#ill have to draw the twins next cause i like making their time skip and childhood designs

[captain-waddles]

I force you to look upon my ocs

[plaid-shirtsandvibranium-arms]

Nemesis: Retribution (2)

Summary: 10 years after the Avengers had left you for dead during a mission gone wrong, you unexpectedly re-enter their lives. Wholly unrecognizable from the person they used to know and now with a new team behind you, they ask for your help to stop a chain of syndicates who were manufacturing and peddling the super soldier serum. You were determined to say no until the chance at the vengeance you had been chasing for years was added to the offer.

Fandoms: Avengers, Marvel, MCU, The Punisher, Daredevil

Pairings: Female Reader x (Frank Castle, Billy Russo, Matt Murdock, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Pietro Maximoff)

Warnings: MENTIONS OF SMUT FOR THIS CHAPTER. SHAMELESS SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS. (18+ ONLY), polyamorous relationships, reverse harem, blatant disregard for canon timelines and events, mentions of illnesses, momentary fluff, bit of angst care of Bucky, Punisher canon level of violence and gore, rejection, bullying, heartbreak, character death

A/N: I couldn’t resist not posting this early. Here you go. Next ones will probably take a while coz I have to be an actual adult for a bit. 

No permission is granted to repost, steal, or translate my work. Not even a credit makes it okay. Tumblr is the only place I post my writing. If you see it anywhere else please report it.

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1:2 Dark Chocolate

A few days of rest was required to recover from a super soldier's punch. The doctors had said that you were lucky Steve hadn't punched you with full strength or else you would probably have a whole cracked rib cage. You were anxious to jump back in to training, not used to being idle for very long.

You were given some painkillers at the clinic and ordered to stay there for the rest of the afternoon for monitoring. When you woke up, it was early evening and a blonde super soldier was napping on a steel chair next to your bed. He jumped when you moved to sit up, his heightened senses alarmed and disoriented for a second before he quickly switched to repeatedly apologizing to you. You laughed out loud. It was just a little ridiculous to you to see such a commanding presence in the field so charmingly boyish and adorably embarrassed.

Steve was a comforting presence but to be honest you were hoping to see Bucky. You didn't get a chance to thank him since he left immediately after the doctors had ushered you into the examination room. Once you were cleared to return to training, you caught sight of his long brunette hair and the bright smile on your face couldn't be stopped. It was the glare he pinned you with that made you halt your approach.

He was back to his disapproval of your very existence.

You had to admit that it stung. You thought that you were getting somewhere with him after he helped you. At least somewhere outside of the realm of outward disdain. And maybe you were hoping just a little bit that it could lead down the road to him feeling the same about you.

The timing was perfect when you were assigned to your first official mission with the Avengers. It was a chance to prove your worth to the team and to Bucky in particular. A chance to maybe make him see you as more than just a troublesome recruit.

You came back from the mission with your head held high and absolutely glowing with confidence at the kudos from Sam and Natasha. The great Natasha Romanoff had complimented your sniping skills, picking off enemies in her area even before she could aim her own gun at them.

The first thing you wanted to do after getting back to the Compound was to tell Bucky. You wanted to brag a little bit and maybe even thank him for the mentoring. If he hadn’t been so hard on you then you wouldn’t have pushed yourself to be at this level. You were skipping down the halls of the Compound in search for him, clutching the bullet casing from your first official Avenger kill.

FRIDAY had informed you that he was in the training area and you were bouncing on your feet with excitement. As you entered though the place was empty, the rest of the agents having retired to the mess halls. You ventured further in, trusting FRIDAY’s intel until you heard some noises coming from the adjacent armory. You smiled, he must be cleaning his guns again.

As you got closer, the noise began to get louder until you could make out what was undeniably pleasured moaning, one low and gravelly while the other more high pitched. You should have turned away, if only for the privacy of the couple who was wrapped up in their passion, but your curiosity pushed you to come closer and peak through the small crack in the door.

The brief image that you saw made you instantly draw back, a shaking hand pressed to your mouth to silence the shocked gasp. You backed away slowly, your mind struggling to process what you had just seen, then your flight response kicked in and you ran like hell out of there. The scene was burning a hole in your brain and caused your skin to grow cold. Sergeant Barnes rutting hard against a woman wrapped around his waist, his glinting eyes locked with yours, and a cocky sneer on his face.

You didn’t go to dinner that night or to the team celebration for a successful first mission. You chose instead to lay in your bunk with tears burning in your eyes and trying to erase the memory of your discovery. Of course he was already dating someone. A man of his caliber was sure to have a line-up of gorgeous eager women at his disposal. He probably had no interest in boring recruits like yourself. The woman he was throwing into bliss must be some supermodel or high ranking spy. How did you even end up deluding yourself that you could possibly catch his eye?

The rest of your roommates filtered in after a few hours, chatting away noisily about the party. Anna had come to sit on the edge of your bed and ran a comforting hand along your arm, concern clearly etched on her face.

“I’m fine. Just tired. The mission really wore me out,” you muttered with a small smile. You weren't ready to talk about it yet.

“Personally I think I had better success today than all of you,” Kim’s shrill voice cut through the good natured conversations in the room.

She wasn’t part of the group taken on the mission, claiming beforehand that she was ill. A chorus of curious why’s rang out through the group and she preened at once again being the center of attention.

“Well I just had the fuck of a lifetime from none other than Sergeant James Barnes.”

The room of women burst into chaos; squeals of disbelief, rapid fire questions on how big he was and how good of a lay was he, were they dating now or was this a fuck buddy situation. Of course Kim was more than happy to entertain each question.

You tuned all of it out, the noise turning into an annoying ringing in your ear. You turned around to face the wall as the silent tears that refused to be contained any longer fell to wet your pillow. You barely registered Anna squeezing your shoulder or the words that Kim threw your way.

“Sorry, Y/N. I guess I was just more Bucky’s type.”

You curled yourself into a tighter ball as the pain in your chest radiated across your whole body. You had assumed wrong about Bucky. It seemed that he wasn’t opposed to dating new recruits.

He was just opposed to you.

The taunting from Kim continued on and you just couldn't take it any longer. You brushed the tears away, grabbed your sweater, and marched yourself to the door. You needed to get some air. You needed to get away. Anywhere but there. You wrenched open the door and almost came crashing straight toward a solid chest. Your eyes travelled up to lock with the kind blue gaze of Captain America. You wondered why Steve was standing at the doors of your bunkers holding a pack of beer in his hand.

"Good evening, ladies," he said to the room of now suddenly speechless females. "I'm just going to borrow Y/N for a bit."

The crowd remained in shocked silence while you stared at him in confusion as he smiled sweetly down at you. He had gone looking for you when he didn't see you at the celebration after Natasha and Sam had sang your praises to him at your performance. He wanted to congratulate you and bring you a drink for a job well done.

"Come on. I know a good spot," he said, placing a hand on your back and guiding you out.

Steve brought you to the top of an observatory in the Compound. It was quiet, peaceful, and offered a great view. He cracked open a bottle for you and the conversation just flowed naturally. He kept making you laugh until your sides hurt with stories about his time as a performer in the military and all the unfortunate videos that came with it. You were crying with pure joy when he relented and re-enacted his buy military bonds act, your earlier darkened mood forgotten for the moment.

Steve felt like he did something right when your glassy eyes and defeated expression was replaced with clear amusement. Even if it was at his expense. He wouldn't ask what the reason was, but he felt happy he made you feel better.

"Thank you, Steve," you muttered before you parted ways. Somehow both of you understood that it was more than just for the drink.

You promised yourself then that you would give yourself tonight to weep over your unfortunate romantic feelings. Only for tonight. Come morning you would focus all your energy on what you actually came here to do; become an Avenger. You slept fitfully that night, the shell casing from your first mission still gripped in your hand.

You made a conscious effort after that day to limit your interactions with Bucky and Kim to polite clipped conversations. At first Bucky had been surprised at your change in attitude, your blank expression and sparse words causing a momentary guilt to flash in his eyes. You had chosen instead to spend more time with Steve and the twins, your mood obviously brighter around them.

You were sitting now in a large conference room for a briefing on the next mission with a handful of other recruits when Sam Wilson sent you out to fetch the rest of the Avengers who were running late and not responding.

"Can you get them for me, sweetheart?" he chuckled, knowing that you blushed uncontrollably each time he used a nickname on you.

FRIDAY had directed you to the private common room exclusive for their use. You were about to knock on the door when you heard your name in the middle of what sounded like a heated argument. Against your better judgement, you leaned in closer.

"I don't think Y/N's cut out to be part of this team."

Your heart dropped. The conviction in Bucky's voice was clear. It was one thing for your infatuation with him to be forcefully thrown back at your face, but for him to explicitly state to a set of people that you held at such high esteem that you were not good enough was a whole other vicious heartbreak.

Lily was wrong. This time you should have known when to quit.

You forced yourself to crack the door wider and step inside, clearing your throat to announce your presence. You didn't see the startled look on their faces or the guilty one that followed when they realized that you had heard. One look at your sad glistening eyes that refused to look up confirmed it. Natasha and Steve both threw Bucky a deadly glare.

"Sam wants you all at a briefing. I was sent to come get you."

Your voice was so small and unsteady, none of the easy happiness and optimistic determination that it usually carried. Bucky felt the shame burn through him, the guilt drowning him in an instant. You weren't supposed to hear that. He took a step towards you, instinct driving him to do anything to wipe that defeated look off your face, but a threatening look from the twins pinned him in place.

"We'll walk back with you, little star," Pietro said softly, appearing beside you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder. Wanda came on the other side, looping your arm with hers.

For the rest of the briefing, you strained with the effort of focusing on Sam while blatantly ignoring Bucky. You knew he was staring a hole at the back of your head, but you couldn't allow yourself to give him any satisfaction by looking back. You were soon assigned your tasks, you being placed on sniper duty again having performed well the last time.

It was supposed to be a run of the mill mission for intel and taking out a criminal base, but with the expectation of more hostiles so a slightly bigger team was necessary. You practically flew out of the room when you were dismissed, not giving anyone a chance to talk to you. A decision was solid in your mind now for when you got back.

This would be your last mission.

The ride on the jet to the location was spent with you cleaning your gear and checking your weapons. You were sliding a few knives in place when Bucky came in front of you holding out another set of knives for you to take.

"You know if you tilt the hilt to the left you can fit more in one holster," he said.

It was odd hearing him with almost warmth in his tone toward you. If it had happened yesterday, you probably would be celebrating this fact. You nodded at him, but didn't say a word.

"Remember to keep your head low and stay on your post. Okay, doll?"

You nodded wordlessly again. Because you made a point not to look at his face, you missed the way he was struggling to say more to you and the disheartened look when you obviously weren't going to answer him. You ignored him for the rest of the ride, choosing to focus on reviewing the intel.

As far as bad intel could go, this had to be the worst. You were perched up on a densely covered hill a good distance away from the base that the rest of the team were storming. You were picking off as many hostiles coming out of the base as quick as your hands would allow. Your fingers were starting to ache from the constant reloading, your eyes stung from the gunpowder, and your lip was already bleeding from biting down on it.

The noise in the comms was pure mayhem. Each team member trying to ask for help, for backup, for a plan. You had all come expecting a fight but not an army prepared to defend. You were certainly not expecting HYDRA.

"They have Bucky."

Three words spoken that sent a cold dread to wash over all of you. HYDRA couldn't be allowed to take Bucky. You abandoned your post without a second thought and sprinted down toward the base, pistols at the ready for anyone coming your way.

"Last location," you asked urgently as you slipped into the building shooting down two agents immediately.

"West wing. Near the last corridor," Steve grunted, clearly having a hard time on his end. "Y/N, do not engage!"

"I'm the closest one, Cap."

"I'm close too. Just a little busy," Natasha huffed. "I'll follow, Y/N. Steve, we need to get the hell out of here."

Steve had reluctantly agreed, seeing that there was no other choice. He quickly barked orders and commanded you to keep safe. You nodded although he couldn't see it as you wove through the corridors at full speed in search of your teammate. The moment you barged into that last room, your eyes found an unconscious Bucky immediately.

