn't have any luck on her first try. The shelves were full of materials for wrapping up sprains or bandaging wounds, along with a couple of clean towels and a few tins that contained stinky salves.
It was the same with the other cupboard right next to it. Nothing resembled those candies Kya remembered eating the last time she was sick. She had no other choice but to get a closer look at the cabinets high up on the wall. The problem was how was she ever going to reach them?
For a little girl like her, it was supposed to be impossible. Katara had stored all the vitamins, pills and pointy medical instruments up there, so her kids wouldn't get their hands on them and harm themselves by accident.
Kya climbed up on the nearest bed to have a better view of what's in there. But she was still too far away to open the cabinet doors on her own. Was there anything she could use as an extension of her arms? Maybe she could make a lasso out of the towels or an elastic bandage and toss it around the handle?
Instead, she noticed the two big pots filled with bending water in the corners of the room. Mommy would normally use that water for healing purposes, but it gave her an idea.
The little waterbender knitted her brows, summoning an uneven stream of water from one of them. She couldn't control the element exactly the way she wanted it to behave, but if she could just get it around the door handle..
And then there was a loud bang. The 3-year-old startled and lost complete control over the water, which splashed down on the cupboard below, leaving a small puddle in front of it on the floor.
She'd nearly managed to pull the cabinet door wide open when she lost her waterbending grip and gravity did its job, thus causing it to fall back shut. Her mother's tactic justified itself. It was a miracle if she didn't hear the noise.
Kya climbed back down from the bed to go clean up the mess. Using her clumsy waterbending, she attempted to place the water back into the pot. The blobs she carried between her hands dripped from beneath, leaving a trail of wet spots on the floor.
"What are you doing there?"
The next blob fell down on her booties and soaked them. She'd left one important variable out of the equation - her daddy returning from his morning meditation outside in the pavilion. She stood completely still, having been caught red-handed. Or wet-handed was more like it.
"Nothing," she uttered, guilt written over her face. Aang stepped inside the infirmary, surprised to see his baby girl in there in the first place. She avoided this place like fire.
"It sure doesn't look like nothing. What happened? Why's there water on the furniture?"
Kya hung her head in shame as her daddy squatted down in front of her, laying a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, I'm not mad. I just wanna know what happened. Were you practicing your waterbending?"
She shook her head in response.
"No? Then what were you doing in here?"
Kya stared up at the row of cabinets hanging from the wall, taunting her for her small height and inability to fend for herself. She pointed her finger at the one she'd tried to open earlier.
"I wanted healing candy," she said, sparking a bit of confusion in her father. She didn't know any fancier words that'd describe the medicinal sweets she was after.
"You wanted what?"
"Healing candy," she repeated one more time, watching how daddy waterbended her shoes dry so her feet wouldn't get cold. Not that it mattered anymore since she already had a cold.
"Don't tell mommy," the 3-year-old pleaded. Now Aang felt even more confused.
"Why not? I'll help you clean up here and tell mommy it was an accident. It's no big deal."
To demonstrate, he waterbended the top of the cupboard dry with one simple flick of his wrist. He moved on to cleaning up the wet tracks on the floor.
"Mommy's gonna be angry."
Her reasoning made the airbender chuckle since there'd barely be a trace of the mishap left by the time he finished.
"What? Why would mommy be angry at you?"
"Cause my throat hurts."
Aang had to pause for a second as everything began to fall into place. He dropped the dirty water into the sink and turned to face his daughter.
"Oh, you poor thing.." he murmured, running his fingers through her hair to console her.
"Now I get it. You wanted some of those special candies that mommy has that can soothe your sore throat, right? But you couldn't reach the cabinet, so you tried to open it with your waterbending."
"Mhmm," the little waterbender agreed with a nod. Aang pondered for a minute before he proposed a plan that wouldn't frighten her any more than she already was for going behind their backs and lying about her condition.
"Tell you what, I promise I won't tell mommy about your sore throat. But I need to go ask her where she keeps those special candies so I can give you some. Okay?"
Kya wasn't too happy about that last part, cause then her mommy would figure it out. But it was the only way she could get her hands on the right medicine if daddy didn't know where to look for it either.
"Is there anything else I can get you? Your mini Appa, perhaps?"
"No. I want candy," she said, determined to get rid of the constant burning sensation. She didn't care whether mommy would be mad at her or not anymore. She just wanted the pain to go away.
"Alright. Be a good girl and wait right here. I'll be back in a minute."
Aang patted her head before standing up and leaving the room to go search for Katara.
In the meantime, Kya perched on the edge of the bed opposite to the cupboards to give her feet a rest. She swung them back and forth, patiently waiting for her daddy to return. Mentally, she was preparing herself for the lecture her mother was bound to give her on being more careful when it concerned her health.
She pricked up her ears, but couldn't hear her parents talking in any of the rooms nearby. Her curiosity got the better of her after a minute or two had already passed, so she went to peek into the empty hallway. Once she saw her mommy stepping out of the kitchen, she quickly hurried back to the bed where she was told to stay.
"I'll show you where it is, so the next time you need it, you'll know where to look," Kya heard her mother speak. It wasn't long until she entered the healing hut, followed shortly by her daddy.
But to her surprise, mommy looked happy rather than angry. She headed straight for the middle cabinet and opened the door on the left side. Katara didn't even seem to notice that she was sitting there on the bed behind them.
"It's right here on the lower shelf, next to the bottle of vitamins."
She picked up the correct box of lozenges and put it on the cupboard for her husband to see.
"Alright, I'll definitely remember it now. Thanks!"
He gifted her with a tiny peck on the cheek. The little waterbender already felt that she was off the hook. While her parents were distracted by their show of affection, she'd hopped off the bed and squeezed herself between their bodies to reach for the medicine on the counter. But it was too far away, and then her mother came down to her level to talk.
"Kya, do you wanna tell me what's going on? Why's daddy looking for these healing candies?"
All of a sudden, she felt cornered again. Maybe mommy wasn't as clueless as she'd hoped. Kya stared up into her daddy's grey eyes in search of answers, unsure about what she should do. Luckily, Aang helped her out.
"Do you want me to tell mommy?"
Her mouth fell a bit agape. It wasn't until then that she realized that daddy had kept his promise. He hadn't mentioned a word to mommy about her being the reason why he wanted to know the location of the candies.
Ultimately, Kya decided it'd be better if he took the blame. She nodded. And that was all Aang needed to hear, or see.
"She has a sore throat," he confessed, squatting down to her and Katara's level, pulling their baby girl into his protective embrace by resting an arm around her shoulders.
Kya looked away, expecting her mother to raise her voice at her. Instead, she felt her mother's warm hand cupping her cheek and gently lifting her chin up so she could look her in the eye. She was frowning.
"Oh, sweetie.. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
When she remained silent, Aang chimed in.
"She was scared that you'll get angry at her for falling ill."
"Is this true, baby?"
The little waterbender fiddled with her fingers for a bit, then gazed into her mother's blue eyes and nodded shyly. Katara released a heavy sigh, as if she'd been holding her breath the entire time.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I never mean to get mad at you. It's just that.. I'm worried about you when you don't feel well. And when I'm worried, sometimes I might overreact a bit."
"A bit?" Aang laughed, but shushed up when Katara glared at him. She continued brushing her fingers through their daughter's hair to soothe her.
"The point is.. Next time you feel sick, you don't have to be afraid to tell me, okay? We all get sick every now and again. The important thing is to start the right treatment as soon as possible, because then you'll feel better a lot quicker. Do you understand that?"
Kya didn't comprehend everything what her mother said, but she did understand that her mommy felt sorry, and that it's okay to approach her the next time she felt under the weather.
"Come here."
Katara spread her arms and invited her baby in for a hug.
"Now, will you be a brave little waterbender and let mommy have a look at your throat?" she whispered into Kya's ear, to which she broke free from the hug and ran back between her daddy's legs, hiding her head under his shawl. Aang started laughing again.
"Looks like she's still scared."
Even Katara found the situation to be funny. She giggled as she stood up and opened the other side of the cabinet where she'd gotten the lozenges.
"Kya, I'm not going to hurt you," she reassured the little waterbender, who turned around to peep at what she was doing from under her red hood. Her mother placed a glass tube on the counter, next to the box of candies she wanted.
"I only wanna look into your mouth to see if your throat is red," Katara claimed as she knelt back down and shifted closer to her. Aang urged Kya to come out of hiding and take a step closer to her mommy so she could examine her.
"Can you open wide and show me your tongue, like this?"
Katara demonstrated for her by sticking out her own tongue, hoping that Kya would mimic her. Once she did, she pressed her tongue down with a wooden stick to see the back of her throat. It did seem a tad red, but there was nothing that would indicate a serious infection.
"Good girl," Katara praised.
"Say 'Aahh'!"
"Aahh!" Kya repeated obediently, allowing her mother to pull the stick out of her mouth. Next, she threw it away in the trash bin and gently pressed her fingertips below her jaw on either side of her neck.
"Don't worry, I'm just gonna feel your neck for a bit to see if it's swollen," Katara explained while palpating the lymph nodes in that area. She tickled her chin in the end, earning a short giggle from her baby girl. It was high time she rewarded her for her good behaviour.
"Alright, I think you've been through enough."
She reached for the box of lozenges, pulled it open and pushed one out from the blister pack.
"Here you go, sweetie. Suck on this and your throat will feel a little better for a while."
Kya took the yellow piece of candy from her mother's palm and shoved it in her mouth. After she'd swallowed a couple of times, the dissolving medicine slowly began to do its job.
"Thank you, mommy!"
The elder waterbender grinned and gifted her with another tender kiss on her temple.
"You're welcome, baby. Do you mind if I take your temperature while you suck on your healing candy? I wanna be sure you don't have a fever."
Since the little waterbender showed no signs of protest, her parents escorted her to the nearest bed. Aang sat down next to her for moral support, watching how she happily sucked on the lozenge while his wife tried to measure her temperature.
Katara grabbed the thermometer and squatted down in front of Kya. Using her motherly, but caring tone, she explained in rather great detail why she's tucking it under her arm. It was a sight that made the airbender's heart flutter with joy - a healer doing what she does best.
"Aang, could you apply some pressure here to make sure it's in contact with her skin and doesn't slip anywhere?"
"Sure."
He held his hand against Kya's upper arm to keep the thermometer in place for a few minutes. She no longer seemed to mind them prodding her in any way. She had what she'd wanted: sweet relief, literally.
