#im just planning to quietly replace all the old things

[beanbowlbaggins]

i have to move into a nautical basement apartment this month, so I'm browsing for blue kitchen things

[partyanimal167]

A Win-Win Situation- Rayleigh x F!Reader

I had to drop a bag at the mechanic two days ago, and to literally keep myself from not crying, I was coming up with a fic idea to make the situation sexier and not depressing 😅 This popped up, and I was just like, 'At least I can finally write for Rayleigh.' I also told my friend, and he supported doing what you needed to do because damn do autoshops scare me.

CW: modern au, black fem reader, age gap, very light dubcon, smut, praise kink, daddy kink, MDNI

You only expected to get the tires rotated. So when the man started talking about parts and labor costs, you were ready for the earth to swallow you up whole.

You were confident about a lot of things. You could do most adulting tasks like clean, organize your bills, plan a trip, etc. But cars...weren't your area of expertise. But you managed for awhile, so you didn't worry too much! You watched videos and knew that there were things you needed to get done to maintain the vehicle.

So you went to get your tires rotated. Easy. Nothing to worry about....until, the guy pointed out that your check engine light was on. He must have seen the way you stiffened and tried to keep your expression calm.

The man gave you a sweet, flirty smile and waved his hand. "Don't worry too much, sweetheart. I'm actually a bit packed today, but an old friend owns a shop on the next street over. He should be able to check it out. Shouldn't cost you much either."

You bit your lip nervously as you rocked a little. "Really?"

"Of course! Tell 'im Shanks sent you. He'll take really good care of you."

~~~

You shyly stepped out of your car in front of the older shop where a radio played throwbacks and a fan blew strongly.

You walked quietly through the open garage door where a person stood under a lifted car with a welder's mask on. "Uh, excuse me" you raised your voice a little since you weren't sure if they'd be able to hear.

The body looked up at you before stepping from under the car and turning to take off the welding hood.

You weren't ready for the kind, sweet older man to beam at you. His glasses were somehow spotless despite the hood. After he wiped his hands on a rag, he pulled his long, gray hair out of its ponytail. "Hi dear, how can I help you today?"

You fidgeted with your hands a little. "Huh, I was just trying to get my tires rotated, but my check engine light is on. The guy, Shanks, said I should come see you." you explained.

The man nodded. "Ah the boy. Yes of course I can help you." he wiped his hairline and sipped his water. "Shame you're out here in this heat. That boyfriend of yours shouldn't be having you out running car errands either."

Your cheeks warmed up, and you scratched one nervously. "I don't have a boyfriend." you softly corrected.

The man handed you a water bottle. "Well that can be fixed--easily." he chuckled. Before you could ask what he met, he held out his hand, and you gave him his keys. "I'm Rayleigh by the way." You nodded and with your own. "Beautiful, what a pleasure."

You stepped to the side as the man drove your car in and took out a little gadget to hook up to your car. You watched a bit confused as he pressed some buttons and frowned at the screen.

The sun continued to beam down, so you were glad you were wearing your short shorts and cropped hoodie, but you weren't expecting to be out alone with just you and the older man. The other shop had a lot of people coming in and out. You wiped your brow and chugged some of your water as you eyed the older man. You didn't feel too nervous though. Rayleigh seemed nice. He was all gentle smiles and had a calm demeanor. Plus, he looked good for his age. You bet he was a real lady killer in his day.

"I'm going to be honest, love. I think one of your catalytic converter is shot. We're going to need to replace it." the man sighed as he closed the door and looked over to you.

You blinked twice. "That's the expensive part, right?"

The man chuckled at your wording and nodded. "I'm afraid so. But don't worry. I won't charge you an arm and a leg." he assured you. You rocked the on your heels a little as you nibbled a little on your lip. "That's what Shanks said..."

"Let's get you out this heat." you entered a small office and sat at the desk. Rayleigh handed you another water bottle before taking off his denim jacket. You nearly choked. This man is jacked. He had on a white tee, but you weren't expecting the way his muscles filled it in. "You okay there?"

You cleared your throat and met a mischievous look. Hopefully, he didn't notice your stares. You nodded. He grinned as he typed away at his computer. "So I need to order the part, but I think including labor we're looking at this amount." he filled out an invoice and circled the total. Rayleigh watched as your body went rigid and he sighed. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I wish it could be less. I-,"

"Oh no, it's fine! You have a business to run of course," you gave a little nervous smile. Rayleigh gave you a once over before that innocent smile was back.

"Come here, princess."

You whipped your head up. "Excuse me?"

Rayleigh pushed away from the desk a little and patted a spot in front of him. "Come sit."

You stood and walked around the desk and sat. You gasped as your hand was taken and a soft kiss was placed on it. "You can't go giving an old man ideas especially with the way you're looking at me." you gasped in response. "We can do a little trade. What do you say? Let's see how many rounds you can last, and I'll make some adjustments." You were surprised by the challenge, but it excited you all the same. The old man seemed experienced. Plus, there was no way he was going to out last you either. It was an easy win-win.

~~~

"Fuck daddy, daddy!" your legs were shaking as the man continued to pump his fingers inside as you sat in his lap. You gripped tightly on his shoulders as you bounced up and down.

Rayleigh grinned meanly at you. "What's wrong, dear? It's only been two so far. I'm trying to be nice here. Can't you give me some more?" The man went back to licking and sucking on your nipples as you moaned and sobbed. Your walls started clenching on his fingers once more and you whined as he put more pressure on your clit with the heel of his palm. "Ah there we go. Good girl, I knew you could do it." He sucked a hickey right below your ear. "You flatter this old man with how you sound. Is it good?"

"Yes!" you groaned as you tipped over that mountain again.

It took you a couple moments to catch your breath, and when you were present again, you realized you were on the desk looking up at the man who didn't even have a hair out of place. That sweet smile was there, but with the three orgasms he just gave you, it was so deceiving. Your face was burning, and you let your eyes trail down to see his member out and proud. It was girthy and hard. You could see the veins that ran down and the streams of precum that had been leaking. You whimpered.

"I wanna suck it, daddy." your eyes glossed over, and your cheeks were shiny with tears.

The man groaned at the sight. He'd have to thank Shanks for sending you over. He shook his head. "Ah ah, no sweetheart. You can do that next time. This is your reward for being so good for me, princess." He lifted your hood and spread some of juices around. "Deep breath now," and he sunk in.

You cried out deliriously. He filled you so well and stretched you more than you expected even with prep. You hooked your legs around his waist and pulled him even closer. Rayleigh chuckled before pushing in further. "Fuck, you feel so good, love. Such a naughty girl just for carrying around this good pussy, shit." the man huffed as he started up a slow but strong rhythm.

Skin slapped against another loudly, and you were drowning it. It was too much yet not enough at the same time. Rayleigh grunted deliciously near your ear and cooed about how pretty you were, how good you felt, how he wanted to keep you around and fill you up. You clenched around him more and more, and he sped up. "I'll give it to you, baby. Good girl wants to get pumped full?"

"Yes, yes! Please, let me- uh uh, let me have it please." You cried out. You moaned as you were kissed deeply and felt your tongues twirled around. "Fuck, fuck! I'm gonna cum, daddy. I'm gonna cum. Fuck, yes!" Your orgasm hit you hard; you saw pure white in your eyes as you crashed and rode that wave into pleasure.

"So good. So good! I'll give it to you princess. Just take it," Rayleigh continued on and huffed loudly, glasses finally falling off. He gripped the back of your thighs as he finished and milked himself.

The two of stay silent for a moment before you squeaked as you felt fingers stuff you full. "Can't waste a drop." Rayleigh winked.

You looked at him completely stunned.