Seeing him in that chair horrified you; shirt ripped, bleeding in several areas, skin pale and cold with sweat, chest rising and falling far too rapidly, and eyes that were unresponsive. You were so distracted by the jarring image that you failed to notice the operatives across the room until the bullets were burning through your soft flesh.

You screamed from the pain, but raised your gun and fired back until you heard their bodies thud heavily on the floor. You clutched at your side, the amount of wet blood pouring out was alarming. You pushed your own welfare aside and hurriedly undid Bucky's restraints. It was a struggle to sit up a semi-conscious super soldier and when you took his weight on your shoulders, you collapsed to the floor at the intense pain in your arm. You hadn't realized that you had multiple shots there too.

You gritted your teeth and groaned at the effort of lifting you both up, your blood soaking through your gear as well as Bucky's. You huffed painfully with each step but you just had to get him out of there. You could have kissed Natasha square in the mouth when you saw her come barreling towards you.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Y/N!" she winced at your state before taking Bucky's other side. Apparently you looked as bad as you felt. "We gotta move fast. I hear more of them coming up this way. This path is clear."

Having Natasha's help in carrying Bucky alleviated some of the burden from you and made you all move faster, but the blood loss was already starting to make your vision blurry and the adrenaline was wearing off. Through the haze, you could also hear the rapidly approaching footsteps. Soon you would be basically useless and you knew there was no way Natasha could carry you both out while fighting off a hoard of enemies.

"Natasha," you said quietly, your steps faltering.

"No. Keep going goddamn it!" Natasha cried.

She knew what you were thinking. She had assessed the situation too and come to the same miserable conclusion. You smiled sadly at her angry eyes and shaking head as you let go of your hold on Bucky. Her eyes widened further as you limped toward the doors behind you and locked them tight before raising your guns to aim right at anyone who would come through them.

She didn't miss how your hands were shaking and your shot arm could barely hold up, the way you scowled deeper in pain with each movement, or how your uniform was soaked in your own blood and slowly forming a pool at your feet. Ghastly as you looked, you turned your head and tossed her another gentle smile. You were basically going to use yourself as a human shield for them and yet you were comforting her. You were reassuring her.

"Check on my sister for me, yeah?"

Natasha wanted to insist on another plan. Anything other than leave you behind to hold off the nearing enemy units. Shouting and gunfire from the other side of the door forced her to make a decision. She cursed sharply under her breath and dragged Bucky away with her, the regret heavy on her heart for having to leave you behind.

You stepped further back and supported your weak body against the wall after Natasha had thankfully left. The enemy was trying their hardest to barge through the door, ramming into it and shooting their guns at the locks. It wouldn't be long now before they manage to breach it.

You took a moment to spare a thought for your sister. A part of you was saddened to think of her grief after she finds out that you had done the most heroic thing anyone could ever do.

Sacrifice.

Another part of you was relieved knowing that she had Jill and she wouldn't be alone in that grief. When you decided this morning that this would be your last mission, you didn't necessarily expect it to be in this way.

"I'm sorry, Lily."

Natasha managed to get Bucky back to the jet where the rest of the team were all converging, still fighting off operatives chasing after them. There just didn't seem to be any end to them.

"I'm going back for Y/N!" she yelled to the team as she dropped Bucky on the floor of the jet. There was no time to be gentle, she had to hurry back to help you out.

"What do you mean? Where the hell is Y/N, Nat?" Steve shouted as he grabbed her arm.

"She stayed behind to hold off the ones chasing us so we could get out. I have to go back!"

"I will go. I can get her out," Pietro volunteered at once but he doubled over immediately from the extensive wounds on his torso.

Natasha was already sprinting back into the compound, not willing to waste another minute. She made it only a few feet before the entire facility exploded into a fiery inferno that quickly ravaged it and threw her farther back.

The entire team watched in horror as the explosions continued on several parts of the structure. The area was quickly getting engulfed by the flames and smoke. Steve had to force everyone onto the jet and bodily carry a shell shocked Natasha.

No one could have possibly survived that.

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

Natasha steadied her breath as she quietly landed on a perch high above in the rafters of a seedy warehouse. Wanda joined her seconds later, weaving her magic to better cloak them. The other twin was running a lap around the perimeter and would join them later.

She was assigned weird missions all the time. Missions that had very little to doubtful intel was common. This mission though was by far the strangest she's ever gotten. There was a very small list of vague things that were told to them; the time and location, not to intervene, to remain unseen until the target was ready, bring the target to the Compound.

She was slightly annoyed, but she complied anyway. She was curious too as the mission was given in secret to only the three of them. A million questions was speeding through her mind as she observed the activity below. It looked like a regular run of the mill drug den filled with busy workers and roving guards.

"How many, Wanda?" Natasha whispered.

"I sense more than 25 of them. All armed, but with much fear."

A gust of wind signaled the return of the other twin. He had a frown on his face and a concerned look in his eyes. "There is another one, but this one does not seem to be with them."

Natasha was starting to sincerely doubt this mission when a fast movement from the shadows caught her eye. By the way the twins perked up too, they surely had seen it. They followed the figure as it slipped through the darkness, almost losing track if they hadn't noticed that the guards were quickly dwindling in number. Natasha was growing worried, this was surely a highly skilled group of assassins. Pietro must have been mistaken. They were clean and efficient too.

All of a sudden a gunfight broke out below them. A figure completely clad in black, strolled casually out from the shadows with a pistol in each hand firing precisely at their targets. They confidently charged closer, unfazed as they greeted the gunfire. They continued to tear viciously through the crowd with a deadly mix of combat, bullets, and blades. 

The workers had drawn their weapons by now as well, but they were quickly killed off with barbaric aggression. It did not take long for the floor below to become a sea of blood and lifeless bodies. One person remained barely alive, hanging on to his middle to keep his internal organs from spilling out from the wide gash. The attacker came to him, nonchalantly stepping over decimated bodies. They couldn't hear what was exchanged from this distance, only the choked scream that followed as he was stabbed straight through the throat. His blood spurting out like a broken faucet.

Natasha had been in this profession for a while, but she has never seen this level of unrestrained violence.

One person.

One single person had cleared out a base of approximately 30 people. Natasha was growing more and more worried. Clearly this person was at the very least an enhanced and even with the twins with her, they were not prepared to face someone powered.

What kind of bloodthirsty lunatic does this?

"You can come down now."

All three of them froze in place. Looking down, the attacker was staring right at them with cloaked eyes. Reluctantly and very slowly, Wanda used her powers to float them down carefully keeping a good distance from this murderer.

From this close they could now see that they were in full military tactical gear in what was originally all matte black, but now had an explosion of dripping red. Combat boots, fitted cargo pants, a long sleeved shirt underneath a tight bulletproof vest, gloves, a loose hood over their head, and a cloth mask around the lower half of their face.

"Should have known something was up when my team mentioned seeing a really fast man."

The shivers that travelled through every expanse of skin on Natasha, was a reaction to that voice. It sounded strangely familiar yet unknown, but something in her mind was denying her from piecing it together. The moment the hood was dropped to reveal their eyes was when she spiraled into a complete icy shock. They were eyes that had haunted her for the past ten years. Haunted all of them. The only difference was that the eyes in her memories were smiling warmly.

The bloodied face mask was lowered to reveal a face they mourned, unmistakable and yet completely different. White raised scars branched out like weaving vines from the right side of the neck to just above the jaw and the ears. They were obviously old and healed but still raised and prominent, adding an even more dangerous edge to the menacing look on their face.

Your face.

"Hello, Natasha. Pietro. Wanda."

10 years after they had watched you tragically perish in a burning HYDRA facility, you stood before three of a group of people you had unknowingly tormented all these years.

The earpiece you wore crackled to life. "Blackbird to Hedwig. I have a visual. Should I shoot them?"

You smirked. There was no need for that. At least not right now.

"Hey, Blackbird. Tell Raven I'll be late for dinner. I have a reunion to get to."

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

A/N: Tell me which pairing or combination in this harem you’re most looking forward to. Smut or otherwise. I’m still rearranging scenes and working out smut. There is a long list of kinks. I need help.

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[honeyheartsandkisses]

Best friend’s brother

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Gryffindor reader

One shot, 3k word count.

Summary: You have been best friends with Ron, Harry and Hermione ever since your first year in Hogwarts. But lately you’ve been feeling a little different about Ron’s older brother. You, Hermione and Harry have been invited to spend the last week of the school holidays at the Burrow. Could anything possibly happen between you and Fred?

“Oh welcome dear!” Mrs Weasley chirps, rushing out the door to greet you as you heave your heavy luggage out the trunk of the cab. “Leave your luggage dear, I’ll get the twins to bring them in for you.”

“Thank you for having me Mrs Weasley! I can’t wait to finally have your signature pumpkin juice again.” You give her a big hug before pulling away. Mrs Weasley erupts into a fit of giggles. “Oh you’re too kind dear. Come on in, Harry and Hermione arrived over an hour ago and Rons been wondering when you’d arrive.” 

As if on cue, your three best friends burst out of the front door, sprinting in your direction. Before you knew it, you crash down to the ground by the impact, the wind knocked out of you. The four of you burst out laughing, laying on the ground out on the lawn.

“You’re finally here!” Hermione says, before getting up to dust the dirt off her jeans. You follow suit, looking over at the boys still wrestling on the ground. 

“Did you guys miss me?” You tease, playfully kicking Harry’s leg.

Ron was the next to stand up. “I think ‘miss’ is a strong word. We simply wanted you to reach earlier because Hermione wouldn’t stop talking about the latest book she read.” He says with a goofy smile on his face.

Despite all the playful banter, you couldn’t be happier seeing your closest friends again. Your parents are muggles and you didn’t have anyone to talk to about the wizarding world. “Well, you can tell me all about your book Hermione. Its not your fault the boys are uncultured barbarians.” You say, rolling your eyes at Ron.

“Hey!” Harry protested, but only earned himself a playful slap on the shoulder from you. 

Just as the 4 of you were about to head back into the house, you see Mrs Weasley dragging Fred and George out into the lawn by their ears. The twins groan and protest, but fail to struggle out of their mother’s iron-like grip. “The two of you better help y/n with her luggage. After causing all that mess in the kitchen with your pranks, it’s the least you can do!” With that, she throws them out the front door, slamming it shut behind them.

For the first time of the day, your heart does a little backflip the moment your eyes fall on Fred Weasley. He's wearing a maroon sweater and black jeans, his hair in its usual messy state. Nothing has changed since the last time you saw him other than his left ear which was a little redder than the right from where Mrs Weasley pinched it. “Merlins beard that hurt...” He groaned, rubbing his ear. 

Your crush on Ron’s older brother was no secret to your three best friends. Your feelings for him surfaced just over a year ago when you were doing your final exams in the great hall and the twins flew in on their broomsticks, setting off fireworks in the great hall. Ever since that faithful day you couldn’t stop thinking about him. Be it bumping into the twins in the Gryffindor common room, or sitting near them during mealtimes in the great hall, all these small encounters made your heart skip a beat.

“Hey y/n! Great seeing you again.” George greets you with a big smile and the two of you exchange a friendly hug. “Ill grab the small trunk. Fred will handle the heavier one.” He smirks mischievously while his other twin lets out a loud sigh in defeat. You laugh at this, “I’ve missed you George.” You watch as he grabs the smaller trunk and hurries back into the house.

Fred, who is now standing in front of you, clears his throat loudly. “Ahem”

“Well, we’ll be inside waiting for you y/n! See you back inside!” Hermione chirps, steering a very confused Ron and Harry towards the house. You sent her a thank you message mentally. Right now, only you and Fred were left standing on the driveway, out in the cool evening air. 

You subconsciously run your hands through your hair, attempting to comb out any tangles from the earlier tussle with your best friends. “Hey Fred. Its great seeing you again.” You smile up at him.

“Not going to say you miss me too?” he bends forward, bringing his face closer to yours. This makes your breath catch in your throat. You lean backwards a little, feeling nervous and confused all at the same time. But this only makes him lean forward even more. Before you could catch yourself, you feel your weight shift and you lose your balance, falling backwards. In that split second, Fred grabs you around your waist and pulls you forward into him, allowing you to regain your balance. Your face now inches away from his, you freeze completely.

