#instead of making me ship the stuff here when they knew they were scheduling me later in my cycle

[whentherewerebicycles]

made sesame noodles and they are soooo good

[lucy90712]

hi love

can we get something with hector fort and f1 or f2 driver reader and fans shipping them ?:)))

This weekend is a special weekend for me it is the first time that my boyfriend is coming to watch me race. Hector and I have known each other since we were kids and we have been dating now for almost a year. He has been there for me throughout my racing career from when I did karting to when I first made it to formula 4 and even now that I've made the jump to formula 2. He hasn't been able to watch me race in f2 yet though as our schedules just haven't aligned either I'm halfway across the world or he has a match to play. He has also made a breakthrough into Barcelona’s first team this season which is why he's been so busy and missed some of my races but I don't care about that I'm just so proud of him and everything he's achieved. That being said it will be nice to have him here this weekend as I'm convinced I race better when he's here. 

He couldn't make any of the practices and qualifying or our sprint race as he had to be in training but now that it's Sunday he's here to watch the feature race. Even just knowing he's going to be here has motivated me to perform to my very best all weekend and so far it's paid off as I have had my best performances of the season. I qualified 3rd on the grid and finished 4th in the sprint race yesterday so I'm feeling good about today's race. I really want to win the feature race as it would be my first win and at my home race and with Hector here it would just be perfect. 

Hector arrived late last night but I couldn't see him as I had to get to sleep as I had to be up early to get to the track. I didn't expect to see him until I was at the track but when I woke up he text me asking when and where I was having breakfast so he could join me. By the time I was ready he was already waiting for me in the hotel lobby so we could do to the track and eat there a thats what I'm supposed to do. When we arrived there was hardly anyone there other than the other drivers and engineers which was really nice as I always hate when there's people everywhere. A few of the other drivers stopped us a we were heading to the catering tent to talk to Hector which I knew would happen but when it's not busy it's ok. 

While we had breakfast my phone was going crazy next to me but I ignored it because I wanted to enjoy my time with Hector before the stress of the race. Eventually it got so annoying that I had to see what was going on and I had hundreds of notifications from our driver group chat talking about me and Hector and thousands of Instagram notifications of new followers and tags in posts. As it turns out it wasn't as empty here as I thought as there was a number of pictures of me and Hector together in the paddock some just stood with each other and others holding hands. We have never made our relationship public knowledge as we didn't need to before but now it's been done for us. 

This was the last thing I needed before a race as instead of getting ready and getting myself in the right mindset I'm sat scrolling through Instagram comments and Twitter seeing what people have to say about me. Of course half of the stuff is hating me because I took their favourite footballer off the market which I saw coming but it still hurts to see what people say. I was so in my own world managed I didn't even notice anyone enter my drivers room until someone had taken my phone out my hands. 

"You need to forget about everything that's happened amor this isn't going to help you get ready for the race" Hector said 

"I know but I can't stop myself I want to know what everyone thinks of us because right now nothing is confirmed and they already hate me" I said 

"They can hate you all they want I'm happy and I love you so what others think shouldn't matter if anything you should want to go out there and prove to these people that you are more than just my girlfriend" Hector said 

"You're right I need to get myself ready to win" I said 

"That's the spirit I'm going to delete social media from your phone so you can focus on the race and later we can figure things out together" he said 

"Now go out there and make yourself proud" he encouraged 

He held me and gave me a kiss before leaving me so I could get my helmet on and take my car to the grid. Usually on the grid I'd get back out of the car but this time I stayed sat there getting myself ready. Hector is right I need to go out there and prove to myself that I'm better than all of those people say I am and I'm more than just his potential girlfriend. It feels more important than ever to do well in this race but to do that I need to be focused as f2 is incredibly chaotic. 

The race was chaos as I thought it might be in the first corner lots of people tried to overtake when they couldn't but luckily I managed to come out without any damage and without losing my position. From then it was about managing until my pit stop then it was time to work on moving forward. I overtook the driver in front of me not long after my pit stop then I had the mission of getting the gap in front of me down which wasn't easy as it was a good few seconds. As I was working on keeping a steady but quick rhythm with my lap times I got a radio message from my team saying that the driver in front of me had crashed so now I was in the lead with a 2 second gap behind me. There was still 10 laps left but all I had to do was be careful and keep to my target lap time which isn't too difficult. 

Then it happened I crossed the line in first place which didn't feel real until my team came on the radio congratulating me and all I could do was scream with excitement. I did it I actually did it I won my first race after all of the crazy things that have happened today. My hands were shaking like crazy as I stopped the car in front of the little first place board they have in the pit lane I could barely get myself out of the car I was just so overwhelmed but when I saw my entire team and Hector standing there waiting for me I somehow got my strength back and ran towards them. I was thrown in the air while everyone patted my back or my helmet to congratulate me. When my feet were back on the ground I took my helmet off and hugged Hector tightly as he was stood off to the side of my team. 

"I'm so proud of you you were amazing out there" he said 

"Thank you what you said earlier really motivated me I would've been a mess if you didn't take my phone off me" I said 

"Don't put your achievement on me you did that all on your own I'm just here to support you" he said 

"Well I still want to thank you for supporting me I'm so happy you are here to witness my first win" I said 

He didn't say anything back he just kissed me which we both knew was on camera but at this point who cares. Right now all I want is to celebrate my win with my boyfriend so to me it doesn't matter if people see and what they say because they don't know us and they haven't just won an f2 race. 

After the race I had interviews and other things to do but eventually I made it to my last interview. The interviewer congratulated me on my win and asked about the race then they showed me a post Hector had made on Instagram and asked me a few things about our relationship. Seeing that post and talking about him making made me smile even more than I was before because he made that post knowing I wouldn't see it anytime soon just because he wanted to show his love and support. Knowing he loves me enough to want to support me so publicly just tells me that I picked the right guy.

[keefwho]

February 07 - 2024 Wednesday

11:17pm

4/10

Im getting tired of writing the same thing every day, I'm falling into a mindless cycle. I'm going to try and report only what sticks out or actually meant something and on top of that, I want to list the things that made me happy today.