This was certainly not how you thought the day would go...

~~~

*rereads and blushes* God damn....

I hope I did justice to my mans Rayleigh! I'm just gonna indulge in this fantasy to pretend that I didnt have to drop cash on this damn car...

Thanks for reading!

Part Two

[rickyyysaurus]

I keep forgetting to post chapter 4 so idc that it's late im posting it before I forget again. This one is called "Mom and Dad Are Getting a Divorce"

Chris had sat himself beneath a tree, back leaning against it, eyes not looking at anything in particular. The Tortuga appeared in the sky, the clearing being easily visible from the air. It lowered, coming in for a landing. Chris stood as the grass and branches and his hair were blown back by the wind as the Tortuga touched base. He approached the ship as the head dropped and mouth popped open, granting him access. Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy were all standing around the circular table in the main section of their mobile home. Chris joined them silently, eyes darting as thoughts danced frantically inside his head. No one said anything, silence hanging in the air. The three already on board exchanged glances before all starting at once. 

"What happen-?"

"Are you oka-?"

"How did you-?"

Another moment of silence. 

"Chris", Aviva began, slowly, quietly, as if not to scare away a timid critter.

"Where's Martin?" Jimmy's voice trembled, scared of what the answer might be.

Chris sighed heavily, gesturing to the woods with his head, deliberately avoiding making eye contact.

"He's still out there."

Relief flashed briefly through the crew before quickly being replaced with concern again. 

Aviva's mouth pressed into a thin line. Koki tentatively spoke up.

"What happened to you guys out there?"

Chris crossed his arms.

"We thought we were tracking a werewolf, something wrong with it making it stuck in wolf form even during the day. Eventually we lost it, and were looking for the way back when we realized we hadn't lost it at all. It had ditched us, and was hunting us instead. That's when we knew it wasn't a werewolf, it was a fenrir."

"A fenrir? What's that?" Aviva asked.

"It sounds scary", Jimmy said from behind the pillow hiding him.

"It's a wolf-like creature from old Norse myth. Supposedly the Fenrir is a child of Loki, and what we encounter now are its descendants. They're big, and vicious, and hunt for sport, but otherwise they're just big wolves."

Jimmy's pillow was trembling like a leaf.

"So that's what that thing was", Aviva muttered to herself, speaking of the lump of fur on the floor of the clearing they saw from above. She looked up at Chris again.

"So, what happened to Martin? Why's he not with you?"

Chris looked even more miserable. 

"Because I told him to leave."

"What?" Koki asked. "Why would you do that?"

"I… I wasn't sure my plan would work. And if it didn't, well. I figured it'd be better if it only got one of us."

Aviva's jaw dropped.

"Idiota! Estúpido, estúpido, imbécil!" She threw her hands up. "What were you thinking?"

Chris snapped to face Aviva.

"I know! I know already! Don't you think I know how bad I fucked up? That's my big brother out there! In these fucking woods of all places! If we don't find him soon, he- he could-"

Chris shut his mouth before his voice could waver.

"We need to go," he continued softly.

Koki and Jimmy stood to the side awkwardly, eyes shifting between the two. 

Aviva set her frustration aside for the time being. They would exchange words about this later. 

"Ok. Ok, you're right. What's the plan?"

"We take the Bug Bikes, two by two."

"Two by two? As in, all of us are going? As in I'm going?!" Jimmy asked nervously.

"Sorry, Jimmy, but it isn't safe to go by yourself out here, and we need to cover as much ground as possible. The woods get thicker the deeper you go, and Martin was pretty much running straight in."

"Oh, boy," Jimmy gulped.

"You can come with me, if that'll make you feel better."

"It does not, but ok," he sighed.

Chris swung a leg over the seat of the bug bike, placing his helmet over his head as Aviva locked down the Tortuga. They didn't want to come home to any… unwanted guests. Jimmy was already fusing himself to Chris's back, eyes screwed shut.

"Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts," he mumbled the chant into Chris's jacket. 

"It's ok, Jimmy. Everybody is gonna make it back alive, I promise," Chris reassured quietly.

"Alive doesn't mean in one piece," Jimmy pointed out.

Chris rolled his eyes.

"Ok, fine. Alive and in one piece."

"What about traumatized? We could easily be traumatized for life out here."

"Jimmy, Aviva dropping that wrench last week 'traumatized' you. I'm afraid there's no avoiding it in your case, woods or no woods."

"My point still stands."

Chris shook his head with a soft smile. Aviva and Koki pulled up beside them, giving him a thumbs-up. It was go time.

"You guys go left, me and Jimmy will go right. We'll check in with each other on the creature pods every hour. Use them to map where you've searched already, too."

He looked to the sun, beginning its slow descent toward the horizon. They still had a few hours.

"Let's hope we find him before the sun sets. These woods aren't meant to be explored when the sun goes down."

Koki and Aviva nodded solemnly. Jimmy whimpered quietly, tightening his grip on Chris. 

'I'm coming for you, bro, wherever you are. Let's hope you use your head and stay put.'

He took off just right of the direction Martin had disappeared, Aviva and Koki heading left. They quickly faded out of view, and the sound of their bug bike shrunk till the only sound disturbing the silence was Chris's own bike. He zipped between the trees, dodging expertly and peering between the twisted trunks. 

"Keep an eye out, Jimmy. Any sign of Martin is crucial."

"Uh huh," was the response he got.

Despite the sun still shining, these woods seemed to swallow light, the shadows inky and menacing. Chris turned his lights on, illuminating the trail he was blazing. If Martin had listened to Chris, he should have kept running mostly straight, so he opted for heading toward the heart of the woods. Hopefully they'd find a sign of Martin before long. Exhaustion and solitude were a death sentence here. 

[robinofinashiro]

“look, i know we don’t know each other that well, but i’m still worried about you. no one deserves to be alone.” 

characters: hoshiumi kourai x fem! reader / slight miya atsumu

request status: OPEN / please send any reqs you guys have! my inbox is currently empty and im lacking in any kind of writing inspiration...like seriously lacking lmao. there could be a part two if any of you are interested in one. 

you looked at your now ex boyfriend, trying to keep your tears at bay. the two of you were standing outside the bar, not knowing what you were planning on saying the man you loved as you saw him with a girl on his lap, laughing and giggling at whatever he was saying. 

“you could’ve just broken up with me, it would have saved me time and effort,” you told him with a stone cold face. you could tell Atsumu was in a straight panic, not knowing what to say or do, “honestly, I would have handled the break up a lot better than you would have assumed I would have.” 

Atsumu reached out to grab your hand but you quickly snatched it back, putting it behind your back, “no, you don’t get the right to hold any part of me anymore. whatever you were doing, do it with the girl you were just with,” you exclaimed, a laugh of bitterness leaving you, “but I don’t want that girl, I want you!” he yelled. 

you rolled your eyes, not believing a word he was saying, “no, you wanted a girl to fuck with on the side while I waited for you at home. you’re just angry you got caught, Miya, that’s all,” you stated. Atsumu felt stray tears falling down his face as you noticed a familiar face with snow white hair popping out of the front of the door. 

“as wrong as this is to say, I was always preparing myself for this. my grandmother always said to have a envelope of cash and money as runaway money in case I ever needed to get away...” you played with you finger nails before looking up to him for one final time, “I’ll be moved out in a few days. the apartment is under your name and I don’t mind getting a new place,” you added on. 

Atsumu saw you walking away, not believing that you were actually leaving him. he grabbed your ankle, practically putting on a scene for everyone who was hanging out in the front of the building, “Atsumu, this is embarrassing for you. quit it while you still have some dignity left, jesus christ,” you said not realizing the mantrum that he was throwing, “you really should’ve thought this all out before you decided to cheat. I always had one rule and you knew it. I could quickly replace you as fast as we got together and this was your one chance.”

you kicked yourself out of his grip, walking into the bar to have yourself a drink. you saw the girl who was on Atsumu’s lap not wanting to look you in the eye as she sat on her chair in shame, “enjoy him girlie because as you can tell, he’ll quickly replace you when he gets bored,” you tipped your glass of dark liquor to her in a ‘good luck’ type of way before finding an empty seat. 

that familiar snow white hair you saw earlier happened to be Hoshiumi who was walking towards you. you being the former Inarizaki manager made you know the names to the most popular players from each team they played so Hoshiumi was no stranger. 

“hey,” you heard his voice say over the music. you gave him a smile with a small wave, not wanting to say, “you okay? I accidentally overheard your situation with Atsumu earlier,” he asked, pulling the seat out from the other side of the table.

you shrugged knowing that all the raw emotions from the argument and what you just had saw hadn’t settled in yet, “I don’t know,” you said truthfully, “my boyfriend of three years was cheating on me and if I’m okay right now, I know I won’t be tomorrow,” you explained. 

Hoshiumi nodded understandingly, “do you mind if I sit with you for the rest of the night?” he asked quietly, in a sort of shy way, which was odd considering Hoshiumi was just as hyperactive as Hinata Shoyo from Karasuno way. “look, i know we don’t know each other that well, but i’m still worried about you. no one deserves to be alone.”  

you felt that pang in your heart as you saw the warmness on Hoshiumi’s smile. you tried to contain your tears as best as you could but Hoshiumi saw right through that. he tracked down the waitress and ordered the two of you another round of drinks, your choice of course as he tried to focus the conversation on anything that wasn’t Atsumu or your breakup. 

- 

from that night forward, Hoshiumi was by your side for the entirety of your breakup. he was of help when you needed an extra hand to move all your things out of your shared apartment with Atsumu. 

it didn’t sit right with Atsumu at the fact that Hoshiumi was seemingly close to you all of a sudden. he had saw him that night at the bar but he didn’t think he would take advantage of the situation and so quickly. never once in the entirety of your relationship with Atsumu did you ever mention befriending Hoshiumi and so closely but seeing the way he was helping you move out and making sure you were okay threw him way the hell off. 

once you were finished taking your things out of the apartment, you looked to Atsumu and wiggled the set of keys that were on your keychain out. you gave him one last look before handing them to him, “so I take it that you won’t accept the job with the Jackals?” he asked. 

“I think you know that answer, Miya.” 

you walked out of the apartment, leaving a teary eyed Atsumu at the door as Hoshiumi waited for you at the front of the building. your place a few minutes farther from Atsumu’s place. it wasn’t as nice of a place in comparison to how you used to live but it would do until you found a job.

“what are you plans now?” Hoshiumi asked as he helped you unpack things from the box. you shrugged again, “I really don’t know. Atsumu had gotten me a job with the Jackals and those were plans for quite a while but considering that relationship is long gone, I guess I really have to start looking for a job before I go broke.” 

Hoshiumi laughed, feeling his phone buzz multiple times. he looked down to see a few texts from Ushijima and Kageyama. to your luck, the Adlers had also gotten a job opening for a few positions with a team. Hoshiumi had mentioned to the team that he knew someone that could possibly take the position of the old manager and they had been grilling him about it since. 

the pre-season was about to start and they needed an experienced manager and quick. considering your qualifications with Inarizaki and the degree you got in college, he knew you would do well on the job and all you would need is a bit of polishing up in order to be great if not even better than their former manager. 

“listen, I don’t know how willing you will be to accept what I’m about to say but Schweiden has an opening for a positions and one of them is to be the team’s manager and assistant. I might’ve pushed your name because I know you’ve done the managerial position before and we need a manager as soon as possible.” 

your eyes doubled down in confusion as Hoshiumi showed you the hiring paper. you quickly skimmed it down seeing that you had the qualifications for the job. you saw that it was a text from Kageyama Tobio that read if you had accept the position yet before their coach killed them. 

“wait, how long would I be there?” you asked, gripping his phone. you looked at you, now slightly confused himself, “what do you mean? you’d be there as long as you want or until you quit. the position is permanent.” you read the application again and smiled, “I just got this place but tell them I’ll be available for an interview at any time.” 

Hoshiumi tackled you into a hug, his hyperactive attitude running rampant again, “THANK YOU! THANK YOU! the team is gonna be so happy, I know it!” he exclaimed, quickly dialing his coaches number as you sat there, taking in your all new reality. 

+ 

after a run through of a few interviews, the Adler’s ultimately gave you the position as their manager and assistant. they found you the most suitable as you had experience under your belt and got along with most of the team. well...as best as you could considering Kageyama and Ushijima weren’t really the talkative type to begin with. 

the move to Tokyo was a bit easier than expected. Hoshiumi quickly helping you into your new apartment as he showed you around the Adler’s gym and even the town when he wasn’t busy. you had your own office since you were assisting the team’s coach with a few office related things but most of your duties were strictly to the team. 

with your new job came new team photo’s for the year as well as your organizations employee id photo. your uniform consisted of black leggings or athletic shorts if Tokyo was particularly hot that day and a Schweiden sweater/t-shirt on game day. on non-game days where you had to be in your office, the general uniform was business casual unless it was Friday’s where you could wear your game day uniform. 

the team photo day was around the corner and the Adler’s even had a few professional makeup artist for anyone who wanted to have their makeup done for the photos. Hoshiumi and to your surprise, Kageyama, landed in the makeup chairs right next to you as they both wanted to be concealed so their under eye bags weren’t as prominent. 

“you ready for the pics?” Hoshiumi asked with an excited smile. you nodded just as excitedly, “working in volleyball again feels so weird but I can’t wait for the season to start!” you exclaimed as Hoshiumi gave you a high-five in agreement. 

unbeknownst to you but known to the entire team, Hoshiumi had fell entirely head over heels for you. his heart eyes weren’t a secret to anyone besides you and if everyone was being honest, they really wanted Hoshiumi to get a move on with asking you out so he could stop coming to practice with a lovesick puppy look on his face. 

after all of you were called to the gym to take the photos, they had all the players and coaching staff take their photos first before any managers and front office staff had their turns. while you waited for your turn, you were talking with the other manager so was an ex player of the team and had recently retired due to permanent injury to his arm. 

“so how do you know Hoshiumi?” he asked as he saw the wave Hoshiumi was giving you. you smiled and waved back, “he was a friend of mine through high school and we just kept in contact since. Kourai and I are basically best friends if I’m being honest,” you explained. 

he gave you a look before giving out a belly laugh, “just best friends? you have to got to be kidding. there’s more to your relationship with Hoshiumi than just best friends,” he admitted. you were a bit taken back by his answer as you asked him to explain, “come on, it’s not obvious? the decoy is in love with you. he follows you everywhere and has heart eyes for you and I can sense the feeling either is mutual or it’s starting to be on your end.” 

you sat in silence, debating whether or not what he was saying was true. you had never taken into account romantic feelings Hoshiumi could have for you and vice versa. you knew deep down, you did harbor feelings for Hoshiumi but up until this point, you had never put it to the forefront of your brain. 

“managers! it’s your turns now!” the photographer said. you nodded, going up to the small set up they had. 

they had you do a bunch of different poses. one photo of just you smiling, another of you holding a volleyball, and a few with the other manager on the team. they had informed you that this year, they would be displaying team player photos along with head manager photos in the front of building, right outside of the gym to show appreciation to the entire team. 

after the photo’s were finished, your head was still playing the conversation you had earlier. the idea of dating Hoshiumi did not sound so bad in the long run and you knew that it now wouldn’t come off as a surprise if you did in fact show feelings to him. 

“Kou, what are you doing tonight?” you asked as he helped you with your bag after practice. he shook his head, saying nothing, “wanna come over? I wanna pig out on food before the season officially starts,” you giggled seeing his excited face as he grabbed your wrist and practically dragged you over to his car, exclaiming you both could get food and snacks. 

the night came down to you watching a few movies from both of your childhood and basically talking/snacking the night away. it eventually got to the point where you moved closer to Hoshiumi, trying to find warmth as your AC was on full blast and you both were too lazy to get the blankets you had underneath your couch to actually get warm. 

“hey Kou,” you said, trying to get his attention. he looked down to you, a warm smile on his face, “would you ever...be interested in dating? I heard a few members of the team saying that you liked me and for a while, I didn’t want to believe that but I figured there was no harm in asking because I totally feel the same,” you finally confessed.

Hoshiumi sat there, mouth wide in surprise as your heart basically fell your ass. your thoughts were immediately plagued with the idea that you had ruined your entire relationship with him but that was quickly put to rest as grabbed your closer and held your face as softly as ever before placing a kiss on both your cheeks before reaching your lips. 

“honestly, I was about to ask you out tonight too. I’ve been having these feelings for a while now and I’m glad you finally confessed. I’ve truthfully liked you since the night I saw you with Atsumu but I didn’t want to make it seem as though I was being pushy.” 

you laughed, pushing yourself away from him a bit as he dipped you down once again and kissed you again. you ran your fingers through his hair as he kissed your neck a bit and parts of your upper chest. 

“you’re the best. I literally thought the best day of my life was the day I got the job for the Adler’s but this beats it by far!” he exclaimed, hugging you now. you laughed, shaking your head at his excitement, “I could say the same,” you giggled as you kissed him again. 

+ 

a few weeks finally passed as the season was in full swing now. you were working a few days a week and going out on the days you had off with Kourai. the only dreadful part in all of this was that the Adler’s were playing Msby soon and you knew that you would in fact be seeing Atsumu during, before, and after the game. 

Hoshiumi could see the slight nervousness and panic on your face the day of the game against the Black Jackals. you weren’t as excited as you were usually were and you were responding to the team in snippets and very short sentences. the team could sense your shift in attitude but didn’t bother to question it. 

“hey, you okay?” Hoshiumi asked, pulling you to the side a few minutes before warm ups. you gave him a questioning look, “I can see you’re nervous and I’m pretty sure it’s probably because of Atsumu being here,” he assumed as you reluctantly agreed. 

he sighed, bringing you in for a hug, “you don’t have to work today. I can make up an excuse that you got sick and say you’re in your office watching the game,” he said. you shook your head, “no, it would be immature of me to miss a game because of that fucking idiot. I’ll be okay, I promise,” you whispered, giving him a kiss of reassurance before letting him go. 

a few feet behind, Atsumu had saw the entire interaction happen. his heart was admittedly broken, seeing the way you were kissing and hugging Hoshiumi. he hadn’t known that you were working with Scheweiden nor did he know that you were even dating Hoshiumi. 

when the team had walked into the gym, he had saw your photo in the hallway entering the gym. your smile was one he missed and he felt himself get angry all over again. it had been months since the breakup but you had yet to unblock him from any social media so all of this news at once broke him. 

the game was a lot more intense than they assumed it would have been. Hoshiumi and Atsumu playing to 100% and even getting into small scuffles. you had saw the interactions and knew it was probably because of you but were arguing when it came down to plays so it didn’t look as immature on the court. 

ultimately, Schweiden won the game, beating the Jackal’s by a landslide in their last set. you were smiling at Hoshiumi as the game ended, bringing him a water and giving him a kiss before handing off the waters to Ushijima and Kageyama next. you had ran out of the gym for a few seconds to refill waters for a few players when you ran into the last person you expect. 

“if you can excuse me Miya, I need to refill these,” you said, not even looking at him in the eye. he moved out of the way, seeing thew way you refilled the bottles as quickly as possible. once you were done, you were about to head back into the gym when he stopped you, “how are you?” he asked shyly. 

you sighed, “fine Miya,” you said curtly. Atsumu growled in annoyance, “are you together with-,” “with me!” you heard Hoshiumi’s voice scream through the hall. you smiled at the sight of him as he pushed you behind him and sizing up the much taller Atsumu. 

“this had nothing to do with you, Hoshiumi.”

“oh but it does! she’s my girlfriend, our manager, and a member of the team so whatever you need to say to her, you can say to me!” you laughed at Hoshiumi’s confidence as Atsumu looked at him, rage filling his eyes, “what? what’re you gonna do? hit me? you’d get suspended and look like a complete idiot to the entire V-league!” 

“do we have an issue?” Ushijima asked, looking at Atsumu and Hoshiumi as Sakusa followed him, “no issue at all,” Atsumu gritted as Hoshiumi wore a proud grin on his face.

“that’s great to hear. come on ( your name ). Hoshiumi you better be in the gym in the next minute.” 

“lets go Atsumu, you don’t win anything out of creating a scene,” Sakusa said as he grabbed his friend and tried dragging him out of the hallway. Hoshiumi waved at Atsumu as cockily as possible, “remember Atsumu! not only did we win the game but I also won your girl!” he screamed. 

Atsumu went to jump but was pulled back by Sakusa and Bokuto as you walked out of the gym again to grab Hoshiumi. he grabbed you by the wrist and kissed you in front everyone that was in the hallway. Atsumu could hear Bokuto telling him to calm down but he wanted nothing more than to run over to Hoshiumi and kick his ass before reclaiming you as his again. 

[tazanna-blythe]

Done

Chapter 5

~Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie~

"Wellcome ladies so how's school?" Sabine said with a motherly smile smile then placing a freshly baked Croissants on the table.

"Where fine, just another day at the clown house, I swear that our classmates have no brain cells not one of them "Chloe said while spreading butter on her croissant then without any hesitation she ate it.

"I beg to differ dear but i think they still have one connecting brain cell,seeing as they are one and no one can break their bond"Mari and she also ate the croissant happily

"So Dumb,Dumber,Dumbest then? or all equally dumb?" Chloe mumble (she took another bite on her food)

"No it's like they all have an on and off button for their reasoning and common sense and Liela has the button" Mari

"And She uses her sausage her as an antenna the give them signals hahahahahahahhaha"Chloe

"Ladies that's not nice besides everyone has their own preference or style that they think is fashionable ... all though i wanna know who told her having a sausage as an inspiration for a hairstyle especially when she moves her head she looks like a paddle ball a had when i was a kid" Sabine

both Chloe and Marinette bust into laughter

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

Collège Françoise Dupont Clinic

*Bell *

Adrien is still sleeping soundly and the kind nurse doesn't want to wake him up and clearly from how pale his face is and how dark his eye bags are and how bone to skin he is, she made a decision to call his guardians to pick him up and have him take a proper rest and some good soul food too judging by how boney he is. this child is a model she understands this but this is to much and it has a medical term called MALNUTRITION so she's not gonna stand by and do nothing.

So she quietly and gentle as she can took photos and notes on Adrien body. because he is wearing a plain white T-shirt and a loose pants all she has to do is hold some of the cloth of the T-shirt to make it tight to show how small and boney he is and she all so did the same thing to the pants. His wearing a T-shirt so his some of is upper arm is shone so the nurse took a measuring tape and measure his arms and leg. And lastly because of the akuma attacks the School funds for the clinic doubled and because of this most of their equipments are brand new and the latest model so the bed has a scale built in it so she took his weight and height. and all of this is recorded in the clinic's CCTV camera she made sure of it.

After all that is done she neatly filed this info on her computer and flash drive then she called his guardians. fortunately for him his father and his assistant is so busy that they cannot answer their phone so it was Gorilla who was called to pick him up.

When Gorilla arrived the nurse was so scared of him she almost scream in fear when he suddenly appeared in front of her luckily she didn't.

"Hello Sir. how can i help you" Nurse

"Hi my name is SImon and I'm here to pick up Adrien" Gorilla (HIS NAME IS SIMON OH MY GOSH I JUST FOUND OUT TODAY!!!)

"Hi my name is Katty and I'm the school nurse nice to meet you"

"Likewise"

"Im sorry but before I hand over Adrien to you i need to see your IDs please"

"Sure"

"Ok it seems that everything is in order then you may take him home, and also my advice is to keep him stress free, eat and sleep more cause we don't want him to suddenly collapse now do we"

"Yes ma'am"

Then Gorilla slowly and Gently picked up Adrien like a porcelain princess and took his backpack/sling bag and went home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Collège Françoise Dupont Gym

"Ok class since Adrien is sick we need to still proceed to class. Now, I want all of you to make two lines.One for boys and one for the girls CHOP ChOP!!! " Gym teacher

“Um Sir. What about lila??” Rose

“What about her?“

“Lila Sprained her risk and ankle so she cant stand very long“ Alya

“Ok then Who’s Lila, Raise your good arm“

“Sir. I’m Lila Rossi“ Liela replied with a small smile and leaning into her left foot for effect

The Teacher saw her and slowly walk towards her while inspecting her body for injuries

“Which foot is sprained and which arm?“

“My right foot and arm sir “Liela said weakly.

“Can i check your arm and foot?“ The Teacher ask nicely

“Yes of course“ 

So someone brought a chair for her to sit while the Gym Teacher inspect her injuries

“Awww, Aw aw aw awaaa that hurts“ Liela cries dramatically like a spoiled dog. While the Teacher was just holding her arm not doing anything other than carrying it like a sausage

“Ok then Lila where's your medical note seeing as this is a “BIG INJURY” your parents shouldn't have let you go to school?“ The Teacher looking and talking to her like a person would to a two year old

“My Dad left us since i was young and my Mom is so busy that she’d forgotten about me“ Liela said sadly trying to make her tears drop not realizing that the teacher don't buy it

“Hush now don't cry dear I’m sure your mom is just tired now why don't you sit here and be quiet while all of us start the class,O.K“

“Yes sir“ with a final fake sob she smile at the Teacher.

“Ok,now two lines people, great now everybody just jog 20 laps then you are dismissed.But remember do not break your line and JOG NOT RUN OK ALIX AND KIM! if i see any of you break your line or run i’ll make everyone do 15 jumping jacks then additional 10 laps. Am I Clear! “

“Yes,Sir!!“ the Students then do as they were told while lila stayed seated smiling at her small victory and proceeds play on her phone and to search for more things to lie to make her even more popular.

While everybody was busy doing their task no one noticed the Gym Teacher also take’s his phone and contacted the School Nurse asking for Lila’s medical records and telling her what happen today.

Faking an injury to a teacher who was an athlete himself was a big No No but he cant just outed the child right then and there because she’ll get emotional and he doesn't want to cause another akuma.He’ll just do it the old fashion way... Making the parents discipline their own child. but first he needed her records. 

“Did you just see what i just witness?“ Chloe while looking at her exhausted classmates after they finished 20 laps.

“What?“ Mari while handling her a bottle of cold water

“You really didn’t see that?,Thanks“

“You mean Liela’s ridiculous lie then yeah and so?“

“So? So?, Mari she just gotten away with it and it wasn’t even a good lie and acting“

“No, I don’t think she did“

“Huh?! Would her majesty care to explain?“

“Our gym Teacher is an Athlete who won medals in his time. He out of everyone here would have known just by looking at someone if they have any physical injuries“

“So he just let her go?“

“No. I don't think he would so let's just watch and see what he'll do, besides if he really fell for it then his just another idiot who needs to be replaced” Marinette said as she and Chloe backed their bags and left.

~~~~~~~~

“Hey Nino do you have any info about Adrien??“ Alix

“Yeah Nino what happen to him?, you were the last person we saw with him?“ Alya

“Well he looked sick so i send him to the clinic, I didn't know that he was that sick“ Nino

“Well I Just hope he gets better“ Alix

“So has anyone gotten started researching yet??“Alya

“Nope we were just hoping that will do it together like in a slumber party?“ Rose

“Actually that’s not bad soo who's house are we going?“Juleka

“What are you guys talking about? and where are we going?“ Liela walked to them when she saw her minions talking without her and of course she was escorted by the ever loyal dog Kim

“I umm“ Juleka

“Yeah where are we going?“ Kim 

Everyone was looking at each other knowing that they can fool kim but not Lila.

“Well-“ Alya

“We were planning on a slumber party tonight but we haven't decided where will be staying?“Juleka

“Oh!! why don't we stay at my place my parents arent how so i have are house all to myself and you guys don't have to bring anything with you because and my parents just went to the supermarket yesterday“ Rose

“Really that's great so it's settled will head home pack then will go directly to Rose’s house“ Alya

“Great I can't wait to spend time with my very BEST FRIENDS! but aren't we gonna invite Marinette and Chloe?“ Liela 

“No need they’ll just destroy and ruined the party. So what are we waiting for let GOOOOOO!!!“ Alya

After that everyone started packing their bags and left to their respective homes with a smile on their faces.

***************

It's been so long since I Uploaded something and i hope you guys liked it....        If you guys have any suggestion i’ll be happy to read and maybe include them in my next work.

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[glimmerglanger]

Oof!au prompt!!! Listen, someone had to ask for this: Cody and Obi-Wan's REAL first time! :O

Anonymous said:

Early spicy Sunday request for some Cody/Obi Wan from the ooof!AU <3 I just want them to be happy :,))

Anonymous said:

can I request a spicy codywan oof!au snippet of their first time? I just want them to be happy so bad

Anonymous said:

I hope this is ok to ask, what’s the plan for the oof au prompt of their first time? I totally understand if you’re not working on old stuff right now because of work, swbb, prompts and whatnot! Im only curious if you plan on finishing it one day. Please don’t take this as me pressuring or demanding from you! I just want to know if I should shelve my excitement for a little while and bring it out later or drop it if you don’t feel like revisiting it. Thanks!

GUESS WHAT I FINALLY FINISHED. I’ve been picking away at this for a while (obviously) but I have wrapped it up! 

As a reminder, since it’s been a while, there was a lot of torture in the oof!au. They’re well on the road to recovery in this fic (it’s far after Obi-Wan made his new lightsaber and got his prosthetic arm, for example) but there are still mentions of past torture and the fallout of both mind control and non-con.