“Breathe y/n. You’re turning blue.” He laughs. Only then do you realize you had been holding your breath for the past few seconds. You quickly took a deep breath, before slapping his arm. “That was completely unnecessary!” Fred flashes an innocent smile, nearly making you hold your breath yet again. 

“What was?” 

“Oh you know exactly what i mean Fred Weasley. You complete arse!”

Fred continues to laugh, the most adorable sound you’ve ever heard. “Alright alright come on, lets get you out of the cold.” He says, swiftly lifting your massive luggage off the ground before leading you towards the house with one hand on the small of your back.

When you step into the house, you’re greeted with the glorious smell of Mrs Weasley’s cooking. She’d already started preparing dinner. You see your three best friends sitting on the couch, Ron and Harry at a game of chess while Hermione had her head buried in a thick book. You could hear the sound of laughter coming from the back yard and you assume George is out there playing with his two older brothers Charlie and Bill. 

“This way y/n. You’ll be sharing a room with Ginny and Hermione.” Fred says as he lugs your trunk up the stairs. 

“Right...” you reply, following him up the stairs.

Fred stops climbing the stairs and turns around to face you. “You sound rather disappointed y/n.”

“No not at all. I just—“ 

“Would you rather stay in my room?”

You stare at him for a few seconds, expecting him to burst out laughing or show any sign that this was a joke. But it never came. “Oh um... well it’s really kind of you offer but—”

“Ah bummer.” He says, before turning around to resume climbing up the stairs. Did Fred Weasley just flirt with you?

You reach the third floor and walk past a few other rooms as Fred leads you to the one at the end of the corridor. In one of it you see Percy hunched over a messy desk, scribbling away on a sheet of parchment. “Hey Percy! How’s work at the ministry—“ before you could finish, Fred pulls you away from the room. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to get him started. We won’t hear the end of it.” He says, drawing circles with his index finger in the air next to his ear. This makes you laugh.

Soon you two reach the last room at the end of the corridor. Fred places your trunk in the corner of the room, right next to Hermione’s. “Well this is where you’ll sleep for the next few nights.” He says, taking a look around the room. “Trust me when i say it’s much cleaner than mine. George always leaves our room messy.”

“So George is the ONLY one messing things up in this house. You’re the obedient one.” You say sarcastically, knowing full well the two of them were always up to no good.

“I am, and always have been.” He winks at you, dropping down onto the mattress on the floor. The one you assumed was going to be your bed for the next one week. “Actually y/n there’s something i need to tell you—“ before he could go on, George pokes his head through the door, smiling mischievously. “Dinner is ready lovebirds!” He immediately disappears, laughing gleefully running back down the stairs.

You looked at Fred, raising an eyebrow as if to ask ‘What was that all about?’ He simply sighs, running his hands through his fiery red hair. “Um... we should probably go downstairs.”

Sitting at the overcrowded dinner table with Harry on your right and Ron on your left, a little part of you was dying to tell Hermione about what George said a little earlier. All this time you thought Fred only saw you as his little brother’s best friend but so many things have happened today, making you think otherwise. The dinner table is flooded with a feast whipped up by Mrs Weasley. Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green peas, and of course, pumpkin juice. 

You take a long swig of pumpkin juice. “Thank you for the feast Mrs Weasley!”

She waves it off. “Oh don’t mention it dearie! Help yourself to the food everyone.” With that, everyone starts digging in. Mr Weasley passing the potatoes over to Percy, George using his wand to summon a plate of yams from across the table, everything was loud and messy. But this was what you loved about the Weasleys. 

Amid the chaos, you catch a glimpse of Fred, sitting right across the table from you, and your eyes meet. You feel your heart do yet another backflip, and you quickly direct your attention into scooping a lump of mashed potatoes onto your plate. 

“You feeling alright y/n?” Ron asked, giving you a weird look. “You've gone all red.”

“Yeah I’m fine.” You quickly say, hoping no one else noticed it.

Ron ignores you, pressing his palm on your forehead to feel your temperature. When this doesn’t work, he cups your cheeks. And when this doesn’t work, he feels your neck. “Seems fine to me.” He finally says.

“Look if you really need to check her temperature use one of these. Do you really have to put your hands all over her like that!” Fred explodes, magicking a thermometer from a cabinet across the kitchen. The whole kitchen goes silent, staring at Fred. His sudden outburst shocked everyone, even you. The playful, carefree boy had never exploded like his before. Fred looks around the table at all the eyes staring at him, turning a little red.

George is the first one to break the silence. “Well brother dear, it looks like you’ve finally let the cat out of the bag.”

Mr Weasley diverts his gaze from Fred to George. “What do you mean son?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Fred has a crush on y/n!” Bill says, laughing hysterically. 

“Good for you brother!” Charlie stands, shaking Fred’s hand. “Who would’ve thought our little Fred was capable of love!” This makes George howl with laughter, causing Fred to chase him around the kitchen trying to get him to shut up.

For the first time ever, Fred looked embarrassed. He’d played so many pranks in Hogwarts and received all sorts of punishments, but never once did he look embarrassed. This was a first. 

You couldn’t  help but laugh too. The entire situation was so embarrassing for Fred but it was so adorable at the same time. Harry leaned over and whispered in your ear “Should we tell him?” 

You shake your head. “I want to be the one to do it.” To this he nods, smiling gleefully. Hermione overhears this and gives you two thumbs up. You couldn’t possibly feel any happier than you do in this very moment. A million thoughts race through your mind. Fred likes me back? When did it begin? I can’t believe this!

“Now settle down boys! Leave him alone!” Mrs Weasley says, shushing them. The twins return to their seats, Fred as red as a tomato. He looks across the table at you, clearly searching for a reaction. Anything at all to signify you liked him back. You feel his gaze see right through you and your silly smile. Theres no way that boy doesn’t know you like him back.

After dinner Mr Weasley and Mrs Weasley do the dishes with a few swishes of their wand while all the children spread out across the house once again. Percy was back in his room busy at work. Bill, Charlie and Ginny watching a movie on the couch, though Bill was already half asleep. Fred and George were hiding away in their room doing God knows what. The mischievous twins were always busy planning their next prank. You, Harry, Hermione and Ron decide to sit on the benches out in the backyard, enjoying the cool night breeze. There under the blanket of stars, the best friends talk about the dinner scene. 

“Oh you have to tell him y/n!” Hermione jumps up and down, buzzing with excitement. “Its not everyday you find your crush likes you back!”

Ron folds his arms defiantly. “I still think y/n has bad taste when it comes to guys. I mean, of all people it just had to be Fred. The boys a fool!”

“Well why are you going to do y/n?” Harry asks, looking over at you. 

You keep your eyes fixed on the mesmerizing night sky, as though searching for an answer. “I really don’t know. I thought we’d talk about this after dinner but he’s hidden away in his room.” You let out a huge sigh before turning to look at Harry. “Maybe it was just a joke?” This made your heart sink. Your friends stay silent, all deep in thought. 

Hermione finally breaks the silence. “Well theres only one way to find out. You have to ask him.”

“I’d rather not find out.” You quickly stand up trying to shake the dreadful feeling threatening to consume you. “It’ll kill me to find out it was all just a joke.”

Just like that, sleep fell over the Burrow. Everyone tucked away under their blankets in their overcrowded rooms. After everything that happened you found it hard to fall asleep. Tossing and turning on your surprisingly soft mattress didn't seem to help and so you pull on your robe and decide to head on downstairs for a warm glass of milk. You quietly close the door behind you, careful not to wake Hermione and Ginny. When you turn to head on down the stairs you see Fred sneaking out of his room, gingerly closing the door behind him. He completely freezes when his eyes fall on you. Feeling slightly self conscious, you pull your robe tighter around yourself before quickly making your way down the stairs and into the kitchen. 

Pacing back and forth, you try to utilize the last 5 seconds you had before Fred joined you in the kitchen to brainstorm something to say. Anything at all. You turn around to pace the other way only to come face to face with Fred’s chest. “Hey there.” He says.

You tilt your head up to meet his eyes. “Oh hey. What are you doing out here?”

He grabs a pitcher of milk from inside the refrigerator, pouring it into two tall glasses. “I could ask you the same thing.” He slides one glass across the kitchen island to you. 

“Thanks.” You take it and swallow quickly, allowing the cool liquid to sooth your throat that felt like it was closing up.

“Truth is I couldn’t sleep.” He says, looking straight into your eyes.

“May i just ask you one thing?” You blurt out before you could stop yourself.

He nods, walking around the kitchen island towards you. “Ask away.”

“That thing that happened earlier... was it a joke?” 

He take a long sip and sets the cup down on the table before answering. “That depends.”

You frown. “What do you mean by that?”

“Did you want it to be a joke or did you want it to be real?” He looks down at you, taking one step closer. Your heart pounded in your chest.

“Why should that matter?” You say, taking a step back.

“If you wish it was a joke, its a joke. If you wish it was real, then its real.” He says, once again taking a step closer to you.

“You’re such a pain Fred Weasley. If you didn’t like me you should’ve said so. This is a pure act of cowardice.” You say, turning around to leave. But before you could make it two steps away from him, he grabs your arm, pulling you back with force. This makes you lose your balance and stumble backwards straight into him. His arms wrap around you from behind, leaving no escape. 

“Um... Fred?” You manage to say, your voice barely a squeak. Your heart raced. You could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. You guys were close but you’ve never been held like this before. 

He kisses your cheek, before slowly loosening his grasp allowing you to turn around to face him.

You touch your cheek where he kissed you. “Wha... what was that for?”

“I like you y/n.” You stare at him, in a complete state of shock. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you ever since we first met at platform 9 3/4. I’m sorry about dinner. That wasn’t the way i hoped you’d find out but it’s true. Everything you do drives me crazy. When you went to the Yule Ball with Ron it wrecked me.”

“You know we’re just friends Fred. There’s nothing going on between Ron and I.” You take his hands in yours and bring them around your waist. “I’m already yours.” 

His face twists into a smile, pulling you closer burying his face in the crook of your neck. He kisses your shoulder, then neck, and finally crashes his lips with yours. Your lips move in sync, and you feel yourself go lightheaded. The most wonderful feeling in the world. He lifts you up, placing you on the kitchen island and you wrap your legs around his torso.

“Wait!” You say, pulling away just before things could get too heated. “Can we take it slow? I just don’t want to mess this up.” Still sort of breath from the lack of oxygen, you place a hand on your chest to regain composure. 

He brushes away a lock of hair that fell over your eyes before cupping your face with his large hands.  “Anything for you darling.” 

“Darling?” You couldn’t help but let out a giggle. “I didn't think you had it in you.” You always imagined Fred wasn’t the romantic kind but it appears you were wrong.

He lifts you off the kitchen island, carrying you bridal style. “Oh you have no idea.” He walks all the way to the couch, setting you down. The two of you spend the next few hours talking and laughing by the warm fire, only falling asleep an hour before daybreak.

[megalony]

I promise

This is a dad! Roger Taylor imagine which is part of my Loving Charlie series, requested by the lovely @bluutac I hope you like it.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem @butlegendsneverdie @langdonzvoid @jennyggggrrr @rogmeddows @radiob-l-a-hblah @rogertaylorsbitontheside @chlobo6 @rogertaylors-lipgloss @sj-thefan @omgitsearly @luckytrashgooprebel @scarsout @deaky-with-a-c @killer-queen-ofrhye @bluutac @vousmemanqueez

Series masterlist

Enjoy.

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

"You alright, buddy?" Roger questioned when his eyes clocked onto Danny who was sitting on the floor in front of Charlie's room. His blanket tucked under his arm as he either looked lost or confused. Bending down in front of Danny, Roger watched the four-year-old turn to look at him but he didn't look like he was going to start talking. "Do you wanna see Charlie?" When Roger went to open the door Danny shook his head.

"He shut me out." Danny mumbled quietly, tipping his head down.

It was normal for Danny to head into Charlie's room at night if he couldn't sleep, he liked sitting with his brother and watching tv for a while to try and send himself off to sleep for a bit. But when he knocked on the door tonight and tried to go in Charlie shut the door on him. Danny didn't know what to do so he simply sat down, unsure what he was waiting for until Roger came over.