This morning I chopped up my celery and bell peppers to be frozen. Breakfast was oatmeal that I made very simply and successfully for the first time. I also had a can of beanie weenies warmed up by the heater for funsies. I REALLY did not feel like drawing today and I had a day to spare so I tried to make a plan where I wouldn't do commissions but would work on something else instead. I started drawing my own ideas and then Daisy asked if I was going to stream so she could watch something during her lunch break so I did. I stopped streaming when I had to use the bathroom sometime after she left. I wanted to continue work and maybe even get to my workout today but I didn't have it in me so I goofed around watching Henry and trying to figure out what to do. I ordered rice a roni cups on amazon again and had to pay the shipping cost since I don't have prime anymore. Hopefully they get here in tact. I started riling myself up out of boredom and took care of myself which I sort of regret because I did that instead of my workout. Around lunch time I felt stressed and didn't want to eat but I made a packet of soup and nothing else. Since the request guy didn't get back to me, I did other stuff until he did. I got a lot done in the afternoon like I planned and ended up working the most out of any other day this month so far so even though this morning fell apart, at least I did something in the end. After working I felt bored and lonely and was in my head so I curled up with a stream. Daisy called shortly after and we chilled. We watched Markiplier and then got on VRchat briefly. We were trying to find things to do and went back to the 3000 questions world to play that. She got off and I played Kingdom Hearts a couple hours for her.

~~~

Today I was burnt out and didn't know what to do about it. I tried altering my schedule but it didn't help very much. I was stressed and felt bad about not being the productive person I want myself to be. Maybe I already lost touch with that work/non-work mindset dynamic. It might have been easier to stop considering how I feel during work time like I've been doing. Other than that, I watched a short video telling me something that I already knew: that my obsessive/problem solving thinking is a way for me to preoccupy my mind to avoid thoughts that might hurt me. But today I realized that I didn't do that in the past when I wasn't aware of or wasn't working on "fixing" myself. I had my issues but I also lived in a sort of bliss at least occasionally. Now I quite literally never stop thinking about how to move forward and make myself better.

Things that made me happy today: -Watching Squeex stream -Getting work done after all -Daisy calling me a good friend -Answering questions with Daisy -Getting a little kissy from Daisy -Finding Dalmatians in Kingdom Hearts

[jabberwockypie]

I remember it.

I was in high school and I was really interested in history, so I made a point of Paying Attention, because these were Historic Events.

I admittedly didn't find out about either until after the second plane hit - I'd been waiting in the school office because there had been some issue with my paperwork - I think for changing my class schedule? - and I'd needed to see the guidance counselor to sign off on it, and I came out and one of the teachers was talking to another teacher and crying. (She was British, so I thought at first something had happened in the UK.)

I can remember that I only vaguely knew what the World Trade Center was and feeling later like it was kind of weird it was being treated like this Symbol of America.

I can remember the people at my high school who were like "OMG but the terrorists could hit here next?" and thinking that it didn't seem super likely that terrorists really cared about a small rustbelt city whose main claim to fame was "We used to make cars, and now we don't, and now people only really talk about us when they want to be shitty about poor people".

I also remember everyone in my class trying to come up with some connection they had to NYC, however tenuous, to kind of Make It About Them, and not really having the words to articulate why I felt like this was kind of distasteful.

I also remember the number of people around me - both my peers and a lot of adults - who started getting Really Weird About The Middle East. Also, wow, I learned some slurs I had not heard before and had to ask my mom about.

I can remember our Social Studies teacher later that month showed us the movie "Not Without My Daughter" as part of "teaching us about Islam", and feeling like while I didn't necessarily know a lot about Islam that it didn't seem like it'd lead to LESS racism. (Spoilers: It Did Not.)

I remember suddenly there were American flags everywhere and going "That's probably not good? I feel like that doesn't usually lead to good things."

I remember a man who'd been like a surrogate grandpa to me who started listening to a lot more Rush Limbaugh, and then he'd get drunk and rant about "sand [n-word]s".

I remember a bunch of merchandise with New York City skylines being hastily rebranded as a "9/11 Commemorative" thing, approximately five minutes after the attacks happened. (The 9/11 Memorial Museum also sells Commemorative Christmas Ornaments for some reason, incidentally. Something I actually think it is a lot more disrespectful than the jokes people are complaining about.)

I remember the fake Weapons of Mass Destruction so Bush could lie his way into the Iraq War.

I, for sure, remember about a year and a half later the sheer idiocy that was Freedom Fries. And I can remember buying stuff on Ebay and a lot of sellers decided they just wouldn't ship anything to France or Germany, due to those countries' opposition to the Iraq War. I also remember meme pages about the French being "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" and so forth.

And, of course, I remember George W Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech.

And yes, my aunt worked in downtown Manhattan at the time. She and her coworkers had to cut up promotional t-shirts and hold them over their mouths and noses, and I do think it was traumatic for her. When I visited her a few years later, she got really Insistent and Pushy that I Needed To Go See Ground Zero. I asked my cousin - who was supposed to be coming with me - if he'd mind terribly if we lied to his mom and said we saw it from the ferry, because I really wanted to see the Ellis Island Immigration Museum instead, and I didn't want to waste time.

It's been more than 20 years, and we spent trillions of dollars and killed millions of people with the War on Terror, directly or indirectly, and the vast majority of them had absolutely nothing to do with it, while being extremely incompetent through most of it.

I don't think you can police how other people who lived through a thing react to the thing, or decide that they must be lying or Don't Really Count if they didn't have the same experience of it or the same emotional reaction you did.

So yes, I think some 9/11 jokes are funny.

I'm curious:

If you voted nuance and are comfortable, I'd love to see your take in the notes!

Reblog for a larger sample size

[legolaslovely]

Alone

A/N: Hello friends! I hope you enjoy this little story. It was a nice way to step back into writing after some time off due to some career stuff. Leave it to Kíli to make me come crawling back haha!

Pairing: Kíli x Reader 

Word Count: 1,446

Warnings: talk of mental health issues, Hurt/Comfort, reader is a dwarf, reader wears skirts

Summary: You find Kíli alone during a hard day and he invites you to spend some time with him.

All credits to pinterest photos used below are in an original post here

It wasn’t often that you saw the royal corridors glowing in the afternoon sunlight. It was richer and more golden than that of the early morning, blasting, rather than sneaking through the high, thin slices of painted glass above you. It was as if the sun itself had lit the many torches lining the walls, instead of the tireless guards of the mountain who you knew actually kept them bright and tidy. As you walked toward your chambers, you slowed to admire the colorful beams along the stone, lest your duties keep you from ever enjoying them again. After all,  it was customary for you to leave your quarters just after dawn and only return to them once the sun was safely tucked away for the evening. This day, however, you had a break in your schedule and you meant to enjoy the performance before you. 

Until you were interrupted.

     “(Y/N),” you heard.

You turned to see Fíli. The sunlight- orange and red and blue from the stained glass- danced in his golden hair like unbound fire and winked at you from his shining beads. Not that he noticed. He was concerned.

     “Have you seen Kíli?” he asked you.

     “Not since breakfast this morning,” you said.

Fíli hummed. He looked at the dull floor, again missing the magic around him.

     “Why?” you asked. 

     “He… I’m not sure. He was very quiet during our meeting with Uncle’s advisors this morning. But I may be making something out of nothing.”

You knew that wasn’t likely. Fíli was always right when it came to his brother. Even more often than you were. 

     “He’s probably off with his bow somewhere blowing off some steam,” Fíli said.

You agreed. “If I see him, I’ll send word to you.”

     “Thank you, (Y/N),” he said with a soft smile.

He turned from you and walked down the corridor the way he came, head cast down as he went. 

You too ignored the dancing sunlight as you made your way to your chambers with purpose and speed now, no matter how the colors around you begged for your attention.

*

As usual, two guards flanked the large doorway to the rooms that you and Kíli shared. You nodded your greeting to them, flashing a smile that you knew wasn’t as bright as intended due to your worry. The lock to the door clunked and you opened the heavy wooden door until you saw Kíli sitting at his desk straight ahead. Though he heard your entrance, he didn’t turn to you. 

You spoke to one of the guards in a soft voice that Kíli wouldn’t hear. “Rava, will you please send word to Prince Fili of his brother’s whereabouts? Assure him we will be spending the afternoon here and will see him at supper.”

Rava nodded and left.

The room was so still and quiet that your presence alone seemed to send harsh waves over still water, like a ship assaulting a tranquil lake.

     “Would you like to be alone for a while?” you asked.

     “Stay if you’d like,” Kíli answered, his voice deep from lack of use. There was no teasing in his words, no smirk, no smile. 

The moment you decided to let him be, leave him to those thoughts and emotions you didn’t yet understand,  he slid an extra chair out from under his desk with his foot. He placed it beside him, facing him, waiting for you.

At the doorway, you slid out of your heavy boots. You stood them up neatly next to Kíli’s and made your way to him, shedding the outer layer of your clothing and tossing it on the neatly made bed before standing behind him. Only then, with your hips pressed against the wooden back of his chair, did you see what he was doing. He was painting.

Fili was right. Something was wrong. Painting was an activity Kíli only took part in on his darkest days.

He was surrounded by a mess of supplies, sitting hunched over in his chair, his hands in fists, his ever-twitching legs still and tense. He stabbed his brush into a jar of water and swizzled it with a ferocity that would have startled any onlooker. You, however, knew it was an energy of concentration that gave Kíli his heavy hand, not one of rage. 

He explained it to you once, how painting helped him. When his thoughts circled and conversations replayed and the voice in his head growled and sneered its harmful words, painting was the only thing that gave him peace. Mixing hues and shades took him somewhere else, set him free, while his texture work- stippling and sweeping and everything in between- left the world quiet. He could escape his own mind for a while. Be alone.

With you. 

He’d wound his hair back into one thick braid, possibly at the beginning of his session. Since then, however, it had come loose, dropping long locks into his face and strands that would tickle his cheeks and forehead with every breath. You guessed that he’d been impatiently tucking them away behind his ears ever since, because the closer you looked, the more crusted paint you could see in his dark hair.

Testing, you took a piece near the front of his head and twisted it in your fingers until it became a sturdy rope. Before you could slide it behind his ear, however, Kíli straightened his back for you, silently giving you permission. He continued to work, using a knife to blend some colors, while you deftly wove his hair into a tight, but comfortable braid that would stay in place until he was finished. You ignored the fraudulent pigments in his hair and the way they peeled away from his strands and stuck under your nails. On days like this, it wasn’t unusual for you both to end up striped with paint, little consequential pieces of art leftover from Kíli’s spell.

You pressed your lips to the side of his head and cupped your hands over his shoulders in a way that wouldn’t impede his work. The scent you breathed in was so perfectly Kíli- soap, sweat, and smoke, now with added hints of acrylic and oil. You kissed his hair and left him to his painting, his freedom and peace. His shoulders curled and he hunched over the desk again, intent on his vision.

There was a book waiting for you on your bedside table. It was something you’d asked for from the library of Dale and had been delivered to you the evening before. It was a piece of human fiction, one recommended to you by a friend you’d met in the literary building. 

You took the leather bound book from where it had been left and brought it with you to the seat Kíli had pulled out for you. Gently, so as not to shake the desk, you sat in the cushioned chair and lifted your skirts to cross one leg over the other. Content to sit for the remainder of the afternoon, you opened the book’s cover, excited to begin the story. As you flipped to the following pages, however, a strong hand took your ankle. You jumped, surprised at the fingers wrapping around your naked skin, and watched Kíli as he brought your foot to rest in his lap. Looking down past his canvas, he then reached for your other calf, squeezing it as he lifted it to rest next to its twin.

He didn’t look at you, his expression didn’t change, his heavy brows didn’t lift, but as he continued to dab his paint brush over his work, his free hand gently slid your skirts up your legs, like lifting a sheet off a sleeping babe, freeing you from the round of your knees to the tips of your bare toes. He caressed your skin, swiping his thumb over the plump muscle of your calf and the bones of your ankle and knee as if he planned to paint you next, and create your image from touch alone. 

As excited as you were to have this book delivered to the mountain, you didn’t pay it much attention that afternoon. You were busy spying on Kíli, peeking at him while he blended and mixed colors. Watching the shadows gradually lift from his face, releasing the lines in his forehead and the downward turn of his rosy lips. Grinning to yourself when he unwittingly left streaks of blue paint on your legs. Feeling every moment of Kíli’s affection- that which he gave to you even in his darkest moments. 

Because even when he wished most to be alone, he wanted you there.

Taglist: Thanks for reading!

@emrfangirl​  @misslongcep​ @raindancer2004​ @ladybugg1235​ @xxbyimm​ @burningcoffeetimetravel-fics​  @fire-flv @nerdbirdsworld​ @dashesofink​ @winchesterandpie​ @tumblinglringlring​  @specialagentsnark​  @karlthecat15722​ @sagabriar @marymegger​ @aidan-kili-mitchell-forever​  @cassiabaggins​ @guardianofrivendell​ @lathalea​ @laurfilijames​  @moniamoure @justfollowtheroad @vem-vem-writes @justbecausewhynot​ @dark-angel-is-back​ 

[malleux]

spell [2]. | corpse husband

part one ; part three

-> Pairing: Corpse Husband x Fem!Reader

-> Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst

-> Warnings: Hate Comments, Self Doubt, Anxiety, Cursing

-> A/N: thank you for 1k notes on part one! i’m so glad everyone likes my work. it’s really nice getting this much love after taking a hiatus on my fire emblem writing blog. i hope y’all enjoy it and stay on the lookout for part three!

corpse husband taglist is closed!

Two weeks.

It’s been two weeks since you joined Sean’s Among Us stream.

While that was your first public appearance, you had joined three others after that and already you were blowing up on almost every social media platform you had. The attention was kind of nice, you had to admit, but sometimes the anxiety of becoming a public figure weighed heavily on your shoulders.

During that time, you turned to your friends who were used to such scrutiny: Sean, Felix, and now Corpse, who you’ve been talking to every day for those two weeks.

It was another one of those nights where, at 1am, you were on Facetime with said man. His screen was dark, as usual. He hadn’t shown his face yet and you respected that. You didn’t need to see him to talk to him, or be his friend, or develop a slight crush on him. All of which you did.

The call was relatively silent on your end. Corpse was on Facetime with you, yes, but he was also on a call in Discord, once again playing Among Us.

You often wondered if playing that game was all your new friends did anymore.

You stayed quiet, letting Corpse play the game and avoiding his fans finding out about your call. You had college work to finish anyways, so the silence was rather helpful.

“We should ask Y/N if she wants to play. I wanna meet her.” Sykkuno’s voice rang out from the Discord call. He was right- you’d never met him. He and Corpse seemed extremely close, though, so you’d love to talk to him. A friend of your crush friend was a friend of yours.

“She’s busy tonight.” Corpse responded.

“Yeah, she’s got an exam coming up- wait, how do you know?” Sean joined in, questioning Corpse.

“Uh, I mean we’re on Facetime right now, I guess.” Your heart sped up- now his fans knew. “She’s studying. We’re just hanging out.”

“Didn’t you guys ‘hang out’ last night as well? It seems like you’re trying to take my best friend away from me.” Sean joked back.

“I mean, I definitely am.”

Your breath caught in your throat. What was that supposed to mean? Sean was obviously kidding, but the tone in Corpse’s voice wasn’t the one he used when he was joking as well.

Felix suddenly butted in. “Ooooh, I think Corpse-y has a little crush.”

“And if I do?”

Y/N.exe has stopped working.

꧁꧂

Three weeks, now, that you’ve been talking to Corpse daily.

One week since Corpse’s crush comment and one week that you’ve endured countless mentions and tags on Instagram and Twitter, constantly talking about #CorpseY/N.

You didn’t really mind the shipping, often losing yourself in daydreams about driving those two hours down from your apartment in Los Angeles down to San Diego and running into his arms. It didn’t help when he mentioned wanting you to come visit one day.

You just worried about how Corpse felt about them. He was still relatively new to blowing up on the internet as well, his fame suddenly skyrocketing in the past few months, so you weren’t sure if he was comfortable with them. You didn’t want to bring it up, either, fearing that the discussion would make things awkward between the two of you.

For now, you were rather content with just scrolling through the #CorpseY/N hashtag, looking at the pictures and nice things people had to say about you both.

“they’re so cute when they talk to each other, you can just tell Corpse meant it when he said he was trying to steal Y/N away.”

“#CorpseY/N is my new favorite thing. Everyone shut up this is all I’ll be talking about from now on.”

“God why can’t they just be together already? #CorpseY/N”

Everyone was so supportive and sweet, it almost made you feel like you already were Corpse’s girlfriend. Although your heart hurt when you were brought back to reality, you couldn’t help but love the comments that everyone left. They were amazing.

Until they weren’t.

There are always two sides of the same coin. Along from the supporters and their loving actions, there were also those who seethed at the idea of you and Corpse.

They scrutinized everything about you to the point that you made your Instagram account- already with 30k followers- private.

Haters talked about you. Your body, your personality, how you weren’t worthy to even talk to Corpse and the rest of the Youtubers, and so much more. You’ve spent many nights with your Facetime mic muted so that Corpse couldn’t hear the small sobs coming from you.

These thoughts were almost always on the back of your mind, but you were sometimes able to push them away.

Like now- as you focused on your exam. Well, tried to focus. There comes to be a time where one can only hear so many negative things about themselves before they can’t ignore it anymore.

But alas, you tried your hardest and finished your exam, before walking out of the room and pulling out your phone. Now, you had a break before your new classes started and you’ve never been more relieved. You pulled up a certain contact and clicked on the message icon, beginning to type.

you:

i’m finished! up next, a break.

corpse:

I hope you did well. How long is your break?

you:

two weeks!

corpse:

Come spend it in San Diego

You stopped in your tracks, taken aback by the offer. You really didn’t think that he’d invite you over, but you weren’t about to complain. Instead, you sent back an ‘I’ll pack tonight :)’ and rushed home to do just that.

Corpse called you as you packed, just like he calls every night. You were used to the routine now, often falling asleep around 3am as he stays on the phone, doing whatever he does with his ruined sleep schedule until you wake up and say good morning.

Tonight, however, you were too jittery to sleep. You stayed up all night with Corpse, talking about anything and everything, like usual.

What wasn’t usual, though, was how distracted he sounded. It made you nervous- was he having second thoughts about inviting you over? Was something wrong?

Your thoughts nearly overwhelmed you, forcing you to say something.

“Are you okay, Corpse?” You tried to hide the small shake in your voice.

“Hm? Uh, yeah, yeah, everything’s good. Why?”

“It doesn’t sound like it. What’s going on? You’re acting off.”

His side of the phone was silent for a moment, before he let out a sigh. “I’m just thinking about what I’ve got to do before you get here tomorrow. Like, cleaning and stuff.”

“Pshh, that doesn’t matter to me.” You waved your hand, even though he couldn’t see it in the darkness of your room.

“It’s just that, my apartment isn’t… the best. It’s small and there’s only one bedroom and it’s kind of shitty. I just don’t want it to be even more shitty.”

“Corpse, I’m coming there to spend time with you, not your apartment. I don’t care what any of that shit looks like. I’m going to be looking at you and hanging out with you. Not your apartment.” You didn’t mean to go on a tangent of reassurance, but you truly meant all of your words. “Hell, I might not even see the apartment because I already know I won’t be able to look away from you.”

“I- God, give me a minute. That took me off guard.” He laughed. “But thank you. I may not even be able to clean because I’ll be distracted too.”

“By what?”

“You, standing in front of me, in person.” You could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s a fucking dream come true.”

┎┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┒

taglist: @namjoons-crabssss @lookingforaplacetosleep @teenloves @princess00wifi @pillowjj @nvm-idgaf @creativedogs @wildflowerwhore @chillininahottub-withaghost @whyisquill @holosexualunicorn7000 @ourheavenlyemotions

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[soft--dragon]

You'll Smile Again

Word Count: 2,699

Warnings: Beginnings of a panic attack, anxiety, and facial dysmorphia mention (stay safe guys <3)

All interactions are platonic, don't you dare start shipping

This is a SFW tickle fic, if you don’t like that then don’t read :)

It was going to be a bad day.

Ranboo knew the second he woke up, it was gonna be bad. His head was swimming and his body felt numb and cold despite the blankets thrown over him. The silence was suffocating, too loud and too quiet at the same time. He curled in on himself, wrapping his arms around his middle tightly. It somewhat helped his building nausea, but it was fruitless in an attempt to recreate the feeling of a comforting hug. One sounded nice round about now.