ALSO this is spicy! VERY spicy! Not safe for wizards! 

~~~~~~~

Obi-Wan slept better with someone beside him. He wondered, sometimes, if that had always been true and he’d just never had the opportunity to find out, before… Everything that happened. There was no way to go back in time to find out, so he left the consideration go, released it from his mind.

He focused on enjoying, instead, the safety of the present. He woke, most days, with Cody pressed close to him. He’d mentioned, only once, that Cody did not always have to sleep between him and the door - if their sleeping area happened to have a door - and Cody had just looked at him, expression hard and flat.

Obi-Wan let that go, too.

The mind healers had helped them so much, but there were some things they could not change, some reassurances that they held onto.

Cody slept better with Obi-Wan against a wall, or tucked into a corner. Defensible. Obi-Wan slept better with Cody’s warm presence close. That was just...how it was.

Obi-Wan blinked his eyes open on the Recompense because he was not sleeping well at all, his dreams troubled. And so, perhaps, it was not much of a surprise to find that Cody was not all warm and relaxed against him. Instead, Cody was tense, half-drawn away from him.

“Mm?” Obi-Wan mumbled, not fully awake. He rolled, moving to press back into Cody’s warmth even as Cody put a hand on his hip, squeezing, perhaps trying to catch him back. It did not work. There wasn’t enough room in their little bunk for it to work and their bodies so naturally gravitated towards one another.

Obi-Wan settled against him, and Cody made a ragged little sound, and then rasped out, “Sorry.”

Obi-Wan blinked, but even through the haze of exhaustion it was not difficult to determine what he was talking about. Cody was hard against his hip, which was… a surprise not as rare as it had once been.

It had taken time - and lengthy discussions with the mind healers - to reach that point. Cody still seemed startled when he hardened and, sometimes, apologized, though Obi-Wan had thought they were past that. He shook his head, squirming closer, and said, “You don’t need to be sorry. I like it.”

Cody exhaled, ragged. Obi-Wan felt it against his neck, the back of his head. Cody said, voice still tense, though, at least, he had not climbed from the bed, “But you were asleep.”

“So were you,” Obi-Wan pointed out, reaching up and covering Cody’s hand with his. 

Cody relaxed, just a little. He asked, “You really don’t...mind?”

“I don’t mind,” Obi-Wan confirmed, briefly regretful that the conversation was waking him up fully. He squeezed Cody’s fingers and pushed back a little more, with full intent to press against the hardness still brushing the curve of his ass. He repeated, because Cody always eased when he heard it, “I like it. I like when you touch me.”

Cody’s grip tightened again, but he did not feel worried, not through the Force. His emotions slid over into something else as he shifted, responding to the pressure and then going still again, pressing his face against Obi-Wan’s shoulder.

Obi-Wan shifted, just a little, and said, “I’d like to help you with that.”

Cody groaned, faintly, against his skin, and then said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Which...meant he was almost certainly thinking about intercourse. About fucking Obi-Wan. These days, he only worried about hurting Obi-Wan in that context. They’d never even attempted it, because the idea worried him so.

They’d made so much progress. Cody did not worry about it every time they were intimate, not when they touched one another, not even when Obi-Wan went to his knees and slid his mouth down Cody’s cock.

Obi-Wan had thought they’d gotten past the last of the worries about doing harm during intercourse, after Cody had broached the idea of them fucking, after Obi-Wan had worked him open slowly and carefully slid into him, letting them both find their pleasure.

But, afterwards, Cody had been agitated, had risen from the bed and said, almost gutted, “There wasn’t any blood,” and seemed guilty about it, and--

They’d spent a lot of time at the mind healers over that, dealing with Cody’s reaction to the fact that Obi-Wan had not hurt him at all, that it did not have to hurt--

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that not everyone had...past experience with torture. It was hardly the first time someone had tried to break Obi-Wan apart, using whatever means necessary. But it was not the same for his men. For Cody.

“I know you won’t,” Obi-Wan said, quietly, setting aside the past. He added, when Cody said nothing, “I know you’d make me feel good, Cody.” And, when Cody pulled him around, making a rough sound, Obi-Wan kissed his mouth and curled an arm around him. And they did nothing but rock against each other, Cody eventually sliding a hand into his sleeping pants, but the conversation hung at the back of Obi-Wan’s mind in the days that followed.

#

The conversation was still there, lingering in his thoughts, days later, when they returned to their quarters, showered off, and Cody said, in the process of drying off, “Would you like me to - to do that?”

Obi-Wan blinked over at him, water chilling his skin, and asked, “Do what?”

Cody clenched his jaw and then blew out a breath through his nose. “Be inside you. The way--you’ve done it. For me.” He looked up, before Obi-Wan could reply, eyes dark and wide, intent. “I wouldn’t--I’d make sure it didn’t hurt. I promise. I wouldn’t--”

“I know,” Obi-Wan said, soft, touching his hand. Cody’s shoulders had tensed up, a muscle in his jaw jumping, over and over again. Cody kept eye contact, and Obi-Wan shifted just a little closer, continuing. “And yes. I’d like that. Whenever you’re ready.” 

Cody rocked his jaw, side to side, and asked, “Are you...ready?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “I trust you,” he said, and watched Cody tense even further.

He tugged, just a little, on Cody’s shoulder, and Cody shifted into his space, curled an arm around him, just….held him, tension eventually easing from him, touching with more intention, until Obi-Wan was pressed against the wall, gasping up to the ceiling as Cody slid down, mouth hot and wet and good, already more than Obi-Wan had ever thought they’d get to have.

#

When Cody finally decided he was ready, Obi-Wan thought it was not so much motivated solely by desire. There was far too much determination in Cody’s expression, when he pulled away from a kiss, both of them laying on their sides, curled towards one another, Cody’s hand still around Obi-Wan’s recently spent cock.

He’d pushed aside Obi-Wan’s hand, every time Obi-Wan tried to touch him in return, which made more sense when he rasped, ragged, “Can I--can we--could I be inside you?” 

Obi-Wan nodded, gut tightening at the thought, and managed to answer; the mind healers had reminded him, often, that he needed to speak his feelings more, “Yes, Cody. Please.”

“I won’t hurt you,” Cody said, and there was a promise and a certainty there, that Obi-Wan had thought they’d never get to again. There’d been a time Cody had seemed convinced that he would be unable to avoid causing hurt and pain. 

Now he spoke the words like a vow, sealing them with a kiss that left Obi-Wan groaning, holding onto him. 

They’d done this often enough the other way around that Cody seemed confident about the steps that ought to come next. Obi-Wan shifted onto his back, unsurprised when Cody settled beside him, leaning over to kiss him once more.

Cody still shied away from being over him, most of the time. 

Obi-Wan shifted, gasping when Cody ran a hand down his stomach, hesitating for only a moment before sliding his touch further down. “That’s nice,” Obi-Wan managed to pant out, at the first brush of pressure, and--

--and he’d wanted, for longer than he cared to think about, to erase away the memories of what Anakin had done. He’d wanted to replace them with something else, to push them back and away, as he’d done--

But it hadn’t been up only to him. And the thought of rushing Cody into something he wasn’t ready to do would have been beyond consideration. Cody pushed up onto his elbow, eyes impossibly focused on Obi-Wan’s expression as he slid slick fingers over skin, carefully, cautiously, sliding the tip of one finger inside, and--

Obi-Wan groaned, tilting his hips up and into the touch, Cody rasping, “It’s--?”

“Good,” Obi-Wan reassured him, and fought the urge to close his eyes or look away. He could feel, pouring out of Cody’s head, how much he needed...this. Needed to look and see, to watch Obi-Wan’s eyes while he moved his hand, going so slow that it became a tease, that it had Obi-Wan squirming on the bed, skin growing over-hot, his cock - impossibly - hardening again.

Cody made a low sound when he glanced down Obi-Wan’s body and noticed, and Obi-Wan panted, “See? I told you it was good.”

“Force,” Cody swore, and bent to kiss him, moving his hand a little faster, still only two fingers in and--and Obi-Wan wondered if he planned to stretch preparation until morning, and groaned at the thought, shifting to meet each movement of Cody’s touch, tangling fingers into his hair, breathing unsteadily as Cody shifted to get his other hand on Obi-Wan’s cock, stroking--

In the end, they did not make it until morning. Obi-Wan could take no more, eventually, heels sliding across the blankets as his body thrummed and he panted out, “Cody, oh--”

Cody paused, hand just going still, fingers sunk in deep, pressed against the spot that made Obi-Wan ache, that had his back bowing up without his instruction at the prolonged pressure, spots going off behind his eyes and--

He’d been on edge for so long. Falling over it felt like a relief, even if there was guilt, too, that Cody had not come once. Cody did not seem offended, when Obi-Wan shook himself, blinking aside the pleasure, the dizzy warmth moving through his veins.

Cody looked...surprised, but satisfied, the way he’d ever looked after a victory hard fought. And seeing that expression on his face in their bed made Obi-Wan groan, unexpectedly, shivering all down his back.

“That felt good for you,” Cody said, not like a question, and Obi-Wan nodded anyway. 

“Yes,” he rasped, “very much so.”

Cody stared at him, for a beat, breathing raggedly, and then said, “Should--can I….?”

“Yes.” Obi-Wan muffled the sound that rose in his throat when Cody slid his fingers free - almost too fast - and then Cody was hesitating, for the first time, looking over him with a little furrow forming on his brow and--

“Roll over,” Obi-Wan advised, because he felt loose and half-dizzy and he wanted.

He noted the relief on Cody’s expression, even as Cody rolled onto his back, the blankets tangled all around him, muscles shifting in his chest as he reached for Obi-Wan, his breath punching out when Obi-Wan threw a leg over his hips.

Obi-Wan braced a hand on Cody’s chest and reached his other hand down, curling his fingers around Cody’s cock, and asking, meeting his eyes, “You want this?”

For a moment, Cody only stared up at him, mouth open but speechless. And then he nodded, his hands curled into the blankets, clenching so hard his knuckles stood up against his skin. Obi-Wan waited, a beat, until he ground out, “I want you, Obi-Wan, please.”

Obi-Wan nodded, shifted, and sank back. 

And there was a flash, unavoidable, of the memory of metal under his cheek, hands gripping at him, hard and cruel, a dry shove in and pain and--

And Obi-Wan exhaled, grounding himself in the present, in Cody’s warm skin under his palm, the dazed expression on Cody’s face, the warmth of their room, their bed, their love. He grounded himself in all the memories they’d built, the other times they’d touched, the steady, blinding affection he felt from Cody, every day. The knowledge, sure as the Force itself, that Cody wouldn’t hurt him.

“Oh,” Cody gasped, hands rising jerkily off of the sheets, fingers flexing at nothing, before finally settling, feather soft, on Obi-Wan’s hips as he sank down and down and down, until there was nothing between them. “Oh, oh, Force.”

Obi-Wan felt his mouth quirk up, Cody’s stunned pleasure vibrating around them, adding to his own, still thrumming inside his veins. 

“You feel good,” Obi-Wan told him, rising slowly and sinking back, seeing no reason to rush and, anyway, he felt thoroughly wrung out, already. Cody made a thick sound, meeting his eyes again, holding his gaze as Obi-Wan added, “So good inside me, Cody.”

The sound Cody made was inarticulate. Obi-Wan could feel the tension in his hands, in his fingers, but he did not squeeze or grip, just kept his touch resting against Obi-Wan’s skin, kept staring, expression hungry, the muscle under Obi-Wan’s hand tensing a bit more with each slow movement Obi-Wan made, until Cody’s hips shifted, finally, up to meet him.

Cody froze, all over, at the little sound Obi-Wan made, eyes getting wider, mouth opening, and Obi-Wan blurted, before there could be a misunderstanding, “That’s--that’s good. Feels good, you could--do that again.”

“Yeah?” Cody asked, expression so intent, and Obi-Wan managed to nod, groaning again when Cody repeated the thrust upwards. He picked up the rhythm quickly, must have gotten his feet flat on the bed to get the leverage for it, making shocked, pleasure-dazed sounds that grew rapidly more ragged.

And it was not much of a surprise when Cody rocked up into him one last time and came with a sound that was almost startled. Obi-Wan shivered at the feeling - it had been… a long time since he’d experienced it - and expected Cody to collapse fully against the mattress.

Instead, Cody made a shivery sound and sat up, all at once, arm curling around Obi-Wan’s back, keeping him close as Cody pressed a kiss to his cheek and then his mouth, breath unsteady and hitching. “Did that--are you--”

“It was so good,” Obi-Wan told him, curling a hand around the back of his neck, skin hot, the tips of his hair damp with sweat. “So good, darling.”

“I didn’t hurt you?” Cody asked, against his mouth, and the change in position had slid him free, already. Obi-Wan was aware of the mess he was making all over Cody’s thighs, but Cody seemed not to mind, and--

“Not at all,” Obi-Wan reassured, and Cody made a choking sound, dropping his head to Obi-Wan’s shoulder, and - and Obi-Wan crooned to him, nonsense words, when his shoulders started to shake, as he made wet, gasping sounds. “I knew you wouldn’t,” Obi-Wan said, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. “You never would.”

[maariarogers]

random plot bunnies from my seojun x sujin brainrot on a fic that i might?? or may not write. based primarily from k-drama, following the webtoon plotline:

so, this is set in the future, maybe about five years in?? so theyre all 25 years old at this point and seojun’s a well-established idol (singer)

seojun’s nutritionist provided by the agency is going to resign because she's six-months in into her pregnancy and wanted to focus on raising her children

seojun feels a little disheartened at this point; a lot of the time, being an idol, the few constant things he could rely on was the same faces of the team that took care of him - because in other aspects of his career, he has to meet new people a lot, and his scene and environment changes so much

so this was lowkey a blow for seojun, who just wants every sense of familiarity, regardless how little, to sorta stay?? the same??

but he can’t really have much say on it too, because a lot of the team members who took care of him which he has are provided by the agency, and he knows the agency will be doing placements for that too

but then his nutritionist sorta knows he’s a lil sad (she’s become like a surrogate older sister for him) and she’s like, “i have someone in my mind. she’s... a little rough around the edges. she’s been through a lot. but - she has a good heart. like you.” the nutritionist smiles, “i think the both of you could get along well!”

so the new nutrionist? that’s our badass girl, kang sujin.

now sujin has already known that her senior wanted her to replace the position for han seojun’s nutrionist because her senior trusted her to do a good job, but sujin’s a bit queasy about the entire arrangement if she’s honest

she wants to say no, but her senior has always been supportive and strict in ways that’s got her shaped up to her best ability, and she just didn’t have the heart to say “no” in the end

so on the day they met, seojun recognised sujin immediately, and sujin, at first, pretended that she’s only met seojun for the first time

seojun consecutively tries to trigger some sort of reaction in sujin, but she deflects pretty well? every time he tries to confront her, she’s like “hi mr. han seojun” and “what can i do for you today?”

even during their private sessions while sujin goes over seojun’s daily food and nutrition intakes and adjusting new set of schedules for him, sujin’s all serious. she’s gotten close to snapping at him - but then she quickly just, “noooo :) im not mad :) what do u mean”

after a while, seojun sorta lets it go and focuses back on training

his team is planning a tour, maybe even concerts outside korea, and seojun’s lowkey scared because even though he’s toured and flown to various countries to perform at this point, he still has the anxiety

he wants to be so good to his fans, wants to do his best now that he’s come so far to the point he essentially sacrifices a chance at a relatively ordinary life

but then, he starts overworking too

seojun’s never been the best dancer, you know; he could always make up for it with singing, but he still?? doesnt feel like it’s enough???

and then one day sujin just comes barging in at his apartment, mad, because seojun’s had a fever and couldn’t train for two days now and turns out?? he hasn’t really been eating as much as he should, or he’s not drinking as much as he should

that was the first time sujin showed any sense of familiarity from their high school days

she gave him a good whip, talks to his doctors, and adjusts his diet according to his schedules and for the next week, she sorta comes quite frequently to make sure even when he’s training, he’s doing okay

seojun comments that she’s “scarier” than his last nutrionist, and sujin’s like, “good. it means you’ll listen to me.”

one day, he starts asking her to stay just a while instead of just leaving, which she always does, and he’s like “have a beer. what, you have a strict diet too?” and sujin reluctantly stays? even tho she’s awkward and quiet

finally seojun’s like, “why did u pretend u didn’t recognise me?”

and sujin’s just.... “didn’t you hate me?” referring to what she did to jugyeong (implying the k-drama events i assume?? but imma keep this vague as hell) and she just, “i did something horrible to the girl you love.”

and because this is seojun, esp their dynamics dkjhksdhf, he’s just straight up, “yeah. you were a bitch.” because to him, that was the facts, you know

sujin sorta stays quiet, but then she puts the beer down and like?? “i don’t have to explain anything to you.” but seojun’s like!!!!! thats not what he meant!!! and hes just, “hey no! sit. you just started relaxing, right?”

but after a minute he comments under his breath, “i didn’t know you were this sensitive.”

but then sujin quietly replied, “she was my friend. i loved her too.”

and that sorta got the two of them quiet, but then seojun decided to change the topic because its Its_Too_Awkward.jpeg, “last i heard u were gonna be a doctor. your dad’s professor Kang right? he treated my mom.”

and that sorta??? causes sujin to tense up, but then she deflects with a snappish, “why are you so interested in me?” “i’m not! i’m just asking questions.” “i should be asking you questions - why the hell did you think it was a good idea to pull the shit u did now that your touring schedule is in the talks? how are you supposed to perform if you can’t even stand?” “aish, didn’t you already nag me?” “you’re so stupid, i’m scared you’ve forgetten”

they started bickering again but that night was really what triggered for sujin to be a little more relaxed with seojun, and for seojun to sorta - try a bit harder to?? not be friendlier, no, but he likes that he’s known her from an era in his life where he didn’t have to always be a face in the screen.

more and more, seojun asks sujin to stay and have dinner after she’s done evaluating his weekly meals and they have a better comradeship

he starts anticipating her more when she comes to evaluate another idol or something at the agency and he’s just!!!!!!! “you’re here? why are you here? did u miss me already? what do u mean i’m not the only one you’re treating”

and then slowly we also found out why she didn’t become a doctor (she didn’t wanna follow her dad; and she still carries the guilt of what she did to jugyeong and admitted, more than the result of her father’s anger, she likes the version of her who always wants to help others - and, she can memorises easily, so... nutritionist didn’t seem bad)

sujin starts bringing in board games or sometimes she sneaks a few of supermarket-brand goods since seojun’s been behaving with his meals and vitamin intakes, and the one time seojun’s invited to a tv show where it has quizes, she tutors him the whole night so he “doesnt make a fool out of himself”