A sigh passed through Roger's lips as he leaned over and kissed Danny's forehead before picking him up and setting him to his feet.

"Your mum's in bed, go and see her for a bit. I'll have a word with Charlie then come in." Roger watched Danny nod and start to head down the hallway before he got to his feet and knocked on the door. Opening the door, Roger locked his eyes on Charlie who looked like he was in some kind of trance as he watched a movie he had seen ten times over.

Charlie turned his head before frowning at the expression on Roger's face as he leaned against the door.

"Did you shut the door on your brother?" Roger folded his arms over his chest as Charlie huffed before turning around so he was lying on his side with his back was to Roger. Sighing, Roger walked into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's up?" Roger rested his hand on Charlie's arm but he simply shrugged him away.

"I don't like him just wandering in every night, he's annoying." Charle huffed as he pulled the cover tighter over his shoulder, keeping his back to Roger although he did want to turn and look at him. He didn't like Danny wandering in every night, it was a little weird when the four-year-old said completely nothing but still wandered in and laid down to watch tv with him. Charlie wanted to be on his own or with his parents, he didn't want to be around his siblings but Danny seemed to always want to wander in when he couldn't sleep.

"He likes watching tv with you when he can't sleep, you don't have to be rude to him if you want to be on your own." Roger understood if Charlie wanted to watch tv on his own but he shouldn't just slam the door in Danny's face, he could tell him kindly that he wanted to be alone.

"Whatever."

Charlie curled up tighter into the covers when Roger sighed before getting up and leaving the room. He wasn't going to start an argument tonight and he wasn't going to talk to Charlie if he was in that kind of mood, there was little point right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clapping her hands, Daisy trotted out of her and Danny's shared bedroom before she skipped down the corridor to reach Roger who was walking out of Evie's room who was now settled to sleep for the morning. Roger couldn't bite back a smile as his girl headed over to him, stopping a few inches in front of him before she held her arms out. Twirling around, Daisy seemed to jump from foot to foot with energy simply radiating off of her as she waited for Roger's reaction.

Both twins loved winter because they could wrap up under blankets or wear fuzzy jumpers and warm clothing. Since it was the weekend and they weren't at school they got to wear 'normal' clothes as they called them and Daisy decided to wear her onesie which was designed to look like a sheep.

"Wow, don't you look pretty, Daisychain."

"Look! I have a tail." Turning around, Daisy shook her hips side to side to show the small cottontail that looked like a pompom. Her actions caused Roger to laugh before ruffling the hood on her head as she giggled. Turning around, Daisy jumped up and down, holding her arms out to Roger until he got the hint and picked her up. Holding her to his shoulder as he looked ahead to see Danny walking out of his room.

The other twin was also in a onesie, a smile on his face as he had a small blush on his cheeks looking very happy whereas normally he looked very worried or just neutral. When he walked over to Roger, the drummer leaned down and moved the hood so it was no longer covering Danny's eyes as it was a tiny bit too big. He was wearing a cookie monster onesie that was deep blue and very fluffy. The hood had a few fake cookie crumbs on around the mouth and a few scattered around the front as well.

"A sheep and a cookie monster..." Roger trailed off with a smile, moving his hand to rub up and down Danny's back as he clung to Roger's leg, smiling even if he hadn't said anything yet. The twins liked sharing a room and they shared toys and many of the same interests, but one thing they never shared was clothes or had matching clothes. That was the aspect that showed they liked to be different other than their contrasting personalities as Daisy was energetic and Danny was calm and quiet.

Turning his head, Roger watched Charlie walk out of his room, rubbing at his eyes as he was clearly still tired.

"Aren't you going shopping with mum today?" Roger questioned when Charlie walked over to them. The eldest boy stopped walking and stood beside Roger, taking a moment to think before nodding. Charlie had a thing for drawing and since (Y/n) was going shopping today she said he could get some new pencils and colours if he wanted. "Then go change."

"I'm gonna get a cookie." Danny whispered with a small smile before he let go of Roger and headed over to the stairs. Causing Daisy to wriggle around in Roger's arms in order to follow her twin, deciding she would have a cookie for breakfast if Danny was going to. Roger watched her call for Danny as he set her down before they disappeared out of sight.

"Charlie, I'm serious. Put on a jumper and some other trousers- you need socks on, go." Roger moved his hand to indicate for Charlie to go into his room and get changed but he simply whined, rolling his eyes before he looked down without making an attempt to do as he was told. He couldn't go out wearing a t-shirt and some thin trousers, he needed something warm because it was cold outside.

Reaching his hands out Roger turned Charlie around, holding his shoulders before nudging him to walk back into his room. Watching Charlie slump down on his bed before Roger moved to his chest of drawers and grabbed something else for him to wear.

"What's the point? I live in neutral, I'm fine."

Neutral was the term both parents often used to refer to Charlie because he didn't get hot or cold. He stayed somewhere in the middle so they called it neutral because if he went out in the cold he didn't get goosebumps or start to shiver or his teeth chattering. If he was out in the heat he didn't start to sweat, his blood vessels didn't push to the surface and he didn't feel overheated. He stayed the same no matter what heat he was in because his body couldn't tell the difference between temperatures.

When Charlie had a shower or a bath or washed his hands he hated it because it felt weird. No temperature was just feeling water with no temperature and it wasn't nice.

"You're not immune, Charlie. You go out like that you'll get ill even if you don't realise it and you know we can't have that so change into these or stay home with me and the twins." Charlie wouldn't know when he got ill but he would still be ill, he could get a cold or a virus or an infection and he wouldn't know it and that was dangerous because it could get worse and no one would be any the wiser. Charlie knew they couldn't take risks like that.

Pushing himself to sit up, Charlie stared at Roger who raised his brows in question, wondering why he wasn't getting dressed because he knew Charlie wanted to go out today.

"If you're going out, you either wear this or you can wear your onesie like the twins. Otherwise stay here and wear that." Standing to his feet, Charlie suddenly pushed himself into Roger's chest, his arms winding around his torso as he kept quiet. "What's the matter?" Roger whispered as he ran his hand through Charlie's hair, his other hand rubbing up and down his back.

Charlie was starting to worry him, he never usually seemed to get in such a mood or just hideaway for no reason but he wasn't talking. Charlie waited a moment, inhaling Roger's scent as he felt himself calming down. Finally pulling away, Charlie shook his head before moving to grab the clothes Roger had set out because he did want to go out today.

"Nothing." Roger bit his lip but decided not to push it anymore than this, moving so he could head down and check the twins hadn't raided the cupboards and eaten a packet of biscuits between themselves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leaning his head back on the sofa, Roger looked over at (Y/n) who was walking into the living room. Her eyes narrowing when Roger pressed a finger to his lips to signal for her to be quiet when she was about to speak. Moving his hand Roger pointed next to him on the sofa prompting (Y/n) to walk around to see what was happening.

(Y/n)'s eyes widened as a smile spread across her lips at the sight in front of her. Daisy was almost asleep on Roger's left side, curled up against his chest as she looked about ready for her nap. But on Roger's other side Danny was leaning up against the corner of the sofa, his legs crossed beneath him as his head was about to fall. The four-year-old had Evie resting in his lap, his arms very carefully placed around her as he was practically asleep and so was Evie who looked very calm.

Danny had asked Roger if he could hold Evie when she had been fed and Roger obliged, gently settling his youngest into Danny's arms who seemed very content holding her. He couldn't stop smiling until Evie fell asleep and he soon seemed to follow.

Turning around, (Y/n) took Roger's camera from the cupboard so she could take a few photos of them all.

"I think it's nap time." (Y/n) whispered, setting down the camera before kneeling in front of Danny so she could gently take Evie from him. Moving to sit down on the armchair so she could have a cuddle with Evie for a bit. When Danny's head drooped forward Roger quickly leaned over to pick him up, settling him to his shoulder before he stood up.

"Come on Daisychain." Roger whispered, nudging her before he stood up, his eyes rolling when she held her arms out to him instead. Roger huffed as he picked her up, one twin in each arm which was beginning to become a bit of a struggle lately as they were getting older now. Roger would never complain though, he didn't want any of them growing up too fast.

Making his way upstairs, Roger looked down at Daisy who instantly pointed to his and (Y/n)'s room instead of hers and Danny's. Roger rolled his eyes but followed her silent order, letting her tiredly move from his arms to the bed so she could burrow under the covers. Her eyes drooping though she tried to focus on Roger who eased Danny down and pulled the covers over them both. Deciding to leave the curtains half-open like they were before he leaned over and kissed them both before leaving the room. Knowing he didn't have to stay and wait for Daisy to fall asleep because she was close already.

"Dad..." Charlie's voice was unusually quiet as he walked out of the bathroom, his head turning down as he held his arm out.

Frowning, Roger walked down the hallway to where his eldest was standing, carefully holding Charlie's arm as he looked up at Roger, waiting for him to say something.

"Hell, Charlie what have you done?" Roger's voice wasn't stern or angry, it was concerned and slightly panicked as he kept his eyes on his son's arm. There were scratch marks in the middle of his pale arm which were blistering up flaming red and pearl white. Lifting his head, Roger kissed Charlie's temple before guiding him back into his room where he had the burn cream and bandages.

"I... I started scratching and then it wouldn't stop bleeding so I ran it under the tap..." Sitting down on his bed, Charlie kept his arm out to Roger who rested his arm on his leg as he leaned over to grab the bandages and cream from the side table drawer.

"You put your arm under the hot tap." Roger commented more than questioned, earning a nod in response causing Roger to sigh. Charlie knew which tap was for hot water and which was for cold, he had lived here all his life to know which one to use without thinking about it. "Did you do this on purpose?" Roger kept his words light as he let go of Charlie's arm, looking at his son whose eyes went wide at the question.

"No! I- I didn't think I just-"

"That tap takes a while to get hot and you've blistered your arm, Charlie. So either you had your eyes closed, you did this on purpose or you noticed and didn't do anything. Which is it?"

All the taps in the house took a little while to get from cold to warm and then to very hot water. If Charlie didn't realise which tap he had turned on he would have noticed when his arm started to blister and there was steam coming from the water. So either he wasn't looking at his arm which Roger highly doubted, he possibly did this on purpose maybe as some kind of punishment or for attention. Or he didn't mean to at first but then didn't pull his arm away or turn the tap off because his arm was blistering badly.

"I didn't mean to but then I just... left it running for a few seconds more." Charlie didn't dare look up at Roger but he felt himself calming down when Roger took hold of his arm again, slowly beginning to put the cream onto his burning skin.

"Why?" Inspecting his arm, Roger knew it would be fine within a few days or so but it looked like it would leave a scar or two. Grabbing the half-used roll of bandages beside him, Roger lifted Charlie's arm a little higher so he could start winding the bandage around his skinny arm.

"This." Charlie whispered the word back but he knew it wouldn't be enough of an explination. Roger looked up at him, wondering if he was going to show him something or point to something but Charlie seemed to wish Roger would just understand and drop the subject instantly. He was ashamed that he'd let his arm burn under the water but he wanted to. Looking to his arm, Charlie drifted his eyes between the bandage being rolled around his burns and Roger until his dad got the silent message.

If Charlie fell over, got burnt, had a temperature, anything at all his parents would keep checking on him or tending to his cuts and bruises and he liked it because they weren't fussing over Evie or the twins. They were asking if he was alright, sitting with him and hugging him and him alone.

When Charlie got hurt they would fuss and it gave him their attention that he was so desperate to have that he had to share with his siblings now.

"Charlie..." Roger sighed as he put the roll of bandages and the cream back in the drawer, rubbing at his eyes as he thought about what to say. This wasn't how things went, he couldn't do that or think that way. "That's not okay-" Roger didn't want to shout or make Charlie feel bad, he just wanted to tell him that he couldn't think that if he felt bad or he wanted Roger or (Y/n) to himself he should get hurt to grab their attention.

"I know, but I didn't- it wasn't on purpose a-at first... you and mum spend ages trying to get Danny to talk, if Daisy runs and falls or gets stomach ache you run to her and Evie's a baby. When I get a burn or a temperature you come and sit with me without running off to the twins." Shuffling forward, Charlie buried himself into Roger who wrapped his arms around him, trying to think of what to say. He could hardly be angry at Charlie for wanting more time with either parent even if he was going about it in the wrong way.