Katara stroked their daughter's rosy cheek with the back of her hand to pass the time. She wore a loving smile, but her brows were furrowed in concern. She was thinking of a way to remind her baby girl why it was essential for her to know when she's sick.
"Sweetie.. I wanna help you feel better, but I can only do that if you tell me what's wrong. Will you promise me that from now on, when you don't feel well, you'll let mommy know right away?"
"Okay, mommy."
Katara let out a content hum at that. She scooted closer and pressed one last kiss on the little waterbender's forehead.
"Good girl. And in turn, I promise I'll try not to overreact so much."
She pulled the thermometer out from under her tunic and had a look at the silver line of mercury inside the glass. Her smile grew wider, she had no fever.
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onelovewonderwoman · 5 years ago
Text
tater tots and chocolate shop (a.k.a. chen’s convenience store) || eddie brock x reader
listen listen... i know i’ve been gone for a long time and i legit have no excuse but i hope you guys enjoy this unedited excuse of a fic. thinking of doing a smut for this or something smut like for venom/eddie for my other smut blog tho. but we all know we can’t trust me when i say i’m releasing shit anymore smh
tags : @santa-feigh @i-just-wanna-run-hell @munalisax @spiduhgirl @hell-on-cheese-wheels @geeksareunique @violentlybarnes @imissyoualittlemoreeveryday @the-quackson-claxon @curly-haired-holland @courtneychicken @marvel_themed @heycreehere​ @min-amani​ @simonsbluee​ @delicately-important-trash​
words : 4133
warnings : not anything really, just that venom eats someone per usual if ya know what i’m saying... that came off sexual, as sexual as i am, that wasn’t what i meant, he really does just eat a guy sksksksk, also let’s just pretend that chen is single although i’m not sure
“this is venom in eddie’s head”
“this is eddie in his head”
masterlist
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Eddie really didn’t expect anything new today - Which is something eerily weird for a man housing a deadly symbiote in his own body. Really, he never actually knew what to expect, but never anything out of ordinary; that is, his ordinary. Then again, he had gotten into the swing of things. Having scored a new job as a journalist, three months prior, spent his days at work, although that meant out and about the city of San Francisco. Then, he’d drop by Chen’s convenience store every couple of days to pick up the symbiote’s, Venom, favourite snacks (and now forcefully his too); tater tots and chocolate. For whatever reason, it made an impression on the creature, so Eddie rolled with it. 
The new thing Eddie didn’t expect, though, was the woman behind the counter. Usually, he would walk in and see Ms. Chen behind these counter, greet her as usual, sometimes even getting an earful from her about how “tense he looked” and how he should start meditating (although, that is why he loved the woman - she felt sort of like a concerning mother figure to him), pick up what he needed then pay and leave. Simple. 
Except this time, there was no Ms. Chen behind the counter. 
No, this was a young woman. Eddie thought she couldn’t be over twenty-two. Sure, the college textbooks in front of her behind the counter made it more likely, but she looked like she was practically still what anyone fairly older would call a girl in place of a woman albeit she was. 
Her head was down when he saw her through the glass doors of the store, holding a pink highlighter in her hand as she read through the open book in front of her, highlighting things ever so often. An earbud dangled from her left ear, the wire of the abandoned earbud bunching up at her front when she brought her arms around her to lean against the counter. 
She looked smart. It didn’t help Eddie that she was beautiful either. Sure, he sees beautiful women everywhere he goes every day in the city, but truth be told, the man became somewhat of a shut in since his break up with his ex-fiancé, Anne followed by the recent presence of Venom. 
Although this time, Eddie figured he wouldn’t be just passing her by like he does other women every day. No, she was new. Obviously, Chen wouldn’t just have her there for the day and leave it at that. Ms. Chen has been there every day since the damn store came to be. She was an employee now - One Eddie was probably going to have to see more often than he’d like to admit. 
Sighing, he opened the door and walked in, bell ringing as he did so. It did a good job at catching the girl’s attention, as her head shot up when it rang. 
He seemed to be the first customer in a while. Although he wouldn’t be surprised; it was fairly late into the night and Ms. Chen did recently expand the hours from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. - It was practically only ten minutes until closing. 
The girl gave Eddie a soft smile, welcoming, that he returned briefly, before she turned back to her textbook when she noticed the ease Eddie had walking through the store. It was easy to tell he was a regular. 
When he reached only the first shelf from the counter, he was unable to help himself and spoke indirectly, “So, you’re new?”
“Huh?” The girl looked over before seeing him turn his head to give her a slight smile and nod towards her, as if signalling to her, “Yes, I’m talking to you”.
Yanking her earbud out almost frantically, she stammered, feeling herself flush slightly in his gaze, “Oh yeah. Yeah, I’m… I’m new.” 
Eddie hummed. 
She continued before he had the chance to reply, “I’m assuming you’re a regular here? You know Ms. Chen?”
“Yeah,” Eddie chuckled and shook his head, thinking of the older woman, “Yeah, she’s a…”
“Character?”
The both of them let out small laughs of their own together before Eddie found himself turning back to the shelf and the girl back to her textbook, albeit both reluctantly. 
Once again, in true Eddie Brock fashion, Eddie found himself unable to stop and spoke once more, “So, not that I’m exactly complaining, but why exactly isn’t Chen here. I don’t think the woman’s ever missed a fuckin’ day.” 
She breathed a laugh before turning back to him with something bright in her eyes that Eddie felt he hadn’t seen in a long time, something refreshing, “I’m pretty sure she wanted to set aside a little time for who I think is the future Mr. Chen.”
“Wow,” Eddie feigned disappointment, “There goes my shot.”
A bright smile grew on the girl’s face, making Eddie’s heart start beating just a little bit faster as she went along, “There it goes.”
A small smile - a true, genuine small smile - found its way to Eddie’s face. She was cute, really cute. 
“Who is she and why does she make your heart beat fast?”
“Jesus,” Eddie jumped unnoticeably at Venom’s voice in his head, muttering to himself, “Shut up, you parasite.”
The girl’s eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and offense having heard his muttered words. “Excuse me?”
“Parasite!” Venom spoke in his head with anger. 
Eddie’s eyes widened before he took a few steps closer to the counter. “No! No. Not you.”
“O-” She looked him up and down for a split second with a frown; who was he talking to if not you, the only person in the store with him. “Okay.”
They stayed in silence for a few seconds, feeling the awkward tension get heavier with each passing by. Although, when Eddie saw the girl shift back into her leaning over the counter position from before to get back to her textbook, he pulled her away from it once more. 
“Look, I’m sorry,” Eddie spoke sincerely to the young woman, looking from her to somewhere in the store ever so often, “I guess I have this… thing where I… talk to myself. Sometimes I don’t even realize I do it. Could I just- I mean, do you think I could get your name?”
Her frown upturned into a soft smile once more. “Y/N.” 
She then proceeded to add, “I work three days a week here.”
Eddie’s gaze on her felt like the heat from one of those lights on a movie set, and it made her feel flush under it, “I mean, that’s just if you wanted to know. I’m gonna be here pretty often, so I don’t know-”
“Hey, Y/N, Y/N.” He cut her off with an endeared look on his face. “Don’t shit yourself, it’s good to know.”
“Okay,” Y/N laughed nervously as she watched Eddie move across the store once again to reach the desired shelf, “Good- Good to know. Tha-Thanks.”
Once he’d found his desired purchases, dollars over dollars of tater tots and chocolate for his “little buddy”, he took them up to the counter that Y/N sat behind. 
She spoke as she grabbed each product and scanned, eyes looking up from her actions to Eddie, “Hey, I never got your name.”
He chuckled nervously and spoke almost regretfully to the floor, “Yeah, it’s, ah, it’s Eddie.” He lifted his head to, although he didn’t intend to and it just ended up happening, gauge Y/N’s reaction - As if it would set off a bomb, especially after everything with the Life Foundation. 
“No way,” 
And there it goes. 
“I thought I’d recognized you from somewhere; you’re Eddie Brock, right?” Here comes the part Eddie was waiting for, the backlash of having dismantled the Life Foundation - people claiming what the foundation was accused of doing, what Carlton Drake was accused of doing, wasn’t actually real despite the photo evidence he’d provided. Although, when Eddie closed his eyes for a brief second to both calm himself and Venom, the symbiote probably feeling the way his nerves spiked and heart pumped faster, he opened then fairly quickly when he heard Y/N’s excited voice with what could even possibly be admiration, “You exposed the Life Foundation, right? That’s- That’s insane. It was crazy what they were doing, I still can’t believe it. I mean, I kinda can ‘cause I never exactly had a good feeling about that guy. Yeah, he was nice on camera and stuff, but it felt like he was a little too nice, if you know what I mean.”
She paused when she noticed Eddie was staring at her like she grew another head and looked to him nervously. “What?”
“Nothing.” Eddie pushes back a disbelieved laugh, staring at the girl with that same disbelief, except with something lighter that felt like a tiny spark of hope for him, which made him feel like he was getting way too far ahead of himself. “It’s just that, since it’s happened, not a lot of people have good things to say about it.”
Y/N shrugged before she grabbed a plastic bag and began placing the items into it, eyes on that now as opposed to on Eddie. “I think what you did was great. People are probably just still in their little bubbles trying to avoid any type of bad thing. It was only the poor being used during the human trials, so it’s none of their concern as far as it goes - Just like everything else. I read your papers now, they’re amazing.”
“Thanks.” Eddie smiled, practically mesmerized with this girl for reasons unfathomable to even him. 
After he handed her cash, she leaned over and handed him his bag. Taking it, he felt his fingers brush against hers, feeling adrenaline rush through his body at the mere contact…
Which alerted the symbiote. 
Knowing, Eddie turned away from Y/N, moving his head down as his eyes flashed an ominous grey, trying his damn hardest to keep Venom at bay. 
Beginning to walk out, he shouted, “Thanks, Y/N. See you.”
Y/N’s smile faltered at his sudden leave, only replying with a sigh after the bell chimed again and Eddie was no longer in the store, “No problem, Eddie.”
Outside, an argument was taking place inside Eddie Brock’s head with his symbiote. 
“She makes you heart beat fast like Annie.”
Shaking his head whilst he walked, Eddie thought to Venom, “No, she doesn’t.”
“Yes, she does.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“Yes, she does.”