she also starts to keep up with whatever show he’s in, and she’s always texting him that she’s watched him with this horrible washed-out screenshot because she takes the photo on her laptop with her phone. and her texts are all “the dance was good” and “you’ve improved that move huh” and then sometimes “idiot. why did u answer like that”

sujin makes fun of her for not being able to take a clean screenshot, but he never really leaves her un-replied

and they started talking about relationships - how they were both so enamoured with suho and jugyeong respectively, and for sujin specially, how she can’t wait to be loved by someone who can make her feel like suho’s not a big deal at all

but then she admits she doesn’t think she deserves to be loved, and sorta has this sad smile, and seojun confesses that he’s scared if he loves someone, he has to lose them due to his career

and they’re really sad about it, but the night also isn’t as bad cause they had each other

and ok i have a LOT more i think - and i honestly dk how nutritionist actually works BUT. yes. them.

[thebmatt]

FFXIV Write 2021 Prompt #8: Adroit

(More Franks and Tataru shenanigans. I think I officially have to call them siblings after this one and my day 1 prompt!)

Adroit – clever or skillful in using the hands or mind.

“Greetings, miss! Welcome to the Carpenter’s guild! How can I help you?”

Tataru smiled at the man behind the desk. “Hello, ser! My name is Tataru Taru, I’m here to speak with Timbermaster Beatin about a commission!”

“Ah, yes. I was told to expect you! Go on in, the guildmaster is at the back of the room, just up the stairs in the corner!”

She thanked the man and entered the hails of the guild. The sounds of hammer and saw beating wood into shapes filled the room. The smells of lumber and sawdust pervaded the air.

She climbed the stairs and approached the gray-haired elezen she knew to be the Timbermaster. He was intently examining a set of documents, but turned at her approach.

“Ah, lady Tataru! Good to see you again. The Elder Seedseer did let me know to expect you. I gather this is not about you finally deciding to become one of our number?”

Tataru giggled. “Sorry, Timbermaster, not today. No, I’m here on behalf of the Scions. Several of our number were….away for an extended time and only recently returned. However, because of the nature of their mission, they had to leave everything behind, including their weapons.”

She reached into her traveling pack, withdrew a rolled parchment wrapped in green-colored string, and handed it to him.

“I mean to make a gift to them of a faithful recreation of said weapons, and need a truly masterful carpenter to recreate the shaft and head of this staff. The original was called Nightseeker.”

Beatin unrolled the parchment and set it on his table, looking over the plans with interest. “Hrrmm…..yes, quite intricate. This wood, I’ve not seen its like anywhere in Eorzea. Half of the challenge shall be in sourcing something suitable! I presume you’ll be asking Serendipity to assemble the pieces and provide this gemstone, here?”

Tataru nodded. “Indeed. So what do you think, sir? Can you do it?”

He stood, glancing over the array of other documents on his desk, then shook his head. “Unfortunately, Lady Tataru, not in any degree of soonness. Mistake me not, under other circumstances I would relish this challenge, but unfortunately, the guild is swamped with commissions and too few skilled carpenters to pull them off. Most of my days are spent instructing and sifting through aspirants. I would not be able to give this project the time it deserves.”

Tataru looked downcast. “Ah, I see, I should have expected as much.”

“Do not despair, my lady, for though I am unable to undertake this challenge, there is another option! I would entrust a commission of this level only to one other, my greatest student, and perhaps my only equal in the ways of woodwork. I can get in touch with him, I’ve no doubt he will be able to complete it to your satisfaction”

Tataru brightened. “Excellent? What might his name be? And do you know where I can find him?”

“I do not know where he might be, but I can reach him via linkpearl! Name the place and time, I shall ensure he is present. As to his name, well, he goes by ‘Old Man’ if you can believe it, though his surname is ‘Franks’

Tataru had pulled out the small ledger she used to keep her appointments and was checking through it when she stopped. She looked up to the Timbermaster. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘Old Man Franks’?”

“Indeed, milady. It’s a strange moniker, yes, but you get used to it.”

“Hyur man, about 6 and a half fulms tall, white beard and well-coiffed hair?”

“Yes, indeed, milady! Are you perhaps already acquainted with him?

“I…yes, but I had no idea he was so skilled in Carpentry that you considered him your equal! I honestly had no idea he had any skill in carpentry at all. I know him as-” She stopped suddenly, then looked back to her book. “It…it doesn’t matter. Um, can you ask him to come to our headquarters in the Rising Stones say…this afternoon?”

Beatin looked perplexed for a moment, then began searching for a stylus. “Certainly, milady! That is in Mor Dhona, correct?” He jotted down a few lines, on the table itself she noted, and then picked up the plans she’d given him. He rerolled them and tied the string before handing them back to her.

“Yes, it is. Um, thank you again, Timbermaster. I….I look forward to speaking with your student.”

“Take care, milady!” he replied, returning to the pile of requests on his desk.

Tataru walked away in a bit of shock, before clearing it away with a shake of her head and left the Carpenter’s Guild, making her way to Gridania’s airship landing.

A few bells later, the airship taxi landed in Limsa Lominsa. She took a small bit of time to enjoy the smell of the sea air (and of course the myriad delicious scents coming from the direction of the Bismarck) before making her way to the area of the city reserved for the Blacksmiths and Armorer’s guilds. She entered in the rear door, where she knew guildmaster Brithael had his personal work area, raised above the guild’s halls so that he might inspect any of their work quickly.

The master blacksmith was in fact at his own desk, dealing with some paperwork. When he aw her enter, he immediately stood and regarded her with a warm smile. “Ah, now, ‘ere’s a sight fer sore eyes! Tataru Taru, o’ the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, ‘ere in me halls! Tha Admiral did drop a note sayin’ to expect ye and to makes sure I take yer commission. So what can an old smitty do ya fer?”

Tataru smiled. “Good day, master Brithael! Thank you for your no doubt greatly demanded time. I’m hoping you can create a weapon for me, one that one of our order’s number recently took up, but had to leave behind on a recent…expedition. What he did…it was extremely important to our mission of safeguarding this star, and I want to make a gift of a faithful recreation.” She pulled out a rolled up parchment, this one tied in a red string, and handed it to Brithael.

The blacksmith unrolled it. “Well well, a gunblade? Your man a Garlean or somethin? No, wait…” He pulled it closer, his eyes squinting as he pored over a certain section of the plans. “Aaaah, I see what we got ‘ere. Heard bout these. Bozjan make. Th’ Garlean versions are knock-offs of this design. Mass produced in their factories. This, tho, this looks like it took some real heart to hammer.”

He rolled up the parchment. “Sadly, lass. I can’t help ya.”

“What? Whyever not?”

“Hang on, lass, lemme finish. I ain’t had no experience makin’ no gunblades. I could hammer out the pieces, sure, but I ain’t no engineer. Got no real idea how to assemble summat like this properly. We do the occasional flintlocke in here, but even I can see that there’s way more t’ it than anything like that.”

“However, I do know a man that can probably help ye out”

“You know of an engineer that can assemble this If you presented him the pieces?” Tataru asked.

Brithael smiled. “More ‘n that, he can certainly hammer ’em out as well as me! Man’s the best smitty I ever trained, hell I ain’t afraid to say it, he’s probably better ‘n me if’n I’m honest! Moreover, I know he’s more’n acquainted with them Machinists over in Ishgard. They tend to produce their own guns, but he’s shared the plans with us in case they need more’n they can produce. Hells, I think he mighta helped found the bloody organization? Anyroad, his name’s ‘Old Man’ Franks. Course, that ain’t his real name, he just-“

“-goes by it, yes. I’ve met the man, actually” Tataru interrupted, a little quietly. Her eyes were wide.

“Oh, ‘at’s right, you spent some time in Ishgard, didn’t ye? Issat where ya met ’em?”

“S…something like that, yes” Tataru replies, her face a bit dazed with this realization.

“Well, I can get a message to ‘im. Don’t think he’s in Limsa at the moment. Want me to have him meet ya somewhere?”

“Er….yes. Um, the Rising Stones, this afternoon, please. He knows the way there. Thank you, guildmaster.”

“Not a problem at all, milady!”

Tataru turned and slowly walked out, still trying to process what she had just heard. A master Carpenter AND Blacksmith? She knew Franks liked to build things, and she’d seen him helping in the Ishgard restoration before, but how in the hells had he gotten to be a carpenter and a blacksmith good enough that the actual guildmasters considered him their equal? Or when?

She supposed she’d get the chance to ask him that this afternoon. She had a final stop to make

A few hours later, and another airship charter reached Ul’dah. Tataru loved the way Ul’dah smelled, the air full of spices and scents from all over. She wasn’t a tremendous fan of the heat however, so she made her way to the goldsmith’s guild as quick as her legs would take her. Once she arrived, she started to move towards the receptionist’s desk, but a voice called from the workshop “TATARU”

“Hi Sera!” she calls back. Both race to meet each other, colliding into a hug at the top of the stairs that led to the workshop floor.

Serendipity finally pulled back and beamed at her. “Oh it’s been so long, Tataru! When the Sultana of all people showed up and mentioned you would be dropping in, needing a big favor, I was so excited to get to see you again!”

“Me too, Sera! We are absolutely getting something to drink to catch up, but first, you wanna see what the favor is?”

Serendipity clapped her hands, excitement all over her face. “Yes! Do you need some jewelry? Ooooh, a big date perhaps? Did Wedge finally-“

“SHHHHH shshhshsh! No, I actually have a couple of magical arms i need created!” Tataru replied, blushing furiously. “One of them is an Astrologer’s Star Globe, the other is a staff. I’ve got a carpenter to shape the actual wood, I just need the gemstone made for it and set inside.”

She quickly dug into her pack, handing her two rolled parchments. One was tied in green string, the other in blue.

Serendipity’s expression changed, professional interest replacing teasing grin. She took the parchments, unrolling the green-wrapped one first “Oooh, this is pretty! Very intricate work on the staff, I hope your Carpenter is good, that’s going to be some precise work. Good size gem on it, too. Looks like an azurite maybe? Or perhaps a star spinel? We’ll have to chat a bit more about what this staff’s used for to determine what’ll be best to use here. What about this other thing…”

She then unrolled the second parchment. “Oh, a Star Globe, very nice. We’ve been getting a lot of commissions for these out of Ishgard, seems like their guild is growing very nicely. This one’s really ornate though, I like it. Okay, I think we can make these happen for sure, lemme just check my….oh. Oh, dear. This can’t be right? Oh, it is. Oh, that’s not good.”

Tataru looked worried. “What? What’s wrong, Sera??”

Serendipity turned back to her with an apologetic grimace on her face. “I’m so, so sorry Tataru. I forgot how backed up I am on commissions. I really want to help, I do, but I’ve already missed some deadlines as it is!”

Tataru looked downcast. “Oh…I don’t suppose there’s anyone you can foist those on to help me get these made, can you?”

Serendipity shook her head. “No, I can’t do that, everyone else here is either just as busy or isn’t yet skilled enough that I trust them with commissions usually reserved for me. Although…there MIGHT be someone who could make your items in my stead? He’s actually really good, remember those music boxes I told you about that played different arrangements of the same song but harmonized beautifully together? It’s the man who made those! He’s really fantastic, I just don’t want to commit on his behalf! I can get him a message, though, want me to have him meet you later?”

“Um, well, yes, that would be nice. This afternoon at the Rising Stones would work well, if he’s available. Aaaand I’m almost afraid to ask, but…his name wouldn’t be Franks, would it?

A look of surprise came across Serendipity’s visage. “Why, yes, actually it is. ‘Old Man’ Franks. Do you know him? Do you know why he wants to be called that? He’s not even really all that old!”

Tataru just blinked, staring off into space. Then she rubbed her temples, as if trying to massage a headache. “Of course it’s him….it was him the first two times, why wouldn’t it be now? Heh heh heh”

“Uh, Tataru? You okay?”

She looked back up to Serendipity with an apologetic smile. “Oh, sorry, Sera! I’m fine, just a long morning. Lot of airship travel and all. Yes, please, send ‘Master Franks’ a message to meet me. Do you still have time for a drink this evening, with your backlog?”

“I’m hoping to be able to get caught up today, yes! Looking forward to it!”

“Great! I’m gonna head back to the Stones and finalize everything, but I’ll meet you tonight at the Quicksand?”

“See you then!”

Tataru practically ran for the door.

It was early into the afternoon when Tataru opened the door to the Rising Stones. Most of the Scions were out in the field, save one person who sat at one of the tables, idly reading. She walked right up to him and glared.

Without looking up from his book, Franks spoke. “Oh, hey Tataru. How did your meetings with the guildmasters go?”

Seven hells, was he SMIRKING?

She stamped her foot. “Oh, don’t even! You know EXACTLY how they went! Why didn’t you TELL ME you were some kind of avatar of Byregot that knows how to craft practically everything??”

Franks threw back his head, laughing. “Well, to be honest, I kinda have a bit of a cheat going, thanks to the Echo, you know?” He stopped laughing and turned to Tataru. “And I remembered how much you struggled with wanting to find a way to be more useful to the Scions. I also remember that you were justifiably very proud of yourself for all the crafting skills you’ve learned, and I didn’t want to make it seem like I just usurped everything you accomplished nor step on your toes or anything like that.”

“Are you crazy? I wouldn’t have thought that! You should know me better! I know this isn’t some competition! We’re all in this together, and you’ve been hiding skills I could have allocated for us to use!” She pointed a judgemental finger at him “So now I’m gonna! Your first punishment is you get to make everyone’s weapons while I sew their outfits!”

“Your wish is my command, ma’am! Let me know if you want some extra hands with the fabric, I can weave too!”

Tataru just glared at him.

[hamburgerhelpersotherhand]

Infatuation P1

Joe Goldberg x Reader x Love Quinn

Warnings: Casual Joe thoughts and stalking/watching from afar

Notes: Baby’s first fanfic... and I chose Netflix’s YOU of all things. This doesn’t specifically take place anywhere on any timeline, but know that Joe and Love are together. I don’t know if I should continue this but I felt like it needed to be posted.

There you were.

You are currently Love’s favourite customer and, as I watch you, I can’t begin to see why.

You’re not really interested in what’s on display, are you? You come in every day, glance around as if you’ve never seen the place, and slowly make your way to the front counter.

You don’t even say anything when you find yourself waiting alone, but you do toy with the bell charm on your bag. It’s almost like a replacement for your own voice.

You know, by the way you’re looking around, it almost seems like you’re searching for something... or someone. Should I feel threatened? You come in three times a week and hog Love’s attention like a spoiled kid.

Now you’re checking the time on your phone. Do you have somewhere else you have to be? Relax, Y/N, you’re just in Anavrin.

“Y/N, can you proof read this for me?” Forty walks into frame with his phone in hand, saving you from your awkward wait.

I click my pen and pretend to be taking inventory.

“I don’t know, I’m waiting for Love.” You say quietly. I almost didn’t catch that.

The conversation seemed to stop and I glance up to see Forty’s lips puckered. He’s thinking.

“Well, I don’t see her anywhere and it’ll only take a minute.” He continued suddenly. “Please, please, please?”

A little annoying, I will admit. But his request doesn’t feel like something you’d turn down-and I already spot you nodding your head. He hands you his phone and you begin to read.

Your lips are pursed and your eyes are moving back and forth. Either you’re a fast reader or Forty used a very large font size. Do you read often? Your bag looks big enough to hold a couple books.

You’re very petite, reserved and seem like just the type to secretly enjoy a steamy romance novel. As they say, It’s always the quiet ones you have to look out for.

“Sorry for the wait, someone left one of the spice caps loose and I had to clean the mess.” Love steals your attention away from Forty’s phone. He’s quick to take the device back from you. He looks frustrated.

“Oh, it’s alright! Forty was keeping me company.” You say, but Forty is already walking away- more specifically, walking towards me.

My attention is momentarily taken away from you while I look down and pretend to examine the books that came in this morning.

“Hey old sport, can you proof read this?”

I look at him, his phone, and then glance towards Love. He seems to notice and also glances back.

“Hey, Love has her friends and I have mine.” He snaps his fingers infront of my face and I look at him. “Right now is friend time and your creepy silence is not allowed.”

“I-“ before I can even get two words out, he’s got his phone in my face and an expectant look in his eye.

~

It had been a long day of enduring an earful from Forty. He’s passionate for his craft of the week, I’ll give him that.

But you... you left hours ago, yet you were still on my mind.

Love and you were in the back kitchen and I knew. Love doesn’t just take anyone into the kitchen, especially not a customer... no. You’re much more than that. Aren’t you, Y/N?

You two prepared a lunch together, as you did every time you found yourself at Anavrin.

“Will, I’m planning a ‘get together’ on Friday.” Love snapped me out of my expressionless daze. “In all seriousness, I just want to relax with some friends at home. Will you be there?”

“That depends, am I invited?” I reply with a quirked smile and an innocent look in my eye.

“Of course you are! Come over around 3, I’ll need help with dinner.” She doesn’t actually need help with preparing dinner, but I can tell she’d prefer the extra set of hands.

“I’ll be there.” I smile, a real genuine one too.

This is a nice conversation and all, but I want to find out more about you, Y/N. “While dinner is on the table, I was wondering if you wanted to go out and grab lunch with me tomorrow?” Im asking this because I know you’re coming in for your secret lunch dates with Love. This question is just the bait I need to get a conversation going.

“Oh. I don’t know about that. I kind of have plans with Y/N during my lunch break.” Bingo. Just what I wanted to hear. Well, not really but you get the point.

“Y/N... Is that... the...uhh...” This is all an act. I’m pretending to search for the name, but she’s never actually mentioned you to me directly before.

“She’s a customer.” Love says. Downplaying the meaning behind your relationship and keeping it professional? Are you two hiding something or am I just losing it?

“Is she the girl with the bell on her bag? There was a girl jingling something on her bag around noon.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely her.” Love nods. I like how reserved she’s being, despite feeling a bit frustrated that I couldn’t find out more. It’s almost like Love is tempting me to find you on my own.

“I guess lunch can wait then. I’ll be looking forward to dinner on Friday.”

Love leans forward and gives me one of her softest kisses. I return the action and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

My thoughts almost naturally start to drift to you again.

~

It’s another day at Anavrin, but I don’t see you anywhere.

Love is in the back kitchen, lost in her own cooking trance as per usual. She looks very beautiful with that focused look on her face.

But where are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago and yet, there’s no sign of you.

At least, not until I start to hear that little chime on your bag.

“Thank you for the input. I might not do anything with what you said, but I’ll definitely consider it.” That’s right... Forty knows you too. He’s talking about his story again and you seem interested. I can’t tell if you’re genuinely into it or just being nice.