"I'm heading down to the studio tomorrow to work with the boys, want to come with? Just you and me and the band? You can play the drums with me."

Roger knew the band weren't planning on recording much tomorrow, they left the tape on and sometimes a camera here and there to record ideas and conversations but they weren't recording any tracks yet. It was the perfect time to bring Charlie down especially since he was really taking to drum lessons.

"Just us?" Charlie questioned quietly, his arms tightening that little bit more around Roger who hummed in response.

"Just us... if you promise you won't do this again." Roger rubbed his hand up and down Charlie's back as he felt Charlie rapidly nodding against him. He wouldn't do it again because he knew the moment he saw his arm blistering that it was a bad move not to pull away. But he had no reflex for things like that due to no pain so he could have his arm blistered away and not move an inch. That made it easier to just watch. He wouldn't dare do that again because Roger just promised him a day for the pair of them were he didn't have to fight the twins away for attention or get mad when Evie needed attending to.

"I promise."

[darkpoisonouslove]

Falling for You (to Catch Me) Chapter 2

Summary: Two years after Faragonda fell in Griffin's arms their friendship is going well to the point that they're celebrating Christmas together when a sweet little tradition threatens with the possibility of another downfall.

With a little over 5k words comes the second chapter... We should've all known there would be a second chapter. There always is a second chapter. -_- Don't get me wrong, nothing against more ideas but I am running on a tight schedule here. The good news is that those were ideas I was planning on writing anyway so... this wasn't really counterproductive.

Griselda’s apartment looked nothing like it’s usual. Of course, that was to be expected since Christmas decoration was only hung around at that time of the year and it was the first Christmas after they’d gotten their degrees and had found their own places. What was unexpected was the ridiculous amounts of mistletoe hanging around the apartment that didn’t allow you to take two steps without being caught underneath one and having to kiss whoever happened to be next to you at the time.

It had been the twins’ idea since Griselda looked just as uncomfortable with it as Faragonda was but she’d gone along with it and Faragonda had a good idea why. All three Ediltrude, Zarathustra and Griselda seemed to navigate the rooms carefully so that they were always far from Faragonda and Griffin, upping the chances that the two of them would have to kiss when they inevitably got caught under the mistletoe. Griselda had been insisting for months that Faragonda tell Griffin about her feelings which made no sense since Griffin already knew how much Faragonda valued their friendship. It was unspoken since neither of them wanted to offend any of the other three women but they were best friends. There was nothing to say since they didn’t need words to communicate.

Griffin had pulled her to the side, however, to talk to her, revealing that Ediltrude and Zarathustra were playing a prank on them, hoping to make them squirm for the rest of their Christmas celebration. And of course, she wouldn't be Griffin if she hadn’t come up with the perfect plan for revenge already. She’d offered that they turn it against them by actually kissing like their life depended on it and leaving the twins and Griselda flustered instead. And Faragonda had accepted, hoping that Griffin would brush off the loud beating of her heart that she could certainly hear as the effect of the adrenaline of foiling their friends’ scheme.

Griffin herself had seemed to be getting quite a kick out of it since her own heart had been pounding under Faragonda’s palm when she’d pulled her into a kiss, wrapping her in her arms, her lips on Faragonda’s even softer than her embrace just like Faragonda would've expected them to be if she’d ever thought of them more extensively. And they parted when she slid the hand that wasn’t enchanted by Griffin’s heartbeat in the long purple locks, letting a bit of air come out in a rush and brush against her own lips as if begging to be let in her mouth and mingle with her own breath to feed her life. It had been the perfect opportunity to deepen the kiss and touch Griffin’s being with the tenderness Griffin had shown her at their first meeting when she’d saved her from falling–though, it might have caused a whole another fall–but she’d pulled away, lest she fell too deep down their rabbit hole.

Griffin had apologized for the sudden kiss, explaining it had been practice for the ones that would surely follow considering the apartment was like a minefield of mistletoe, her breathing ragged and making the words sound harsh. And the abrupt way she let go of Faragonda, like she’d been burned, when she’d realized she was still holding on to her was harsh too, but Faragonda had tried not to think about it too much since it was bound to happen again. For all the kisses that would follow would be fake.

They were on kiss number eleven currently and had been given a rest now that Griffin had gone to the kitchen to make the eggnog punch–she’d only been allowed in there after she’d sworn she wouldn't spike it–but Faragonda’s mind kept drifting to that first kiss even as she watched Ediltrude kiss her sister on the cheek when they ended up under some mistletoe themselves only to get shoved away playfully. It had been different from the rest that had been more racy and even somewhat empty even though Griffin’s tongue had been in her mouth and her lungs had been full of Griffin’s breath as they put on a show in front of their friends who’d seemed rather disappointed that their plan had backfired and that had seemed to inspire Griffin to get more creative with her charade. She’d even dipped Faragonda once, making all her blood rush to her head and make her dizzy.

And even after all of that, that first kiss still stood out. Griffin had called it practice but it had been more than that. It had been more real since there’d been no mistletoe to compel them to kiss, just their own free will. And even if they’d been pushed by spite–or some other not so selfless intentions–all of that had melted away once their souls had connected just like their bodies had. She’d felt closer to Griffin than ever and that had seemed impossible to accomplish right up until it had happened. She had to wonder if perhaps that was her Christmas miracle this year–she’d met Griffin two years ago, and last Christmas they’d been on vacation together, getting her the gift of sleeping in Griffin’s arms–and she didn’t want to be ungrateful but she couldn't imagine having to wait another year for more.

“Faragonda, will you come give me a hand in here?” Griffin’s voice came from the kitchen, drawing not only her out of what she was doing, but also everyone else.

“You need some more love, Griffin?” Ediltrude yelled, her eyes locked with Faragonda’s the whole time and a wide grin appeared on her face, making Faragonda shake her head. She was used to Ediltrude’s teases by now and sometimes even found them funny since she’d never had a friend quite like that. This time she could’ve lived without them, though. She wished they would all stop meddling in what was none of their business.

“No, Faragonda’s all I need,” Griffin yelled back, her voice sickly sweet to the point where it nearly made Faragonda wince. She knew that sound well and it was like the quiet before the storm. Or in this case – the honey before the lemon. Only, Griffin didn’t just get bitter, she got vicious when she deemed someone deserving of punishment, and Faragonda was certain Ediltrude knew that–perhaps even better than she did–but it didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest. It could have something to do with the fact that she was on her second glass of whiskey already, though, Faragonda doubted that. Ediltrude could hold her liquor and had no measure when it came to the smart comments.

Ediltrude sighed dramatically. “I guess we’re just here as props in your love story,” she said as if to prove Faragonda’s point before walking over to Griselda since she needed a new victim now that she’d gotten everything she could from the situation.

“Well, you heard her,” Zarathustra spoke while chewing some popcorn, the bowl of it that was now half empty clasped tightly in her hands. Faragonda just hoped that she wasn’t taking the whole thing as a replacement for some comedy show she’d skipped on watching since they’d agreed on no TV and phones in order to truly be together. “She needs you,” she looked like she’d even give her a nudge but that would require her to get closer which could prove ill-advised with all the mistletoe hanging above their heads like an omen of doom. “Griffin will kill me if I get stuck underneath one of those with you,” Zarathustra added as she looked up at the offending things as if she’d read her thoughts before shoving another handful of popcorn in her mouth and going to join her sister who was having the tables turned on her.

It seemed that Ediltrude’s idea to torture Griselda had gone horribly wrong as she was currently caught in the middle of a lecture against getting wasted which only made her roll her eyes and drink half of her whiskey at one go and that, in turn, had Griselda’s eyebrows knitting. It was the perfect moment for Zarathustra to interfere before a fight could break out between the two, and she seemed happy to assist, the threat of the mistletoe pushed somewhere at the back of her mind.

Faragonda didn’t have time to dwell on that curiosity as she headed for the kitchen to see how she could help Griffin. She’d hoped they’d have some alone time but the thought had fled her mind with everything that had happened in the short period after they’d all gathered.

Frankly, aside from the war with the mistletoe, things were going better than she’d expected. Griselda was holding up considering the fact that Ediltrude had put her feet up on her coffee table before noticing her extensive book collection and deciding to go through it by pulling out everything all at once, sending Griselda’s organizational system to hell, and Zarathustra had set out to thoroughly explore Griselda’s mini bar, mixing herself a cocktail which should have been less concerning than it was considering her Chemistry degree but, alas, they’d all been afraid of some part of her concoction exploding or–the more likely option–of her poisoning herself. And that was all considering that Griselda had limited their access to the living room only and was watching them like a hawk. She’d complained that they’d already wrecked the other rooms when they’d been putting up the mistletoe and Faragonda would've been more sympathetic if said mistletoe hadn’t been brought in for the sole purpose of inconveniencing her and Griffin.

Griselda had managed to handle the situation, though, by getting into a long debate with Ediltrude over the origin of tarot cards–Faragonda wasn’t sure why that was of such interest, besides of course, Ediltrude’s passion for divination and Griselda’s competitiveness–and had brought out the popcorn as a peace offering between her and Zarathustra. She’d even laughed at one of her jokes which could be too dark if you were unprepared for them. They could probably even be described as having fun and the phone ban had been lifted for a few minutes so that Ediltrude could show pictures of the Christmas hats she’d made for her two snakes, making even Griselda admit that they looked weirdly adorable. It was all good up until the moments when the dreadful mistletoe would come into play and force her and Griffin to go along with their plan.

“What can I do?” she said as she walked in the kitchen to find Griffin leaning on the counter as if she was ready to examine the catch of the day. It made her heart speed up once again as she wondered what was going on in Griffin’s head. She wasn’t quite certain what her reaction would be to another potential scheme of Griffin’s to mess with their friends. The one they were already following seemed like a double-edged sword.

“I need a knife,” Griffin said, the look in her eyes decidedly malicious and the words startling her for a moment as she panicked that her thoughts might have been loud enough for her friend to hear.

“A knife?” she echoed as she couldn't move from her spot, studying Griffin carefully as she was trying to figure out what was going on. The eggnog punch was already in five glasses that were placed on a tray and everything seemed ready. So unless Griffin had decided to take the revenge up a notch, she couldn't figure out what she could possibly needed a knife for.

“Yes, I can’t open the packet of cinnamon sticks,” Griffin said as she grabbed said packet to illustrate her words. “I already sacrificed the tea, might at least have the cinnamon,” she explained pensively as she left the cinnamon sticks back on the counter, her energy lessening tangibly at the mention of her noble sacrifice and Faragonda had to admit that she understood. Tea had become their drink not only because they shared each other’s passion for it, but also because they had quickly become friends over it when they’d first had some together at the campus cafe. And they’d kept sharing secrets over a warm cup of tea, growing closer and closer to each other’s hearts. “I have no idea where Griselda holds her knives, though,” she folded her arms as if to both demonstrate her helplessness and try to deny it.

Faragonda smiled at her theatrics. “You could’ve asked Griselda, you know,” she said as she walked past Griffin to open the drawer with the cutlery. Not that she minded helping her out. Quite the opposite, in fact, especially when she knew that Griffin had specifically requested her help. Maybe she wanted some alone time, too, and now was probably their last chance for that since Ediltrude had brought her entire arsenal of nail polish so the next few hours would probably be devoted to manicure.

“No, I couldn't have since she’d tell me that cutting the packet with a knife is not the most efficient way to open it and would then start lecturing me to the point where it would be a miracle if we managed to get our eggnog punch before next Christmas,” Griffin said, grimacing and gesticulating dramatically and making her laugh.

“I suppose that’s not very far from the truth,” Faragonda said as she grabbed a knife and turned to hand it to Griffin who moved to take it but stopped before pulling it out of Faragonda’s grasp. “What is it?” she asked, tensing instinctively at the sight of Griffin’s stiffness. It reminded her too much of that first time she’d seen her tense and try to hide herself and all the times it had happened after that. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it always had her heart clenching painfully in her chest because Griffin deserved better and she hated the fact that sometimes she was helpless against the demons in Griffin's head.