“No, she doesn’t!” Eddie practically shouted in the middle of the street, stopping his movement to see that he’d gained weird looks from others on the street with his outburst. Shaking his head once more, he went onto walking home again. 
“Look, I just met her-”
“We.”
“We! We just met her, and it doesn’t mean anything. She was pretty, and new, thought I was cool, and I haven’t gotten any for months now. We just got excited. That’s all. We’ll see her every once and a while, and that’s it. She’s a good girl, wouldn’t be surprised if she had a boyfriend.”
“We can eat him.”
“No-” Eddie cut himself off when he realized he spoke aloud again, frustrated with the symbiote’s quote on quote “solution”
Huffing he continued to speak with the symbiote, turning the corner and getting closer to his apartment building. 
“No, we cannot eat him. We don’t eat people, at least not good ones, and you know, there are a lot-”
“A lot of good people. Yes, yes, I know.”
“Exactly. So get over it. I will.”
———————————————
“So, Mondays and Wednesdays.” Eddie walked into Chen’s convenience store that Wednesday to be greeted with what he thought was possibly the most beautiful smile from Y/N. “You wanna let me in on what the third day of the week you work on?”
Y/N laughed, taking her earbud out and giving her full attention to Eddie, almost looking at his shyly and bit her lip, driving him insane in a way he didn’t expect from you. “I don’t know… Maybe you’ll have to figure that out for yourself, Ed.”
“Oh, it’s Ed now,” Eddie challenged with a smirk, walking past her to the first shelf. 
Her eyes followed, taking in his broad frame. “Mhm.” She nodded confidently. 
“Mhm,” Eddie mimicked her with a chuckle before nodding towards her textbooks. “What are you studying?”
“Uh,” Y/N looked down at her textbook, like she had forgotten what the textbooks were even for, eyes fluttering before she looked back up at the man. “Mostly English stuff.” Y/N shrugged and placed her elbow onto the counter, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. “I’m an English major - It’s my third year.”
Eddie gestured towards her, his front still facing the shelf and his side to her, his head still turned looking at her. “Any idea…”
Y/N snorted, voice straining as she told him, “Nope.”
Eddie turned away with a laugh when he saw her smile lazily at him. 
She sighed, “But,” Eddie’s attention turned back to her, “I am hoping to figure it out by the end. Granted I have this year and the next to figure it out, but here’s to hoping, right?”
“Yeah.” Eddie gave a weak smile. “Here’s to hoping.”
Y/N hummed then deciding to leave Eddie be, turning back to her textbook and putting an earbud into her left ear, as she always does. 
“Pussy.”
Eddie huffed, speaking underneath his breath, “Alright, you know what?”
Forgetting what he’d come to the store for, Eddie found himself marching up to the counter and planting himself in front of it, right where Y/N was seated behind. 
Obviously hearing his movement, Y/N looked up with her eyebrows furrowed and a confused smile on her lips. “Is everything alright, Eddie?”
“Let me take you to dinner,” Eddie said abruptly as to not chicken out, attempting to smile through all the nerves he was feeling in that moment, “Let me- Let me take you out on a date, sweetheart.”
Panic shot through his chest right through his heart when he saw Y/N’s confused smile falter into a frown and her face grow solemn. 
“I’m really flattered, Eddie.”
“Please, no but. Please, no but.”
“But,”
“And there it is.”
“I’m already seeing someone. I-” Y/N paused and looked at him almost regretfully, biting her lip with her eyes filled with sadness. “I’m really sorry, Eddie. You’re really cool and stuff, but-”
“No.” Eddie shook his head before giving a weak fake smile as he chuckled, attempting to not make it sound as bitter as he felt so he wouldn’t make the girl feel bad. “Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault. I should’ve asked-”
“No, it’s okay, really.” Y/N shook her head and attempted a smile to show him it was fine, really. 
“Maybe,” Eddie paused, looking around then back to Y/N, “Maybe I should go. I’ll just go. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you, okay?”
“Yeah,” Y/N eyebrows furrowed in concern before she called out as he began to walk away, “Didn’t you need to get some stuff?”
“Uh, no.” Eddie looked back briefly, then tucked his hands into his pockets before he opened the door with his shoulder and heard the bell chime as always. “Not today.”
As Y/N watched him walk away from the store through the glass, she couldn’t help the words that came out of her mouth despite a mother now walking in with her small child, “Fuck,”
——————————————————
Despite saying everything was fine, Eddie found himself not going back to the store for the next week, too, and as stupid as it sounds, scared to face Y/N after what had happened. He felt stupid; after everything, she was too good to be true - Way too good to be true. 
Although, ten days later, he found himself on his way to the convenience store on a Saturday night, half past eleven. 
Taking a deep breath before entered, he pulled the door opened and heard the damn bell again, catching, none other than, Y/N’s attention. Although, this time - This time, she saw him of course, but she didn’t take out the earbud always in her left ear, didn’t take her focus off her textbook and highlighter in hand to shoot Eddie the biggest, most beautiful smile. She didn’t give him any type of greeting. 
At first sight, Eddie would think that obviously she’s pissed. He probably made her feel bad about it, despite how he said it’s okay. Completely contradicted himself and made her feel like an ass.
As he got closer to the girl, though, he heard a sniffle she tried hard to cover. 
It sent a rush of rage through his body, and he had to try his hardest to fight against Venom’s want to make an appearance. 
“Stop it, you’ll scare her.”
“I will scare whoever did this to her. I’ll bite their head off-”
“No. Biting. Heads off. Right now, we’re focusing on her… We might be the ones who did this to her.”
Eddie then felt a flush of shame before Venom spoke to him once more. 
“You.”
“You? What do you mean you?”
“You did this to her. I had nothing to do with it.”
Eddie rolled his eyes subtly at the symbiote. 
“So now it’s just me, huh?”
The symbiote didn’t reply, and that when Eddie decided to walk closer to the counter and the upset girl behind. 
He spoke up, “Y/N?”
Eddie heard Y/N suck in a breath before shooting her head up to face him, quickly wiping away any tears that may be running down her beautiful face, and shooting him a weak smile in attempts to cover up she’d been crying. “Hey, Eddie,” She gave a forced chuckle, “Guess you figured out what the third day of the week I work is.”
Eddie stared at her, concern littered all over his face with a mix of anger, his eyebrows furrowed. “What’s going on, sweetheart?”
Her nose was running and she looked drained, her eyes faintly red rimmed from crying. 
“Nothing, Ed, I’m-” Y/N let out a shaky sigh. “I’m fine. It’s stupid, anyway.”
“Hey,” Eddie spoke softly to the girl, leaning himself as close as he could with the counter separating them, “I won’t think it’s stupid.”
Y/N shrugged before she let out a sad laugh, “It’s just the guy I was seeing.”
Eddie hummed, already knowing where this was going. Nonetheless, he let her continue. 
She crossed her arms in front of her, placing them onto the counter and leaning forward. Closer to Eddie. 
“I thought we made it clear we weren’t gonna see other people,” Y/N smiled sadly, her voice soft and light, weak, “But I guess it wasn’t clear to him. I, uh, I caught him with some girl, and I know it’s stupid ‘cause we’ve only been together a few months, but it just hurts-”
Eddie shook his head and stopped her, “It’s not stupid, Y/N. I promise you it’s not. That guy’s an asshole - Doesn’t even know what he’s missin’”
“Let’s bite his head off.”
Although Eddie chose to ignore him this time, he couldn’t help but consider the idea. 
Y/N gave a weak laugh, “Thanks, Eddie.”
“Any day.”
Y/N shook her head and looked at him regretfully, “Listen, Eddie, about the other day - I’m sorry. I really like you too, I just felt like an ass about it and wrong ‘cause I was already seeing somebody. I mean, but now I don’t feel so bad about it anymore, I guess. If you’d still want to, I’d like to take you out on a date to make up for, well, all that and the past ten days.”
“Got nothing to make up for, Y/N.” Eddie smiled softly at her as he reached over to grab her hand on the counter. “But yeah, I’d really like that.”
If Eddie Brock was a fourteen year old girl, he’d he felt his insides melt and butterflies in his stomach as you gave him the sweetest smile, but Venom would never let it go. 
The sweet moment was all too quickly interrupted. 
In came a hulking building of a man, angry and red faced. Red faced not cause he was angry, but ‘cause he was pretty fucking ugly if the three of them (mind Venom) do say so themselves.
The gun in his hand made it clear what his intentions were, and sent a jolt of protectiveness through Eddie’s body over Y/N and her safety.
The man’s voice was aggressive as he directed Y/N to put all the money in the bag, gun still at his side. She did what he said, obviously, her hands shaking unlike how Ms. Chen was usually more collected because she was unfortunately too used to it. Although, Eddie hadn’t moved when he told him to. 
“Move,” The man boomed, then expressed almost nonchalantly, “I can shoot her if you want, if that’ll make you fucking move.”
The man then proceeded to direct the gun towards Y/N’s head, making her breath hitch and stop her actions of shovelling the cash into the bag to stare at Eddie with eyes filled with frightened tears to mouth, “Move.”
This time, when all he could see was red, Eddie didn’t stop Venom. 
Surely, Eddie form became Venom’s; black covering Eddie body as they shifted. Venom stood huge and towering over everyone and everything. Tongue slid across sharp, menacing teeth as he smiled ominously at the man who now dropped his gun and looked like he was shitting bricks.
There was no speech this time like with the one guy who would continuously harass and rob Ms. Chen. No, this time, he simply grabbed onto the struggling man’s shirt, lifted him with ease to dangle him in the air before simply using him as his next meal. 
Y/N stood watching frozen, scared to make any type of movement, even breath, as to catch the attention of the terrifying creature in front of her that used to be Eddie. 
It didn’t seem to work for her though, because the creature’s head snapped around to her, making her let out a shriek and duck underneath the counter, not knowing what else to do other than cry and expect potential death coming her way. 
Although, that didn’t seem to happen. She heard the creature… talking; like he was arguing with himself. 
“No!” It said, “I want to meet her!”
She heard a final growl before she heard something else, something… slimy, then footsteps coming around the counter to where she hid underneath. Her whole body tensed as she awaited the huge creature, terrified. 
Before she knew it, she faced with not huge, inky black feet (?), but Eddie’s shoes. He crouched down for face her huddled form, arms wrapped around the legs that were right against her chest. 
