#i wonder if they are gonna run the quest again. in a few months or something | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

howredemptionwaswon · 2 months ago

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"Didn't recognize you with the beard, Sean." " Aye, been bustin' me hump around here tryin' to get things ready for the winter. " Without a second thought, Sean handed over the hay bundle he was carrying from the barn to Charles. " Good to 'ave ya back. Another set of hands is exactly what we needed. "

Everything had been such a mess the day the group split that not everyone had been accounted for. Charles was one of those. It was unknown if he took out on his own, maybe stuck around a little longer to try and talk some sense into Dutch. Either way, it's good to have him here with them ─ even if Sean poked fun at him occasionally. " So ya gonna enlighten me on where ya been the last few months? " Sean asked as he walked out of the barn with Charles and headed over to the horses. " You know the drill, drop it and give it a good kickin' around. " He let out a little chuckle glad he wasn't the one packing that bundle for once. " The beards kind o' growin' on me. Keep me warm in the winter and Karen's takin' a likin' to it. " The look on his face couldn't be any smugger. Charles Smith was typically a man who kept to himself, so to have someone leave him speechless was a feat in itself. With Sean sounding so damn responsible, it left him without words. He could only remember the Irishman sleeping on the job when it came to guard duty half the time, whittling on a piece of wood, or doing some random stick-up job for the boys. Chores weren't often something he did by choice. To hear, let alone see him doing anything resembling the task of chores made Charles doubt himself. Was this the real Sean MacGuire?

Even as he walked alongside him and listened to him talk while carrying the hay bundle, he still thought he was dreaming. He was expecting to wake up and find himself back at Horseshoe Overlook when they'd just escaped the mountain before everything became the mess that developed from it. It was only when Sean mentioned Karen did Charles understand that maybe it wasn't a dream after all. Except that perhaps Karen grew soft on Sean, or he tired her out, and she decided to give his annoying antics a chance. Being away from Dutch's influence gave room for growth for some of them. "Been around… but I didn't stay with Dutch," Charles admitted as he admired the horses the ranch had. They looked like strong, beautiful animals - most importantly, healthy and well taken care of. "No point." While Charles admitted to Arthur that he liked that Dutch accepted a colored man such as him, he wasn't awestruck with him like some of the others were. He didn't like the dark path the gang was going down. The money they were collecting had too much blood stained on it, and whatever they stole only allowed them to keep running from their problems, never enough to make amends. It was clear as day that people were taking sides within the group, and slowly, but surely, lines were being drawn in the sands.

After the sides were made, Charles disappeared into the wilderness, where he quietly kept to the shadows, careful to keep watch and ensure that nobody from Dutch's crew did anything dirty to Arthur's party while the split happened. He was their silent protector, with his loyal mount prepared to take charge if need be. Once Arthur's crew settled in their new home, and prepared to make new lives for themselves, Charles took off, wondering if there was a future for himself. He traveled across the states, earning money however he could. Did his fair share of street brawling, until he found himself thinking about the others, to the point where he dreamed about them. His mother's side of the family would indicate that it was a spiritual quest he needed to take upon himself: a message meant for undertaking. He needed to go back to them, and return to his former friends, he did. Unable to resist taking a jab at Sean, Charles asked, "What convinced you to get into the ranching life with the others? Were you threatened under torture again?" Sean wouldn't admit it out loud but back in the days when he and the others rode with Dutch, his head wasn't on right. He often did his best to antagonize the other members of the group. Maybe it was testing everyone to see how far he could push them… you could say testing his limits. He watched and listened as Dutch preached the dream that everyone wanted to hear. When it came down to it hardly no one put forth any effort, just running about doing as they wanted. In Sean's eyes, why should he be busting his balls when no one else was? Bill just wanted to run around buzzing off at the mouth, getting himself caught by bounty hunters far too close to their camp. Dutch, well Dutch did what Dutch did best by sitting his ass all day and night preaching to everyone else. He could go on and on but what was the point in it? Things were different now. For one Karen helped open his eyes a little and here with the others… it wasn't like back then. Everyone stepped up doing their fair share to keep things moving. Sean wouldn't exactly call it growth on his part but more of a reason to now have something worth trying and fighting for. " It's a good thin' ya didn't. Wasn't nothin' good comin' to those who did. " Sean nodded his head before adding. " Ya probably right, none of me business. Long as ya wasn't there that's all that matters. " Now leaning against the gate post he found himself craving a good cold beer. Looking around he had to admit things were good now. They were living as honestly as they could. It wasn't all about some promise of the next big job being the key to their freedom. Which was crazy when you stopped to think about it because each big job they pulled only drove them deeper into hiding. Not to mention the way Dutch murdered that poor woman back in Black Water… that was some dark dealings right there. " Yer a right funny bloke you know that? " Sean managed to say with a hint of laughter. " Ain't nobody be torturin' me other than that fine blonde lass over there. " A chuckle followed as he motioned for Charles to follow him over to the cabin where he could grab them a few beers. " Ain't much for dyin'. Way I see it… it was either stay and die or leave and survive and I'm a survivor! No, when my time comes it's gonna be on me own terms. "

Without doubt, this was the longest conversation Charles ever had with Sean - one he was willing to partake in. The boy was not only insightful, he actually made sense. Charles still couldn't believe this was the same Sean MacGuire who, not even a year ago, had to pester Arthur and John to join them on random jobs like an annoying little tag-along brother. The dissolution of the gang apparently helped Sean mature, open his eyes, and allowed him growth - from what Charles could gather. This was rather promising. Charles accepted the beer from Sean and thanked him. Much like him, he wasn't one for dying. His stance on life hadn't changed since he left his alcoholic father during his youth. He was tired of running and having to constantly look over his shoulder. All he wanted was stability, to find a place to call "home," and he thought he'd found that with the gang. The first version of the gang had promise (or so he was led to believe), but now that he found THIS version, this one was the one he preferred the most. "You've proven yourself as much of a survivor," Charles agreed after taking that first, welcoming swig of his beer. He gave the Irishman credit for having stuck around, proving his loyalty to those who truly cared about what mattered most. The location of the ranch was ideal, and not too close to any major cities or towns. Once Dutch's plans fell apart, they had gone further into civilization, instead of going away from it, allowing more people to recognize them. The ranch's distance would give everyone here a chance to start over, and with time, maybe the memories of their crimes would fade from other folks' minds so long as they kept low profiles.

There was nothing like a brush of death that could make some mature rather quickly. He recognized that consistently stirring the pot merely resulted in avoidable disputes and strain. Plus, Karen played a pivotal part in altering his outlook. The impact she had on him, prompted him to reevaluate his existence. She provided him with a necessary jolt of reality. Wasn't being present on this ranch, alongside the rest of the collective, precisely the life they had all been seeking? The very life that Dutch had promised to them? Growing up the only family Sean ever had was his father and he lost him when those British bastards tracked them down and killed him in his bed like rabid dogs. It wasn't long after that when he ran into Dutch and Hosea up in North Elizabeth and tried stealing Dutch's pocket watch. The thought made him chuckle under his breath. For a while, he thought he had found a place to call home but something never really set right with him. While Sean tried to convince those around him that he was extremely intelligent, that wasn't exactly the case, but even he knew a slipping man when he saw one. This place here with those who had seen what he had was as close to family as he imagined he would ever have. Despite the lingering doubts, Sean couldn't deny the sense of belonging and acceptance he felt among these kindred spirits. " Right, de same can be said for ye. " Charles was not one to tolerate anyone's nonsense. He had personally witnessed Charles knocking Micah down for what he perceived as an insult. It spoke volumes on its own that Charles hadn't stayed back with the others. Many people had been lost in a short period of time, and Arthur, Charles, and everyone else knew who was responsible for the chaos. Finally, Sean took a sip of his beer and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. The chaotic situation was now in the past, and hopefully, it would stay there. " 'ave to admit it ain't easy livin' the 'onest life. Guess it's like Arthur always said .. you can't live a bad life an' have gran' things 'appen to ye. We got no troubles 'ere. Lawmen ain't lookin' for us. Don't think it was us they ever really wanted. Dutch was the one they was after, just glad sum of us made it out of dare before Micah led dem straight to us. "

Truer words were never spoken. Dutch was the mastermind. While Arthur's wanted poster once bore a hefty price, it didn't take long for Dutch to make enough noise to bring his own head for a higher bid. Bounty hunters were swift to go after him and those often seen associated with him, while the rest of the group scattered. Charles was separated from the chaos, but he was a survivor. He'd been on his own for years, long before he joined up with Dutch. He bid his time before knowing when it was safe to make his return known. "Like I mentioned to Abigail earlier," Charles said, reflecting on his other conversation, "I'd still feel comfortable being on guard for our ranch. Not just because of Dutch, but getting too comfortable isn't my style. But this place? I like what I've seen so far. I'll fight to protect it with my dying breath."

Having a roof over his head and warm meals to look forward to every single day was a dream come true. A family to greet him day and night was a foreign concept to him until now. Nothing had been stable for him growing up. Every day was a fight for survival. But now? He'd be damned if anyone try to take this away from any of them.

Charles found himself in a good mood now. He couldn't help but smirk. "Sean, what kind of farm work DO you actually know how to do?"

Sean let out a hearty laugh, his eyes crinkling at the corners. " Ah, ye wound me, Charles ! I'll 'ave ye know I'm a man of many talents. " He took another swig of his beer before continuing, his voice taking on a mock-serious tone. " I can milk a cow blindfolded, shear a sheep with me teeth, and I once talked a chicken into layin' twice as many eggs in a day. Though I must warn ye, I've got a delicate constitution when it comes to certain… aromas. " His eyes hit the ground and then back to Charles before he continued. " Well, maybe not all of dat, " He admitted with a grin. " But I can learn, can't I ? Ain't dat what dis new life is all about ? Learnin’ as we go ? Ain’t been hearin’ Arthur or John makin’ no fuss over me slackin’. Think they dedicated that to good ole Uncle. " Sean let out a chuckle. At least for once someone was getting more grief than he was. Sean looked around the area before turning back to Charles a little more serious now. " Aye, I may not know much about farmin', but I know how to keep watch and handle meself in a scrap. That's gotta count for somethin'. " Sean's tone held a hint of vulnerability beneath his usual bravado. " I may not be the most skilled farmhand, " Sean admitted, his voice softening. " But I'm willin' to put in the work. This place, these people — they're worth it. " He paused, taking another sip of his beer. " Never thought I'd say this, but I'm startin' to understand what Arthur meant about wantin' a better life. Ain't just about the money or the thrill of the chase anymore. " Sean's gaze drifted to the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. " Y'know, Charles, I've been thinkin' about Karen a lot lately. " Sean's voice grew softer, a hint of vulnerability creeping in. " She's been through so much, we all 'ave. But seein' 'er smile again, it… it does somethin' to me. " He shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. " Never thought I'd be the type to settle down, but all this makes me want to be better. " He raised his bottle in a toast. " To new beginnings, eh ? " Few things changed since Charles came back. First: Uncle was still Uncle. Nothing would change about that old man. Second: people shared their insecurities with Charles because he was the type who'd listen. There was an aura he gave that drew others to him that, despite his size, was welcoming. He might not talk a lot, but he would sit and listen. It didn't surprise Charles that Sean exposed so much about himself. The kid always had a habit of putting on an act of bravado--much loudly, to the annoyance of everyone, but he meant well. And going by what he'd told him, he improved by leaps and bounds.

When the topic shifted to Karen, and why Sean became more focused, Charles could only grunt in approval. Being away from Dutch did wonders for every single person who was at this ranch. Dutch was a madman. Charles had been wandering the countryside since he was thirteen years old, and it was Dutch who found him and was impressed by his resilience. Maybe it was the loneliness and words that spewed from Dutch's mouth that won him over, but knowing what he knew now, he wouldn't have joined him. But at the same time, he would've missed out on the friendships and family he gained through the hardships had he not joined up. Through the pain and hardships of it all, came forth strength and love. Charles also raised his bottle. "To new beginnings indeed." After the brief toast and a sip, the bigger man asked, "How long have you and Karen been together? Or are you still just chasing her around?" Sean chuckled, a hint of sheepishness creeping into his expression. " Ah, well now, that's a bit of a complicated question, ain't it ? " He took another swig of his beer, buying himself a moment to gather his thoughts. " We've been… dancin' around each other for a while now. Y'know how it is with Karen — she's got a fire in her that's hard to pin down. "

He leaned back, his eyes taking on a faraway look. " There were times, back with the gang, when I thought we had somethin' special brewin'. But then… well, things got complicated, didn't they ? With all the runnin' and the chaos. " Sean's voice grew softer, tinged with regret. " I didn't always handle things right, I'll admit. Said some stupid things, did some even stupider things. " He turned to Charles, a rare moment of seriousness crossing his face. " I've been tryin' to prove meself to her. Show her I can be more than just the loud-mouthed Irish boy who can't keep his hands to himself. " Sean's lips quirked into a small smile. " Been helpin' her with the chores, listenin' when she needs to talk. Even cut back on me drinkin' a bit. " He paused, looking down at the bottle in his hand with a wry grin. " Well, most days anyway. " He sighed, running a hand through his unruly red hair. " It's different now, y'know ? Back with the gang, everything was always so… urgent. Like we was always runnin' from somethin' or towards somethin'. But here… " Sean's gaze swept across the peaceful ranch, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun. " Here, we got time. Time to breathe, time to think. " Sean turned back to Charles, his eyes shining with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. " I think… I think we might be gettin' somewhere. "

In a way, Charles envied Sean. The boy was driving himself to becoming a better person for someone he cared deeply for. Had Charles not been able to reunite with the group, his ultimate plan would be to travel north, as far as Canada, in order to start a new life for himself. Settling down with his own wife and family would be ideal. There had to be someone for him out there, like there was for Sean. Yet now, Charles was happy to be with those he called family. "That shows growth," the larger man stated as he took to leaning against the nearest hard surface. His features relaxed, and he allowed himself to reveal a slight smile. "And I'm talking about both you and Karen. Being on our own like this has offered all of us a chance to change for the better. It won't be long before you two become serious." Change was good, Charles noted, as he once again considered how long he'd been talking to Sean. He couldn't recall on one hand alone the many times the two of them shared a genuine conversation like this. Charles kept to himself for the most part, while Sean fluttered around everyone like the social butterfly like he was. They couldn't be any more opposite. In the present, Charles was pleased to have this talk. It opened his eyes to how much tenacity Sean had, and when he set his mind to something, he could accomplish anything. "It's time to put myself to work," Charles stated after a stretch of comfortable silence. He gripped the now empty bottle between his fingers and witnessed the smile on his face reflect from the glass surface. "I'll keep my eye out on you and Karen. And… thank you for this."

This, being the time spent together--the booze was nice, too. Whether he admitted it or not, Charles didn't mind talking to Sean--well, this version of him. He wasn't sure if he'd feel the same way if and when Sean shifted to his loud-mouth, yammering self. At least he knew there was a side of the Irishman that was thoughtful and considerate. Sean was quiet, not through lack of words, but because they were too busy spinning. He watched Charles disappear beyond the barn. It should have been a relief to be alone, but instead it made Sean restless. He tore another swig off the bottle, letting it burn its way down, hoping it would take his doubts with it. Karen had seemed different lately; quieter and further away than usual. He knew he was taking a gamble, building everything into this version of himself—farmhand and listener, dodging bars like they carried influenza—when for all he knew the only thing she might want from him was nothing at all. The grass was cool against his back as he lay, arms crossed behind his head. Charles' words came back to him—it won't be long before you two become serious—and he laughed out loud, incredulous and bitter all at once. Wouldn't that be something ?

The sky dimmed and grew cold as stars blinked into being above him. Sean rubbed his face with his hands as he sat up. The ranch was quiet. Too quiet, sometimes; it let him hear too much of what he didn't want to, creaking through his mind like a loose door hinge.

#t: old friends #feat: sean & charles #v: build a little home together #red dead redemption #c: sean #c: charles

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crystallizedday · 7 months ago

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Quest – Rekindled (Part 4 of 5)

Level 33 – Easy

The downward hill leading to Hero’s Hollow was quite the intimidating one. The air was thick and sickly, most of it coming from the intense infection while some of it came from the smoke emitted from the random fires scattered across the area. So much debris littered the area. It was hard to believe all this mess was caused by one annoying yellow homunculus.

Demongo could faintly see a few things in the distance, mainly an abandoned Dexlabs DexCarrier still hovering above the Earth and some kind of alien lair with an ominous glow. The demon wondered what kind of beasts could be found beyond the wreckage.

Then again, perhaps he should not think about that.

He turned his attention to Damien, who was sitting next to him. He was also gazing off into the distance.

Ah, Damien.

This human was so odd to Demongo. For some reason, this burly soldier took such a great interest in the demon. Demongo could never fully wrap his head around it.

He was not exactly complaining, however. The demon quite liked the attention and praise. He also found the human to be rather endearing at times, especially back when they…

Demongo returned his attention to the intimidating scope of the rest of the Darklands. Even after the invasion is stopped, it would probably take months if not years to repair the damage these horrific creatures had caused.

That got Demongo wondering.

“Damien?”

“Hm?” The human looked over at the demon.

Demongo met Damien’s gaze. “What are you going to do once this war is over?”

“Huh.” The human thought to himself. “You know, I’m not too sure. I guess I might just go back home to the Suburbs. As much as I’m willing to fight to keep this planet safe, I wouldn’t be lying if I said it wasn’t kind of exhausting.”

Demongo rested the side of his face against his palm.

Home.

Hmm…

The demon piped up with another question. “What is it like in the Suburbs?”

“Oh?” Damien probably did not expect Demongo to be interested in such a thing. Regardless, he went along and answered. “It’s honestly pretty quiet, all things considered. Yeah, you got the Powerpuff Girls living there alongside that Kids Next Door base in Sector V, but the rest of the place is pretty peaceful. The Peach Creek Cul De Sac is a charming little neighborhood, and Foster’s is always fun to visit with all those imaginary friends running around. Heh…”

Damien’s weak smile faded.

He must have missed his home.

Demongo could not exactly relate, never having a real home to begin with. He certainly did not miss the Pit of Hate, his technical place of origin. Even back when he was all-powerful, there was not much to do there other than watch over the unfortunate souls sent there for eternal punishment. Of course, becoming one of those unfortunate souls only made him miss that place even less. It was a miracle he eventually escaped that place.

He always wondered why Aku never took notice of his absence. The Shogun of Sorrow knows and sees all, so he surely would have found Demongo out and about by now. Either he was allowing the demon to continue his work in the war to gain valuable intel for later, or he simply did not care enough to bother with Demongo.

As painful as it was to think about, the demon hoped the latter was the case.

His thoughts were disrupted when Damien spoke up. “What are you gonna do after the war?”

Demongo looked over at the human, surprised to be asked that question. “I… I am not sure. It depends on what happens, I suppose.”

Damien nodded. “Ah. On whether or not you get your powers back?”

The demon repositioned himself so his chin could rest on the back of his hand, staring off into nothing. “My doppelgänger did not just steal the souls I harvested. He used magic to rip away most of my powers. I still have some magic left in me, but it is a far cry from the power I used to have. I am unsure if destroying him will leave that stolen magic untouched, or if it will dissipate as well.”

Damien sat up straight. “If it helps, I can see if we can find a way to get your powers back before we take down that doppelgänger of yours.”

Demongo shifted his attention back to the human. “You… You would do that for me?” The demon could not quite understand. “Why? You know what I can do at full strength.”

“Yeah?” Damien shrugged. “Getting your powers back won’t change how we see each other. I’m still willing to be by your side. I don’t really consider myself a hero or a villain. I’m just a guy who wants to help and protect the people he cares about.“

Demongo was awestruck. This one human was so willing to dedicate his life to the demon, not for power or protection, but just because he cared. Even still, he would have needed to care quite a lot to steer his entire life in such a drastically new direction. Demongo wondered…

Damien spoke up again, smiling to himself. “& hey! Worst case scenario, if you don’t get your powers back, you can tag along with me!”

The demon quietly gasped to himself upon hearing that. He wanted to ask Damien about the idea, but the human beat him to that proposition. After all, Demongo did not exactly have a home to return to, so if he could not get his powers back, why not just go wherever Damien went? Not only would he be safe, but perhaps the suburbs could be quite the nice place to settle down in.

Damien excitedly rambled on. “The Suburbs are smack dab in the middle of all sorts of fun places! Heh. Back before the war, I would often take day-long trips into the wilds. It’s definitely where I got most of my strength from, that’s for sure!”

Demongo smiled alongside Damien. He had never seen the wilds for himself, but he would not mind taking a trip there, just so he could see the human’s drive for adventure in action. Demongo always wondered what the extent of the human’s strength was. Perhaps this trip could provide just what he wanted. Just imagining the things Damien probably could do with just his bare hands alone got the demon oh so giddy.

Damien continued. “Oh!! And I just know you’ll LOVE Downtown! Yeah, there are a lot of people always out and about, but there’s a ton of cool stuff there! The beach is gorgeous, the Sunny Bridges Auditorium is always a treat to attend, Dizzyworld has some of the best attractions around, and the food there is phenomenal!”

Demongo’s attention was piqued by that last comment.

Damien could tell, chuckling at the demon’s wide-eyed and interested expression. “Yeah, I know you and that powerful sweet tooth of yours. I had a feeling that would get you excited. Dizzyworld has some of the best fried dough around. I just know you’d LOVE it!”

As interested as the demon was in whatever this “fried dough” was, he was simply enamored with how passionate Damien was to show him what the rest of the world had to offer.

Demongo beamed. It had been a while since he smiled like this, assuming he ever had before. He went back to resting the side of his face in his palm. His face felt a little… warmer than it usually is nowadays, but he did not question it. In his case, it was a good thing to be warmer.

Demongo spoke up, his voice quieter than it usually is. “I would like that a lot, actually.”

Damien turned to the demon. He looked so happy to hear that.

Something about that smile of his had become so enchanting to Demongo. It was just so dorky yet genuine and lively. Honestly, the demon had warmed up to Damien a lot in the past few weeks.

Demongo always worried he would get annoyed with the human overtime, but to his surprise, he found himself quite enjoying the company. Damien found a way to make even the most grueling of days feel pleasant, always finding a way to make the demon laugh no matter how he was feeling.

He could get used to this…

“Uh, ahem.”

Demongo jolted, forced back to reality. His attention snapped to the voice that chimed in behind them.

Ah.

It was one of those SACT agents.

Damien swiftly got to his feet. “Agent Torres, sir!! We were just-”

Torres waved his hand dismissively. “If you’re gonna go sightseeing, please pick another spot. My team and I are trying to apprehend a rogue alien in the area, and we cannot have any disruptions.”

“Rogue alien?” Damien looked curious. “A friend of Ben’s, maybe?”

“No,” Torres swiftly replied, readjusting his sunglasses. “This one has been evading our forces for some time now. Whatever it is, it leaves even more destruction in its wake. We cannot have something like that freely running around the area.”

“If I may interject,” Demongo chipped in. “Can you describe what this supposed creature looks like?”

Torres looked puzzled to see the demon here. “Huh? Aren’t you supposed to be- never mind. If it helps to know, some of our squad has reported seeing the alien for themselves, describing it as a tiny yellow creature that emits an awful, earsplitting noise whenever anyone gets too close. It is a horrifying menace that we must put a stop to!”

Both Demongo and Damien looked at each other, knowing exactly who the agent was talking about.

Demongo thought seeing these supposedly well-trained agents go on what is essentially a wild goose chase was too hilarious to intervene.

Either Damien felt the same or simply did not have the heart to tell Torres the truth.

Damien gave the agent a nervous smile. “I, uh, wish you guys luck with that! We’ll just be going now if you don’t mind.”

Torres nodded. “Stay safe, soldier! And uh… demon.”

There was clear disdain in the agent’s voice when referring to Demongo, but the demon did not care. He was used to this from everyone else by now. He followed Damien as the two made their way back to the campsite.

Damien surprised Demongo by speaking up to ask one last question.

“How long do you think it’s gonna take them before they realize who they’re chasing after?”

Demongo snickered. “That is assuming they even know about that pesky imaginary entity and what he did here… I would give them at most two weeks.”

Damien laughed. “A bit generous, don’t you think?”

That got a hard chuckle out of the demon. “You never cease to amuse me, Damien.”

#fusionfall #demongo #samurai jack #oc x canon #fanfic #writing #I love world building OWMWOSMSOXK

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glowinghae · 3 years ago

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love grows {part four} ~ stranger things au

pairings. Eddie x OC warnings. SMUT! Going down (mtf), boobies, almost sex. No protection. Mentions of illness (cancer) and intense bullying. Also angst but also fluff.

etc. This chapter is INSANELY long but I couldn’t stop writing. Also I’m spoiling you guys with my constant posting. I gotta write faster at this rate! And also, there is some very subtle foreshadowing in this chapter so tell me if you find it.

part one - part two - part three

_________________________________________

Rosemary had played Dungeons and Dragons two times already in the mere week that had passed. And she couldn’t lie, it was really fun.

“Okay Rosemary,” Will was sitting at her kitchen table while Dustin and Lucas were playing the Atari they had brought over. In the past week, the boys had decided that this was their new favorite place to hang out. Mainly because Rosemary never told them no and always made them snacks. “I’m almost done.”

Will was helping her flesh out her DnD character and was currently drawing out what she looked like. “You remembered the ebony duel blades?” She asked, glancing over at Will and Eleven talking on the couch. Rosemary was surprised Hop let her out to her house but he seemed to trust that Rosemary knew how to stay hidden.

The boy nodded. He was doing shockingly well since his traumatic experience just over a month before, and Rosemary knew he hated it but she had promised his mother Joyce that she would keep an eye on him. He put the colored pencil gently on the table and looked up at her smiling, “Done!”

Rosemary smiled as she came around the table to have a look at his drawing. She read the description loud, “A disgraced sorcerer turned Rouge, Thorn is a deadly level 10 assassin who prefers stealth mode but will use magic as needed. Came from an affluent elven family who upon discovery of her betrayal had her ears docked. Now she joins quests searching for her shot at redemption. Primary weapon: assault blades, secondary weapon: dark sorcery.”

The drawing was super cool. The character kind of looked like her but way prettier with hair down past her hips braided into two thick plaits. Most of her was shrouded by a long dark cloak, two blades just visible in her grasp. The character, Thorn, had black smudged all around her eyes and running down her cheeks. Rosemary looked up at Will and tousled his hair, “Badass.”

Will was beaming, “So next campaign you can really get into character. Next one is gonna be so sick!” He launched into telling her the details of what his plans were.

As he spoke Rosemary’s thoughts wandered a bit as she stared at the key fab. Her mom was at work again. But she was beginning to wonder if these ‘extra hours’ were really just her going to the clinic for treatments.

She and her mom still hadn’t talked about her mothers diagnosis.

“Rosemary!” Will was shaking her arm and she blinked hard. “Is everything okay?”

“Sorry,” Rosemary sighed, but she wasn’t really ready to tell the kids about her mom. It wasn’t something that they needed to think about, “I just have a date in a couple hours,” Will made a face, “I know, I know, gross. It’s just I haven’t really decided what to wear or anything like that.” It’s true, she had a date with Eddie in a few hours, but in truth she just didn't want to tell the real reason for her mental distance.

Will tapped his pencil on the table, “You should use that hair clip from the last campaign. It was pretty.”

“Yeah?” Rosemary beamed at the boy who nodded back with a shy smile. “Okay, deal.”

…

Rosemary was cleaning up after the kids when her mom came home.

She looked exhausted.

The house was clean now that the party had gone home, Rosemary was just placing the dishes to dry. “Hi mom.” She said.

Rhiannon placed her keys on the fab while shaking off her shoes, “How was band practice?” Her tone was off, a little on edge.

Rosemary just shrugged, “it was fine. I got to miss last period for it. The heater was broken so it was super cold.”

“Hmm.” Rhiannon was bundled up tight as it had been freezing out that day, but Rosemary watched as she removed all of her winter wear except her hat.

“So,” Rosemary chewed on her cheek, “I’m um, I’m going out with a friend tonight if that’s ok?”

“Sure dear, just give me a call if you spend the night anywhere.” It’s better that way. Rhiannon thought. I feel terrible, I don’t want her to see me like this.

Normally Rosemary would ask her mom to help her pick out an outfit for the night, or to paint her nails. But recently Rosemary didn’t know what to say to her mother, she didn’t want to make her exert any extra energy.

“Ok.” Rosemary said quietly.

I have to tell her soon. Her mothers thoughts had been more guarded recently, the only reason she could hear them currently is cause she was actively trying. Rosemary turned away and went upstairs, wiping the blood away from her nose.

It would be a lie to say Rosemary wasn’t at least excited about her date. No one had ever asked her out on a date before.

Well, that wasn’t true actually. As Rosemary hopped into the shower she remembered that a few boys over the years had asked her to the movies or to study but she had just always said no. But now that Hawkins Lab was shut down, she felt like she could finally be more free to be normal.

But she did currently feel a bit foolish now as she had no idea what she was supposed to wear on a date. Was it formal? Was it casual?

One thing she knew for sure was that it was cold out, so definitely something warm.

“Rosemary!” Her mother called for her from downstairs.

Wrapping a towel around her chest, Rosemary bolted downstairs to where her mom was standing by the wall, phone receiver in hand.

“You have a phone call from someone named Eddie.” Rosemary took the phone from her mother, “You’re dripping on the floor.” Rhiannon pointed out before taking a step back.

Rosemary rolled her eyes and held the phone up to her ear, “Hello?”

“Hey angel.” Even through the phone she could tell he was smiling.

Rosemary couldn’t help the smile that seeped onto her face at the sound of the nickname. “Hey, is everything ok?”

Wait, why is she smiling like that? No boy has ever called the house for her before. Rhiannon stared at her daughter, what have I been missing? Rosemary could feel the sadness dripping from her mothers thoughts.

“Yeah, everything is perfect. I just wanted to make sure you remembered our date tonight and that you weren’t caught up at band practice or anything. ” Eddie’s tone was excited but she could hear tapping over the receiver, he was probably tapping his fingers.

“I remembered.” Rosemary blushed, knowing her mother was listening to every word. “Six, right? What are we doing?”

Wait, six tonight? Is that what you meant by you going out later? Rosemary Sage Price do you have a date tonight? And you didn’t tell me? Rosemary was having a hard time listening to both her mother and Eddie so she held her finger up to her mouth in a silent shushing motion.

Eddie’s laugh rang through the phone, “That’s a secret for me to know and you to find out. But just make sure you’re warm, I don’t want you freezing to death on me.”

Rosemary giggled, “Yeah that might put a damper on things a little.”

“Would definitely add on to the ‘freak’ reputation if I’m found with a dead body.” Rosemary laughed again, and Eddie sighed contentedly, “Okay then, Rosemary, I will see you at 6.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

The last ‘bye’ was Rhiannon mockingly imitating her daughter's giddy tone of voice as Rosemary hung up the phone.

Rosemary was nervous about her mothers reaction. But her sunny disposition seemed to have returned for a moment as Rhiannon came and put her hands on Rosemary’s shoulders, “Your first date and you weren’t going to let me help you get ready?” Her mother smiled warmly at her but Rosemary could see the fatigue in her eyes.

The girl’s eyes drifted to the floor, “You’ve just been so busy mom, I didn’t want to bother you.”

Rhiannon tipped her daughter's chin up to look at her, “You are the only achievement in my life that truly matters to me. You will always be my priority and I will never be too busy for milestones like this. I’m sorry I made you feel that anything else was the truth.”

Somehow her mother apologizing only made her feel worse. “Don’t be sorry mom, it’s ok.”

“Have you picked your outfit yet?” Rosemary shook her head, “I’ll help you get ready and you can tell me about him, ok?”

…

“I was thinking hair in braids, yeah?” Her mother said, setting down the blow dryer now that Rosemary’s hair was dry but Rosemary shook her head, “No?”

“Eddie said he likes it down. He said it’s pretty.” Rosemary blushed and her mother laughed as she set down the hair tie she’d been holding, “Can I use your hair clip instead?”

“That’ll be cute too.” Rhiannon said as she grabbed her tortoise shell claw clip and did a half up style on Rosemary’s thick ebony hair, making sure to let her bangs and baby hairs fall out in the front. “I wish I knew where you got these looks from, maybe I could get some of my own.”

Rosemary rolled her eyes, “Says Hawkin’s Heartthrob circa 1968.” Rosemary was working on her makeup while her mom picked at her hair.

When Rosemary was a little girl, just after coming to be with her mother, she remembered looking through some beauty magazines and seeing a special issue on a girl named Twiggy. That was the first time Rosemary thought about being pretty and what that meant to her. When her mother let her start to wear makeup her thoughts always went back to Twiggy.

Which is probably why she liked to use eyeliner to make little fake lashes along her bottom eyelids which accented her sanpaku eyes.

“Mom,” Rosemary blinked as she looked in the mirror, “I wish I had your nose.” Rhiannon’s nose was perfect, a little upturned at the end with subtle freckles sprinkled across; Different from Rosemary’s nose. Rosemary’s from the front was slender and delicate looking, but from the side had a bit of a tall bridge and instead of her mothers spray of freckles had a dark beauty mark in the space between her bridge and the inner corner of her eye. And after the fight with Billy, it now strayed a little bit towards the left.

Rhiannon guffawed, “What?” She took her daughter's face in her hands, “Rosemary, just because you don’t look like the girls in the magazines doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful.”

Rosemary rolled her eyes, “You have to say that, you’re my mom.”

“True,” Her mother said, “But I also really mean it when I say you have the kind of looks that make other girls sick wishing they looked like you. Not because you look so much more special than anyone else, but because you are so confident in who you are.”

Moving to change into the outfit she had picked, Rosemary hummed, “Thanks, I guess no matter how I look now beats the shaved head.” She said as she pulled the heavy knit cream turtle-neck sweater over her head. Rosemary had always liked how it was a little oversized and the midnight grey leaves embroidered into its design.

“You know,” Rhiannon moved to sit on her daughter's bed, “the guy I helped buy the house on Fleetwood Drive the other day had a nose kind of like yours. He was from Chile.”