Griffin turned to look at something and Faragonda followed her gaze to see some more mistletoe hanging from the cupboard right above their heads. Ediltrude and Zarathustra hadn’t even spared the kitchen in their attempts to prank them. They weren’t there, though, so those were efforts wasted.

“We don’t have to...” she felt herself trailing off just in time with her heart sinking when Griffin pulled the knife out of her hand but the disappointment didn’t have time to set in when she heard the ring of the metal against the kitchen counter.

Griffin cupped her cheek and drew her into a kiss that was nothing like the ones when they’d had audience. It was slow and sensual, making her head spin so hard that she had to grab at Griffin’s waist to steady herself and not miss any of the softness she was being snowed in under. Griffin’s tongue was less invasive and more giving this time and she let it in her mouth not because of their plan or because she couldn’t refuse to, but because she wanted to. All the previous kisses had been somehow obligatory–except maybe the first one and she had yet to find the words and courage to thank Griffin for not making their first kiss like that, but that would mean maybe saying more than she was ready to–and she hadn’t been able to quite enjoy them. Of course, she couldn’t have stayed completely impartial to Griffin’s lips on her own but something had been missing, and now it was as clear as day what that had been. They’d been so wrapped up in getting back at their friends that their souls hadn’t been able to reach each other, but now with nothing else in the way, they were free to sink into each other completely.

They merged into one being and it was a feeling that Faragonda had felt at one point or another of their friendship but never so intensely. And it wasn’t that they hadn’t trusted the other with themselves but that they hadn’t trusted themselves with the other. Despite their deep connection from the moment she’d fallen into Griffin’s arms, she’d had her doubts when it came to being good enough for Griffin and her fear of telling her about her feelings had only convinced her that she shouldn’t as it was proof against the selflessness of her love. She’d love Griffin whether she’d tell her about it or not so keeping it from her only deprived Griffin of the ability to know her own friend completely and of the chance to make her own choice. And now something had changed.

It may have been the feeling of utter loss when they’d parted from every kiss or perhaps the wrongness of those when they weren’t coming from a place of pure intentions and feelings, but it had finally made them open up to each other fully and give expression to their feelings. And that was the only gift she could ask for every day for the rest of her life as she held on to Griffin’s waist and let herself get completely carried away in Griffin's kiss, putting all of her love into what she was giving back.

Griffin pulled away, gasping for air, though not as harshly as she had all the previous times, for this kiss had given them more than it had taken from them and even the lack of oxygen wasn’t enough to kill them now that their lives were bound together. “I wanted to,” she whispered as she didn’t have enough air for more but it was enough to cause flutters in both Faragonda’s stomach and heart. Perhaps in her brain too, because she didn’t know what to say.

She took Griffin’s hand that had never left her cheek in hers and gave it a squeeze, for words seemed insufficient and unnecessary after the transformative power of the kiss. It had changed their entire reality and looking at Griffin's eyes was the only thing she needed to confirm it without a sound uttered between them. Their hearts had spoken and they’d both understood the message that had been loud and clear in the way they clung to each other like no force in the universe could tear them apart. Griffin had walked into her arms and wanted to stay there and that left Faragonda speechless as she admired the miracle that was happening between them.

“We have to go before they barge in here to collect us and any food and drinks that haven’t made it to the living room yet,” Griffin spoke quietly as if to not disturb the flow of emotions around them and as much as Faragonda wanted to stay in that moment, she had to agree. It would only be more jarring to be pulled away from their little cocoon of shared love from the others.

“I’ll go make sure Ediltrude and Griselda didn’t kill each other. They seemed to be on their way to a fight with only Zarathustra standing between them,” Faragonda said, taking a few seconds to make herself let go of Griffin since that was the last thing she wanted to do. The fact that Griffin didn’t seem to want to let go either didn’t help.

“I’m sure Zara doesn’t want anybody anywhere near Griselda,” Griffin said, her voice full of amusement that was bordering on evil glee and had Faragonda stopping dead in her tracks even after she’d made all the effort to get past Griffin without giving into her urge to draw her into a hug.

“What?” she asked since she wasn’t sure she could make herself go before Griffin cleared up what she meant. Could it be that their friends were at the exact same position as her and Griffin? Well, not exact same since Griselda and Zarathustra definitely weren’t such close friends but it was still similar enough to be ironic. And if it was true, she was surprised that Griffin hadn’t tried turning the mistletoe on them yet. Perhaps Griselda and Zarathustra’s Christmas miracle was not having anyone meddling in their love life, though, as much as she hated to admit it, if not for the mistletoe, her and Griffin could have–and probably would have–still been in denial about their feelings.

“I’ll join you as soon as I’m done with the cinnamon sticks,” Griffin didn’t care to elaborate, instead acting as if she hadn’t said anything. Though, that was an answer in itself that made Faragonda hurry to the living room.

Her attention was immediately captured by the fight between Ediltrude and Griselda that still seemed to be in progress with Griselda going on and on about the health issues excessive amounts of alcohol caused while Ediltrude looked bored out of her mind. She had her arms crossed and was slouching as if Griselda’s rant was draining all the energy out of her and the whiskey she was drinking was her only saving grace. Which was bad news because the last sip of it went down her throat right as Griselda was explaining the negative effects of alcohol on the brain in gruesome detail which didn’t seem to faze Ediltrude but the lack of alcohol in her glass was a different story.

She walked away from Griselda right in the middle of her sentence and if Faragonda knew anything about her friend, it was that that would just anger her more. It wasn’t in your power to walk away from Griselda once you’d started an argument with her just like it wasn’t in your power to win said argument. Griselda was always prepared for anything that could be thrown her way which certainly made the idea of her and Zarathustra as a couple interesting since they were total opposites in that.

Improvisation was Zarathustra’s second nature which made the fact that she still hadn’t blown anything up with her experiments that much more impressive. She was more instinctual which Griselda could probably use, though they were both very adaptive which would make them a great team and perhaps that could even be expanded to a romantic context.

“Running away instead of facing your defeat?” Griselda asked as she went after Ediltrude, hellbent on not letting her off the hook.

At this point there wasn’t a force in the universe that could stop that argument and Zarathustra seemed to have figured that out as well since she was currently sitting in the armchair nearby and working on finishing the bowl of popcorn, looking rather intrigued by the spicy turn of events that was certainly more interesting than Griselda’s facts and statistics. Or perhaps it was the thought of Ediltrude’s impeding loss of the argument that provoked her interest.

Ediltrude came to a halt so abruptly that Griselda bumped into her, unable to maneuver in time to avoid collision. “I’m not running,” Ediltrude said through gritted teeth, her grip on her empty glass tightening so much that her knuckles turned white, and Faragonda was afraid she’d hurt herself if she broke the glass when she saw where she was standing. “You’re obviously in lecture mode and I can’t handle that when-” her words died in her throat when she turned around and her hand with the glass that she was going to wave in front of Griselda’s face demonstratively froze when she noticed the mistletoe hanging above their heads.

Griselda’s face changed as well when she realized what had prompted Ediltrude’s reaction without even having to look up. She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled slowly, looking so tortured that Faragonda almost felt bad for her. They’d brought it on themselves, though, and she couldn't help but appreciate the poetic justice.

“What’s the matter, Griselda?” Ediltrude asked smugly as she, too, seemed to appreciate the opportunity to get back at Griselda for her previous words that the situation provided her with. Too bad she was playing with fire since Griselda never let herself get cornered. “Scared of a little kiss?” she teased, forcing a mask of innocence and faked worry on her face that quickly morphed into a victorious smile when she riled Griselda up even more which was an accomplishment in itself.

The grin was wiped from her face almost instantly, though, when Griselda grabbed at her shoulders and crashed her lips on Ediltrude’s which Faragonda couldn’t even call unexpected since she doubted Griselda had ever lost an argument in her life. And just the fact that she had to kiss Ediltrude wouldn't be enough to stop her from winning this one either.

Faragonda still had to press her palm against her mouth to keep her shock from getting the best of her and her gaze darted to Zarathustra who looked like she’d been struck by a lightning, the bowl of popcorn falling from her hands and hitting the floor, ending the scandalous spectacle, the little remaining popcorn scattering across the floor much like the whole atmosphere had. That most definitely was not the justice Faragonda had wanted, nor the way she’d wanted Griffin's words confirmed.

Ediltrude seemed just as shocked as her sister, her hands raised in helplessness that would've been comical if it weren’t so painful to watch and she didn’t move a muscle even when Griselda let go of her and stepped back, looking quite shocked herself and like she couldn’t process what she’d just done. She seemed to be focusing her attention on keeping her breathing even until her brain restarted while Ediltrude had stopped breathing altogether.

The atmosphere was tense like all the air had been sucked out of the room and the ticking of the clock that could be heard in the dead silence was like the timer to a bomb. Only, there was no telling when it would hit zero and blow up their entire Christmas celebration.

Faragonda’s whole focus was on the other three women and it took her a moment to register Griffin walking past her with the punch, her head turning a little too slowly to see the movement. Griffin's steps did, however, cut through the quietness of the room loudly enough to be the trigger for the explosion that they were all waiting for with baited breath and Faragonda rushed after her to lead her out of the room before she could do the wrong thing like setting the tray with the punch down too loudly or starting a sentence with the wrong word, but she tripped over the carpet and found herself falling face-first right into Griffin's arms.

She seemed to have set down the glasses just in time to catch her once again as if to recreate their first meeting in order to celebrate the imprecise anniversary of it and the new shape their relationship had taken now and it was enough to outshine all other thoughts as if they were Christmas lights that someone had plugged out.

“I remember you promising me that you’d be more careful,” Griffin said as she helped her regain her balance, her tone teasing and caring at the same time and it drew Faragonda’s gaze to her lips. She still hadn’t quite figured out how Griffin could combine warmth and coldness in herself so perfectly but she’d learned that she was addicted to the unlikely mix. She herself lacked a bit of cold that still allowed people to take advantage of her sometimes but Griffin's ice queen demeanor was as alluring as it could be frightening. And Griffin could be plenty terrifying when she wanted to which probably should have made her take her word to her more seriously. But she’d seen enough of the green fields behind the ice walls to be unable to fear Griffin's heart.

“You’re here to catch me now,” she offered, holding on to Griffin's hands to show there was genuine emotion behind the words in equal amounts with the flirtatiousness, perhaps even more. Griffin had been there for her from the moment they’d met and she could never imagine a life that she wasn’t a part of anymore. She didn’t want to.

“Will you two just kiss already?” Ediltrude spoke, startling Faragonda with the sudden reminder that they weren’t alone.

“We’ve been doing that all day,” Griffin quipped back at her, apparently having remained more present than Faragonda who was getting carried away even now–twelve, they’ve had twelve kisses in a little over two hours, and even if not all of them had been optimal, it was still a high number that would make for an incredible Christmas tradition–during their little moment. “You covered the entire apartment with mistletoe.”

“Lesson learned,” Griselda said too quickly, giving away her discomfort with the scene that had occurred just a minute ago. Her arms were crossed as if to keep the memories of it and her bad judgment away and she avoided looking anyone in the eye.

“Oh, come on, Griselda!” Ediltrude said, taking the time to look apologetically at her sister–or at least that was what it looked like to Faragonda–before speaking. “Learn to loosen up a little,” she said as she came to stand next to her and bumped her hip into Griselda’s with a lot of force, making her lose her footing and stumble, falling in Zarathustra’s arms that kept her from hitting herself at the floor.

“Are you insane?” Griselda asked, though, her irritation didn’t seem enough to propel her to move out of Zarathustra’s hold which would be brushed off by someone who didn’t know her closely, but to Faragonda it was so telling that she felt herself clutching Griffin's hands in a death grip. Griselda wasn’t a fan of physical contact unless she felt secure enough in her relationship with the person to trust them to put their hands on her. So she might have been a little more comfortable with Zarathustra than Faragonda had realized.

“Don’t worry, Zara is right there to catch you,” Ediltrude said, winking at both of them which drew a snowstorm of protests from both women as they jumped to their feet almost in sync to defend their innocence.

It sounded ridiculous from the side and made Faragonda and Griffin share a knowing look before leaning in for a kiss, knowing that their friends were preoccupied with their own drama to notice the change in their relationship.