When you come into view, Love looks up and spots you. You don’t notice her right away, but she smiles in your direction.

I spot your lips moving but I can’t make out what you’re saying. Damn it, Y/N. You have to get out of that mumbling habit.

Forty takes a sip of his drink and nods in response. Before I know it, you’re both going your separate ways: Forty hovers around some books while you go towards the back kitchen.

I look back to Love and see her eyes staring right at me. She’s looking with an unreadable expression... then she smiles, waves, and I wave back with a smile of my own.

I remember Forty and turn around.

“I kind of don’t like the placement of these.” Forty rotates a finger around the display. I ignore his statement.

“Who’s that girl?” I look towards the back kitchen. “I see her come in like every day but she doesn’t say a word.”

He seems to think for a bit as he spins whatever remains of his drink with his reusable straw.

“That’s Y/N.” I wait for him to continue. “She’s an old friend of Love’s. Y/N is back in LA and I guess Love just wants to spend time with her.”

“Who is she to you?” It only feels natural that I ask this. Forty seems to trail behind you, but it could be because you’re a recognizable face.

“I took her out on a date once.” He sips his drink. “Then she pretty much ghosted everyone when she moved.”

Now that... that makes me curious... I now want to dive deeper than I would have, if just to find out why you ghosted Love of all people. She’s good for you, she’s good for everyone.

There’s always the possibility you moved away with family, but I’d like to believe there’s a better story in there somewhere.

I think it’s time to see how reserved you really are, Y/N.

[witchcraft-in-wonderland]

Hunchback of Notre Dame (One-Shot)

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

It's a lesson as old as time itself really, never judge a book by its cover, never judge a beast by its claws, thousands of iterations all equal to the very same principle.

But there are people who refuse to take such principles to heart, and would in fact rather spread principles in direct opposition.

Werecreatures have never had a very good reputation, from the animal-like designs to the depictions of their kind as unkind and ruthless. So trying to find a place to stay was much more difficult than it should have been.

"Four travelers for safe passage into the mindscape," a voice shrouded by a cloak muttered, waving down another werecreature, this one holding a bundle in its arms.

The bundle was crying, as though aware of the horrific events that would occur just beyond that gate.

"We've been tricked!"

"Judge Doyle!"

The werecreature holding the bundled skittered away on the eight spindly appendages protruding from it's back, paying no mind to the sound of footsteps against stone rapidly gaining in it.

Until it hit the ground with a sickening crack, and went stock still, the bundle falling to the ground like a rock.

Doyle had always been a cruel man. He'd trained his own son, Patton, to fear him, and to in turn fear that which opposed him.

And it was Doyle who had found the spider's body.

It was Doyle who took the bundle from the still and cold arms of its mother.

And it was Doyle who attempted to drown the eight-eyed and multi-limbed child that resided within.

"STOP!" Doyle only gave momentary pause at his son's call.

"What are you doing?." Patton said as he reached the bottom of the steps.

"Sending this creature to the dark side, right where it belongs," Doyle said coldly.

"You've killed an innocent person, and you believe the best course of action is to add the blood of a child to your crimes? What would Thomas think. . ." Patton said.

That had struck a nerve, the bundle was moved from the well.

"And what do you suggest I do?." Doyle snapped, thinking he'd stumped the man in front of him.

"Care for it, you've raised one son, what's another?" Patton said, raising an eyebrow.

"Me? Saddled with this- this-" Doyle paused for a few moments.

"Very well, we'll keep him in the old bell tower, by your village," Doyle said.

And he christened the child Virgil.

Virgil grew up lonely, terrified of even the slightest idea of leaving his tower.

His tower covered with bells and cobwebs and a table at the center with wooden constructs of the other denizens of the mindscape.

He grew up with no memory of his family other than those fed to him by Doyle. False memories of betrayal.

He grew up looking into the mirror and seeing eight eyes staring him back, each a cruel and sharp reminder of his inability to exist outside of that tower.

Patton had tried his best to undo such conditioning, but rarely was Patton allowed into the tower.

Today was a day Virgil remembered well, a festival of delight and chaos.

The Feast of Fools.

Patton had tried desperately to convince Virgil to attend, but Virgil was firmly locked under Doyle's heel, the spider caught in it's own web.

That is, for a moment.

One conversation at the dinner table, a recitation of the alphabet punctuated by far to many hisses and clicks, and Virgil was ready to flee.

He stitched up his own cloak, pulled it over his head, and ran out.

It was terrifying. His ears rang and his eyes burned like ash.

And then it all seemed to stop as he fell through cloth, instead punctuated by a gasp.

And then he was face to face with the most beautiful man he'd ever seen in his life. Eyes of golden yellow, hair of a deep brown, and scales of emerald. He was gorgeous, and he was holding Virgil's face as though it were a priceless glass treasure.

"I-Im sorry I-" Virgil stammered.

"Nonono, it's alright, you poor thing, you dont look very adept to sunlight do you?" He spoke softly, almost as if he though Virgil might flee if he were to loud.

Virgil shook his head slightly.

"Itll be fun, you should join the crowd, the light's much less likely to hit you there," and Virgil felt a soft kiss on his forehead before he rejoined the festivities.

And then came the main festival, someone he didnt recognize talked upstage and sang. Dark blue and purple hair like a galaxy bouncing around their face.

"Come one! Come all! Make an entrance to entrance- see the mystery and romance~" they purred as they backed toward the curtains.

"Come one! Come all! Hurry hurry heres your chance- see the finest man in France, dance Janus dance!" And then they were gone, replaced by the man Virgil had met before, now dressed in yellow and black cloth, his hair hidden under a hat.

Virgil flinched as Janus got closer and closer to where Doyle was watching the stage, wrapping a golden scarf around his neck as though Janus planned to choke him.

And then Virgil lost track of what was happening, until he was on stage, and he heard gasping.

He froze, he could almost feel Doyle's gaze from the other end of the stage.

And then the screams and gasping stopped, to be replaced with laughter. A crown was placed on Virgil's head, a cape fitted over the spindly legs sticking out from his back.

He smiled, the first genuine smile he'd had in decades.

Squelch

Virgil wasnt sure where the tomato had come from. Only that more were following, and suddenly ropes were tugging at his limbs,he tried to fight them off, tried calling for his father.

But Doyle only smiled and looked away. His guardsman, a man dressed in white and gold armor, green eyes wide with shock, made a single move toward Virgil, but was held back.

And then everything stopped, he felt hands against the ropes, heard Doyle call for someone to get down.

And then he was once again face to face with Janus.

"I'm so sorry. . . No one deserves this. . ." Janus said quietly before standing up, a hand firmly around Virgil's arm as he regained his own balance.

"You mistreat this poor man the same way you mistreat us all! You would call him a son and yet what freedom has he known! Compared to your only other son! What justice has been served as their spirits are crushed under the heels of men like you!." Janus snarled. Virgil saw a slight movement from the bell tower, likely Patton hiding behind a pillar before Doyle could catch his eyes.

"Silence." Was Doyle's only response.

"JUSTICE!" Janus called. Doyle pointed toward his guards, then toward Janus.

"Oh dear. . . Well let's see theres-" Janus pointed to each of the advancing guards and muttered under his breath "-ten of you, and one of me, oh what's a poor snake to do?" Janus pulled a yellow cloth from his dress and began to cry into it, before sneezing. . . And disappearing off stage.

Vitgil watched with intrigue as Janus led the guards throughout the square before disappearing into the building that made up the lower half of his bell tower.

Doyle beckoned for his head guard to follow him, before turning his eyes to Virgil.

And thus began Virgil's tearful walk back to the top of the tower.

His chest ached, he thought of Janus' hands caressing his face, of those eyes and scales and the way his lips quirked in a fashion that couldve been read as a sneer, were it not for the fact that his eyes looked as though they'd witnessed a miracle.

Virgil heard singing from the lower level of the tower, and upon further investigation, discovered that Janus had even more talents than Virgil had first thought.

So finally, he resolved to help him.

"Theres guards at every entrance, how exactly do you expect us to do this?" Janus said, raising an eyebrow.

"No one said we had to use a door," Virgil said with a sly grin.

"Hold on," he said, he felt Janus' arms around his waist, it was awkward, Janus had to have been almost two feet taller than he was.

Virgil reached one of his webs, pulled, and jumped off of the tower, Janus tried his best not to scream as they fell.

They said their goodbyes and Virgil pushed the necklace Janus had given him under his hoodie, he couldnt have it discovered, he'd rather die than be the reason Janus got hurt.

Which was why he'd decided to pin Roman to a wall when he came up the stairs.

"Woah woah woah- hey- I'm not here for him I promise! I helped him declare sanctuary!" Roman whisper-yelled.

"Then why are you here now." Virgil snarled.

"Just- tell him I'm sorry, and tell him I hope he's safe," Roman said.

Virgil paused for a moment before letting Roman down.

"You know. . . Janus is lucky to have you. . ." Roman said as he trodded down the stairs.

Things only seemed to get worse from there, Virgil could hardly breath as smoke rose from the ground, the crackling of fire mixing with the screams of the were-creatures who refused to give away Janus' location.

Until Janus showed up at Virgil's tower himself, this time carrying Roman's body in his arms.

"He was shot. . . Almost through the heart. . ." Janus said quietly. Virgil nodded and gathered up cobwebs to make bandages. He wished he couldve made fresh ones, but it had been many years since he'd stopped being able to use that ability.

"He can stay with me- you need to run, fast," Virgil said, shooing Janus away. Janus pressed one last kiss on Roman's lips before fleeing.

And soon Roman himself was on the run alongside Virgil. Both on a mission to keep Janus and his people from a gruesome death at Doyle's hands.

Virgil wasn't exactly sure what he'd been expecting from the Court of Miracles, but it certainly wasnt the same galaxy-haired catboy from the stage prancing around in front of a set of gallows gleefully calling out the supposed misdeeds of Virgil and Roman, before declaring their imminent deaths on the charge of complete innocence.

"Stop! These arent enemies! They're our friends!" And then came Janus from the crowd.

Everything happened all to quickly after that. Screaming and racing around trying to escape as their plans came crashing at Doyle's feet.

And then Virgil found himself chained to a tower.

And watching Janus standing on a pyre, straw littering his feet, flames kicking up around him.

And Virgil only felt one emotion, rage.

Chains were pointless. Chains were stifling and unnecessary and Virgil wanted nothing to do with them. He only wanted Janus safe and in his arms.

So it was quite the disappointment when he discovered Janus' lack of breath.

"You killed him. . ." Virgil muttered as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I had to. . . I only wish it had happened before he'd done such damage to you. . ." Doyle muttered. Virgil noticed a knife being brought towards him in the shadows on the walls.

That blade wouldve looked so much better in Doyle's heart. But fire worked quite well to.

Virgil had been afraid if the sun for quite some time, afraid of anything to do with the outside. But it was much easier to get through when he had his hands intertwined with both Janus and Roman's, and when he wasnt stifled by a fear of his own face.

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

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[lollybliz]

bout to make a Monster of a fic rec post here we go

heyo @jinx108! We’ll start with the complete ones because sometimes you’re just not in the mood to wait for the last chapter, you know? I don't remember details of all of these so i’m just going to copy the author’s summary rather than write my own. I am literally just going through my bookmarks, I got 400 of these to sort through. if ive talked to or am familiar with the author im gonna mention them, but if I mention you and you don't want me to have Please tell me and i’ll remove it.

If you’re not into spoilers Please Tread Carefully, I don't watch out for that stuff so I wont know to label it

1>Crushing Truth by Bunzuku: Tododeku. “Romance is hard enough for a teenager to understand when they have a good relationship role model. For Shoto, it takes two excited meddlers for him to even realize what his feelings really are.“

2>Disowned by b00mgh: tododeku + others. Unrated, some traumatic elements. “Shouto freaks out under a bridge and I use the word "grass" a lot more than I really should. Izuku does his stupid martyr thing and everyone makes continuous references to his propensity to break his bones. Aizawa goes "oh FUCK my kids are dying again" and his students use him as emotional (and physical) support. A friend requests angst, I say what kind, she say idk make someone get disowned and i say oh this I can absolutely provide my good buddy.”

3>cotton candy hands by @chonideno: Kiribaku. I will take Any excuse to rec this fic, its the most fluffy pile of feels Good Lord. also the first fic I ever bound into a physical book. “Studying to become a hero requires knowing how to take care of yourself. Sometimes you might need help on the way so if your crush offers to do your hair for you or to give you a well-deserved back rub, it'd be stupid to say no. A series of soft vignettes in which a love-struck Kirishima and a touch-starved Bakugou care for each other and it's definitely not making their hearts jump through hoops, they’re never this close to kissing, no, they're totally best friends bro“

4>Catching Sight of the Storm by neo7v: Kiribaku, tododeku. A considerable amount of Whump and related angst, and kinda sad tbh. “Blind. Quirkless. Useless.The first two things were stated clearly by the doctor that sat about five feet in front of Izuku. The third was a word that Kacchan called him everytime he failed to make the jump on whatever forest excursion they were on or when he ran into a tree because he hadn’t seen it. “I’m so, so sorry, Izuku.” Was his mom giving up on him already? But he could still be a hero if he tried hard enough, right? Quirkless or not. Blind or not. Just because Izuku was useless now didn’t mean he would stay that way forever, right? *** A Blind!Izuku AU”

5>Yell Heah by fakecharliebrown: Chatfic. M a n y pairings. technically complete, but part of an ongoing series. “Iida creates a group-chat for Class 1-A. It doesn't go as planned.“

6>Sunshine by Rosey_Note: BIG SAD. tw- failed suicide attempt. KiriKamiBaku. “They didn't deserve to put up with his crappy mood. Because Denki Kaminari did not feel like Sunshine right now. And they deserved sunshine. In fact, Denki didn't feel much of anything right now.“

7>Electric Connection by  Onlymostydead: ShinKami. “Kaminari's quirk has always had... Weird side affects. Like his ADHD. And his constant energy. And his insomnia, which wouldn't leave him be right now, when he really needed to just get some sleep. But, thankfully, he has good friends.“

8>The Best (The Worst) by Onlymostydead: no romantic pairing. tw- rampant transphobia, both outside and internalized. “Bakugou Katsuki has known who he was since he was four years old. He was a boy, it was as simple as that. Around his friends, at school... But things couldn't just be that simple, could they?“

9>Lichtenberg Figures by Q_loves_you: no definite romantic pairing. “Kaminari Denki has a very powerful force of nature running through his body. Kaminari Denki doesn't want to hurt anybody. He doesn't always get what he wants, and "anybody" does generally include himself.“

10>Eventuality by KikaTouka: ill be honest I don't remember this one at all, I maaaay not have read it yet :/. anyway. ShinKami. “Shinsou learns more than just hero lessons after being transferred to 1-A.“

11>Pickup Lines for the Soul by MustardSoup: ShinKami. “Denki is twelve when he is flicking through the TV channels and lands on an old RomCom movie about soulmate marks – specifically the same type that he has. “I can’t believe I’ve had to walk around with a cheap pickup line written on my ankle my entire life because of you!” The leading lady yells at the leading man as he stares at her in awe. Denki laughs. “Oh no.” His mother says, watching him. “Oh no, indeed.” His sister repeats quietly.“

12>caught in my own web by @anxioussailorsoldier: ShinKami. “Shinsou needs some help after getting caught up in his capture weapon. Kaminari enters from stage left.“

13>not so summer love by nataliya: ShinKami. “Class 2-B’s common room, although typically quiet, was currently filled with five students—three slowly giving up on homework, one bitching about noise and another that rushes through the front door. “We’ve been waiting for you—” Mina starts, but Kaminari’s vaulting over the back of the couch, eyes wide as he practically buzzes out of his skin, emitting light like crazy as currents dazzle across strands of hair. “I have a big ugly crush,” He steps off the couch and onto the coffee table, much to Bakugou’s chagrin, “On big ugly Shinsou.””

14>Blamed by coldandhotsoba: ShinKami. Tw- they fuckin kill a guy and its a lil nasty. “This was not how the day was supposed to end. They were supposed to end the day like they do most nights.  Kaminari clutching onto him like a koala as he slept, wrapped in the millions of tacky blankets Kaminari had bought. Warm and safe in their bed. It was not supposed to end with both of them tied up in some cold metal room.“

15>Lightning Scars by Present-Mics-Scream (write_your_way_out): Shinkami. “It's hard to be confident in your abilities when you're surrounded by people with incredible quirks. Shinsou Hitoshi would know better than anyone. Sure, he was admitted to the hero course in his second year, but being admitted to the hero course, and keeping up with the rest of the class are two different things. Lucky for him, Kaminari is there to prove that the flashiest quirks come with the largest drawbacks.“

16>See No Evil, Hear No Evil by randomfan188: no romantic pairing. “Kaminari Denki is legally blind. When he forgets to wear his contacts and breaks down during math class, comfort appears in the strangest of ways.“

17>how not to enjoy the weather, an article by kaminari denki by dreamtowns: no defined romantic pairing. “If there was one thing Kaminari hated the most in a world wth villains, it would have to be thunderstorms.“

18>”Studying” by emmyrox22: ShinKami, EraserMic. “Shinsou and Kaminari have been “studying” together for a while (but not for school). Shinsou gets stopped by his dads on the way to another “study” session and mistakes are made“

19>Weaknesses by sunflowerstorm: ShinKami. “Kaminari's quirk and storms compliment each other in the worst way, but he's convinced he can deal with it on his own... until he really can't any longer. When Shinsou accidentally overhears Aizawa confronting Kaminari about recent changes in behaviour and hears about the hell his quirks been putting him through, he can't just pretend he never heard. He wants to help.“

20>it’s hurt denki hours by memeingfultrash: ShinKami + others. ““Certain members of our class are...under the impression that...you’re the traitor.” Denki’s body went cold and felt like he was going to short circuit. ~some of class 1a believes that denki is the traitor and avoid him”

21>Petition to replace Mineta with Shinsou- (signed by Kaminari Denki) by CharaTheQuartz: ShinKami + others. This is one of my favorites, I go back to reread it from time to time. It SAYS 41/42, but that's just a glitch cus chapter 36 doesn't exist for some reason, I talked to the author about it and its fine. “Mineta brings shame to the color purple. You know who does not bring shame to the rich color, but pride and sexual tension to one infatuated Kaminari Denki instead? Shinsou Hitoshi, aka sexy zombie man, aka the most perfect hunk of a man to walk planet earth, aka future husband. Shinsou has finally gotten his chance to prove himself to the hero course, and he did more than prove himself. The only question left unanswered is whether he will start in A or B, and how Kaminari can manipulate the end result.“