“It’s possible.” Rosemary slipped into a pair of dark grey wool stockings before pulling on her black mini corduroy flare skirt, the one with brass buttons down the front. “Whenever I get images from the past the voices I hear are speaking Spanish.”

Rhiannon reached for her daughter's hand and gave it a squeeze, “How much luckier does that make me that you found your way here to be mine?”

There was that weight again, tugging at Rosemary’s chest. She should be so happy right now, but all she could feel was fear. What would life be like without her mom? But that fear shouldn’t stop her from being here in the moment with her, “I love you Mom.” She said sincerely.

“I love you too, Small One.” Her mother stood up, “And since I love you so much, I’m going to let you pick one of my lipsticks to wear.”

Eyes widening in excitement, Rosemary bit her lip, “Really?” Her mother let her do most anything with her wardrobe and makeup but was always a little weird about lipstick.

“Yes,” her mother called from outside the room, “You’re not my little girl anymore, you’re a woman. It’s time I stop treating you like a child.”

Rosemary was stepping into her black Mary Janes when her mother returned holding her tubes of Dior lipsticks. She could barely contain her excitement as she picked out a dark brown color, the bold color looked vibrant against her light olive skin tone as she applied it in the mirror.

“Beautiful.” Rhiannon remarked before playfully tousling her daughter's hair. “Keep it.”

…

It wasn’t long after getting ready that Rosemary saw Eddie’s lights in the driveway.

Her mother was in the bathroom and in an attempt to avoid any awkwardness Rosemary simply called out, “Bye mom! See you later!” Before bolting out the door and into Eddie’s passenger seat.

Eddie looked like the air had been punched out of him when she sat down. “Rosemary, you look…” Something caught his eye and he started to laugh, “like your mom is walking towards us in her pajamas.”

Words could not express the mortification Rosemary felt as her mother ran towards the van and tapped on the driver side window. Eddie grinned as he rolled the window down. “Mom.” Rosemary groaned.

You didn’t think you’d get away that easy did you?

She had certainly hoped so.

“Mrs.Price! It’s nice to meet you but you’re going to catch your death out here in the cold.” Eddie said smoothly as he struggled to take off his big brown carhartt jacket, “Here, let me give you-“

Her mother put her hand up to politely silence Eddie, “You’re sweet but I’ll only be a second. And please, call me Rhiannon.” Rhiannon reached through the window and handed Rosemary two twenty dollar bills, “An advance on the chores for this week.”

“Thanks, mom.” Rosemary was blushing hard.

“Now Eddie,” Eddie’s attention snapped to Rhiannon’s face, which was friendly but also stern, “I’m not going to give you a curfew but I would ask you to have her back at a reasonable time, okay? She wanted to plant the tulip bulbs in the morning and she gets cranky if her garden isn’t kept up to par so I’d prefer not to have her in a bad mood tomorrow, understood?”

“Mom!” Rosemary moaned.

Eddie pressed his fingers to his temple in a salute, “Yes, ma’am! I would never dream of leaving her in a bad mood.”

A shiver ran through Rhiannon’s body as she nodded, “Alright then, have fun tonight and be safe. It was nice to meet you Eddie, I hope I’ll be seeing you again.” She stepped back and Eddie started to back out of the driveway, but Rosemary heard her mother call out one last “I love you” before Eddie closed the window and cranked up the heat in the van.

“Your mom is nice.” He probed and Rosemary burst out laughing.

“No, no, no, that was my mom completely trying to embarrass me.” She said between laughs. This was the first time Rosemary had a chance to look at Eddie. His big coat, the Metallica t-shirt layered underneath the dark blue flannel she had given him the week before and his black ripped jeans. He was wearing a black bandana on his head and from the passenger seat Rosemary could smell his cologne.

Rosemary bit her lip, he looked really good.

“Question though,” Eddie looked at her, “Pretty sure it’s supposed to snow tonight, it’s not really a good time to be gardening.”

“Oh.” Rosemary giggled, “They’re tulip bulbs. They have to be planted in the winter to be fully grown in the spring. It’s the perfect time actually.”

Eddie Munson was going to get in a car accident from how he couldn’t stop staring at her, “I didn’t know you liked gardening so much.” He smiled. That’s so fucking cute.

Tucking a strand of hair being her ear, Rosemary grinned, “Where do you think my name comes from?”

“Wow, your mom must have been psychic.” He laughed but when she just stared at him expectantly, Eddie side eyed her, “You mean to tell me that you picked your own name?”

Her laugh bounced off the walls of the van again, “I had… another name. Before I was with my mom. But I hated it and so did she. But it also took us a while to pick out a new one, she said she wanted one that fit me. So after like, two months, I had been out in the garden so often that Rosemary just kind of stuck.” Rosemary turned a little pink, “That’s why my mom calls me Small One sometimes, it’s what she called me before we picked a new name.”

“Your old name was that bad?” Eddie inquired, “What was it? Hildigraith or something?”

Even though he was joking Rosemary stiffened a little. She was trying hard not to actually lie to him, just to avoid certain truths. But it’s hard when the only name she had until she was ten was a number. Rosemary glanced down at her wrist, rubbing at the cover up tattoo nervously.

“Yeah,” she laughed nervously, “something like that.” Rosemary could feel the slightly raised skin around the now covered ‘005’ and she fidgeted with it slightly.

The movement caught Eddie’s attention and he glanced down, “I saw your tattoo the other night.” Rosemary’s head snapped up in panic before realizing he meant the Celtic knot. Obviously. “It’s pretty. Does it mean anything?”

Rosemary shrugged, “A lot. It can mean the balance between life, death and rebirth. Sometimes they represent different elements. But usually they just ward off evil.” It hasn’t really worked so far for that but at least it looked nice.

“You have a lot of evil that needs warding off?” Eddie snorted at the idea and Rosemary smirked at his innocence.

“Well, it is Hawkins.”

…

“I don’t understand.” Eddie huffed as he parked the car, “The Christmas Lights in the Park was supposed to start today.” His bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

Seeing him like this brought pangs of pity to Rosemary’s chest, while he was obviously playing up the dramatics, his eyes betrayed him.

This is so lame. She’s totally going to think I didn’t plan this at all. I’m blowing it.

“Hey,” Rosemary soothed, “It’s ok… maybe they just haven’t turned them on yet? They’re all set up.”

Eddie nodded glumly, getting out of the car to try and find someone to ask while Rosemary trailed behind. Eventually an old caretaker of the park came out of his office and Eddie asked him why the lights weren’t on.

“Postponed.” The old man huffed, “Apparently the Technician forgot the main breaker to turn it on and off. Hell of a screw up if you ask me.” Eddie’s face fell, “Believe me, young man, you won’t be the only ones disappointed tonight. I’m gonna have to phone all the vendors that can't come until tomorrow.”

Rosemary looked around, spotting the light strand meticulously set up around the park, “Everything is set up though?” She asked innocently and the old man nodded.

“Just no way to turn it on without a switch.”

Rosemary nodded and Eddie kicked the ground as they walked away, others filing into the park looking around in confusion.

You were an idiot to think you could give a girl like this a good time. She probably wants to go home.

Okay, that was the last straw. “Eddie, I left my purse in the car. Could you just go find it for me? I just need to use the restroom.”

Eddie smiled, “Sure thing, Angel.”

As soon as Eddie was out of sight Rosemary looked around. The old man had said that everything was connected to the power, just no switch to turn it on

Well, that was okay. Rosemary could be a switch.

Reaching out her hand and closing her eyes, Rosemary pictured the park in her mind. Dark and quiet, and then she pictured it how she wanted it and willed it into existence.

And when she opened her eyes it was so. All the lights in the park flicked on, illuminating every space that had once been dark. Lights wound around every branch of every tree, and hung like a canopy above her. Music suddenly began to play over speaks placed behind bushes.

The old caretaker stumbled from his office and looked around. Searching for the words before he whooped aloud in excitement, ushering people in.

Rosemary smiled in a silent glee. What she had just done was risky, but seemingly worth it as the small crowd of people who had turned back in disappointment had suddenly made 180’s to roam the park again, much happier expressions on their faces.

“Rosemary!” Eddie was running towards her, trying not to slip on any ice. “What happened? The lights?!” His face was beaming and Rosemary simply shrugged.

“Christmas miracle?” She suggested with a grin.

“Hold on,” Eddie tipped her chin up to look at him, “You have a nose bleed.” He wiped the blood away with a bandana that hung from his back pocket. “There.”

Not very long afterwards, the vendors started to set up shop and people from all over Hawkins were bustling around Hawkins Liberty Park.

The smell of roasted nuts wafted towards the young couple and Rosemary practically drooled at the sight of them. “Hold on!” She dropped Eddie’s hand as she ran over to purchase two small bags.

Returning victorious she handed a bag to Eddie who tapped them together, “Cheers to our Christmas miracle.”

“Or just some faulty wiring.” Rosemary suggested with a laugh.

“Cheers to whatever.”

They walked in silence for a moment, Rosemary silently taking in her beautiful surroundings. Eddie, rather, was taking her in. He watched how the lights reflected in her dark irises and the clouds that escaped her lips each time she breathed out. Speaking of lips, that dark shade she had on was captivating.

He cleared his throat, “I don’t think I got to finish my thought earlier. You look damn beautiful, Rosemary.” As Eddie said it, small white flakes began to appear and disappear in her dark hair. It was snow, he realized, but it looked like glistening diamonds against her dark tresses.

Rosemary looked up at him, looping her arm through his, “You look pretty good yourself, Eddie Munson. Especially in the snow.” She laughed, looking up to the sudden onset of white flakes.

Both of their cheeks glowed with pink, but who knew if it was their flirting or the cold?

“Rosemary!”

Strawberry blonde hair was bobbing towards her through the crowd. Chrissy.

And she wasn’t alone, Jason’s arm was firmly tucked around her waist.

Rosemary felt Eddie stiffen next to her but she only tightened her grip on his arm. “Hi Chrissy! Jason.” She nodded towards them both.

The blonde couple stopped as they saw who Rosemary had her arm looped with.

What the fuck is she doing with the Freak? Jason’s thoughts were intrusive, kind of making her head hurt. Doesn’t she know this makes her look bad?

Jason’s smile never faltered though.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight!” Chrissy said excitedly, her initial shock seemingly gone. Rosemary searched her mind, she’s smart. Rosemary wouldn’t be around someone she didn’t like. Jesus, hopefully Jason learns a thing or two from Chrissy.

Rosemary touched her friend's arm with her free hand, “Sorry Chrissy, I forgot to mention it earlier. This is Eddie by the way, Eddie Munson. He’s my…” Rosemary didn’t know what to say, she didn’t want to assume Eddie liked her as much as she liked him. But maybe saying friend would hurt his feelings. “My date tonight.”

Eddie smiled a forced smirk, “That’s me. The date.” He laughed dryly. Rosemary could tell he was uncomfortable and after the last time she’d seen how Jason treated him, she didn’t blame him.

“Well you look super cute!” Chrissy gushed, “I wanna borrow that sweater next week, okay?”

Chrissy and Rosemary had grown closer now that things had settled down. Chrissy had finally been invited to Rosemary’s house after years of friendship. I didn’t know Roe liked Eddie, she never mentioned it. He must be nice then, I’ve seen how she treats people who aren’t.

A memory flashed through Chrissy’s mind of when some student on the way home from middle school had lifted her cheerleading skirt and Rosemary had physically pushed the kid to the ground and began to berate him ruthlessly. What Chrissy didn’t know was that Rosemary had also forced the kid to wet his pants, she thought that was just out of fear of Rosemary.

The same Rosemary who was now trying to stifle a laugh at her friend's memory. “Yeah, I’ll bring it on Monday.”

Don’t think that by getting in good with Rosemary you’re gonna be one of us, Freak. You’ll mess this up somehow. And when you do we’ll be waiting to teach you a lesson for trying.

“Jason!” Rosemary blurted out in a moment of seething rage at listening to his thoughts. Jason looked up at her in confusion and Rosemary rushed to cover her tracks. She blinked and Jason’s nose started to gush blood, “Your nose is bleeding!” Rosemary exclaimed and Chrissy gasped, pulling a tissue from her purse to hand to him as Jason rushed to keep the blood off of his letterman’s jacket.

“Good catch, Roe, thank you.” Jason said through the blood.

“It must be going around,” Eddie remarked, “Your nose is bleeding again too, Rosemary.” He pulled his handkerchief out again to wipe the drop of blood from her nose.

Chrissy tutted, “It’s the dry winter. My knuckles always get so cracked this time of year. Oh jeez, Jason, it won’t stop bleeding”

“There’s a bathroom over there.” Rosemary pointed out.

Chrissy was in the middle of running him to the bathroom when Rosemary got a sudden wave of emotion from her.

No. Not emotion. Hunger.

It wasn’t a thought per say, but an overwhelming sensation that enveloped all of Chrissy for a moment, and it was so strong it made Rosemary feel ill. Like so hungry that she would kill someone to eat, but as though one bite would make her vomit.

“Chrissy! Wait!” Rosemary surged forward, breaking away from Eddie’s arm. Jason was running ahead to the bathroom while Chrissy paused to turn towards her friend, “Here,” Rosemary all but shoved the nuts into Chrissy’s hands, “I-I don’t feel good.”

Chrissy’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “No! It’s okay! I’m not hungry!” Her tone dripped with cheer but Rosemary could feel the difference between when she was truly happy.

“Please.” Rosemary stuttered, still feeling the sensation coming from Chrissy, “Chrissy…” Rosemary’s stomach twisted and she spoke just over a whisper, “Please eat them.” The level of desperation freaked Chrissy out.

D-does she know? How could she know? I-I don’t want to disappoint Roe, she’s always stood up for me. How would she feel if she knew I was doing this? Does she know??

Rosemary tried to regain her composure and forced a smile, “it’s just that I don’t want them to go to waste, and they’re sweet like you.” Chrissy nodded, a smile returning to her lips, “Chrissy,” Rosemary paused, not sure what to say next but deciding to just speak from the heart, “Thank you for being my friend all this time. I-I love you.”

Chrissy’s face turned bright red as a smile lit up her face. A real one this time. She loves me? Roe’s never said that before. Is it too sappy to say I love you back?

“Anyway, I need to get back to Eddie. See you on Monday!” Rosemary didn’t want to prolong her awkward feeling and the hunger sensation was making her sick.

“O-okay!” Chrissy had a lot she wanted to say but just settled on a wave and a, “See you!” Before chasing after Jason.

An arm snaked around Rosemary’s neck, it was warm against the biting cold. “Are you okay? You went super pale on me.” Eddie pressed his free hand against her forehead, kind of kidding but his eyes held a little genuine concern.

“Yeah,” Rosemary sighed, leaning into his touch, “Just hungry.”

Eddie grinned, “Perfect, I have dinner waiting for us.”

…

“I know it’s not much, but it’s my castle. I would say I’m the king but my uncle pays most of the rent so I guess for now he holds the crown. Which is fine, heavy is the head am I right?”

He was rambling.

Rosemary looked around the trailer park as Eddie unlocked his door. So many people lived in such close quarters, they must constantly be running over each other, asking one another for help. No one probably ever felt alone.

It sounded nice.

I hope she isn’t freaked out. I know it’s not as nice as her house, hell it isn’t even a house, but I tried to make it nice for her.

Eddie was nervous enough that his hands were shaking as he opened the door for Rosemary.

When she stepped inside it was immediately fifty degrees warmer, the heat felt nice against her flushed cheeks.

The trailer was a trailer, a little cramped, but Rosemary admired how clean it was. Eddie certainly had tried to make it nice, everything was stacked away nicely, freshly vacuumed and mopped. It smelled like Pinesol, which ironically was one of her favorite smells.

There was a wall of trucker hats that she beelined to, and beneath it a book full of stamps that someone had meticulously collected.

“Uh, my uncle is kind of a collector. Wayne used to travel a lot for work, hence the trailer home. It made moving easier. But then I needed someone to look after me and he settled down in Hawkins.”

Rosemary found a bin on the floor full of license plates and she enthusiastically began to flip through them, admiring each state she saw.

“He didn’t used to have so many, but I liked to help him find new ones. Sometimes I would go down to the junkyard and look for different ones. I’m only missing three now, Alaska, Hawaii and New Mexico.” You sound so lame right now, please shut up. She probably thinks this is all so lame.

But he couldn’t be more wrong. So many different places, so much stuff to see. Rosemary was fascinated; it felt like when she was freshly free from the lab and every new thing she saw made her feel giddy and excited to be free.

When she turned and grinned up at him, Eddie’s worries melted away. “This place is so cool.”

He could practically see his heart melted and gooey on the floor from the expression on her face. Eddie could feel how sincere she was.

“I mean, I would cool it on the ‘so’ cool part but it’s got its charms. It could probably use a garden out front though.” Eddie teased, eliciting a laugh from Rosemary.

There were two large flat brown boxes on the kitchen counter that was giving off an absolutely heavenly smell. “Is that for us?” Rosemary asked in excitement.

“Yeah, I know it’s not much but I picked it up earlier. I had left it in the oven to keep it warm but it looks like Wayne took a slice before leaving for work.” Eddie sighed, nothing seemed to be going exactly right tonight.

Rosemary hopped over and opened the pizza box. Sure enough a slice of pepperoni was missing, “The man has good taste.” She beamed as she picked up a slice and all but swallowed it.

Eddie shook his coat off and hung it by the door. “We can go eat in my room, I moved the tv in there so we could watch a movie.” He grabbed the boxes and led the way to the back of the trailer.

When Rosemary saw the inside of the room she smiled. It was very Eddie. Posters hanging all over the place, a guitar hung on the wall with what looked like a shrine. His mattress just lay on the floor but he had obviously cleaned everything up. The bed had fresh sheets and was neatly made, although it had pillows and blankets galore.

And the room was covered in Christmas lights that cast a warm glow across the room. Rosemary was touched by how much care Eddie had put into tonight. And it broke her heart how mean he was to himself, as he currently thought about how much more she deserved.

“Eddie,” Rosemary plopped down on his bed, looking around in awe, “I’ve never had anyone treat me so well before. I don’t think I deserve all this.”

Eddie nearly choked as he set the pizza down on the ground and threw himself next to her on the bed, “You’re kidding right?” He laughed nervously, “Right?”

Rosemary shook her head, her dark hair bouncing around her. She took a bite of her pizza, “This is my first ever date but I honestly couldn’t have imagined anything better.”

‘First. Ever. Date?’ Eddie mouthed in shock, “No. No, see, now I know you’re messing with me. There’s no way I can believe you never went on a date before.”

“What can I say?” Rosemary shrugged, “I’m a freak.”

“Must be.” Eddie laughed, chomping down on a slice of cheese pizza. “But count me lucky I guess.”

Rosemary thought back to what Jason was thinking earlier, “Eddie?” Her chewing slowed, “Why are people so awful to you?”

The boy next to her snorted, “Why wouldn’t they be? I’m poor. I like ‘weird’ music and ‘weird’ games. I actually like to read instead of throwing hoops into glorified laundry baskets.” Eddie sighed heavily, “And my dad did some bad stuff that landed him in jail. So I guess they all think I’m like him.” His tone was no longer playful.

But the next thing Eddie knew, fingers were latched onto his, “My mom always said that doing bad things is like a disease, but not a contagious one. Bad people can’t spread badness to us, no matter how they try. Not unless we breed it within ourselves.”

She was looking at him like she knew, and he realized that she did. Eddie didn’t know what those bad people had done to her but he realized Rosemary must have the same fear; the fear of turning out just like them.

“Of course my mom says that doing good is also a disease, but a very contagious one with lots of side effects.” Rosemary rambled, realizing how lame it was that she was quoting her mom to a boy she liked.

But before she could try and say something else Eddie had cupped her face in his hands and was kissing her softly. Rosemary was frozen, mostly because she didn’t know where to put the piece of pizza she was holding. Before she could even react, Eddie had pulled away and her lip jutted out in a pout, disappointed it was over already.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, going back to eating his slice like nothing had happened, “I’ve just been wanting to kiss you since you walked out of your house earlier.”

It seemed the blush on her cheeks was becoming permanent.

Rosemary tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “You have lipstick on your mouth.” She smiled sweetly and Eddie simply laughed as he rubbed it off on the back of his sleeve. Rosemary glanced around the room and spotted a tall stack of vinyls against the wall, just by the guitar shrine. She slid off his mattress and shuffled towards the dresser next to the stack of music. “Lots of rock.”

“Do you mean metal?” Rosemary hadn’t heard him come and join her by her side. Eddie was smirking, “Have you ever listened to metal?”

The girl shook her head, leaning down to read the names of the vinyls. As she did, she caught a peek of all the stuff Eddie had shoved underneath his dresser. Rosemary stifled a laugh and went back to the music. She really didn’t recognize any of the names aside from Metallica because obviously everyone knew who they were. “Isn’t it Satan’s music?” She said satirically prompting a snort.

“Yes, yes it is.” Eddie said bluntly before a smile leaked on to his face, “And what music do angels listen to, pray tell.”

Red flooded Rosemary’s cheeks, she didn’t want to tell him. His music tastes were different amd unique, “Umm,” she sighed before submitting to the question, “Okay, don’t laugh? I like ABBA a lot,” she remembered as a kid watching them in wonder as they danced across the stage in their bright outfits, “Steve Miller Band, Fleetwood Mac, and… the Cars, and the Police. But I really like The Cars.”

There was a silence as Eddie nodded, “Okay…” and then he laughed, “Not terrible but pretty basic.”

“Hey!” Rosemary’s blush only grew deeper, “I listen to Led Zeppelin sometimes.”

“Better,” Eddie admitted but was still laughing, “But that’s rock, not metal.”

“Pat Benatar?”

“Pop/rock.” Eddie was grinning as Rosemary tried to come up with something to relate to in music. “Hey, listen, at least we both can agree that Heat of the Moment is a good song.” That brought a smile to Eddie’s face.

“True.” Rosemary gave in, “I guess we don’t really have to like the same music.” She laughed, feeling silly, “but maybe some time you could teach me what songs are good?”

That made him swallow hard, “Y-yeah.” Why is that the hottest thing a girl has ever said to me?

Interesting, Rosemary decided to take that as a cue to move closer to Eddie, biting her lip a little and looking up at him through her eyelashes, “Why don’t you pick something out right now?” She said, her tone lower than before.

Why is she looking at me like that? She looks so hot right now Eddie whined internally, No she doesn’t mean anything by it, she just wants me to pick out some music. “Okay.”

Jesus Christ this guy couldn’t catch a hint.

He picked out an album and set it into his record player while Rosemary went back to sit on the bed, “it’s kinda hot in here,” she remarked, “are you okay if I take my sweater off?” When he shook his head, Rosemary pulled off the heavy sweater and threw it to the side.

Jesus fucking Christ. Eddie thought as he saw the white ribbed tank top she had on underneath. Even worse, the lack of bra. And even worse he knew how good her tits looked underneath that tank top, the image from the van the week before was seared in his brain. He had used the memory shamelessly twice already to help fall asleep.

Rosemary turned red at that thought, never imagining that someone would think of her while doing… that. But the thought made her thighs press together tightly. Eddie coughed and looked away but Rosemary was tired of his modesty. “You can look.” Her voice was barely above a mumble but Eddie heard it all the same.

And look he did. Eddie would never say no to that. He looked at the way her tank top hugged every contour of her body, the deep neck that offered him a view of the valley between her breasts. Eddie licked at his dry lips when his eyes fell on her nipples, clearly visible through the sheer clothing. Eddie sighed, “Angel, you have no idea how good you look. The things I want to do to you.” He breathed out.

Feeling less timid, Rosemary let her fingers run up the side of her body until they reached the straps of her top before letting one drop off the side of her shoulder. “Tell me.”

Eddie didn’t waste a moment, coming to sit by her legs, “I would fucking love to rip these tights apart.” He groaned when Rosemary let down the other strap on her shirt. The only thing that held the top up now was the curve of her tits, which Eddie was more than ready to see now. “Have you ever had sex before?” Eddie asked, pulling himself out of all the different scenarios he was playing out in his head.

Rosemary shook her head, looking at him with her big eyes.

“What about… has anyone ever touched you before?” Eddie bit his lip when she shook her head again, “Not even yourself?” He said in bewilderment and Rosemary turned red, shrugging her shoulders causing the shirt to drop down even lower. It was barely hanging on now. “What’s that mean?” Eddie laughed.

“I tried once.” Rosemary whispered and he raised an eyebrow at her, “This week. I- I tried but I didn’t know what I was doing.”

She wondered if he would find it unattractive that she was so inexperienced but his thoughts said otherwise.

Fuck, she’s so fucking innocent. Is it wrong that gets me so hard? The thought of making her cum is driving me crazy.

His dirty thoughts rattled her body and Rosemary swallowed hard before pulling her tank top down around her wait, “Could you show me how it’s supposed to feel?” She asked.

Eddie grinned devilishly, “Hell yes.” He hissed, coming to hover over her before kissing her hard. His hand snaked around to cradle her neck, and Rosemary succumbed to his touch. His other hand was touching her bare stomach, but it quickly began the task of unbuttoning her skirt. He pulled back for a breath of air and to see her flushed face, “take the skirt off.”

Looping her fingers into both her skirt and tights, she pulled them both off in one fell swoop, leaving her with her tits exposed, her tank top rolled down beneath her breasts and in her deep scarlet silk panties that she’s discreetly purchased at the mall earlier that week.

Gulping hard, Eddie drank her in. She looked pornographic laying there like that. Especially when he reached forward and unclipped her hair.

“You’re fucking with me right now.” He muttered, and Rosemary blushed.

“What do you mean?”

He ran a hand through his hair, “Those panties? No bra? If I didn’t know any better I’d say you came here to seduce me.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she smirked.

“Maybe I just like red.”

“Works for me.” Eddie’s tongue darted across his lips, “Works really fucking well for me.” His knuckles began to trail up her thighs softly. Eventually they reach her underwear and they hook into the delicate fabric. Rosemary’s breath hitched and her heart skipped a beat. Eddie’s eyes never left her but sensing her nerves he kneaded her hip between his fingers, “Gonna make you feel so good.” He promised, “I want you to tell me how good it feels.”

His words sent a shiver down her spine and before she had time to process her sudden feelings, he was sliding her panties down her smooth satin legs.

The air he sucked in was fast when he saw her bare before him. And he meant bare. “Did you clean up for me angel?”

Swallowing hard, she nodded innocently and Eddie groaned, his pants so very uncomfortable at the moment. He slowly lowered himself and spread Rosemary’s legs, kissing each freckle he found on the way up to her center. Her eyes followed his every move, her bottom lip tucked painfully between her teeth.

“Eddie,” she breathed when his lips finally caressed her cunt. Whatever thought she had was immediately cast out when he took a long, drawn out lick. Rosemary’s eyes rolled back and he back ticked a little, a whimper falling from her mouth.

His eyes never left hers as he dove right in, slow and steady at first, letting Rosemary savor the feeling he was sure from her reactions she’d never felt before. But he needed more from her, Eddie needed her to need him.

That steady pace quickly became ravenous as he sank into her fervently. Eddie smirked in satisfaction when her hips jutted up against him and he sank his ringed fingers into her fatty thighs to hold her down. His other hand snaked up to her breast, grabbing at the sensitive flesh there. “Easy there, angel. Does it feel good?” Eddie asked, kissing her pink folds.

The room felt so hot and musty so it didn’t surprise him that when Rosemary nodded, her hair line was a little damp.

“I need to hear you.” Eddie growled against her, his tongue darting back out to tease her. Rosemary was about to reply when she felt him sink a finger inside of her, his tongue still deliciously going at her clit. A rattled gasp came from her mouth and Eddie tutted, “Come on, angel, tell me how it feels.”

“Shit.” Rosemary finally found her voice, it was higher pitched and shakier than normal, she didn’t even recognize herself, “It feels so good, Eddie. It-It feels really good.”

She’s being so fucking beautiful. Look at how she moves for me, and those sounds. Heavenly.

Rosemary blushed, not that anyone could tell by how flushed her entire body was. Eddie was making her feel amazing physically and maybe it was just the hormones but was it normal to feel like she was floating? To feel both weighed down and weightless?

A second finger entered her soaking hole and Rosemary’s back arched up off the mattress, a shallow moan echoing the room as Eddie pumped his long calloused fingers in and out. “Yeah, just like that angel, make some noise for me.”

There was a coiling feeling in her stomach, a heat that kept building. Rosemary struggled for words between her gasps, “Eddie, I-I think- I feel like-“ her words were lost when he curves his fingers upwards, touching a spot inside her that had her gripping the sheets desperately and letting out what almost sounded like a sob. That heat that had been building suddenly hit a boiling point and Rosemary felt ecstasy flood her body, her climax racking through her chest.

Eddie was watching it all with an almost evil glint in his eye. His hand that wasn’t pulling the last few moments of Rosemary’s climax from her was splayed across her sternum, one of her hands clawing into his wrist as she tried to catch her breath. Jesus Christ, I am not done with you Rosemary Price.

After a moment, Rosemary’s eyes fluttered back open but her breathing was still labored, “Eddie,” she sighed heavily, “Please. I-I need more of you.” She had picked her words carefully and Eddie didn’t wait a second.

Freeing his throbbing cock from her pants, Eddie lined himself up with Rosemary’s core and began to rub the head against her folds, beads of precum mixing with her slick.

Eddie could hardly wait to push himself in, his cock twitching at the thought. The way Rosemary was looking at him drove him insane, so sweet but so expectant.

Everything halted with three heavy raps against Eddie’s front door.

Rosemary and Eddie both froze. Maybe I imagined it? Please God, let that not have been my front door.

More heavy hands fall against his front door and Eddie’s head drops to hand below his shoulders. “Give me one second.” Eddie says apologetically and Rosemary nods.

“It’s okay.”

Once Eddie zipped back up and bolted out of the room, Rosemary let out a heavy sigh before her heart started to race. Holy shit, she had been literally seconds away from letting Eddie Munson take her virginity. And now she was feeling… disappointed that it didn’t happen?

The intention had been to wait there until Eddie got back but Rosemary suddenly heard someone enter the apartment and arguing ensued. Not wanting to get found literally naked, Rosemary threw on her tights and her skirt and grabbed the closest thing to cover her breasts, which happened to be one of Eddie’s band t-shirts which was way too big on her.

Rosemary got up off the mattress and went to stand behind Eddie’s bedroom door.

“No, no, no! Tabs, I get that it’ll only be an hour but I cannot watch him! I-I have plans!” That was Eddie speaking.

And Tabs was apparently a woman by the sound of her voice, “Eddie, please, Ronnie ran off with his buddies on another bender and there is no one else home tonight. And if I don’t leave right now the store will close and James won’t have diapers until Monday.”

Rosemary could hear the desperation in the woman’s voice. But also the panic in Eddie’s thoughts.

I know she doesn’t have another option but what am I supposed to do? There’s no way she’d be okay with a baby crashing tonight.

Rosemary slowly opened the door to Eddie’s room and stepped out tentatively.

Tabs was apparently a thirty year old woman with long red hair and an exhausted look on her face. In her arms was a baby, probably around nine months old, with caramel brown hair. That must be James.

Eddie was palming his face and looked beyond frustrated.

The mother saw Rosemary emerge and color flushed her cheeks as she suddenly realized the situation. Shit! Tonight was the date with the girl he was talking about. I forgot! I probably just ruined everything he’s been excited about for a week. But underneath her initial thoughts, Rosemary felt her anxieties bubbling in her stomach, a mothers concern of what she was supposed to do.

“Oh,” Tabs blinked, “I-I’m so sorry to interrupt.” She looked at Eddie, who looked mortified by this whole situation. “You know what, Eddie? I can just go to the store on my lunch break tomorrow-“

“You work at Clarence’s?” Rosemary piped up, nodding towards the woman’s work uniform.

“Yeah.” Tabs shifted the baby onto her other shoulder.

Rosemary stepped forward and held her hands out, “The market is on the complete opposite side of town, you won’t get diapers and have time to eat tomorrow. Go ahead, we can watch him.”

Eddie’s face morphed from embarrassment to shock. Wait, is she really-

The mother blinked at her, “You guys are busy-“

“We’re watching a movie,” Rosemary shrugged, looping her hands under baby James’ arms, “Nothing James can’t sit and watch with us. And besides, my summer job is working at the daycare over by Main Street. You have nothing to worry about, and an hour really isn’t that long.” She pulled the little boy from his mothers arms gently, turning him around and tucking him against her shoulder.

Tabs was in shock, “Are you sure?” She glanced at Eddie for help but he was still watching wide-eyed from the side.

“Here,” With her one free arm, Rosemary offered the exhausted mother a slice of pizza from the box, “It can’t cure husbands on benders, but it does cure hunger.” She grinned and Tabs gratefully took a slice.

“Thank you.” Tabs looked guilty but quickly ducked out of the trailer and rushed out to her car.

Then it was just the three of them. Rosemary, Eddie and James.

Eddie sighed heavily, leaning against the counter and rubbing the back of his neck, “Tonight has really… not gone according to plan.” He scoffed. “I’m sorry, she- she leaves him here sometimes with Wayne cause her husband is a piece of shit.”

James shifted in Rosemary’s arms and she shuffled him so he was lying in her hands’ makeshift cradle, swaying on her hips gently. “What, you don’t ever help out with him?” Rosemary teased.

“Noooo.” Eddie laughed, “I have no idea what makes a baby tic.” He watched as she brushed a tiny fine curl out of the pudgy baby’s face and couldn’t help the little smile forming on his face, “Apparently you do though. You mean to tell me you’re good with kids too?”

It was kind of impossible for her to be bad with babies, she always knew what they wanted. Rosemary liked listening to baby thoughts because they were always so simple, more like sensations really, sometimes mixed with images. Like right now, baby James had an image of his mother feeding him a few minutes ago fueling his

milk drunk expression.

“Back in um, in the bad place, there were lots of kids there. I was one of the older ones, so I had to take care of them.” Rosemary always told him a watered down version of the truth when talking about the Lab.

“Jesus,” He stared at her, “one of these days you’re gonna tell me what shithole you grew up in and I’m going to go burn it down.”