[pandabearlikes]

My Husband, Kim JunMeow

Table of Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Chapter o5. Summer 1996        

Unrestrained, the two of us passionately kiss.  Our heads bobble against one another as we unleash our sinful emotions.  I almost choke from holding my breath for so long.  Fumbling, I round my arms around to unclasp my bra but Junmyeon grips onto my wrist.  He props himself up.

“You’re drunk…” my lover notes.

“I’m not,” I counter, though, truthfully…I’m starting to see images in double.

Hushing me, Junmyeon gets off the bed and starts to tuck me in under the blankets.  

“Kim.  Jun.  Myeon.  Do you want to be my lover?” I toss out the bold question through my gibberish.  

“You know I wouldn’t do that to you while you’re like this…” he reasons as he finally subdues me enough to stop thrashing the covers off.  I whimper and roll around, greeting him with my bare back.  With a soft chuckle, Junmyeon traces a heart along my skin and seals his feelings with a kiss.  I shudder and go in and out of consciousness.  My body feels as though it’s floating in mid-air.

My guardian spends the next few minutes quietly admiring my cherubic facial features.  They’ve matured a lot since he first laid his eyes on me, but to him, I’m still as beautiful as ever…if not more so now.  

“You still like him, don’t you?” Junmyeon says, almost sadly while brushing his thumb across my temple.  He recalls the giddy little girl chasing after a cute older boy.  

Soft sniffles morph into whimpers.  A quiet pearl rolls down the corner of my eye.  Junmyeon catches it with his finger, letting the cool liquid disperse back into the Heavens.  Leaning over, he plants a loving kiss on the center of my forehead, hoping to alleviate the grimace plaguing my angelic face.  

“Su...ho…” I softly sob.  Junmyeon freezes.  “Suho,” I repeat, this time clearer.  Distilled liquid wavers in his twin orbs as he grabs hold of my outstretched hands.  “Please…” I weep in my sleep, “…don’t separate us…”

“Ring-a-round the rosie, a pocket full of posies…Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!” little kiddies sing as they skip, hand-in-hand, in circles.  

The youngest of the bunch, a little girl with pigtails and a baby blue dress, is too late to fall down.  She stands in her spot, innocently turning her head from left and right.

"Argh!  She’s so stupid,” one insults.

The little girl blinks and tries to take the older girls’ hands again to retry the game.  With an annoyed sigh, they sing and try to run in circles again but the baby’s steps are much smaller and slower due to her size.  Again, she fails to comply with the game rules.  

“You’re so stupid!” the older female jeers and pushes the younger child down onto the floor.  Her baby skin soils in wet mud and she burst into tears.  “Haha!  There.  Finally down!  Now go!” the mean girl shoos.  Her group of friends kick dirt onto the girl; some pick rotten berries from the nearby tree to throw at her.

“Minseok Oppa!!!” she calls and runs off.  Her stubby legs only make it a short distance before she falls onto the ground.  “Min…seok…Oppa?” she murmurs as she watches the residential cute boy playing on the big-kid slide with an older girl.  The little girl’s parents had entrusted the boy to watch out for her, but he’s too busy to notice her.  

“Minseok Oppa…” she innocently stumbles up to the blocked off area.

“Yah!  Careful!  Go away!” he hisses and waves her away, “You’re too young to be here.  Go play elsewhere.”

Lips ripple, “Oppa, they pushed me—“

“What?  Who—“

“Minseok-yah!  Let’s go down the slide again!” the oblivious older girl grabs Minseok’s hand and pulls him away.  He watches as the little girl lowers her head, turns around, and waddles away.  When he finally shakes his friend’s grasp away, the girl is already gone.

Though only a toddler, the young girl already resorts to hiding in secluded places by herself whenever she feels as though she’s about to cry.  She learns it from all the times she hears her parents fighting at home; she thinks that in the dark, people can’t see her, therefore, they can’t hurt her.  Today, in this foreign atmosphere, she discovers her safe haven within a street trashcan.  

Everything is pitch black and it’s cold.  She starts to cry - though still reserved and quiet because she’s still scared to get caught.  And then, she starts to release her suppressed emotions about the recent bully event and more-so the fact that her Minseok Oppa disregarded her.  Her small body starts to convulse and the sudden onslaught of sobs cuts her air short.  Frightened, she stands up, reaches her baby arms over her head, and tries to open the lid but it won’t budge.  She gasp and tries again but it’s locked.

“Ma…” she thinks about shouting but remembers her skewed impression that in the dark she’s invisible and no one can hear her; thus, no one will find her.  Shivering, she falls back down onto the base of the trashcan, rolls herself into a ball, and starts to quietly sob to herself.

“Meow…” a friendly sound echoes within the container.  

Peeping her head out, the girl spots a pair of round eyes.  The owner advances toward her, causing her to shrivel up into the corner.

“Meow~” the kitten, who has been silently watching her this whole time, scoots himself, paw by paw, up to the little human.  “Meow…” he purrs and brushes his fluffy body against the trembling girl as if to provide her with some heat.  

It isn’t until he climbs onto her lap, does she realize that the creature who can see her in the dark, when everyone disregarded her, isn’t a scary Monster of the Night out to feed on her flesh, but a tiny fur ball.  

“Meow~” the kitty tilts his head and looks her in the eyes, as if saying, “Don’t cry, I’m here too".  Reflexively, the feline starts to knead the girl’s belly.

“Are you hiding too?” she asks in her high pitched voice.  “You’re so smol…you’re smoler than me…” she observes when her vision finally accommodates to the darkness.  Her malnourished new friend nuzzles his head against her tummy and purrs.  “Did the big kitties not pay with you, either?” the little girl pouts and pets the baby cat on his head.

“Meow…” his high pitch voice matches hers with perfection.

“It’s okay!  I’ll pay wit chu!” she announces in excitement and then shyly inquires, “Do chu want to be fwiends?”

Meow!!” the abandoned kitten pounces up and down with joy.

They start to share conversations only they understand; the human toddler talks about how her bullies pushed her down and how her Minseok Oppa ignored her and the kitten responds with “Meows” and warm cuddles.  Soon, the two of them fall asleep.  Outside, day turns to night…night turns to day.  But the two bonded souls only see darkness.  

Amber alerts go out.

Both are starving and cold.  The girl starts to sob again and the kitten automatically begins to sooth her with his light pats.  

“Do you have a name?” she asks between weeps.

“Meow :(“

“Suho,” the girl names, “My mummy says it means ‘potector'!”

“Meow~” the kitty’s soft orbs turn into hearts as the girl takes her silver bell bracelet and puts it around her friend’s neck.

“We can protect each other,” she braves a smile, takes the kitty into her arms, and hugs him because she feels a sense of warmth she’s never felt before.  

“Suho…” I choke out between sobs.

“I’m here.  I’m right here…” Junmyeon rubs and brings my shaking hands up to his lips.  

“It’s okay.  I’m not scared when I’m with you…” the baby girl keeps repeating to herself as she falls in and out of consciousness.  The white kitten head butts her several times to keep her awake.  It’s been two and a half days.  Summer mornings blaze with hot sun, turning the metal dumpster into a boiling pot; nights are colder than snow storms.  The extreme temperature changes prove to be tolling on the young lives’ health.  When garbagemen finally discovers them, they’re both unconscious and wrapped in each other’s arms.  

“She loves the cat, let’s let her keep him,” her mother suggests when the sickly girl cries for her feline friend even as she’s convulsing from the fever.  Almost a miracle, she makes remarkable progress when they place the now washed and healthy kitten beside her in bed.    

“Suho!” she beams as she runs around the garden, letting her pigtails bounce up and down.  Her best friend chases after her, the bell around his neck jingling pure bliss into the air.  Giggling, the tiny girl falls onto the grass, letting the kitty climb onto her belly.

They become inseparable.

“Suho…” the toddler rolls onto her tummy in bed after her mother finishes tucking her in.  Soft glows of her night light draw a halo around Suho’s fluffy head.  He hops onto her bed, something that’s forbidden by the girl’s parents - but it’s okay when they are alone.  Naturally, he nestles in to the croak of his human’s neck and starts to doze off to sweet slumber.  “I’m not going to marry Minseok Oppa,” she decisively states.  The kitten perks up, tilts his head to one side, and stares at her.  “When I grow up, I’m going to marry you!” she announces as she kisses his pink nose.

“TOSS HIM OUT!” her father shouts as soon as the doctors diagnose the girl’s fever and swollen cut as “Cat Scratch Disease”.

She wails as her mom carries her away.  Her illness lasts the entirety of a month and due to the late diagnosis, the high fever had stolen away parts of her memory.

“Suho?” she’d randomly call as she looks out the window as if waiting for someone but not knowing who.

“Just your imagination, Honey.  Cats are dangerous.  Don’t go near them,” her mother strokes her head and brings the confused girl into her embrace.

I jolt up in bed with tears rushing down my cheeks.  Vertigo paralyses my consciousness, blood rushes down from my head.  I pull my hand up to alleviate my dizziness, only to find out that it is intertwined with Junmyeon’s.  He had fallen asleep with his head resting on the side of my bed.  My tug stirs him awake.  

“He-hey…” he greets, his voice hoarse.  As soon as his initial grogginess dispels, he spots the streams rushing down my porcelain face.  His brows dive.  “Wuh-what’s wrong?”

Shaking my head, I turn away and try to wipe away the tears but Junmyeon gets up and spins me around.  I hiccup, more streams rush down my cheeks, for reasons, I don’t even know.  Images from my dream starts in fade, first, slowly so that I still recall the coldness of the trashcan or the boiling heat of my forehead…the soft white fur of Suho…and then…I start to just recall his high pitch “Meow…” Suho…then in record speed, all the recollections accelerate and vanish.  Just like that…leaving a hole in my heart I didn’t know why or how to fill.  

“Why are you crying?” the caring gentleman inquires as he holds me against his chest.  

“I…don’t…know?” I reply as I weep.  It takes another hour or so of cuddling before Junmyeon deems me “fine” enough for him to let go.  A small smile clings on my lips as I watch him walk out to fetch me some water.  So protective…

“We can protect each other!” a little girl’s voice sounds in my mind.

Wincing, I hold my throbbing head.  

“Headache?” my lover sprints from the doorway to my side.  “You drank too much last night…” he shakes his head and hands me the glass of water.

“Ye-yeah…I think I drank a little too much…” I admit.

“A little?” Junmyeon raises his brow and runs his fingers through my hair.  

“Let’s have sex,” I recall my own voice saying.  Slowly, reality hits me hard.  I remember my lips massaging his…my trying to undress…

I slap a hand against my lips and stared wide-eyed at Junmyeon.  The strange part is that, I’m now fully dressed in PJs.

“Wuh-what…” I stutter as I rolled both my palms and hold it up to my face.  Junmyeon brings my head to rest against his chest again and proceeds to start massaging my temples.  And lemme tell you, if this boy isn’t a part-time nudist, he is definitely a masseur…his touch is so soft but strong, hitting the pressure points with perfection.  

Automatically, my head tosses back and I groan with pleasure.  His chuckle tinges my cheeks in bubblegum pink.  

“Did you…help me get dressed?” I bite my lower lip and murmur.

“Ah, yeah…I didn’t want you to catch a cold,” Junmyeon explains so casually, as if he does this all the time.  Frowning, I rub the back of my neck.    He misinterprets it as my muscles are stiff and brings his hands down to massage the area.  I fail to stifle back a giggle when he brushes over a weak spot.  His gentleman soft smile twitches into a smirk.  Naughtily, he runs his fingertips over that area.

“HEY!” I whip my head around and laugh through my pout.  

“Now, I know your ticklish spot,” he does a pretend-evil cackle.  His goofiness gives me so much life.  “You’re always attacking my weak spot, now I can finally have revenge!” Junmyeon teases.

“What are you talking about?  When have I attacked you?”

“You always tickle my belly!” Junmyeon crinkles his nose and throws me a pretend grumpy pout.  

“When did I…wait…,” I smirk, “So your weak spot is your belly?!” I say as my tickle fingers activate and I attack him on his abdomen.  Mellifluous giggles ring from my ears to his.  The two of us fall against the bed.  Out of breath and weak from laughing so hard, I withdraw my hands but my retreat is Junmyeon’s cue to advance.  I gasp as the handsome male grabs either sides of my waist, rolls me over, and pins me against the bed.  Pupils dart back and forth, the bluish hue of his unique orbs flashes with vibrancy.