“Hey,” Eddie said softly, bringing a hand to her arm and pretending he didn’t feel her flinch, “I’m sorry for scaring you. It’s okay. You can come up now.”
Y/N looked at him in disbelief before she spoke fearfully, “No, fuck you, it’s waiting for me.”
Eddie chuckled, genuinely, as his head fell to his chest for a brief second before he looked back up, into her beautiful, [eye colour] eyes. “Sweetheart, I promise, he’s not waiting for you. At least, not to eat you.”
“Okay.” Y/N nodded before exclaiming, “So then it’s to just kill me! He’s probably just full, that’s why. Ate a whole man.”
“Alright.” Eddie placed a hand on either side of Y/N’s face and directed her focus solely onto him. “I promise I’ll explain everything, okay? Just know you’re safe with me. You’re safe, you don’t have to worry.”
Y/N’s mouth opened and closed as she debated in her head, Eddie frightful of what decision she may come to. 
“Okay.”
“Yeah?” Eddie smiled. 
She rolled her eyes weakly in distress. “Yeah. Just- Just help me up now.”
Releasing her face, Eddie grabbed her hands and pulled her up with him, although the movement made lose her footing and bump herself into his chest. His arm wrapped itself her waist and there wasn’t anymore space between them, faces barely centimetres apart.
“Hey,” Y/N smiled cheekily at him, her arms wrapping around his torso. 
“Hey,” Was all Eddie said back impatiently before his hand reached up to cup her face and guide her lips onto his.
Here’s to hoping. Oh, and those damn tater tots and chocolate that gave him a reason to be there in the first place.
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dr-charlie-eppes · 4 years ago
Text
SHOOTING MY SHOT - A RedFinch College AU
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, @kathreestars. I was your Secret Santa as part of the @newsies-secretsanta gift exchange. 
I really hope you love your gift. It is a RedFinch College AU, as per your request. I have never written either of these things, so I hope it’s good and in character (but no promises :D!) It turned out WAY longer than expected, too :P. Oopsie daisies! 
The story begins below the cut, and I will also include a link to when I have cross-posted AO3 (sometime in January).
Please enjoy!
“Shooting My Shot” - A RedFinch College AU
0000
It was the night before Albert moved out of his childhood home and went to college. He was nervous and excited and rushing through packing his boxes. Sure, he should have done this earlier, but that didn’t matter now. Folding his last sweatshirt into a box, his mind wandered.
Tomorrow was the first day of a new chapter of his life. He was about to move to New York City to study paediatrics, starting his career as a children’s nurse. It was what he’d wanted for years; he was more than happy it was coming true. All the same, he was full of nervous energy. The next few days held so many unknowns. He was struggling to wrap his head around what was going to happen next.
A small mountain of pristine cardboard boxes, a visual representation of what mattered enough to bring with him, lay before him. Each was adorned with a great many strips of duct tape to keep them shut. He hadn’t labelled any of them since he would just unpack them the second he arrived, and he only had to open them to know what was inside. It seemed like a waste of time to go digging through his things to find a Sharpie to deface the boxes.
His phone dinged twice is quick succession. One was from Jack, letting him know he was on his way over from next door. They were travelling to college together in the morning, seeing as they had made it into the same school. The second was from Race, wishing him luck.
Race had been Albert’s best friend since kindergarten. They hadn’t spent more than about three days apart since they met, living in each other’s back pockets and practically joined at the hip for as long as anyone could remember. They had planned on going to the same school, rooming together through college. However, Race had been accepted last minute to his dream school in Brooklyn and was leaving Albert, following his passion for dance. Albert wasn’t mad, not at all; in fact, he was thrilled for his friend. Brooklyn wasn’t that far, so he was sure they’d see each other often. However, without Race, he wasn’t sure who he’d be rooming with.
Continuing to pack his boxes, Albert’s mind wandered to his roommate situation. He was, admittedly, nervous. Without Race, he would be rooming with an unknown student. By the time he’d worked that out, the deadline had passed to submit a request to be paired with someone specific; He would be added to the lottery to be paired up at random with his new roommate. He was worried about that: sharing his space with a whole stranger, stuck together in close quarters, learning to get along. What if he was paired with someone disrespectful, or homophobic, or creepy, or just plain annoying? Albert knew he could be hard to get along with, tending to mistime jokes and miss queues, rubbing people the wrong way. He could sabotage their relationship without even knowing. And even if he didn’t, that didn’t guarantee it’d be smooth sailing. They might not get along, but what could they do? They’d be stuck together for at least two semesters. Dorm rooms were sometimes roomy, but not enough to avoid each other. 
The anxiety wasn’t productive: Albert knew that. He couldn’t help it. Change was hard; he didn’t feel ready.
And Jack Kelly was not helping matters. Sure, Jack was one of his best friends - basically a brother, really - but he was an ass. He would do anything to embarrass or inconvenience Albert. That was in part due to their prank war, which had started in ninth grade when Jack replaced his gym shorts with a purple tutu and was still going strong on their first day of college. Of course, he’d never miss an opportunity to get Albert back. Nothing was sacred, no object or situation safe from Jack’s interference. All things considered, Albert should have seen this coming.
Jack offered to help him carry them to the car; there were a few, and it was already late, so Albert accepted. That was his first mistake. Jack took one look at them and started goading him. 
“You should label your boxes, Al.” He said as he picked them up.
“No.”
Then, on the landing, “How are you gonna know what’s in ‘em? It’ll be a pain to unpack.”
“I know what I packed, Jack.”
“They look naked without labels.” He whined as they walked out the front door.
“Shut up.”
They started to load them into the car, slotting them in the trunk with the lightest ones on top. 
“What kind of psychopath just puts their stuff in a box and closes it up?” Jack questioned with an edge of challenge.
Albert rolled his eyes, taking a medium sized box - possibly containing his desk lamp - and stacking it on top of the others.
“This ain’t a pass-the-parcel, Al, you’re allowed to know what’s in the box.” 
“If you don’t shut up, Jackie, so help me, you’ll be trying to run without kneecaps.”
The seemingly endless prods and pokes continued as they loaded all his unlabelled boxes into the car. Jack continued his stream of nonsense, his arguments devolving into snipes and jabs. Albert shut the trunk forcefully, fixing Jack with a look.  
“I ain’t labelling ‘em,” he stated with finality, “I know what I packed, and I’ll just unpack when I get there. If they ain’t labelled, Ma can reuse the boxes for something else later without having to scratch the writing out. It’s just easier.”
Jack gave him an unconvinced look but shrugged and let it go. Al should’ve known that was suspicious. Jack never could back down from an argument. Why would this one have been any different?
His second mistake was leaving the car unlocked. They lived in a good area; there wasn’t any reason to lock it. Besides, who would want to steal a bunch of blank boxes full of sweatshirts and towels? However, this turned out to be his downfall. The lock was the only barrier between Jack and his boxes, the last defence. Without needing to steal Al’s mom’s keys, there was nothing standing in his way. He was free to wreak havoc on his things.
His third mistake was not checking his boxes in the morning. They were in a hurry to get on the road - which was not unusual - so Al planned ahead and double checked everything when he brought the boxes down. He knew he had everything he needed, saving time in the morning. Without those last minute checks, he had no chance of catching Jack's little prank before they arrived at the campus. 
Jack hadn’t let on that anything had happened. Crammed in the back seat, surrounded by his own boxes and bags, he appeared to the world perfectly angelic. Well, as angelic as Jack Kelly could be. In truth, he was the same snarky and sarcastic man he’d always been, cracking jokes like normal. Albert had no reason to suspect a thing.
So you could imagine his shock and regret when he lifted the trunk to find his boxes, all labelled in Jack’s scratchy block letters with obscene and embarrassing labels. Roadkill - California to Texas. Grandma’s ashes - This way up! (Decorated with arrows pointing to the bottom of the box, naturally). Meditation CDs - Pokémon, Ru Paul, My Little Pony. And right on the top, the Crown Jewels of Jack Kelly’s mayhem: Dildos - Size M-XL.
It was hard to embarrass Albert - it really was. He’d spent his high school years being tormented and humiliated by Jack and had grown a tolerance for this kind of thing. Carrying a box labelled ‘dildos’ across campus was far from the worst thing he’d ever had to do. However, he did worry about what his roommate might think. If he was worried about being paired with a weirdo, others must be too. This was one of those first impressions you couldn’t take back. Joy of joys.
Undeterred, he grabbed the box and braced for impact. Making his way swiftly and unashamedly to his dorm, he ignored the stares and snickers of his peers. Look at my box of dildos, folks. Take it in. They could have guessed that this was a prank, but the surprise of it still caught most of them off guard. Albert pressed on through the crowds, rolling his eyes.
If they can’t tell that this is a joke, then they ain’t smart enough for college.
He just hoped his roommate could see the humour in it.
Speaking of his roommate, he rounded the final corner with his package. The door was slightly ajar, and he could see shadows moving under the door. Taking one final, bracing breath, Albert shuffled the box onto his forearm and pushed the door, embracing his fate.
A trick of timing, the universe’s cruel joke, caused Albert to enter the doorway at the precise moment that his new roommate fired a sticky dart from his Nerf gun. The dart shot through the air. It travelled with a great deal more speed than it should, zipping through the room. No doubt it would have continued into the hall had the doorway been empty. However, it was stopped by Albert’s moving box, adhering at the dead centre of the “O” in dildos.
All movement and sound stopped as Albert looked eyes with his new roommate.
What a first impression.
0000
Moments earlier, Finch had been alone in his dorm. The last few weeks had been a blur of emotions, and he was trying to wrap his mind around it before his new roommate arrived. His first impressions were often lacking, and he hoped that he could start out this relationship on the right foot.
His decision to come to this school had been rushed. Life had spiralled out of control, leaving bad blood between him and his folks. He got an offer to move here to Manhattan, far from them, and he jumped on it. His new life was stretched out in front of him. King of his own destiny, he surveyed his territory. And sure, a cramped college dorm room that he had to share with a stranger wasn’t much of a kingdom. But the hum of the radiator sounded like freedom, and the carpet was soft. He could learn to be happy here.
He was already unpacked, all three of his boxes piled up in the corner. In his hand, he held six plastic Nerf targets. He’d bought them at the dollar store in the ninth grade, using sharpshooting as an escape from life. Since then, his skills had grown, and he frequently moved them around to give himself more of a challenge. Mapping the room, he weighed his options. He was, of course, limited to his side of the room, which made it harder to place them in a way that would challenge him. Still, he was resourceful. And maybe his new friend - he really hoped they would get along - might let him spread them around a bit.