…

Doctor Zhivago was playing quietly on the tv and the three of them had settled back on Eddie’s bed. The two teenagers sat side by side and the baby playing with the strands of Rosemary’s hair.

Rosemary was trying desperately not to think about what had happened in this room not even twenty minutes before while Eddie couldn’t think of anything else.

“I’d heard this was a good romance but it’s kind of boring.” Eddie laughed dryly and Rosemary looked at him, “I’m sorry tonight kind of went off the rails from beginning to end.”

Rosemary touched her fingers to his, “I had an amazing night. I still am!” She pinched James’ cheek playfully and a gleeful coo bubbled from him. “The boy I like and a cute baby? What more can I ask for?”

“Good to know you still like me after all of this.” Eddie smirked, but he squeezed her fingers tightly. “Although, maybe crashing the party was a good thing.” His face seemed distant and panic sprung up in Rosemary’s chest. Had they done something he didn’t like? Did he realize he didn’t like her? Rosemary searched his face and he turned to her, “I like you Rosemary. So much. And I was about to fuck you like your first time didn’t matter.”

“It was the… heat of the moment?” Rosemary suggested with a lighthearted giggle. She was just relieved to hear that he liked her. “But I like you too Eddie. I-I’ve had a crush on you for a long time, and the past couple times that I spent time with you only made me like you more. I wouldn’t have minded if you took my virginity. I-I- Well, I would prefer it if I’m speaking honestly.” Blush splattered against her cheeks and Eddie kissed where it appeared.

“If you want it to be me I will gladly oblige, but I want to make it special for you. Not on my dirty sheets.” He rolled his eyes. “And hopefully with someone who you deeply care about.” Her brows scrunched in confusion and Eddie looked deep into her eyes, “When I fuck you, Rosemary Price, you will not just like me. I will not cross that line with you until I can tell you I love you while making you cum around me.” His words made her start to sweat at how sultry yet sweet they sounded. Like tobacco dripping with honey.

“Eddie, I-“

“We’re not there yet, obviously.” Eddie laughed, “I mean it is our first date after all. But I intend to give you the best I can, Rosemary. And if you’ll have me, I’ll take you there.”

Rosemary blinked, “Is this all you asking for a second date?” She asked coyly and he laughed.

“Second, third, fourth.” He hummed, “This is me asking for a chance.”

“Granted.”

A loud coo echoed in the room and they looked down. James was staring at Eddie, arms outstretched, “I… don’t know what you want from me.” Eddie laughed nervously and Rosemary rolled her eyes.

“Are you really afraid of a baby?” She inquired and Eddie bit his lip.

“Is it wrong to say a little bit?” Before he could say anything, Rosemary was handing the baby over to Eddie’s lap. “Wait, no!” Too late, James was already plopped down into his lap. James looked around before leaning forward, a little too top heavy to sit up on his own.

“Hold him up!” Rosemary’s laugh rang through the room and Eddie robotically moved to hold the baby by his arm pits.

A moment passed before James let out a little whine followed by the beginnings of a sob. “He doesn’t like me.” Eddie said flatly, already wanting to give up.

“No.” Rosemary grinned, reading the infants thoughts, “He doesn’t like to be held by his armpits, put your hands on his ribs.” Eddie followed her instructions and instantly the cry stopped. James lifted his fat arms up towards Eddie. “He wants to see you, you’re too far away from him.”

“What are you, the baby whisperer?” Eddie laughed before leaning down a little. Instantly James gripped Eddie’s cheek in his chubby little fists, letting out little happy squeals. Eddie couldn’t stop the smile that broke out at the sound, although he tried. “Whatever, he’s kind of cute.”

“Kind of?!” Rosemary faked offense, “Look at those thunder thighs!” She exclaimed before jolting forward to blow raspberries into the baby’s legs resulting in even more shrieks of glee. Eddie couldn’t look away from the scene unfolding around him. This was something he wanted in his future, he realized. Maybe a big house wasn’t in the cards, or a nice car, or being a giant rock superstar although he would still hope and dream and work for those things.

But would a little home be so bad? Echoing with the sound of baby laughter, him strumming on his guitar with a chubby legged baby crawling around on top of him. A wife there to talk to, to confide in, to dream with. And maybe that house was small, and cramped but teeming with love. Maybe there was a garden out front. And maybe that wife had freckles and a tattoo on her wrist. And maybe it was everything he didn’t have growing up. That they didn’t have.

Eddie had to shake his head out of his silent daydream, it was too much to ever hope for, but he would guard that little dream in a secret part of his heart.

Just in case.

…

The hour ticked by almost in slow motion and Eddie was feeling more and more comfortable around the tiny person. Rosemary was explaining to him how to speak ‘baby’.

“And when he makes a face like he’s doing a hard math problem, that means he’s pooping.” Rosemary instructed, her fingers gently stroking James’ silky hair in a soothing manner as Eddie helped him to stand.

“You mean like that one?” Eddie asked and sure enough, little James looked like he was trying to remember the quadratic formula.

Just as the knock on the door came.

“Perfect timing!” Eddie jumped up, James under his arm damn near like a football. But when Rosemary read the baby’s thoughts, he seemed to like it. But only from Eddie. Weird.

Tabs was back, carrying a grocery bag full of diapers and formula. Rosemary was watching quietly from the doorway as Eddie handed James over. The boys mother attempting handing out a ten dollar bill while letting out a string of ‘thank you’s.

But Eddie shook his head rapidly, “Nah, it’s okay.” He handed her back the money, “And I um, I just have band practice tomorrow at five, so if you wanted to drop him off until then, I should be able to handle it.” Rosemary lifted an eyebrow in surprise but stayed silent. As the door was closing Eddie threw out one last request, “I’ll take the money for tomorrow though!”

He turned to find her staring at him, leaning against the door frame, “So not so afraid of babies anymore?” Rosemary asked with a smile.

“No, I am. Just love to torment myself. Makes for good music.” Eddie smirked. “Anyways, I believe I promised your mom to get you home at a reasonable hour.”

“It’s only ten.” Rosemary pouted.

“Oh I plan on making out in the car for at least an hour before letting you inside your house.”

…

It had been more like an hour and a half.

Rosemary was laying in her bed as the morning light warmed her cheek. It was Monday morning and she didn’t want to wake up. School sounded like a drag but it had been such a good weekend.

Eddie had made good on his promise and they had made out in his car before he walked her to the door and pressed a final kiss to the top of her head.

The gardening had gotten done, she’d woken up extra early to take on a special project before the rest of Hawkins woke up.

Saturday night was spent playing Dungeons and Dragons with the boys. Will had made good on his promise, it was an epic campaign that had taken over 12 hours to complete. Thorn had leveled up a lot which made her very proud of both herself and her party. Rosemary smiled thinking about how she and Dustin had miraculously defeated Lord Soth’s army, although he had banished Thorn to an alternate dimension. Next campaign was how the party was going to get her back. Lucas had proclaimed that there would be no rest until the party was together again.

And on Sunday El came over; Rosemary often spent her Sundays with the girl, sure to keep the curtains closed and to take the long way through the woods so no one would see them. Rosemary’s mother taught them how to bake snickerdoodles (Rosemary burnt the batch that she was in charge of: she was a terrible baker). Rosemary had also taught El how to manage her curly hair and they made popcorn chains to hang on the Christmas tree. It really was almost like having a little sister.

But now it was time for school again. At least it was only a couple more weeks until Christmas break.

Rosemary pulled herself from her bed, a little excited to see her friends.

What a different feeling. She was going to see her friends at school today. Rosemary and Steve shared second period together, now that he knew she could read minds they had devised a way to get him the answers he needed help with (which was most of them) and they sat together at the back of class now. Most of her classes she shared with Chrissy, who in the past month had upgraded to her best friend. But after this past Friday she was worried about her. The best period of the day though was gym, because that’s when Chrissy, Jonathan, and Nancy were all with her. People who had once been strangers were now like family to her.

And obviously there was the chance of seeing Eddie in the hallways.

Throwing on a rust colored chiffon floral skirt that came just above her ankles, Rosemary quickly ran a brush through her tangled hair. Remembering to pack the sweater for Chrissy, Rosemary pulled on an oversized, heavy denim jacket over her white turtleneck. Rolled over tube socks and white keds were next before she bolted down stairs, skidding to a stop as she heard something that made her heart drop.

Coughing.

More than coughing; hacking. The kind that bends one over and racks the entire body. Just like what it was doing to her mother. Rhiannon was hunched over the counter, trying desperately to catch her breath.

“Mom!” Rosemary rushed over, soothing rubbing her mothers back, giving light taps to try and help whatever was coming up along.

When Rhiannon pulled away the rag she was coughing into, phlegm and blood soaked the fabric.

They stared at each other for a moment, glancing down at the rag as Rhiannon tried to calm her breathing. “Rosemary…”

“It’s ok mom.” Rosemary threw her arms around her mother, tears rushing down her cheeks, “I know.” Her mother was sobbing, grabbing her daughter like she needed her to stay standing. “I found the papers in your closet.” Rosemary was choking back her own sobs.

“I’m sorry.” Was all her mother could say, mixed with strings of ‘I love you’.

Rosemary broke away to grab her mother a glass of water, “I’m going to be late.” She sighed, “But let’s talk when I get home, okay? We can make hot chocolate and wrap Christmas presents, like always.”

Her mother could only nod, and feeling guilty that she could stay, Rosemary bolted out the door.

The walk to school went quickly as Rosemary thought solely about what she could possibly say to her mother that would be enough.

Crossing the street in front of Hawkins High, her thoughts were cut off when a car honked at her making the girl jump about three feet in the air.

A familiar head of long wavy hair was laughing in the driver's seat. Rosemary rolled her eyes and walked over to the driver's window. “Good morning to you too, Eddie Munson.” She smirked before she spotted Garreth in the passenger seat, “Morning Garreth.”

I still can’t believe Eddie managed to get her to acknowledge him, let alone go on a date with him. What the fuck even is this world we live in?

Metal was playing loudly in the car but Eddie could hear Rosemary perfectly, “Let me see your fingers.” He said with a grin and Rosemary held them out hesitantly. Eddie picked them up and inspected, “Just as I thought, there’s a lot of dirt under these finger nails.” Rosemary blushed, looking down at the ground to hide the red, “And what’s more, I came strolling out of my trailer on Saturday morning and there’s this weird area boxed in next to my porch. The dirt was all turned over and fresh.”

“I don’t know anything about-“

His finger pulled her chin up to look him in the face. Eddie was grinning from ear to ear, “Now you tell me, angel, if I were to dig down in that fresh dirt, would I find tulip bulbs?”

“You said you wanted a garden out front.” Rosemary said bashfully and Eddie laughed aloud.

“I hate to interrupt this love fest, but we’re gonna be late for home room and Eddie already has detention this week so…” Also I don’t think I can handle much more of this. My grasp on reality is starting to slip.

Deciding to release the captive of his torture, Rosemary took a step back, “See you inside, Munson.” She said with a small salute and Eddie made a teasing kiss face before driving off.

When Rosemary stepped inside the halls of the school she made a bee line for her locker. Only to find Chrissy frantically trying to get inside. Come on, come on! She’ll be here any minute! I don’t want her to see whatever is inside of here! The combo should be 09-17-23! Her thoughts were rife with panic.

Something was wrong.

“Chrissy, what’s going on?” Chrissy about jumped out of her uniform. She turned to face Rosemary, her eyes wide, “What’s wrong with my locker?” Rosemary was glancing from the locker to Chrissy.

“I wanted to get into it before you got here.” Chrissy said desperately, “Jason said he heard some of the older basketball teammates talking about how they did something to your locker. Something bad.” She seemed on the verge of tears, “I was trying to get rid of whatever it was before you saw it.”

It was at that moment that Steve Harrington pushed through the sea of students, half out of breath, and slammed against the wall next to them, making them both jump. “I came as soon as I heard,” He was in his basketball uniform, they had a game that night, “I had nothing to do with whatever is in there, Rose, I swear it.”

Rosemary swallowed hard, she’d never been the victim of something like this before, “Well, I guess we can only open it and see what they did.” She reached forward and Steve stopped her.

“You put the combo in and I’ll open it.” Steve said with a hand on the handle.

Nodding, Rosemary twisted the dial back and forth until that familiar click sounded and she took a half step back as Steve swung it open.

The step back had been a good idea because what looked like popcorn came pouring out of her locker, making a pile on the ground. Kids in the hallway suddenly stopped and began to stop and stare at her locker, and then at Rosemary.

“Oh my god.” Chrissy turned away and Steve had a hand on Rosemary’s shoulder.

Rosemary didn’t understand for a moment until on further inspection she realized that it wasn’t popcorn. It was tufts of feathers, held together in clumps by what seemed like glue and…

Oh.

That wasn’t ketchup.

The word ‘freak!’ had been spray painted in green on the inside door of her locker. The chicken blood wasn’t just infused with the feathers, it looked like they had poured it onto her books as well. Even now it was dripping onto the floor in front of her.

And then there was the doll. It was a stuffed bunny, its button eyes had been plucked out and the word slut was written in sharpie across its torso, along with some crude depictions of tits. And as if it couldn’t get worse, the bunny was hanging by its neck, head lulling to the side, by a piece of twine from the top of the locker.

Rosemary could hear kids around her gagging in disgust and Chrissy was holding on to her arm, “Those assholes! When I find out who did this-“

“I have a pretty good idea.” Steve grumbled, staring down the hallway. Rosemary followed his gaze and sure enough, there he was. Billy. Billy made eye contact with her and blew her a kiss.

So he remembered what she had said to him. Rosemary focused to try and hear his thoughts from the far distance but it was hard.

Don’t know how… knew about… teach you to keep my moms name out… mouth… don’t worry, stupid bunny bitch… I promised no more messin… consider this… one last hoorah.

Anger and embarrassment were boiling up inside her and she didn’t realize her eyes were stinging with tears until Steve pulled her so she wasn’t looking at Billy. “I’m gonna get coach to pull him from the game tonight.”

But his words were lost on her as Rosemary spotted someone else in the crowd. He stood a little taller than most of the other kids and was staring wide eyed at the locker and then back at her.

Eddie.

And he looked shocked, upset, sad, and extremely pissed off. Rosemary could feel those emotions oozing off of him from across the hallway. When he made eye contact with her, Eddie could only shake his head before turning his back on her and rushing away.

The tears were threatening to fall, “I’m so-sorry guys, I need to go!” Rosemary said shakily before pushing through the crowd to try and follow Eddie.

Ahead of her she could see him storm out of the doors to the school and Rosemary trailed after him, not caring when she ran into the students flooding in the opposite direction.

“Eddie, wait!” She called after him, practically having to run to catch up to him in the parking lot. He was refusing to look at her and Rosemary finally reached him in the middle of the concrete she had to grab his arm to make him stop.

The moment she did, Eddie shook her off before turning around, “What are you doing?” Eddie hissed and she was shocked to see that he was angry.

“What do you mean? Eddie, why are you mad at me-?”

“I’m not fucking mad at you,” Eddie snapped and Rosemary blinked in shock, “I’m mad at myself.” She didn’t understand. “I’m mad that I thought I could be seen with someone like you and nothing negative would happen to you because of it.”

Rosemary realized that Eddie thought from the ‘freak’ thing that this has happened to her because of him. Because she had been seen with him, “Eddie, it’s not like that-“

“No?!” Eddie interrupted her, “What’s it like then? We get seen together a couple times, you and Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson and suddenly the same insult is being written in your locker? That’s some coincidence.”

“Eddie-“ Rosemary didn’t know what to say, “May-maybe it’s about something else?” In fact she knew it was. It had nothing to do with Eddie and everything to do with her losing her cool and fucking with Billy and now he was fucking with her back. But Rosemary couldn’t tell him that, not without exposing herself for what she truly was. But she couldn’t risk it, not when it would put El at risk too.

“Oh come on, Rosemary.” Eddie rolled his eyes, “You and I are both a lot of things but neither of us are fucking stupid.” Rosemary winced at his harsh tone, she didn’t like this. “You existed in this school for how long without any problems and after one date there a goddamn exploded chicken in your locker.” Eddie ran his hand through his hair frantically, “Jesus Christ, how could I have been so stupid to think this could work?”

That sentence left Rosemary frozen in shock and hurt. “What do you mean?” She said quietly, he feet shuffling, “Eddie, I don’t care about being called a freak-“

“I care! Rosemary, I care!” Eddie was practically hysterical and trying to read his thoughts was difficult, they were moving to fast and anxiously to understand. “I care because you have been through enough in your life. And without me, your life is better. You have Chrissy, and Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington and Nancy Wheeler as your friends. You get invited to parties and people ask to borrow your sweaters.” He spat, “I don’t want to be the reason your life goes to shit. Don’t ask me to carry that on my shoulders.”

Rosemary tried to form words but could barely think, “But,” she finally stuttered out, “I thought you liked me?” All she wanted right now was a moment of consolation and reassurance.

Eddie stared at her for a second. It’s better for her if you stay away. Say the meanest thing you can think of. “Rosemary, you sucked my dick once in my van. If I need that I can get it from just about anyone. I like you as much as I like any other girl who can offer me that.”

“Oh.”

She knew he was saying it because in some twisted way he believed he was sparing her. And Rosemary could tell from his thoughts that he instantly regretted saying that. But it didn’t matter. It was a lie, but even lies can hit the bullseye of insecurity.

“Well, in that case…” Rosemary was studying the ground, lip quivering as she refused to meet his eyes. “I um- I-I-“

Fuck. Why did I say that? That was way harsher than I needed to be. I got too worked up, I just don’t want to see them making her life a living hell like they make mine. “Rosemary-“

“No.” Rosemary shook her head, shaking loose a couple tears, “I- I have to go clean up my locker. You don’t owe me an apology for what you said. After all, I’m just some girl who sucked your dick, right?” She sniffled, wiping her tears on the back of her sleeve.

No. No. What have I done? “Wait, I-“

But Rosemary had already turned on her heel and walked away.

Run after her, you idiot.

Run after me. Rosemary pleaded silently, her tears running freely now. Don’t leave me like this.

But Eddie Munson stayed frozen in place, feeling like nothing but a coward.

Tags: @copaceticwriter @endercherries @hellv1ra

#eddie smut #eddie munson #eddie x oc #st4 #steve harrington #stranger things #eddie au #eddie my beloved #eddie the freak munson #oc #eddie fluff #eddie munson fluff #eddie angst #eddie munson smut #eddie stranger things #stranger things au #stranger things s4

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andilovetowrite · 4 years ago

Text

Really in Love? 🔥

Leo Valdez x Reader (Athena Cabin Reader)

Summary: Leo didn’t know what went wrong. One minute, he had a smashing goddess girlfriend and an equally awesome best friend. And the next? One of them in the Apollo cabin, and the other one in the Apollo cabi- well, infirmary.

Warnings: mentions of dying, cheating and some blood. Also some elusions to smut and making out. A lot of angst. That's all I’m gonna say.

Word Count: 1.6k

Masterlist and Prompt List ;)

100 Follower Sleepover

My requests are also open in case you have any more ideas and prompts!

Life for Leo Valdez had been going good. He had just gotten back from helping Apollo, or Lester, and things had been going well. Calypso had just come back from her camping trip, and she and Leo were inseparable.

Which made things a tiny bit hard for you. You were Leo’s best friend, and right now, you and him were tasked with making the new Big House for the camp. Normally, Chiron would call Annabeth, but since she was out of town with Percy for god knows what (you knew what, he was going to propose to her), he had put you in charge of this project. And since you wanted to make the new structure a bit more technologically advanced, you decided to call Leo in.

And the progress had been going well. Until Leo’s entire attention was given to Calypso. Nowadays, you couldn’t even get a minute alone with your best friend without his annoyingly beautiful and mean gf next to you. And off the record, you had been starting to like Leo a bit. When you both were in the quest, and the only two single ones on the ship, you kinda felt like there was something growing between the both of you.

Turns out you were wrong, because in a few months, after your best friend allegedly “died”, he came back on a flying dragon and a goddess in his arms. Too bad you couldn’t find a boyfriend to take your mind off Leo.

So, life was awkward, but fine. Well….until you got shot in the stomach by an arrow. Yeah, it wasn’t your best moment. It was the day after you had had your one-on-one with Calypso, and you had managed to avoid her, but whenever you tried to get Leo on his own, she just happened to be there. So you decided to get him by himself when you both were working on the project. But before that, you had archery. And least to say, you were quite sufficient at it. So were the rest of your classmates, or at least the people at the training room.

So you knew you didn’t get shot by a fluke. The question was that, who would shoot you?

And you knew the answer. Austin Lake. The only guy in the feild who had some sort of resentment towards you. Why? Because he was your ex. Your breakup wasn’t the smoothest one. There was a whole lot of screaming and yelling. Oh, and a couple of threats and slaps. But you would’nt think that he would shoot you. Where you could potentially die.

So for the rest of the day, while you were in the infirmary with Will, you racked your brain thinking of a reason. But it wasn’t until you saw Calypso walk in that you finally understood. She had come in around the time that Leo would be in his Bunker, banging out dents and marks in his newest projects, with everything else out of his mind. It would be the perfect time to sneak away. At least it would be for Calypso.

You had suspected that Calypso had been cheating on Leo for a while. But you had never had a chance to prove it. Until now, where you had a perfect sight of Calypso and Austin holding hands as they made out at the back of one of the beds.

The sight made you sick to the stomach. Surprisingly, it wasn’t because of Calypso kissing your ex. But rather your best friend’s girlfriend kissing Austin Lake. Your mind went to the hurt look on Leo’s face when he would find out, and you could feel the pain radiating off him.

But you couldn’t keep it from him, so you decided to tell him as soon as possible. Gritting your teeth, you tried to stand up for yourself, pushing your hands against the bed. The pain in your stomach intensified by about a 100x, but nevertheless, you tried to ignore it.

Suddenly, you heard a gentle yet cruel laugh. “Oh Y/N, what do you think you’re doing?” You whipped around to see Calypso standing above you, with Austin at her side, and with one pointed look, he took out an injection, filled with green liquid.

“I’m going to tell Leo-”

“No you aren’t. Because you will not get up to ever tell him”, she said maliciously, as you watched in horror. Austin grabbed your arm, and even though you were stronger than him, the pain medication didn’t allow you to push him back. He brought the needle to your arm, and growled at you, his face turned up in a deep frown. With a slight pinch, he pushed it in harshly, the needle cutting through your flesh. Instantly, you began feeling drowsy, as your vision started swimming.

“Y-ou wo-won’t ge...t away with thi….sss”, you tried to say, but all that came out was strangled mutters.

Calypso laughed, swiping her hand on your fingers as her nails dug into your arm. “Oh sweetie, you can’t possibly think a child of Athena would beat a goddess that’s been around for millenia, right? Otherwise, you would be even more stupid then I thought you were…”

And that was the last thing you heard before you drifted off into a inky black darkness.

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

Leo’s POV

Leo walked around the Bunker back and forth, confused on where you were. It was almost 6, and you still hadn’t shown up. Worried, he grabbed his tool belt, tying it around his waist as he left his workspace, going over to the Athena cabin.

“Hey guys”, Leo greeted, trying to spot any sight of you. Malcolm came up to him, his face etched with worry.

“If your looking for Y/N, she was in the infirmary. Apparently, some jackass shot her in the stomach with an arrow. We tried to find who did it, but nothing so far, so we are just waiting for her to wake up.”

As he heard that, he practically started running out the door but he stopped when Malcolm called him back.

“Visiting hours are shut right now. But Austin was the last one to see her, maybe check in his cabin?”

Leo nodded, and although he didn’t like the blond, muscular camper, he still wanted to see how you were doing so he made his way there.

And boy, did he wish he would have gone to see you instead. Because when he walked through the Apollo cabin door, he didn’t expect to see his girlfriend half naked with a shirtless Austin.

“Leo!”, she yelled, covering herself up.

“You-”

She tried to come near Leo, hands reaching for him, but he stepped back, as if her touch was burning hot. “Leo, I didn’t mean to…”, she trailed off, as she began to see the little sparks of fire starting to burst out from his fingers.

She stepped back, and for a second, you could see Leo calm down, wondering if he scared her. But when she reached for Austin’s hand, as she enlaced their fingers together, you could see the fire build up in Leo again.

“How could you-”, he shook his head, not believing it, “I-I was the one who got you off the island” He looked furious, but then his face crumpled as he stared at her. “I lied to my friends. Acted like I was dead for weeks. Just so I could save you, so I could get you off that prison!”

She didn’t say anything, as she just kept looking down at the floor. Half of you hoped that it would just swallow her whole.

“I literally gave my life, and you cheated on me?! You-you knew I had an issue with him-” Realization struck his face as he pieced two and two together. “Th-that’s why you didn’t want me coming with you to the infirmary, did you? Because he would be there. That must be your little get-to-know-you times, huh?”

She tried to shake her head, coming closer to Leo, but he ignited his hands again, this time making them burn bright. “You can’t possibly think that’s why-”

“Oh no, don’t try and make me think of something different. I’m a freaking mechanic Calypso! I wake up if I hear the faintest of sounds, and you wouldn’t think that I would find you sneaking out every night?”

Calypso stared at him, vision swimming with tears, but her face hard. Leo tried to find some bit of her left in there, but gave up, turning around to look for you. “How is-”

“Oh Y/N, I wouldn’t go to see her. Unless you wanna see her bod-”

“What the hell?”, Leo asked, his voice firm, as his mind went into overdrive. “What did you do Calypso?”

“Nothing much..”, she said, but he didn’t hear another word as Will Solace burst into his cabin.

Out of breath, and sweaty, he looked at Leo. “Y/N needs you… she is close to dying”

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

That was it, the first part! I’m sorry I didn’t get to the second part, but I think the cliffhanger may add to the storyline, so let’s see if that works out. Thanks so much for requesting this, and I hope you enjoy it :)

#percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #pjo #HOO #Pjo #leo valdez #calypso #hephestus #cabin #cabinet #heroes of olympus #leo x reader #athena cabin #annabeth chase #Leo McShizzle #Angst #Fluff #headcannon #fanfic

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eirikaanemo · 4 years ago

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Your Place

Warnings: Near death experience, more angst than I usually write

Venti x GN!Reader

1.2k Words

You were six when you first met Venti. He was hiding behind some curtains on the second story, third-to-the-right corridor. Slipping behind the curtains as well, you whisper, “Hi! Whatcha doing?” Apparently you were being too sneaky because he jumped into the air and you had to cover his mouth before he screamed.

“Shhh,” you hushed him. “You must’ve been hiding for a reason, and if you scream we’re gonna get caught! Got it?” He nodded vigorously so you let him go. “Thanks for that,” he said. “I’ve been hiding from my tutors, they want to teach me ar-ith-ma-tic but I don’t wanna.” You nod, not knowing exactly what he’s talking about but knowing what it’s like that hide when you don’t want to do something.

“Follow me, there’s a place we can go where we won’t get caught.” You instruct him. “Just be quiet or they’ll catch us and give away the spot.” Venti nods again and follows you quietly down the stairs, two rights, a left, and three doors down. This was your secret place. An old closet that no one realized didn’t have anything in it any more.

It was large for a closet and had plenty of space for two people. “Wow, this is awesome!” He loudly whispered. “I never knew there was a place like this!” You giggle. “That’s the point silly! No one can know, so don’t tell anyone. Pinky promise?” His pinkie loops around yours. “Yeah, I promise.”

Over the next many years the two of you spend a lot of time together, stolen away in that closet. You learn a lot about each other and end up developing feelings as well. It took a little while for the two of you to come to terms with that. But when you did, those moments became more than just a break from life, they became magical moments to never forget.

However, it was not to be. One moment the two of you were together in your closet, the next you were yanked out, informed that Venti was the crown prince, and ordered to stay far away from him. "Know your place," you were told. Later you received orders sending you on a quest far away from the castle, far away from your lover.

As you packed, you wondered some to yourself. Why didn’t he tell me he was the prince? Did he really like me? Was this all a game to him? How is it fair that I’m being sent away when I didn’t even know I was doing anything wrong?

Your questions never made it past your lips as you left the castle on your quest. Looking back you can see that you were still in shock. You remained in shock until you reached your destination. Then you snapped out of it, because you had to. The quest was to clear the entire north-western forest of Hilichurls. This mission was no regular mission. It was meant to either indefinitely detain you… or it was meant to kill you.

But what was there to do? Here you are, far from home, all alone, with a death quest. Did you regret the time you spent with (Prince) Venti that got you here? ...no, no you couldn’t bring yourself to regret that. There was nowhere to go but forward. So you rolled up your sleeves and got to work.

Seven months in, you haven’t made much progress on your quest. Your skills have grown a lot and you aren’t in danger of dying to slimes anymore. But your luck has started to run out. Bigger and badder monsters are starting to take note of you and seek you out. So far you’ve been able to handle them. It’s inevitable that one will come that you won’t be able to handle.

That day comes sooner than you think. One moment you’re fighting a couple Hilichurls, the next you’re turning to face a Mitachurl behind you. You’re unprepared and completely outmatched. Still you fight as long as you can before you’re knocked to the ground, stunned. At this point you know there’s no way you’re getting out of this alive. Your eyes close as you accept your unavoidable death. If only… if only you could have seen him one last time…

An arrow whistles past and you hear a ‘thwap’ then a ‘thud’. You carefully open one eye, then try to sit up before gasping in pain and lying back down. Someone calls your name, but the sudden pain has become overwhelming. “...please, don’t leave! Don’t let me be too late!” You hear before you surrender to the darkness.

The next few days are spent in a haze of pain, drifting in and out of consciousness. Someone is taking care of you but you don’t quite know who. They seem familiar though and you feel safe with them. A few tears roll down your cheeks at this realization. You’ve missed people. You’ve missed feeling safe.

You finally fully regain consciousness a week later. From what you can see without moving, it looks like whoever saved you set up camp not too far from where you were attacked. The camp is nicer than the basic one you were given some materials for before you left. The bedroll you’re on is certainly nicer at least.

Something- no, someone warm is pressed up against your back. Their arms are wrapped around you. You try to carefully turn to face them before hissing in pain and settling back down right where you were. But apparently your movement and hiss were enough to wake them and they hurriedly woke up and helped you roll over onto your back.

You open your eyes, hissing in pain again at your first attempt before your eyes adjust to the light of day. Blinking another few times to try and wipe the sleep from your eyes clears your vision. But you still blink a couple more times, because this couldn’t possibly be real. What in the world would Venti be doing here?

“What are you doing here?” You murmur, confused. “You’re the Prince, your place is on the throne, not in some forest.” Venti is, in fact, there at your bedside. He falls to his knees, grasps one of your hands tightly in his, and gives a small sob. “I save your life and that’s the first thing you say? I thought I was too late! I thought I was going to lose you!” A drop of water falls on you. It isn’t raining.

“And you’re wrong. My place has never been on the throne, note without you there! It didn’t take long for me to realize that a life there, without you, wasn’t worth living. So I came to find you. I can’t believe they tried to kill you. I’m so glad I wasn’t too late.

“There are so many things I haven’t said yet and feared I’d never be able to. I love you so, so much. You’re the light of my life. You make me happy and laugh when no one else can. You mean everything to me. My place is by your side.” He presses a kiss to the back of your hand. You smile. “Thank you, Venti,” you say. “That means a lot to me. I love you lots too. Life just hasn’t been the same without you. So despite all the trouble we’ve been through, I’m glad you’re here.”

Things don’t get better immediately, and you have a couple scars to show for the experience. But Venti is with you every step of the way to reassure you that he loves you, no matter what. You’re in this together, so everything will be alright.

#eirika writes #genshin venti #venti #venti x reader #genshin impact x reader #knight au

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scullysexual · 4 years ago

Note

I have an angsty prompt and you were my first thought to write it (only if you want to no pressure). Mulder and Scully are on the run, they've forgotten how to express their feelings to each other, when one evening Mulder finds Scully buying a packet of cigarettes

- - -

You thought you spent a lot of time together before all this. In retrospect, you didn’t. Before there were always opportunities to get away from each other. Even when their relationship went from platonic to something not quite platonic and more, you both allowed time to do your own thing, be by yourselves.

There was none of that now. That luxury was taken away from you along with your quest, job, home, and freedom when the government created Super Soldiers and fucked your life over. All you wanted was a decent pension.

You’re one step away from asking for a twin-bed room. Only, you don’t exist. The room is filed under one alias. Scully sneaks you in later.

You’re one step away from sleeping in the car.

You’re wondering the aisles of the garage store. Scully told you to stay put but your legs were cramping, cabin fever settling in. You ignored her command the same way you ignore her worries. Let them find me, you think as you stroll the aisles, glancing toward the security cameras. Let them lock you away. Scully can break you out again in a few months when you’re friends again and she misses you.

You pick up some sunflower seeds, grab some cheapo chocolate balls along the way and make your way back to the counter, tossing your items down onto the pile. Scully gives a dirty look to your childish selection. You were gonna share your choco balls with her. Not anymore.

You look at what she’s bought; mainly hygiene stuff you have no need for and no interest in. You spy a box of blonde hairdye and look at her hair, the red roots coming through towards the blonde. That’s right- you had a scare a few months ago, had to lay low for a lifetime. You lived off your emergency food pack. You found sunflower seeds weren’t apart of that pack, much to your disappointment.

You’re playing with the chewing gum rack when a red and white box catches your eye.

You don’t care about her habits. If she wants to bite the skin around her nails until her fingers bleed or click pens repeatedly, she is free to do so.

And if she wants to smoke or eat bee pollen for breakfast despite neither being good for her, well you won’t say otherwise.

No, it’s the box that bothers you. The brand. The smell. It’s like a trigger; makes your breath catch in your throat, your hands sweat. You want to scratch your way out of the room you’re in, get as far away as possible from the cigarettes. And she knows that.

You say nothing while in the store but you brood noticeably and she can feel it.

You snatch the plastic bag out of her hands on the way to the car. The route through it like a raccoon through garbage and find the trash.

You toss it onto the ground and smash your foot into the pack, hearing the satisfying crunch and crack of plastic and carboard.

“What are you doing?” Scully yells. Fear passes across her face as she looks around the deserted garage.