He dreaded the idea of having to get up and being forced to look at a reflective surface, so he stayed on the couch, curled tight and wishing he could fall back asleep and wake up tomorrow. Sleeping away the day until he felt like he could stand and wouldn't keel over. Unfortunately, his mind was far too aware of the morning light streaming through the windows and the hunger rumbling through his stomach. Ranboo let out a pained sound, squeezing his eyes shut and shoved down the need to cry.

It was fine. It was fine. He...he was fine…he...

He wanted Tubbo.

Ranboo swallowed back a sob and blindly scrabbled at the cushions for his phone. His Luca wallpaper greeted him in a painful sear of light. He squeezed his eyes shut against the brightness and quickly opened his phone with his finger print. His contact list had come up before he realized what he was doing, clicking on Tubbo’s name and soon enough, the dialing sound met his ear. Instead of hearing the ringtone through their shared home like he was used to, it remained horribly quiet.

“Boo?” Tubbo’s voice suddenly came through the speaker. “Hey, I was about to call you actually, I was thinking about the vlog Tommy’s wanting to do and I wanted to get your opinions on some stuff-”

“Tubbo- w-where are you?”

There was a long pause on the other line, Ranboo’s slightly keyed up voice catching the older boy’s attention immediately.

“On my way to Nottingham big man...remember?”

Ranboo’s heart sank and he wanted to kick himself for being such an idiot. Tubbo had warned him last night he was leaving early in the morning, saying he may be gone by the time Ranboo woke up. “O-Oh...right…”

There was a rustling noise, no doubt Tubbo sitting up in his seat. “Are you okay? Do you need me to come back?”

“N-No, no” Ranboo quickly replied, wishing he’d had enough sense to think before calling his best friend, now he was inconveniencing him with his stupid problems. He squeezed his eyes shut and released a breath before attempting to speak again. “I’m okay- and anyway, Tommy’s been planning this meet up for weeks, he’d be gutted if you cancelled, he spent so much time making your schedules line up, and you’re probably already there-”

“Ranboo.”

Tubbo’s firm, unwavering voice made Ranboo’s ramblings catch in his throat, he shut his mouth with a sharp click of his jaw, hand gripping the phone shaking slightly.

“Y-Yeah?” He mumbled.

Tubbo sighed, worried but fond. “You know I’d drop anything to make sure you’re okay, right? And Tommy would understand, he knows about your anxiety and facial dysmorphia.”

The need to cry returned hard and fast, Ranboo just managed to catch himself before releasing a whine. “I’ll be okay Tubbo,” he whispered, “promise, I’m...I just need to…”

He was silent for too long, Tubbo waiting worriedly on the other side. “Boo?”

“Don’t cancel on Tommy, I’ll just take a rest day” Ranboo answered, fighting to keep his voice level. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Ran-”

“Toby.”

The use of Tubbo’s real name made the older teen fall silent. Ranboo practically never said it.

“I said I’ll be okay.” Ranboo knew it was ironic to say that while on the verge of breaking down but he couldn’t do this to Tubbo, not today. “Just go enjoy your time with Tommy, alright? I’ll be fine.”

Tubbo was quiet. It made Ranboo’s stomach roll uncomfortably the longer the silence stretched out. Then there was a sigh.

“The second you feel worse, I want you to call me. And I don’t care-” Tubbo cut him off before he could even protest, “-if you’re worried about disrupting me, call me, got it?”

How on earth Tubbo could be a chaotic gremlin to a sincere steady presence on the go was still a mystery to the tall teen. Ranboo let out a long, shuddering sigh as he pressed himself close to the couch.

“Okay” he agreed quietly.

“Okay” Tubbo repeated, quiet and kind. “Do you want me to stay on the call for a bit boss man?”

His thoughts immediately hissed at him, heart clenching at the thought of Tubbo having to listen to his pathetic whining-

“Ranboo.”

Tubbo’s voice cut through the haze of his toxic thoughts like a knife, yanking him back to the present. He had to clear his throat, shaking himself to properly answer. “Y-Yeah?”

“Did you hear me?”

Ranboo hugged his middle tighter with his free arm and hummed non committedly.

Tubbo softened his voice again. “I can stay if you want me to, I’m still half an hour from Nottingham.”

Ranboo squeezed his eyes shut. “Please?”

Tubbo immediately started talking, switching the subject to something more light hearted, a story about the time he hung out with Tommy and Wilbur. It got a few smiles and even a soft laugh out of Ranboo which Tubbo silently counted as a victory. He kept up the stream of chatter, allowing Ranboo to relax further and further into the couch, the tight constrictions in his chest easing up a bit. Tubbo never ran out of stories to tell, keeping his voice quiet but not without the same level of excitement that kept Ranboo immersed. He could almost pretend Tubbo was sitting on the floor beside the couch like he always did when Ranboo was having a bad day, keeping his mind distracted and heart light.

It seemed cruel when Ranboo faintly heard a whistle blow in the background of Tubbo’s end.

“Oh, I’m here” Tubbo’s voice was surprised.

Ranboo’s stomach rolled at his words, brow creasing as he knew that meant Tubbo had to leave. Still, he steeled his voice and tried to sound as calm as possible. “Better go then huh?”

Tubbo made a soft noise. “It’s not too late to cancel you know? I can still come home Boo, I don’t mind.”

Ranboo wanted to say yes, he wanted to say yes but he couldn’t do that. No. He refused to let himself ruin this meet up when Tommy and Tubbo seemed so excited to plan it out. “I’ll be fine.”

Tubbo didn’t sound convinced. “You sure?”

Ranboo huffed an exasperatedly fond laugh. “Yeah, I’ll be good Tubs.”

It was quiet again, dragging out until Tubbo sighed heavily. “Alright, I’ll stop hover parenting, just remember what I said okay?”

“I’ll call you” Ranboo murmured.

“You better” Tubbo growled but it wasn’t mean, instead sounding protective. “I mean it boo.”

Ranboo let a small smile lift his lips. “I know you do, I promise.”

There was more shuffling then Tubbo sighed, grumbling about a bag being too heavy or something. “Okay good, I am gonna be texting you to check in just so you know, and I’ll call later if you feel up to it. Um, I’ll let my parents know it’s a bad day and not bother you unless you text them- wait they’re out, so is Lani and Teagan, okay uh- Rocky is home, you need a hug, get him, he’s good at comforting people-”

Ranboo chuckled despite himself. “What was that about not hover parenting anymore?”

“Oh shut up” Tubbo laughed, only making Ranboo’s grin widen. “I’m just looking out for one of my best mates.”

It was how easily he said it that made Ranboo feel warm from the platonic affection. “I know...thank you.”

There was a fond huff. “Anytime at all Ranboo.”

After another moment of silence, Ranboo sighed with a small smile. “Go, the gremlin child is waiting.”

“Yeah yeah, I know, I’ll talk to you later Boo, try not to let your head mess with you too bad, okay?”

“I can try.”

“Love you.”

Ranboo smiled, his heart warming at the words. “Love you too.”

The call ended, blanketing the warm room in a cold silence again. Ranboo dragged a hand over his face with a deep sigh. Tubbo really was good at making him feel better-

His stomach growled.

Ah right, breakfast was a thing.

Ranboo pointedly ignored looking at anything that could show him his face. Tubbo had managed to yank him out and over the hurdle this morning, so he was determined not to let the boy’s efforts go to waste. He grabbed what he needed from the kitchen before retreating back to the couch and crashing onto the plush surface. He had meant to stay and do work on his new video for YouTube and plan out a new stream idea, but with his current state, he decided to take on that rest day he promised Tubbo. He threw on Luca, finding it was quickly becoming one of his comfort films and chewed slowly on his breakfast, wrapped up in the blanket again and becoming one with the couch. He tried to ignore the quiet loneliness despite the film, he was used to hearing chaotic laughter and batshit ramblings throughout the house. He shoved down the need to call Tubbo, he was fine. He...he didn’t need his friend... not yet at least.

He could handle being alone for a few hours.

Luca and Alberto were testing out their Vespa when an old, grouchy meow came through the house. Ranboo lifted his head from where he was now lying on the couch to see Rocky, Tubbo’s family cat, sauntering over.

“Hey Rocks” Ranboo smiled at the feline.

With a greeting “mrrp”, Rocky leapt gracefully onto the couch, stepping onto his chest and immediately slammed his face directly into Ranboo’s. It startled a laugh from the teen as the cat continued to smudge against him happily, purrs rumbling from his throat. He had avoided touching his face that morning the best he could, the sudden affection towards it was surprising, but not unwelcome.

“Hi buhud” Ranboo tried to lean away but Rocky persisted, clearly attention starved after not seeing anyone for a few hours. His whiskers skimmed across Ranboo’s cheeks softly, making him giggle and try to turn his head away. However, Rocky was determined to give Ranboo affection and instead rubbed under his jaw, his ginger fur dragging under his chin.

“Ohoho noho- Rohocks!” Ranboo squealed, quickly turning his head down to keep his chin pressed to his chest, trying to block the cat from brushing against the area.

Rocky gave a happy meow and pressed his forehead into Ranboo’s own, purring deeply now that he had access to his full face again. Ranboo giggled quietly, basking in the affection.The soft fur and loving touches on his face was comforting in its own way. It also tickled a bit, he didn’t even know his face was ticklish but apparently Rocky seemed determined to show him it was.

“Rohocky h-hahang ohon” Ranboo squeaked as the cat rubbed against his cheek, his whiskers just tracing his ear and nose. He melted further into the couch, the light sensations made him want to squirm but he couldn’t move without jostling Rocky, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset the cat. His hands were confined to the inside of the blanket, making him unable to fend off the ticklish touches even if he wanted to. He simply lay there, shifting his head around a little but enjoying the affection nonetheless. It was a nice change from the cold loneliness that had settled over the room before.

Eventually, Rocky seemed satisfied with his work on Ranboo’s face and brought his head back, not without giving Ranboo’s nose a small lick. It made Ranboo snort, grinning up at the ginger cat that almost looked smug.

“You done?” Ranboo chuckled.

Rocky meowed, probably saying ‘yes’, then moved down Ranboo’s torso, sitting on his stomach. He sniffed the blanket then started pawing at it, rearranging the folds carefully. Unfortunately, with where he was sitting, Rocky was massaging into Ranboo’s stomach and ribs gently.

It caused the teen to melt into the cushions, pressing his cheek into the back of the couch and giggling wildly into the plush material. “Nohoho Rohocks- ehehehehe!”

Rocky dug his claws softly into Ranboo’s side, massaging his sides in a kneading motion. Ranboo squeezed his eyes shut, happy giggles spilling free. Laughing felt so nice after wallowing in misery for the whole day, the tickling soft and while unintentional, was still nice.

Ranboo suddenly squealed, curling in on himself slightly as one of Rocky’s paws lightly brushed over his lower belly. The cat paused, ears flicking as Ranboo broke into a fit of breathy titters. He then purred and focused on his lower belly, taking the laughter for a sound of joy.

Ranboo managed to wrench a hand free of the blankets, pressing it to the back of his mouth to muffle his squeaky giggles. “Rohohockehehey! Ohoho gohohosh- whihihiy?”

The cat only responded with a pleased meow, shifting his paws to the sides of Ranboo’s stomach. Ranboo’s hand suddenly dropped from his pink cheeks to gently cup Rocky’s back in an attempt to bear the sensations. His plan was flawed however, as Rocky turned his head and rubbed his cheek against Ranboo’s thumb, his whiskers dragging over the back of it and making Ranboo squeak in laughter. All the while, still kneading the blanket.

“Noho- cohohome ohohon Rohohocks-” Ranboo whined but his soft laughter was happy and Rocky seemed to understand that as he purred gaily.

Rocky’s paws went to knead at his lower ribs, slow and methodical and keeping Ranboo in a state of giggly hysteria. He squirmed lightly from the sensations, trying not to jostle Rocky too much. He was surprised at his own resolve to stay still, the most extreme reaction so far being lightly kicking his feet when Rocky stayed in a sensitive area for too long. Rocky was almost too good at pulling reactions from him though, listening to when he giggled quietly or loudly, what made him move more and what made him melt. It wasn’t long before Rocky was keeping his pawing at the middle of his stomach, slow and gentle, keeping Ranboo laughing softly, not uncontrollably.

A few minutes of the gentle massaging made Ranboo sleepy and warm, relaxing into the touch and releasing breathy giggles. He still craved a hug, he’d ask Tubbo when he got back, but Rocky’s repetitive, and slightly ticklish touch had soothed him into a blissful peace. It was so much better than the toxic battle in his head that kept him feeling weighed down. Cats were pog, what more needed to be said?

Rocky then slowed to a stop, sniffing at Ranboo’s hoodie for a moment before nuzzling the material adoringly. The feline waddled back up Ranboo’s chest and lay down, tucking his paws underneath his body. He then lowered his head and shoved it underneath Ranboo’s chin, purring happily. Ranboo giggled as the cat’s whiskers brushed across his neck and jaw again, finding himself relaxing into the affectionate touch easily. Tubbo was right, Rocky was good at comforting people. He owed the cat a lot of treats and hours of cuddles.

He gently pressed his chin into Rocky’s head affectionately. “Thanks Rocks” he murmured.

The feline gave a quiet ‘mrrp’, making Ranboo giggle again. He let his eyes slip closed, melting into the couch and sighing in contentment. The audio of Luca, and Rocky’s rhythmic purring made his drowsiness catch up to him, his sleep schedule was gonna be messed up tonight but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He felt lighter than he had that morning, and Rocky was warm and grounding, made him feel loved.

Ranboo fell asleep with a smile on his face.

[cavity-core]

Satisfying Salad

Chapter Seven

I post a lot of different stuff that is totally consumable for minors, but this space is not intended for minors, so if you fall in that category, please navigate it responsibly and respectfully... on that note.. keep scrolling to the next post kids. ^ ^

Despite the tag, this is not Kaebedo, I’m shipping Kaeya with the Fellflower because I’m an absolute psychopath... I call it crack but it’s my otp idk what’s wrong with me, cryo sugoi.

It is still updating but you can read the full fic here.

Wowow it’s Dorian. I mean Joserf. I hope I’m still posting these in the right order…

As the fake Albedo headed up to its office, blissfully ignorant of the hole it just dug Kaeya into, he wondered… would faking his own death be an appropriate way to up and leave the country? Whether Jean failed to catch onto that implication or whether she was just being polite was neither here nor there when Lisa had clearly picked up on the nuance of the whopper’s statement… or more specifically, who she believed to be Albedo. Albedo who would be returning to Mondstadt soon, very soon if what the mimic had told him yesterday was actually true; that he’d only returned one day early. How was he going to explain himself if word did make it back to Albedo via some circulating rumours, it was highly unlikely the alchemist would believe for a second that Kaeya had been completely fooled by some lookalike.

Worrying over how to deal with the consequences of his many poor decisions starting last night was how Kaeya spent most of his day. The guilt over the events of last night had also remained with him since the arrival of the whopper in his apartment once more, but the monster hadn't given much indication that it remembered anything more sordid about their encounter, and it had been heavily under the influence of alcohol that night. It seemed possible that it didn’t know what happened at all, which meant that maybe the both of them could simply forget about it all. Despite the heavy implications its comment in the hall had made, they could’ve meant anything as far as a WhopperFlower knew, right?

Since Jean hadn’t needed Kaeya in the office today, he’d instead decided to patrol around the outside of Mondstadt city. He didn’t have any particular leads regarding the Abyss Order or any suspicious treasure hoarder activity after having been so preoccupied with this impostor Albedo, and there weren’t any meetings scheduled for today at the Goth Hotel with the… foreign diplomats. Naturally there wasn’t a lot to see so close to the city walls though, and it wasn’t doing much in the way of helping take his mind off of things either. In the end, he’d ended up back in the city, entering through the path closest to the Angel’s Share without even thinking; it was nowhere near the end of his shift, but perhaps it would be worthwhile to see if anyone of note was hanging around.

Charles was the one who greeted him from the counter, it seemed Diluc wasn’t working at the moment. Since it was still early morning, there were far fewer customers and it was the middle of the week so he probably hadn’t headed back to the winery just yet. This time of day it was normal that he would still be upstairs, Diluc often worked the latest into the night. … still, his lack of presence really dulled the atmosphere.

“Did you run into the Traveller?” Charles asked as Kaeya stepped up towards the counter.

“The Traveller?” Kaeya reiterated. “I thought the Adventurer’s Guild was holding an event up on Dragonspine.”

“Yeah, I think they are,” Charles agreed, “but I heard the Traveller and Paimon were back in Mondstadt earlier this morning, I thought you might’ve bumped into them on your rounds.”

The Traveller was already back then, meaning the whopper’s alleged master had failed to remove at least one of his targets… unless the Traveller who showed up was a fake as well. How many WhopperFlowers with that level of mimicking capability could really exist though? Not that there was any way to check, the Traveller never hung around one place for very long and it was highly unlikely this would be any exception either. If he were to work under the assumption that was the real Traveller, especially having been accompanied by Paimon, that did put the whopper’s position at risk.

Leaving the fake in Albedo’s office for him to come back was definitely some kind of trap… but for who? It was just as likely for one or the other to be injured in that encounter should it turn violent, and why shouldn’t it? The whopper’s master had failed though, there was no reason for it to remain in Mondstadt any longer, so the easiest solution was to simply find it and inform it of this change of plans. He could only hope that interaction would go so smoothly…

“I see… Actually, there is something I could use their worldly input on,” Kaeya mused. “I’ll have to see if I can’t catch up before they make off again. I’ll see you tonight, Charles.” Kaeya excused himself from the tavern and set a brisk pace back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. He had been away for a few hours but he hadn’t expected silence to greet him at the office door.

There was no answer to Kaeya’s knock. “Albedo~” he called instead. “It’s me..” Still no response. Vainly, he knocked again though with more urgency this time. Surely Albedo hadn’t already come back… even if he had, he couldn’t have disposed of the imposter that easily, could he? If he had though, wouldn’t that be good? Why was Kaeya so worried about it then? Why was he so nervous about what was on the other side of the door?

He held his breath as he pushed open the door, greeted by something closer to what he’d been expecting yesterday; books and papers pulled from their shelves and knocked from tables to litter the floor, and the impostor nowhere to be seen. Cursing under his breath, Kaeya paced across the room to the window. Surely the archons had blessed him today with the blonde head of hair he saw heading in the direction of the stairs down to the square, they must have missed each other coming from opposite directions… but he couldn’t tell from here which Albedo it was.

Moving swiftly away from the window, Kaeya shut the office door behind him and hurried back outside to pursue whichever Albedo he’d seen. The impostor most likely, as while he was heading along the overlooking railing he spotted him; Albedo, returning with two people from the camp near Dragonspine, which meant both Albedos were about to run into each other in the middle of the square.

Surely he received some strange looks as he suddenly sprinted over to the stairs, hopping the railing part way to catch up. By the time he could get close enough to grab the imposter, he was hidden beneath the shadow of the Cat’s Tail’s overhanging balcony. Kaeya could quite easily tell which Albedo this was by the immediate Cryo reaction, burning the exposed tips of his fingers and forearms where he grabbed it.

It continued struggling but it at least calmed down enough to ease off the elemental output when it heard Kaeya’s voice. After the initial shock and some reasoning, it seemed to calm down enough that Kaeya could let it speak… and announce to him that its master was here in Mondstadt. Kaeya’s first assumption was that it was the Albedo who had just walked in, it would make sense after all if they were trying to replace the original, but he was corrected and pointed instead to the man with them. A man Kaeya recognized as someone who had gone missing on Dragonspine. What would be the gain of looking like him— or was it the real deal? He had vanished for a long time… no, there was no sense in theorising wild conspiracies now.

If the whopper was so set on meeting with who it claimed to be its master, then Kaeya would gladly facilitate it. He was highly interested in finding out if this newcomer in the city was as dangerous as his affiliation with Albedo’s impostor implied. Kaeya was also curious if Albedo was aware either… but he was slightly less enthused about having to approach him now after all he’d done. In the meantime though, he needed to hide the whopper again. Not only was it unlikely to leave Mondstadt now that its master was here, but he’d need it to extract that information from this so-called master as well.

The whopper seemed to noticeably perk up when Kaeya suggested it stay in his apartment… whether it remembered or not, he should’ve probably been more concerned about the attachment it seemed to be developing. Kaeya only hoped that he wouldn’t return to his rooms in the same state Albedo’s office was left in… Albedo’s office would no doubt be found by the real one soon enough in its trashed state. Kaeya needed to hurry back to work.

He lead the whopper back to his apartment and locked up again in record time to set out on his search for the whopper’s master.. that is to say, the man who looked like Joserf, and somewhere to host their meeting… which would of course have to be the Angel’s Share.

There was still a chance that the WhopperFlower was wrong, that it had mistaken its master. Smarter than the average house plant didn’t boast much in the way of intelligence… That being said, on the chance that it was the wrong person, the whopper couldn’t show up looking just like Albedo. They’d have to make some changes to its appearance… he wasn’t sure how well it could conjure up unique appearances, or any other humans aside from Albedo, but he could at least do smaller things like… change the hairstyle perhaps, maybe change up its clothes? Kaeya didn’t own anything that would fit though.