There was one classic place, though. In all the time he’d had these targets, one place stayed constant. He went and hung the first bullseye at the dead centre of the door on the inside. He could hit it with his eyes closed, in his sleep, or with his hands tied behind his back, but he didn’t care. The target on the door had been the most stable relationship he’d had in years, always there, always within reach.
He dumped the rest of the targets on his bed, liberating his Nerf gun from his backpack. It had been his first, and it was the favourite of his whole collection. Modelled like a sawed-off shotgun, it was easy to aim and familiar. He’d carried it with him everywhere since he’d gotten it. This little green and orange eyesore was practically an extra limb, an extension of Finch himself. He’d gotten more high-power guns since, ones that could throw darts faster than he could blink, but he loved this one the best. 
Loading in a sticky dart, he aimed for the door and pulled the trigger.
In a statistically remarkable series of events, someone pushed the door open at the precise moment he pulled the trigger. They got in the path of the dart, the new target of the shot. Thankfully, the person was carrying a box - otherwise, they would have been hit square in the chest; not exactly a great first impression. The dart, however, sailed gracefully through the room and stuck to the stranger’s box with a satisfying sticking noise. It lined up perfectly with the writing on the box, centred in the middle of one of the letters. If he’d been aiming for it, Finch would have been impressed with his shot. As it stood, he wasn’t sure how to respond.
Bullseye, I guess.
0000
Both men stood, frozen in time. All the sound had been sucked from the room, leaving only a thick silence. Neither was sure what to do to break it. Albert wanted speak - he really did. Wanted to laugh, introduce himself, settle in. However, his mouth was dry, and any words died before they could reach his throat, all systems at a standstill. He couldn’t even walk through the door for fear he would break the spell.
Why? Well, the man in front of him - his new roommate, the one holding the Nerf gun - was insanely hot.
He looked like a Renaissance painting. Classically beautiful, without being plain. A long thin face that reminded Albert distantly of a horse, smooth angles that caught the light and held it. Bright pearlescent teeth and unnaturally brown eyes. He looked as if he had stolen the light from the sun, soaking in its warmth and making it his own. All his brightness and sharpness was contrasted with his soft, green sweatshirt and bare feet, the picture of domesticity. All of it was at odds with the keenness of his shot, the Nerf gun still aimed dangerously at Albert’s chest. Nonetheless, every inch of him was beautiful.
Of all the things he’d been afraid of, falling in love with his roommate was the least expected.
He was suddenly a lot more worried about his first impression.
0000
He needn’t have worried: because on the opposite side of the dorm, the same things were going through Finch’s head.
Finch had always been a sucker for a redhead; the man in front of him, with his strikingly fiery curls, was no exception. Every line of his face was beautiful - from the creases around his eyes to his goofy grin. His eyes were a sweet brown, like Nutella or hot cocoa, deep and inviting. They caught the light like a Pokémon trainer catches them all. His lips were pulling slowly out of a grin into a shocked gape. Even in his confusion, he was breathtaking. His arms cradled his moving box like Cupid cradles his bow - invitingly and full of undiscovered love. His legs were obviously strong, judging by the way his jeans were stretched over them. 
Finch couldn’t move or breathe or look away. He needed to lower his Nerf gun, introduce himself and explain, something, anything. Instead, he stood, transfixed and in awe. If this man were the moon, then Finch were the tides - unable to move without his say-so. His every thought was directed by this beautiful stranger.
His new roommate. 
His roommate.
His.
That snapped him out of it. 
0000
The beautiful stranger cleared this throat.
“Sorry!”
“Nice shot,” whispered Albert.
The stranger smiled, brushing the back of his neck. He spoke again.
“Uh, hi?”
Albert nodded. That was exactly what he’d been trying to say. 
“Hi.”
A moments more of silence settled around them. Neither was entirely sure how to come back from that introduction, and both were too transfixed by the other to risk saying the wrong thing.
Albert eventually found his courage. Shuffling his moving box onto one arm, he extended his hand in greeting.
“I’m Albert.”
Tossing his Nerf gun to his bed, the stranger followed suit.
“Patrick, but the guys back home called me Finch.”
“Why 'Finch'?” Albert asked.
“I put a bird in the principal’s office 'cause he was homophobic,” the boy - Finch - shrugged, “It’s my greatest achievement to date.” 
Albert didn’t know if he could fall more in love than he was already. His heart felt like it might explode. This adorable, Nerf-gun shooting, homophobe-hating man was all he could think about. He was distantly aware that he needed to bring his stuff in from the car, needed to put down the dildo box and unpack, but he was happy just standing in the doorway watching Finch.
However, his standing was misinterpreted by his new crush, who suddenly smacked his forehead and stepped to the side.
“Oh, sorry, I’m totally blocking the way. Come in.” He swept his hands to the side like a waiter, ushering Albert in.
He took his chance, stepping in and putting his box on the empty bunk. It tipped merrily onto one side, revealing another of Jack’s secret messages. Albert flopped his head back with a groan. Finch caught sight of the new scribble as well. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
Albert excused himself to get the rest of his boxes from the car, but also so he could get some fresh air. Finch was beautiful and badass. He was unlike any other guy Albert had met. If he blew his chance with him, well, he’d never forgive himself. He might be getting ahead of himself, but he kept wondering what Finch might look like in a tux and what song their first dance would be to. His mom had always called him a hopeless romantic, so had Jack. He was inclined to agree. He loved the idea of falling in love and marrying his favourite person ever, having a husband to share life’s moments with. And yeah, he’d only known Finch for ten minutes, but every fibre of his being seemed to think this guy was the perfect candidate. 
He daydreamed all the way back to the dorm, trying to think of something charming to say to Finch. A pickup line? Or maybe some poetry. Where was Jack when you needed him? That man could charm the pants off of anyone. Although, from memory, he and Davey met when Jack accidentally tipped his paint water out over the art room balcony and all over Davey’s head. 
As he stepped through the door of his dorm, he took a breath and prepared to ask Finch out. However, his new roommate was already speaking, pointing at the box on his bed.
“Okay, I gotta ask-“
“-It’s not dildos, I swear,” Albert cut him off.
“-who defaced your box?”
“Oh.” Wasn’t expecting that. “Um, Jack. Pain in my ass.”
Finch nodded, snickering, and gestured the box in Albert’s arms. This one read TIME MACHINE - DISASSEMBLED. 
“So is he ya boyfriend or something?”
“Oh, fuck no.” Albert laughed - imagine him dating Jack, yuck - and clarified, “He’s sorta my brother? Lived next door to me and my Ma. He’s just up the hall now, helping Davey unpack.”
“Davey?”
“Jack’s boyfriend,” Albert shrugged. He wondered what Davey saw in Jack but decided not to think too hard. Davey was a least twice as smart as Albert would ever be; he would have his reasons. He expressed this to Finch, who laughed and offered a similar anecdote about a friend called Spot who was dating some extroverted Manhattan twink with a sarcastic streak a mile wide. 
“They’re perfect for each other because no one can understand them,” Finch smiled, “the peanut butter and jelly of people.”
They continued to laugh and talk about their friends, bonding over their weird friends with weirder names. 
Albert ducked out for more boxes. He moved every crass title from his car to his dorm, unpacking them as he went to discover their real contents. Finch offered the help him carry them back to his mom’s car when they were empty.
On the way, he asked about Jack’s prank again.
“So, Jack’s a prankster?”
Albert nodded, “Yeah, we’ve had a prank war going since the ninth grade.”
“War, huh?” Finch raised an eyebrow. “How you’re gonna get him back?”
“No idea yet, but it’s gonna be big.”
Finch was sure that it would be. He told Albert as such.
“Let me know if you’ll be wanting help,” he smiled, playfully elbowing his ribs, “I’m a sharpshooter, after all.”
Albert wasn’t sure how that would come in handy, but he filed it away for later use.
0000
In their first week together, they circled around each other, teasing and testing. It was an easy tension of learning each other’s habits and personalities.
As it turned out, Finch was a troublemaker. With his keen eye and trained aimed, he and his Nerf gun could wreak all kinds of havoc. Albert found himself stuck with more darts than he’d ever seen. He learned to listen for the quiet ‘snick’ sound of the gun being loaded, hyper aware of the bright orange darts as they landed around him. 
Finch used his talents for good, sometimes, shooting bananas off the hand with a carefully modified ‘knife dart’ - which turned out to be a Nerf dart with a straightened out paper clip in it. He could also switch the lights off from his bunk with one flick of the trigger. Both were pretty cool tricks, but Al found himself loving Finch’s cheeky moves more.
He had returned to the dorm after class to find that Finch had used his posters as target practice, using strategically placed darts to block out certain letters and leave crude messages for him. The next day, he was greeted with a flurry of darts as he entered the room, Finch raining down on him with his most quick-firing gun. He also left Albert notes on the dorm door, where anyone could read them - thanks for letting me borrow your toothbrush! and Adam from the butt-lift place called - they can fix your pancake butt! and Where’s the haemorrhoid cream?
Albert loved it. In return, he reset Finch’s ringtones to weird and embarrassing sounds and short-sheeted his bed. He also stole Finch’s hats and sweatshirts, basically combining their wardrobes into one mega-wardrobe. He also replaced all of Finch’s stationery with sticks of gum, which turned out to be less of a prank and more of a genius ice-breaking hack. 
They grew closer. All the pranks led to them getting to know each other’s likes and dislikes, their insecurities and routines. The more Albert learnt, the more he wanted to know. Finch was becoming his best friend. The crush he was nursing grew into a warm and unexplainable thing. Each passing day brought new moments of friendship and growth. Finch challenged him, distracted him, entertained him. He was bright and annoying, glued to his hip like a loyal puppy and floating around him. Albert grew to love his company, loved how he would ask questions while you studied - that was more helpful than he could have known, helping Albert to identify the gaps in his knowledge. Finch was the puzzle piece he had been missing.
Finch felt the same, although Albert didn’t know that. He loved the way that Albert would respond to his cheek and snark with jibes of his own. Albert enjoyed his pranks and put thought and time into retaliating. He was quieter than Finch, happy to just share the room with you without needing conversation to fill the void. He seemed to light up when Finch asked him questions, explaining the complex medical topics he was learning. He was full of adrenaline and grace, not often static. Finch found himself following Albert’s movements when he paced, drawn in. Albert was his muse. He couldn’t get enough of the beautiful redhead.