“You know how they make me feel,” you tell her.

“You’re not the one smoking them,” she argues.

“I don’t care. I don’t want you to.” You pick up the damage packet, stuffing it into your pocket and move off.

“Mulder!” she calls out but you ignore her, pulling open the driver’s side door. She follows you eventually, climbing into the passenger side silently.

You put the car in drive and make your way to your next destination, wondering how viable it really is to sleep in the car.

#the x-files #the x files #txf fic #xfiles fanfiction #on the run era #prompts #prompt fic #promptsbyanonymous #anonymousasks #scullysexualwrites

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mymelodyheart · 4 years ago

Text

Miles Between Us Chapter 14 ~The Element of Surprise ~

WARNING: VERY EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT

Previously in The Reunion

They fitted perfectly, her softness cradling his boneless heap, making him hard as steel again. Some part of his brain must have still been functioning because he jerked and reached out for her bra to cover her when his doorbell rang. Christ! Forcing his body to move with marginal success, he yanked her up and pulled up his jeans.

Claire slid off the table and grabbed her clothes. "Who could that be?"

"That better not be yer uncle or ..." Jamie trailed off, muttering curses under his breath, annoyed at the disturbance as he was just revving up for part two of their lovemaking. When he opened the door, a sense of deja vu hit him when he saw Mrs Fitz standing there with what seemed like a plate of a lemon meringue pie. What the fuck?

"Mrs Fitz!"

The older woman didn't bother to hide her curiosity this time as her eyes tried to peer past his shoulders. "Heard ye have company, lad, and I havenae seen Miss Claire the last couple of days."

If you wish to read this on AO3, here is the link.

If you wish to read this from the beginning:

AO3 link

Tumblr link

Six Days Later

Claire's heavy eyelids fluttered open, her brain still addled by sleep. It took her a while to gather her thoughts and remember how she'd made it to bed last night. She shifted slightly in bed, but there's a two-hundred-fifty pound of hard-muscled, naked male restricting her movement. Jamie's arm was draped across her waist, securing her against his chest, her legs confined under his heavier ones. She could feel his soft, steady breathing blowing warm air on top of her head, reminding her how well he'd been sleeping the last few nights. There had been no night terrors or unpleasant dreams interrupting his sleep, and she put it down to his workload during the day and their physical activities between the sheets at night.

Today was Friday, and the realisation caused a huge smile to spread across her face. Last night she'd worked late until past ten, and Jamie had found her fallen asleep in front of her laptop in her studio shed. He'd scooped her up in his arms and helped her get ready for bed, and just before sleep claimed her, he'd whispered he had a surprise for her today.

She wondered what the surprise was and guess it would probably be a long lie-in for them and breakfast in bed. Looking back, the past few days had flown by in a blur, packed with work and catching up with her uncle Lamb during nights. Ever since her emotional reunion with Jamie, her work-related things had gone from a shamble of mess to running smoothly. It's as if the universe had decided to grant her reprieve as everyone went out their way to appease her. Even her boss John seemed to have given her space and was allowing her to work in peace. Somehow, deep down, she had a sneaking suspicion Jamie had something to do with it.

It had all began at the start of the week when Jamie had been at work. Tom had stopped by the cottage to hand her a signed contract agreeing to his book's publication. By the time she'd told John the good news, he'd been in his element detailing his main point plan for getting the word out and announcing the book deal to Tom's adoring followers. She'd thought her boss would demand to get her and Tom on the next plane to London, but instead, John had told her he'd arranged a team to fly to Inverness for a formal meeting with their new author. As if that wasn't enough, two days later, Mary had produced enough drafts for Claire to work on and promised there would be more on the way. Her uncle, sensing work was piling, would occasionally stop by either to whip up something to eat or bring food while she'd been ensconced in her studio shed. Not that it was unusual for her uncle to perform domesticated pursuits; however, it's still surprising that he was going the extra mile to help around the house when he had the Highlands at disposal for his adventures being an outdoor person that he was.

It's becoming clear this week was proving to be a period of many turning points. She had no idea what the future had in store for her and Jamie, but she knew something had shifted in their relationship, and it was definitely for the better. Though she's still the same girl who's still trying to find her place in the world and fit in, she knew she'd changed, too. A few months ago, she would have probably backed down from any forms of conflicts, citing life as complicated enough without adding more complications. But she'd learned how to respond, choose fights that are worth fighting for and cast aside that wasn't deserving of her peace of mind. She'd also learned that once in a while, it's good for her sanity to give propriety and rules the middle finger when a situation called for it.

It's hard to believe she's planning her life in the Highlands, the place where her parents had met and found love in each other. In her quest to get to know them more, she'd spent her holidays here to be closer to their memories and live that adventure they'd so craved. Now, she was involved with a man tormented with demons. If her parents were still alive today, she wondered how they would receive Jamie. Would they have been like Jenny or her uncle, suspicious and sceptical of their relationship? Or would they have been happy with her choice just like Willie, Brian, and Ellen have been with Jamie's?

Deep in her heart, she knew that her parents would have taken one look at them and understood that Jamie was special and meant to be her life adventure. From what Claire had surmised from uncle Lamb's stories, her parents have been that kind of people, magnanimous of spirit and always saw the best in others. Jamie was like that too. He'd taken a gamble with her despite their differences and the geographical challenges ahead. Though it seemed she was helping him with his condition, unbeknownst to Jamie, he too was helping her heal the part of her that became an orphan. In some invisible way, he was repairing something in the fabric of her world that had been torn down the middle when her parents passed away. She absorbed that thought and was reminded of what Uncle Lamb once told her, that her father always had a peculiar sense of humour. With that in mind, she'd like to think that just maybe her father had sent Jamie her way on purpose. His way of telling her to let go of the past, not over-think, embrace the Highlands as much as he had and just love.

Lying next to Jamie in bed, she felt totally at peace. They might have had a crisis of faith, but she was confident they'll find their way through whatever path was laid before them. Their love wasn't and probably never going to be easy, given their journey had been emotional, tangled with roadblocks, denials and self-preservation. Still, she wanted to find her way with him. She'd just discovered this strength she didn't realise she had, and Jamie continued to surprise her with his single-mindedness purpose to be cured. Someone once said there's no fulfilment without a bit of struggle. Just like in the stories she hoped to publish one day, the heroes had to break down first and bleed before earning their happy ending. Well, if that's the rule, she couldn't envision facing life's trials and tests with any other person to stand beside her other than Jamie.

Her smile was still in place when her thoughts were suspended by a rush of heat as Jamie's hand coasted over her hip to disappear between her thighs. A sudden thrill shot through her, making her breath catch in her lungs. He shifted the leg holding her thighs down and deftly opened her to his touch, stroking the sensitive flesh in between. She felt his shaft stir against her bottom as she scooted closer to him, eliciting a guttural sound to escape his lips.

"I can practically hear the cogs turning in yer head, Sassenach," he muttered thickly, his breathing turning shallow at the back of her neck. He nipped her earlobe between his teeth and tugged. "What's going on in that mind of yers?"

"Oh, this and that and how you've been sleeping soundly ...these last few nights." She gasped out loud when he rubbed her nub with a calloused thumb. She tilted her head back to look at his face, and her lips were met by a long-drawn, possessive kiss. By the time their mouths parted, she was panting for air and squirming against him mindlessly.

"Christ, ye're ready for me. Why did ye no' wake me up?" He thrust his finger deep inside her, fondling the spot he knew drove her wild and frantic. "Next time ye want me, wake me up."

"I-I couldn't. You were sleeping so peacefully."

He paused his ministrations. "That's no' the answer I was hoping to hear."

Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ! "Y-yes, next time, I'll wake you up!"

"That's my lass." He sank another finger into her entrance. But as she tried to clench around him, his fingers slid out, using her wetness to coat her nub and gently rub her aching flesh. She wanted to scream at him for teasing her, but he only softly chuckled against her neck. At that moment, she needed to come more than she needed air. She hoarsely whispered his name in a plea for release. "Ach, no' yet, Sassenach ... ye listen better when I'm touching ye." She yelped when he suddenly yanked the covers away and flipped her on her stomach, the crisp morning air caressing her heated skin. "Let me see first that beautiful arse of yers." He shoved a pillow beneath her hips, putting her in a highly arousing position, her face mushed against the mattress and her bottom in the air. "Such a beautiful bum."

"Jamie ..."

He kneaded the curves of her buttocks as he let out a frustrated male groan. "Let us talk first. This is the only time I'm pretty sure ye're no' gonnae argue with me with what I'm about to say. Ye listening?"

"Yes, yes ...get on with it, damn it!"

He laughed out loud just before his lips travelled along the path of her spine, kissing and nibbling her flesh. One hand slid around her belly and down the apex of her thighs, slipping blunt fingers into her folds as his mouth moved to her neck. He lingered there, biting hard and then soothing the sting with a lick of his tongue. Anticipation pulsated within her body, and goosebumps erupted on her skin as the weight of his erection slid against her upturned bottom, and Jamie positioned himself behind her. When he hefted her higher with his forearm, she let out a squeak. "Ye'll no' be working this weekend."

"Jamie," she whimpered. "B-but I can't."

"Oh yes, ye can." Skilled fingers stroke her sensitive nub, and with one thrust of his hips, he completely filled her, taking her by surprise. She nearly screamed, pressing her mouth against the mattress, suddenly mindful of nosey neighbours. She remembered what Jamie had told her about Mrs Fitz and muffled her moans on the covers of the bed.

"Oh, God, this is not fair," she breathed on an uneven exhale.

"I told ye last night, I have a wee surprise for ye. Ye've worked long enough this week. Ye're taking a wee break this weekend." When she didn't respond, he stilled his hips and took out his fingers from inside her. "You need a break, Sassenach. Now, for the love of God, just say yes, Jamie."

When Jamie drew out his hardness and plunged deeply back into her, heart-stopping sensations coursed through her whole body. Something about how he positioned her, the fluid, smooth drives of his movement made her mad with need. She wanted to urge him to go faster, but she clamped her mouth shut. He was deliberately torturing her and forcing her to agree with him. So she decided she was going to get her own back. Contracting her inner walls, she clenched around him. From experience, she knew the more he had to work to push into her, the wilder he would become. Just when she thought she finally got the upper hand, he paused and dropped his weight, stopping just short of squashing her. "No, no, no! Please don't stop!" she wailed.

"Oh, aye." He pushed his lower body tight to her bottom, his erection throbbing inside her. When she tried to wriggle her bum to urge him to start moving again, he firmly gripped her hips in place. "Ah, I ken what ye're up to," he whispered hotly in her ears. "I'm no' taking no for an answer. Ye owe this break to yourself."

"You don't play fair."

"Neither do ye."

Thinking she could compromise later after spending the whole morning with him, she finally conceded. "Fine. Just keep moving, for God's sake!" she hissed.

He let out a pained laugh and pressed his lips on the crook of her neck. "Good lass, ye ken it makes sense." Then cursing under his breath, he moved all the way out in one smooth slide before deliciously gliding deep back. "Christ, I can feel ye want to come, but ye're going to stay with me a little longer. Ye fell asleep on me last night, leaving me with a painful cockstand."

"Jesus, Jamie."

"Aye," he rasped hoarsely into her hair. "I said the same thing when ye wriggled that pert arse against me and fell asleep immediately."

The way his thickness was invading her from an angle almost sent her hurtling over the edge. And it gave her a new appreciation for math. The thought almost made her laughed out loud if it wasn't for the pulsing pleasure between her legs.

"Christ ...look at ye," Jamie gritted, his voice sounding raw and almost severe. "So bloody perfect."

He nudged her legs wider and changed his movements to short, strong strokes, increasing his pace with primitive energy that left her gasping for breath. With the sound of their slapping bodies, the earthy scent of arousal, the sweaty slide of skin, her belly began to tighten and coil.

"I just want to make ye happy, Sassenach," he groaned, bearing down his upper body more, his hips relentlessly pounding into hers. "So just say yes to my wee surprise, aye?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Their voices sounded so far away, and her initial hesitation about taking a break from work almost forgotten. Not entirely, though. She tried to grasp that mental note about emails to be sent, but the hand gripping her hips moved, and fingers slid to rub her nub, stroking and pushing her further towards her peak. She gave in and widened her thighs to let him fill her more. But it left her no time to prepare for the release that shattered her apart, her love for him and the physical pleasure fusing to intensify the sensations blasting through her. It threatened to overwhelm her, but Jamie's presence anchored her as he followed her over, groaning her name, gripping her hips with a fierceness as he claimed her for his.

Moments later, he pulled her boneless body in his arms and tucked her into his chest, tugging the covers over them and curving his front to her back. He held her tightly as the morning light streamed through the windows.

Battling to keep her eyes open, thoughts of work slithered in, but it kept flittering away with her consciousness before she could dwell on it. Maybe just for a minute, she thought. But Jamie smelled so good, and his tender strokes enticed a hazy sleep to claim her muscles, dragging her down into the dark. Just one minute.

As she eased into sleep, his whisper drifted toward her unconscious. "It's still early, Sassenach. Sleep a wee bit more. Your wee surprise will come soon enough."

..........

Claire woke for the second time that morning with an unladylike shriek when the mattress dipped and moved. Muddled, she jackknifed into a sitting position, eyes scanning wildly around the curtain-dimmed room for a trespasser. Claire knew someone was there, her gut instinct telling her it wasn't Jamie. Summoning her eyes to refocus, she collapsed with relief when she realised who it was sat at the foot of the bed.

"Surprise!" Annalise squealed, clapping her hands.

"Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!" She swiped her bedraggled hair out of her face. "You scared me bloody witless."

"Bloody hell, you're jumpy." Annalise shifted a hip on the bed. "Jamie's bad dreams rubbing off on you now, are they?"

"That's not something to joke about," she glowered at her friend, pulling the covers up to her chin.

Annalise' smile waned a bit. "Hey, what's up? I'm not making fun of Jamie's nightmares, and you know that." Her shoulders slumped. "In case you don't know, bad dreams can happen to anyone. In fact, I had a bad dream a few days ago. I was being chased by a pirate."

Suddenly feeling bad for snapping at her friend, she mentally dispersed the sleep fog in her brain and gave Annalise an apologetic smile. So this was her surprise, she thought. Not that Claire wasn't happy to see her friend, but she'd expected Jamie's surprise to be a romantic weekend with him. She let out a sigh. "Chased by a pirate, huh? Let me guess ...sunken chest and no booty?"

Annalise perked up at Claire's feeble attempt to sound less grumpy. "Har de har har! I didn't realise you could be funny before coffee. A total package for a marauding pirate if I may say so."

"Tell that to Captain Beard," she mumbled, getting out of bed.

"Aye, matey!" Annalise mischievously winked. "That's if he happens to be in Isle of Harris this weekend. Which is where, by the way, we're going, as in, now! So get packing!"

Claire stilled and shook her head. "Wot?" She began to shake her head, tugging the covers around her as she made her way to the dresser. "Oh no, no, no! I'm not leaving this place for any man or woman, including you, blondie! I've got a pile of work to do. You know I have deadlines."

"Oh no, you don't. You stop right there, missy! Have you forgotten you agreed with Jamie to take a weekend break?"

Claire's eyes widened. "Oh, did he also tell you how he got me to agree?"

"No. But you can tell me later on the plane."

"Plane?" Claire dropped her face in her hands. "Oh, God, I can't believe I agreed to this. Jamie never told me anything."

Annalise stood up from where she was sitting and crossed her arms across her chest. "Hmmm, you don't look too happy to be spending time with me."

She puffed out a breath. "It's not that ..."

"We haven't had girly time in ages, Claire. Jamie thought it would do you a world of good to have a bit of fun."

"So now what? You and Jamie plotting and ganging up on me behind my back, is that it?" Claire accused. "What about Willie? Surely, you miss him more than me. When was the last time you saw him?"

Annalise grinned. "Don't worry about Willie. We have been doing a lot of catching up all night last night, and you want to know what he did?"

Claire's face crumpled in disgust as she held up a hand. "Oh, gross! Too much information. I don't want to hear about your sex life."

Annalise laughed out loud. "Fine, I won't discuss our sex life if you start packing now. Besides, you wouldn't want to waste the tickets Jamie worked so hard for, now, do you?"

Oh dear Lord, save me from well-meaning friends! She didn't really want to leave, but if Jamie had spent money organising this trip, she wasn't about to let it go to waste. But ... "How about uncle Lamb? He came to see me, and I can't just leave him."

"He knows all about the trip, and I've been told he's got a few excursions planned around the Highlands."

"Oh, well ...if that's the case, I need to call Mary and John and let them know what I'm up to this weekend."

Annalise grinned. "Jamie's sorted it already."

"Wot?" she exclaimed with disbelief, her hands landing onto her hips. "Jamie's been planning this with you all along, hasn't he?" She shook her head. "I-I can't believe it!"

"You better believe it."

Claire blew out a breath of exasperation. "Fine! Grab my suitcase. It's in the airing cupboard."

"Yay!" Annalise whirled on her feet and pumped her fist in the air. Claire couldn't help but smile as enthusiasm began to wiggle its way through her system. Maybe Jamie was right. She owed it to herself to have a break, and probably a change of scenery was what she needed. After Mary had delivered the goods, Claire had worked herself to the bone all week and sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. She was already in her second round of edits on the extensive manuscripts Mary had submitted and must admit they were indeed making progress. As for Tom, her job with him was done, and the team organised by John should be arriving next week. It was definitely time for a bit of fun.

On second thoughts, though it was generous of Jamie to arrange the trip, it would have been nice if he could come along too. But the idea of Jamie's condition worsening with something as simple as weekend trips away brought a feeling of melancholy to descend upon her. She had no doubt Jamie would be cured, and they'd be able to travel together one day, so she forced herself to shake off the momentary bout of wistfulness when Annalise came bounding back with her small suitcase.

"So ...you talked to Jamie. Where is he, by the way?" she asked, grabbing clothes from the dresser and throwing them in the bed. "He left early this morning."

"Oh! Jamie said he needed to be somewhere important, and he'll see you when we return. Willie will be driving us to the airport." When Claire frowned, Annalise came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we'll only be away for two days, and you'll see him again Sunday night."

It was apparent to Claire she'd been at a disadvantage waking up to the news of the weekend trip because if Jamie had suggested it a few days ago, she would have definitely put her foot down and refused. Unfortunately, Annalise and Jamie knew her too well; hence they'd planned this trip in secrecy.

Claire absorbed that for a few heartbeats and felt a tad of guilt. It had been a while she'd spent time with Annalise, and once her job was done in London, she'd be living with Jamie. Plus, who knew when she'd have another chance to hang out with her best friend ...just the two of them and in the Isle of Harris at that. Besides, they always had a great time together. There was no sense in spoiling their spontaneous weekend with her stubbornness. She might as well make the most of it.

Claire turned to face her friend and smiled. "Do I have time to shower?"

"Plenty of time," Annalise beamed. "While you get ready, I'll make some coffee. I know what you're like without your cuppa first thing." And with that, she danced out of the room, whistling, leaving Claire to shake her head in amusement.

Later that morning, as they drove past the motorway exit for the airport, Claire shifted restlessly in the backseat of Willie's car, watching the familiar structure pass by in a blur outside her window. She frowned. Willie must have forgotten to take the turn. Uh oh! But before she could say anything, Willie veered to a different dual-carriageway. She tried to relax back into her seat, thinking there was probably a different route to the airport she didn't know of.

Eventually, they pulled to a stop in front of a building that didn't resemble a terminal, but there was an airfield and a charter plane coming out of the hangar. When Willie stepped out of the car, a man with worn jeans, a black leather jacket and a pair of aviators waved. He looked kind of familiar, but Claire was unsure.

"Who is that?" Claire asked quietly.

Annalise followed her line of vision. "Oh, I thought you knew that guy." She frowned when Claire shook her head and squinted to get a better look. "I was told the guy flying our plane was the soon to be famous Highlands' ultimate guide to Scotland." As if on cue, the man removed his aviators and started walking towards their car, a smile plastered to his unshaven face. When he waved at them, Annalise giggled, and Claire's eyes widened in confusion. "You probably can't recognise him from afar ...it's your author, Tom Christie," Annalise announced with a satisfied smile and to her utmost shock. "He's flying us to Stornoway."

What the bloody hell? Jamie arranged this?

Dear Readers,

Thank you all for your readership and the feedback from the previous chapter. I'm super thrilled a lot of you enjoyed it after what I put you all through with Jamie and Claire's roller-coaster journey. I hope it was worth it all in the end.

Speaking of the end, the next chapter will be the last for this arc, and after taking a break, I will start arc three of the WONDERWALL series. I'll keep you updated here. Meanwhile, feel free to speculate what the next chapter will be. Until my next update, wishing you all good health and vibes. X

#melodyheart #wonderwall #milesbetweenus #claire beauchamp/jamie fraser #jamie fraser #claire beauchamp #outlanderfanfic

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before-we-get-started · 4 years ago

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My Favorite Mistake Pairing: Colin Shea x Reader Word Count: 3525 Warnings: Fluff, angst Image by pinterest.com “You sure you don’t want to meet us later? We should be done with dinner by 8.” “No thanks.” “Y/N, you haven’t been out in weeks. You can’t just stay in that apartment all the time. Put on that cute black dress and meet us at Rave’s.” You pulled the blanket up higher around your chin, making sure it covered your socked feet on the coffee table. “It’s ok, I really appreciate it but I’m really comfy here. I’m gonna check out a new series on Netflix.” Your friend sighed through the phone. “Ok. Call me if you need me, ok?” “Thanks,” you said, ending the call and tucking the phone under the blanket in your lap. It was 7:30 on a Friday night and you were alone, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s serving as dinner as you surfed the TV for something good to watch. It had been exactly three months. Three months since your heart was shattered, three months since you thought your world had ended, three months since you’d allowed yourself to enjoy anything. Everyone warned you, including a few friends that had traveled the same road. Colin was trouble. While everyone agreed he was dangerously sexy and incredibly handsome, everyone knew that for Colin, variety was the spice of life. He’d even told you that he tried one time to settle down with someone, and it was so painful when it ended, he would never do it again. That didn’t stop you though. You’d never forget the moment you’d met him – you were moving in to apartment 6C in a gorgeous, historic building in Boston. It was your first place of your own – your folks were so proud of you and helped you get moved in. On day 3 in your new place, your world changed. You were stepping out your door for work when your neighbor in 6A opened the door to grab his newspaper. He was naked but for a flowered bathroom towel that he held to keep his privacy. He was tall and lean with defined pecs, muscular arms, spiky blonde hair and blue eyes that reminded you of the ocean. And then he smiled, a million watts reaching across the banister to your apartment. “Good mornin’ 6C. I’m Colin,” he’d said in that delicious deep voice. Somehow you’d managed to squeak out your name, trying hard to breathe and keep walking. You had to pass him to get to the stairs, trying not to trip and fall or make an idiot of yourself. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around,” he said as you made your way down the stairs. “I hope so,” you’d replied, your voice sounding stronger than you imagined. A corner of his smile turned up and he gave you a little salute as you headed downstairs. True to his word, he’d knocked on your door that night with a bag of Chinese food and you’d invited him in. You played hard to get that night, even though the four beers and those blue eyes nearly broke your will. But on Friday, when he knocked again, you didn’t even make it through the tacos he brought over. Before you knew it, you’d gone from deep kisses on the couch to your bed, where you fell asleep wrapped around his body after hours of incredible sex. When the sun came up that Saturday morning, you blinked your eyes as you awoke, looking up at the most handsome face and long eyelashes you’d ever seen. You’d kissed his cheek, then peppered his neck and shoulders with kisses, releasing him from sleep and encouraging him to take you again. You’d wrapped your legs around him and he’d carried you into the bathroom, where you ran a hot bath and the two of you snuggled under the bubbles for an hour. The next few days you were inseparable. As soon as you got home from work, he was there. Most every night he stayed in your bed. More than once you’d watched the glow of the sunrise on your bedroom walls as you and Colin couldn’t get enough of each other’s touch. You’d watched some movies, binged a couple of shows, and shared the kitchen preparing some of your favorite recipes. You’d also talked, and talked, and talked. You told him about your ex, the guy you thought was “the one,” even though you certainly never felt for him what you did when you were with Colin. He told you about Allie, who had lived in your apartment before. He’d fallen hard for her and thought maybe he should think about settling with one girl, but she’d broken it off suddenly, and later he learned she’d eloped with one of her exes. The hurt in his eyes had been unbearable. That night you’d made it your quest to make him forget her – he’d called your name more than once and you’d held on to him tight, kissing him with enough passion to wipe out the sad memory of her. There was something so thrilling about being with him. Most of the time you didn’t have a plan, and you loved how each time with him would unfold. You’d spent a few evenings listening to your favorite tunes on the roof of the building, dancing under the moonlight. Colin was always working on songs for his band. He’d strum the guitar and you’d listen intently - you’d even helped him with lyrics on a few. One night Colin texted and told you he had plans and wouldn’t be able to see you. You’d texted back and told him to have a good night, happy to find him waiting at your door the next night after work. A few times he’d left to spend then night at his apartment. You’d noticed he’d checked his phone and figured he had something on his calendar for the next morning. You’d mentioned him to your girlfriends and gotten more than one eyeroll. “How many of you have slept with Colin?” your friend Jenny asked your friends at a bar one night. A few raised their hands. “I’m not stupid,” you’d responded. “I know he likes girls. We’re just friends with benefits.” The words came out, but you knew they were a lie. You were in love with him. Head over heels, heart and soul, forever and ever in love with him. You were in love with a total player who made it his goal to sleep with every girl in Boston. And so, on the morning of the 6-month anniversary of your first evening together, the truth had reared its ugly head. You’d spent the night before at your parents’ house after having dinner with them and had run home to get ready the next morning before heading to work so that you could bring him a gift. You’d picked up his favorite cannolis from the local bakery. You knew he was probably still asleep so you hung the bag on his door and texted him to check when he woke up. As you left for work, you heard a giggle across the hall. A girl opened Colin’s door and peeked around the edge, grabbing the bag of cannolis from the doorknob. You heard his laughter behind her as she closed the door. You froze. You couldn’t catch your breath. Your knees were weak. Tears burned at your eyes. The next few moments were a blur. You marched over to his door and knocked softly. You heard a rustle, then he was there, bare chested, wearing your favorite ripped jeans. “I hope you two enjoy your breakfast. I’m glad I went out of my way to bring it to you on a day that at least means something to me.” You turned on your heel and rushed down the stairs, ignoring him calling your name. You’d broken down on the train, dabbing at the tears to try and save your makeup. The older lady next to you patted your arm as you pulled yourself together. Your phone had dinged all day. Text after text from him, none of which you read. You were upset, but mostly mad at yourself. It was your own fault. He had told you himself that monogamy wasn’t his thing. But it had been impossible not to believe he felt something for you every time the two of you came together. The way he looked in your eyes, the way he held you so close, the way the two of you were entangled for hours on end. Could it really not be more than just sex? That night you’d stayed with a friend, leaving from her house the next morning for work. You’d left work early and slipped into your apartment in the afternoon, changing into his t-shirt and climbing into bed. You’d slept through to the morning, trudging in for another day at work. You couldn’t help but wonder what was happening behind his apartment door. It was unbearable to think of him holding someone else, kissing them the way he kissed you. For weeks, you’d managed to avoid seeing him. More than once you’d heard him come home, then heard a soft knock at your door, but you didn’t answer. There were so many text messages. “Good morning Y/N. Hope your day is good.” “Good night, sweet dreams.” Worst of all, lots of “I miss you” texts that made you want to open the door the next time he knocked. You wanted to see him again. You wanted to just accept that you’d take what you got from him and be happy with it. But knowing that you might be his Thursday and another girl would be his Friday was just too hard. How could he kiss you in that spot on your throat that drove you crazy, and then do the same thing for someone else? How could something so intimate not mean more to him? So for three months, you’d been miserable. Friends had tried to set you up on a couple of blind dates, your mom had even tried to introduce you to one of your dad’s associates, but you just weren’t ready. And now you were sitting home on a Friday night, wrapped up in frumpy sweats and a blanket, feeling sorry for yourself. You didn’t know exactly what got into you but you threw the blanket off and headed for the bathroom. You peeled out of the sweats, turned on the curling iron and grabbed your makeup bag. In 20 minutes you’d pulled on your favorite little black dress, applied makeup for an evening out, curled your hair and grabbed your beaded clutch. You slipped on your strappy high heels and headed for the door. You’d text your friend and let her know you’d be at Rave’s to meet them. As you opened the door, you stopped cold. Colin was in front of you. He had on gray slacks and a pale blue button up shirt, the first three buttons open. His hair was styled, the thin silver chain of his necklace and the tattoo on his chest peeking out from his shirt. His ocean blue eyes lit up when he saw you. He held a bouquet of roses in his hand. You smelled the musky scent you loved so much. “Hey,” he said shyly. “You look amazing.” He licked his lips as he looked you up and down. You went from startled to smug in a few seconds. “I’m on my way out,” you said. “Meeting some friends tonight. Mind moving out of my way?” He hesitated but stepped aside. You brushed past him, looking over your shoulder at him as you rounded the banister. “Y/N, I really want to talk to you.” “Not tonight,” you said confidently, descending the stairs. The club was rocking when you got there and the girls were all glad to see you. You took advantage of all the free drinks they were supplying and did your share of dancing, including a couple of slow dances with hot guys that were knocking each other over to flirt with you. When one asked to walk you to your Uber, you agreed, and took him up on making the ride to your apartment. He’d taken your hand as you ascended the stairs to the 6th floor, chatting and laughing all the way up. You fished in your clutch for your keys when you heard the door behind you open. Your escort put his hand at the small of your back and pulled you in for a kiss just as Colin peered out. You opened your eyes just as he started to close his door. You saw that sadness, the same sadness you’d seen when he’d told you about his broken heart. Your escort started to turn the key but you stopped him. You thanked him for walking you up but said you needed to call it a night. He gave you another kiss and you exchanged phone numbers, then he headed down the stairs. You let out a huge sigh as you stared at 6A. You thought the night out would help extinguish the fire but it continued to rage inside you. You walked over and gently knocked. You held your breath as you watched the door knob turn. “Hey.” “Hey.” “Can I come in?” He pulled the door open a bit more so you could step in. He stood still, looking down at his feet. You pushed the door closed. “Why were you dressed up tonight?” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I had a date.” You felt your heart sink a little. “Oh. How’d it go?” “I don’t know.” You cocked your head a little. “You don’t know?” “Nope.” You shook your head a little. “Why don’t you know?” “Didn’t happen.” You blew out a sigh, a little frustrated. “You had a date, but you didn’t have a date.” “Right.” “Ok,” you said. Maybe it was a mistake coming over. You turned towards the door. “Well, sorry to bother you, just thought I’d say hi.” “Don’t you want to know why it didn’t happen?” You sighed. “Sure, I’ll bite. Why didn’t it happen?” He stepped toward you, then put his hands on the small of your back, pulling you closer. “I went to ask her and she was on her way out.” You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth and looked into those ocean blues. “Where’d she go?” “I don’t know,” he said gruffly, “but she didn’t come home alone.” “Hmm,” you hummed, “wonder if he likes cannolis?” He looked down for a minute, something flashing across his face. Guilt, maybe? To his credit, he met your eyes again. “I’m sorry.” You’d hoped to hear those words for so long. You hoped he’d at least acknowledge that he’d hurt you. “I was an ass. Easily the most asshole thing I’ve ever done. And that’s saying a lot. I’m sorry.” You let out a quiet chuckle. “Definitely a move that will get you in the Asshole Hall of Fame.” It was his turn to laugh and he met your eyes again. “I was scared,” he said. “Scared? Scared of what?” “Of us,” he said. Your eyebrows scrunched in surprise. “What do you mean?” He let out a huff of air and squeezed your hips a little tighter. “You and I, we were really good. I got so used to being with you. Everything about you made me happy. And I got scared. I tried feeling that way before and it broke me. I had to put some space between us.” “So you let some bimbo eat our anniversary cannolis?” He laughed a little, dropping his head and shaking it. “Yeah. I know. I’m a shit.” “Yep,” you said, popping the ‘p’ loudly. “I tried to talk to you. Tried to apologize. I texted, came over a few times. It was clear you weren’t interested in hearing what I had to say. So tonight I decided to step it up.” You felt tears burn at your eyes. You wanted to stay strong and blinked them away. “I did something incredibly stupid,” you said. “Yeah?” “Yeah. I fell in love with you. Even though everyone told me and everything inside me knew I shouldn’t, I did. All of those times being with you,” you said, your eyes glistening with tears. “All of those kisses, all of those touches, they meant something to me. More than just hooking up. I let myself believe they meant something to you too,” you said. “They did,” he said softly in that deep, sexy voice. He lifted a hand to your face, cupping your chin and gently touching his lips to yours. You closed your eyes, soaking in the feeling. You pressed your hands to his chest. He deepened the kiss and you instinctively let your hands slide up and encircle his neck, burying your fingers in the hair there, pulling it a little between your fingers. A soft moan escaped him as he pressed his body closer to yours. He dropped his hand to your hips again, pulling you so close you could feel him through his jeans. Sirens sounded in your brain. You were letting yourself fall down this hole again. You knew how hard it had been to climb out. You gently pulled out of the kiss, licking your lips and rubbing the tip of your nose on his. “I can’t,” you said, a tear escaping your eye. He pressed his forehead to yours, pulling his hand behind your head and caressing your soft hair. “Y/N.” There was no sound like that of your name on his lips. It was like music. You felt yourself shiver as you fought with everything you had not to melt into him. “I want more than you do. It’s too hard. It’s not your fault, it’s just how it is. This – hurts,” you said, a soft sob escaping. “I want it too.” You felt a sad smile cross your lips. “Not like I do Colin. I want all of you. Everything. I don’t want to share. I don’t want you to touch anyone else.” You gently ran your hands up his chest. “I don’t want you to kiss anyone else,” you said as you pressed your lips to his. “I don’t want you to find that special place on anyone else,” you said, pressing your lips to that place on his neck that drove him wild. He growled deep in his throat, encircling your waist with his arms. “Y/N,” he breathed. “It’s ok,” you said sadly. “I was lucky to have you while I did. Most people don’t get to feel what I felt with you.” You ran the backs of two fingers down his cheek, letting yourself dive into those eyes. Every inch of you felt warm. “What if –“ he started, then hesitated. “What if we start again. And I don’t fuck up this time.” You let out a low laugh. “You’d just be setting us up for failure. It’s ok Colin. I don’t –“ His fingers circled your wrists and he covered your lips with his. “It’s not ok. I hurt you.” He kissed you again, this time a little deeper. “It took me seeing you with someone else to really get it. I’ve missed you so much. But seeing you tonight – I just ache. Please tell me we can try again.” He smothered your mouth with his, sucking gently on your bottom lip. “Please Y/N.” You tried taking a breath but it caught in your throat, your heart beating wildly. You’d be a fool to do this again, put yourself out there for more. How did that saying go, insanity was doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result? “Colin –“ “I love you.” You blinked at him, certain you’d just imagined it. “What?” He smiled, that smile that could light up the entire city. He gently pushed a piece of hair behind your ear and let his fingers linger on your earlobe. “I,” he said, kissing the tip of your nose. “Love,” he said, pressing his lips to the apple of your cheek. “You,” he said, locking onto your eyes with his, then gently kissing your lips. “I love us.” You leaned into him, burying your face into the side of his neck, wrapping your arms around him. “I’m afraid.” He pulled you to him, stroking your hair, a hand at your lower back. “I know baby,” he said. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “It’s ok. I’ve got you.” You let yourself melt into him more. You wanted to believe him. You wanted to let go. “What if – what if you get scared again? What if I’m not what you really want? What if you wake up one morning and look at me and realize I’m a mistake?” You felt his chest rumble with a little laugh. “Trust me baby, you’re my favorite mistake.” He pulled back and kissed you, and you let yourself melt into the love of your life.