22>How to Get a Boyfriend (in Four Easy Steps!) by e1ana: ShinKami, EraserMic, + others. “Step 1: Get kicked out of the house by your homophobic parents. Step 2: Run headfirst into your brooding, mysterious crush. Step 3: Sleep in his dad’s (see: your homeroom teacher) house Step 4: Watch everything you thought you knew go to shit. This isn’t exactly the sweet, romantic plan that Kaminari Denki longed for. Will everything be ok, or will step 5 be to crash and burn?“

23>Bakugou and Todoroki’s Foolproof 5-Step Plan to Fuck with Mineta Minoru by Anubis_2701: Kiribaku, TodoDeku, + others. This is another one of my favorites, and the one I am currently folding and sewing into a physical book. you learn how to do funny things when bored and quarantined ig. “It was a simple enough idea; screw around with the resident bastard of Class 1-A to let him know that his medieval ways and perverted behaviour weren't going to be tolerated by even the most career-focused of UA's students. To say that things had snowballed was an understatement. Todoroki had no idea how he had ended up sitting on Bakugou's floor at 1 am, holding a dossier of incriminating material that would make the FBI slobber, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know. The long and short of it was, fuck Mineta.”

24>Colour Theory by chancellorxofxtrash: TodoBakuDeku. this one’s a series. “Midoriya/Bakugo/Todoroki slow burn soulmate AU. All three of them are nerds with their own emotional issues, trying to navigate their way through becoming heroes, and their own relationship with each other.“

25>Summer Sunshine by Mara97: TodoDeku. Ever want a Barbie in a mermaid tale/Bnha crossover? No? well here you go anyway! “Instead of worrying about college, Izuku spends his summer vacation finding out his father is, supposedly, a dead merman king and going on a quest to dethrone the current king, Endeavor. Along the way, Izuku becomes close to the three journeying with him, makes friends with strangers, starts crushing on an unattainable prince, and, in the end, learns to love himself. Oh, and he saves a kingdom, too.“

26>The snowflakes on our skin and the flames in our soul are one (and the same), my love by missunderstuffyou: TodoDeku, Kiribaku. this is one of the ones I keep a running reread comment going on. its at,,, 6, atm.  “Before your quirk begins to present itself, the soulmate link comes through, and suddenly whatever you write upon your own skin appears on the body of your soulmate. As your soulmate writes to you, the emotions they feel follow through the ink.Izuku Midoriya is four years and a few months old when he first feels the slight ebbing in his arms. It doesn’t hurt… he can just feel something, and it’s enough to make him sprint into his mother’s arms screaming that his quirk is coming. She had been washing in the kitchen, and the sudden screech as her son rockets into her side is enough to make her jump with panic, immediately grabbing at him and looking for cuts and bumps before she understands his words and the stupidly bright, alight smile on his face with large, watery, hopeful eyes. Shoto Todoroki doesn’t feel his soulmate connection open up. It is drowned in the aches of a small body worked far too hard.“

27>It was dark inside the closet by Chad_Champion69420: Pre-ShinDeku? maybe? its tagged shindeku but like. it’ll make sense if you read it. “Midoriya is invited to a party. He and Shinsou decide to play a little trick on the rest of the party during Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

28>how to woo your local trash gremlin: a comprehensive guide by Todoroki shouto by wonhaebunny: TodoBaku. this is the fic that dragged me into todobaku, fun fact. “five times shouto tries to confess to bakugou, and one time he doesn't bother tryingaka: wikihow is a scam and bakugou is a terrible, terrible boy“

29>top ten photos taken right before disaster by Shookspeare: ShinDeku. “Izuku participates in a harmless prank, only to end up ruining it and running for dear life.“

30>Secrets to Share by pechebaie: no definite romantic pairing. “Kirishima comes out first, and nothing changes. Kirishima and Kaminari still hang out to complain about class and talk about boys - and sometimes girls, too, in Kaminari’s case; he still plans stupid pranks with Sero that get them sent to the principal’s or nurse’s office every time; Ashido still kicks his ass at Mario Kart without hesitation; and Bakugou doesn’t get angry at him any more than he usually does.“

31>What One Hides by Pinalinet: TodoDeku. “All Might gives class 1-A an unusual assignment that results in Midoriya Izuku and Todoroki Shouto attending a weekly acting class. But with a mysterious villain targeting individuals without Quirks, and a developing issue of Todoroki's own, an after-school assignment is the least of their worries.“

32>whether or not we’re fated, we’re meant to be by juurensha: KINDA SPOILERY. TodoDeku + others. “Todoroki didn’t have a soulmark for most of his life.His siblings all did, but up until the day of the U.A. entrance exam, he had shoved the idea aside. It’s not like they could help him anyway. And then a 9 appears on his chest, and a green-haired boy barrels into his life with a fire and ice soulmark on his arms, and suddenly Todoroki cares very much about all this could mean.”

33>The Midnight Shift by meiishu @meiishu @totallytodoroki (idk which you’d rather I attach so I went with both): ShinKami. ““Hey Toshi,” Denki says, and he laughs, clearly embarrassed. He’s got on a jean jacket that did him absolutely no help and a white tee shirt that is currently stuck to his torso. It’s got a pikachu design in the center. “By any chance, do you sell umbrellas?” “You really went out in this weather.” Hitoshi deadpans, instead of dignifying that with an answer. or hitoshi works the midnight shift at the gas station, which also doubles as a pokestop for pokemon go. of course, denki is a regular.”

34>Rock the House by AkabaneKayo: ShinKami. “It wasn’t just his bed. It was his entire fucking room shaking. Only one thought crossed his mind at that moment: “Holy shit. My room is haunted.”“

35>Technically, they’re morning kisses by CharaTheQuartz: ShinKami. “Most nights, Shinsou cannot fall sleep. Neither can Kaminari. It seems counterproductive to have a sleepover then, but they try to make it work. And they fail, but that is okay.“

36>someone to call mine by nearly_theyre: ShinKami, EraserMic “From: Me wish you were here, denks From: kitten 💛💘💛 what if i was tho? OR Four times Denki snuck into Hitoshi's room and one time he walked through the front door.“

37>Pretty by Onlymostydead (noticing some repeat authors? me too): no definite romantic pairing. “(Or, Kaminari still can't figure out bra clasps.) Kaminari has never really felt good about himself. Herself? Whichever way, not knowing doesn't make anything easier. Especially when he (she?) and Mina have their bodies swapped during training, and everything seems too right.“

38>If I offer you my hand, will you take it? by bleukitsune: Kiribaku. SPOILERY. ““Why?” Kirishima leaned back on his hands, trying to create some space between them. Too close. The ash-blond looked really nervous, his usually arrogant and cunning demeanor gone. “What do you see when you look at me? Kirishima is worried. Bakugou is hurting. After his confrontation with Midoriya, he finally reaches out to him. “

Theres way more but I haven't tagged them properly yet so that m a y come later if I can ever finish going through and adding my sorting tags.

and then a last few that Are Not Complete but im really very fond of them. not as many as id like to add, but my hands are getting tired tbh.

39>State of Mind by GuardianOfTheLoaf: no relationship YET but its looking like it’ll be either tododeku or shindeku, probably the former. EraserMic. tw- childhood neglect and severe depression. Izuku’s not a happy kid. “Izuku was a late bloomer, his quirk lying dormant until his tenth birthday when in a fit of emotion he grabs his mother and she disappears. With All Might slowly restoring his confidence Izuku begins the difficult journey into becoming a hero.“ 18/? chapters.

40>Izuku Eats His Problems by CosmicAce: ShinDeku. Izuku’s a flerkin, what more could you want? “His whole life, Izuku Midoriya was taught to keep his powers, his Quirk, hidden from the world. His kind were feared, hunted to near extinction because of it. He just wants to show people he’s different. That he can be a HERO. And nothing is going to stop him. Even if his Quirk IS like an eldritch abomination.“ 43/? chapters

and then probably my current favorite bnha fic- although it fights with Apertum Mortem for that spot but that ones d a r k and not here-

41>family of the year by periiwren: EraserMic. “Hitoshi is done. Done with moving around every few months to a couple that will scrutinize him and eventually dump him right back where he started. Good thing he’s well past his strike limit now- at least he can stay in one place, be content to age out of the system and finish out his training with Aizawa. Maybe transfer into the hero course, maybe be a hero- but none of that was guaranteed. The only thing for sure was that he was going to stay in that center for the rest of his childhood. Or so he thought- because Aizawa Shouta and Yamada Hizashi have other plans.“ 24/? chapters. we’ve been informed that this one’s gonne be l o n g and im Very Grateful.

42>Here There Be Dragons by here_and_there: pre-ShinDeku. “Izuku looked at the small circle Aizawa had motioned to in front of them. "I won't fit," he whispered, thinking. He raised his hand, tentatively. Sighing, Aizawa grumbled, "What?" "I-I have a question. Actually, two." His teacher just stared at him, unimpressed. Izuku continued. "Can we activate our quirks before we step into the ring?" Aizawa looked up into the sky, muttering something Izuku didn't hear. "If you must." "O-Okay. Uh, second question. You said we have to stay inside the circle, right?" "Yes." The man looked disappointed, not only in Izuku but in himself for letting the kid speak. "Great. Uh... does that include tails?"“ 6/? chapters.

43>Another Option by sandersonsister: TodoBakuDeku, Touya/Hawks, Dabi/Hawks. Potentially Spoilery, depends on whether horikoshi has the guts to confirm Touya. this one is waiting around the corner with a baseball bat, its really cute, and then r e a l l y painful. it might be getting better though. maybe. it might be getting worse. “When Touya stops his mother from hurting Shouto, he decides enough is enough. He needs to get out of this house and he's taking his baby brother with him.“ 33/? chapters.

That's it i’m done for now, oof. maybe ill edit more onto this post later, maybe i’ll just make another one. hope some of these work!

[brelione]

Feild Trip with a Rich Bitch (Rafe Cameron x Reader)

Part Two

Mentions of drugs,Rafe being a bitch,swearing and blow torches :)

Also,Goddess Part Three will be up by Friday afternoon.If you would like to be tagged please let me know :)

He had always hated Pogues.Then he met you.

You worked at a car repair shop in The Cut.He had come in on his bike,well,he had walked the broken piece of shit to the shop.You were the only one working that day.He couldnt help but think you looked adorable with your long sleeve yellow shirt under dark blue overalls,a backwards red hat and at least six silver chains draped across your neck.You had been extremely focused,sitting indian style as you smoothed a weird bump on a car with a nail file. “So are you gonna stare at me or are you gonna tell me what youre doing here,pretty boy?”You asked,not taking your attention off the task at hand.He blinked,surprised by your carefree yet assertive tone. “Uhh...somethings wrong with my bike.”He mumbled,attempting to smooth out his hair.You let out a small laugh as you dragged a paint brush along the smooth metal,fixing the messy spot. “No shit.What’d you do to it?”You asked,spreading more paint across the metal.His face turned red as he glanced around the shop.

There were paintings across the walls,multiple tool boxes and a wall of paint swatches.There were six other cars parked,some of them with large dents,holes or scratches. “I drove it into a tree.”He mumbled.You nodded. “Magnificent job,pretty boy.How are you gonna have a bike as expensive as that one then drive it into a tree?”You asked.He just shrugged,hands in his pockets.You put your paintbrush down into a cup of water,pulling out a blowtorch from seemingly nowhere.The flame hovered above the paint,drying and hardening it.Once you were satisfied with the paint job you stood up,brushing off your pants.You still had the blowtorch in your hand,the potential weapon swinging next to your thigh as you walked towards Rafe. “You gotta put the kickstand down,pretty boy.”You reminded him,gesturing to the bike.He nodded. “Right.”He nodded,putting the kickstand down and turning the handlebars so it would lean on the metal rod.One of the tires seemed blown out,a straight hole through the seat and multiple scratches across the metal.He watched as you looked over it.

You pulled at one of your chains. “So are you going to tell me what actually happened?”You asked,crossing your arms over your chest.That caused him to look down at your chest and the bleach stains across the front of your overalls.You snapped your fingers to get his attention back to your eyes.He cleared his throat,looking back up at you. “So how much for the repairs?”He asked.You smirked. “Well...i’d say $150 but you’re an asshole so thats an additional $15 and you’re also ruining my day so that would be another $15.”You twirled one of your chains,looking into his blue eyes.He bit his tongue,glancing between you and his bike. “And whats the fee for you not to tell anyone youre keeping my bike here?”He asked.You ran the tip of your tongue along your teeth with a devil like smile.God,this boy had never been in this kind of situation before.You werent even gonna tell anyone in the first place.You could probably charge him hundreds of dollars for all the things he’s done and he wouldnt be able to do anything about it.You were the best repair woman on the island and anyone else would go straight to his dad.It was 11 in the morning.You had pulled an all nighter for the third time that week and you hadnt eaten yet.Plus,if you sent Rafe to the store he could buy the expensive shit.

 “Theres a store three blocks away.Youre gonna go there and buy everything on the list and youre not gonna question it.”You told him.His eyebrows furrowed as he watched you take a notepad out of your pocket along with a pen,jotting things down.You tore the paper off,folding it and handing it to him.He took it,frowning and confused. “Hurry up.”You told him.He nodded,no words or sounds escaping his lips as he left the garage and made his way down the street.He knew what store you were talking about,the one with the sleeping cat outside.It was awfully quiet as he walked.Most of the time all the exciting things happened at night,not 11 in the morning.Either that or all the pogues were hiding from him,his gelled hair and his ugly ass khakis.He unfolded the piece of paper,reading it.Three large lemons,two large monster energy drinks,a bag of doritos and a pack of gum.It was a strange request but he wasnt supposed to question it.He had kept his head down at the store,grabbing three of the largest lemons he saw,two random monster energy drinks,the doritos and three packs of gum.

He didnt know what kind of gum you liked but you probably had to like one of the three,right?When he got back you were using your blowtorch on a part of the bike you had painted. “Put the bag on the work table and touch nothing.”You spoke loudly,confidently.He found your confidence unbelievably attractive.He never let anyone boss him around like this but ther was just something about you.You held some sort of power over other pogues,he could tell that much by the few boneyard parties he’d gone too.The others were attracted to you,some of them held their breath as you walked by,others just kept their distance.He didnt know where such nice chains had come from.They looked like they had weight,indicating that they were real.He had carefully walked over to your work table,seeing multiple small jars of paint,brushes,metal sheets,files,nails,screws and your cell phone.It was a pretty old model.He set the bag down on an empty spot,watching as a notification came across your phone.Eighteen days sober!Log this milestone.He frowned.Sober from what?

He shook it off,walking back around to where you were with his bike. “I was worried that you’d set my bike on fire or something.”He spoke quietly,trying to make conversation.You glared up at him,eyebrows casting shadows over your irises. “What?Cause im a dirty pogue?”You asked.He shook his head frantically. “Thats not what I meant I-”He began to explain himself but you cut him off. “So because im fixing your bike im different?”You asked.He sighed. “I just meant because of the blowtorch-Im sorry.”He mumbled.You stood up,blowtorch in hand. “Know your place,rich bitch.Your bike will be done by three,save yourself the embarrassment and go home to your mansion.”Your voice was dripping in venom,eyes narrowing.He gulped. “I cant go back home without my bike,my dad will kill me.”He mumbled,looking down at you.You smirked. “Good.”You replied before kneeling down again by the bike,getting back to work. “God,could you stop staring at me?Go sit somewhere or sue a tree or some shit.”You huffed.He almost tripped over his own feet,finding a chair and sitting down.He tapped his food on the ground anxiously. “So um...how long have you been fixing cars?”He asked.

You slammed the blow torch down on the concrete. “Could you shut the fuck up?Please?”You asked.He bit his lip. “I dont like the silence.”He replied. “And I dont like loud noises.”You answered. “What are you sober from?”He asked.You sat there for a moment,eyes locked on the ground.You slowly stood up,walking towards him. “You went on my phone?”You asked.His mouth went dry and he was lost for words. “Rafe.”You snarled.He looked back up at you,beads of sweat collecting at his hairline. “I-the notification-I just saw it and I just-God,im sorry (Y/N).”He sighed,looking away from you.Your hand reached up,gripping his jaw and making him look at you. “Didnt I tell you to shut the fuck up?”You asked.He looked away from you,only looking back when your grip tightened. “Yeah.”He muttered. “And you’re gonna be good and shut that pretty mouth of yours,right?”You asked,squeezing harder on his flesh.He hummed. 

“Good.”You mumbled,taking your hand away and getting back to work.You could feel him staring at you,the way your fingers moved as you grabbed your tools.He understood now.He understood the pogues’ fear and admiration of you.He felt like one of them,caught up in your beauty and the way you carried yourself while simultaneously being slightly afraid of you.You walked past him,grabbing one of the monsters.You grabbed a knife from the table.He watched as you cut open the bottom of the energy drink and shot gunned it,wiping your mouth when you were done.You grabbed a lemon from the bag,cutting an end of it off.You pulled a container of a white powder,opening it and coating the lemon slice in it. “Dont stare at me like that.Its salt,nothing you can snort.”You grumbled,taking the slice out and placing it in your mouth.Your eyes didnt squint and your eyebrows didnt furrow at the taste. “You...you eat lemons in salt?”He asked.You pulled the lemon slice from your teeth,biting the salt coated fruit as it left your mouth. 

“I do.”You replied. “It helps with cravings.”You finished your thought,going to fix the bike seat.Rafe had sat on his phone until one in the afternoon when he heard someone come in. “You havent answered your phone,thought you were dead or something.”A deep voice said.Rafe heard you giggle. “Only on the inside,sunshine.I’m busy with work right now,tell the others ill be around by seven.”He heard the tone of your voice.Friendly,happy and almost excited. “Alright.Did you eat today?”The voice asked. “I had a lemon slice,ive got some doritos so dont worry too much.I’ll see you later.”You had told your friend. “Alright,sounds like a plan.”THe boys voice said before leaving.Rafe watched as you rolled a tire inside,replacing the one he had destroyed.Once you had replaced it you went back to the bag of goodies,cutting open the other monster.You chugged it,sighing as you stared up at the ceiling. “Why do you hate me so much?”Rafe asked suddenly.A smile tugged at your lips.

 “You beat up two of my boys,you come around starting shit and blaming it on us,you think youre just so fucking amazing when youre really just a bitch,you ran over my fucking mailbox,you drink and drive,you gave another one of my boys a fucking concussion and a scar and you wonder why I hate you?”You ranted,fists clenching.He just sat there,hands gripping the arms of the chair. “You just fuck things up.”You sighed.He licked his lips. “You sound like my dad.”He mumbled.You laughed. “Oh dont get me started on your dad.That bitch ruined my life.”You sighed,grabbing another lemon slice.He raised his eyebrows. “What?How?”He asked.You just giggled to yourself. “You really have no idea what your father has done to my family?No idea at all?”You asked.He shook his head.You just laughed again,the sound filling the air.It wasnt like the way you had giggled with your friend.It was empty and sarcastic,hiding anger that was building up inside of you. “You wanna go for a field trip,Rafe Cameron?”You asked.