Another pressing thought on his mind was, now that Albedo had returned, he may need to dispose of the whopper himself. So far it was quite docile, around him at least, but who knew if that would hold up around others, or for anyone should this meeting go south. Frankly, there were a lot of ways in which this meeting could go poorly, either one could lash out at the other or the whopper could have an adverse reaction to finding out its use has expired… possibly worse still if it turns out in its favour and the plan is still proceeding. The best case scenario might be getting the wrong man after all, but would the whopper insist on continuing to wait then? No, it couldn’t be left at that. Should that happen, they would have to confront Albedo about what happened on Dragonspine.

There was no need to start interrogating him yet, but Kaeya needed to ask Albedo about Josef’s whereabouts before he could get any farther in his plan. Albedo wasn’t at the alchemy bench so that meant he must have already returned to his office.. the trashed one. Hopefully Kaeya could casually play it off like he knew nothing about the incident as he’d been patrolling all day, and keep suspicions at bay for the time being regarding his involvement with the impostor. He was sure getting his leg work in today with all these trips up and down the stairs between the square and the Knights of Favonius headquarters.

Thankfully there was no one to stop him in the hallway this time either, and he was able to make a quick ascent to Albedo’s lab. Kaeya knocked twice before creaking the door open a little. “Oh, mister Chief Alchemist,~” he chimed as he leaned in.

Sure enough, Albedo was there, knelt on the floor where he was gathering the fallen books.

“Oh my, what happened here?” Kaeya asked, looking around as he feigned… some degree of surprise.

“I was about to ask you that,” he answered, he sounded tired.

“I’m afraid I’ve been out all day so I didn’t see anything,” Kaeya explained, looking around the room. “I could spare some time to help you clean up though.~”

“No need,” Albedo replied, shooting him down without missing a beat.

Kaeya suppressed a sigh, though he was used to this by now. “In that case, I did come here looking for you,” Kaeya continued.

“For work or leisure,” Albedo asked, not looking up from his organizing.

“Hmm, let’s call it curiosity,” Kaeya suggested, and Albedo did not suppress his sigh. He continued anyway. “I saw you returned from Dragonspine today with some company, who were they?”

Albedo finally paused and looked up to meet Kaeya’s gaze. “Joel from the camp and his father, Joserf. I believe you know of them,” he answered.

Kaeya raised his eyebrows. “Joserf,” he reiterated. “I thought that man was presumed dead.”

“So did I,” Albedo agreed, standing up with his books to begin slotting some back into the shelves.

“How fascinating,” Kaeya commented. “Are they moving into the city now?”

“I don’t know.” Albedo’s answers were getting more curt but it was hard to tell if he was being cagey or just getting tired of being pestered… at least it seemed like he hadn’t been confronted with any strange rumours yet.

“I’d be interested in hearing that man’s story, surviving so long up on Dragonspine and still making it back in one piece,” Kaeya mused. “Where is he staying now?”

“He was found on the mountain with no recollection, now he is spending time reuniting with his family. I suggest you refrain from bothering them.” There was some finality to Albedo’s words… it didn’t seem like he was interested in giving Kaeya any more information. Was that suspicious in itself or did Albedo just want him out of his hair?

“I see, then I’ll let you get back to your cleaning,” Kaeya excused himself. He’d probably made himself out to be unnecessarily suspicious in that interaction, but he could just as easily be read as having an interest in what strange newcomers were entering the city for its safety. It was only a matter of time before stories began failing to line up among the townspeople who already witnessed Albedo returning from Dragonspine the day before though.

The alchemist’s reluctance to divulge much about Joserf’s whereabouts did little to hinder Kaeya’s search. Of course Albedo’s account would have brought him the fastest results had he been willing to share, but the Chief Alchemist alone did not have the authority to move someone into Mondstadt. Other administrative figures should be in the know too, if not Jean then Katheryn. Kaeya would find a way to his information, he always did.

Judging by what he’d seen of them entering the city, Kaeya was doubtful that they had stopped to speak with Katheryn. His best bet was asking around here and seeing what he could find out from the knights then moving on to see who was still about at the Adventurers Guild headquarters and what they knew of the rescuing of this man who, as far as anyone knew, was supposed to be dead. The conspiracies could wait though, for now he wanted to ask Jean about where their lodgings were so he could approach Joserf himself.

Jean didn’t stir much from her work when Kaeya opened the door, seemingly too engrossed in whatever papers she was pouring over at her desk to notice him entering. “Knock, knock, master Jean~ I hope I’m not disturbing you too much,” he announced himself with a lightly teasing lilt.

“Ah, Captain Kaeya,” she looked up immediately when he addressed her. “No, no, don’t worry, I just got too focused is all. Did you need something?”

“I was wondering if you knew anything about the man Albedo brought back from Dragonspine, Joserf,” Kaeya explained. “I hear he and his son are supposed to be staying in Mondstadt.”

“Yes, that’s right,” She confirmed with a small nod. “The accommodations are quite temporary at the moment though, I don’t think they’re planning to stay in the city for too long. Why do you ask?”

Kaeya shook his head. “Oh, nothing. I was merely interested in hearing his tale, he was thought to be dead after all. How he managed to stay alive in the harsh conditions of Dragonspine sounds very interesting, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I… guess it does,” she agreed slowly, though sparing Kaeya a suspicious glance.

“Oh, come now, don’t look at me like that. It’s true, I’m genuinely curious,” he insisted. “Besides, if he’s been trapped up in the mountains all this time, what better way to unwind back into society than an evening at the Angel’s Share?”

Jean scoffed softly at him. “Alright, alright. This is the address, but they only have a room there,” she explained, scribbling the information on a slip of paper and sliding it across the desk for Kaeya. She kept her hand on it a moment longer as he reached for it. “Don’t be too hard on him, an experience like that was difficult for him, I’m sure.”

“Of course.~” Kaeya took the paper from her with a smile and slipped it into his coat. “I should be getting back to work then, don’t strain yourself today.” Jean waved him and his nagging off as he stepped back out the door, pulling the address out again as he closed it. They both knew he wasn’t going back to his patrol before he’d finished exploring this little mystery, so he made straight for the location on the paper… while also pointedly avoiding the street facing window of Albedo’s office. He didn’t want to draw excessive suspicion right now.

The place was in the suburbs as expected, though still upper town as it was an actual ground level home as opposed to the kind of apartment style homes where Kaeya lived. Even though he was told that they only had a temporary room here, it was Joserf himself who answered the door when Kaeya knocked. The owner of the house must’ve been at work, but that conveniently saved Kaeya a few steps in his plan.

“Hello… can I help you? If you’re here looking for the master of the house he’s working over at—“

“No, no,” Kaeya cut him off. “I came to see you, Joserf,” he clarified.

“Oh… Do we know each other? Forgive me, I’ve had some severe memory problems since my return from Dragonspine,” Joserf explained.

“I see, so it’s just as the Chief Alchemist said,” Kaeya mused. That fact didn’t remove suspicion though, if anything it added to it. “Not to worry, we didn’t particularly know each other. I am Kaeya Alberich, the Cavalry Captain of the Knight of Favonius, a pleasure to make your acquaintance again.” He held out his hand and Joserf shook it sheepishly.

“Yes, likewise Captain.”

“Now then, I came to ask if you would join me tonight at the Angel’s Share.”

“The Angel’s Share? That’s the tavern, isn’t it?”

“That’s right,” Kaeya replied. “I have a friend who’s been dying to chat with you since your return.”

“Really?” He seemed surprised. “Ah.. I really don’t remember anything, I’m afraid they’ll probably be disappointed.”

“Perhaps, but this particular friend believes this meeting might jog a memory or two, so do join us this evening.”

Joserf frowned thoughtfully. “Jog my memories…? Well, I guess it could be worth a shot,” he finally agreed.

“Wonderful, then we’ll meet you outside the tavern tonight.~”

Everything was falling smoothly into place, regardless of Albedo’s reluctance to offer him any information. Kaeya’s progress had hardly faltered… but now he had to get back to his real job, catching up on the work he’d been slacking off on while he was distracted by Joserf’s appearance in Mondstadt and the real Albedo’s return. That is to say, he was running a bit later than he’d meant to be by the time he was finally clocking out for the day and heading back to his apartment where he could stop wondering if the whopper had stayed put like he’d instructed.

That troubling question was quickly answered by the faint aroma that greeted him the moment he unlocked his front door, only growing stronger as he moved closer to his bedroom. The familiar fragrance from last night made it quite clear that the whopper was still in the apartment… but didn’t it also mean that it was… well… There it was curled up on his bed half as dressed as Kaeya had left it, staring back at him wide eyed and flustered.

“K-Kaeya I—“ It stuttered out, cheeks only pinking more.

“I’ve arranged our meeting with your so-called master, we really… should be heading out as soon as possible…” Kaeya trailed off realizing they wouldn’t be getting out of the apartment on time when the whopper cut in.

“I’m sorry, I was bad! I didn’t wanna wear the clothes, and I tried to take them off, and it was too hot, and I— I…” it stuttered to a stop, tears on its cheeks. “Don’t send me back yet, I have to see— I… y-you’re.. gonna let me meet master?” It asked, sitting up a little but still keeping a hand wedged firmly between its legs.

Kaeya sighed, looking over the state of the mimic on his bed. “Well, you certainly can’t go like that,” he commented, which only prompted the WhopperFlower’s waterworks to start back up again.

“I’m sorry, I tried to be good!” It sniffled. “But I… I have to meet master, otherwise.. he’ll throw me away.”

“I never said we weren’t going,” Kaeya sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “There’s no need to get so worked up.”

“But you said—“

“I know what I said,” Kaeya cut in. “Come over here before I think better of this..” he muttered. He had so many reservations about all this until now, and yet here he was… did the whopper’s pheromones really have such an intense effect on humans?

Kaeya remained facing the wall so he did not see the mimic get up but he felt the mattress dip as it moved across the bed towards him, making its proximity clear with a hand placed gingerly on Kaeya’s shoulder. “I… I couldn’t take them off,” it admitted softly.

“Stand up in front of me,” Kaeya instructed. He assumed that by ‘them’ the whopper meant its bottoms as they were among the few clothing articles it was still wearing. As he had come to expect, the whopper was still highly obedient to Kaeya’s instructions now and crawled off the bed to assume its position standing before him, worrying the hem of its shirt with both hands as it waited for Kaeya to do something.

Kaeya brushed the mimic’s hands away from where they were slightly covering its straining erection as well as of course its fly, flicking the button open and slowly dragging the zipper down. “Tsk, look at what a mess you’ve made,” Kaeya teased, glancing up at the whopper’s flushed and teary face, an entirely foreign expression on Albedo’s features. He tapped lightly on the obvious dark spot that had formed in the front of its leggings where its arousal had soaked the fabric. “You won’t be able to wear these pants.” Perhaps having the whopper wear only its shorts would help a little in concealing its identity? Probably not, but Kaeya was interested in seeing what Albedo’s body would look like so underdressed regardless.

He pulled the shorts all the way off and coaxed the mimic to step out of them, the leggings however, he left on. The thinner, elastic fabric giving way to the lewd outline of the whopper’s erection straining against the damp fabric. Kaeya brought his hand up to rub his fingers over the twitching silhouette, earning himself a gasp from the mimic, its fidgeting hands immediately seeking purchase on Kaeya’s shoulders instead. “T-take them off.”

“But they’re already a mess anyway,” Kaeya pointed out, still squeezing and rubbing its length through the fabric. “Why bother?~”

The whopper whimpered, its hips still pressing forwards into Kaeya’s hand… still clearly enjoying the activity despite its complaints. Technically it was wrong to use creatures like this for sexual pleasure but… it seemed clear as day to Kaeya that this creature was nothing if not consenting. The alcohol may have influenced it the first time but now it clearly had its own interest in the activity… or had Kaeya merely conditioned it? At the end of the day though, it was still happy to do it regardless… so was it really such a big deal?

Apparently Kaeya’s pace had slowed while he wandered off on that train of thought because he was snapped back out of it when his wrist was suddenly grabbed with a vice grip and yanked towards the whopper’s crotch. This wasn’t the first time it had shown aggression when it came to soliciting sexual acts from Kaeya but he continued to brush it off for now, pulling the mimic closer by its ass and kneading the flesh though the leggings while his other had continued to work it’s dick against the fabric.

“Ah… Kaeya.. more..” it groaned, leaning heavily against his shoulders, legs trembling and breath heavy. The sweet scent of pheromones seemed to come off it in waves and Kaeya had to fight the urge to let himself be swept away by them.

It was early enough that the neighbouring apartments were probably still empty as their inhabitants were likely out getting dinner at this time, so it wasn’t such an issue when the whopper got louder. Last night Kaeya hadn’t been able to really relish the sounds of Albedo’s voice making these lewd noises at the mercy of Kaeya’s hands… then again, he couldn’t exactly allow himself to fully enjoy it this time either, not when they both had somewhere to be. Kaeya had always been so punctual before this too.

The resistance on his palm was growing as the fabric continued to grow wetter beneath it, no longer allowing him to glide easily against the dry fibers. Now they dragged against his skin thanks to the thorough soaking of precum they’d endured from Kaeya’s ministrations on the moaning and whimpering mimic.

“Come on now, we’re running out of time,” Kaeya coaxed, the side of his head rested against the whopper’s stomach as he looked up due to their proximity. “Cum for me, little plant, so we can go to see your master.~”

Its grip tightened on Kaeya’s shoulders as it really did finish, almost on command, cum beading and dribbling through the fabric where it failed to be absorbed. “Hm, right on cue,”

Kaeya hummed while the whopper came shivering down from its orgasm. “Good job, little plant.~” He could feel its dick still in his hand twitching out a few more drops. Was it the praise or the pet name it had a particular affinity for?

The leggings had at least absorbed the mess they’d have had to deal with otherwise, definitely cutting their time down. “Let’s get you out of these now,” Kaeya finally said, willing his own hard on down. Of course the whopper was incredibly compliant when it came to being allowed to take off more of its clothes, though it was still muffling whimpers as Kaeya peeled the soiled bottoms down and off, clearly still sensitive after their little activity.

It really did have a different feel to it… seeing Albedo standing with his bare, pale legs peeking between the hem of his shorts and the tops of his boots, the smooth skin which Kaeya knew from experience now was ever so soft to the touch. How was this somehow more erotic than just seeing him naked!? Kaeya needed to calm down… the whopper was dressed now, it just needed a few extra touches.

The cloak Kaeya pulled from his own closet to drape over its shoulders dragged on the ground thanks to the height difference, meaning that it unfortunately covered the deliciously exposed thighs… which was probably for the best. The removal of its braids and ponytail also made a striking enough difference to its appearance in helping it to look less like Albedo. They were similar, but it did not seem at all outlandish to declare they were different people now.

Its eyes were still a little puffy from crying but it was presentable. “Looks like we’re ready to go,” Kaeya commented, dusting his hands together. This meeting could end in its removal from Mondstadt… or even death. Kaeya had been steeling himself for this all day, even the mimic seemed quieter and more nervous with the knowledge of the impending meeting.

Despite its earlier eagerness, it took Kaeya’s arm around its shoulders propelling it forward before it started moving by itself. When they’d first met, the whopper had tensed at his touch, but now it almost seemed to lean into him. Was this comparable to accidentally domesticating a wild animal you took in? Not that Kaeya could necessarily claim that this monster was domesticated.

“What’s the matter, weren’t you quite eager to see your master earlier?” Kaeya asked as they headed out of the apartment, in an attempt to lift the tense silence.

“I have to meet my master, that is the next step of the plan,” it answered. Its words were a bit mumbled but its tone sounded matter of fact nonetheless.

“Why so nervous then?~”

The mimic was quiet for a moment, slowing enough to pose some resistance against Kaeya’s arm which was still pushing it forward. “The.. plan didn’t go right…” it slowly answered. “Master might throw me away after all…”

What did a WhopperFlower really have to lose in that scenario though? “Would you not simply return to your life on Dragonspine?” Kaeya asked, but he was only met with hunched shoulders and silence; a silence that continued for the remainder of their walk across town.

Regardless of where Kaeya put his arm or hand, he wasn’t able to physically distance himself from the mimic once they were outside again this time, it remained stuck close to his side with one hand going as far as gripping the fabric of his jacket to ensure he didn’t move away. Hopefully its vaguely altered appearance would be enough that no one mistook it for Albedo while the alchemist was actively in the city. The whopper’s silence had set an oddly tense atmosphere despite the peaceful evening air and gentle colours of the sunset still faintly painted the sky though it was quickly darkening.

When they were about a block from the tavern the mimic suddenly perked up and moved a more respectable distance from Kaeya. As they drew closer he noticed that Joserf was already standing outside. “Put your hood on until we’re in private,” he told the whopper softly, who obliged without a word.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long for us,” Kaeya greeted while his companion seemed to half hide behind him.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Joserf assured him. “I have to get back home to Joel soon though,” he added.

“No need to worry, I think this meeting should be rather quick,” Kaeya assured him with a quick smile. “Let’s head inside then.”

He led the way through the door and right up to the counter, motioning Diluc over as he leaned an arm against the surface. “We could use some privacy for this meeting.~”

Diluc took a key from under the counter and pressed it into Kaeya’s waiting hand. “Don’t make a mess up there,” he grumbled.

“Of course not.”

Obviously they wouldn’t be able to openly discuss this topic so a private room could be a necessary precaution to convince the whopper’s supposed master to reveal his identity. “Let’s head upstairs, we can talk alone there,”

Kaeya addressed his party now instead as he headed for the second floor. The key was to the door that led to the attic stairs where Diluc often stayed the night since a trip all the way back to Dawn Winery was far too long only to return again the next day.

Joserf’s lack of reaction to the whopper’s presence seemed to embolden it again… or do the opposite. Either way, it was gradually closing the space between it and Kaeya again as they went. There wasn’t much furniture in the attic despite it being rather spacious, it was only really used for sleeping after all. “My apologies, we’ll have to stand.”

“I have to admit, I thought we were going out for a drink,” Joserf said. “Now I’m a little nervous, what is this about?”

“My friend here says he knows you,” Kaeya explained, guesting to the whopper as it pulled its hood down.

“Yes, you did mention that but like I said my memory…” he trailed off, staring down at the whopper for a few moments. “There is something oddly familiar about him.”

“Well, he may bare some resemblance to the alchemist but that’s—“

“Now that you mention it, he does, but… no, that’s not quite it.” He shook his head.

“Master… you don’t remember me? You came back for the plan, right? So that we can do the next step. I’ve been doing everything just like you told me…”

“Hold on,” Joserf interrupted, raising his hands. “Master? I don’t know anything about that, or any plans.”

The whopper’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, glancing between Kaeya and Joserf. “It’s okay, Captain Kaeya is nice. He helped me and taught me a lot, so you can trust him,” it assured him.

“It’s… not that I don’t trust him, it’s just that I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Joserf replied sheepishly. “I’m sorry, maybe it’s just my memory gaps, but I think you have the wrong person.” He took a step back towards the door. “I should be getting back now, I’m sorry that I couldn’t be of more help.”

“But master—“

“That’s alright,” Kaeya replied. “We’re sorry to have wasted your time.” Despite Joserf’s quick departure, Kaeya didn’t get the sense that he was lying. He could try and pry the man more for information but the news would likely get back to Albedo if he were to do that… it might anyway. Whether that was the whopper’s master or not, Kaeya felt inclined to believe his claims of memory loss. After all, he had still found it familiar beyond its physical similarities to Albedo.

Joserf left down the stairs leaving Kaeya alone in the room with the now dejected looking mimic. “If that really was your master, he doesn’t seem to remember you at all,” he commented, “what will you do now?”

“I don’t understand… why doesn’t master remember?”

Albedo had been cagey regarding information on Joserf, could he have been behind the altered memories? “If he doesn’t remember then you’re free to do what you like, aren’t you?” Kaeya pointed out. “I’ll even take you back to Dragonspine.” Could he wash his hands of this mess at last?

For some reason that suggestion only made the whopper look even more miserable. “What if master is in trouble?”

Kaeya heaved a resigned sigh and took a seat on the edge of Diluc’s bed. “Your master, if that is who he is, has a quiet life with his son now. If he’s living peacefully among the citizens of Mondstadt, maybe he doesn’t want to stir anything up now.”

“Master helped me become smarter and stronger, he taught me to walk and speak like humans so that I could blend in… so I could do it too, right? I can also be good and live a quiet life in Mondstadt with Kaeya, until my master needs me again.”

Kaeya raised his eyebrows at the whopper’s declaration. “With me? Didn’t it occur to you that I only used you to gather information on the situation,” he asked, as the mimic moved across the small room, rapidly closing the space between them again. “Don’t you think you’ve trusted me a little too easily—“ he was cut off by the whopper’s hands pressed firmly on his shoulders and its lips pressed boldly to his own.

“Kaeya taught me, helped me and made me feel good…” it muttered against his mouth. “I want to stay with you.”

Kaeya sat stunned with his hands at his sides. How did it get to this point? Did WhopperFlowers even have the capacity for emotions and attachments like this?? If he couldn’t force it to leave and he couldn’t convince it to leave… what was he supposed to do with it? How was he supposed to keep this secret from the rest of Mondstadt? Approaching Albedo for his help was seemingly his only option now.