#chrisevans #colinshea #whatsyournumber

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rayofsunas · 4 years ago

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Hey so regarding inazuma and Baal I have some head cannons and your my favorite writer so I thought I’d just dump them all here.

Insazuma is the nation of eternity right? And Baal is basically the second archon after the original one died off somewhere presumably 500 years ago during the destruction of khaenri'ah.

The vision hunt decree was created for the Perdue of “eternity” and subsequently the people who’s visions were taken lost all their ambition. You get where I’m going here? Maybe Baal isn’t acting out of greed, but are justificing her actions to protect her people? The people of khaenri'ah had ambitions greater than anyone in that world could comprehend; they lived withought the guidance of a God, sought knowledge well beyond their limits and created destructive machines capable of “tilling” an enter battle field. Already we can see a shift in the archons perspective towards celestial- venti stated outright that he doesn’t like celestial, and Zhongli not only retired from his role as an archon but placed several meticulously planned tests to gouge his nations strength and stability in the face of a destructive god. Both nations, in a way, are becoming more similar to khaenri'ah in that they are both Godless, independent, and free from omnipotent influences.

Here’s my theory; The Goddess Baal, before inheriting the title of Archon, had witnessed the massacre and destruction of the khaenri'ah people and in order to prevent her nation from suffering the same fate she had launched the vision hunt decree to remove the people’s ambitions before it consumes them. She has witnessed the power of celestia, and in order to avoid the same fate she has made it her goal to separate Inazume from khaenri'ah in all forms and that’s why she continues on her role as archon instead of watching from the sides like venti or Zhongli.

Another thing, a small spoiler warning for those who haven’t finished the quest

I think people who are emotionless used to be the most emotional and heartfelt kind of individuals. Ayaka describes the Raiden Shogun as a cold and emotionless being, akin to a manager or something (I can’t remember her exact words) and I think that’s because Baal had been planning the decree for a long time now and had to steel her resolve knowing the impact it would have on the common folk. In her mind, what she is doing is better for the lo run and is necessary for the survival of her people.

This is just a theory, I haven’t finished the quest myself but it’s been weighing on me for quite sometime now. Anyways, I hope you have a wonderful day!

SPOILERS + be prepared for my declarations rambles.

YOU’RE SO SMART, AND YOU'VE SPURRED ON MY LOCKED AWAY THEORIES THANKS. and I thought similarly, though now that you mention it, baal behaving selfishly seems like she could be protecting her people. after all, the vision hunt decree only happened recently (I think months to a year before the traveler’s arrival in mondstadt), so something shifted dramatically between the archons and celestial for baal to do that in the first place.

me and my friends chat about theories like this all the time on discord and everything you said makes so much sense! I also thought zhongli stepping away from his role as an archon was not just his way of freeing himself, but his way of seeing how his people would fair without a god (this is legit confirmed i think); and they’ve done just fine, proving to celestia that they’re wrong in believing nations and people need a ruling governing body, like an archon. but I feel like baal is still just selfish, even if she’s doing this to protect her citizens, my gut is just telling me she could be both selfish and also be doing this to protect her people.

but about the archons; my friends and I have tied the archons to tons of real life lore and myths, and something that keeps popping up with all the archons is different types of religion and beliefs; we found out that they each represent or are similar to the seven princes of hell (and there’s something about them coming up in demonology a crap ton too, and the similarities are a bit too similar... PAIMON IS MENTIONED TOO AS A KING OF HELL IN DEMONOLOGY LORE AND THAT'S NOT VERY CUTE.... I HAVE SO MANY THEORIES FOR PAIMON YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!). but I think the archons are like 50/50 bad and good (like they’ve done bad things willingly or not before the travelers arrival aka destruction of khaenri’ah) but celestia is the main antagonist, I’m 100% positive of that.

the hydro archon is said to know not to make an enemy of celestia/the divine, so I feel if any of the gods were to back celestia, it would be the hydro archon. but, this leads me to my first question; what in the world does celestia think about the gnosis’ being taken? I’m gonna assume they may care a little less about venti and zhongli because they’ve basically retired, but the other archons? they’re still active and actively represent celestia, so I’m curious to know what celestia would do when baal’s is taken (we know that she’s the next target, because one of the tsaritsa’s goals is to take them all). will baal be punished since she’s still an active ruling archon, or not? something is telling me she will, but who knows...

and this may sound obvious, but i think the archons represent celestia’s own ideals, although over time with the change of archons and maybe shifted opinions in celestia, said archons have changed and now their actions contradict what their title is, I think the reason behind that is because they’re the original and last reigning archons over their respective nations, but the others? they represent ideals, and some of their actions or just people interfering (harbingers talking the gnosis') have contradicted what they stand for entirely.

for example,

venti (ideal is freedom): his is so ironically obvious, but his gnosis was taken from him, against his will; there's nothing free about that. and he also retired from being an archon, and because of that went into hiding, also nothing free about that either; yet he represents freedom. you see what i'm trying to say? lol.

zhongli (ideal is contracts): nothing for him because i don't know much, but i think it's funny how he represents contracts, which are usually very tedious and there's a lot of depth in them, and he just gave his gnosis up so easily and willlingly (even if he has his reasons) by creating a contract like ???? it's funny to me.

baal (ideal is eternity): I haven’t started the archon quest yet for her, but I know she says she is the most eternal of all and sees herself as everlasting, but she’s legit younger than a good few of the archons (venti and zhongli so far!). I also think the original archons ideal was eternity and that’s what they had hoped for their people, but after the fall of khaenri’ah, war, and their death, baal came into power and realized it would be a threat to celestia if the people believe in eternity (like I said, something shifted severely after the war, because a lot of the original archons died or disappeared and their ideals almost became shrewd and a thing of the past with the new ones who took their places) therefore creating the vision hunt decree to get rid of visions; with more people coming into contact with visions, or maybe even when they realized humanity would be fine without an archon ruling over them, war would break out again and this time celestia would be the target. speaking of targets, this is random, but there’s an overwhelming presence of military surrounding/in inazuma and maybe that’s not just to collect visions and because war broke out amongst the people there, but it’s for protection against celestia and the harbingers (I think the other archons know about venti and zhongli's gnosis' being taken, so they're all weary). if baal were to overthrow celestia or betray them somehow, I’m sure since she’s an active archon they would retaliate.

the dendro archon (ideal is wisdom): the dendro archon is way more obvious, as dainsleif says he’s less than wise, but that’s his ideal... he’s also the youngest, so that’s another contradicting fact; young people are often called unwise.

the hydro archon (ideal is justice): I know nothing about her, but she represents justice. I don’t have a solid explanation for her, but based off of theories and if for a moment we assume celestia is the main antagonist, she is said to be afraid of celestia but seemingly backs them by not leaving like venti and zhongli... considering what they’ve done, I’d say she can’t possibly represent the ideal of justice correctly if what had happened to khaenri’ah was far from just, especially since the archons and celestia were behind it but her ideal is justice?

murata (ideal is war): I have no idea about her at all either, there's not much... but considering vanessa was able to pass into celestia when she died and she's considered the children of murata, I think we'll get more info on celestia then too, and more about khaenri'ah, since she's the god of war. she's gonna have the DEETS I tell you!!

the tsaritsa (ideal is unknown): nothing contradicting for now! she is a bit confusing because of how little info we have, but I have reason to believe she's against celestia, hence her taking the gnosis'. for now, until confirmed, I think her ideal or rather goal is to get rid of celestia. i don't think she has a gnosis or vision tbh, maybe the archon before her did and she's assumed to have one as well or maybe it even got taken away... but, i think that's one of the reasons she's created delusions, they're said to be a lot more dangerous and powerful (i think) than visions too. there's also this thing I found out about the gnosis' being designed after chess pieces, and how although there are 7 archons, there are only 6 chess pieces (pawn, rook, bishop, knight, queen, and king)... meaning one of the archons (not venti or zhongli, because we know what their gnosis' look like) has a gnosis that isn't designed after a chess piece... or in my words, doesn't have one at all. aka the tsaritsa... I think the tsaritsa not having a gnosis fits too snugly with her actions so far. and don't get me wrong! if we assume she doesn't have a gnosis, I don't think she's retaliating because of that, i think she just wants to change or get rid of celestia entirely. like this makes perfect sense because the tsaritsa is the only active archon seemingly and openly going against celestia's ideals, whatever they may be...

and about me saying the archons are "evil" or in the wrong for what happened to khaenri'ah (even if they were forced by celestia), in the archaic petra set, ZHONGLI IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN AN EMOTIONLESS AND MERCILESS GOD WHEN HE SLAUGHTERED COUNTLESS OTHER GODS DURING THE ARCON WAR, in order to fulfill a contract of sorts. this is why I think there were ulterior motives during the war and although yes, for now, it seems the archons were forced into complying during the war, I really think they had some willingness too.

at the end of my ted talk I have come to the conclusion that we can't trust the archons until we know more or celestia like... ever AND I STAND WITH THE REGULAR DEGULAR PEOPLE!!!

#rayofsunas #have i annoyed you yet with my essay? i really love theories I'M SO SORRY #like paimon is- big red sus #i spent so long on this don't flop #what do you guys think?#i might have to make a theory blog this is too much

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daydream-believin · 4 years ago

Text

The Never-Ending Roadtrip (Autumn in New York, pt 2)

summary: (ch 1) Reader joins Douxie in the quest for Nari’s safety. He’ll need company won’t he? - ch 10) an end to our NYC journey

warnings: swearing, alcohol mention, lots of food, NYC, pizza rat

word count: 6k on the dot

a/n: i wrote most of this when i should have been sleeping,,, so yeah. i wanna go to nyc now. HERE IT IS THE FINALE BON APETIT Y’ALL

Y/n opened her eyes very slowly. In the in-between of sleep and wake, her brain had painted a picture of her old room in the bookstore. Yes, she could still see the curtains blowing in the breeze let in by the open window. The early morning glow on the floorboards. Douxie’s soft snoring filling her ears. Yes, yes, she was home and everything felt right. And then, slowly, it wasn’t. The warm wooden floorboards faded into a white carpet, and suddenly she didn’t know what she was looking at anymore. It was disorienting. She wasn’t in her own bed. Right. New York.

She turned over onto her back and was startled when she realized Douxie was actually there, next to her. His snoring wasn’t her dream, like it had been many times before when this exact thing had happened to her. Right again. Douxie loved her back now. That was an actual thing in real life and not just her dreams. Y/n supposed it would have been weirder if he wasn’t next to her. In the scheme of things. But that didn’t mean she would be used to it any time soon. But that was good. A pleasant surprise every morning. A little burst of serotonin, as a treat.

Y/n looked at the little hot pink alarm clock. 5:48am. Good! Right on time. Just enough minutes to get everyone out the door by 6:30 as was planned. Douxie… was not going to like this. She looked over the wizard’s sleeping form. She’d let him have his rest while she showered, leaving him blissfully unaware of what’s to come. Even then he might put up a fight. Y/n popped her head into the living room to check on Nari. Still sound asleep, snug as a bug on the fluffy couch with Archie. All good. She preceded with her morning routine.

Y/n pulled on her sneakers. She supposed she really must wake Doux now. They were running out of time. She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of him. If an awake Douxie was cute, then a sleeping Douxie was absolutely adorable. All Y/n’s adoration belonged to this man who was sound asleep, and therefore could not fully appreciate her doting. She had to get some pictures. Just a few, then she’ll wake him up for sure this time.

Y/n was leaning over Doux, getting closer for a better angle, when she heard his voice, muffled by the pillow he had his gorgeous face half buried into. She strained to be able to make out what he was saying.

“y-y/n…” The dopiest grin spread across his still-sleeping features.

Y/n heart was filled with so much love it might burst. And her face was so hot it might catch on fire. He was dreaming. Of her. It looked like it was a good dream, too. Even when unconscious, he stilled cared for her. His snoozing brain could have conjured up anyone, anyone in the world he’d met in the last nine centuries, and it chose her. What a wonderful feeling it was to be chosen. He had married her, she knew he had chosen her, but it still felt special to be chosen again, and again, and again, as it would through the future to come. She didn’t even know why she had done it, asked him to marry her, that is. What had possessed her. Even as she did, she had half expected him to brush it off, or maybe offer a ‘someday’, but never in her wildest dreams would she have expected him to take it as seriously as he did. Never would she have expected him to be so eager. To declare, tomorrow. She ran her hand down his arm.

“Dewdrop, you need to wake up.” He half-opened his eyes, before groaning and shutting them again in defiance. Five more minutes. Douxie was not a morning person. Neither was Y/n, but she always seemed to be up before him still. He needed to get back to her anyways. She was waiting for him in-. Someone tapped his nose repeatedly. Fine. Awake it is then.

Douxie finally opened his eyes, taking in the form of the goddess leaning over him. Oh. Maybe this was better than the dream. Were her hands on him? Yes, she was stroking his face. This definitely was better. With the small price to pay of being awake. He’d pay it happily. Give her all he had. His time, what he was made of, was a sacrifice to the most beautiful goddess. Aphrodite be damned.

She pulled him out of bed by the arm and led him to the shower. “Come on, get ready, we have to go.” She started the process of braiding back her hair.

“Wait,”

“What?”

“Stop, I want to do your hair for you.”

Y/n laughed, dropping the strands in her grasp. “Okay.”

Douxie brushed through his own drying hair and tossed it back. He went to go find Y/n, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through a website on her phone, double checking a time. He sat next to her. Douxie ran his fingers through her locks.

“Hmm, I’m thinking… a pretty five strand.”

“and I’m thinking you need to put on some clothes first,” She pointed to the towel wrapped around his hips, “You can always braid my hair later, but you need to be dressed so we can walk out the door. We’re on a time crunch here, Dewdrop.”

“So be it.” Douxie smiled as he got up to go fulfil his wife’s request.

Now fully dressed and actually ready to go, Douxie busied himself with Y/n’s hair again. “How are we on time?”

“We should be good, as long as you don’t do anything too fancy.”

“I won’t-”

“You said five strands, like a challah bread or something. That’s fancy.”

Douxie laughed, “Okay, but it won’t take long, I promise.”

Douxie’s fingers made quick and clever work of the strands of hair. He made sure to keep it tight, but not too tight. He used to see lovers plait each other’s hair back in the day. He would look on longingly, wishing he had someone to do the same with. And now he did. Maybe he would consider growing his hair back out, if it gave Y/n the same opportunity. Not the manbun though. He was not considering bringing back the fucking manbun by any means. But having Y/n plait it every day, that would be pleasant. Not at all a cringey hairstyle. And Y/n had mentioned to him how pretty she thought past-his long hair was.

He pulled the strands further away from her neck as he was getting closer to the ends. He had to admit, he had planned on doing something a little fancier, but this would have to do. Y/n seemed anxious to make whatever deadline she had given herself. He leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to do this,” he chuckled, and his breath on her ear made her shiver, “You cannot imagine how many times I’ve dreamed of running my fingers through your hair, My Love. It just. Looked so soft.” Douxie pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. “And… Done!”

Douxie leaned back to admire his work. Simple, like she wanted, but very intricate the same. Y/n turned around to him as she headed for the bathroom mirror, taking note of how proud he looked. She turned her head this way and that in the mirror.

“Wow, this is so cute, Dewdrop. How’d you get so good.”

“Thank you, centuries of practice you see.”

Y/n giggled as she checked the clock. 6:34. “OH come on we’re gonna miss the subway.”

~~~

The subway was a magical place. Y/n sure thought so. All you had to do was step down a random staircase in the middle of the sidewalk, a nifty portal, and suddenly you were in an underground maze of commuters. Nari thought the turnstiles were odd. She just walked under it, and no one around the seemed to care, so Y/n just let her. Paying one less fare was no sweat off her back. The tiles that lined the wall were very dirty. There were mystery stains on the floor. Well, not that one the she just pulled Nari away from. That was definitely dried blood. The sound of a million grumpy people milling about and the coming and going of trains was all that Y/n could hear. She gripped Douxie’s hand tight as she double checked the map to see if they were about to board the right line. The 4 train would take them to the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station, right where they needed to go. This was the right way.

Right before the train arrived, Nari pointed to a spot across the hall. “Look, Archie.”

Crawling up the side of the platform was a rat. A big, fat rat. A big, fat rat with something in its mouth, carrying it up to the top. Once the rat did pull his prize up to the platform, it was plain to see. A slice of pepperoni pizza. Douxie had no idea where such a creature would acquire a perfectly whole slice of pizza this early in the morning, or, at all. Maybe it someone dropped it last night and abandoned it? The rat looked a bit scruffy. Did he have to fight off other rats for this prime piece of pie? This month had started of pretty normal for Doux but now he was standing in a subway station, holding the hand of his wife, pondering the secret life of a New York rat with a slice of pizza in its little mouth. Marvelous. Douxie felt Archie dig his claws into his shoulders, and making a chattering sound.

“Please Arch, we don’t have time for you to eat that rat.”

“But you just know it tastes like pizza, it’s got the grease all over its fur-”

“Archie, I fucking swear-”

Doux was cut off from his swearing by the train pulling in. The people who exited it rushed past, all having somewhere to be. None of them stopping to take in the wonder that was the pizza rat. Archie was sad to board the train and leave the rat. He’d get over it. The crowd of people all rushing in at once startled Nari. She clung to Y/n’s side. Since it was so early in the morning, a lot of commuters filled the train, and there wasn’t any seating left by the time they got there. Douxie gripped the ceiling bar, Y/n gripped his arm as if it was a ceiling bar, and Nari held on tight to Y/n. Douxie stared out the window in a trance as the world wooshed by him. This truly was a bizarre situation to be in. If you had told him last month that he would be here, he would have, well, not laughed, since his life was strange enough that he wouldn’t doubt it, but he would at least harbor some disbelief. There was their station.

Y/n checked the time as they stepped out onto the platform. 6:59. They needed to hurry. She tugged on Douxie’s arm. “C’mon!”

They made it to the Brooklyn Bridge just in time. Douxie was still confused about why Y/n was so adamant about being here so early in the morning. As they walked over it towards Manhattan, he understood. The early morning sun started rising just as they started the walk. The city skyline was glowing. The brilliant pinks and oranges painted the sky and everything around them. Each skyscraper glittered with the light reflecting off the windows. It was breathtaking.

The walk itself was quite relaxing. Douxie wouldn’t call the air fresh, smog and all that, but it was nice, cool and crisp. Pigeons flew by, adding their two cents in conversations only they could understand. The cars on the road next to them zoomed past. Every car had a person, and that person had somewhere to be at this early hour. Doux hoped they made it to their destinations safely. Every once and a while he would hear a honk, although he wasn’t sure from where it came. Douxie put his arm over Y/n’s shoulder to pull her closer to him. The journey from Brooklyn to Manhattan took about forty-five minutes, but it was peaceful thinking time, and Doux was grateful. Sure, plenty could go wrong, with them being on a bridge above the ocean that they were sharing with lots of fast cars, but with Y/n so close to him, he was able to put all that out of his mind.

As they reentered Manhattan, Y/n took no time at all in leading her family to a diner. She was hungry, okay? She needed breakfast. And coffee. Surely Archie would agree with her. It was food time.

Diner coffee was the best. Douxie didn’t care what fancy gourmet stuff the trendy coffee shops came out with, diner coffee would always be the best. It just had a certain je ne sais quoi. Maybe it was the vibe. Whatever it was, it was just what he needed right now at 8:00am. Not only was he unsure of how he made it this long without any caffeine, Douxie was kind of surprised he was getting away with having Archie with him, in all these places, in broad daylight. Guess his shoulder cat wasn’t the strangest thing New Yorkers had seen. Said shoulder cat was scarfing down a plate of eggs and bacon.

Y/n told Doux the rest of what she planned on having them do today over breakfast. Not much else, but enough. They’d still be out of the house until evening. That was fine. He couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather be than wherever she was. As they left, they passed by a couple of kids inputting songs into the jukebox with devilish smirks. They were leaving just in time then.

Next up was a ferry ride to Staten Island. The ferry was constant, running every half hour, therefore they only had to wait a few minutes before it arrived once again for them to board. They found their seats on the upper deck, as per Y/n’s request. Apparently, this was because their reason for riding the ferry was not in fact to get to Staten Island like Douxie had thought. The purpose of the trip was to look out and see Bedloe’s Island and Lady Liberty who made her home there as the ferry cruised by it.

Y/n made Douxie hold Archie up so she could get a picture of him with the statue in the background. Archie was used to the strangeness of his familiar and his wife so the dragon cat didn’t question it. Archie_the_emo_kitty fans were going to love this. Y/n also got some of Nari and the gang. And a couples picture, but sadly, kissing Douxie’s cheek for a photo just didn’t get the same reaction as before. He was still a little pink though, as he was during all her showers of affection, so Y/n counted that as a victory.

Staten Island is hailed as the greenest borough, and thus the perfect place for Nari. After letting her run through a park for a while, they grabbed lunch at a Sri Lankan restaurant before taking the ferry back. Their clothes would smell like curry and spices for the rest of the day. Delicious, and worth it.

~~~

“Why are we going to a bar at 2pm?”

“Oh, you know, I figured day drinking was the next step for our vacation vibes,” Y/n answered Archie sarcastically, “Yeah, no. We’re just going up there to look out their window for the view.”

“You humans and your obsession with views.” Archie really didn’t see the big deal here. Whatever. He’d have to go whether he liked it or not.

Looking out over the city form the skyscraper bar’s wide window, Douxie felt uneasy. This bar’s claim to fame was this window that offered the view of the Empire State building. A building that used to be the tallest in the world. And then a younger and brighter architect built a higher one in Dubai. Makes sense. Nothing ever lasts long. He looked down at Y/n standing beside him. Maybe something would last long. He’d do everything in his power to make sure of it.

The last touristy thing Y/n wanted to see for the night was Broadway. It was getting chillier now that the sun was sinking, and Douxie magicked Y/n up a coat that was thicker than his old hoodie that she had been wearing nonstop since she stole it he gave it to her. However, she had been complaining about it losing its smell lately and telling him he needed to wear it again. Although she’d yet to let him have it back. She looked cute in the new coat. She looked cute in everything. Douxie was biased.

Broadway was covered in bright lights. The rows of theaters advertised their shows on big, dramatic signs. They weren’t going to go see any of the musicals, but it was fun to stroll down the street and see everything it had to offer. The world was bathed in an opulent gold, even the light in Y/n’s eyes as she led him down the way. Fitting, she was golden. Douxie felt like everything she touched turned to gold, like that old myth. He supposed that made him golden too.

One last stop before they went home for the night, a grocery market. They passed by so many Italian restaurants on their way from Broadway, Y/n was craving gnocchi. After hearing her talk about it during the walk, Douxie was too. Douxie held the handbasket while Y/n gathered the produce they needed for the soup. Plums were in season, and Y/n convinced Doux to let her make a few into some sweet rolls. Well, not convinced, he was all for it, she just had to ask. His cheeks were tinted just ever so slightly pink. He knew she’d known him for a really long time, so of course she knew all his favorite foods, but it still made him feel special that she’d take the time to memorize it. To memorize him. They got the cream, eggs, and butter they needed before starting the journey back to the apartment. Douxie carried all three of the bags. He wouldn’t let Y/n or Nari take one. He appreciated them offering, but, it’s not like they were heavy.

The ole’ valentines suite was just as lovey dovey as when they left it. They got to work on dinner as soon as they took off their coats. Nari and Archie took their places perched on the couch. The thing about being cute is you never have to work for your dinner, someone is always feeding you. It was alright, Douxie liked it this way better anyhow. This way he got to cook with Y/n as a special thing, just the two of them. They used to cook with each other a lot back when they were roommates. In fact, every weekend they put aside time to cook a meal together. It was tradition. Douxie had always wanted hug Y/n from behind while she stirred whatever was in the pan. He couldn’t do that then, but he definitely could now. Every time she had lifted a spoon to his lips, instructed him to taste, had been a knife jammed into his chest. She was always right there, so close he could touch, and he couldn’t do anything about it back then. He’d have to make up for lost time then.

Y/n put the potato pot on to boil and started on the sweet roll dough, asking Douxie if he’d chop up the vegetables for the soup. Aww, guess he had a job and couldn’t just spend this whole time hanging on her. Oh well, he’d chop. That was often his role in their cooking exploits. He’d admit, he had almost chopped his fingers a few times when he got too distracted sneaking glances at Y/n. He was a danger to himself really.

Y/n set the dough out to rise and started pitting and slicing up the plums. They wouldn’t need them for an hour or so, but might as well get them prepared and set aside. Douxie was still chopping the soup veggies, albeit slowly. Y/n thought he looked like he might be a little too far into his head.

“Hey Dewdrop,” Douxie looked at her, puzzled, “lets sing something to pass the time, yeah?”

Douxie was happy to sing with his beloved, and Y/n was happy to get Doux distracted from whatever was bothering him. And it was fun. Really fun. Y/n forgot how much she missed singing with people. Douxie’s voice meshed really well with hers. She really couldn’t believe that he liked her voice and that it was as pretty as he had been telling her lately, but she didn’t really care about that anymore; whether or not her voice was good or if it was embarrassing. She just liked singing, and sharing that with Doux felt special.

Potato mashing was a fun way to let off steam, Douxie had found. The more anger you let out on the potato, the better it was. Reminded him of back when Merlin would put him on kitchen duty for a day as punishment. He took out his frustrations on the potatoes then too. The old kitchen master encouraged it. After Douxie mashed those potatoes for her, Y/n added in the flower and salt, and began kneading the dough. Now Y/n didn’t know about mash potatoes for anger management but dough kneading was where it’s at. This was just gnocchi dough though, so it wasn’t worked too hard.

Now for the fun part, making the shapes. Now you could just go with the normal fork rolled gnocchi, but where’s the creativity in that. No, Douxie and Y/n liked to have little competitions of who could come up with the coolest looking gnocchi shape whenever they made this recipe. This time, Douxie won by making his dough ball into the form of a little rat, a tip of the hat to this glorious city they were in, and Y/n lost her shit. She wouldn’t let him make any more though, they didn’t need to be eating rat soup. That would be disrespectful to ratatouille.

Eventually, Y/n did start standing around stirring the pot of broth, and Douxie got his blessed hug from behind opportunity. Yep, this was just as good as he dreamed it would be. He got to watch what she was doing from over her shoulder, pepper her neck in kisses, and every now and then she’d turn to grab his face and kiss him too. At one point, tired of the short pecks, Y/n fully turned around, throwing her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a more serious kiss. Y/n was obviously the more forward one in this relationship, but it still took Douxie by surprise every time. A good surprise, the best kind even. Each and every kiss they shared became the new favorite moment of his life, this one was no exception. Their lips moved together slowly, taking the time to savor every second of each other’s presence. Maybe a little too much. They didn’t pull apart until they heard Archie make a gagging noise. Y/n laughed as she turned back to the soup. Douxie shot Archie an angry glare before going back to his place over her shoulder. Yes, this was the most perfect way to spend an evening, rude dragon-cats aside. The soup smelled heavenly. But he didn’t want it to be ready quite so soon. Soup could wait, cuddles were priority right now.

But of course, the soup did finish cooking, and the lovebirds had to separate. Y/n though it was adorable how disgruntled Douxie was at this development. Actually eating the soup cheered him right back up however. It was delicious, It was the best soup they’d ever made. Must be the love. And the cuddles. Yeah, that’s what made it so tasty. This was honeymoon soup.

After dinner, Y/n got to work on the sweet rolls. After kneading the dough one last time and rolling it out, she let Nari help her place the filling and roll em up. The little goddess thought rolling up the dough was entertaining, and she liked how the end result looked like little roses. After putting the bake in the oven, Y/n gravitated over to that floor to ceiling window.

The city never slept, and it was just as abuzz as it was during the day, if not busier. Y/n sat cross-legged on the floor, gazing out at it all. Headlights of cars flew by. Pedestrians strolled with their shopping bags, bundled up in coats and scarves. Every moment passed was the present, and then suddenly it was the past. Y/n couldn’t tell the future. She couldn’t guess what person or car she would see next, and who knows what or who will walk by in this city, New York. There was a way to expect it and yet no way to know for sure.

The oven timer dinged, and Y/n got up to take the rolls out. The sugary smell filled the apartment. Y/n tried to swat Nari’s hand away from the just-out-of-the-oven pastries, but turns out the heat didn’t affect the veggie lady’s hands at all. Nari had heat resistant paws. Y/n supposed that probably came in handy dealing with that other Order member that was all fiery. Douxie was the real one she had to watch. It seemed he never got past the moppet stage of not thinking about the consequences of putting a molten hot sweet roll in his mouth. And he was good at sneaking them too, from all his years of doing so in the castle. Y/n rolled her eyes at his antics, but secretly thought it was cute. After the rolls had properly cooled, she took her own to-go as she found herself pulled back to that window once again.

Y/n ate her plum roll, watching it all, thinking about the future that was simultaneously always present and never coming. Y/n felt Douxie sit beside her, silently. He had yet to say a word to her after a few seconds, so she scooted a little closer to him so she could lay her head on his shoulder. Soon she felt his arm wrap around her, pulling her in tighter against him. Y/n waited another beat before speaking up, “Hey,”

“Hey.”

“I was wondering.” She said slowly.

“Yeah?”

“What happens after this?”

Douxie was taken off guard. He cleared his throat, “uhhh, I-”

“Like assuming we ever do defeat the order, which we will,” Douxie smiled at her confidence, “what’s next for us, Dewdrop?”

Doux had to take a moment to think. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about this himself, and if anything being able to give Y/n a good future consumed a lot of his thoughts, but he’d never been able to find a plan he felt like he could stick with. “I- I don’t know, Love. I’m sure we could return to Arcadia, if that would be something you would want. I’d never really settled down anywhere before that little town. And, I think, I’d want to go back.” Douxie’s eyes stared unblinking into the city lights, “It’s home now. In a perfect ending where everything resets when the war’s over, that is.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “We’ll have to wait and see. Things never really stay the same for long. Even if we can’t go back, we’ll find home somewhere. We’ll go home.”

Y/n pulled her legs out from under her, bringing them in close to her chest. “It is something I would want. Take me home, Hisirdoux. Is that a promise?”

Douxie took her hand and kissed her knuckles, “That’s a promise.”

The silence enveloped them once again. Stars knew how long they sat there, looking out in silence. Y/n practically fell asleep leaning on Doux. She yawned really big and Douxie smiled fondly as he got up, taking care to not disturb her too much as he scooped her up bridal style. “Come on Love, let’s go to bed.”

After gently placing Y/n in bed and snuggling in with her, Douxie let himself savor this now mundane moment between them. It was strange to think that just last month this simple thing would have short circuited him. He heard her giggle sleepily and raised an eyebrow.

“If we ever rebuild the bookshop, I want,,” She trailed off. Now Douxie was curious.

“Yes?” He further prompted.

“I want to make half of it a tea room, can we do that?”

“I- yeah I can certainly see about that.”

Y/n giggled again, “With fancy teacups?” she said groggily.

Douxie smiled, humoring her, “With fancy teacups.”

“Aannddd. And. Maybe,,” she whispered, “a baby.”