[ayanna-wild]

Meeting The Family

Word Count: 935

Pairings: Lucifer Morningstar x Reader

Warnings: none, just fluff

A/N: Request from @kittenlittle24

Summary: First impressions tended to make some people a little nervous, the stress of making sure it was a good one always causing some panic. Lucifer's plan to introduce the Detective to his wife and daughter however, it didn't go quite as you'd hoped.

.....................................................................

"Lily Ann!"

You watched the little girl run from you with a small scream of laughter. You were supposed to be cooking, preparing for your guest, instead you were chasing a four-year old who had gotten into the chocolate cake mix.

"Come here!"

She looked at you, shaking her head, as she licked more chocolate from her hands.

"No, mama."

You opened your mouth to scold her, but the sound of your ringtone interrupted you. Keeping a watchful eye on your hell sent daughter, you answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello love, just checking in, how is everything?"

You glanced around the disaster that was the penthouse, and then back to your daughter who had smeared chocolate into her hair.

"Fine?"

It came out more of a question than an answer but Lucifer didn't seem to notice.

"Marvelous, the Detective, and I should be up soon we've just walked into Lux."

You panicked, immediately moving to tidy up the horrible mess.

"But Lucifer I'm not-”

The phone went silent, and you scrambled to clean up what you could in as little time as you had. Toys, plates of half-eaten food, laundry that had yet to be folded. You hid things under the couch, haphazardly shoved clothes into closets. Yet, in your haste you'd forgotten to clean up the mess that was your daughter.

You had been shoving a stack of children's book onto a bookcase when you heard your daughter squeal with happiness.

"Papa!"

You wiped your hands on your jeans, quickly moving them to fix your messy hair as you walked out of the library. Lucifer held Lily Ann in his arms, leaning back from her a bit to avoid her chocolate hands reaching for his face.

"Oh dear, what happened to you?"

"Mommy made cake and let me lick the bowl." She declared proudly.

Lucifer looked at you curiously as you hurried to take her from your arms.

"I absolutely did not. She grabbed the bowl from the counter when I wasn't looking."

He chuckled at your dismay when Lily Ann accidentally wiped her hands on your shirt, staining the white top.

"Will you clean her up while I change my shirt?"

He raised his hands taking a few steps back.

"This suit is Armani darling, chocolate stains aren't exactly ideal."

Seeing your exhausted expression he cleared his throat and gently took her from your arms.

"Although I suppose I can always buy another."

He turned, walking to the bathroom, and you gave Chloe an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, I promise it's not always this chaotic here."

She only smiled, shaking her head as if to say there was no need to apologize.

"It's ok, I'm a mother too, I've had my fair share of chaos."

You returned her smile, excusing yourself to find a replacement shirt.

"Lucifer talks about you a lot, he really enjoys working with you!" You called from the bedroom.

"Can't say I always feel the same."

You laughed a little as you walked out, smoothing your shirt.

"He takes some getting use to." You agreed.

Speaking of the devil, he had just rejoined the two of you, holding his now spotless daughter in his arms.

"Right then, the small creature is clean, and I can properly introduce the three of you to one another."

Lily Ann clapped her hands, as Lucifer beamed like he had just delivered an award-winning speech. You and Chloe shared a knowing smile about his theatrics.

"This is Detective Decker, or Chloe if you will, and this is my darling wife Y/N, and our adorable spawn-"

"Child." You sighed.

"Right yes, our child, Lily Ann." Lucifer smiled sheepishly.

You and Chloe waited quietly to see if he would say anything more and when he didn't you turned to the blonde woman with a welcoming smile.

"Well, I made dinner if you'd like to eat." You offered.

"That sounds great."

~

The dinner went well, and you found that you liked Chloe. The two of had gotten along so well that she had even invited you to join her for drinks later that week. Lucifer had of course offered to watch Lily Ann so you could go out, claiming that you desperately needed to get out and enjoy life a little. That had earned him a swift kick in the knee under the table. You accepted her invitation nevertheless.

"Thank you for having me over Y/N, it was nice to finally meet you."

You waved to Chloe as the elevators doors slid closed, and you turned back to your family.

"That went quite well didn't it?" Lucifer hummed.

He held your sleeping daughter in his arms, her eventful day sapping the energy from her little body. Seeing her so fast asleep made you realize just how tired you really were.

"Yeah it did, it was nice having her over, we should do it again soon." You agreed.

Lucifer must have noticed the way your shoulders dropped because he chuckled a little. He placed a hand on your back, giving you a gentle nudge towards the bedroom.

"Go on love, I'll put our angel to bed and clean up."

"Are you sure? There's a lot more to clean then you think."

Lucifer gave you a knowing look and shook his head.

"I know all about your little hiding spots my dear, I'll have this place spotless by the time you wake up tomorrow, now off you go."

You gave him a grateful smile, giving him a quick kiss.

"I love you."

He gave you a small wink.

"Yes I know, I love you too."

................................................................

Tag List: @we-are-all-alittle-strange-here @adira-secrets @beththedemonhunter @shywriting @emiwrites3reads @gingernarwal @cuddly-cat-in-a-trench-coat @im-just-along-for-the-ride @lifeshortbro @sallyp-53 @officalfangirl @cptgryps @mizzezm @measure-in-pain

[barnesandrogersfanfics]

Rose Coloured Glasses - Part 3

A/N - Thank you all for reading so far! This is more of a filler chapter just to move it along. More to come soon! Please like and share if your enjoying it 💕

When i came home with Frank yesterday i didn't expect him to stick around, but here i was waking up in a tangled naked mess with him...my body aching in the most amazing ways.

I stopped my alarm from going off so i didn't wake him and slipped out of bed to have a shower before Andy arrived to pick me up for work.

"Where are you going?" i heard Frank mumble as i pulled on clean underwear, i turned to look at him with a huge smile, the man truly was beautiful.

"I gotta go to work"

"Call in sick, stay in bed with me all day"

"As tempting as that offer is.... i cant, Andy is picking me up in 10 minutes"

"Oh.... i could have taken you"

"I didn't know you'd still be here" i said honestly.

"I can go if its a problem...."

"Its not, i'm glad you stayed" i smiled leaning over to kiss him, his hands gripped my hips and pulled me into his lap so i was straddling his waist.

"Frank! I dont have time for this..." i moaned feeling his hard length pressing against me as he kissed my neck.

"We can be quick...."

"Im gonna be late....." i laughed using all my will power to crawl off his lap, i was just at the end of the bed when he dived at me and we fell to the floor laughing.

"Call your boss and tell him you don't need a ride, i'll take you"

"I can't his probably already outside" i reached down and quickly kissed him again before getting up and rushing to my wardrobe, i pulled on a black polkadot dress and some black pumps before quickly tying my hair up.

When i came back into the bedroom Frank was still laying on my bedroom floor only wearing his tight black boxers that didnt hide anything.

"Well damn.... you make it so hard to leave"

"Im staying right here til you get back"

"I'll be back at 5:30" i knelt down and kissed him "you can stay if you like?"

I got up grabbing my purse and a jacket before making my escape. If i didn't leave now i'd be calling in sick!

As i thought, Andy was already parked outside waiting for me in his black Audi.....Im not sure how long he had been there but the engine wasn't running.

"Morning" i greeted him with a smile which he returned.

"Morning"

"Sorry to keep you waiting"

"its fine i was a little early anyway"

"Thanks again for coming to pick me up, i get my car back later today"

"They sorted that quick" he said as he started the car and began the drive to the office.

"Yeah something to do with a cracked cylinder head or something? I have no clue" i chuckled "i'm completely hopeless when it comes to cars"

"Me too!" He admitted smiling over at me. The rest of the journey was spent with idle chit chat just to fill the silence.

Frank: Ur music selection sucks BTW!

Frank texted me around 11am, i couldn't help but laugh quietly to myself.

Y/N: don't listen to it then lol 🤣

Frank: But im bored!

Y/N: Find something to watch on Netflix, its all signed in.

Frank: Just come home, you'll keep me busy 😜

Y/N: ....

My desk phone rang i looked at the display to see it was Andy calling.

"Hello" i answered on the second ring.

"Hey, could you come to my office real quick please?"

"Sure, i'm on my way" i got up grabbing my notebook and a pen incase he needed me to take some notes down.

"Come on in" he smiled as i reached his office door.

"What can i do for you?"

"I have to head up to Vermont, an old friend of mine called in a favour"

"Okay, what do you need?"

"I need you to come with me" he said looking at me with an apologetic grimace on his face.

"What?.... why?"

"Honestly? im gonna be swamped, i need you to be there to help keep my diary updated, grab me coffee and lunch.... i know it sounds boring as hell but i'll pay you double. I usually take Susan on these kinda things but as you know she's home sick with the flu"

Susan was the older woman who had been Andy's PA for years before i started working here, she was about to retire and i was her replacement.

"When?"

"Tomorrow, should be for a day, two at the most. I'll book a hotel and cover expenses"

"Sure, if you need me to...."

"It would be a huge help"

"Okay" i nodded but couldnt help but think it was strange that he wanted me to go with him.

"Thank you Y/N, i owe you! I'll pick you up at 7am i like to get on the road early"

"Sure, not a problem" i smiled and went back to my desk, missing the smug smile that quickly crossed Andy's face.

I left work a little early so i could go collect my car that was now fixed and headed home. I was surprised to walk in to the smell of cooking!

"Whats all this?" I asked Frank raising my eyebrows in question when i walked into the kitchen to find him at the stove wearing my apron.

"Oh hey! Your home!" He smiled turning to me and kissing me quickly "how was work?"

"Strange...... seems to be the theme of today"

"Sorry, is this weird? I just.... i was bored so i thought id cook you dinner" Frank said scratching his jaw looking a little nervous.

"Its not weird" i chuckled "more unexpected"

"Well see, its completely selfish on my part really...." he said sliding me a glass of white wine.

"How so?"

"Because i plan to keep you busy for the rest of the night soooo, its only fair i feed you first" he grinned making me roll my eyes at him.

"Okay Romeo" i shook my head laughing at him, he really was something! "How long til its ready?"

"10 minutes tops?"

"Great, i've just gotta go throw an overnight bag together real quick then i'm all yours" i pressed a quick kiss to Franks lips and headed to my bedroom.

As i packed a few change of clothes and toiletries i couldnt help but think about how easy it was having Frank here....Id only known him a day for christ sake!

"Y/N, foods ready" he called as i zipped up the bag.

"Okay i'll be right there".

Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs and it was honestly the best id had, it was his grandma's recipe apparently.

"So how come your packing an overnight bag?" Frank asked halfway through dinner.

"Oh, i've gotta go to Vermont with Andy for a day or two. He asked me to go with him this afternoon" i shrugged

"Isn't that a little odd?"

"I don't know, he said Susan used to go with him"

"Who's Susan?"

"His PA i'm replacing"

"The old chick?"

"Yeah"

"But he didn't have a thing for Susan"

"Frank don't start that again...."

"I bet his wife doesn't know his asked his sexy as hell PA to accompany him on his little business trip" he shook his head.

"You jealous?" I smirked trying to make a joke of it before it got to serious.

"What if i am?"

"I thought this was just fun?" I motioned between the two of us.

"So did i..... but i cant stop thinking about you...."

"You have no reason to be jealous, Andy is my boss nothing more. I like this with us, whatever it is...."

"So i can see you again when you get back from Vermont?"

"I think that can be arranged".

Everything taglist: @jesseswartzwelder @dumblani @barnesandrogersworld @patzammit

Rose Coloured Glasses taglist: @readermia @princess-evans-addict @jennmurawski13

[is-it-art-tho]

Bruce skidded down the hall, socked feet sliding on polished hardwood, and waited, listening until–

There it was again. That piercing, grating wail that had sheared through his dreams like a razor, wrenching him awake. He hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep in the study until he was already racing out of the room, darting down darkened hallways.

At first, the sound had seemed to come from everywhere at once, and he’d searched blindly, desperation unfurling in his chest like poison as sweat prickled along his skin until 

finally, after what could have been hours or days, he’d been able to isolate the sound.

Now his feet carried him to the closed door of a little-used guest room in the east wing. Only when his open hand was hovering just inches from the wood did he remember that no one else was supposed to be home right now. Alfred had flown out to London to attend the wedding of an old friend. Damian was spending a few days at Titans Tower in preparation for an upcoming mission. And none of the other dozen or so likely suspects had given him any indication that they’d planned to stop by or spend the night. Not that he required or even expected them to do so, but usually he would find some evidence that they were around. If not a text or a greeting in person, then a discarded pair of shoes or the remnants of a snack on a coffee table, maybe extra dishes on the rack. 

He considered the possibility of a break-in, but the thought was dismissed almost as quickly as it appeared. Bruce had long since girded the manor’s security, cognizant of every possible worst-case scenario ranging from a disgruntled Wayne Enterprises employee to one of his enemies managing to trace him back here. The gate itself was locked with an oft-changed passcode, the pale stone walls around the perimeter were a little over ten feet tall, and motion sensors and cameras monitored every inch of the massive estate, set to alert him whenever someone crossed the property line. There was no way anyone could get in without him knowing, especially an intruder.

But when gentle whimpers trickled under the door, Bruce pushed it open and barreled in anyways, driven by instinct rather than any semblance of logical thought. The room appeared empty at first, and he progressed slowly, his light steps rendered silent by the plush carpet. He circled the bed and found a small form sitting on the floor, face buried in knees and illuminated by moonlight streaming in through the window. The child trembled as he rocked back and forth, gasping and crying softly, his tiny frame drowning in a massive duster. Bruce’s first thought was 

Damian.

But that wasn’t right – that couldn’t be right. He hadn’t known Damian when he was this small, and the skin on this boy’s hands was fair rather than deep and warm. 

He crouched, debating whether or not to reach out and touch him.

“Hello,” he offered quietly, wondering if this was someone he was supposed to know. A friend of someone’s that he had agreed to look after for a while? “Are you all right?”

The boy froze. His tiny hands clutched at his arms, but he made no move to respond or lift his head.

“My name is Bruce Wayne,” Bruce continued. “Can you tell me yours?”

The boy’s shoulders began to shake again, and he mumbled something, the words swallowed up in the mess of trench coat and limbs.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“I couldn’t…” the boy whispered.

Bruce decided to take the risk and placed a hand on the kid’s narrow, quivering back. He waited, and eventually the boy turned his head just enough to peer up at Bruce with one, glistening eye. The gaze was desperate and anguished in a way that made the older man think of shattered glass and open graves; of things irrevocably broken and empty and dark. To see that in the eyes of someone so young nearly made him flinch.

“I couldn’t… save them,” the boy choked. He lifted his head all the way then and gazed up at the sky through the window, tears spilling silently over dark eyelashes and pale cheeks. His lip quivered, chest and shoulders jerking with small gasps, but he remained quiet.

When he wiped his nose and turned to face Bruce again, there was a streak of red across his face, and Bruce noticed that the boy’s hands, his too-large trench coat were covered in blood.

“It’s my fault,” the boy continued, and though his voice was thick with emotion, the words themselves were decisive. “It’s all my fault. Every time.”

Bruce couldn’t find his voice, mesmerized as he was by this bloodied stranger, by the darkness in his eyes, the grief that emanated out from him and swallowed the entire room like an entity unto itself.

A deep voice from behind him rumbled, “Bruce,” and Bruce turned and looked, squinting into florescent lights. 

The dark bedroom faded and warped into the bustling, brightly lit Gotham police station. A young detective stood over him, hands shoved into pockets, face twisted with regret and anger and sorrow. He squatted and patted Bruce’s head before gently rolling the sleeves of the trench coat up and taking the small, bloody hands in his own large, rough ones. He began wiping them off with a dampened rag. 

“Your coat…”

“Keep it,” the detective said as he worked the cloth between Bruce’s trembling fingers. “Mr. Pennyworth will be here soon.”

Bruce’s mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. He closed it again, watching as the man scrubbed gently at his palms and the pale rag turned rusty. When he finished, the crescents of Bruce’s nails, his skin, were still covered in russet stains, but it was just a shadow now, the ghost of what had been. By tomorrow, they would be clean. 

But something deep in the center of his chest told him that he would never see them the same way again. That in his mind, they would always be red and dripping. He was certain that it would leech into everything he touched from now on, that the rest of his life would be streaked with crimson.

A crack of thunder dragged Bruce’s gaze upwards, and he squinted into pouring rain, the dark swirling clouds. He glanced back down; his oxfords were partially submerged in mud. The police station was gone, and before him was a gravestone, new and unweathered, the grass still not having filled in the freshly placed dirt, bouquets not yet withered.

“Master Bruce.” Alfred’s voice, weary and aching, was barely audible over the storm. “I do believe it is time, sir.”

Bruce made no move towards him, his eyes now glued to the headstone, the name there. The carved letters shifted and morphed, flickering and out of focus like an illusion.

Martha Wayne. Thomas Wayne. Jason Todd. 

The name mutated almost faster than he could read it. 

Tim Drake. Dick Grayson. Cassandra Cain. Stephanie Brown. 

Damian Wayne. Barbara Gordon. Jim Gordon. Clark Kent. The rest of the League. The rest of the city.

Everyone.

Bruce’s hands spasmed into fists at his sides; his jaw locked, and his shoulders hunched forward as he released a guttural, animalistic roar. The heavens boomed their reply.

He dropped to his knees then his palms, fingers disappearing into the dark sludge, and he sobbed. He was only vaguely aware when the rain stopped abruptly, replaced by a dull pattering sound, and Alfred crouched beside him with the umbrella held over them both. 

A thin hand rubbed his back as Bruce wept, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He felt movement at his side and glanced over just enough to see the boy in the too-big duster sitting in the grass beside him, knees curled to his chest. He was staring at the headstone, dry despite the driving rain, though his face still glistened with tears, his hands still dripped with blood.

As if sensing Bruce’s gaze, the boy looked at him and there was a deep sadness in his eyes, a morbid lack of surprise as if to say, What did you think would happen? 

He realized that rain was hitting him again. Alfred was gone.

Everyone. Every time.