[astranva]

Falling Duet

Word Count: 2.4k

Category: Fluff but it’s so 🥺

Warning: Nothing

Request: harry dating singer!reader: he has to perform at some awards and he invites her to sing with him but no one else knows? love your writing🤧❤

Summary: You and Harry sing an unreleased version of Falling at an award show.

The lyrics used are of “Falling (other POV)” by THE cutie, Ally Naso 🤍

// masterlist //

**reposted bc tumblr is messing up the tags & nobody can view it. sigh.

..

It all started when a friend of yours had recorded you singing in your school’s bathroom during senior year.

7 years ago, you wouldn’t have believed it if somebody told you that you would be a 13-time Grammy nominated artist, as well as having 6 of that very award sitting on your shelf at your childhood home – one for Best Artist, and one for Album of the year.

You would have laughed even.

But it wasn’t a joke nor was it a dream you wished to never wake up from; it was as real as life could be.

You were successful in the industry and if any of your fans were asked, they would say that it was because of your immense talent and unproblematic, empathetic, kind character.

It was one of the many reasons why so many people on the internet had shipped you with a certain English man, him having been only 20 when you went viral and got signed.

A year into the industry, it was one day when you remember your Twitter notifications going crazy;

“HARRY STYLES JUST SAID HE LOVES YOUR MUSIC AND THINKS YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL”

“omg pls tell us you watched 1d’s interview with jimmy kimmel”

“IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING! CAN YOU PLEASE BE TOGETHER ALREADY???”

Looking back at that memory, you remember how you were a shaking and overwhelmed mess as you had clicked on the link everybody was sending you.

The video had begun with the audience cheering as the camera was on Jimmy and the 5 men near him.

And there he sat; in a black suit with a white shirt underneath, medium-length hair looking like he had run his fingers through many times, his hands clasped as he looked at Jimmy.

“Who’s most likely to let a woman split the band?” Jimmy had asked.

They had looked at each other, not answering for a moment before Niall chimed in with a laugh as he pointed at Harry, “Harry would let his celebrity crush do that.”

Harry rolled his eyes jokingly as his bandmates agreed and laughed, slapping his hands against his thighs in feigned annoyance.

“Who is that? Who’s your celebrity crush?”

“Just this talented person.” He had tried to smile his way through the question, but no one was having it.

“You know Y/N Y/L/N? She’s an amazing singer,” Louis told Jimmy.

“Y/N!” Jimmy beamed, “We had her on the show two weeks ago.”

“Yeah, he watched that.” Liam had gestured towards Harry.

Hiding his face in his hands for a moment, the audience cheered as his friends continued to laugh.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Jimmy asked Harry in a teasing manner.

Having had decided to get it over with, Harry nodded as he clasped his hands together again, “She’s very talented and beautiful.”

“Lovie, can you help me with the necklace? My nails are still drying.”

You looked up from your place on the couch, sitting in your long dress looking so beautiful that Harry had lost track of time of getting into his own suit because he was too busy giving you a photoshoot on his phone.

Standing up, you reached and clasped his necklace for him, dusting his shoulders to signal that you were done.

Turning, you were met with your boyfriend of 4 years beaming at you before he leaned to press his lips against yours.

“You look so good.” You smiled up at him, “So beautiful.”

“Have to try to catch up with how you look tonight,” he replied with a wide smile, “Nervous?”

“Not really.” You admitted.

Amusingly and completely and utterly in love, Harry tilted his head slightly, “Any reason why you’re not? You usually hate those.”

It was true. You didn’t really like award shows because of how tiresome all the process was; hair, makeup, dressing up, walking only to pause every second, the repeated questions you have been answering for years, how more judgmental the world was on nights like these.

But it was always when Harry was able to be by your side that you liked the night, and the tall man knew it, but he had always loved hearing you say it.

To feed his ego, you wrapped your arms around his neck, “Because you’ll be there.”

“Music to my ears.” He joked, shaking his head slightly.

“Just feeding that already overfed ego of yours, baby.”

“Excuse you.” He pecked your lips, “Let me add food for Evie then we can leave.”

“I’ll do it, don’t mess up your nails.” You patted his chest before moving away to attend to your cat.

The fans and reporters all had anticipated the moment of yours and boyfriend’s arrival, and the both of you knew it.

You were fairly private with your relationship. While everyone knew you were together, the both of you didn’t always post about one another but when you did, it went viral – something you and Harry, shamelessly, enjoyed.

It was why during moments like this, everyone was eager. Reporters were hungry for content, all having different intentions, but you spend enough time in the industry and you sort of begin knowing what to say and how to say it.

Harry was scheduled to perform, something everyone knew of, but it was the fact that you were joining him not on the red carpet, but on stage that they didn’t.

Getting out of the car together, the screams and flashing lights were then doubled.

Harry closed the door behind you with a polite smile to the security standing. Bending a little, he adjusted your dress’s short train for you as you looked back at it before you looked up at him.

As if they weren’t snapping pictures like crazy yet, you reached and fixed Harry’s hair at the front, his eyes looking up with a smile as you did so.

“Thanks, love.”

With that, Harry placed his arm around your waist as you walked to the first spot on the red carpet.

“When was the last time we appeared together? They’re going mad.” You whispered, looking at Harry as he smiled to the cameras.

He chuckled, looking at you, “I think we deprive them too much.”

“Let’s give them enough content to last a year.”

Nobody but the both of you knew what you meant, and it was why the flashing lights and camera shutter sounds were then tripled the moment Harry’s lips were on yours in a soft kiss.

“Can we sign stuff?” You asked a woman standing on the sides, “Can we see the fans?”

When she nodded at you, you and Harry ignored posing for a few minutes to converse and meet fans.

“I love you and Harry so much!” One fan said shakily as you signed a paper for him.

“Thank yo- Hey! I saw you in Amsterdam last year, right?” You grinned.

And that was another thing not only your fans loved about you, but Harry, too.

You were no stranger to connections. You were no stranger to making people feel seen and treating them in a way that no fan expected to be treated – a friend, and you remember friends.

“Harry, do you think Y/N will win Songwriter of the Year?” A fan asked.

Harry shrugged with a smile, “I hope so but we all know she is anyway.” He waved his hand with a joking manner, making the closest fans laugh.

“What about you? Do you think you’ll win Artist of the Year?”

“I don’t know,” he smiled, “There are so many amazing artists. I wish them all the best.”

“He’s a humble man,” you teased, patting his shoulder, “We all know he is anyway.”

You were confused as they, Harry included, laughed in shock. “What?”

“He literally has just said the same thing about you.”

You laughed, looking at Harry, “Shut up, no way!”

“The both of you have been doing that for years.” One fan commented with a grin, “It’s adorable. It’s like telepathy or something.”

“Oh yeah, we are telepathic,” Harry nodded, “It gets a little scary sometimes.”

“Heeey!” You laughed, “It’s actually helpful. One of us would be just walking at home and we’d look at each other and know that the other just means something like “feed Evie” or “take out the trash””

“This is so cute!”

“Harry, what are you performing tonight?”

“You’ll find out in a bit.” He pointed.

Shortly, you and Harry had to take more pictures and do interviews before you were escorted inside.

It was the little moments that fans also lived for; how Harry held your hand as you sat so discreetly, how the both of you chatted and giggled among one another and those around you, how Harry fist-bumped the air the moment your name was called to receive your award of Songwriter of the Year before kissing you. It was how they knew this was real – how love wasn’t something you only listen people sing about or write novels for.

It was in how Harry’s eyes didn’t move from you as you gave your speech, a wide smile on his face and eyes resembling twinkling stars for crying out loud.

It was in how you ended your speech with: “This is to the man who has inspired and pushed me forward to write every single day. I love you.”

It was in how you looked more nervous than Harry himself when his category was called before you were the first to get out of your seat with a happy “yes!” once they announced that he won.

It was in how Harry cupped your face that moment to kiss you before walking to receive his award.

It was in how you remained standing, those behind you only smiling instead of being annoyed, with your hands clutched together against your heart, tearful eyes, and the brightest smile in the room.

“You’re going to tell me this is cheesy,” Harry chuckled slightly, giving a shrug as he looked at you, “But I wouldn’t be standing here, holding this, if it weren’t for you. I love you, too.”

But then Harry was about to perform and you weren’t in your seat.

The award show had decided to make a skit of it, the host being Miley had held her microphone as she stood in the empty isle beside yours and Harry’s empty seats.

“We know Harry Styles is performing in minutes,” she said, looking at the camera with a playful smile, “But where is Y/N Y/L/N? We know, we know,” she nodded, “Probably backstage for some extra good luck but-” people laughed, causing Miley to pause and chuckle, “But seriously, guys. There’s a show and it must go on.”

“It’s going on.” Harry said from backstage into his mic before the stage went dark.

It wasn’t until piano tunes sounded that the arena grew dim, a spotlight on the piano at the center of the stage where you sat, your fingers gentle against the keys as you played the beginning notes of Falling.

“I'm in my bed,

And you're not here

And there's no one to blame

But the drink in my wandering hands.” Harry sang as he came on stage, holding the mic in his hand before taking a seat beside you.

Everyone had expected him to sing the next verse, but it wasn’t his voice that they then heard.

“I'm in my bed

Instead of yours

Cried to sleep turned off all of lights and locked all of the doors.” You sang, eyes on the piano keys.

“Forget what I said

It's not what I meant

And I can't take it back

I can't unpack the baggage you left.” His eyes were on you, body turned slightly towards you as he felt like the both of you were in your living room in front of your white piano.

“I replay what you said

Don’t know if it’s true

Left with two broken hearts and there’s nothing that we could undo.” You sang, closing your eyes as you got ready for the chorus.

“What am I now? What am I now?

What if I'm someone I don't want around?

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling.”

“What am I now? What am I now?

Don’t want to cry ‘cause I can’t stand the sound

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling.”

The both of you sang together, your voice being softer and quieter than Harry’s.

“What if I'm down?

What if I'm out?

What if I'm someone you won't talk about?

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling.”

“What if I'm down? What if I'm out?

What if you’re someone I can’t live without?

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling.”

It was a version nobody had heard before, and it was why everyone was quiet, the only sound coming from you, Harry, and your lone instrument.

It was something you had written together following a rough patch of your relationship, and everyone knew that it was more personal with the way the both of you sang.

When his eyes weren’t closed, Harry sang as he looked at you, and he knew that performing this song meant more to the both of you than anyone could imagine. One look at your face and Harry knew you were reliving the night of when the both of you had written this; eyes a little red from crying, bodies hot, Harry wearing a hoodie of yours while you sat in your underwear with his purple fluffy robe on.

“Can I do this alone without ever needing you again?”

“And I get the feeling that you'll never need me again.”

You both sang the bridge together, yours being shorter than Harry’s note as you carried a softer tone, closing your eyes as you played the piano, feeling your throat close up before gulping.

He knew.

It was why the final chorus was sung softer and quieter, Harry’s forehead resting against your temple for a moment as the both of you sang.

“I’m falling again, I’m falling again, I’m falling.” Harry finished, putting his mic down as he stared at you with a small smile, watching you in your element as you played.

Managing to look at him as you played single soft notes, you sang, “I’m falling again, I’m falling again, I’m falling.”

You played the end single notes, looking at Harry with tearful eyes and a bashful smile.

It was like you were unaware to the erupted cheer and round of applause, you threw your arms around Harry, feeling his arms wrap around you instantly.

Crying from the overwhelming emotions, you were thankful your mascara was waterproof. You called it.

“I love you,” Harry whispered in your ear, “I love you so much.”

[angelatmidnight1]

ahh great tysm! could i request a lee!octane x ler!reader where octane is blasting loud music from his room and won’t turn it down so the reader tickles him to get him to shut it off, and it ends up in a whole tickle fight between the two? thanks!!

Turn Down For What!

You are a new support Legend to join the Apex Games and are scheduled for a variety of lessons with the veterans of the game. Combat training was difficult enough, but you managed to get through it to Bangalore’s satisfaction. Now, it was time for another important lesson: picking your teammates up when they fall. Lifeline shows you the proper technique for reviving squadmates, but the lesson is interrupted by loud, blaring music coming from Octane’s room. You’d only met the speedster once or twice; he never sat still long enough to have a full conversation. You offer to go to his room to ask him to turn the music down, but not before Ajay sees you off with an interesting tidbit about him.

“Ajay…”

You cast an uncertain look at the combat medic beside you, holding the resuscitation syringe in a shaky hand. The MRVN was knelt down in front of you, animating the bleeding out effect, which only made your hands that much shakier. “I can’t...they’re gonna die…”

Lifeline shook her head and put a firm, yet comforting hand on your shoulder. “They won’t if yuh help ‘em. Remember what I told yuh to do?”

You frowned and met her eyes again, but she wasn’t backing off. So, you didn’t have a choice but to get close to the robot and help them onto their back. That was the first step. Then, you made sure that their arms were extended out by their sides to jab them with the serum. You hesitated; wouldn’t that hurt them?

Probably less than dying would. You thought, flinching a little bit when the combat medic squeezed your shoulder, urging you on. You pursed your lips and brought your hand down in one swift motion to inject the serum. At first, the MRVN flinched and reeled forward, but then they were able to grab your hand and stand up. Once they were on their feet, MRVN’s monitor flashed a smiley face, and you allowed yourself to breathe.

Lifeline smiled and nudged your arm. “See, what’d I tell ya, (y/n)? Yuh a natural doctor yuhself.” She complimented. She handed the MRVN her healing drone and a shield battery. Then, she looked at you again, her gaze serious. “I ain’t gonna lie to ya, ya gonna see a lot of bumps and scrapes once ya in the games. Even hesitatin’ for a second can determine whether ya get ya squad up or not.” She said, standing in front of you with her hands on her hips. “So you gotta get used to lookin’ at it.”

You sighed, shoulders slouching. “I know,” You admitted while rubbing the back of your neck. “I’ll get better at this.”

Lifeline scoffed. “‘Course ya are,” She answered matter-of-factly, making you arch a brow. When looked up, she was already handing you another syringe. “We gon’ keep practicing until ya feel comfortable.”

And that’s what you did. Ajay stayed by your side while you practiced reviving MRVNS. Over time, you felt more confident and got the robots to their feet more quickly. You gave the medic a huge smile, making her chuckle, but then she gestured to the robot in front of you. You looked at the MRVN, holding the syringe in a better grip, and moved to jab their arm. Well, that was until a loud guitar rift startled you, making you stick the syringe into the robot’s optic instead. The MRVN’s monitor flashed an exclamation point and you yelped, trying to correct the mistake.

“Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to--”

Lifeline held up her hand and shook her head, sending her D.O.C. over to revive the robot instead. Then she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I swear, one of these days, Silva…”

You looked at her curiously and cocked your head to the side. “Who?” You asked. Although you had an inkling about who she was talking about, you’d never learned the Legend’s real name. He wasn’t an easy man to get a hold of.

“Octavio Silva. But ya might know him better as Octane,” Ajay explained, having to raise her voice over the music. “Boy’s gon lose his hearin’, playin’ music that loud.”

The MRVN handed the syringe back to you, and you gave it back to the medic. You had to admit, the music was really loud. You wouldn’t be surprised if the entirety of the Outlands could hear it. “I can ask him to turn it down,” You offered, putting your hands in your pockets. “That way we can continue with the lesson.”

Lifeline chuckled and shook her head. “O’s as stubborn as it gets, but if ya want to try, go ahead.” She said, nodding in the direction of his room. An idea came to her just before you could leave the medbay, and she called your name, making you turn around. “(Y/N), in case he refuses to turn it down, there’s somethin’ ya can do…”

What Ajay told you made you grin, and that grin stuck even as you approached the speedster’s door. Who knew that the fastest, most daring Legend in the Apex Games was ticklish? Welp, you did, now! You knocked on the door, not really expecting a response, but you thought it’d be polite to do it anyway. Octavio never came, most likely from not hearing it, so you let yourself in. You flinched, the sounds hitting you like tidal waves, which made you cover up your ears. In the center of the room, the adrenaline junkie was hopping from jump pad to jump pad, practicing trick shots in time with the music. You cleared your throat and called out to him.

“Octavio? Octavio!”

No luck. You rolled your eyes and walked towards him. That mischievous grin tugged at the corner of your lips as you got close, but you’d need to wait for him to land before you could get him. After another bounce, he landed back on the floor, which gave you the opportunity to tweak his side. Octane cried out and jumped away from the sudden touch. He whirled around and faced you, holding his arm against his side.

“Uh...hola? You need something?”

Since he wasn’t wearing his mask, you could read his lips, but you’d prefer to hear him. You pointed to your ears and shook your head. Octane obliged by turning his speakers’ volume down a tiny bit.

“Make it quick, I gotta get these clips uploaded so I can edit them.” Octane urged. He turned off the camera on his desk and turned to you again. His eyebrows rose. “Wait, we’ve met before. You’re new around here, right?”

You nodded, raising your voice a bit since the music was still loud. “Yeah, I’m (Y/N). We spoke a few times on the dropship.”

“Right! Well, I’m kinda in the middle of something, so we’ll have to hang out later.” Octavio chuckled, cranking his speakers back up to full volume. You flinched and hurried beside him to turn it back down.

His head snapped over to you and he grabbed the speaker. “What’re you doing?” He exclaimed, holding it just out of your reach. You huffed and tried to take it back from him. Octane, however, was much taller than you.

“It’s too loud, Octavio! Can’t you just turn it down a little--”

“Psh, no! I’m listening to this.”

You groaned and hopped up towards the speaker, missing it by inches. “Half of the ship is listening to it! Just turn it down, please?” You insisted. Instead of complying, Octane put the speaker on a shelf that was far out of your reach, and you weren’t skilled on using his jump pads yet. You narrowed your eyes and poked his side again, making him gasp.

“I’ll turn it down in a sehehecond!” He snapped, making a poor attempt at stifling his chuckles. You poked him again, making him yelp and make a grab for your hands, which you dodged by jabbing him in the stomach instead. “Stohop! Why ahare you poking me?”

You smiled and held out your hands, wiggling your fingers tauntingly. “Because Ajay told me that you weren’t gonna turn it down, and that I can tickle you if you refuse!” You chirped. Your smile turned into a cheeky grin when the speedster wrapped an arm against his torso, which only encouraged you to get closer. “So let me ask you again, Octavio, will you turn the music down?” You arched an expectant brow at him and managed to back him into a corner. The speedster shook his head, poised to defend himself.

“NooOOOO---”

That’s all you needed to hear to lunge at him. He managed to catch you and hold you by the arms before you could knock him over. You, however, had combat training with Anita earlier in the day, and you put that training to good use. You stuck your leg out and hooked it around his, pulling it towards you. This made him lose his balance and fall like a sack of potatoes. You cheered victoriously, shaking his hands off, and worked to get his arms pinned down.

Octavio grunted and pushed your shoulders, unknowingly freeing up the sweet spot that Lifeline mentioned. “Stop! Seriously, I have things to doOOOOHOHOHOHOHO! NO! GEHEHET OHOHOHFF!”

You’d buried your hands underneath his arms and wiggled your nails along his armpits. He slammed his arms against his sides and burst out laughing. Now, you weren’t sure which was louder: him, or the music.

“I know you have stuff to do!” You laughed, drilling your nails into the center of the armpits. He responded by arching his back and letting out another scream of laughter. “At the top of your list should be turning down the music...right?”

“I’M NOHOHOHT TUHUHURNING IHIHT DOHOHOHWN!” The speedster fired back. He hugged his arms even tighter against his sides when you tickled at an even faster pace. He even made the attempt to buck you off, but you were straddling his waist, and just had to lean forward to counter his weight. You narrowed your eyes and opened your mouth to respond, but were interrupted by something thumping at your waist. You looked down at your belt and beamed; you still had some medical tape on you, courtesy of Lifeline. Your hands were trapped by his arms though, and you only had one way to free them.

In one swift motion, you ducked down and blew a raspberry into Octavio’s exposed stomach. He writhed against the floor, laughing even harder, but he still didn’t loosen his hold on your hands.

“AAAH! STAAHAHAHAHAHAP! DOHOHOHOHN’T TIHIHICKLE MEHEHEHE!” He demanded through his fits of laughter. He squealed when you blew another one, just above his belly button, and bucked his hips repeatedly. “DOHOHOHOHOHN’T!”

“Huh?” You glanced up at him and cocked your head to the side. He panted heavily, a grin still etched onto his face, which only made you smirk. “Sorry, I missed what you said. What don’t you want me to do?”

The speedster was still plagued by giggles and had to reel them in before answering you. “I sahahaid stohohop tihihickling mEEEEE--”

Instead of letting him finish, you took a deep breath and blew a huge raspberry over his belly button. Octane bucked violently and shrieked, the wild laughter immediately following suit.

“NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!”

His laughter was contagious and you found yourself laughing along with him. “Oh, were you still talking?” You teased, wiggling your trapped fingers back against his armpits. He cried out with laughter and kicked his metal legs against the floor, prompting you to tickle even faster. Finally, he released your hands during another attempt to push you away. Then, like clockwork, you seized his wrists with one hand and held them above his head. He yelped and squirmed, protesting the entire time, but his fate was sealed...literally. You’d managed to tape his wrists down on the floor and clapped your hands together.

“There, that’s better!” You smiled, putting your hands out in front of you. You wiggled your fingers again and snickered when he paled. “Now, where were we?”

For someone used to moving at trailblazing speeds, everything happened so fast for Octavio. One minute, he’s vibing with his music and jump pads, and now he’s pinned on the floor, laughing his head off? You’d already confirmed that all of this was basically Lifeline’s doing, and she was well overdue for some good ole revenge.

Hermana, you are so dead. He seethed, snapping out of his thoughts when your hands lowered towards his armpits. He panicked; now wasn’t the time for plotting. He had to get away!

“No, no, no! Wait, (Y/N)! Dohohon’t tickle my armpits, plehehease!” He pleaded, preemptively giggling and trying to curl in on himself. You grinned and held your hands so that they were just touching his armpits, sending ticklish jolts up and down his arms. “I juhst wahahant to listen tohoho my music!”

“I never said you couldn’t! I just need you to turn it down.” You repeated, pressing your fingertips into the exposed pits. He squealed and arched his back as high as he could, making you laugh again. “You gonna do it or what?”

Octavio blabbered out something, attempting to bargain with you, but that’s not what you were there for. You tsked and gently scritched circles around each armpit. As much as you wanted to dig into them, you wanted to drag this out as long as possible. The speedster snorted, giggling uncontrollably, and uselessly pulled against the tape.

“Ahahahahaha! Nohohoho, por fahahavor!” He yelped, bucking his hips when you poked at the center of the armpits. You squealed, almost losing your balance, but then you sat back on his waist and continued the gentle scratching. “Lehehet mehehe lihihisten to my music!”

“Will you turn it down?”

Octane’s head snapped up to you; you were stubborn. If he wasn’t giggling up a storm, he’d tease you about Ajay rubbing off on you already. He shook his head and yelped again when you grabbed his sides. You pinched them, making the poor man yip and snicker, and earned a bark of laughter when you stroked along his rib cage.

“Iiii—heheheheh--nohohoho I wohohon’t!”

“Wrong answer~.” You sang, swiping your nails against each sensitive rib. He arched his back, swearing in Spanish, only to fall back down and continue giggling.

“Stahahahahahahap!” He whined, tossing his torso from one side to the other, which didn’t do anything to stop you. You ignored the plea and scratched up higher, teasing his center most ribs, which made him gasp and kick. “AH! Noohohoho nohohoho, nohohot thehehere!”

“Not where?” You asked innocently, opting to poke at the ribs on either side. You alternated the pokes to keep him guessing and giggled at his high pitched squeaks.

“THEHEHERE!” He yelled when you suddenly honed in on his ribs and scribbled along them like there was no tomorrow. He tried to flip onto his side, buck you off, anything to get you to stop tickling. But you easily kept up with all of those fruitless attempts. “AHAHAHAH!”

You smirked, pressing your fingertips into the spot. You drew little circles into his skin, laughing when he threw his head back. “Here?” You repeated, fluttering the tickles from one side of his rib cage to the other. He nodded frantically, drowning in desperate giggles, but you pressed on.

“Oh,” You continued, still smirking. “Cause I was sure you meant here…”

You walked your fingers up towards his armpits at a slow, slooow, pace. Octavio jolted and squirmed violently, his protests lost in his laughter, and his wrists straining against the tape’s hold. He was basically cackling by the time you got to where his armpits started, but you didn’t attack yet. You just held your hands there, snickering at the panicked laughter pouring out of him already.

“What’re you laughing for?” You grinned, flexing your fingers, but still not moving. Octavio screamed, arching his back, only to fall victim to another fit of giggles.

“Plehehehehease…” He begged. He held his arms rigidly and met your eyes, which just made you smile more.

“Please what? I’m not doing anything, Octavio.”

He groaned and opened his mouth to respond, but you didn’t let him. Instead of attacking both armpits, you only attacked his right one, while your free hand scratched at his sensitive stomach. Octavio’s eyes bugged out and his desperate giggles spiked to loud, hard laughter.

“NOO--AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OKAHAHAHAHAHAY!”

You perked up while dragging a finger around his belly button. He screamed again and thumped his head against the ground, wildly shaking his head. “Okay?” You repeated, dipping your finger inside his belly button and scratching around. The wail of laughter initially startled you, but you kept on scratching anyway. “Okay what?”

“I’LL TUHUHUHRN IT DOHOHOHWN! STAHAHAHAHAHAP!” He yelled. He sucked in his stomach and drummed his legs back against the floor the more you kept scratching. You grinned, feeling triumphant...but you were having too much fun to stop!

“Yeah? You promise?” You chuckled, jabbing a finger into his right armpit while you continued to tickle his belly button. He flinched and nodded over and over, finally falling into hysterics, and then silent laughter when you dug into both armpits. You slowed down the tickling to give him the opportunity to breathe.

“Y-Yehehehes...I prohohohmise…” He panted. You didn’t notice that the tape holding his wrists down was coming undone, so you felt perfectly comfortable in pushing your luck. You took your hands off of him and brought a hand up to your chin, pretending to think.

“Hmm, alright, Octavio. I guess that’s good enough,” You began, putting your hands down at either side of him. Octane breathed a sigh of relief, believing that you were about to climb off of his waist, but you pinched his hip bones instead. He gasped and reeled to the side, but then you did it again, and again, and again, until he was snickering all over again.

“Hehehehehy! Whyhyhy ahahahre yohuhuh--” The speedster yelped when you used all ten fingers to tickle his belly. He cackled, but hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he didn’t have as much energy to squirm. “WHYHYHYHY TIHIHIHCKLE MEHEHE AGAHAHAIN?!”

“Because it’s fun!” You laughed, ducking down to blow another raspberry over his belly button. Octavio howled and laughed even harder. “Haha, Ajay was right. You are way too ticklish for your own good.”

Now he had two people to get revenge on. And, through a stroke of luck, he was about to serve you your just desserts. Why?

Because when he arched his back to try to get you off of his stomach, the tape split with a resounding riiiiip. You froze, looking up towards the sound, and gasped loudly.

“Oh shit--”

Octavio having his hands freed gave him a burst of energy, and he used that energy to take you down. He sat up and grabbed your arms, making you swear again, and you pushed your shoulder into his chest.

“No! No no, truce! AHHH--!”

Octane far outmatched you in terms of strength, and he easily wrestled you to the ground. He pinned your arms underneath his legs and immediately went for your sides.

“Oho, not funny anymore, is it?” The speedster ridiculed, his wiggling fingers a blur as he scratched up and down your sides. You let out a screaming laugh and tried to sit up, but he was too heavy.

“NOHOHOHOHO!” You hollered, arching your back when he reached under your shirt and scritched at your bare stomach. “AHAHAHA! STOHOHP! I WAHAHAHS KIHIHIHIHDDING!”

Octavio scoffed and used one of his hands to dig into your left hip, continuing to tickle your belly. “Well, I’m not! I’ll show you what happens when you tickle me, amigo/a!” He quipped, snickering when you threw your torso against the ground. He kept switching spots at an alarmingly fast pace: your stomach, hips, sides, even knees. It didn’t give you a chance to resist the sensation and kept you guessing as to where he’d strike next...which proved to be pretty difficult.

“OCTAHAHAHAVIO!” You shouted, the panic dropping on you when he honed in on two of your worst spots: your knees and your stomach. You shrieked and kicked your legs against the floor, which was annoying him, so he opted for laying over your legs to hold them down. “PLEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAP! I’M SOHOHOHOHOHRRY!”

“Stop? Me?” The speedster snorted and alternated the squeezing along your knees. You howled with laughter and desperately pulled at your trapped wrists, but he wouldn’t budge. “Haven’t you heard, (Y/N)? There’s no breaks on the Octrain!”

When he reached under your knees to tickle the skin there, your laughter was louder than anything coming out of the stereo. Since your left knee seemed more sensitive than the right, he focused on that one exclusively, and reached behind him to poke at your stomach. It tickled so bad, and he wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down. So, as a last resort, you decided to cry out for your mentor.

“AJAHAHAHAHY!” You shrieked, jerking to the side when he pinched at the top of your knees. “I NEHEHEED HEHEHEHLP!”

Octane cringed and stopped tickling you, glancing at the door. He half expected the doctor to be standing there, waiting to pounce, but she wasn’t. You breathed heavily and laid your head back on the ground, grateful for the distraction. While he wasn’t paying attention to you, you tested the grip he had on your arms, and were surprised to find that you could move them slightly. You took a breath and managed to pull one of them free before the speedster turned back to you. Without a second thought, you squeezed his side, making him yelp and topple over.

“AH! Noohohoho yohuhu dohohohn’t!” He laughed and gripped the free arm, forgetting about the other one until you pulled it free. You poked his ribs and hopped back on him, drawing out the tickle fight that much longer. Ajay could hear the commotion from the medbay, but all she did was smile and prepare for your next lesson.

I hope this was to your liking anon! This was my first reader insert fic. Please let me know with you think. If you don't like it, I can try to rewrite it.

[apinktrashworld]

The Camp

masterlist

Jungkook x reader | angst,  fluff | friends to lovers au

wordcount: 2.4k

You and a few friends are going to a camp for a month, you find yourself growing closer to Jungkook though he’s your best friends ex.

For a long time, you and your friends had signed up for a camp to help volunteer. Works that needed help such as the environment, the old and homeless, hospitals and different orphanages etc. The list went on of what you could do to help. Wanting to help out as much as you can, you signed up for every possible thing on the list. The camp was set for a month. You scanned the brochure the camp had given out, you saw food was provided and the food schedule was written on the next page. There were pictures that showed people working and smiling, scanning every smile you could see you hoped to feel the same and to have a constant smile on your face throughout the camp. You had always cared about stuff like this and you wanted to help out as much as you could. You wanted to make a difference in the world and make it a better place. 

When you had told your four friends about the camp they looked like they were about to laugh, not quite thinking you’re being serious. You just stared at them waiting for them to finish so you could explain your reasons. As you did, they seemed to get more and more interested and wanted to come along with you. Now it was your time to laugh. Knowing them, they didn’t want to leave our little small town for an entire month to do volunteer work when you finally were free from school. You stopped laughing and stared at them with a smile on your face, meeting eyes with Taehyung looking dead serious. When no one said anything you made the biggest grin ever, in which they all returned. You yelled out how excited you were for this and they all started jumping and screaming with you, hugging and dancing in excitement.

That was two weeks ago, and now you had finally arrived at the camp. You and your friends stepped off the bus with your luggage and stood in a row, staring ahead. You felt ready for what was to come and looking to your side, you saw Jungkook, Jimin and your best friend, Irene gathering their luggage. Jungkook and Irene used to date a few months ago but stayed on good terms in order to keep the group together. You especially were thankful for that since you had grown so close with Jungkook and not wanting to choose between your best friend and Jungkook. 

The boys knew each other since childbirth and had stuck together ever since. Jungkook and Irene met through a mutual friend and grew close. As time went on, Irene dragged you with her to meet her new friends and Jungkook did the same with Jimin and Taehyung and just like that you hung out everyday. You thought you had found the best group you could ever find and would constantly thank them in your head. They made you happy and you could trust them with all your secrets. The more time the group spent together, the more did Jungkook and Irene take interest in one another and the two eventually started to hang out alone. One thing turned into another and suddenly they were a couple. You could tell how much Jungkook liked Irene and you were all for it, shipping them like crazy. Then Irene got in one's head and started telling you how Jimin had started to like you and tried to set up the two of you. It worked. Before you had never seen Jimin more as a friend but ever since your friend pointed out his interest in you, you suddenly noticed those quick glances he threw at you from time to time and his attempt in trying to flirt with you. Suddenly, you found yourself to like Jimin back, although not being as obvious as he was, you did not dare a single look towards him, being too afraid to meet his eyes and him seeing you blush. You did not dare talking to him more than a few words and a few attempts of flirting (though the flirting did not land whatsoever) in fear that your voice would shake or stutter. Irene noticed this too and practically forced you to talk to Jimin. You two agreed on a date and you shared a kiss or two, however the romance died pretty quickly after that, still, you care deeply for each other. Irene and Jungkook dated for three months before they broke up, Irene made the decision. She felt as if she wasn’t in a relationship with Jungkook alone and instead felt like she dated the whole group. When she told you this, you felt extremely guilty, you felt as if you were to blame for the relationship not working out. Irene is not one to open up about her feelings and prefers to keep them to herself in order to remain strong. Although Irene didn’t show her heartbreak, Jungkook however, got heartbroken. He loved Irene, and sometimes you think he still does. Wanting to help, your own heart breaking upon the sight of him, you tried showing him that you’re there for him. He refused to meet up with the group and started drinking up his feelings. This went on for a month. Irene broke him out of his bubble, talking out and listening to him, both crying and hugging and agreed to remain friends. It was hard for both of them at first, but soon it grew easier for the entire group.

Now, three months later, we’re here, standing with our hands full, Taehyung’s struggling to hold onto his bags but insisting he should take some of yours too because “a fine dame like you shouldn’t carry such heavy stuff”. Looking away from Taehyung, looking straight ahead to see where you’ll spend your life this month. Seeing people walking and laughing as they talk. Some are picking up trash and others are carrying boxes from a place to another. A huge smile spread across your face as you take the place in, you were happy you were to do this. Gathering your luggage you call for the others to get going. You all started walking towards the huge building that most likely was the barracks and the reception. It was a big white building with what seemed to be three floors. Walking up the stairs to the entrance you hear as the rest of the group are struggling to walk. Going in, you are welcomed to a group of men smiling and greeting you all. They’re wearing blue t-shirts with a text on the chest that says “Helping Hands”.

“Hi, welcome to Helping Hands!” one of the boys said with a big smile on his face, handing out four identical brochures as you had looked at before. Taking them, you hand out each of the brochures to your friends. “I suppose you are checking in?”

You nodded at his question. “Yes, it’s me, Taehyung, Jimin, Jungkook and Irene, we’re signed up for a month here” you say with an uncontrollable smile. You feel the rest of your group's eyes on you as they silently laugh at your excitement. 

“Alright, I just need all of you to sign this paper and then I will show you to your rooms” the boy informed you, gesturing to you to follow him. He stopped by a desk and placed papers with a lot of text on it. Quickly scanning through it, you signed it and handed the pen to Irene. You all signed the papers and moved on to get your rooms sorted out. Walking through a long white corridor with several doors on each side, you thought to yourself that it looked like some kind of mental hospital due to the empty walls. Not thinking too much of it, you walk through the corridor. The man stopped by one of the doors to your right and gestured for you and Irene to go inside. Inside you saw three other girls standing by each bed.

“This is your room girls, the boy’s room will be a few doors down the hallway.” the guide said and continued his walking.

The boys looked at each other then at you and Irene, thinking all of you were going to share a room. You simply shrugged your shoulders at them before turning around, catching a glimpse of Taehyung and Jimin who are both watching the girls behind you. When you turned around you saw the girls blushing and smiling. One of the girls snapping out of it, stepped forward and greeted you. Her name was Jiwoo and has a smile as an angel. Her hair was long and brown that framed her face in a way you never succeeded with, dark brown eyes which almost looked black and a voice which could make birds sing along with her. She was absolutely stunning. Jiwoo then introduced the two blushing girls behind her, Sun-hee and Mee-yon. All of them are beautiful and you found it hard to look away, your chin almost dropping at their beauty. Irene got you back to reality and introduced you to the girls. 

Getting to know each other, you learned you were all the same age and had a lot in common. You and Mee-yon especially loved taking trips and finding new places, Irene and Jiwoo got along due to them having the same major. You were really thankful for getting roommates such as them rather than girls who won’t share a single glance with you. You and Irene chose the bunk beds closest to the door, you being on the bottom bunk and Irene on the top.

A few minutes later, there were a few knocks on the door, opening up you see it’s the boys, all of them trying to squeeze through the door to look inside. Almost falling in, they stumble on their feet, smiling. Jimin and Jungkook turn to you and Irene while Taehyung gets busy trying to get acquainted with your roommates.

“Why did you get a much nicer room than we got?” Jimin whined as he turned to investigate your room again. “You even have flowers!” he exclaimed, pointing at the vase full of flowers on the table in the middle room.

“You should see ours…” Jungkook finishes as he looks down at you. Looking up at him and letting out a little chuckle. Not breaking eye contact, you quickly turn to Jimin who’s still scanning every inch of the room. “How are your roommates?” you ask, shifting your eyes between Jimin and Taehyung. Taehyung’s smoothly flirting with all three of the girls without them noticing. Jimin sits down on your bed, getting at home immediately. “It was empty when we arrived, have yet to meet them.” he says.

Looking out the window you see the sun is shining. Now that you’re here you’d like to get to know the place. So you suggest that you all take a stroll around the camp, in which Irene says she wants to do that later since she wants to sleep, Jiwoo, Sun-hee and Mee-yon agree with her, claiming they want to unpack their belongings. That brings you to Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook, looking eager at each of them as they look back at you. “I’m down.” Taehyung shrugs and Jimin and Jungkook nod towards you.

Walking outside, the sun hits your skin. You’re wearing a white crop top with blue jean shorts that go down to your knees. Feeling the breeze pass through your legs you take some steps until you were stood on the grass. Turning around, you see three boys fanning their hands on their face, all three of them wearing black sweaters and hoodies with jeans. Sighing, you silently judge them for wearing such warm clothes in this weather and predict all the complaints that will come.

After the walk, you return to your room. You had met a few new people that joined your stroll and showed you around, telling you how stuff works around here and so on, hearing heavy breathing and small complaints about the weather here and there from the boys. They can only blame themselves for that. It had now become dark outside and a little cooler so you wanted to fetch a sweater. While back at your room, Irene and your roommates were sitting on opposite beds playing cards and talking. You greeted them and told them you were going out to the beach with the beach and asked if they wanted to come along. They said yes and now you all headed towards the boys room. Knocking at the door and opening it the same second, you were greeted with the boys along with two new unfamiliar faces. They all turned their heads towards you. You apologized for stepping in since you thought only Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook were inside. The two new people just smiled looking at the group of girls which just entered their room. “No worries love, I’m Hoseok and this is Namjoon” one of the men said and pointed at his friends next to him. Not gonna lie, they both looked rather attractive and fun to be around so you asked them if they wanted to come along to the beach. When you did, Jungkook, and Jimin snapped their heads towards you with a stern look on their faces. Confused, you looked away from them and met eyes with Hoseok and Namjoon, seeing their pretty smiles. “We’d love to,” Hoseok said, seeming thankful for your invite. Returning the smiles with an even greater smile. Then you headed out, all of them grabbing a sweater to drag on, the boys oddly quiet while Hoseok and Namjoon tried getting to know you and the girls.

Arriving at the beach, you all sat down on the sand, kicking off your shoes in order to bury your feet in the cool sand. Namjoon and Hoseok sit on either side of you, perhaps a little too close but you didn’t mind. You talked about your life and they did the same. Leaning back on your arms, you look straight out into the water. Seeing Taehyung teasing Jiwoo and Mee-yon by splashing water on them, hearing them laugh made you chuckle to yourself. Jungkook and Jimin sat in front of you whispering to each other, every now and then glancing back towards you. It didn’t seem like Jungkook and Jimin liked their roommates very much, you had yet to figure that out but for now you just wanted to enjoy the moment and look ahead of what was to come this month. 

[echos-newlegs]

Hi there lovely! Can we see 46 with crosshair x fem! Reader? ❤️

Got you

Bro oh my goodness yes 😳 deadass the moment I read this I had gotten done sighting one of my deer rifles and I got an idea from it and this prompt allows me to use that idea so thank you 😎 I wasn’t doing anything illegal. It was all safe and I was at a shooting range lmao. I just had an idea from it 💀

Tbh I thought this would be better but then I decided to write at midnight.

Ner Sarad: My Flower