“So…about the request you made last night…” he leans over and whispers into my ear.  I gulp.

“Let’s have sex.”

“Wuh-what…request?” I pant from my overactive heart.  My lover strokes my jawline and teases me with a shrug.  “Ah, maybe next time then.”

As he starts to get up, I grab his wrist.  Peering into my fearful but desperate eyes, Junmyeon sits back down on the bed.  An aura of seriousness replaces that of his previous playfulness.  “I’m not who you think I am…” he acknowledges.  With soften expression, he strokes my hair, leans over, and plants a kiss on the center of my forehead.  As I close my eyes, a quiet sigh slips through my lips.  “I’ll make breakfast,” he volunteers and gets up.  This time, I don’t stop him.  

~

“JunMeow-ah, where are you?” The worried potato cat mom in me hunches over, with a cat toy in my hand, to lure out my feline friend.  But the white fluff is nowhere in sight.  With a frown, I join Junmyeon in the kitchen.

“This disloyal cat,” I grumpily murmur.

“Hm?” my lover blinks and pouts as if I had insulted him.

“He keeps running off somewhere.  I bet he has a lover,” I conclude.  As I sip on some apple juice, I narrow my eyes and add, “Maybe multiple lovers…”

“What?  No!  No, he doesn’t!” Junmyeon defends.

Raising my brow, I question, “How do you know?”

He flattens his lips and uses the excuse that the eggs on the pan are burning to avoid my interrogation.

“Either way, I booked an appointment to get him neutered so he won’t be out and about much longer~” I singsong as I slip into my seat on the kitchen counter.

Junmyeon almost drops the pan.  With widened eyes, he brings his free hand protectively over his groan.  

~

“Ahhh!!!” I shrill.

Startled, Junmyeon, who had been reviewing my chemistry homework for mistakes, gets up and sprints over to the bathroom.  He bangs the door but I’m too traumatized to respond.  Another few moments of silence forces the concerned male to kick down the barrier.

I blink.  Reflexively, his oscillating orbs dart down the curvatures of my wet body.  Only clothed in a thin bath towel that highlighted only the most attractive parts, there is not much left for imagination.  Hair sticks against my small face, framing it to perfection.  Water droplets rush down, collecting at the hollows of my collarbone.  Junmyeon is as stiff as a statue at the doorway.  

“mMM!!!” I bounce up and down on my toes and point at a corner of the bathroom.  Still, the stunned man can’t seem to remove his eyes from my body, especially since I wasn’t really being cautious with my movements.  The short hops only causes his mind to go wild when my amble breasts rode along.  It’s not until I squeal again and leap over to him that he finally slaps himself awake.  “Junmyeon!!!  Rat!”

Tilting his had to the side, he follows my pointer finger and catches the little rodent sniffling behind the toilet.  With a smirk, the human cat confidently strides over and lets his shadow hover over the smaller creature.  Immediately, the rat’s eyes widens and it starts to squeeze in between a small gap to avoid capture.  Unfortunately, Junmyeon is too quick for him; in one swift swipe, he lifts the mouse up by the tail.

“AHHHHH!” I scramble as goosebumps rise along my arm.  

With a mischievous grin, Junmyeon starts to walk over to me.  Anxiously, I shake my head and hands until he corners me against the opposite wall.

“It’s kinda cute,” Junmyeon remarks as he observes the dangling rodent.  He holds it up to my face so I could see.

“NO! NO!” I shout but the boy is a little too playful today.

In efforts to get away from my musophobia, I flee through a small escape.  Unfortunately, my escape plan fails when the bottom of my feet battles a wet puddle on the tiled floors.  As my body starts to lose its balance, Junmyeon heaves, tosses the mice into the air to free his hands, and catches me by the waist.  

“Are you—“

PLAT

A furry gray mass blurs my vision.  The rodent had landed right dab on the center of my forehead.  Within Junmyeon’s arms, I stiffen in place, not daring to move a single inch because its sharp razor-blade teeth could easily blind me.

“Jun…Junmyeon…ah…” I whimper through my trembling lips.

With ease, the brave warrior picks up the rodent by its tail again, releasing me of torture.  Immediately, I wash my face.  My reflection is a complete mess; wet hair disheveled with a few matted areas and towel barely clinging against the curve of my breast…but at this moment, I could care less.  Frowning, I cross my arms over my chest and turn to my lover who is laying on his stomach, on the bathroom floor, fooling around with his new friend.  

“What are you doing?” I ask with my brows knitted together.  

To my dismay, he exclaims, “It’s so cute!”

“Kim Junmyeon, are you serious?”

“Can we keep it?!” the kitty boy looks up with a toothy grin.  It immediately falls when he sees the fright written on my face; my eyes toggle with brimming tears.  

Lips rippling, I dash out of the bathroom, calling, “JunMeow-ah…JunMeow, where are you?  I’m being bullied…” I dramatically sob to my cat, who’s been missing for three days.

“I’ll free it to the sewers!!!” Junmyeon, immediately, corrects.

~

“Where are you…?” I whisper as my mind can’t seem to concentrate on my homework when it’s worrying over my missing cat.  It’s been almost a week.

“I’m right here,” Junmyeon, who’s beside me, answers.  “You used the wrong equation for this problem,” he points out as he looks over my assignments.  I throw him a grim look.  Yeah, it’s fun to have Junmyeon around but the thought of my little baby wandering the streets with no yummy fish to eat rocks me with sorrow.  

“I want to go look for JunMeow,” I curl up into a ball and admit.

My tutor’s face softens at my confession. Had he finally captured my heart?

“I’m sure he’ll come back soon,” the handsome male squeezes my hand.  

I peep my head out from my knees and look up at him, questionably.  “How do you know?”

“Tonight.  There’s a chance he will be back tonight,” he reassures.

Slowly, my frown fades away.  Kim Junmyeon may be a mysterious human being but he never breaks any promises.  With his beautiful smile, he reaches out and pinches my pink nose.  

“Don’t worry.  If he knew that you loved him that much, he wouldn’t have left in the first place…” he makes an unconscious confession.  His eyes are distant and a little troubled.  But they’re so gorgeous, especially with his framed specs.  My heart flutters as I grow giddy at the thought of a smart husband.  

“Heh…” I let out a giggle.  

“We’re kinda out of food…” my lover reminds.  Unfortunately, two stomachs empty out the fridge faster than one.    

“Let’s go grocery shopping!” I announce.  Without wasting another second, I slip my fingers through his and tug him along.

“Is it a date?” Junmyeon coyly questions while tightening the grip on my hand.  His grin is not soft and lovely like normal, but cheesy and greasy.  He almost looks like JunMeow after he finishes a good meal.

“Hm…maybe…” I tease while swinging his hand as we skip down the side walk.  I hop to a stop and spin to face him.  “Do you want it to be a date?” I try to hide my hope and bashfulness by boldly asking.  

Junmyeon answers by leaning over and swiftly stealing a quick peck on my lips.  Casually, he starts to walk off, leaving me flailing around like a lovestruck kitten.  Biting my lower lip, I call and chase after him.  With a bright beaming expression, my lover halts in his tracks to allow me to catch up.  My arms naturally find his hip and he throws an arm over my shoulder.  

“Let’s get some yummy food before it rains,” Junmyeon suggests and plants a sweet kiss on the top of my head.  

Excitedly, I nod.  Fish, fish, and more fish.  Chicken, carrots, peas, and green beans.  I pick up some tomatoes and Junmyeon grimaces.  

“You don’t like tomatoes?” I inquire as I marvel at how round and cute the tiny vegetables are.  

My lover shakes his head.  “I’m allergic to them.  But you should get them if you like them,” he encourages, takes the bunch of tomatoes from my hand, and puts it onto the cart.  I beam and nuzzle my head against his arm as if I’m a cat.  Chuckling, he lovingly pets my head.  

As we head to pay for the groceries, we pass the pet aisle.  Automatically, my feet advances forward, as if there is an magnetic pull, pulling me in.  My fingers run across the canned food and kitty litter, stopping at a feather toy shaped like a mouse.  Junmyeon follows behind and puts both his palms on the balls of my shoulders.  

“You think JunMeow would like this?” I ponder out loud, my voice a soft whisper.

“He would love it,” my lover replies.  I turn to him with a sad smile.  “Anything you get him, he would love,” he adds.

“Do you want to pick one out for him too?  When he comes back, you can gift it to him as a first meeting present,” I suggest.  Junmyeon perks up at the idea.  “JunMeow is a little coo-coo when visitors try to play with him.”

“Heh…” the catman anxiously rubs his neck.    

When we exit the store, gray clouds loom over us from above.  With a frown, I create a hand visor and tilt my head up to the gloomy sky that didn’t quite fit the romantic and happy day I was having.  

“It looks like it’s going to rain, we better hurry back,” I say.

My lover tenses up and hesitantly follows me.  He’s abnormally quiet so I try to initiate some surface conversations but all he does is answer with short, “Uh, yeah…” and “Mmhmm…” as his mind is distressed with the bad timing of everything.  Midway home, it starts to drizzle.  I hold my palm out to catch a perfectly round rain droplet.  Giggling, I start to spin in circles.  Sometimes, it’s best to just dance in the rain instead of running away from it, after all.  But I pause as soon as I spot Junmyeon’s agitated expression.  

“Something wrong?” I skip up to him and inquire.

My voice brings him back to reality.  “Uh…uh…hey, I’m sorry.”

I blink as he hands me the bags of groceries, he wouldn’t let me carry at all before.  

“I have an emergency.  I have to go,” he briefs.

Again, I blink.  It starts to pour.  Panicking, Junmyeon darts into the alleyway.  “I’ll be back soon!  Don’t worry!!” his promise fades with the growing distance.  

“Oh…kay…” I reply to an empty alley.  Shrugging the sorrow off, I hold a hand over my head and sprint my way home.  Despite, the effort, I end up drenched.

“Argh, I should have brought an umbrella,” I groan as I stomp up the stairs.  My wet shoes squeak with every step.  With a sigh, I dig in my pockets for my keys.  When I look up at my doorway, I’m greeted by a very soaking soppy white cat.  

“Meow~” he calls.

I drop the grocery bags and get down on my knees.  “JunMeow!!” I shout and throw my arms over him.  “Where have you—“ I start but stop and put him at an arm’s length.  Cringing, I comment, “You smell like a wet cat.”  No duh.  

Scooting him inside the apartment, I struggle but eventually carry the stubborn cat into the bathtub by threatening that either he takes a shower or he’s sleeping on the floor.  As I prepare the pet shampoo and the towels, I can’t help but laugh at his face of doom.

“Why, Honey?  Showers are so therapeutic,” I chuckle.

“Meow >:(,” he groans, which only makes me laugh harder.

“Wanna bathe together, then?  I’m soaked too,” I make a Devil’s bargain purely as a joke.  The cat starts to choke and hack out coughs.  Gasping, I get down on my knees and stroke his back.  “See, look at you, you ran away and caught a cold, you dumb butt,” I half-scold and start to massage the soap into his fur.  His eyes roll back and for the first time in his kitty life, JunMeow discovers that baths can be delightful.  

“Stop running away,” I nag again.

“Meow…” my kitty responds and obediently closes his eyes when I hold the shower head up to his face.

“Is your lover really that pretty?” I hold both his paws and ask.  

“Meow :),” he licks the back of my hands.  

“Hmph,” I pretend to pout, “So you keep leaving me for a pretty girl?  Aren’t I pretty?”

JunMeow blinks.  I throw a towel over his little body to dry him off.  

Picking him up, I state, “Either way, you’re getting neutered tomorrow morning.”

“MEOWEOUWEUIWUEIOUWUEOUWEUOWUEOUUW,” the cat thrashes in my arms.  

A/N: ₍���(=ච ﻌ ච=) Ya’ll should know me by now, I trollol but sexy time will happen ;p just gonna build up some sexual tension first

Well, that’s if JunMeow doesn’t get neutered first! !?! (Дﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ) ?!!

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