Douxie took in a sharp breath. Wow. He tried his best to keep his voice from cracking, “and a baby.” He wasn’t sure if Y/n even heard him as she was now snoring in his arms. A baby. He’d give her every baby she wanted. Raise a whole brood of moppets. Or just the one. Or none if she changed her mind. He’d be happy either way. But there was something about the thought of her wanting to have a baby with him that just made his whole face flush. He probably wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight now. Douxie was anything but new to insomnia, but he’d never had such a sweet thing to be the cause of it before. His heart was going to melt. He pressed a kiss to Y/n’s hair. Yeah, he would be happy to melt here with her.

~~~

No early start to this day. Y/n didn’t have many things planned, so sleeping in was the main event of the morning. Douxie was completely okay with that, encouraged it even. He rarely got a day off to sleep in. And with Y/n in his arms? It was that much sweeter. But eventually they did leave the house, grabbing some leftover plum rolls on their way out for breakfast. They couldn’t just keep Nari indoors, it didn’t take long for her to get antsy. There was still plenty of things to do and see in New York so off they went.

First stop of the day, the flat iron building. They stood on the sidewalk across the street from it, the crowd instinctually parting to walk around them without caring.

“look at it. It’s triangular.”

“It, it sure is.” Douxie kinda looked to the side, unsure of how he was supposed to be reacting.

“Yeah I didn’t know what I was expecting.” Back in the subway and on to the market then.

Specifically Chelsea Market. Douxie got a weird feeling as he walked through the doors. Strange, he felt like they were being watched. Which of course they were, they were in one of the most populous cities in America after all. But like, a different, more sinister feeling of being watched. He brushed it off.

They wandered through the shops for quite a while. Y/n and Archie had decided that they needed to see everything that the market had to offer before they picked something. Douxie was just hungry. These damn foodies he lived with were always making him wait for lunch. Just pick something. Food was food. Most of the time he could say no to Archie but there was no way he could say no to his wife, ever. He had to work on that.

One of the signs caught Y/n’s eye immediately, Fat Witch Bakery. Well, they couldn’t not check that out. Once inside, they discovered the little shop exclusively sold brownies. Good brownies at that. Douxie wasn’t found of brownies, or anything chocolate flavored, but he had a couple bites of Y/n’s. It was okay, one of the better chocolate things he’d had. Y/n scarfed the rest down.

“Mmmm, good thing we don’t live here, or I’d be a fat witch myself in no time.”

A lot of the market was decorated for Christmas already, despite it being October. The lights were pretty. Y/n was disgruntled they skipped Halloween though. Douxie had to laugh at her little pout when she complained about it. She really was the cutest thing on the planet. He couldn’t help teasing her about it, which she responded with mock anger. He gave her a quick peck to help placate her. It worked.

They came across a seafood place and suddenly Archie was done looking around. It was nice to have some fresh fish, as they were on the coast. Archie missed that about California. All this traveling inland was depriving him of his proper seafood diet. Dragons like him could only eat so many hamburgers before they got sick of it. Fresh caught fish was the best food that existed.

After finally having lunch, it was time to head over to the next sight-see. Grand Central Station. They had nowhere to be, no reason to use the station for its intended purpose. Douxie guessed this was just another thing Y/n wanted to stand in and look at. He didn’t quite get it himself, but he thought it was adorable that Y/n had so many things she wanted to see, so much of the world she wanted to touch. He wanted to take her everywhere. He was old, and had seen so many things that not much amazed him anymore, but not her, the world was still magic in her eyes. He loved seeing that twinkle in her eyes, made him feel like he was shiny and new too.

Douxie posed with Archie in front of a clock for Y/n in the station. Doux stuck out his tongue, giving her the sign of the horns while Archie stood on his shoulder, trying to look tough. She snickered as she took the shot of her boys. She took photos everywhere they went. Not of the tourist destinations, per se, but of Douxie, Archie, Nari, interacting with them. Her family, having fun. Good memories to be stored. She was slowly rebuilding her association with the word family into something positive. Every passing day, her past felt like more of a bad dream. The future may be uncertain, but at least there would be love in it.

Nari wanted to go visit Central Park again. There was a petunia in one of the gardens was a particularly good conversationalist, and Nari wanted to ask them how their day had been. The park was a great way to spend the afternoon, so of course they’d indulge the veggie lady without qualm. Y/n was looking forward to getting to explore more of the park they didn’t see last time.

As they were walking around a corner, on their way to said park. Douxie got that strange feeling once again. They were being watched. He tried not to let it show. He didn’t need Y/n to worry, and he was confident he could take care of whatever it was that was making him feel this way. He was Hisirdoux Casperan, successor of Merlin Ambrosius and currently the most powerful wizard alive. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect his family. If whatever was stalking them dared to show its face, he’d be ready.

There was a scruffy man on the street corner, shouting about the end of the world.

“The world’s gonna end, we’re all gonna die!”

This man wasn’t completely crazy, but it’s not like he actually knew what was going on in the world of magic. Douxie tossed him a coin.

“Not on my watch.”

#douxie x reader #hisirdoux casperan x reader #douxie casperan x reader #douxie imagine #hisirdoux casperan imagine #douxie x y/n #hisirdoux x reader #tales of arcadia x reader #tales of arcadia imagine #douxie #hisirdoux casperan #nert #my writing

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my-writings-and-musings · 4 years ago

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hey! so idk if you write platonic relationships but if you do, could you write something about whirl asking someone to be his amica endura? i just. i need more whirl love in my life and GODDAMN i love the way you write him sm gshdjf,,, thank you!! <33

I miiiiggghhht have gone a little overboard on this one and made it more of a short story than an answer... But I hope you like it! Thank you so much for the compliment, I do try my best to write Whirley well!

Whirl doesn't like to let fear boss him around. Ordinarily that's easy enough to accomplish, he's a big bot and threatening his life is a great way to end yours, and any threat he can't kill (for moral or legal reasons) can usually be ignored out of existence. As a result he's had very little to be afraid of these past few millennia, and he's even perfected his reflexes to the point he can quickly judge what reaction is warranted whenever that creeping feeling returns, meaning it never lasts more than a few minutes tops. It's a solid strategy, and the proof is that he's outlived everyone who's ever doubted it. Most of them, anyway. He's been getting sloppy since this whole quest thing.

Or more specifically, since he met you on this quest thing. The quest thing that's becoming less about the quest and more about the real treasure you've all gained along the way, which for once isn't the (many) guns he's found or the (countless) bad guy corpses he's left in the rearview mirrors.

Nope. It's you. The squishiest little air breather his optic has ever beheld, and darn the saps on this crew for rubbing off on him, because he wants to go out of his way to let you know that. Their silly insistence on honesty has made him feel like you need to know what you mean to him, and isn't that just ridiculous?

But if it's so ridiculous why was he scared? Because you could say no, damn it! You'd be silly not to! It was one thing for you to hang out with the ship's resident screw up and part time nutjob, maybe even have a drink with him, and sure you'd actually called him your friend and the two of you had looked death in the eye to insult its cataracts on more than one occasion together... But to officially declare to the crew and the universe you were Amica Endura and that you actually liked him?

You'd be mortified he even thought it was okay to ask, obviously. Then you'd wisely cut all ties and pretend you didn't know him, and he'd be left with... well, not nothing, but not much above nothing either. Worse actually now that he considered it, he'd probably be left with pain. The kind of pain you only got when you lost something, a particular experience he'd spent a very long time trying to ensure he'd never have to endure again, and he'd been doing pretty well until you showed up. But he wasn't mad at you, he was mad at himself, both for having the audacity to grow feelings and then getting soft enough to actually acknowledge them like a sap.

But facing fear was far better than the alternative. If he kept on pretending you were just another chum, that you didn't deserve the title of Amica for what you meant to him, then he'd have guilt. More guilt, to be specific, and he was already fully stocked on that. So... fear it was then. Fear and the inevitable pain that would follow when you did the only sane thing you could.

But hey, what was another mistake in the pile, right?

You'd been in your room by yourself, just relaxing an perusing the wonders of interstellar Wi-Fi, when he'd decided there literally couldn't be a better time. Some bots insisted that a proper ceremony required witnesses, but those bots couldn't judge him if there were no witnesses, now could they? Checkmate, seeing as how the two of you would definitely never speak to each other again after this... His claws had knocked on the door with as little force as he could muster, some part of him hoping you wouldn't hear and he'd have a reason to retreat, but as usual he also had to open his mouth and ruin that plan.

"Hey, Y/N, you uh... you alive in there?"

Approximating a facepalm as best he could without either half of the required components, his spark dropped when you replied with a good natured laugh, probably thinking he was just being his usual self and not making much sense. Which was true, just not in the usual way...

You'd happily opened the door with a command on your data pad, inviting him to come in and relax because you weren't up to anything anyway. Claws clacking together nervously, he'd entered with an unconvincing veneer of calm, far too worried to really pretend otherwise. Long legs carry him with slow steps, and he can't help but survey your room; he's certain this is the last time he'll ever see it. Your tiny belongings looking so ridiculously small in the Cybertronian sized living space, the ladders that have been welded to everything, gosh, is it foggy in here or is that just some emotional turmoil in his optic?

"Whirl? Are you okay?"

Of course not, but thanks for asking is what he wants to say, but a more accurate reply would involve him mentioning how things were actually really okay for a while... Until he'd started messing it all up, a process he'd be finishing up now so you could both move on with your lives.

"Oh... that's a matter of debate." He finally brings himself to say, claws firmly pinched to prevent him from any further tapping. You look more concerned than baffled, which is nice. Somehow you'd always managed to look past what he said to understand what he means. That's something he'll miss, once he finally manages to get this over with. Of course his voicebox is pitching a fit and refusing to cooperate, but it's going to be a simple series of steps once he gets it going. He'll ask you to be Amica, you'll refuse, and then he leaves. It's such a simple plan that even he can't find something to blow up in the process. Not for lack of trying, mind you...

"Is there something you need? You've been a little off lately." You said, putting aside your data pad to move to the edge of the berth. It hadn't escaped your notice that the usually loud mech had been growing quiet around you as of late, his one optic looking almost forlornly in your direction when he thought you were focused elsewhere, and so you sat and let your legs dangle off the berth to let him know you were listening. His antenna twitched backwards like a startled ear on a mammal.

"Me? Well, I'd be inclined to say..." Some half attempt at a joke died before it even could be set up, and he quickly decided the stalling had gone on long enough. If he had to endure one more second of gnawing apprehension he was going to have to destroy something exceptionally expensive to shake off the nerves, and he had just gotten his room the way he liked it. Better to go down with some dignity if he could. "You're spot on, actually. I've been off because I've got something I've gotta get off my chassis, but it's not gonna be fun for either of us. Still needs to be done though, ain't that a shame?"

Any other person on the ship would have been terrified if he'd said that to them. They'd have expected some kind of terrible bodily injury, no doubt, but you knew him better than that. You knew that if he wanted to hurt anyone it would happen as soon as he entered a room, and with something way more intimidating to kick off the fun. Instead your expression was just thoughtful, concerned, and only a little confused. "I... if it upsets you then yeah, but why do you have to do it?"

"Do you know what an Amica is?" He blurted out, the words almost hurting as they came into being. It felt like he had just struck another match, surrounded himself with fuel, and this time there'd be no interruptions.

"Amica?"

"There an echo in here?" He said dryly, unable to help jumping on the chance for an old classic. Apologetically lowering his optics, he released a quick bit of air from his vents in imitation of a cough. "Yeah, that, know what it is?"

"Sure, it's like... best friends, only way deeper, bound for life." You said, recalling it amongst the many Cybertronian terms you'd been learning these past few months. It had obviously had cultural implications and connections you just didn't have the experience to understand, but the importance of the practice had been abundantly clear from the moment you first heard of it. Chief among the things you'd been able to determine was that it carried no less weight than being a Conjunx, it was just a different kind of love.

He clicked his claws together in an imitation of an affirming snap. "That's the one. It's tough to explain to aliens, but that's the basic rundown, and there's a whole ceremony to it and everything. Did you know that?" He appreciated that you only shook your head and looked back to him for an explanation, it made it quite clear you were intent on listening as much as possible. "A bot has to ask the one who's less likely to ask, and they get to say yes or no during the ceremony. I'd imagine by now you've figured out I came here to ask you to be my Amica, start the ceremony and everything, only thing stopping me is I... just don't want to."

It was the first time he'd surprised you in a long time. There had been... well, you'd been fairly certain he was leading up to something else there, and had just been nervous. You had to repeat back what he'd said in a question for clarification. "You don't want to ask me?"

"What? No! Don't put words in the mouth I don't have!" He replied vigorously, taking a step closer to your berth and throwing up his arms in total consternation. Upon seeing your comforting near smile of reasurance, he drops his claws and holds them near his face, a gesture he typically only performs when anxious. Thoughts are beginning to run wild in his head, so he knows he'll have to wrap this up before they sidetrack him, or he'll never get it done. Bless your little fleshy fuel pump for wanting to comfort him, but there just isn't time for that. "What I'm trying to get across here, or say or whatever, is that I want to but I shouldn't..."

"Ah... why shouldn't you? Does me being a human make it... illegal?" You ask, finally getting an inkling as to what's going on. As usual, his burying of the lede means you're far less shocked than you should be now that he's actually getting to the point, but you want to use that to stay calm. Whirl has been a dear friend to you, as protective as could be from the moment he decided he liked you. The least you can do is be what he needs by letting him talk things out in a way that works for him, even if it feels so much easier to cut to the chase; you'd love to be his Amica no matter the hurdles.

"You and I both know that would only make it better. Illegal friendship? Sounds more like an endorsement than a deterrent to me." It's hard for him not to laugh at the very idea. If this was actually against some law? Oh, how very different things would be... Somehow he'd feel okay then, perhaps because this would just be another of his crazy ideas, and not something sentimental and completely irreconcilable with who he was. Previously upright antenna drooped low at the disappointment. "But... no, no such luck. It's not illegal for me to ask you, just stupid, because you're going to say no."

Suddenly so many things made sense, but in the shock of sadness that followed you couldn't help but speak, your own disappointment showing through. "I am?"

"Well of course you are! That little pink glob between your ears is smart enough to know better! If you were most saps, sure, you'd probably say yes because oooh friendship, but the fact that you're sensible enough to say no is exactly why I want to ask!" He replied, sounding emphatic instead of angry. Despite being a master at appearing mad for the sake of self defense, he can't bring himself to appear anything but... sad. Every part of him is wilting from the sadness that's clocking in early. Because you have to say no, that's just how this works, and his resignation to that fact is clear no matter how badly he wishes it wasn't true. "Believe me, I know what smart looks like. I know what sensible looks like. Most people have a terrible deficit of the two, but not... not you. That's what makes you worth asking, and also worth saying no. Weird, huh?"

Your heart is breaking, somewhat for you, but mostly for him. Did he really think he was unworthy of friendship? Of any kind of love? Clearly you were his best friend, but in the fog of self loathing clouding his vision, he's convinced himself that it has to end now that he truly feels he isn't alone. "Whirl..."

Venting in sharply, like a human sucking in a breath to hold off tears, he perks up and gestures a claw back over his shoulder. "Look, I'm just going to save us both some drama and skip to the part where you kick me out. Since I'm nice, I'll even pretend you're big enough to actually do it. I'll throw myself into the hallway and everything, really seal-"

"Whirl." You say softly, knowing that yelling won't help but desperate to keep him from leaving. It works, but he pretends to be interested in the floor, crouching like he's preemptively flinching away from a hit. It's not the first time you've seen him do this. Coming to understand the big bot had been more natural for you than most, but had still taken effort, and in all the trial and error you'd learned he just needed things phrased a little differently. Thus, you decided to give what you'd learned a final trial.

"Can I at least... actually get a chance to say no?"

It was just indirect enough to immediately catch his attention, but his wounded look remained unchanged, like he didn't dare hope.

"Any particular reason why?" He asked, tilting his helm as if you've piqued his interest with a daring and devilish scheme. There's a lot going on behind his optic, but you're unflinching as he levies it back on you, smiling to emphasize you have nothing to hide.

"It's... well, it's not really fair for you to decide something for me, is it? Even if you know what the answer will be, shouldn't I get the chance to make that choice myself in the moment?"

He clacks his claws together to imitate snapping fingers. "Damn it all, you're a clever little fleshy, I'll give you that. Appealing to my peerless sense of justice for self determination to get your way." The mask of neutrality is razor thin, and beneath it he's anything but calm. None of this is going the way he planned. Far from casting him out, you're encouraging him to go through with this, but why? You can't actually plan to say yes, so why all this fuss? It's not in you to set him up, but he can't bring himself to hope he has a chance at the impossible... So he just plays along like it's all a game, albeit a very sad one, and one he intends to play carelessly. "If you... I'll give you the way to say no and the way to say yes, okay? That way you'll... really mean it when you say no."

"I promise I'll mean it." You say, wishing so badly he'd believe you wanted his friendship. It'd be so much easier than coordinating with him to give you a chance to accept his Amica proposal. Yet you know his manner of processing can't be argued with, so instead you just keep going, praying he'll let you have a chance to show how much you care. "But I need to know how it all works."

"Well, I'll say some fancy words, show my spark, all that mushy stuff most folks love." He waves his claws about, as if to brush away the silliness of the ceremony right there. The idea of baring a spark surprises you, but you keep quiet, focused only on getting through to the part he's convinced himself won't happen. Even as he continues his pessimistic prediction is obvious in his tone. "Then, when I've said my piece and pause, you just say "I refuse" and it's all over, we don't have to talk again, I'll leave and..."

If you were close enough you'd have laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but thankfully your silent look of encouragement does the job, and he overlaps his wrists whilst looking away.

"But if you were going to say yes, hypothetically, then after my pause you just go quiet and... put your little digits on mine... Then repeat after me when I say "today, tomorrow and always" to wrap it up. But since that isn't happening, let's just get this over with, eh?"

It's the flattest one of his jokes has ever fallen. For all his skill keeping his feelings reigned in, even he can't prevent a little bit of intimidation slipping through. It's impossible not to be afraid, because he wants so badly to hope, but he knows what happens when he does... Still, he wants to at least get it over with, and he gathers himself just as you give your final encouragement with a smile.

"Lets."

Clearing his vents, it occurs to him that he's never been more self conscious than he is right now, which is an unfortunate feeling to prelude him baring his spark.

The soft glow fills the room as he shifts back his chest plating, revealing the orb of his "soul" as you'd once called it, and he internally admits that your quiet expression of awe gives him the boost he needs to start. "I bid you stand in the glow of my spark... so um, that you may feel the heat of my words and k-know them to be true."

It's arguably one of the only times he's ever stuttered, and while you don't react, he's never felt more foolish. Was it not enough for him to make a spectacle out of himself just by doing this? Did he really have to butcher the whole process too? Feeling dizzy, he forces his voicebox to try and start making words again. He's painfully aware of how ridiculous he looks; one eyed, mangled screw up trying to be sentimental... But darn it all, he made a commitment. Putting his claws beside his spark, he kept going into what he knew would be a bitter end.

"I invite you to receive my light and in doing so become my Amica Endura—from now until forever."

He doesn't realize he's at the end until he runs out of words. The fear and helplessness that follow are akin to the level he'd experience falling off a cliff with no flight to save him, and for an eternity he's left floundering in anticipation of the impact. This is supposed to be it, the moment you turn him away and rightfully go forward in life, better off for having left him. But you're quiet. Your words of dismissal aren't forthcoming, and your soft and somewhat sad little smile doesn't indicate that he should expect them. But why not?! Why won't you say them?! What could you possibly hope to gain by accepting?

You hardly dare to breathe as you wait for him to begin the next phase. The glow of his spark illuminates everything, allowing you to see the fear in every inch of his being, particularly his lone expressive optic. He doesn't want to believe you're saying yes, as much as he treasures you, he just can't believe you'd ever feel the same about him. But you do, and you try to communicate that with every fiber of your being. You want to be friends with him through anything that may come, and you pray that he can see the depth of your conviction in your eyes.

Something like a hiccup shakes his shoulders. You haven't refused him. It's been almost a minute, the light of his spark fluttering as the sheer power of his emotions coursed through it, namely his disbelief that any of this could be real. Something like relief but a million times stronger makes his vents hitch. He's still processing the turn of events when he remembers he has more to say.

"Ah... Y/N... for you... um... for your acceptance..." He croaks, trying to keep an accursed tear from leaving his optic by briefly tilting back his helm. You're similiarly affected, but you let yourself sniffle and shed a few tears as he approaches with his claws out to you. They're big enough that even a semblance of holding hands isn't really possible, but you grab the tip of each and squeeze regardless, knowing the sentiment is still quite clear. You're his friend, and you always will be, through thick and thin. Now he's finally starting to see that too.

He doesn't fully have a grasp on the fact that this is real, but he doesn't care about that as much as he should. You were his Amica Endura, his dearest friend, and you somehow liked him enough that all the baggage was worth it. With one of your tiny hands on each of his clawtips, he finished the ceremony. Each word felt light as a feather when he spoke it. "As you are to me, may I be to you—today, tomorrow, and always."

"Today, tomorrow, and always." You echo, meaning it with everything you are. There's no grand finale, but the emotion in his optic and quivering antenna is more impressive than any supernova. He doesn't seem to want to pull his claws away as he shifts his chest plating back into position, and you're happy to oblige, keeping a solid hold on his claws as if your tiny body is his lifeline.

"You didn't say no." He says as the glow of his spark disappears. It's a tone for a statement but he obviously wants it to be a question, and he only keeps it from being one because he's still too overwhelmed to ask that many yet.

You can't help but sniffle as you try to sound confident. "Of course I didn't."

"We're still friends." He says softly, closing his claws together so incredibly gently around your hands, letting the two of you be a little more connected as he marvels at his luck. Of all the squishies in the galaxy, this trip had led him to you, the one who made him happier than anything. Despite all sense you loved him, and he loves you back, and the two of you would get to keep on adventuring after this. You smile as you repeat your vow to make your dedication clear.

"Today, tomorrow, and always."

Those words strike a tender chord in his still sensitive spark, for you to believe them so confidently you'll repeat them with ease, and he's promoted to react on a whim.

"Can we hug?"

"Hug?"

"Is there an ech-" The rapid fire reflex of a joke fades out in the face of his genuine and unheard of desire for a bit of tender contact. Releasing your hands, he opens his arms to make his point clear, and is delighted when you start nodding even before he's done asking. "Yes, if you don't mind... okay? Okay."

It's more of a hug for you than him, your arms wrapping around his neck as you nuzzle against his helm to show affection, feeling him wrap as much of his gangly frame around you as possible without risking any kind of damage. While this may not be the first time he's initiated something like this, it's one of very few rare occasions, and thus you know this is special. You can feel how badly he wants the comfort through the ease he shows at your touch.

"You want to stay like this for a bit?" You ask gingerly, getting settled so you can stay comfortable for a few minutes cuddled up to him.

"Mhmm." He says softly, admitting to himself that hugs might actually be worth the fuss after all. Tiny hands reassuringly pat his shoulder, encouraging him to stay in place while he basks in this single perfect moment. He hadn't dared to hope you'd still be friends after this, but here you were, your little body holding and comforting him as if he wasn't several times your size. Funny thing, that fate, eh?

"Take your time."

"Y/N?" He whispers softly into the quiet, wanting to say one final thing before taking a few minutes to enjoy your company.

"Hm?"

There's a tiny pause before he holds you close with one final statement.

"Thanks."

#transformers #idw #maccadam #more than meets the eye #mtmte #lost light #tf #my writing #my asks #anon #requests #whirl #human reader #self insert #platonic #amica endura

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pinkhairedlily · 4 years ago

Text

Alone With You

For #KakaSaku Month 2021

Week 1, Day 4, Same Age AU

Rating: G

Pairing: Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi

Summary:

Kakashi was the misunderstood pariah, and she was the school’s takane no hana. He comfortably pined for her from afar until prom when all he wanted was – at most – a dance.

Note: Takane no hana is translated as flower on a high peak. It depicts someone as out of anyone’s reach. This AU is loosely inspired from Hibi Chouchou.

Maybe it was the long scar on the left side of his face or the atrocious beauty mark. Maybe it was the menacing way he looked at his classmates or the sarcastic quips he gave in conversations. It couldn’t be his hair – silver, smooth, and the length of a mullet. They should have loved him for that, but instead, they set him a level above eccentric bordering on deviant. Nonetheless, he was their school’s pariah.

And what can a pariah actually do to get close to a takane no hana? Haruno Sakura - pink hair, jade eyes, rosy cheeks, and plump lips. She was a cherry blossom tree growing in the highest mountain, and to get there one has to go through multiple quests and surrender treasured items. He would have set on this journey a long time ago if not for her making it clear that she didn’t intend to date. He remembered her announcing it in the middle of general assembly when a guy confessed to her on stage for the umpteenth time. So that was how it came to be, stealing glances and moments she doesn’t even know of.

He had this hiding spot in the shrubbery and the big camphor tree beside their building. No one bothered to go there because someone got bitten with a snake some years ago so he took advantage of its notoriety. He made it his sleeping abode, his reading nook, or his eavesdropping spot. That was where he also had his first interaction with Sakura.

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

She just jumped out of nowhere and into his lap where a book was still open for his consumption. Red flush took over her cheeks, but she stayed where she was, and hands went to his mouth when he attempted to say something.

“I swore I saw her run towards this area.”

“You’re so stingy. Her actions were pretty clear that she didn’t want to hear your confession.” She was visibly annoyed, her brows furrowing and meeting in the middle, but even so, she was a sight to behold. Her hair was done up in a bun, but stray locks escaped during her unintended rendezvous, and they curtained her striking jade eyes and softened the glare on them.

“I don’t even want a yes. I just need a definite no.”

This other voice was mocking. “I don’t want a yes, but you kept on pestering her for weeks.”

“My pride was hurt. Everyone told me I was the most handsome and yet I got rejected? I had to make sure she wasn’t blind.” They heard further shuffling of feet and then several dejected sighs. “Yeah, she’s not here. Maybe I should set my eyes on another school’s muse?”

Kakashi eased down her hands still clamping his mouth shut and peeked at the retreating figures. “They’re gone now. Maybe you should also rethink what provocations this position has.”

Sakura slid down to the ground next to him and pulled her knees closer to her chest. “Thanks.”

“You don’t see me as part of your cult following?” He surveyed his already crumpled book – he was just getting to the good part.

“If you have, you would have kissed me by now.” She wasn’t pulling punches. She was straightforward as a line, and she startled him with a direct, unwavering gaze. “Hatake Kakashi.”

“Congratulations. I’m guessing you noticed my calling card.” He pointed to his scar, almost sure of his assumptions.

But she smiled at him – spring blooming in indian summer. “We ride the same train every day.” Shock must have been apparent on his face since she started to leave, but not without chuckling within his hearing.

After that, he finally noticed her – a pink blob in the morning crowd. Sometimes, she was far away from his seat, but more often than not, she was just on the opposite side. Earphones in, hair undone, and in joggers instead of skirts. The first time he saw her disguise, if she could even call it like that, he laughed out loud. The people around him shifted nervously, but it was her reaction that amused him. Her eyes widened, questioning him a few feet away what the hell did he see. Every time they reach their school’s station, however, he lost her, and he knew better than to loiter. She was the takane no hana.

Across the school terms, he made sure to keep her within his sights and out of the prying hands and attention of boomers and men with no self-respect. He intervened only when she would signal, but truthfully, he didn’t need those. He just needed to see her eyes. His attention during his morning train rides shifted from the books in his bag to the pink-haired girl bopping her head to music.

In the middle of winter finals, she sat beside him and shared her other earphone.

Isn’t it odd the way we try to tell ourselves we got limits?

You’re beautiful, but you just don’t see it sometimes

And I don’t know why, you’re the shape of my days

Oh, you’re my holy place

And I know everything’s good, everything’s just as it should be

When you’re alone with me

Everything’s good, everything’s just as it should be

When you’re alone with me

When I fall, I’m fine

All I wanted was your time

Everything’s good, everything’s just as it should be

When you’re alone, alone with me

“Hmm. You should stop doing this.” Kakashi took off the earphone and gave it back to her. A glimpse of disappointment flashed across her face. “Because I might just fall in love with you.”

He proceeded to move away from her and into the end of the compartment. He still got her in his periphery, and it didn’t escape his notice that she smiled, the red flush creeping into her cheeks, the winter cold serving as a good excuse. He hoped then and there if he could bet everything on that one expression.

She didn’t have her earphones on when they met again for the next school year, but she made sure to be within his proximity, the distance closing in every train ride – two seats apart, an arm’s length, and finally shoulder to shoulder.

“I wonder why I don’t see you in my afternoon train rides.” She also stopped wearing joggers.

“I work part time after class.”

“Is that why you try to catch some reading while traveling?” Her eyes pointed to the opened book on his lap, the passage swirling in his thoughts, and he read instead the many phrases in her eyes.

“You’re oddly distracting,” he murmured and shoved the book bag into his bag.

“Well, sorry. It’s because you’re not talking to me in school.” In all honesty, he heard the pout in her voice, and his heart only further melted into a pool of adoration. “I need some book recommendations though, and I’d appreciate it if you would pick them with me in the library.”

My God, she has become braver. Kakashi looked at her and saw the pointed lip and furrowed brows. “Are you serious?”

“Classics because I need more than a Romeo and Juliet.”

In the afternoon, they met in the library in between dusty shelves and long forgotten volumes of books. He gave her the usual – Pride and Prejudice, Tale of Two Cities, Wuthering Heights, Scarlet Letter, Little Women, and his favorite and definitely not a classic yet – The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Having done what he was asked to do, he took his leave, quietly and quickly, not wanting to associate with her in this open space.

The next few weeks she immersed herself in those books and did not enjoin him in conversation. When she finally did, he was caught offguard.

“Does that have a violent history?”

He gestured to his scar and she confirmed it with a short nod. “It was from a cat.” She laughed out loud when he gave that answer, earning weird looks from other passengers. “Aren’t you gonna ask me if that’s true?”

She was still reeling from his reply and gave herself a few seconds to calm down. “No. it’s very typical of you.”

“Huh?”

“I bet you just carried it and hugged it like you would a dog.”

“That’s why I’m a dog person now.”

“What’s its name?”

“Pakkun.”

Again, she laughed, unrestrained melody intertwining with the noise of the crowd, the screech of the rails, and the whistles of the train.

When summer came, she cut her hair short, but that only made her more beautiful. It emphasized her jawline and brought more focus to her eyes. But his hair was long, almost a mullet, and some strands were disrupting his vision. It didn’t help at all in this heat, but he’d rather maintain that odd reputation of his. She quietly tapped his shoulder and gestured for him to turn around. He did so within the limited space they were allowed, and she tied his hair up for him.

Before he could glance back and thank you, the train suddenly stopped, and she was pushed forward and against his back. He hoped several times now and yet he hesitated. What more certainty was he asking for when he could literally hear her heartbeat. For a moment, he imagined her arms enclose around his waist and pull him in, safe in the wall of the crowd, alone with each other’s feelings. But it was nothing more than a brief respite from a faraway dream.

Last year of high school, and he has yet to resolve his feelings, let alone confess. When prom season dawned, he wished he didn’t have to go to school. There wasn’t a day that she wasn’t being confessed to or invited to be someone’s date, but Sakura stood her ground and rejected all offers. That made his chances dwindle down to zero as well. After all, what did a takane no hana have to do with a school pariah?

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

“Kakashi.”

He looked up from his book and saw her nervously twirling her fingers. “Sakura.”

“Are you going to prom?” she asked, her voice ladened with faint insecurity.

“Not my vibe,” he replied. He turned to another page, and another, and he finally finished it. Yet she still hasn’t reacted. “So do you have a partner yet?”

She smiled at him. “I guess I’m going solo.”

“Your suitors not up to your standards?”

She shook her head and scrolled through her phone. She opened a picture of her trying out her prom dress and showed it to Kakashi. “Too bad I really wanted to dress up.”

She embodied a princess with an agenda, the front almost a heart-shaped bralette with butterfly sleeves and the back with a low cut, ending just above her waist. The bottom was a mermaid’s tail with colors blending in shades of green. Dear God, please have mercy on me. “Have fun, Sakura.”

He should have just kept his mouth shut because when the prom day itself came around, he decided to go for it, especially after seeing the downcast look on her face when he told her to go have fun.

Indeed, she went alone, with a dignity like a takane no hana only has. She was distant even to her friends, and she put on an air of defense that drew everyone away from her sphere. He wondered what expression she’d wear if he closed in that gap.

And then, he heard the whispers, the gasps, and the not-so-subtle pointing fingers.