Bruce couldn’t tell whether it was he or the boy who spoke, but the voice rang clear and loud over the rain as if it came from somewhere within him when it said, “I couldn’t save them.”

Mud crept up his wrists and forearms, swallowed his knees and shins as he sank into the ground. And he let it happen, suddenly profoundly exhausted by the idea of tomorrow. 

And tomorrow. And tomorrow.

It would be better – just, even – to let the cold earth consume him as it had his parents, his friends, his children before him. To succumb to the fate to which he had damned them all the moment he entered their lives. They deserved that much, at least. His final act of justice. 

He had spent so much time certain that the only way he could do right by them, by the people he’d lost, was to purge evil from the streets of Gotham. But perhaps it was he, all along, who needed to be removed. He, who despite all of his training, still routinely failed to save those closest to him. He, who despite decades of work, still failed to wrest the city of his birth from the clutches of more powerful demons.

He, who had utterly failed in his mission and would continue to do so tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

The sludge progressed towards his shoulders and hips. The ground had taken on a deep, burgundy hue, and his nostrils were now full of the earthy scent of damp soil and the metallic bite of blood. He closed his eyes as it grazed his chin, his lips.

“Ah, shite!”

Stale cigarette smoke filled the air as two hands plunged into the mud and yanked Bruce back by his shoulders, away from the stone of a thousand names, away from the bloodied earth, away from the storm. The world evaporated into a pale light, and Bruce’s eyes flew open with a gasp.

He was staring at a wood paneled ceiling, his head and stomach churning. He closed his eyes again almost immediately, biting back the urge to be sick.

“Bloody told you I’d get ‘im out, didn’t I?” an arrogant, if somewhat shaken voice panted nearby.

“Batman?” This voice was too familiar; and Bruce’s mind filled with the memory of a headstone, a name. His hands still felt slick with blood and soil, his arms and legs coated in it. He kept his eyes closed and willed himself to focus on what was tangible.

“John. What’s wrong with him?” 

There was a shuffle of movement, and the arrogant voice came from much closer when it said, “He’s fine, mate. Just give the old man a second to sort ‘imself out.”

Suddenly a hand was on Bruce’s shoulder, firm and grounding. “Batman. You’re okay. You’re all right.”

Bruce took a breath and ground his teeth, bracing himself for a new horror as he opened his eyes. Nightwing sighed and smiled.

“Good,” he breathed. “You really… I was really…” The young man stopped, pivoted. “How are you feeling?”

They were in an old, unfamiliar study, Bruce laid out on a stiff couch. Entire bookshelves were toppled, a lamp shattered, scorch marks on the curtains and walls. Candles floated in the air around them, burned nearly to the quick, and the air smelled of incense and dust and the unique, almost citric tang of recent magic. In the corner, a sorceress was unconscious and bound in glowing chains while John Constantine leaned against a desk, stretching his neck and sighing. 

Slowly, Bruce began to piece things together, memories coming in broken, disordered fragments.

“Madam Luce,” Nightwing supplied as if reading Bruce’s mind. “She got the jump on us while we were looking for info about the creatures in eastern Qurac. One second, we were fine then the next you were down. She got in your head.”

“That she bloody did,” John muttered, tossing an accusatory glance Bruce’s way. “Which is why I told you lot not to get mixed up in this business in the first place. You’ll only get yourselves killed. Or worse.”

Nightwing flexed his jaw and exhaled through his nose, but otherwise ignored him. “Are you okay?”

Bruce. No, Batman. He was not Bruce now. The weight of the cowl and body armor reminded him as much as he pushed himself upright.

“Yes,” Batman said, and he noticed when John shot him another look. As Batman swung his legs around so that his feet were on the floor, John said,

“Oi, Smaller Bat–”

“Nightwing.”

“Whatever. Be a doll and ring Zatanna for me? She’ll want to know we’ve got Lucy here. The birds’ve got some history.”

“Sure,” Nightwing said. “But I don’t have her–”

John tossed him an old flip phone. “It’ll be under ‘Magic Mummy.’ Don’t ask.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Nightwing murmured, cringing a little. He glanced at Batman, a question, and Batman nodded once.

After Nightwing had jogged from the room, John leaned forward with a cigarette in his lips to light it on one the floating candles. Batman stood and found himself drifting somewhat aimlessly around the room. His mind still felt scattered, a million thoughts crashing and shattering against each other, and a distant, horrible suspicion left him uncertain whether or not he was truly back in the real world. 

Everything still felt strangely unbalanced and weightless; he struggled to discern whether this was an aftereffect of the spell or a sign of something worse. As he dragged a gloved hand along a portion of singed wallpaper, he half expected to leave a streak of blood in his wake.

“It’ll do that to you,” John said from behind him.

“What?”

“That spell. Her spell. You feel like you’re still there, don’t you? Like you’re still not sure which way is up and which way’s Canada. Who’s to say if you walk through that door right now you won’t end up in another nightmare?”

Without meaning to, Batman glanced towards the door and his stomach bottomed out. He swallowed hard and looked away.

“Do you want to… er… well, do you want to talk about it, then?” John asked.

Batman’s eyes flicked up and he watched the Brit fiddle with the cigarette in his hand as if trying to memorize something written there.

“Would you?”

“Oh, bloody hell no. But I’ve been reliably informed that I can be something of an arse and that I ought to work on my ‘people skills’ so this is me working.” He shrugged, took a long, sucking drag from the cigarette and snuffed it on the desk beside him. “But then again, look who I’m talking to.”

Batman could have smirked at that, but instead he turned his attention to the only standing bookcase, ran his finger along the spines. “What was it?” he asked.

“Hm?”

“The spell. What I saw, it was so…”

“Right.” He heard John sigh. “Well, at the risk of coming off an absolute tosser: it’s magic, mate. Plain and simple. I could try to explain it, but I’d wager that would only be more infuriating.”

“I understand that,” Batman ground out, a little more harshly than he’d intended. “What I want to know is what was the nature of the spell. I saw things that already happened. Things from my past. But I also saw things that haven’t happened. And now I just need… You have to tell me if…” He clenched his jaw again, could practically taste the mud on his tongue, could feel the grit of it on his teeth. Panic was creeping up into his throat, and he tamped it down hard.

“Mate,” John began, more gently than Batman had ever heard him speak. Somehow, it only made him more uneasy. “Are you asking if the visions were prophetic?”

Batman didn’t respond, but his assent must have been clear in the weighty silence that followed. John sighed loudly.

“Is that what’s got you so–” He stopped short. “Christ, Bats.”

“I have to know,” Batman murmured, his voice hoarse. “I have to.” He turned to look at John directly. It would be easier this way to tell if the other man was lying or softening the truth. 

There was something like pity in John’s eyes, and pain. He opened his mouth at the same time that Nightwing sauntered in, tossing the phone back.

“Zatanna said to torch her,” Nightwing said. “She wouldn’t elaborate.”

“That’s my girl,” John sighed fondly, his entire manner shifting on a dime. Nightwing paused and looked back and forth between the two of them, as if realizing belatedly that he’d interrupted something. “Should I…?”

“No,” Batman cut in. “We should go. By now the Order will have noticed Madam Luce’s absence. They’ll be sending people to search for her.”

“Now that’s a party I’d like to miss,” John said. He murmured a quick incantation and waved his hands. A moment later, Madam Luce was levitating beside him, her head limp as he strode from the room. At a glance, you’d almost think they were walking together. With the glamor, that was probably exactly what they were doing.

On the sidewalk, the early morning sky was thick with storm clouds. Batman stared up at them, trying not to think of blood and graves and sinking, sinking, sinking… 

John slapped his forehead. “Oh, bother! I’ve gone and forgotten my lighter. Smaller Bat, would you be a peach–”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nightwing sighed, turning to jog back up the steps. John smiled sweetly after him until he’d disappeared back into the old home. 

Then he turned to Batman, his gaze hard. “Invictus, mate.”

“What?”

“Invictus. The poem.”

“I am the master of my fate; the captain of my soul.”

“Precisely. Now, the shite you saw? It could happen. All of it, just like it did in your dream. But that’s just a possibility. One of trillions. Just a bunch of threads stretching out in endless directions waiting to be pulled and added to the dazzling if also terrifying quilt that is your life. It’s up to you to decide how that turns out. 

“And believe me,” he added with a wry smirk, “I am fully aware of the irony here. Me of all people prattling on about self-determination while half my job has me dealing with the powers of fate and destiny on a near constant basis. Hell, I had tea with Dr. Fate just last Tuesday. And I’ve snogged two of the Grecian Fates, myself.” 

He frowned, running a hand through his scraggly blond hair. “Hm. I should probably ring them…”

“John.”

“Right. My point is that’s just the sort of blatant, arse-backwards contradiction that I’m happy to live with. Keeps me sane.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up as it started to rain. The drops left dark blotches on John’s pale duster, and Batman realized with a jolt how similar it was to the one he’d been given so long ago. “Gives me a reason to look forward to tomorrow.”

Batman followed John’s gaze, tipping his head back to let the drops roll over his face. He closed his eyes as he took a deep, measured breath. “Hn. Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Listen, I’m just trying to keep you from going ‘round the bend here. You’d be a bloody awful nuisance if you went to the other side.”

Batman shot him a sidelong glance. For such a prolific conman, John was doing a terrible job of it now. 

Behind them, the front door swung open. 

“There is,” Nigthwing announced, “no lighter.”

John slapped his forehead again, chuckling. “You know what, lad? I’ve just remembered I left it in my other pants.”

“Fu–”

“Tootles!” John waggled his fingers pleasantly then disappeared in a blink, along with Madam Luce.

“I really hate that guy,” Nightwing grumbled, coming back down the steps.

“He really is something, isn’t he.”

[evansfm]

𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐢𝐧 , 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 . . . 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐚 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑 .

“  what  t’e  fuck  was  t’at  ?  ”  ruairi  stopped  dead  in  his  tracks  ,  and  the  house  seemed  to  GROAN  all  around  them  .  

“  i  t’ink  maybe  .  .  .  i  mean  i  could  just  .  .  .  i  could  buy  anot’er  board  ,  ”  evan  exhaled  ,  body  stiff  all  over  .  a  CLATTERING  sounded  from  the  kitchen  down  the  hall  ,  causing  her  to  nearly  jump  out  of  her  skin  as  she  swiveled  on  her  heel  ,  “  yeah  ,  t’is  is  a  LOST  cause  .  let’s  g–  ”

“  stop  ,  ”  beck  caught  her  just  before  she  rammed  into  his  chest  ,    hands  steadying  her  shoulders  ,  “  evie  ,  t’is  house  is  OLD  .  s’bound  to  be  a  little  noisy  .  you  dragged  us  in  ‘ere  .  let’s  keep  looking  .  ”

“  it’s  got  t’  be  down  ‘ere  somewhere  .  i  just  don’t  see  how  a  skateboard  could’ve  made  its  way  up  t’e  stairs  on  its  own  ,  ”  adam  scratched  at  his  messy  ,  dark  hair  .

“  ghosts  ,  ”  evan  nodded  .

“  aren’t  we  a  lit’le  to  old  for  ghost  stories  ?  ”  beck  asked  quietly  ,  earning  a  whack  on  his  arm  .

“  i’m  wit’  evan  on  t’is  one  .  somet’ing  doesn’t  feel  right  about  t’is  ,  ”  ruairi  chimed  in  again  ,  carefully  taking  another  step  forward  as  they  crept  down  the  hall  and  continued  their  search  .  

“  maybe  ,  ”  kieran  said  ,  voice  as  cool  as  ever  as  he  fell  to  the  back  of  the  group  ,  hands  casually  tucked  into  his  pockets  ,  “  it’s  the  TRESPASSING  t’at  doesn’t  feel  right  .  ”  

“  ay  ,  ”  evan  snapped  ,  brow  furrowing  as  she  fell  back  to  walk  beside  him  ,  “  don’t  KILL  the  fun  of  it  .  ”  

“  yes  because  you  look  like  you’re  having  so  much  fun  ,  ”  he  smiled  over  at  her,  leaning  closer  in  the  tone  of  teasing  .  

the  lot  of  them  were  tiptoeing  through  an  old  ,  forgotten  house  near  the  end  of  the  street  .  the  wallpaper  was  tearing  in  strips  and  bleached  by  the  sun,  some  places  marked  by  spray  paint.  different  legends  circulated  about  the  old  building  ––  talks  of  who  lived  there  ,  who  died  there  .  beck  said  the  differing  stories  were  a  tell  tale  sign  of  urban  legend  ,  but  evan  believed  every  LEGEND  held  a  little  bit  of  truth  .  so  she  was  terrified  ,  and  she  wore  it  on  her  face  .

“  maybe  i  would  be  if  you  weren’t  acting  like  you’d  rat’er  be  anywhere  else  in  the  WORLD  ,  ”  she  leaned  to  match  his  actions  ,  eyebrows  raised  as  she  hummed  an  inquisitive  ‘  hm  ?  ’  after  the  fact  .  

“  t’at’s  because  walsh  ‘as  a  date  he’s  got  t’go  get  prettied  up  for  ,  ‘nd  it  takes  ‘im  two  hours  alone  to  get  ‘is  bloody  hair  perfect  ,  so  we’re  cutting  into  his  time  ,  ”  ruairi  chimed  in  from  up  front  ,  not  even  bothering  to  look  back  .

“  ay  ,  mind  your  business  ,  flynn  .  ”  

“  you’ve  got  a  date  tonight  ?  ”  evan  tried  to  hide  the  disappointment  in  her  voice  ,  but  it  felt  like  someone  had  just  socked  her  in  the  stomach  .  not  that  she  had  any  RIGHT  to  feel  that  way  .  in  fact  ,  she  almost  wished  she  didn’t  .  it  would  be  easier  ,  being  best  friends  with  him  ,  if  her  heart  didn’t  pick  up  the  pace  when  he  smiled  at  her  .  it  would  be  simpler  ,  him  being  her  favorite  person  ,  if  she  didn’t  suddenly  feel  like  the  air  was  drained  from  her  lungs  at  the  mention  of  him  off  with  another  girl  .  she  pretended  not  to  notice  the  way  beck  glanced  in  her  direction  

“  aye  ,  ”  he  nodded  ,  brown  eyes  flickering  over  her  features  in  a  pause  before  he  added  ,  “  it’s  not  really  t’at  big  of  a  deal  honestl––  ”

“  t’is  door  is  locked  ,  ”  ruairi  shook  the  handle  of  a  door  just  beyond  the  living  room  ,  “  i’m  going  to  kick  it  in  .  ”

“  DO  NOT  KICK  IT  IN  ,  ”  adam  ,  beck  ,  and  kieran  all  warned  at  the  same  time  ,  voices  reaching  different  octaves  of  panic  .

pulling  her  attention  away  from  kieran  ,  her  eyes  flickered  between  ruairi  ,  the  door  ,  and  the  rest  of  the  boys  .  “  sorry  ,  bud  .  i  t’ink  you’re  outruled  ‘nd  outnumbered  wit’  t’is  one  .  ”

not  that  it  mattered  .  at  sixteen  ,  ruairi  already  towered  over  most  of  them  ,  hitting  6′2  and  still  growing  .  if  he  really  wanted  to  break  down  the  door  ,  he  would’ve  done  so  .  instead  ,  he  let  out  a  huff  and  carried  on  down  the  long  hallway  .  evan’s  hands  found  the  warmth  of  her  pockets  as  she  walked  quietly  next  to  kieran  .  the  only  thing  that  made  her  forget  the  feeling  of  her  stomach  dropping  was  the  sound  of  FOOTSTEPS  skittering  across  the  hall  behind  them  .  disappointment  was  replaced  by  fear  ,  and  legends  were  MUCH  easier  to  stomach  when  they  were  just  stories  .  not  when  she  was  right  in  the  center  of  it  .  

CREEK  .  groan  .  CRACK  .  

the  house  was  loud  .  it  smelled  of  damp  wood  and  mold  .  it  was  far  too  cold  .  a  familiar  feeling  began  to  creep  up  her  back  ,  icy  pinpoints  crawling  up  her  spine  .  this  was  .  .  .  a  mistake  .  shallow  breaths  moved  her  chest  up  and  down  and  up  and  down  .

creek  .  groan  .  SLAM  .

the  crashing  noise  came  from  behind  them  ,  and  evan’s  hand  immediately  shot  out  to  encircle  kieran’s  wrist  .  as  always  ,  he  was  terribly  CALM  .  ruairi  on  the  other  hand  ,  was  losing  his  shit  .  

SLAM  .  SLAM  .  

“  alrigh’  !  that’s  it  !  i  fold  !  ”  evan  threw  her  hands  up  ,  swiveling  on  her  heel  and  making  a  b  -  line  back  to  the  front  door  ,  “  sorry  for  dragging  you  boys  in  ‘ere  but  ,  i’ll  just  buy  a  new  bloody  board  because  t’is  is  TOO  much  .  if  anyone  needs  me  ,  i’ll  be  at  saint  anne’s  ,  begging  father  kelly  for  a  fucking  vat  of  holy  wat––  ”

her  words  were  cut  SHORT  by  a  shriek  of  pure  fear  as  arms  wrapped  around  her  waist  and  YANKED  her  off  of  the  ground  ,  back  into  a  side  room  .  she  squirmed  wildly  in  their  grasp  ,  breathing  hard  to  come  by  and  heartbeat  thundering  in  her  ears  .  

“  it’s  just  ME  !  it’s  just  m––  oof  ,  ”  conan  huffed  as  her  elbow  jammed  into  his  ribcage  ,  causing  him  to  FINALLY  set  her  down  .  

the  back  of  evan’s  wrist  lifted  to  her  mouth  as  she  turned  red  in  the  face  ,  willing  herself  not  to  cry  for  the  sake  of  avoiding  anyone  telling  her  not  to  overreact  .  her  hands  shook  slightly  ,  and  she  stood  still  and  silent  until  she  finally  caught  her  breath  and  fear  morphed  into  anger  .  she  looked  back  at  the  four  boys  standing  near  the  doorway  .  adam  and  ruairi  seemed  just  as  SHOCKED  as  she’d  been  .  kieran  was  biting  back  a  laugh  .  beck  was  hiding  a  smile  .

“  i’m  gonna  kill  him  ,  ”  she  exhaled  ,  blowing  a  curl  out  of  her  face  as  she  turned  to  face  conan  ,  “  i’m  going  to  kill  you  .  ”

the  sudden  shuffle  of  movement  came  from  all  corners  of  the  room  .  conan  leapt  backwards  as  evan  lunged  at  him  .  she  didn’t  get  far  ,  though  ,  before  kieran’s  arm  slipped  around  her  stomach  and  pulled  her  back  .

“  ev  ,  ev  i’m  sorry  ,  ”  conan  said  in  between  bouts  of  laughter  ,  “  i  swear  i  wouldn’t  ‘ave  –––  i  wouldn’t  ‘ave  if  i  knew  it’d  scare  you  so  bad  but  i––  ”

“  my  god  ,  i’ve  never  seen  conan  smile  for  t’at  long  ,  ”  beck  noted  ,  shaking  his  head  with  his  arms  folded  over  his  chest  .  

“  did  you  know  ‘e  was  up  to  this  ?  ”  evan  snapped  at  her  brother  ,  but  he  held  his  hands  up  in  innocence  .  she  stilled  in  kieran’s  grasp  before  whirling  on  him  ,  “  did  YOU  ?  ”  

“  i  knew  ‘e  was  going  t’scare  you  ,  but  i  didn’t  t’ink  he’d  take  it  t’at  far  .  ”

“  ay  .  laugh  all  ye’want  ,  hughes  .  it’ll  be  good  for  you  .  make  you  look  like  less  of  a  kill  joy  ,  but  just  know  ,  ”  she  pointed  at  him  ,  narrowing  her  eyes  ,  “  i’m  coming  for  yer  eyebrows  .  ‘nd  at  least  one  is  getting  shaved  off  .  ”

conan  straightened  ,  suddenly  a  bit  more  sober  .  all  the  while  ,  evan  shoved  kieran’s  arm  off  of  her  before  abruptly  turning  and  making  her  way  out  of  the  room  .

“  FUCK  ,  i  need  more  girl  friends  ,  ”  she  muttered  to  herself  ,  raking  a  still  shaky  hand  through  her  hair  as  she  made  her  exit  .  

“  what  does  she  mean  ‘bout  just  ONE  of  me  eyebrows  ?  ”  conan  asked  .

“  i’m  going  to  go  .  .  .  take  care  of  t’at  ,  ”  beck  gestured  after  his  sister  before  giving  a  small  salute  and  also  making  his  exit  .  

“  WHAT  is  she  going  to  do  to  the  eyebrow  she  doesn’t  shave  ?  ”

“  you  guys  are  dicks  ,  ”  ruairi  chuckled  ,  ignoring  conan’s  second  question  ,  “  FUNNY  ,  but  dicks  .  ”

“  i  didn’t  ‘ave  anyt’ing  to  do  wit’  t’is  plan  ,  ”  kieran  protested  ,  “  i  was  just  along  for  the  ride  !  ”

“  lads  what  was  she  talking  about  AT  LEAST  one  eyebrow  ?  does  evan  ‘ave  a  straight  razor  ?  ”

“  silence  is  complacency  ,  my  friend  ,  ”  adam  laughed  ,  “  i  HOPE  she  gets  you  back  .  ”

all  three  of  them  began  to  make  their  exit  ,  leaving  conan  alone  in  the  room  .  

“  guys  .  .  my  EYEBROW  !  what  is  she  going  to  do  wit’  my  EYEBROW  ?  ”  the  eerie  creeks  of  an  old  ,  abandoned  house  filled  his  silence  as  his  voice  echoed  back  at  him  ,  “  aye  ,  FUCK  this  .  WAIT  UP  .  .  .  ”