Crosshair x Reader: “Isn’t this illegal?” “I mean, probably?”

Warnings: reader is using a gun. Bit detailed on shooting because yes. No one is injured besides Your guys egos and a door. There is swearing and kissing/making out ig.

There wasn't many times that you actually caught some proper rest. You were normally always kept up by nightmares or the noises in the room or outside. Whether it be lying in your bunk on Kamino, or the one on the Marauder.

Though, whenever you did catch a break. It seemed like you were always awoken by one of the boys. For no reason most the time.

You groaned, eyes snapping open. You nearly punched whoever it was throwing stuff at you. Looking down to your legs to see your boots and your blacks. "C'mon." You heard Crosshairs voice. He had been ignoring you for the past month. You figured it was just his mood swings, you did something, or it was the fact Hunter demanded Crosshair taught you how to use the rifle.

You didn't really want to if he wasn't up for teaching you. Though it would be neat. You were never a fan of being in the middle of the war field like the rest of them, and Hunter caught on. Which is why he figured having two people on rifle wouldn't hurt.

"What are you doing? Where are we going?" You asked and Crosshair looked back. Though you were moving out of the bunk with your clothes in arm. Making way for the fresher. "We're target practicing, now hurry before I change my mind." He scoffed and you nearly ran into the fresher with a grin.

Not only was Cross taking time out of his 'busy' schedule to hang out with you, but he would be target practicing with you.

You exited the fresher in your customized blacks the Bad Batch got for you. Tech figured it would be good, being you had your own armor. Some that matched their design.

You sat back on the bed, strapping on your leg pieces and crotch piece only. Since that's all Crosshair had on.

When you left the room and entered the main room of the Marauder you reached for your blaster on a shelf, but he stopped you. Shoving your hand away from it. Putting his rifle in your hand instead. "Here," he gruffed, and your eyes widened. Fingers curling around the forestock.

"You trust me enough to let me use your own gun?" You asked with a small smile, brows raised. He only shrugged and sighed. Walking past you to the door. You took that as a yes. Him handing you a container of ammo and motioning with his head for you to follow.

You had a slight pep in your step. Hands carefully holding the gun. The stock pressed against your shoulder. Barrel pointing down.

When the two of you left the ship you were both squinting. The rising sun hitting your eyes. Both of you letting out a slight hiss. "Should of brought our helmets," you commented, and he grunted. "Can't aim with a visor like yours." You sighed, that wasn't what you meant. There was no use arguing and pissing him off though.

Your boots crunched against the ground. A mix of loose rocks, grass, sticks, and other plants. "Where we heading," he motioned forward. Not saying where though. Typical.

The planet you were on was for a mission. You had all completed the mission but were all too exhausted to leave. It didn't pose a threat since it was a simple find and retrieve mission. Some weird crystals and lost items for a senator. 'We went from guard dogs to kriffing pets playing fetch,' you had commented the day before. All of them, even Crosshair agreed with you. It was boring, to say the least. The search wore you all out though.

Your legs were beginning to sting a bit. The walking wasn't something you weren't used to. It was the injury you had from the previous mission. Though you did your best to keep up with the long legged man. "Gunna have to get used to keeping up, Ner sarad." You rolled your eyes and sighed. “You better not be calling names, you know I can’t understand Mando’a.” You added with a sliver of a whine laced in your voice.

He smirked at your comment, thankful you were somewhat behind him so you couldn’t see. “That’s the point,” you shook your head. Catching up beside him finally. Though he did slow down just a hair. He wouldn’t admit it. “Turn,” he shoved you a bit and you glared. Turning where he told you to, then he took the lead again.

The turn led to an abandoned building. A flight of stairs connected to the outside. Cross pausing in front of it, then looking to you. “Waiting for Hunter to wake up or you scared?” Cross spoke and you snickered. “Making me go first and you’re calling me scared, typical.” He sneered a bit at that as you purposely ran into his shoulder on your way to the stairs. Keeping the gun up from the steps as you made your way up.

He was close behind you, almost too close, actually. So when you stopped at the top he nearly ran into your back. Making you smirk as you looked back to him. Not saying anything. “What?” He snapped, and you shook your head. “Oh nothing.” “Sure, go over there.” He motioned vaguely with his hand as he walked off into the other direction.

You could only assume he meant near the little ledge near the end of the roof. Standing there a bit awkwardly until he returned with some pieces of shrapnel and pots. Varying in sizes. “A’ight, Sarad, you know how to use a rifle, right?” He asked, and you nodded. “Yeah,” “load it for me then.” That was no problem. Taking some of the bullets from the container he brought. You popped open the magazine, slipped a few bullets in, then slipped it back into the gun. Pulling back the lever then pushing it forward again with a click.

He nodded, standing behind you now. “Y’ever shot one?” He asked, helping you bring it to your shoulder. You could barely process the question. Your heart was racing. You could almost feel his back up against yours. His hands holding yours to help you bring the gun up. Repositioning your hands. Then letting go of you to see if your would falter. Though you kept the position.

“Not for a long while, I used to with my brother, when we were kids,” you spoke. Grunting when he kicked your feet apart, then went back to standing by your side. He only hummed, looking around in front of you two. Then pointed. “See that door,” you nodded. “Shoot at the white square in the middle.” He twirled his toothpick in between his teeth and you sighed.

“Isn’t this illegal?” You asked, aiming the weapon. Closing your left eye as you peered through the scope. Poking your tongue out of your mouth in concentration. “I mean, probably.” He murmured. Watching you with folded arms.

You barely heard what he said. Inhaling, then holding your breath as you aimed. Once you had the spot, you exhaled slowly. Finger squeezing the trigger.

When the weapon fired your grip loosened. Shoulder jerking back with the gun. Causing the scope to smack around your eye. You winced, letting out a sharp hiss. Heart racing and ears ringing from the loud bang.

Crosshair was too focused on where you were aiming to even notice you just scoped yourself. “Nice,” he approved. Then looked back over to you.

You leant back a bit, back against the wall. Fingers feeling under your eye and he instantly knew what you did. “Thought you knew how to shoot.” His voice was sour, and it stung. “I told you I haven’t shot in a while,” you spat back. Bringing your fingers from your face. Wondering if it was bruised. It felt wet, but there was no blood on your fingers. So you assumed it was a mix of the tears that sprung to your eyes and the sweat on your hands.

You were too focused on the ringing in your ears and the stinging of your face to even notice Crosshair approach you. He took the gun, leaning it against the wall. Then grabbed your wrists, making you flinch. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he was trying to reassure you, but his voice was still hard and sour. “Let me look.”

You looked up to him, lips pressed in a line. He brought a hand to your cheek. Finger pressing lightly against the skin under your eye. Making you flinch and tears threaten to spill. “Kriff, don’t do that,” you snapped and he smirked a bit. “Should have at least told me to keep the gun hugged to my shoulder.” You protested. Eyes darting to the side. Avoiding his gaze the best you could.

He pulled the toothpick from out between his lips. “Probably still woulda done it. If you haven’t shot for years.” His hand was still on your cheek. You were sure he could feel it heating up. Letting out a sharp exhale through your nose. “Are we still gunna shoot or just stand around like a bunch of morons?” You asked, looking back to him. Catching the short glimpse of shock on his face.

“You still wanna shoot?” He asked. Dropping his hands to his sides. Nodding. “Yeah, so what I got scoped, least I have proof you actually took me shooting.” You smirked. Making him chuckle. Lips tugging up, just shy of a smile. “And if I don’t let you?” “I ask hunter what Ner Sarad means and I tell everyone you gave me the black eye I’m most likely going to have.” You threatened. Jabbing your finger at his chest. Making him roll his eyes and sigh.

“Fine.”

The shooting went on great. You were a better aim than he expected. Which made you feel a bit proud of yourself. Especially since Crosshair was praising you in some way. You still needed work on flying targets, but you were sure you’d get the hang of it.

Once the container of bullets he brought was empty, that was when you guys decided on leaving.

“So what does it mean?” You asked. Cross now holding the gun, you holding the empty container. Arms more sore than they’ve ever been. You honestly weren’t sure how he did it. “What’s what mean?” He asked, looking over to you. You nodded your head up a bit. “Ner Sarad.” The words rolled off your tongue, slightly mimicking his gruff voice.

He scoffed, shaking his head. “I don’t sound like that..” “oh, you’re right, it’s more a Ner Saraaad.” You made the voice worse sounding, making you giggle. Cross smiling just a bit, then looking away. As if he showed you he was enjoying this moment his everything would crash and burn. “Guess.” You groaned, throwing your head back. “No, you know I hate guessing games, they kriffing suck.” He shrugged. That was it, a shrug. “Fine.” He smirked at that.

You thought for a moment or two. Fingers tapping the side of the container. Biting on your bottom lip a bit. “Hmm. Idiot,” “no,” “bitch,” “no,” “smart ass?” He sighed and you raised a brow. “Warm or cold?” He looked over to you, a look of unamusement written all over his face. “You’re on Hoth at this point.” His words made you want to give up more.

“Can I have a hint?” He nodded, stopping in his tracks. “Wait here,” he spoke. Then wandered off the trail you were both following. What could it be? Was he finding something? “Are you calling me a loser? Loner? Oh! You’re calling me a jackass.” You hollered, hearing a grumble follow your spew. Making you snicker.

When he returned he had a small purple flower in between his fingers. You stared at it with knitted brows. “A flower?” You spoke, dumbfounded. You looked up to his face. His jaw was clenched, eyes darting around. Cheeks red. “You’re calling me a flower? No, you ass you’re calling me a weed aren’t you?” You asked, folding your arms over your chest. The last thing you expected was the nickname to be something nice.

He sighed, looking at you with an ‘are you serious.’ Look. “What?” “You really are an idiot, sometimes,” you blinked, and then raised a brow. “You’re a stubborn shit, sometimes, too.” You told him, and he still held the flower in his hand. The two of you staring at one another for a moment. “Can you just tell me?” You spoke, “please?”

He sighed, looking up at the sky for a moment. Then back down to meet your eyes. “Ner Sarad, it means..” he trailed off. Swallowing thickly. He could lie, say it meant something else, but then the flower would make no sense, and you were smart. You would figure it out some way or another. “My flower.” He murmured. You could barely hear him. But you did. “Your what-“ “I’m not repeating myself, Makers sake.” He spat, and began walking again. Dropping the flower as he stormed off.

You were left standing there in disbelief. Shaking your head, you reached down to pick up the flower, then ran after him. “Cross, wait!” You shouted, yielding when he stopped. “What?” He snarled. Turning to look at you over his shoulder. You backed up a bit. Watching as his face softened a bit when you looked back to him. “Why a flower?” You asked, and his eyes looked down to the flower in between your fingers now. Sarting his tongue out to lick his lips.

He let out a sigh, thinking. He wasn’t sure what to say. He was horrible with words, let alone explaining things. “You remind me of them,” was all he said. “Why though?” You pressed, walking towards him. “If you don’t mind me asking..” you added, catching that he did look a bit anxious. Watching as he leaned his rifle against a tree. “They’re hum.. Maker..” he breathed out. Reaching up to pull the toothpick from his lips. Flicking it onto the ground. He reached out, grabbing you by the side of your face and pulled you in for a kiss.

His lips pressed against yours. Eyes squeezed shut. He knew he’d regret this right after, but he was better with actions than words anyways. You tensed up, hands rushing to his chest. Dropping the container and the flower in the process.

He pulled back. Taking a step back in the process. Hands brought back to himself, and it left you standing there staring. He hated you. How you smelt so good, how you intoxicated his every thought. How you could get him to talk more than even his brothers could. How your smile made his stomach feel light and fluttery. He despised you for everything you did to him. No other persons ever made him feel this way and he hated it. He felt to vulnerable, and that was something he shouldn’t feel. He was a clone, a defective one for that matter. This shouldn’t be a thing that was happening.

You could tell his mind was running a mile a minute when you said his name and he just stared at you with a blank stare. He was overthinking this, and you began panicking a bit internally. “Cross, hey, look at me, come back to me, Cross.” You spoke, voice soft and quiet. You made a move to reach up and cup his face, but his hands fled to your wrists. Looking down at you and to your eyes. Scanning you for something. “Why aren’t you mad?” He spoke, voice stinging into your skin.

You frowned, pushing forward from his grasp to cup his face. His hands still holding your wrists. You saw him relax for a second at your touch. “I’m not mad,” “but why? I just kissed you..” he spoke. Once now laced with distress. His walls were beginning to crack. Chip away and crumble all from your touch. “Crosshair, I understand, I know how you are with words. You fucking suck with em.” He frowned a bit at that, and you smiled. “Actions have always been your forte, and who’s to say I didn’t enjoy it?” You asked, your own nerves calming a bit as you attempted to reassure the lanky man.

He looked down at you with furrowed brows. “You’re just saying that.” You tittered, leaning up a bit. “You’re just stubborn.” He watched you for a moment. Your hands removing themselves from his face. Crosshairs fingers fell from your wrists. Falling to his side, but you weren’t done. “You gunna give up over a little rushed kiss, or you wanna try again?” You murmured, hands reaching for his. Fingers interlacing with one another.

“Thought you told me once you’ve kissed plenty of girls,” you teased. “It’s been a while.” Standing on your tip toes to lean in closer. “Then how bout we practice?” You asked, closing the gap between the two of you.

It was smoother than the last. You led it this time. Your hands leaving one another’s so your hands could wander his body. Tips of your fingers running up his stomach. Then running your hands over his chest to rest on his shoulders.

He had one hand on your lower back, the other moving to trace the skin of your throat. Long fingers running over your collar bone, then sliding up the back of your neck to place firmly against the back of your head.

Once the feeling was set he took over. The two of you pulling from the kiss for once a second, then his lips were back on yours. It wasn’t long before he was walking you back against a tree. Pressing you up against it which make you grunt. His tongue darting out to run over your lips. Then pry your lips open. A small hum escaping your chest. Making him smirk.

His hand on your lower back mover to cup your ass. Eyes parting a bit to see him open his eyes at the same time. You were too dazed to complain though. His tongue exploring your mouth. Then pulling back. A sting of saliva connecting your mouths.

The both of you were panting. Trying to catch your breathes after that little ordeal. “Practiced enough?” You managed, and he looked down a bit. Making your face heat up even more. If that were even possible. “No,” he deadpanned. Lips meeting yours in a bruising kiss. Then trailed down your jaw.

Once his lips met the skin of your neck it was all hunting ground to him. His teeth grazing your skin. Biting here and there. Sucking, leaving marks. He wanted the others to know that something went on. He wanted the regs at 79’s tonight to know that you were now his. Or at least in your eyes you were. His flower, his everything.

You both let out a groan when you heard Crosshairs comm go off. “Cross answer it,” you spoke in a near moan as he sucked on a sensitive patch of skin. Making him pull off with a grunt. His hands releasing you, letting you slump against the tree. “Crosshair, where are you and y/n?” He heard Tech on the other end. “We were shooting the rifle, we’ll be back in a bit,” “Cross-“ he shut off the com link. Turning back to face you with a small smirk as he looked you over. You were still a bit disheveled as you attempted to fix your shirt and your hair. Then leant over to pick up the container. Crosshair picking up the flower. “Hm?” You hummed as he reached over. Tucking it behind your ear. “There, Ner Sarad.”

You couldn’t help but smile, looking up to him with a loving gaze. “I hate you, sometimes,” you murmured. Giving him a quick kiss, then began walking for the marauder again. “Right back at you, y/n.”

[edendaphne]

“Discordant Sonata” Chapter 19

>>Click here to read on Ao3<<

>>Click here to read on Wattpad<<

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CHAPTER 19: ATTACCA

Music glossary:        Attacca - "To attack at once"; used as a direction in music at the end of a movement to begin the next without pause

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(Mood music: "The Conversation" - Pearl Django)

Being mere months away from graduating lycée meant that their group of friends didn’t have as many classes together, due to their diverse individual interests and talents. However, they always made sure to make time to hang out after school before their extracurricular activities began.

And thus, Adrien, Nino, and Alya made their way to the classroom where the art club gathered to meet up with Marinette. From there, Adrien would make his way to either fencing lessons or Chinese, depending on the day of the week. Marinette would join him on days when he had Chinese (as she’d become determined to master the language ever since her uncle visited from Shanghai a few years back), Alya would go to her journalism club, and Nino would travel to his part-time internship at the local recording studio.

“–and the backlogs just keep piling up!” Alya spoke as they walked, voice full of vigor and excitement. “I’ve had to recruit yet another mod to help me keep order in the forums! Especially since the Ladyblog has started going international and we’ve had to organize servers in different languages. You wouldn’t believe how crazy it’s gotten in there recently!”

“Dang, babe,” Nino interjected. “Sounds like things are super rough for you right now.”

“Not really, more busy than anything. Especially because I have that big research article due next week, there’s just not enough hours in the day to try to read everything that goes on in there. But I have my mods report to me daily, ‘cause I always like to stay on top of everything that goes on in the chats!”

“What’s gotten everyone so riled up in the Ladyblog lately?” Adrien chimed in. “I don’t recall it being nearly this busy last year.”

The trio entered the art club’s classroom and settled down at the table where Marinette sat, getting her various sketches organized. The art teacher was quite easy going, so they didn’t have to talk in hushed whispers and could come and go as they pleased.

“Well, to be honest, it’s because of Chat Noir,” Alya replied.

Adrien tried to contain his surprise. “R-really? What– uhhh, what do people have to say about him?”

He winced inwardly. He knew he shouldn’t ask. But curiosity got the better of him today. Maybe learning the news through the filter or Alya’s paraphrasing instead of reading the negative comments firsthand would lessen the sting of what people said about him.

Marinette whipped her head around at the mention of his alter ego. “Wait, what about Chat Noir?” she inquired.

“Girl,” Alya replied, her voice filled with renewed exuberance. “You would not believe how much we’ve had to censor and moderate all the inappropriate things people have been saying!”

Adrien flinched in his seat. “Wow… do people really hate him that much?” he asked, trying to conceal the dejection in his voice.

Alya busted out into loud guffaws. “Hate?! Dude, most people don’t hate him; they LOVE him! By ‘inappropriate’ comments, I mean the kinda stuff you wouldn’t want your grandma to catch you reading! There’s a whole giant section dedicated to his new fan club!” she said as she removed her glasses so she could wipe away the tears of laughter.

“WHAT?!” Adrien squawked in confusion, his face feeling hotter than the ovens back at the bakery. “A fan club??”

Marinette burst into uncontrollable snickering. “Has it really gotten that bad?!”

Nino joined in, “Bro! Adrien, I can’t believe you haven’t heard Alya rant about these rabid fans before! They call themselves the ‘Noir Nation’, and the kind of things they’ve been writing would make adult romance authors blush like schoolgirls!”

Alya nodded, thoroughly amused. “And that’s not including all the fanfiction people have been writing.”

“Wait– the WHAT?! There’s fanfiction?!!” Marinette gaped in shock, as if she’d been hit in the face with an enormous pie. “Alya, how come I never knew about this?!”

“Why? You wanna read em? Girl, you’ll get no judgment from me. If you wanna check ‘em out for yourself, just go check under the hashtag ‘Ladynoir’.”

Marinette stammered as her arms flailed in her bewilderment, accidentally knocking her phone off the table and onto the floor, her eyes bigger and rounder than Adrien had ever seen them. “They have a ship name?!” she screeched.

“Just mind the ratings though,” Alya advised. “Some of them can get pretty steamy. You wouldn’t want someone to catch you reading those in public,” she added with a wink.

Marinette continued to sputter incoherently. “NO, I am NOT gonna read it!! It would be different if they were fictional characters, but I could never read fanfiction about real people!”

Alya raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. “Mm-hmm… Sure.”

Marinette’s hands flew to her face, trying to hide how red her entire face had gotten, and released a long squeak that resembled a hamster on helium. As shocked as Adrien was about these rather unexpected news, seeing Marinette’s over-the-top reaction brought a wide grin to his face and he busted out laughing.

He bent over to retrieve Marinette’s phone, since she was too busy being mortified to notice it had fallen to the floor. As he was about to hand it back, the screen lit up and Adrien saw the lockscreen wallpaper: it was the same photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir that he himself had saved earlier that day. He smiled, not exactly sure what to make of it, but finding it adorable that she’d liked the photo enough to set it as her lockscreen.

He tapped her shoulder, waiting for her to respond. She emerged from behind her impromptu hand shield and turned her head, then her eyes widened once again as soon as she saw what Adrien was showing her. She jolted straight up, stiff as a board, and her eyes met his, cheeks turning tomato red. He winked at her, amused about this little secret between them, and handed back her phone without a word.

Marinette accepted it with a meek-sounding, “Thanks,” looking like she wanted to explain the photo, but not able to do so unless she wanted Alya and Nino to find out that she was potentially a… ahem– “Ladynoir” shipper.

Switching the conversation to something else (which Marinette seemed to be eternally grateful for), the group chatted until it became time for them to scatter to their next destinations.