No use in hiding now. Kakashi stepped out from the back, donned in white, his silver hair tied like how she did it, and walked towards the still unsuspecting Sakura.

His steps fell in tune with the opening song – the one that made him bet everything on that tiniest possibility. At most, for tonight, he only wanted a dance.

“Is he serious?”

“That’s Hatake Kakashi, right? He’s that handsome?”

“Wait, I don’t want to see this. He’s gonna ask Sakura for a dance.”

“The secondhand embarrassment is real.”

All I want is your time. “Sakura.”

Her breath audibly hitched in her throat when she heard his voice. She turned to him with an intensity that almost made her fall, but he caught her in time in his arms. “I was just about to ask you for a dance. This saves me time, I guess.”

“About time, you slowpoke.”

Kakashi smiled at her and led her to the center of the ballroom, his feet and arms guiding her in the dance, amid the gasps of onlookers, and the conversations that spread like wildfire. But with every step, he pulled her closer to him, slowly muting the noise with the sound of her heels, the rush of her train, and his own loud heartbeat. “I wonder if this is all right.”

She closed whatever gap was between them and laid her head across his chest, her nose on his collarbone, and almost, almost, he could feel her lips on his skin. “What’s all right?”

“You, takane no hana and all. Me, pariah and all.”

“I made a plan in my head – that the next time I see you, I’m gonna confess.”

Kakashi chuckled nervously, almost choking on his own saliva. “There was a minute possibility of the off chance that you liked me.”

“Because I do. I really do. And you didn’t make it any easier. Avoiding me, only talking to me in the train? I shared my favorite song with you, for goodness’ sake. I don’t care about takane no hana. I don’t do half-hearted feelings, and I’ve been trying my best to meet you halfway.”

He brought her closer, not anymore dancing, but hugging in the middle of the room, unaware of anyone. “I mustered whatever courage I have to stand beside you today in this crowd. I’m sorry it took this long.”

Sakura briefly loosened from his embrace, and in the midst of those dim lights, and cacophony of shoes, glasses, shutter clicks, champagne pops, and gowns, she recited a quote off his favorite book. “It would be the saddest thing to me. To walk separately from you, when the ground will let us go as we always did.”

“That would make for good marriage vows.”

“That….escalated a lot more quickly than I expected.”

“Come here.” He pulled her in back to his embrace, and they danced with such abandoned happiness – so evident that the strangers backed off, and everyone started to accept as such.

And when the confetti fell and the dim strobe lights turned off momentarily to give way to the bright light, Kakashi searched for her lips and found them waiting just below his chin.

“I was aiming for the beauty mark.”

“You’ll get more chances later.”

#kakasaku month 2021 #kakasaku month #kakasaku #kakashi hatake #haruno sakura #kakashi #sakura #naruto fanfic #kakasaku fanfiction #pseudolily

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thanksjro · 4 years ago

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More Than Meets the Eye #28- I Sure Hope Y’all Like Megatron

“Dark Cybertron” is finally over! Woohoo!

Who’s ready for a return to hijinks and mild peril?

I know this guy is!

Hold on a second-

We start our foray into Season 2 of MTMTE with a little meta-humor-

-and then it’s right into the swing of things, as Brainstorm uses the thin, fragile wine glass of faction-based morality to hold his personal need to make instruments of violence. Nautica disapproves, but then why wouldn’t she? She’s not been steeped in the militant ideologies of the Autobots for millions of years.

It’s six months after the convoluted events of “Dark Cybertron”, and our beloved ship, the Lost Light, is back on track for the Knight Quest. Nautica’s joined the crew, which is neat, but there are far more interesting things going on.

Like Rung actually doing his fucking job for once.

Wow, look at that little creamsicle man go.

It would seem that in the last half-year (by Earth standards) Megatron’s somehow gotten himself into the esteemed position of Captain of the Lost Light. This likely means that Rodimus has been defeated in battle, or perhaps fucked off on yet another space yacht to run away from his responsibilities. I suppose the narrative will have to fill us in on just what exactly happened.

Or, at least, I hope it does. Wouldn’t be a terribly good story if I had to guess on how exactly this dude’s in charge of a whole-ass Autobot crew.

Yes, yes, I know he switched sides, but goddammit, it takes a little more than saying sorry and changing your wardrobe to excuse the murder of half of NYC.

I mean, we can do both. Both is an option. I’ll break out The Communist Manifesto right now, let’s fuckin’ gooooooooo-

Six months prior to Megatron’s therapy appointment, Rodimus is ready to high-tail it off of Cybertron yet again. This is because, as established in previous posts, Cybertron kinda sucks butt. He bursts into the meeting Optimus Prime called- even though he’s really not leader of anything anymore, Starscream is- bids everyone farewell, and is about to run back out of the room when he’s stopped.

Turns out that the populace of Cybertron want Megatron to stand trial. That makes sense, given what all he’s done. Of course, the Autobot pals we’ve got in the room want to skip due process and go straight to the part where Megatron pays through the nose for the last four million years.

Which doesn’t feel terribly heroic or good guy-ish, but I think by this point you’ve probably caught on to the fact that everyone in IDW Transformers is morally gray at BEST.

Because Megatron’s had a rough time the last few years, in relation to his bodily integrity, spark extraction- that thing that High Command lied about in relation to Overlord- isn’t an option. It would just kill him dead.

Uh, excuse me? Optimus Prime, sir? Monsieur Premier?

Guess Optimus hasn’t been keeping up with exRiD.

Anyway, yeah, since Tyrest fucked off in “The Sound of Breaking Glass” and also tried to commit a genocide, we’re gonna need someone to cast judgement.

Course, a military trial isn’t exactly ideal, but as long as it’s open to the public, it should be fine.

Probably.

Anyway, Prowl’s also going to help. Ultra Magnus has been assigned the task of representing Megatron in court, a job which he’s positively delighted to have, if his face is any indication.

The gang breaks for lunch, and Rodimus and Optimus touch base on how the Knight Quest is going.

Because Rodimus’ half of the Matrix had the map for finding the Knights of Cybertron in it, they’re gonna have to go with Plan B.

Oh fuck yes, I love Plan B!

Unfortunately, finding the ideal romantic partner for all Cybertronians is going to have to wait until after the trial, because Optimus really wants Rodimus here for this. Though perhaps there’s a way to make things move a little faster…

Back in the present, Megatron’s had just about enough of Rung being a psychiatry joke, and is about to walk out of his appointment. Ravage is here, which is neat. Rung asks Megatron about the three most important people in his life, and how he met them. One of these people is, funnily enough, Rung.

Rung, if you’ll recall, was thrown into Megatron and Impactor’s table at Maccadams waaaaaay back in The Transformers #22, the first issue of the IDW run that Roberts wrote solo. It would seem that getting arrested and subjected to police brutality ruined his once-idealistic worldview. This is just a lightning-round recap of the events of the “Chaos Theory” storyline.

Being reminded of how hard he got dunked on makes Rung break out his copy of Megatron’s autobiography, Towards Peace. Of course, Megatron has to be “that guy”, and makes it out to be far more than it actually is. My dude, you used your writing to tell all your proto-Decepticon buddies to go beat up Whirl in prison. Let’s not make things sound more grandiose than they are.

Anyway, it turns out that Rung is actually just as much a nerd as he looks, as he reveals that he’s in possession of one of the only few copies of the original version of Towards Peace. And then he takes off his glasses and the fans go bonkers, even though he’s just got that Milne Same-Face going on, just like everyone else.

There you are, you animals.

Rung discusses Revisionism, I’m reminded that the first publication of Eugenesis had a dedication to Roberts’ son of all people, and we get the question of who Terminus is to Megatron.

But alas! The X-ray vision’s been turned on, and it’s time to see… nude robots? An in-depth anatomy lesson?

Robots are confusing sometimes. Anyways, major props to Milne for drawing all that detail. Dude does the technical stuff with a ferocity that must be awe-inspiring to behold.

Megatron’s decided that it’s time for lunch, and then he’s going to do captain stuff.

Because he’s captain of the Lost Light.

I’m convinced Rodimus is dead. That’s the only way this is happening.

Six months ago, Swerve was being awful Swerve-like, with his new buddy Crosscut- guess he finally learned the guy’s name- and Riptide, who we’ll get to a little later on. These three wonderful lads are holding a sort of “crew try-outs”, and it looks like the requirements needed for entry on Megatron’s Lost Light are stiff.

Still, maybe our new friend Nautica will make the cut.

Oh, you are simply delightful!

Despite Nautica having interest in nearly every topic in the universe, on top of having impeccable taste in booze, she just misses the cut. It’s at this point that Nightbeat bursts into the room to stop this farce from going any further. The fact that nobody mentioned anything prior to this is surprising, given that portmanteaus don’t really seem the type of thing Ultra Magnus would approve of.

Back six months ago, we see what Optimus Prime’s super great idea was to expedite the judicial process- Chromedome. It’s always Chromedome. He’s gonna do that thing he promised his late husband he’d stop doing. I suppose it’s a good thing- for Rewind, anyway- that Megatron is wholly against the idea of having his memories torn out of his head. Guess we’re gonna have to do the trial the normal, non brain-pokey way.

Optimus leaves the cell, because I suppose he’s remembered that there’s a conflict of interests here, but Rodimus stays behind to let Megatron know he deserves everything that’s coming his way.

Then Megatron breaks out the puzzle-box from Hellraiser.

In the present, Chromedome isn’t so much spiraling in his depression as he is circling the drain. Nightbeat doesn’t give a shit about that though- he’s more concerned with the fact that one of the numbers on the door to Chromedome’s room is missing. But I’m sure it’s fine.

It’s fiiiiiiiiiiine.

While Nightbeat’s busy being insensitive to his fellow man’s distress, Megatron’s arrived to his room to find his door’s been vandalized by a bunch of idiots who must have just discovered what a thesaurus is. Then he gets shot in the fucking hand with an arrow.

As you do.

Whirl’s gotten ahold of a bow, and he fully intends to use it for Megatron-directed violence. And also his fists. His very pointy fists. He punches Megatron through the fucking floor into the fuel furnace, and they fall what’s probably a good 200 feet to the ground below. Whirl yells about evening the score between the two of them, and then knees Megatron in the dick.

Turns out, Megatron remembers Whirl even better than originally thought, having gone so far as to order his forces to not kill Whirl, because, in a way, he was grateful for the lesson he learned back before the war in Rodion.

Oh man, I hope Rung’s somehow listening in on this. Like, eavesdropping is obviously bad medicine, but we’ve already established that he sucks as a professional, and he needs what few advantages he can get.

Whirl, enraged by the implication that he’s been fighting fixed battles for the last four million years, punches Megatron in the gut… and his arm gets swallowed up by an errant portal leftover from all of Shockwave’s tampering. Since you can’t really fight with only one arm, Megatron wanders off to do captainy things.

Walking back the timeline slightly, we revisit Megatron leaving Rung’s office, and the idea of personal revisionism, the conversation becoming parallel with the strange happenings going on within the ship, as Rewind’s final message is altered so as not to end with “I love you” but instead a blood-curdling scream. Chromedome is, understandably, upset by this turn of events.

Over with Whirl, it’s revealed that the little fight we saw was intentionally set up. For what purpose, or by whom, is left a mystery.

Please see a doctor.

One last flashback to the trial, as Prowl lists off everything that’s standing in the way of our Sympathetic Megatron Redemption Arc.

Good fuckin’ luck, James.

Back in the present, Megatron’s slapped a bandaid on the hole in his torso, as he checks to see what’s happening on the bridge. It would appear there’s a coffin floating around in space.

Pretty fucked up.

#transformers #jro #MTMTE #world shut your mouth #issue 28 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #overthinking about robots #comic script writing

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kareofbears · 4 years ago

Text

plainly in truth, chapter 2/5

“Without you around, it’s sorta like stuff is just kinda…bleh.“

—

Or: hiding, confiding, and misguiding.

read on ao3 or below the cut :)

Yusuke wasn’t too sure if what he was doing was of the right mind, but his heart is definitely in the right place.

There’s a lapse in time between Jails and hitting the road. Everyone is out soaking in the last of Sendai; Ryuji and Akira (and by extension, Sophia) are on a quest to buy any last minute supplies that they might need while the girls and Morgana are taking in the sights that they didn’t quite manage to explore as much as they’d like.

Well, the girls who like crowds and sightseeing are on a quest, at least.

Futaba and Yusuke are in the trailer by their own volition—he didn’t need to see anything else that wasn’t a timeless statue, and he learned early in his life that if you pace your spendings, you can then use that money to spend in the future. Quite the contrary, Futaba has had a little too much excitement these past few days and is more than happy to hide away in her top bunk with only her laptop charger peeking out from the bottom of her fleece blanket.

(A cartoon rendition of the Sendai temple is printed onto the fleece. Apparently Haru had yet to see Futaba purchase anything ‘tourist-y’ and action figures of various anime characters don’t seem to count.)

He tugs on her laptop cord. “Hello.”

“...What?” she grunts, voice slightly muffled. Through the thin fabric, he can see the illumination from her screen.

“I need help reacting to something.”

“And you decided to ask me?” she deadpans. “The literal shut-in?”

“The previous shut-in,” he corrects. “You haven’t been a shut-in in nearly a year. A marvelous feat, if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah, and this is my way of celebrating.” The lump on the bed seems to curl further in on itself. “Begone. Do a painting or something. This is my me time. The equivalent of guzzling down a boat load of Arginade. There’s barely any time to be by myself considering the whole group is treating this RV like a pimped out party bus, so shoo.”

J-pop starts playing from inside the blanket fort, and even Yusuke knows a dismissal when he hears one. That won’t stop him, though.

He tugs again, harder. “That is the reason I’m asking you now. I can’t have this be heard by prying ears.”

Had there been a cat on the bunk bed, its ears would have twitched. “Is this…?”

“Yes,” he nods sagely. “It’s a secret.”

Futaba’s head pops out, eyes wide and nearly glowing in excitement. If there was one thing that she liked more than recovering her energy, it's uncovering every nook and cranny of people’s lives, whether they want it or not.

“Inari, you should’ve said something!” She throws the blanket off herself, snatches her laptop in her arms and jumps down. Slamming it down on the booth, she throws herself on top of the smooth faux leather. “Tell me everything. The deets, the specs, all down to the last dirty drop of tea.”

He slides in to join her, albeit much slower. “Before you tell me that I misled you, I want to make it clear: I don’t know what the secret is.”

“What!” she slaps her forehead, groaning. “Yusuke, why would you do me like that? That’s false advertising to the max, and I do not appreciate you tricking me.”

“There wasn’t a trace of trickery. What I’m about to say really does have to do with a secret, but I need your help with how to deal with it.”

“I’m gonna level with you here pal,” she puts a hand on his wrist. “I’m not the right person for this, but I’d be darned if I let you walk away without telling me anything. So let’s hear it! I’m ready for some juicy goss. Oh! Can I guess? Is it about Haru?”

He frowns. “No. Is there something about Haru?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I was asking you!” she says, patting her hands rapidly on the table. “Come on, just spill the beans already.”

“There are no ‘beans’ to spill yet, and besides, that sounds like a waste of perfectly good food.” He leans back against the plush cushion. Only a pinch of guilt arises in him as he says it. “It’s about Ryuji.”

“Ooo, Skull himself. Gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting him.”

“It relieves me that you said that. I share the same sentiment—it wasn’t until I had run into him the night before when I had started to truly suspect something. And what I found was…” he trails off.

Her lips pull downwards. “That bad?”

“It was worrying, to say the least.”

She sighs. Most of the energy in her seemed to have filed out in the presence of a more serious topic. “Dang. I knew it was fishy when he left, but he’s always been able to just hash things out on his own.” Her expression changes as an idea pops into her head, and it morphs into one he recognizes. “Does—?”

“No. Akira doesn’t know, apparently.”

Futaba splutters, and he has to resist the urge to nod his head at her reaction. “He—Akira—wait, what? He doesn’t know? Oh, it must be bad bad.”

“My thoughts exactly. Initially, I had thought that whatever this was, it was manageable. Like that time he had spent his month’s allowance on a claw machine to win Makoto that light-up buchimaru.” Idly, he touches her keyboard lightly, appreciating the kaleidoscope of colors that emanate from it. “You know how I feel. We’re the Phantom Thieves; we can’t allow anyone to suffer alone, even if the one we’re helping is a Phantom Thief himself.”

Futaba raises an eyebrow. “And how do you want to help him?” she asks. “By talking to him? Let’s be real, you and I have the lowest social stat in this group. Combined, we can maybe reach the nerd student council president, and the guy who can and should handle this doesn’t even know about it!” Biting down on her lip, “Should we tell Akira?”

“Absolutely not. That was the one thing he had requested, and we cannot go against it. By extension, I don’t think we should tell anyone else.” A thought comes to him. “Wait, he mentioned that Ann knows of his situation.”

“Great! Someone who knows how to deal with people’s problems and isn’t us. What are we waiting for?” She reaches for her phone, and Yusuke proceeds to smack her hand out of the way. “Ow?”

“Don’t call her!” he hisses. “Ryuji said that she’s, and I quote, ‘part of the problem’. We can’t have her knowing that we know something.”

“Ann is?” Futaba exclaims, shoving her glasses up her nose. “This is getting too deep. We don’t even know anything yet, and it’s really starting to feel like we’re part of some conspiracy.”

“That’s right, we don’t know anything, and it is our largest road block.” Yusuke crosses his arms. “We don’t know what happened between Ryuji and Ann, or if something even occurred between Ryuji and Ann. What if they had an argument? What if they’re fighting, and it becomes irreparable between them? What if it begins affecting our Jail runs?”

“You really gave this some thought, huh?”

“But of course. I must nurture the few friends that I have managed to treasure.” He glances outside and sees the crowds clambering to see their tourist spot. “We may be different from most teenagers, but I don’t believe we’re immune to the nature of cliques or dramas or even insecurities.”

“God, what a good friend you are, it’s bugging me,” Futaba accuses. “So what the heck, Mr. Philanthropist? We’re stuck between a rock and our friend group here. This mission was doomed before you even dragged me out from my hideout,” she says, eyes drifting away to stare longingly back at her bunk bed.

“Stop making that expression. There’s a reason why I talked to you about this.” He leans forward. “What I’m asking is, to be frank, unfavorable, but I really do believe that it’s worth it to do this.”

She looks at him, and it only takes her a few seconds for realization to set in. Her jaw drops. “Oh Inari, that’s vile.”

“If you’re uncomfortable with it—”

“I didn’t say I was uncomfortable with it,” she cuts in. The grin on her face is wide; a woman in her element. “I just thought you’re the one who’d be all against this kind of thing.”

Futaba pulls her laptop towards her. “Sit back and observe the master at work.”

He watches as her fingers breeze through the keyboard, eyes inscrutable as light reflects off of her glasses. “So you can do it?”

“I’ve hacked into the Diet Building’s security cameras on a dare back when I was twelve,” she snorts. “This is Mario Kart Baby Park with the railings up.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“It means—” With a flourish, she hits a key before glancing up at him, smug. “That this will be very easy. I’m thinking we can start with their text messages and work our way up to the big stuff.”

“Oh, right. You can go through our phones,” he grimaces. “You’ve stopped doing that, yes?”

“Of course I have! By the way, did you figure out what courses you wanted next term? I saw your advisor was bugging you about it, you should really email her back.”

“Yes, I’ve finally decided on sculpting as opposed to visual photography since it lets me focus on the anatomy of...” he pauses. “Wait—”

“Okay, looks like I got his text messages with Ann, so let’s all focus on this now!” she says loudly. “Scooch over, let’s go through ‘em.”

He does, and she moves to sit next to him. Yusuke peers at her screen. “Nothing out of the ordinary. There is a significant drop in the frequency of his replies, but that’s been the case for me as well.”

“Same here.” She continues scrolling up rapidly, so fast he wonders how she can keep up with herself. “Memes, memes, lots of ‘where you at’ texts, more memes…”

Something catches his eye. “Hold. Go down slightly, I think that link might be interesting.”

“‘How to treat knee pain: 11 steps with pictures’?” she reads aloud. “His knee is acting up again?”

“What’s peculiar is that I haven’t seen any sign of it.” He squints at Ryuji’s response to it—generic gratitude. “Even in Jails, he runs around without a care in the world.”

“What’s even weirder is that Ann is actually sending Ryuji wikihow links on how to treat his knee,” she snorts. “Let’s put a pin in this one and move on, Ann’s chat is chalking up to be a dead end.”

Rubbing her hands together, she straightens up like a professor in front of a lecture hall on the first day of classes. “Now Yusuke, when you’re looking to crack someone open like a tasty, moist omelette, there are two things that you must look into: their email and their bank account.”

After some clicking, Ryuji’s email pops up. “Email is obvious, since this pretty much tracks anything big. Delivery shipments, subscriptions to websites, acceptance letters. It’s all here in a neat little bow, ready for us to read.”

“‘Manga’s are 20% off for this weekend only,” he reads. “‘Anime convention next weekend’, ‘Pizza coupons’.”

“Ugh, he’s so boring! Next!” Clicking sounds through the RV, emphasizing how much they were snooping through their friend’s private life. “Bank account, show us your wisdom.”

“My word,” Yusuke gasps when the tab opens up. “That’s quite a lot of funds.”

“Inari, four thousand yen is definitely not a lot of money. How much do you have in yours?”

“I don’t have an account,” he admits. “I was on my way to the bank to open one, but I ran out of train fare. By the time I had gotten there, it was already closed. Quite rude, considering that it was only two o’clock.”

She levels him with a look. “Was it a Sunday when you did all this?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Never mind,” she shakes her head. “Okay, so nothing conclusive or even embarrassing. That means that whatever this is, he really doesn’t want anyone knowing about it.”

Futaba hops out of the booth and starts rummaging through everyone’s luggage. “That means we unlock the secret, classic, never goes out of style method of snooping—” with an expression of triumph, she showcases Ryuji’s backpack to him. “Going through their stuff IRL.”

Yusuke winces. “Don’t you think we might be going too far?”

“Hey, what’s with the cold feet? Where was your ‘justice’ from before?”

“I’m all for justice,” he watches her unzip the backpack, recoiling. “But even this seems a little excessive.”

“Look, we already went through his email, his bank account, his text messages. At this point, it’s kind of weird if we don’t find anything. Like—” she throws a pair of shorts behind her as she rummages. “What kind of teenage boy doesn’t have anything to hide? And also, it’d be kinda messed up to go through his stuff and come up empty-handed. If we didn’t find anything—” she pulls out several t-shirts and a crowbar and places them on the ground next to her. “Then we’d just be a bunch of snoops.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he reluctantly agrees. “Above all else, we need to find out what’s happened in his life to make him so upset.”

“Exactly. Oh man, wouldn’t it be crazy if we just found some porn mags or something? Retro to the max, but I can totally see him as the kind of guy to lug something like that along. Unless it’s of Akira.” She makes a face. “Ew. Funny thought is no longer funny.”

“Karma, if you will.”

“Shut it. Oh ho ho, what do we have here?”

“You found something?”

“It’s some fancy looking letter.” Futaba flops herself on the ground. She clears her throat. “'Sakamoto Ryuji. This letter is to inform you that…'” she stops all of a sudden.

“Futaba?” he probes.

“Um,” she blinks, and laughs nervously. “Um?”

He reaches over, and she doesn’t resist when it slips out of her hands. Skimming through the letter, only his eyes dare to move. When he finishes, he lets out a breath. “Oh no.”

“We shouldn't've read that,” she whispers, a perfect summation of what he was feeling. “We really should not have read that.”

—

There’s something to be said about the quayside in Sendai, in the way that it’s almost exactly like Tokyo.

Sure, the buildings here are definitely shorter—gone are the towering structures back home, and instead they’re replaced with shorter structures with cute local designs and colorful patio restaurants. The people here are different, too. Maybe it’s something to do with the water here, in how it’s cleaner and how you can actually see some fish down in the canals if you know where to look. Don’t even get him started in the air; jeez, do they infuse the oxygen here with something? He hasn’t stopped taking deep breaths ever since they got here.

But despite all of those discrepancies, the feeling of Akira’s hand in his is just like being home.

“And it’s actually really interesting,” he hears vaguely. “Because back in Leblanc, there used to be a couple issues about the temperature and stuff, but in my hometown there’s…Ryuji? Are you even listening to me?“

Akira’s telling him something. A story about Morgana? And Ryuji’s sure it’s very interesting, but he’s too focused on the way that sunlight hits his cheekbones.

“I’m listening,” he lies. “Keep going. This is just my listening face, I promise.”

“Sure, sure,” Akira agrees easily. “That’s just your listening face, rather than me and my wicked good looks, right? I totally believe you.” He wiggles his fingers. “Give.”

Ryuji offers him the caramel ice cream cone in his other hand, letting him bite into it like some kind of psychopath. “Done?” he asks, shifting the tote bag tucked into the crook of his elbow, careful not to rattle the eggs inside. Akira bravely offered to carry the groceries, but he had obviously refused.

“Mmm. That’s good stuff.”

“Right? I read about the ice cream here when I was younger, and they were really hyping it up on the ad.” He takes a lick, grinning when the taste hits his tongue. “And on a summer day like this? Unbeatable. It’s really reminding me of last summer when we hung out everyday in your room eating crap, taking naps, and playing games.” It also helped that hanging out with his crush was a daily thing, he thought.

“And I got to hangout with my crush a lot too, so that’s always a plus,” Akira adds.

Ryuji stops, and Akira turns around to give him a weird look. “What?”

“You get me,” he says in awe.

“I sure hope so,” he tugs him forward, and they continue their walk, their shoes rhythmically landing on the wood in unison. A comfortable silence takes over, but that’s no good. Ryuji wants to hear him talk.

“So imagine you get ten million yen,” he starts. “What do you do with it?”

It’s not the first time he’s asked this. They discuss it often, eagerly like the dreaming boys they both are. Akira considers it and Ryuji loves that about him. It doesn’t matter how stupid his questions are—he will always answer them with as if it were a serious question.

“For starters, Yusuke’s getting a place as soon as possible.”

“Duh,” he snorts. “Apparently, his roommate brought someone back to hook up with them. Poor guy got so traumatized he slept over at Haru’s.”

“We should be glad that he didn’t ask them for poses,” Akira laughs. “Next, I’m making sure that Sojiro has enough for retirement.”

“Obviously. Rest in peace Leblanc—you make fire coffee, but no one’s there to drink it.”

“And then I’m making sure your mom has the funds for retirement for sure.”

“I love you,” he sighs.

“I know.” Akira starts swinging their hands back and forth. “Then with the rest, I’ll buy us some new shoes for when we start training again together, and whatever’s left we can split it up with the rest of the Thieves and they can do what they want with it.”

“I bet Ann would go on a shopping spree in France,” he says.

“Haru would probably donate hers.”

“Makoto’s is going straight into university. I can see her going in to get a Masters with that kind of money.”

Ryuji refuses to let his expression fall. “That’s her. Big bookworm with a capital B.” Stop talking about this, stop talking about this. “How about you, Sophia? Any clue what you’ll do with a boatful of moolah?”

A harmonic beep rings through the air and Akira passes her over to him. “I would invest in cryptocurrency and turn ten million into one hundred million,” she says cheerfully. “Then I would take that hundred million and turn it into one billion yen.”

Ryuji coughs, sliding her into his back pocket. “You know what? That’s my bad. I should’ve expected that, honestly.”

Akira plucks the remainder of their ice cream cone from his hand and throws it in his mouth, munching. Wordlessly, he takes out a pack of wet-wipes from his pockets and hands it to Ryuji.

“Thanks.” Reluctantly dropping his hand, he thoroughly cleans through his sticky fingers. “You didn’t ask me what I was gonna do with my money.”

He nods in a go ahead way.

“After I give most of it to my mom, I was just gonna give the rest to you.” Ryuji kicks a stray pebble. It skirts off the edge of the boardwalk. There’s a tug on his arm. “Yeah?”

Akira covers his mouth with a hand, before making an incomprehensible garble of noise.

“Huh? My bad, I didn’t catch that.”

A few seconds of vigorous chewing, he swallows. “I said,” Akira says, eyes glimmering the way it does when he gets really excited. “I was going to do the exact same thing.”

“Dude!” Ryuji throws his arm around his shoulders, tugging him in close. “You understand me like no one else does. What the eff!”

“I’m glad,” he says softly. Wrapping his arm around him, Ryuji blinks at the unexpected hug. “It’s nice that we're on the same wavelength.”

Suspicion tingles across Ryuji’s skin. “Hold up.” Pulling away, he squints his eyes at him. “No.”

Akira immediately looks to the side. “What?” he says, defensive. “It’s nothing.”

“No freaking way.”

“I think I saw a cool arcade back there, it has cool prizes that I think you’d like, and—“

“Kurusu Akira,” he says sternly, grabbing his face between his hands. “Don’t tell me that you’re jealous.”

“I’m not!” he insists, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. “I’m not, you know I’m not that type of guy.”

“But?” Ryuji prompts.

“But…” he hesitates. “I’d be happy for you, if you find that it’s easier to talk to other people that aren’t me.” Akira straightens up, pulling out of Ryuji’s grasp but inspects his hand like it were something to be studied. How strange it was to see his long, elegant fingers grasp his brutish, blistered ones. “I’m relieved that I didn’t leave you alone. I just...miss being your go-to, I think.”

“Akira.” He says slowly. “My man. The love of my fucking life. You are never not gonna be my go-to. You’re my go-one.” Rapping his knuckles against Akira’s temple carefully, “Your hometown is messing with you up here, making you say weird shit like that.”

“I know, I know.” Running his index finger down his wrist, Ryuji can feel how cold he is. “You knew what you were getting into when you started dating an overthinker.”

“As a chronic underthinker, no, I did not.” He kisses Akira’s palm. “But it works out, so it’s all good.”

Turning them both around, Ryuji starts walking. “I know this is super duper impossible for a guy like you, but I’m gonna have to ask you for a favor.”

“Anything.”

“You have got, to the best of your ability,” he bumps into Akira’s shoulder. “Stop stressing out.”

He frowns. “It’s my job to stress out.”

“It’s our job to stress out,” he corrects. “You and me. Founding Thieves. We share the burden, bro. We got into this together, we’re getting out of it together. That includes you worrying about our relationship outside the ‘Verse, and extend it all the way to what dingy hometown you took the bullet train from.”

“I’ll try,” he says doubtfully. “You’re kind of enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean? No way I can enjoy the most perfect person on the planet be a little jealous over his boyfriend getting attention, what kind of asshole would I be?” And before Akira can say anything, “I know, not jealous, but I’ll take what I can get.”

“I love you.”

“I know,” he flashes a peace sign.

“I know you know.” A group of middle schoolers pass them, chattering about nothing and pointing out random things on the quay, all enjoying their summer vacation. “You know that you can tell me anything, right?” he asks suddenly.

Unable to help himself, he ruffles Akira’s hair, pitch black and hot to the touch. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“I don’t?”

Gray eyes look into his brown ones, earnest and trusting. Just like that, the light feeling in Ryuji’s chest vanishes. “No,” he responds slowly. “You don’t.”

“Good,” Akira nods, and sees where they were heading towards. “Oh, you took that seriously?”

“You bet your crisp ass I did,” he says, pushing the glass door open. The arcade is bright, neon, and littered with claw machines. Add that to the list of similarities from Tokyo. “I don’t fuck around with arcades. I’m in the top hundred players in the Gun Gale in Shinjuku.”

“Was that with Shinya or without?”

“Not important.” He surveys the area. “There it is. Can you grab us some change? I’ll pay you back.”

Akira waves his hand, walking towards the coin machine. “Don’t. What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I let you pay for our dates?”

“A hot one!” he yells. When he turns the corner, Ryuji collapses into a bright red racing chair. “Fuck,” he hisses, heart beating too damn fast for it to be normal. “Chill out, Sakamoto, jesus.”

It only gets worse when a familiar beep rings out. “Ryuji, your heart rate is at 160. Is everything alright?”

“Sophia!” he wheezes out, relieved. “Can you—will—” he stops, scrunching his eyes closed. “I’m having a panic attack, I think.”

“Searching for how to treat panic attacks,” she says immediately, and he sags into the cool plastic gratefully. “Deep breaths will help, slowly to the count of ten.”

His heart is beating so hard that he can barely hear the jingles and the whirrs of the machines around him. “Count out loud. Hurry, before he gets back.”

She does, and he grips the side of the chair as he focuses on breathing. The attack passes by faster than he hoped it would. “Thank god,” he breathes. “Thank you.”

“No prob,” she says, before hesitating. “Akira—”

“Will not know about this,” he cuts her off, rubbing his hand over his face. “I’ll tell him eventually, don’t worry, et cetera. I know all this. Ann’s been hounding me non-freakin’-stop. Just don’t tell him, Soph. Please.”

Before she can say anything, Akira comes back, pockets full of change and that signature small smile resting on his lips.

—

The bright side about missing out on Sapporo’s snow festival is having its tourism as its lowest point when you visit it in the summer.

Even the shopping district just outside Susikino isn’t very crowded; there’s the usual street vendors and shops with bright pastries and cute clothes. But even having it right beside the Sapporo Tower, it’s still nothing uncomfortable. At least, it’s not uncomfortable when you get to observe the environment through a phone lens.

“This is nice, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ve had much of an opportunity to talk to you yet, which is quite rude of me.”

“No prob,” Sophia replies easily. She was swaying from Haru’s neck, hanging by a silicone phone holder that she had bought from a convenience store. Futaba had guffawed when she saw it, but Sophia’s happy about the purchase. It’s fun, and it lets her people watch from the perspective of one of her friends. “I have been meaning to talk to everyone one by one as to better understand each of you.”

“Oh, good! What better use of a nice chat while doing some shopping along the way?” Haru chirps, thumbing through a rack of out-of-season clearance sweaters as they pass. “I have to admit, I’m not the best when it comes to fashion and whatnot. Most of the time, I ask Ann-chan to accompany me.”

“I can try my best! Online websites are constantly updating in order to provide their readers with the newest trends.” Idly, she takes a peek. “Wide-legged pants are back in style.”

“That’s a relief,” she sighs. “I never pulled off skinny jeans too well. Long, flowy skirts have always been my thing. It just gives off such a nice aesthetic, doesn’t it?”

Sophia smiles. “I think you’d look good in anything. Have you considered going punk? You’d look very dope and intimidating with a black streak in your hair and a leather jacket.”

“Now that I can agree with, but that’s more Mako-chan’s style, I’m afraid.” She pauses. “Actually, I bet Mako-chan would actually like that. Sometimes I feel as though she isn’t willing to branch out of her circle of clothes past a pair of Oxfords and a deep-coloured sweater. A push might be what she needs.”

She considers this. “Is it possible to buy clothes for her? That can be a possible ‘push’, quote unquote.”

“Hmm, I don’t think so. She would never let us do such a thing.”

“One moment.” Pulling out a few files from inside her memory storage, she clears her throat. “According to my data analysis, Niijima Makoto has high difficulty straying away from well-mannered behaviours. Do you think that includes saying no to gifts given to her? That can be advantageous.”

Haru stops walking and pulls the phone up so that they’re at eye-level. “Sophia-chan,” she beams. “I have a feeling we’re going to be very good friends.”

They continue walking down the street when Haru gasps suddenly. “You literally can’t shop, can you?”

“Of course I can. I can get anything in the world for you,” she says proudly. “Anything.”

“Alright, we’ll have to test that later, but I mean you can’t use what you buy,” she frowns, eyes troubled. “Your sweater is adorable, but you’re forced to wear it everyday, right? Can you even do your hair differently? Is it possible for you to pin it, or even let it down?”

Sophia finds it endearing that she would let such a thing bother her. She doesn’t even have a social insurance number, but Haru’s worried about hair clips. “No, but I quite like it the way it is. It doesn’t get in the way when I do my work, and in the Metaverse, it gets completely hidden as to let me do my fighting,” she explains, karate chopping in her screen. “But I can understand the human desire for change.”