0000
At the opening of their second week, Albert returned to their dorm with a twinkle in his eye and a bagel in his hand. Finch, with Nerf gun in hand, shot a dart into the hole of the bagel.
“You!” Pointed Albert.
“Me?” Questioned Finch playfully.
“How would you like to help me get back at Jack?”
Finch nodded, “I’m in. What’s the play?”
As it turned out, Jack had planned a secret date for Davey. They hadn’t had a lot of time since coming to college, so Jack wanted to do something nice. He’d told Albert that he and Davey were going to have a picnic on the sports fields in the evening. Super romantic, at least it was supposed to be. 
“I want to crash their party,” explained Albert, “but I need your help.”
He then explained that they needed a way to get in and out fast. If they lingered, Jack’s wrath would rain down upon them. Speed is of the element, Finchy, Albert had said. Luckily, Albert had become sort-of friends with one of the security guards. This guard, Denton, agreed to ‘accidentally’ leave the keys in one of the school’s golf carts for their use. As long as they returned it in one piece, no one would be the wiser. 
“Where do I come in, Al?” 
“I want you to get your best Nerf gun -one o’ those ones that shoot really fast. While I'm driving, I want you to spray ‘em with darts. I got some toilet paper to throw. I just didn’t think that was enough. Plus, you’ve got a wicked sense of aim. I could use a little help.”
It was a solid plan. Like Jack’s box prank, it wouldn’t hurt anyone. Albert assured him Davey would think it was funny too. He was almost as much a part of the war as Jack or Albert. If anything, he'd take it as an invitation to get his own revenge. No one’s day’s gonna be ruined. 
“I’m your guy,” smiled Finch, “when do we start.”
“We ride at six. Wear something stealthy.”
0000
Six o'clock rolled around quickly. Finch had ducked out to the dollar store, picking up some more sticky darts. When he returned, he found Albert. His crazy roommate was dressed like a cartoon cat-burglar, complete with a black turtleneck and war paint. He was hastily stuffing toilet rolls into his backpack. They were armed to the teeth with Nerf darts, toilet paper, and biodegradable party confetti. 
“Looking good, Al,” laughed Finch.
He was also dressed for the occasion, a mismatched all-black ensemble. He even opted for some fingerless gloves he saw at the store. He had never been one to half-ass a prank. Besides, going all out might impress Albert. 
“Ready?” 
“Born ready, Finch.”
“Funny, I thought you were born ‘Albert.’”
A roll of toilet paper hit him in the head.
0000
The plan was in motion.
Denton had left the cart parked by the dormitories. They were set to go, just waiting for confirmation that Jack was in position. Sure enough, Davey posted a sappy picture on his Snapchat story, toting Jack’s merits as a caring boyfriend. They were clearly on the sports field, spread out on an honest-to-goodness checked rug, picnic basket and all. The sunset painted pastel lines behind them.
As the light of sunset faded to night, they started up the cart. Crammed in with the ammo and a truly gigantic nerf gun, Albert and Finch were pressed into each other’s sides. Unbeknownst to them, both were enjoying the contact, pining for more than just the necessary contact of the cart. They drove at agonisingly slow speeds towards the sports fields, staying in the cover of the shadows of the campus. If they were caught, it would all be over. Luckily, the pair thrived on adrenaline.
Their trip to the sports fields was short and silent. Albert couldn’t help but hold his breath as if the sound of it might give their location away. It didn’t occur to him that the sounds of the cart would get them caught before his breathing would. Finch kept directing him with hand signals, guiding the cart through a maze of secret tunnels that kept them hidden.
Eventually, the great secrecy of it all got the better of them. Albert could picture them, both dressed like the bad guys in a cartoon spy movie, zooming through the campus with reckless abandon. They weren’t going fast at all - he thought it might not even bruise if he fell out of the cart. But here they were, leaning and ducking with each move as if they were in a Fast and Furious movie. Finch was holding onto the roof to stabilise himself. They were surrounded be a hoard of completely harmless weapons, yet they acted as if they were heading into a war. That last thought, along with the image of what they must look like, cause Albert to giggle. 
Once.
Twice.
A snort.
Then Finch started. 
Their silent voyage was overrun with laughter. Finch was shaking, trying to contain his sounds. Albert was hiccuping out barks of laughter. The noise grew until it drowned out the hum of engines. Try as they might, there was no stopping it. Tears filled Albert’s eyes. Finch took hold of the wheel and directed the cart as he snorted. They continued on, the most joyful caravan in the country. They couldn’t stop their noise until they saw the sports fields.
It was a bracing and sobering experience. Two weeks of thinking and planning had led them to this. The importance of their mission overcame their joy. They pulled their adrenaline back in, the noise level dropping below the noise of the cart. It was time.
The light from the fake tea light candles on the rug guided them. A moment of quiet and a few hand gestures revealed that there would be no way to sneak up on them. The cart was too big, the moon too bright. The element of surprise would be lost too quickly if they approached cautiously. Albert made the motion for ‘step on it’, pressing his palm out in front of him. Finch nodded. Mouthing the words, Albert counted down from three. He threw the golf cart into gear, shredding across the lawn at max speed.
The pickup in speed caused them both to shout. Any semblance of sneaking in was abandoned as Albert and Finch began a deafening war cry of whooping and cheering. They bounced across the field, the cart shaking with effort. One hand on the wheel, Albert loaded himself with a roll of toilet paper. Finch aimed his Nerf scope, fixed on the happy couple.
Jack caught sight of them too late. 
“ALBERT!”
A shower of Nerf darts cut off his cries. Albert hit him square in the chest with a roll of paper. Davey, shocked and excited, burst out gleefully at the shower of multicoloured confetti, picking up handfuls and tossing them at his boyfriend.
The drive-by took only a few seconds. There was chaos as they unloaded all they had at Albert’s friends. It would long be remembered as the highlight of the whole prank war. The picnic rug, previously set out romantically with breadsticks and candles, was now littered with darts and rolls of paper and a sprinkling of reflective paper strips. It was glorious. Strangely, it looked like the leftover mess from a child’s birthday party. In Albert’s eyes, this was perfect revenge.
“That’s for the boxes, Kelly!” He screamed as they sped off.
The cart barrelled across the fields and out of sight, leaving Jack and Davey in its wake. The boys, happy with their successful mission, tore off into the night in fits of giggles once more. They didn’t stop until they were well out of sight. Only when they had pulled the cart to a stop outside the security office did they finally calm down.
Pressed close and sweating awfully, they breathed through the rush of adrenaline. The whole evening had come to a crescendo. They both smiled, calming down.
“That was awesome,” Albert laughed, “Thank you, Finchy.”
Finch slung an arm around him, “Always, Al.”
They stayed intertwined for a second. Albert liked the feel of being so close to Finch, tucked into his chest safe and warm. He didn’t want to pull away, but he was becoming more aware of how close they were. This was closer than friends. He was sure Finch knew that.
Pulling back, he looked to his roommate. 
“Finch?”
“Hmm?”
He took a deep breath. It was now or never. He was going to say something.
“Would ya like it if we-“
He was cut off by Finch’s lips on his. 
Oh, yeah, let’s do that.
His brain went offline, surprised by the kiss. Finch’s lips were dry from the cold night air but soft and cool against his own. He could feel the flush of Finch’s cheeks. He gasped through his noise - a noise of shock and approval.
Finch pulled back as he tried to reciprocate. He looked him cautiously in the eyes.
“I sure hope I didn’t read that wrong.”
Albert chuckled. He pulled him in by the shirt, nearly tipping Finch out of the cart with his enthusiasm. This kiss was perfect. Longer and deeper than the other, they were chest to chest by the end. They weren’t yet used to this motion, so their chins and noses bumped as they moved, prompting little giggles between their lips. It was the happiest kiss Albert had ever had. Finch was warm and close and all his for a few moments.
Finch bit his nip with a mock growl, pulling back to smile at him. Albert looked flushed and overwhelmed. However, the smile that split his face betrayed his emotions.
“I hope that’s my last first kiss ever,” Finch whispered.
Albert looked shocked, but his smile didn’t fade. 
“Okay,” he nodded.
They tumbled out of the cart a minute later. They knew that wasn’t the end of it. Finch was sure he wanted to marry Albert, but there was more to do. They needed to get to know each other more and finish college and meet each other’s families. They weren’t at the end yet, but this was a damn good place to start. 
They walked back to the dorm with hands intertwined. No matter what happened next, Albert knew this was the start of a beautiful life.
0000
He was right, too. He and Finch got married six years later, after college. Never had there been a better couple, better friends, or better lovers. They had grown into the most badass and unstoppable team.
They drove away from their wedding with cans tied to the back of a golf cart.
0000
Again, happy holidays and seasons greetings, @kathreestars. Hope this is everything you hoped for. Best wishes, Corbin.
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razorblade180 · 4 years ago
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Personal Sunshine
Ilia sits on the floor of her house alone in deep thought. To say she was thinking wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Ilia was spiraling again. She wasn’t sure when she had gotten on the floor but Ilia knew she had been there for some time. Her arms hugged her knees tightly, the color of her skin blue. It was possible that she might spend the entire day like this, but fortunately she made plans today.
Her front door opened on que. Blake, Neptune, Sun, Yang, and even Kali has walked through. That five people piled into the room quickly.
Yang:Who’s ready for a day at the bea- woah...
Ilia:Hey guys.
Neptune:Uhh, you meditating or something? You look a little out of it.
Ilia:Yeah I’m just sort of in a mood. Haven’t felt quite like myself for most of day now. Can’t really shake it off.
Blake:Life? The past? Future getting you down?
Ilia:A mixture of those things, yes. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. I get like this sometimes.
Kali:Sweetie that doesn’t mean it’s okay!
Motherly instincts kick in and Kali practically sprints to Ilia’s side and hugs her. Ilia would be lying if she said this didn’t feel amazing. Kali always good comforting hugs, but it wasn’t enough, Ilia was still in a funk.
Ilia:As much as I love this, I just don’t have the energy to go anywhere today. You all should go to the beach without me.
Yang:Is that what you actually want.
Ilia:No...
Sun:Then don’t say it! Not like we would listen anyways. I definitely wouldn’t!