“Would you like that?” Haru asks gently. “To change? Um, change out of your clothes, and change mentally. Either one.”

“Change mentally, of course! I’d love to understand my friends better and understand how to help them. It’s a vast mountain of knowledge, but I’d want nothing more than to decode the mystery of the human heart,” she says eagerly. “But for clothes...I’m not sure. I haven’t tried it. I’m pretty sure I can’t try it.”

“That settles it,” Haru looks both ways before crossing the street, jogging slightly.

Sophia perks up. “If you’re heading somewhere specific, I can give you directions.”

“No need.” She has an intense, hungry look on her face, not unlike the one she had when the new axe Akira bought had finally arrived at their RV. “We’re just about here.”

They stop in front of a store, and she can barely read the sign from the phone’s angle. “‘Case in Point’?”

Haru pushes the glass door open, greeting the cashier. “It’s a phone modifier shop.”

There’s no effort to explain anything else, but Sophia can confidently add ‘anticipation’ onto her growing list of experienced feelings.

—

“Out of curiosity—” Haru begins as they exit the modifier store, the cashier still bug-eyed from the tip she had left at his counter. “Can you see everything inside Akira-kun’s phone?”

“Yes,” she replies. The environment that she lives in, and more specifically, Akira’s phone, is now a bright, perfectly polished shade of rose gold with a mint outline. A far cry from the matte black that it was before. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” Her voice is sweet as sugar. “Out of curiosity once again, is there anything interesting? Anything worth noting?”

She jumps as Sophia’s voice suddenly morphs into Akira’s without warning. “Nice try,” the phone plays. “But no.”

And just as quick, Sophia comes back to the phone. “Sorry about leaving,” she says. “Akira had asked me to play that clip if someone ever, and I quote, ‘tried me.’”

Haru giggles. “Just like Akira-kun to be so thorough. Impressive as always, leader.” She peers down at her watch. “I suppose it’s about time to head back, isn’t it?”

“We still have eight minutes to spare.”

“We do. Perhaps we should take a stroll around the park?”

“Cool,” she says. “Wanna ask Futaba and Yusuke if they want to come with?”

“Sure?” Haru blinks. “That’s very specific.”

“On your two o’clock,” she points out. “In front of the book store.”

They watch as Futaba and Yusuke stand across the street from them. Futaba is aggressively pointing her finger at the books on display, then slapping her fist against her palm like she was devising a war strategy. Yusuke shakes his head wildly, comically putting his hands in his pockets and revealing that there was nothing inside. She sighs and walks away, tugging along a dejected boy behind her.

“Aren’t you going to ask them?”

“In a moment.” Haru takes them to the front of the store. “This isn’t a bookstore, I don’t think. What’s it called Sophia?”

After a quick search: “‘Sapporo’s School Supply Store’,” she says. “The alliteration makes it fun to say.”

“Indeed it does.” Peering into the store, Haru makes an introspective noise. “Now isn’t this interesting?” she hums. “Do you mind if I make one more purchase?”

“Not at all,” Sophia says, thrilled to add another point she had learned: If Haru wants something, there’s nothing that will get in her way.

—

“So,” Makoto starts, and Ryuji has to hold back a groan. He knows that tone. He’s memorized that tone. All the second years can feel her tone from a mile away. Hell, Ann probably took an instinctive step back just now. “Have you started to think about university?”

“Nope,” he says, wiping the sweat off his brow as they jog around the corner of Odori park. Back before he had left for his hometown, Akira and Ryuji would be up at dawn to train. Lately though, he’s been using any free time he has that isn’t planning for, prepping for, or actively doing a Jail run to sleep in the RV. And hey, he has no beef with Makoto, and it’s not like she can’t keep up with his training (she can most definitely kick his ass in hand-to hand), but she has a tendency to push when it comes to this sort of stuff. “Not a single thought towards it. It’s been pretty good, actually.”

“I can tell,” she agrees. “It’s almost like you blocked my number.”

“I did not!”

“So you actively choose not to answer any of my texts?”

“Ugh, don’t set me up like that,” he winces. “You know I’m stupid enough to fall for shit like that everytime.”

“Hold on.”

Ryuji grunts as he feels a hold on his shirt, forcing him to stop. “Ew, don’t touch my back, it’s Nigeria there.”

“First of all, it’s Niagara.” She spins him around. He’s only a little taller than her, but something about her always seems to tower over him. “Second, do you know why I keep pushing all of you to go to university?”

“Because you hate us?” he mumbles.

Makoto glares at him. “Try again.”

“...Because you don’t hate us?”

“Because I don’t hate you,” she repeats. “You’re all rowdy and wild and sometimes I don’t understand the jokes you make—”

“You’re just mad ‘cause you fell for a deez nuts joke.”

“But I do, inexplicably, love all of you,” she pushes on, and that shuts him up. “I know what you’re all capable of. Amazing things! I understand you all believe that I’m the be-all end-all, and I appreciate your compliments, but there are some things that only Ann can do, or Akira, or Yusuke.”

Makoto continues running, and he reluctantly follows suit. “And you. You can achieve things that I can’t even dream of, Ryuji.”

He resists the urge to yawn. “Thanks for the pep talk, Niijima.” Looking left, the gelato is looking real good. “Wanna get something to eat? I’m starving.”

“You aren’t very good at hiding secrets, Ryuji.”

Now that grabbed his attention. “Whoa, whoa, whoa there, prez!” Speeding past her, he holds out a hand to make her stop. “What do you mean by that?”

She raises a brow. “Nothing in particular, but your reaction is showing me that I should have meant something by it.”

He gnaws on the inside of his cheek roughly. “Okay, but why did that come into your brain? Why do you think I have some kinda secret?”

“I live with a prosecutor everyday of my life, of course I know when something’s afoot.” Pushing her hair back, she squints up at him. “You’ve been more...jumpy lately, yet somehow more laid-back than usual. I wanted to talk to Akira about this—”

Blood pours into his mouth when he accidentally bites too hard. “You talked to Akira?!” he half yells, red dribbling from the corner of his lips.

“Oh my god!”

“Fuck,” he clamps a hand over his mouth. “Sorry. Bit too hard.”

“N-no! Don’t apologize!” she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a napkin, pulling him to a stone ledge. “Sit and take this so you don’t bleed all over yourself. I’ll be back.”

He doesn’t bother speaking, only nods as she turns around. When she comes back, she’s holding a water bottle. “Here.”

Taking it gratefully, he takes deep gulps before spitting it out. “Why the hell does this taste like the beach?” he splutters.

“I didn’t say to drink it! It’s salt water to get rid of infections!”

“Why would you do that to me?!”

“Because I thought you knew to do that from the second-year health class!” she shoots back. “Gargle it and spit. Near the gutter, mind you, it’s rude to spit in front of kids. They might get the wrong idea.”

As if kids are gonna see him and think that there’s something worth remembering. He sips, sloshing it around his mouth before gently letting it dribble into the grated sewer. “Blegh.”

“You’re welcome. Keep at it. And while you’re doing that,” she sits next to him, shoulder to shoulder. “Do you want to tell me what’s been making you anxious?”

He pauses. “Anxious?”

Makoto gives him a stern look. “‘Experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.’ It was covered in your midterm.”

“Ah, right,” he mutters. Gripping the fabric of his shirt, his heart is beating too quick for it to be normal. Then again, when was the last time it wasn't? “You think I’m anxious?”

“I’m not sure. Keep gurgling,” Makoto chides.

He does, the salt water still red whenever he spat, and she continues. “All I know is when my anxiety gets really bad, I chew on my lip. Sae used to chide me when we were younger, but you know, she got busy,” she shrugs, as if he didn’t know how much it pained her to lose her only family member to a career of protecting the wrong people. “When I mentioned it to Akira, he took it upon himself to check up on me regularly during exam weeks.”

To prove her point, she takes her lower lip and flips it out for him to see—white teeth marks, but old scars instead of anything fresh. Letting go, her expression is smug. “He hasn’t felt the need to check in for a while now.”

Spitting, water finally running clear, he grins. “Good for you. I’m glad to hear that, dude.”

“Thank you, but that wasn’t the point. My point was that I was only able to get better because I told someone about it. Someone I trusted.” Makoto turns to him, her gaze serious. “I know that’s what Akira is to you. Habits like these are harmless at first, but they can turn into something else more dangerous. I won’t stand for that. My own justice won’t stand for that.”

Ryuji opens his mouth, before closing it. I’ll tell Akira, he wants to say. How many times does he have to repeat that line before he starts believing it himself? “Okay,” he says, because it’s the only thing he can say without hating himself even more.

“Okay.” She pats his knee before standing. “I can get us some gelato.” She stretches, wincing as her joints crack into place. “If you’re feeling up to it, start your cool down. Unless you wanna keep training?”

“I’m good. Felt enough blood rush for the day.”

She goes to the ice cream stand, and he stares up at the blue sky.

Makoto’s right, because of fucking course she is. She’s right, he knows she’s right. But she doesn’t get it. To her, Akira’s a friend. A guy who helped her out and changed her life, yeah. If he hadn’t met her when she did, maybe she would’ve become a scummy adult who didn’t look up from market pricing and hedge funds.

But Ryuji? Ryuji would be dead without Akira. That’s a fact and a half.

To Makoto, Akira’s a friend. To Ryuji, he’s Akira, and you can’t be on a higher pedestal in his mind than that.

—

It was Yusuke who took the first step.

“Ann,” he greets cordially. “How do you do?”

She gives him a weird look. “Kinda trying to focus here,” she says, gesturing at the scene in front of them. They, Morgana, and Sophia were in the B team as they watched the rest of them try and get rid of the remaining Shadows in Mariko’s Jail, tersely attentive and waiting on Joker’s word in case they needed a last minute switch. The Jail was environmentally brutal; the ice underneath the soles of their shoes makes them skid more often than they’d like. It almost makes the fights seem quicker, one notch faster than usual.

Yusuke pays her dismissal no mind. “I, myself, am learning many new things lately. Can the same be said about you?”

In the corner of his eye, Futaba pauses typing on her laptop to face palm.

“Are you...” Ann says after a brief pause. “Is this a threat? Are you threatening me?”

“No—”

“Panther!” Akira’s clear voice rings out.

Ann dashes forward without question, high-fiving Morgana as they trade spots.

Futaba marches forward, glaring at Yusuke like he was crazy. “You dolt!” she hisses. “What was that supposed to be? I said be slick and cool, not act like a fool!”

“While I admire the rhyme scheme, I don’t understand what you want from me. That was as ‘slick and cool’ as I’m capable of,” he furrows his brow. “I even opened with a question that seemed as though the conversation would be a normal one, but then used that to transition into what I actually wanted to discuss.”

“Stop looking so proud of yourself and—”

“Fox!”

“Back in a moment,” he says before he’s gone, Makoto taking his place, leather uniform still smoldering from when she took a fire move head-on.

“What was that about?” Haru asks, swinging her axe like a picnic basket.

“Nothing, Noir,” Futaba sighs, plopping back into place where Ann had stood. Carmen had kindly left a warm patch of concrete in her wake. “Just Inari became a big ole’ dumb-dumb.”

“I see,” she hums. “So this has nothing to do with what you two have been conspiring about lately?”

Her eyes shot wide open. “Con...conspiring?” she stutters out. “What do you mean by—”

A particularly loud scream rips into the air, and everyone turns their heads to see Captain Kidd slam his hook into the ground, purple arms erupting from the snow and wiping out a huge chunk of Shadows all in one go.

“Hot damn,” Futaba says, directing her focus back to her laptop and making sure Ryuji has enough health to keep going.

“He’s strong,” Haru observes, all playfulness gone.

“Too strong.” After Futaba gives everyone on the main team a good amount of health, something on her screen makes her pause. “Huh…?”

“Noir.”

Haru turns around to see Makoto waiting for her. “I need to discuss something with you.”

“Of course,” she steps closer to her and drops her voice. “Is everything alright?”

“I’d bring this up with Joker, but I don’t want to bother him if I’m not sure if there’s anything wrong yet,” Makoto pushes her mask up. “But have you noticed Skull's been acting strange lately?”

“Mona!”

He swaps with Ann, her pigtails covered in snow. “Ugh,” she grimaces as she shakes it out. “I could try and melt it, but it’ll just drip down my back and freeze later on, and I do not want that.”

“Panther, I’d like your input as well, if you don’t mind,” Makoto says.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I was just talking to Noir about this, but did you notice anything strange about the way Skull’s acting lately?”

Ann takes a step back. “Well, what—No—I mean, that’s your opinion, I think!” she exclaims. “To me, Skull's acting is completely normal. He’s normal—actually, scratch that, he’s better than usual. Nothing about him is wrong, I think, and that’s pretty outstanding and impressive once you consider that he’s the one with the life-long injury. Not that that has to do with anything!” Ann yells. “I just wanted to point out how far he’s come, and how much he’s kicking ass right now. Actually,” her voice shifts to a stage whisper. “Don’t mention this because I don’t wanna cause drama, but Fox has been a little weird.”

“Weird how?” Makoto whispers back, looking extremely lost.

“Just earlier, he asked me how I was.”

“...I’m not following.”

“No, Panther-chan has a point,” Haru breaks in. “I can’t say for certain, but I have a strong feeling that Fox and—” she points at Futaba conspicuously. “Are up to something.”

“Sophie and Fox?” Ann breathes.

“Panther!”

“Damn, again? That’s what we get for going into an ice Jail,” she grumbles, swapping with Yusuke.

Haru sighs. “Panther-chan isn’t the best with context clues, is she?”

“Hello ladies,” Yusuke greets. “What were we discussing?”

Makoto gives him a suspicious look. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

His jaw drops, bewildered, but before he can say anything, Futaba waves him over. “Get your fox butt over here!”

“I...Alright,” he says, resigned.

“Look at them,” Makoto nods at the pair. “I think you’re onto something.”

“I think so too, but I don’t want to be too hasty. After all, the two of them are such good friends now; it would be unfair to assume negative outcomes without evidence, or at least confront them first,” Haru says nonchalantly.

She understands immediately. “You have evidence?”

“Something of the sort.”

“Noir!”

“Duty calls,” she gives her a thumbs up, before Ann comes back once again.

“I can’t wait for us to go to a really hot place again,” she kicks the snow with her heels. “Then I’ll be comfortably in the B team because all the Shadows have fire resistance to the max.”

“Oh good, she’s back,” Yusuke’s expression is one of relief.

“Fox—” Futaba warns without looking up from her laptop.

“Come here. There is something we would like to discuss with you.” Whether or not it was intentional, he rests his hand on the handle of his katana.

“Okay but before we start, I just wanna ask—what are you doing with Sophie?” Ann accuses. “It’s fine to be friends with her, but you have to be careful. She’s really susceptible to what we say right now, and if you try anything funny—”

“What are you even saying?” he says, offended. “I barely even talk to her!”

They all glance at Sophia, who had been standing perfectly still and silent. She gives them a wave. They all awkwardly wave back.

Makoto places a hand on Ann’s shoulder. “Panther, Noir meant Fox and Oracle.” Ann flushes red as she continues. “And while we’re all here, I wanted to bring this up with you as well. Have you all noticed something strange with Skull?” Futaba stops typing. “I’m not sure how to explain it, but I think he’s extremely anxious about something. You all know that I’m an overthinker, so I might have the wrong idea but…” she trails off.

Futaba glances at Yusuke. Yusuke glances at Ann. Ann helplessly glances at Ryuji, still fighting alongside Akira and the others.

“I know nobody asked me,” they all jump a foot in the air when Sophia speaks beside them. “But I can at least confirm for suresies that there is something strange with Skull.”

“Which is…?” Makoto prods.

“I don’t know the specifics.” Ann, Yusuke, and Futaba let out a breath. “But he did have a panic attack recently.”

“I knew it!” Makoto snaps her fingers. “He’s had signs of being anxious, but I wasn’t too sure about it.”

“Queen!”

She runs out, and Ryuji comes in, looking exhausted but pleased. “Hey y’all, what were we talking about?”

It was dead silent before Sophia steps forward. “Look what I can do!” she exclaims, changing the expression on her screen to be an emoji with a flower.

“Whoa!” His eyes bug out, and they all sigh in relief. “That’s awesome! Can you do more?”

“That’s super cool Sophie, but,” Futaba looks at Ryuji, skeptical. “Don’t you feel weak right now? Your health is way down.”

“Oh, I didn’t even notice,” he rubs the back of his neck. “Sophie, you mind?”

“Not at all.” She calls for Pithos and green sparkles fall on him. “Better?”

“Thanks, I owe you one.”

“Skull!”

“When the king calls, his knight answers,” he salutes, sprinting out as Makoto comes back in.

“So,” she glares at the rest of them. “What do the rest of you know?”

Ann groans. “Even if I did know something, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

“Wait,” Futaba points an accusing finger at her. “What do you know?”

“What do I know? What do you know? And for that matter, what does he,” Ann points at Yusuke. “Know? Noir said you guys are doing secret stuff together!”

“That’s preposterous,” he scoffs. “If it was secret, she wouldn’t have known.”

“That’s the dumbest argument I’ve ever heard.”

“How is it dumb?” he asks. “You can’t possibly think that just because Futaba and I are doing ‘secret stuff’ that it has anything to do with Skull’s situation!”

There was a pause. “Are those two connected?” Sophia asks. Futaba buries her face in her hands.

“That was...not the question I expected,” Yusuke answers weakly.

“Sophie!”

“God, I wish Joker would call for Inari instead,” Futaba groans.

Rushing out, Sophia high-fives Ryuji on the way. “Guess who’s back, motherfuckers?”

In an effort to bury their conversation, they all begin cheering overenthusiastically, Yusuke clapping politely. Bewildered, Ryuji instinctively gives them a thumbs up. “Thanks guys. Usually, my jokes don’t really land, but that made me real happy.”

“Uh, Skull,” Futaba raises an eyebrow. “How do you keep losing health? I didn’t even notice you taking a hit.”

“I’m low again? Damn, I didn’t even notice,” he groans loudly. “Queen, can you—”

“I’m on it.”

Just as Johanna heals him, Akira calls out once again: “Skull!”

“Joker really does rely on you, doesn’t he?” Yusuke observes.

Ryuji laughs. If they didn’t know any better, they would think it sounded a little nervous. “Well, gotta jet!”

High-fiving Makoto, he runs out. She stares at the remaining members of the B team. “You all know something,” she accuses. “And I understand if you’re all being loyal to him by keeping what you know close to your hearts. But remember this:” she takes a step forward, and they all take an unconscious step back, Futaba scooting from where she sat on the ground. “There comes a point where it’s actually more important to keep a person safe and healthy than to uphold a potentially dangerous secret.”

They all digest her words for a second, and flinch when a flash of blue flame appears, taking Akira’s Persona away.

“Finally.” He stretches his shoulders, satisfied. “That took awhile. Good work everyone, let’s keep going.”

Making their trek deeper into the Jail, Futaba half-jogs, half-speed walks to Ryuji. “Your health again,” she chides. “Seriously. I know I like to play around, but I always have my eye on you guys when you’re fighting. I literally have not seen you take a hit, but you’re getting drained like milk in a sink.”

He shrugs, unperturbed. “Whatever. You see my hits today, though? They were tough.”

“Yeah,” she agrees reluctantly. “But your health is still low. I’ll call Joker about that.”

Before she can turn, he grabs her wrist. “Nope,” he says. “I’ll ask Panther. Thanks though!”

Ryuji goes to Ann, and he can feel everyone’s eyes on him, watching him, surveying his every move.

All eyes except for the one that really matters.

#p5 #p5s #yusuke kitagawa #mine #fic tag #plainly in truth #ryuji sakamoto #akiryu #pegoryu #chapter two! neat #akira kurusu #persona 5

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dearest-bucky · 5 years ago

Text

Put your head on my shoulder (One Shot)

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: The team goes away on a weekend vacation. Things happen in the car ride and later.

Words: 3.5K

Warnings: only tooth rooting fluff!!

A/n: Hello! Please read this! I know there are people who have read this fic before, it is because I have posted it before, but my old blogs are both deleted now permanently so I had to start (once again, sigh..) from the beginning. Please, if you want, like and reblog this even though you might have done it when I posted it the first time. I would be infinitely grateful.

Because of some privacy issues I’m not writing my old blogs’ urls here, but I’m sure a lot of people will recognize the fics I will start reposting here every day and will know who I am. Thank you so much for your kindness and support on my old blogs, I am hoping to receive the same here, <3

Originally posted: October 21, 2019

It was one of those very rare occasions where being an Avenger wasn’t taking your whole time, so most of the team decided to do something about it. Going on weekend trips with your team members wasn’t something new for you, but what made this time special though, was the presence of a certain blue eyed ex assassin who decided to take the chance for the first time and join the rest of you.

As per usual, you being yourself and always late, but as Tony Stark would put it “fashionably so”, you were running out of the elevator to meet the rest of your friends in the car so you could finally leave the compound.

Sam was leaning from the passenger’s seat to the steering wheel, pushing the horn non-stop, succeeding this way to only piss off Bucky who was sitting behind with Natasha and Wanda.

“Stop that asshole. I’m here.” You yelled at Sam, putting the bag of your clothes in the trunk of the car and moving to get inside.

“Freaking finally!” Came the annoyed reply of Sam who apparently was tired of waiting.

It was only 10 minutes, you could argue with him if he said something again, but luckily Steve got in the driver’s seat so The Falcon decided to shut up for the moment.

You took a look at the behind seat of the car, spotting Nat, Wanda and Bucky all sitting there, not very comfortable but you supposed it was okay. However, there was no place for you to sit.

“Get in y/n.”

“Yeah, we don’t have all day.” Came another complaining from the bird of the team and you could just give him the middle finger, but you were preoccupied thinking of where to actually sit.

“Guys I don’t think there’s space for me here.” You talked calmly, almost not the same person who came running and cursing just a moment before.

Usually there wouldn’t be any inconvenience of this kind, because usually, there was not a huge mass of solid muscle and breathtaking smile taking almost half of the back seat of the car.

“Hop on Barnes.” Sam replied, matter-of-factly.

“Why me? I-I mean, it would be better if Wanda did, I weigh more than her and Bucky would be uncomfortable and..” you were blushing hard and stumbling upon your words, but this time Bucky cut you off just by taking your hand in his and tugging at it, suggesting you get in the car.

“It’s okay doll, I really don’t mind. You can sit on my lap.” He said quietly, almost shy, but he was sporting an easy smile on his face as if this situation was making him happy.

Maybe it was, you didn’t know.

You gave him a look, as if silently asking “Are you sure?” and when he nodded his head and kept his smile on his lips, you decided it was okay to actually sit on his lap.

While the thought made you blush, you and Bucky weren’t strangers to each other, so you contemplated there was nothing wrong about the situation, given the circumstances.

You hopped easily in the car and sat on his lap a little awkwardly to say the least, while Wanda was trying but miserably failing to hide a smile spreading from her face and Nat was not even bothering to conceal the knowing smirk from hers.

“Everyone ready?” Steve asked and only after a round of nods and ‘yes’-es, he finally started the car.

You had one of your hands glued behind Sam’s head trying to weigh as little as possible on Bucky’s lap and you were trying so badly to keep the composure in front of your teammates.

You weren’t necessarily uncomfortable being this close to Bucky, but what made it bad was the presence of your other friends, especially Natasha and Sam.

When Steve brought Bucky to the compound almost two years ago, he was as closed off in himself as he could be. Of course no one blamed him, he came from 70 years of horror and honestly only the fact that he was still alive was a miracle.

To say you were captivated by him as soon as you laid eyes on him, it’s an understatement. Being friends with Steve before and having him share all the stories from “back in the days” did not help your case at all. Only what you heard from Steve was almost enough to make you fall for The Bucky Barnes, the Sargent of the 107th. And then when the man himself showed up, you were definitely in love with him.

Despite everything he had been through, despite all the hard exterior, the history and all the killings he had in his back, there was something about him you couldn’t place. Maybe his eyes, blue like the ocean and deep and… kind? There was a kindness you could spot in them that not even decades of brainwashing couldn’t take it away.

The first few months Bucky would only talk to Steve, never join the common areas and stay in the confines of his own room. You never saw him and sometimes wondered if he was even there.

It was almost 5 months later when you literally ran into him well past midnight in one after your “quests for good food” in the kitchen that you had your first conversation with him.

It had been only one sleepless night for you after a grueling mission and of course another sleepless night for him (as all of them were) when you were walking around the kitchen in darkness to reach the cupboards trying to find any of the cookies Sam stashed away from the team when you ran into a solid mass.

You yelped in fear but calmed as soon as he spoke. It was somehow soothing to hear his voice.

You finally found what you were looking for and decided to share the cookies with him, along with two hot cocoas and a very pleasant conversation that continued until dawn, when Bucky asked for permission to leave for his morning run with Steve.

After that night, you had many more repeats of it. Sometimes both of you would talk over cookies and cocoa, sometimes you would watch a movie and other times you would just stay silent in the company of each other, only listening to your calm breaths until you would fall asleep and Bucky would put a blanket on you and continue to look at you for the rest of the night.

At first it was a little odd, but as time went on your friendship evolved. It wasn’t only the nocturnal rendez-vouz anymore, but you started spending more time with each other, training together too until Steve decided to finally let Bucky go on a mission with you and making you partners for most of them.

It was actually very pleasing to see Bucky become better and better everyday. Meanwhile your friendship was becoming stronger and your feelings getting deeper. Seeing more and more of the Bucky that Steve used to describe in his stories was the best thing you could hope for. However, the fact that Bucky was always touching you, hugging you, snuggling with you in his room while reading or watching movies and even sometimes cuddling when you fell asleep together wasn’t helping you at all. You welcomed all these things but you never said anything about what you felt, scared to ruin your friendship.

Now here you were, perched on his lap, as if sitting in a bed of nails, while feeling the eyes of Black Widow, staring at you with her peripheral vision while she was whispering something to Wanda.

You had been driving for almost half an hour, only listening to Sam commentary about every song that came on the radio and the whispering of Natasha and Wanda on your left.

Bucky was stiff beneath you but he was silent, having rested his head on the windshield and his eyes closed, but it was obvious he wasn’t sleeping. He let a long sigh escape his lips and only then you turned your head to look at him.

“I’m sorry, I know you’re uncomfortable and…” you began but he cut you off, explaining that he was just tired but it wasn’t because of you at all.

You gave him a sympathetic look. “Couldn’t get any sleep last night, could you?”

He only shook his head no.

“You can put your head on my shoulder and try to sleep a little now.” You suggested without thinking twice. He gave you a sweet smile and did as you said.

His head came to rest on your shoulder, his face hidden in the crook of your neck and you could feel his breath tickling the skin it hit softly.

He let out another sigh and closed his eyes.

The others were just looking at you two, not saying anything at all, until Sam decided to turn off the radio and play a song from his phone.

Put your head on my shoulder

Hold me in your arms, baby

Squeeze me, oh so tight

Show me

That you love me too

Natasha let out a chuckle at the choice of the song and you rolled your eyes, flipping Sam off. He just winked at you and let the song play in a relatively low volume.

A few minutes had passed, the song had changed and you were all enjoying the ride in silence.

You were silently mouthing the lyrics of “Every breath you take” when suddenly the car came to a halt, causing you to stumble forward and you were gonna get hurt if it wasn’t for Bucky’s hands gripping your waist and holding you in place.

“What the hell, punk?”

“Sorry Buck, guys.” Came the apologetic reply from Steve. “There was a dog crossing the road and I didn’t want to hurt him.”

You sighed and grabbed a hold of the seat behind Bucky’s head, the other hand on your lap. Bucky’s hands were still gripping your waist, but a little more loosely now, as Steve started the car once again.

Bucky resumed to his previous position, nuzzling his face in your neck once again. Your hand that was behind his head slowly found the way to his hair and you began to play with his hair, an action he welcomed with a smile spreading on his lips that you felt in your neck.

You rested your head on top of his, but your hand didn’t stop caressing his hair, playing with the long chocolate locks and twirling them between your fingers.

You closed your eyes and decided you were finally comfortable enough to at least let yourself enjoy the rest of the drive. It was going to be a long one for that matter, so you decided spending the whole thing as if you were sitting on glass wasn’t the best thing you could do.

After only a few moments you felt Bucky’s metal hand touch your hand that was resting on your lap and silently taking it to join your other hand in his hair. You smiled to yourself but obliged, putting now both of your hands in work and giving him this way double the pleasure.

It wasn’t long after that you felt his heavy breathing against your neck and realised he was finally asleep. You were glad he could finally get some rest so you made the best you could to not move, trying to maintain the comfort you gave him. So with nothing else to do you closed your eyes too and decided you could take a nap too. You could hear your friends whispering with each other but you couldn’t care less about them right now. Within a few minutes you let yourself succumb in a peaceful sleep wrapped up around Bucky.

“Y/n.. hey, wake up doll.” You heard Bucky’s voice call but you were so sleepy you couldn’t find it in yourself to open your eyes.

You let out a soft groan of displeasure and only snuggled closer to his chest.

“We’re at the cabin sweetheart.” He tried again. “Why don’t you get up and we’ll get you inside, hm?”

“Mm, but I’m so comfy here..” you mumbled sleepily and heard Bucky chuckle at your words.

“So warm Buck.”

“I know, but you’ll be more comfy in a bed and warmer for sure.” He continued but you could already feel the smile that was threatening to break from his face.

Finally giving up on sleep you opened your eyes and groaned in annoyance.

You had no idea how it had happened but unlike when you fell asleep, this time you were resting your head in Bucky’s chest and he had his arms around your shoulders.

“Come on doll, let’s get you inside.” He nudged you and helped you out of the car and inside the cabin.

You found Steve, Sam, Natasha and Wanda already inside, each of them sitting in a chair, talking to each other animatedly.

“Ohh, look who finally decided to join the world of the awake.” Sam teased as soon as he noticed you and Bucky enter the place. “You slept for the whole 4 hours of the trip, you’re unbelievable.”

You just shrugged but remained close to Bucky.

“So what’s up now?” You asked.

“Okay so now we have to deal with the 'space’ situation here.” Steve took the turn to speak, his 'captain voice’ activated, as if he was briefing a mission report.

You all looked at him, waiting for him to continue, so he did.

“There are only 3 rooms here, and 6 of us. We all have to share a room with someon-”

Before he could finish his word Wanda cut him off. “I’m with Nat.” She announced excitedly.

“Wanda!” You gave her a look.

“There’s no way in hell I’m sharing the room with Tin Man.” Came without a delay Sam’s comment.

Bucky glared at him, but said nothing as you took his hand in yours and your bag in the other hand and not waiting for any other comment or reply from the others started walking in the direction of the rooms.

“We’re going to have the room with the bathroom inside.” You said, not leaving any place for arguments, and walked to the room with Bucky. You got in and closed the door behind you with a loud thud.

You weren’t upset that you had to share a room and a bed with Bucky, after all it wasn’t the first time. What annoyed you though was the fact that your friends were doing all these things on purpose, first making you sit on Bucky’s lap during the car drive (not that you were complaining) and now this, leaving you to share the room with him.

“I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t say no to another nap Buck.” You talked first and opened your duffle bag to fish out some other clothes.

Not paying any attention to the fact that Bucky was standing in front of you, you popped open the button of your jeans and slipped out of them, getting inside a pair of cotton shorts you used as pajamas. Next to go was your shirt which you replaced with a very large grey sweatshirt you had borrowed from Bucky a few months ago.

After changing your clothes you got in bed and covered with a soft blanket without a word, while Bucky kept staring at you, like you had grown a second head.

Sure enough, he had seen you in your pajamas before, also you had changed in front of him when you were all getting dressed in your uniforms for a mission, but seeing you get changed in front of him and put on his shirt, that did stirr something inside of him he couldn’t really place.

He was glued in place and wasn’t planning to move anytime soon if it wasn’t for your voice pulling him out of the trance.

“Will you join me?” You asked simply and instead of answering verbally he too got rid of his clothes but unlike you, he didn’t get in pajamas, but headed to bed only in his black boxers and got under the blanket.

You could get used to this, you thought to yourself as he moved slightly to make himself more comfortable in bed.

“C'mere.” He offered shyly and opened his arms for you to cuddle him. You didn’t hesitate one second to do so.

You rested your head on his chest and his hands were wrapped around your shoulders, while yours were resting on his torso, tracing absent-minded patterns on his toned stomach. It was a familiar situation, you both felt safe like this.

After a few moments in total silence only enjoying the soft touches and calm breaths of each other, you finally decided to speak.

“You realise they did this on purpose, right?” You asked and turned your head to meet his eyes.

He let out a breathy laugh and nodded his head. “Yeah, they’re not very subtle you know.”

“Mhmm..”

He looked at you with adoration but you could also notice the shadow of conflict in his face. You were too afraid to ask if your friends were right to do this, or what was his opinion about it all, so you settled on approaching him differently, trying not to “corner” him with your doubts and fear of dejection.

“What is it?” You asked timidly. “What are you thinking about?”

He looked down at your face again, gave you another smile and his hand came to rest on your cheek, tracing the soft skin there.

“I’m thinking about you.” He stated simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Thinking about how happy I am to be here with you.” He continued and you gave him a smile of your own after hearing his words. You were more than happy to be there or anywhere else, as long as you were with him.

“Thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life, and now in my arms. So beautiful.”

His voice was almost a whisper as he carried on.

“I’m thinking I was so stupid to make you wait all this time and to make myself wait when you have been always in front of me. It’s like you were always the answer to my every question and I have been a fool to not realize it before. I’m thinking I should have never waited for anyone to 'set us up together’ because I have been falling in love with you from the very first moment I laid my eyes on you and I shouldn’t have wasted all this time by not telling you.”

You could only listen to him and not quite believing the words leaving his mouth. It was like you were frozen in place by his confession. And because you did nothing to stop him or interrupt him, Bucky continued pouring his heart to you.

“I’m thinking how lucky I am to have you in my life and how much you have helped me become a better man. And I’m thinking how much in love I am with you and how I have been for a very long time now.”

You gasped when he said the last words and your eyes filled with happy tears in an instant.

“And I am thinking how much I want to kiss you.” He added finally and reached out for your lips slowly, afraid to not startle you.

You stared into his ocean eyes and when your eyes flickered to his lips for a second, you started leaning closer to kiss him too, but the magic of the moment was interrupted by a loud knock on your door.

“Dinner’s ready!” You heard Wanda’s voice on the other side and Bucky groaned in annoyance.

“We’ll eat later.” He spoke up for her to listen and only when he heard the answer of agreement from her he focused on your lips again, this time closing the gap between the two of you.

His metal hand found home in the back of your head and the other one was still around your shoulders, holding you close to him. His lips were soft and sweet and everything you had wished for and his kiss was breathtaking. You poured all you had in the kiss and only when it was hard to breathe you broke it off.

He had a sweet smile on his face while you were feeling drugged on his taste and staring at his now swollen lips you pecked him once again before speaking.

“I’m thinking I’m very much in love with you too.” You talked slowly.

He laughed heartily and attacked your lips once again with the sweetest assault possible.

It was going to be a great weekend.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes imagines

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