Ilia:Yeah, you’d probably find a way to sneak back in here and do everything in your power to cheer me up.
Sun:And if it didn’t work, I’d just borrow other people’s power until it’s enough!
It was hard but Ilia restrained the giggle from the boy’s words. Sun was always this high spirited for others, though he seemed more so than usual. It was flattering to say the least.
Neptune:Boy what are you, an anime character?
Yang:Well I like his enthusiasm! Iet’s lend Ilia all the energy she needs!
Blake:Guys that’s not exactly how things like depression work.
Yang:Don’t you feel more motivated and energized when I’m around? *holds hand*
Blake:I...yeah I do. Fine you have a point.
Kali:Can we focus on the one who needs loving right now?
Blake:Wow....
Kali:Oh hush, you know I love you. Ilia is priority right now. She’s basically family, like another daughter!
Ilia:I appreciate that gesture but I really hope not, considering our past.
Kali:I don’t blame you for the attack on us.
Ilia:I was...talking about liking Blake.
Kali:Riiiiiight. Sorry about that. The point still stands. Is there anything we can do?
Yang:What do you usually do when you get like this?
Ilia:Just wait it out. Seriously though you all can go-
They all stared at her. They didn’t say anything but they were clearly telling her to shut up in the nicest way possible. She was thinking about speaking up again but Sun walked over, making her lose her train of thought. The boy sat next to her and placed both of his hands on each side of Ilia’s face. He leaned in really close to the point Ilia and the others were about to scream out of misunderstanding but Sun tilted his head down at the last moment. Now his forehead rested against hers. Ilia watched Sun close his eyes. He didn’t say anything. It was a little awkward, and yet it...wasn’t? Ilia definitely had a difficult time thinking about anything, let alone bad thoughts.
Ilia:...Sun? What are you doing?
Sun:Sending energy, good vibes. That sort of thing. Doesn’t hurt to try right? Close your eyes and relax.
Ilia:Do you ever find the things you do to be a little...strange? Embarrassing even?
Sun:I’d be the town fool if it kept you happy.
He didn’t get a response from her, from anyone. His hands could feel her face getting warm though. Sun opened one eye to see Ilia simply looking at him with a shocked expression. He gave the girl a warm smile before closing his eyes again. Sun could feel Ilia’s expression change, probably to follow his instructions to close her eyes.
Ilia raised her hands to grab his. Sun’s thumbs slowly moved up and down in a rhythmic motion across her cheekbones. His hands felt so warm, comforting. Like the first rays of sunlight after a long, chilling night. Ilia could feel her body release tension. She started leaning into him just like he was. He never stopped rubbing her face and Ilia didn’t want him to. This felt different from a hug. Was it the spot or the person that made her feel so...at peace. No, happy. Ilia definitely felt happy right now. She let go of his hands and held his face. Only right to return the gesture. A chuckle escaped Sun’s lips and made her ears burn. Yeah, it was definitely the person.
The others watched happily and with a bit of embarrassment. It sort of felt like they were intruding. If the two of them opened their eyes then they would’ve realized Ilia’s skin had turned orange with her hair turning blonde. Yet...her freckles were pink, bright pink. Yang leaned towards the friends beside her and whispered.
Yang:If I didn’t know any better I would think these two had a thing going on.
Blake:I...think they do.
Neptune:Yeah they’re dating. Not officially but it’s pretty official.
Kali:It’s been this way for a couple months. They’re testing the waters.
Blake and Yang:.....What?
Kali:Did you not know?
Neptune:Of course not, they’re too busy holding hands. You think you two are the only ones finding genuine comfort in other people?
Kali:You would think couples could tell these sort of things. All those books you read Blake and you couldn’t read in between the lines and find subtext.
Neptune:I guess her smut isn’t high quality.
Blake:Hey, hop off please!? I just didn’t...I...
Blake and Yang look back towards Sun and Ilia. The two had just looked at each other. They smiled gently and Ilia even started to giggle. The pure sound of it lit up the room. Ilia looked basically like a sunset given form.
Sun:Told you it would work.
Ilia:Beginners luck you dork. Let’s see what results next time brings.
Sun:Hopefully there won’t be one, but I’m sure I’ll surprise you just like I did now.
Ilia:Heheh, I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Thank you.
Sun:Anytime
Blake:Hmmm...
Yang:Huh...
“Good for them.”
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avengerscompound · 5 years ago
Text
Catch and Release - 5
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Catch and Release: A Captain America Fanfic
Masterlist PREVIOUS //
Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers x F!Reader
Word Count:  3289
Rating:  E
Square filled: @star-spangled-bingo​ - Steve's Apartment
Warnings:  Smut (MMF, oral and vaginal sex, overstimulation)
Synopsis: When you overexert yourself on a mission with Steve and Bucky, the boys admit to having fantasies that involve you.  Fantasies that you share.  But with one Super Soldier needs intimacy and the other is still dealing with being touch starved, exploring those desires without anyone catching feelings is a little tricky.
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Chapter 5: Lying in Wait
You knocked on the door to the apartment that Steve and Bucky shared.  They'd asked you around for dinner, which meant dinner and experimenting with their sexuality, and you were more than a little excited.  The dice game had gone over really well and for a couple of days after they would each come and tell you about what parts they liked the most.  You knew that they’d want to take it further and try more things.  Especially given Steve hadn’t technically gone ‘all the way’ with you.
You were very excited too.  This whole thing had not at all been what you’d expected.  The whole idea of a down and dirty three-way that was all about sex and just getting that release at the hands of the two super soldiers was definitely one that you’d visited alone a lot of times.  Somehow this was even better.  Steve and Bucky were such good friends, and this arrangement you’d come to was both exciting and safe all at once.  They might be finding out more about themselves, but this was your opportunity to find out more about yourself too.
Steve answered and greeted you with a kiss on the cheek.  It was funny really, you’d seen him on and off all day, but that was Cap.  Steve was a whole different person in a lot of ways and so even though you’d only seen him half an hour ago, this was the first time you were seeing him all day.  “Come in,” he said as he held the door open for you.
“I bought wine.”  You said holding up the bottle of merlot you’d ‘stolen’ from Tony’s cellar. 
“Trying to get us drunk are you?”  He asked taking it from you.
You chuckled and followed through the apartment to the table.  Their place was a weird mix of old and new.  There was a blue velvet wingback couch sitting next to a black leather recliner that had speakers in the headrest.  An old cabinet style record player sat next to a large flat-screen TV and had a PS4 sitting on top of it.  A set of nesting tables sat in front of the couch and each one was littered with art supplies and Steve’s shield was propped up against the couch.
The walls were decorated with artwork of vintage motorcycles and photos of family and friends.  One entire wall was boxed shelving, and each shell was full of books and vinyls.  There was no clear theme to any of it.  A boxed set of Harry Potter novels sat next to books on military tactics.  The Wizard of Oz series was there in its entirety but each volume was sitting on a different shelf.  The Wizard of Oz was next to a book on guided meditation.  Ozma of Oz was beside some vintage Captain America comic books.
Bucky was in the kitchen cooking.  He had his hair pulled back and a floral apron on.  The kitchen itself was quite modern and clean compared to the living room.  The benchtops were black granite and the fittings were all brushed chrome.  Bucky smiled when he saw you and came over and kissed your cheek.  “Everything is nearly ready.”  He said.
“It smells so good,” you said.  “And you look amazing.”
He pinched your hip and went back to his cooking.  “Steve, did you put your shit away?”
“Yes,” Steve lied, going straight to the coffee tables and bundling up the art supplies.
“That means your shield too,” Bucky said.
“It’s away,” Steve said.  He shoved the drawings and pencils into one of the gaps on the bookshelf before grabbing his shield and shoving it into the hall cupboard.
You chuckled and took down some wine glasses.  “It doesn’t matter how much time has passed, I will never get over the fact that he’s the messy one.”
“He’s always been the messy one,” Bucky said.  “Drives me crazy.”
“Can I help at all?”  You asked as you poured out three glasses.
“There’s a salad in the fridge.  You think you can take it out to the table?”
The table was already partially set.  The plates and silverware were out, as was a loaf of crusty bread.  You took the salad out and by the time you were sitting with Steve and taking your first sip from your wine glass Bucky was bringing out a serving platter piled high with risotto.
“So,” you said, as you all started filling your plates.  “What shall we do tonight?”
“Oh, uh…”  Steve said, almost dropping his fork.  “We thought dinner and if you wanted we could watch a movie…”
“Really?  That’s what you want to do?”  You teased.
“He’s being polite because he doesn’t want you to feel pressured to do anything,” Bucky said.
“Oh, I know.”  You said playfully, putting your hand on Steve’s.
“I just want to make sure you know that your friendship is important to me too,” Steve said, giving your hand a squeeze.  “I don’t want to put the sex above that.”
Bucky smiled and leaned over the table and kissed him.  Not that you could blame him.  You could practically feel your heart swell up.  When Bucky sat back in his chair, Steve looked a little love-struck himself.
“Then we should hang out as friends sometime,” you said as everyone started eating.  “Like we used to.  But I am wearing really expensive lingerie and I’d really like to show you it.”
“And I would definitely like to see it,” Bucky said.
“We were talking about just…”  Steve stopped mid-sentence and froze like he had forgotten the word he was looking for.  “You know… normal.”
You and Bucky looked at each other and bit back laughter.  “Ah yes, normal threesome style, Stevie.  Just the way everyone who has threesomes does it.”
Steve looked at Bucky deadpan.  “You know what I mean.”
“Well, yeah.  I do ‘cause we talked about it before.”  Bucky teased.  “What he means is because part of this is him getting to do some things he hasn’t done before, we’d like to focus on you and it just be…”
“... vanilla guy on girl sex.”  You finished.
“That’s the one,” Bucky said tapping his forehead.
“Gonna run the train,” you said and took a sip of your wine.  “Nice.”
“Is that okay?”  Steve asked.
“More than.”  You said.  “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, anything,” Steve answered.
“And just to be clear here, I’m talking to Cap.  Not Steve.”  You added.
“Oh,” Steve said, his posture stiffening.  “What is it?” 
“No,” Bucky groaned.  “Don’t invoke the Captain in here.”
“Just for a second.  I promise.”  You said.  “What happens if the others find out about what we’re doing?”
Steve’s jaw tensed and twitched at the corners as he thought.  “I don’t think we should go around bragging about it,” he said.  “But this is our personal business  We aren’t breaking any rules.  If the find out, they find out.”
“Besides, if Tasha doesn’t already suspect, then I don’t think that’s Natasha and we better find out where the real Natasha is,” Bucky added.
You laughed and nodded.  “True.  You know if Tony finds out he’s going to give you hell for it.”
“What’s new?”  Steve said with a small shrug.  “Besides, like he can talk.”
“Also valid.”  You said.  “Alright.  I just wanted to make sure.  I agree.  I don’t want to go telling … well anyone, but like Bucky said, Nat figures this shit out, and I don’t want to be lying to our friends.”
Steve reached over and rubbed your arm.  “I would never ask you to do that.  You aren’t our dirty little secret.  You’re our friend.” 
“God, Steve.  Saying all the right things tonight.  I’m gonna fuck your brains out.”  You said.
“And I’ve got second,” Bucky added, reaching over and taking Steve’s hand.
The three of you finished up dinner and cleaned up together.  Steve had been right.  The three of you needed to nurture the friendship too.  This was how this started after all.
When the kitchen was practically sparkling Steve came up behind Bucky and wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed his neck.  Bucky closed his eyes and hummed softly.  He held out his hand to you and you took it and let him pull you into his arms.
His eyes opened and he blinked slowly, as he gazed down at you.  “Ready, darlin’?”
You smiled up at him as Steve’s arm snaked around you and he pressed his large hand to the middle of your back.  “As I’ll ever be.”
Bucky leaned in and ghosted his lips over yours.  You reached up and tangled your hands in his hair and pulled him into a hungry kiss.  Steve kissed and nipped at Bucky’s throat as the two of you kissed and pulled you a little tighter against Bucky.  You could feel Bucky start to harden against you and you pulled back with a quiet gasp.
“Bedroom?”  He asked.
“Bedroom.”  You agreed and Bucky put an arm around each of you and the three of you made your way down to the bedroom.
The room was painted sage, with gray trim.  The floor to ceiling windows on the far side looked out over the East River and beyond that, Brooklyn.  There were more shelves against one wall, though they mostly held little knick-knacks.  Things like a signed baseball, a Build-a-Bear dressed as Captain America, and model spaceships - the kind you built yourself.  Next to it was an antique drafting table with more art supplies and sketches littering it.  There were framed prints on the one bare wall above the bed, each one held different black and white photographs of the New York skyline over the years.
The bed was a king and had been made.  A crocheted quilt in dark red and white lay folded in half at the foot over the gunmetal quilt.  The bedside table on the left was clean and neat with a digital alarm clock, a dock for a Stark phone a worn copy of Dune.  There was also a basket with condoms and lube, the same as you had set up when they’d come to your place.  You wondered if he’d decided to steal the idea from you.  You couldn’t imagine that they were still using protection like that with each other.  The bedside table on the right was a mess of water bottles, notebooks, dog eared novels, colognes, and random scraps of paper.
You looked around as you unzipped your dress.  Bucky and Steve began to undress too.  “I’ve never seen your room before.”
“So many firsts tonight,” Bucky said playfully.
“Your bed is big enough to fit us three and Thor too.” You said dropping your dress and revealing the black lace push up bra and thong you were wearing.
The two men looked you over like hungry wolves.  “Two super soldiers not enough for you,” Bucky teased, stalking over to you and hooking his arm around your waist.  “You gotta include a god too?”
“Hey, I’ve been single for ages.  Let me have my fantasies.”  You joked, as he pulled you to him and lifted you, carrying you to the bed and dropping you on the mattress.
You lay back and arched your back as both Steve and Bucky crawled up with you.  Both had taken their shirts and shoes off, but while Steve was down to his boxers, Bucky was still in his jeans.  “You’re giving us ours, if you want to share yours with us, we’ll see what we can do.”  Steve rumbled as he kissed your neck and collarbone.  His hand ran down between your breasts and over your stomach, making your skin break out in goosebumps.
Bucky kissed the other side of your neck and tangled his hand in your hair.  “Threesomes are the most common fantasy you know?”  You half moaned.  “And they’re more common to have the older you get.”
“How do you know this stuff?”  Steve asked as he moved his hand to your cunt and he slowly began to palm it.
You moaned pushing up against his hand.  “It was in a documentary.  You guys are over a hundred.  So bringing Thor in would be good for you.”
Steve snorted while Bucky broke down laughing.  “We’ll keep that in mind, dork.”  Bucky teased and kissed you.
As you kissed, Steve kissed lower.  He paused at your breasts and sucked and bit at your nipples through your bra.  You reached behind you and unhooked it Steve slid it down and pulled your nipple into his mouth.  Bucky joined him at your other breast and they both sucked and bit your breasts as Steve’s hand slipped into your panties and he started to finger your clit.  You moaned and squeezed your legs around his hand as you writhed under them.
Steve moved down lower, pushing your legs apart and pulling your panties down.  He nuzzled at your cunt and flattened his tongue running it up your folds.  You put your feet on his shoulders and pushed your hips up into his mouth.  Bucky’s hand caressed your throat as he continued to suck and bite at your beasts.
The sounds you made got louder and louder as Steve became more and more focused.  You could tell he hadn’t done this before, but the way he moved was almost like watching him in the field.  He’d stop and cock his head to the side while his tongue flicked over your clit or his fingers moved inside of you, when you moaned just the way he wanted, he’d focus on what he’d just done.
As they brought your apart with just their hands and mouths, they kept touching each other too.  Stroking each other’s backs or legs.  While you moaned and bucked, your orgasm right there on the brink, they held hands.
Steve corkscrewed his wrist and sucked hard on your clit and you came, arching hard up off the mattress and crying out.  “Fuck, yes!”
Steve sat up, a proud little smile on his glistening lips.  Bucky got up on his knees and kissed him hungrily.  You wrapped your legs around Steve and began to grind against his erection as you unfastened Bucky’s jeans.  Bucky pushed Steve’s boxers down and began to stroke his cock and Steve groaned into Bucky’s lips, his cock jumping in Bucky’s hand and leaking precum onto your pussy as you rubbed against him.
Bucky broke the kiss and began to nuzzle at Steve’s neck.  “You gonna fuck her, Stevie?” He whispered.
Steve groaned and grabbed your thighs.  “Yeah, Buck.  I want to.”
“She’s so wet and warm, Steve,” Bucky whispered as he grabbed a condom.  “You’re gonna really like it.”
Steve closed his eyes and caressed his fingers over your stomach and cunt.  You reached up and cradled his jaw as Bucky rolled the condom down over his shaft.  Steve looked down at you, his blue eyes blown out with lust.  With a snap of his hips, he sunk deep into you.
You both gasped and you arched back as he lifted your hips up to him.  Bucky kissed Steve again before leaning down and sucking on your breasts against.  His metal fingers went to your clit and rubbed it as Steve started to slowly rut his hips against you, each thrust accompanied by a roll, so it felt like he was touching every part of you.
You felt like a live wire.  All your nerves were raw and stimulated as they made you the center of attention.  Steve fucked you slow and deep, filling you completely.  You gripped his wrists and rolled your hips with him.  Pleasure swirled through, starting in your breasts and cunt and meeting in your core.  It pressed down on you and radiated out until it was all you knew and all you wanted to know.  Your core clenched and you came hard, bucking up under them.
Steve was far from close though.  He picked up his pace, fucking you harder and a little more erratically.  Bucky began to massage the base of his cock and balls while his thumb rubbed your clit.  He switched from one breast to the next, keeping you right on the edge as Steve fucked you.
Steve’s eyes stayed locked with yours and his jaw tensed.  You jerked up suddenly as another orgasm tore through you, and with a hard snap of his hips, he came.
Bucky sat back as you relaxed down panting and Steve slipped from within you.  “How’re you doing there, darlin’?”  He asked as he ran his hands up Steve’s chest.
Steve kissed Bucky’s neck and got up, removing his condom and tossing it out.  “Really good, Buck,” you hummed.  “You gonna fuck me?”
“It would be my pleasure,” Bucky replied, grabbing one of the condoms and sheathing himself.  You sat up and stretched a little and Bucky sat opposite you.  You climbed into his lap and lowered yourself down onto his cock.   As you began to bounce on his cock Steve moved up behind you and sat with his legs on either side of you and Bucky.  He kissed your neck and ran his hands over the two of you.  Caressing skin.  Pinching nipples.  He rubbed your clit and massaged Bucky’s base.
You and Bucky kissed as you moved as one.  Your lips moved from lips to neck and back again and the sounds of your moans combined with each other’s and filled the room.
Sweat began to bead your skin as heat flowed through your veins, burning you up from the inside out.  Steve hardened against your back as you moved.  You began to feel fuzzy and high.  Steve’s fingers worked your clit as you bounced faster and faster.  It wasn’t long before you came again, and Bucky broke the kiss with a strained groan, gritting his teeth as he tried not to be dragged along with you.  It was no use though, his hips jerked and he came just after you.
You stayed joined, slowly rolling your hips as his cock emptied.  Steve ghosted his lips up the side of your neck and nipped at your earlobe.  “You up for more?”  He said in a soft growl.
“Mmm… I could go again.”  You hummed.
Three and a half hours the three of you spent switching from one to the other, the only break you got was to rehydrate.  By the time you called defeat you wondered if you were ever going to learn your lesson about trying to keep up with the two super soldiers.
You lay panting on the mattress as Bucky and Steve both lay back, the sweat running down their chests in rivulets.  You cunt ached and your legs felt weak. You had a vague feeling like you should get up and pee.  Get dressed.  Go home.  You didn’t think you’d even be able to get up.  You could barely even think straight.  It was all soft-focused.
You struggled up too sitting and blinked around the room.
“What are you doing, sweetheart?”  Steve asked, putting his hand on your hip.
“Gotta go home,” you mumbled.
“You’re exhausted.  Just stay.”  Steve reassured you.
“Yeah, darlin’, you liked cuddling with us when we were camping,” Bucky added.
“If I sleepover, then they’ll know.”  You tried to reason.
Steve sat up and kissed your shoulder, wrapping his arms around your waist.  “So they know.  We’re adults, we can do what we want.  Now lie down, you’re exhausted.”
You let yourself collapse back down, unable to think of one possible argument.  They both wrapped you in their arms and you were asleep before the blanket was even pulled over you.
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