With a wave, Adrien exited the classroom and headed towards fencing practice, one of the few activities he decided to stick with despite not being forced to participate. Fencing, along with Chinese lessons, were not only enjoyable, but were also quite useful. Sadly, he didn’t have access to a piano anymore, so he wasn’t able to pursue that hobby for the time being. Hopefully later down the line, when things had settled down and he’d found his own place to live, he’d be able to finance one.

Thinking about the future had become an exciting pastime instead of an anxiety-inducing one, and it was all thanks to his friends and those he cared about. He smiled as he reached the door to the locker rooms, continuing to daydream of what was to come.

(Mood music: "Recollection 3" - Shirō Sagisu (BLEACH OST, "The Diamond Dust Rebellion")

Adrien finished getting dressed for fencing, his head still blissfully floating in the clouds. He stored his belongings into his assigned locker, shutting it with a loud clang, which echoed through the empty room.

Huh...? Empty?

He swiveled his head around, surprised that there was no one beside him. He stood up and began walking down the large room, peeking down the other locker rows looking for his classmates; but there was nobody.

Where was everyone? There’s no way that every single one of them was running late. Had his lessons been cancelled and he’d somehow missed a text message or email? He began heading back towards his locker to check his phone for any schedule changes.

Before he reached his destination, however, heavy thudding footsteps broke the eerie silence. Adrien whipped his body around to greet whoever they belonged to.

The owner of those footsteps was one of the last people Adrien expected to meet here.

“Gaspard?!”

Adrien stood agape, face to face with his old bodyguard, whom he hadn’t seen in a couple of years; not since he’d resigned and moved out of the country. Nathalie had mentioned that in his resignation letter, Gaspard said that he’d become involved in an overseas business venture involving the market of rare action figures. Nevertheless, Adrien couldn’t help but suspect that his father’s ill temper and poor treatment of their employees was the true reason for his departure.

Adrien’s first reaction was surprise and joy, and he rushed forward to greet and embrace him. However, as he approached and got a better look at the man’s face, Adrien’s mood instantly morphed into confusion and apprehension. There was something odd about his eyes.

Something wasn’t right. Why was Gaspard here? And why now?

He came to a halt about a meter before reaching him. An oppressive weight seemed to press in all around him, and he had to suppress a shiver. “Wait. Gaspard, did–” he gulped, “–did my father send you?”

His old bodyguard did not reply, but took a heavy step towards him. Adrien stepped back.

“Please… I can’t go back. I live somewhere else now, and I’m very happy there. Whatever he told you about the situation, it’s a lie.”

His bodyguard continued to approach him, his stare vacant and unsettling.

Fighting the urge to panic, he pleaded, “You don’t have to do this. If he’s offered you compensation, I can match it; it’ll just take me a bit of time. But we can work something out, right?? For old time’s sake?”

He continued walking backwards until he bumped into something firm, but it wasn’t a wall; it was another person. Before he could turn around, they grabbed him by the shoulders, detaining him and preventing him from running away.

He was about to shout for help when something sharp jabbed him on the side of the neck, injecting a cold liquid. Adrien’s eyes grew wide in terror.

Shit.

Adrien swore as he jerked away, elbowing whoever was behind him and managing to break free. Rubbing at the spot where the syringe had stabbed him, he glanced back to take a look at his other assailant, only to see... another Gaspard?

Why are there two of him??

This was wrong. Gaspard didn’t have a twin; he knew that for a fact. He’d worked for the Agrestes ever since Adrien was a toddler and was too young to even pronounce his name correctly (hence the nickname “Gorille”, which stuck around for years afterwards). Additionally, there was something uncanny, otherworldly, even, about the way these two men looked and moved.

He shook himself out of his stupor. He didn’t have time to contemplate any possible explanations. He had to get out of there fast.

He sprinted towards the exit, but only managed to travel a few paces before he lost his footing and tripped. He fell to the ground hard, almost hitting his head on a nearby bench. As he struggled to get up, he realized that his fingers and toes had already gone numb.

Not good.

Time was running out. Adrenaline coursed through him and, with a grunt, he hefted himself to his feet and scrambled towards the exit, as fast as he could despite a heavy limp. Though his heart was hammering and his legs felt like they were filled with sand, he pushed himself, concentrating on reaching the door.

After taking a few steps, however, he realized that even if he did manage to exit the locker room, the area beyond was an open courtyard. Meaning he wasn’t going to be able to reach someplace safe before getting caught. He had no choice but to transform into Chat Noir, and hopefully Plagg’s powers and strength could help him escape and find somewhere to hide.

He’d scarcely uttered the first syllable in the transformation phrase when he was tackled to the ground. A giant hand swiftly covered his mouth and Adrien felt his hands get bound together with thick zip ties behind his back. A muffled scream of writhing frustration made its way up his throat as his limbs became more and more useless by the second.

No… This can’t be happening! Please, this can’t be how it all ends!

Just when his life had finally gained a semblance of normalcy and he’d found happiness again, it would get ripped away and he would disappear without a trace, leaving everyone to wonder what had happened to him. Leaving his friends to think that Gabriel had pulled him from school and they would never see him again. Leaving Ladybug to wonder if Chat had abandoned her forever. Leaving her to fight Hawkmoth alone. Again.

He couldn’t let that happen. He thrashed and struggled as furiously as he could, fighting the feelings of overwhelming helplessness that threatened to consume him. Nearing despair, he was too distracted to notice Plagg phrasing through the wall, away from the skirmish, in search of the only person who could save him.

(Mood music: "Run" - Ludovico Einaudi)

Marinette fidgeted with her pencil, her feet wiggled and bounced under her desk. She didn’t understand; when she’d arrived at the art club, her head had been filled with inspiration and ideas that she’d been excited to draw and execute. However, at the moment, her mind was filled with noise and disquietude.

Having had enough, she excused herself to visit the restroom. Once she’d walked far enough from the classroom, she opened her purse to talk to Tikki about her current dilemma.

“It’s the same feeling as last night, Tikki! Except that would mean one of three possibilities. Option A.) It’s nothing and I’m going crazy. And— don’t give me that look, Tikki! I can see what you’re thinking and I don’t have time for your cheeky sass right now!” The kwami snickered while Marinette cleared her throat and continued, “Option B.) that Chat is here, at this school, which is impossible because his school’s on the other side of the city, that’s why he always leaves the house super early for his long commute.”

Tikki opened her mouth and looked like she was about to say something, but then didn’t (...or couldn’t?).

Marinette resumed, “Or, C.) that my–– what do I even call it? My ‘Spidey sense’??–– that it’s got a long distance mode, and Chat is all the way across Paris and he’s in trouble! But what am I supposed to do about that from here?! I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking!”

Tikki shrugged. “Follow your instincts, Marinette. There’s no harm in taking a quick look around the school, right?”

Marinette groaned. “UGH! It doesn’t make sense!! Am I going to get interrupted like this all the time from now on?” She shook her head resolutely. “No. I can’t just go off on random field trips every single time I feel a random fit of anxiety. I’m sure it’s just leftover jitters from last night. I’m supposed to call Master Fu after school anyway; he can help me figure everything out. I’m just gonna go back to class and forget about it.”

Tikki frowned, not quite convinced, but deciding not to press further.

Marinette made her way back to the classroom in a frustrated huff. But as her hand reached to turn the handle, the feelings of danger and urgency multiplied tenfold. Without a word, she sprinted away in the opposite direction, not even knowing where she was running to, only knowing she had to get there immediately.

She reached the large common area of the school downstairs. Her head whipped around, frantically searching for something, anything. In her haste, she didn’t notice a small black creature zoom into her open purse.

A few moments later, she felt a frantic tugging at her shirt from below.

“Marinette!! Over there! Check the locker room, quick!!!” Tikki whisper-screamed as she peeked outside the purse, her tone uncharacteristically frantic.

Marinette nodded, then sprinted to the locker room.

“Wait! You should transform first!” Tikki added.

No time!

“Marinette, wait!!”

Despite Tikki’s protests, Marinette raced towards the double doors, tackling them open.

Three sets of eyes landed on her as she skidded to a halt, but only one pair consumed her entire attention. She gasped in horror, hands flying to her face as she stared at what was occurring in front of her. Adrien let out a desperate, muffled scream urging her to run.

His panicked voice snapped her out of her dazed shock; but instead of running, she stood her ground, eyes darting back and forth across the area searching for something useful. The room was remarkably barren except for a lone broom a short distance away from her. She grabbed it and leaped towards the closest attacker (the one holding Adrien down), swinging it like a baseball bat.

The man didn’t even try to avoid the hit; the broomstick merely bounced off the side of his face where Marinette had hit him. She frowned in confusion, then tried hitting him again, bringing the stick down on the top of his head like an axe.

SNAP.

The end of the broom flew off, and Marinette stared in shock at the broken broomstick.

“What the hell are you?!” Marinette exclaimed, shifting her grip on the shortened wooden stub.

She pounced at the second bodyguard, bringing her weapon down in a stabbing motion; but he swatted at her hand, disarming her. She yelped in pain, leaping backwards to get some distance between them.

She was outmatched. The only strategy available was to use their own size against them. With a feint to the side, she shot at his legs for a takedown, hoping to catch him off balance. He called her bluff and shoved her backwards with his giant palm, then kneed her in the stomach.

Winded from the impact, Marinette doubled over with a gasping wheeze, fighting with all her might to keep herself from collapsing onto the ground. She forced herself upright and attacked again. With a clumsy jerk, she lunged forward, swinging wild punches at her opponent. The shots connected but his expression barely changed; it was like beating a breathing punching bag.

The bodyguard backhanded Marinette across the face. Pain shooting across her cheek, she staggered, almost losing her balance. In her daze, she watched helplessly as the man reared his arm back. There was no chance to dodge. His fist connected with her abdomen, delivering a liver shot that shut down her entire body. She crumpled to the floor as if boneless. She tried to call out Adrien’s name, but her mouth merely opened in a silent scream.

Marinette could hear Adrien’s distressed screaming, but it sounded distant, like they were underwater. The edges of her vision grew black and fuzzy, the entire room dissolving around her. She had to consciously force her lungs to inhale, but couldn’t fill them all the way, as if a boulder had been placed on top of her chest.

Faintly, she felt herself getting picked up off the ground and carried away over someone’s shoulder. Disoriented and semi-blinded, the sudden movement and rough jostling made her head spin and gave her vertigo. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out.

A few moments later, they stopped moving, and she heard a door burst open. Where were they? Before she could gather her senses, she was in the air, thrown several meters away, landing with a hard thud. A sharp pain traveled down her body as she rolled into the wall across them. The shriek that tried to escape her throat emerged as a strained, shallow whine.

The man stomped out, leaving her alone in the room. “Stop…!” she rasped out, managing to tilt her neck upwards, head pounding.

The bodyguard slammed the door shut, followed by a bang and a clattering sound that could only mean he’d broken the doorknob of whatever room she was in.

Marinette's vision became more and more blurred. At the verge of losing consciousness, she fought to keep her eyes open as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

No, she couldn’t pass out! She had to save Adrien! Stay awake, Marinette, stay awake!!

She bit down on her lip hard, focusing on the sharp sting, on the swelling that was already forming around her right eye, forcing herself to feel the pain her body was in. At this moment, feeling pain was better than falling unconscious. She concentrated on her breathing, slowly regaining her senses.

She reached down to open her purse and get Tikki’s help… only to be met with emptiness. Panic settled in her gut as she realized that sometime during the skirmish, the purse had slipped off her shoulder. She sat up, slowly, so she wouldn’t risk feeling faint again from the change in positions.

She squinted, adjusting her eyesight to the darkness of the room. It seemed to be some sort of supply closet. After a failed few attempts to stand, she crawled towards the door instead, careful not to bump into the crates and shelves that filled the area.

The girl eyed the broken doorknob wearily. She was pretty proficient at lockpicking and breaking into things, but not as good at breaking out. Her only hope was that Tikki would be able to find her… if she was even nearby.

She swore to herself. Why had she rushed in and attacked two grown ass men (who, incidentally, may or may not be supernatural to boot!) instead of hiding and creating a strategy?! Now she was useless, Tikki was gone, and Adrien was surely on his way to get auctioned to the highest bidder in the criminal black market and ransomed off for an enormous sum. Great job, Marinette. Adrien’s been abducted and it’s all your fault.

Gathering all the determination she could muster, she tried to call out for help. But her voice was still too hoarse, and only a weak croak came out. She clenched her fists, grumbling irritably. Time for a different approach. Somehow, she needed to make noise.

After a brief search, she found a hard, metallic object that she could use to hammer on the door. She tested it out; it was surprisingly effective. She doubled her efforts, making as big a racket as possible. Hopefully, it would only be a matter of time before somebody heard her, let her out, and she could go find Adrien.

She couldn’t let anything else happen to another loved one. Not again.

–––––

I'M REEEAAAAALLY SORRY FOR THAT CLIFFHANGER JSHDKFJHSKDF ᕕ(╯°д°)ᕗ  I tried splitting up the sections differently but it didn't really flow as well.

But the next chapter is almost done, so I'll have it ready by next weekend!!

[dat-town]

wish you were here

Characters: Mark Lee & you

Setting: wish dragon au (and a bit of aladdin because mark even has a tiger in their garden like jasmine did. don’t ask why, just blame the regular mv), childhood best friends to lovers (at least there’s potential?)

Genre: fluff and humour

Warnings: mentions of a sick animal and a wild animal kept as a pet in a huge garden (just like jasmine’s tiger, it’s very tamed)

Summary: A magical teapot, a dragon that wants everyone to be happy and an old friendship being revived. Oh yeah, have I told you that you have 3 wishes?

Words: 6.4k

For @restlessmaknae​ 💕

When your mother told you you got delivery to your childhood home, you certainly did not expect this: a brown box as big as a small watermelon with your old Canadian address and MARK LEE scrabbled next to your name as another recipient but no sender. Not to mention, the first stamp on the thing was dating back to the early 2010s. Where the hell was this package for 10 years? And what would you and your old neighbour slash best friend have gotten together?

Okay, first things first:

You and this clumsy, kind of cute kid, Mark had been quite tight while growing up. You were born in the same year, only a month apart, and his family lived in the house next to yours in the suburbs of Vancouver, so it was kind of natural. You two might have been against the world kind of comrades, playing hide and seek when you were six and wondering about whether time travelling was possible through black holes at twelve. But no matter how close you used to be, you fell out of touch when Mark's family moved to the other end of the world, back to Korea, their roots when you were fourteen. You slowly forgot about him, and started university in the city, moving away from home, so nothing really reminded you of him ⎼ and your stupid, big fat crush on him that you had no courage to tell him about in middle school ⎼, nothing until this box.

You put the delivered package on your kitchen table while you make some dinner for yourself out of what you have gotten during grocery shopping earlier just before you picked up the mysterious stuff at the post office. You eye it suspiciously over your pasta, really not wrapping your mind about what it could be but instead of annoying yourself with this pointless curiosity, you put your fork down and stand up to open it. It’s a struggle at first, the box being secured with multiple adhesive tapes over the years but when you finally get rid of all that and can look inside of it, an intense feeling rushes through you… immerse disappointment.

“A teapot? For real? What were we thinking?” you furrow your brows taking the small, green and pretty old teapot into your hands. It looks like a piece of a traditional Asian set with its jade colour and dragon pattern. It couldn’t have been in a much better shape 10 years ago either seeing how wayworn it is but still, you expected something more… exciting? Something funny that might or might not give you an excuse to look up Mark Lee on the internet and message him for the sake of old times. But how lame it would be to befriend him on Facebook only to tell him that you got delivered a teapot under both your names. Hah, you would rather not embarrass yourself like that.

You shoot one last glance at the teapot before leaving it on your counter and going back to your food, you successfully forget about the whole ordeal. You carry your life on with only one small difference: Mark Lee back on your mind after long, long years.

It was just a small crush, you tell yourself, sighing as you look into the mirror, absentmindedly wondering how he’s doing. Does he think of you sometimes as well? Did he go to music college like he has always wanted? Is he happy? You wish he was even if he’s half a world away and with that thought you think it’s time to go to sleep despite the upcoming weekend days. You don’t want to mess up your sleep schedule over some boy but as soon as you pull the blanket over your chest and close your eyes, something explodes in your kitchen.

You jump out of bed faster than lightning, in slight panic over the fact that your neighbours will hate you for bothering them late at night and your landlord would kill you if you managed to blow up your microwave. But the sight that welcomes you is like no other that you imagined. The whole room is covered in thick pink glittery smoke. Like your worst Barbie nightmare.

“What the⎼” you cough, waving your hands to clear the air and once it dissolves into nothingness with its weirdly cotton candy smell, there’s a boy in the middle of it all, sitting cross legged on your kitchen counter so casually as if he owned the place. His pink-ish purple hair hangs into his eyes and he seems to find your coffee machine strangely interesting. You grab the first thing you can ⎼ a blender ⎼ and hold it up in defensive before yelling at the boy: “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my apartment?”

The stranger’s mouth pulls up in a charming smile, his eyes sparkle as he turns his attention to you, hopping off the counter. He’s all thin and long limbs, so you hate how you hate to look up at him as he walks towards you before bowing ceremoniously.

“Hello, sorry for the sudden appearance, I just couldn’t wait any longer! I’ve been stuck in that teapot waaay too long. I didn’t mean to be rude or anything. My name is Taeyong, I’m a wish dragon and you’re my new owner,” he smiles and what he says makes absolutely no sense.

“A wish dragon?” you mumble in shock, looking around to see if this is just another prank of Johnny. You wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump out from under one of the cupboards. Or maybe you just fell asleep and you’re dreaming. Yeah, that seems like a realistic scenario.

“Ah, yes! I know I don’t look like it but modern times require modern solutions. Most people freak out because of my dragon form, so human it is,” the boy who seems only a few years older than you grins as he’s chatting and you have to give it to him, he takes this role pretty seriously. “You have three wishes as my owner. You can ask for anything as long as it’s not about death or love.”

So you got yourself someone who thinks he’s basically a genie? Oh gosh, is he that drunk?

“Aha, very funny. I’m too tired for this prank, so I would appreciate it if you left the same way you came...” you point towards your window because there’s no way he came through the door. Putting down your blender because the guy looks pretty harmless despite his crazy blabbering, you move to go back to your bedroom.

“No, no, no, I can’t do that,” the boy, Taeyong as he introduced himself, appears in front of you within a second and grabs your shoulder as if he could shake some sense into you. He looks pretty desperate. “I can only get a new owner if I fulfill all wishes of yours. It was super stuffy in that box the last decade, you know.”

At that excuse you let out a laugh.

“You don’t even fit it the⎼”

“You were saying?” Taeyong is suddenly nowhere near ahead of you but instead a small creature, supposedly a dragon, in the size of your palm flies in front of your eye level. “It’s magic!”

Okay, now that sight makes you feel like it’s you who is drunk. Or worse.

“Am I dead?” you have to ask in a small, uncertain voice, trying to think back what could have happened. Maybe that explosion literally blew your apartment up? But it hurts when you pinch your arm and turning back into his human form, Taeyong wants to prove the very same thing. Not the hurting but the not dead part, obviously.

“No, you’re very much alive and a happy owner of a wish dragon. Not permanently, of course, but still,” he tells you as he drags you onto your couch in the living room. As if sitting down could help processing all this.

So you have a wish dragon in your home, a magical creature that can casually switch between its dragon and human form and he says you should wish for three things, so he could leave and you could go back to your old, boring life without magic and things that scare you to death at 11PM.

“Can I ask… why? Why me? I’m not really owner-material,” you whisper because heck yeah, you even managed to kill your cactus before. Taeyong purses his lips as he sits down, a hand at his chin.

“Well, it’s unusual indeed to have a peasant girl, no offence, as my owner but as far as I know, you and your friend asked for a sign that magic was real.”

Oh, you remember that, being so obsessed with shooting stars and other stuff like that, you two used Mark’s brother’s computer to browse the internet, trying to find evidence about all that. You were kids wanting to believe in a world beyond the one you knew. But...

“That was like 10 years ago,” you furrow your eyebrows, not getting the timing.

“Well, sorry, you weren’t put on the top of the Heaven wish list and the shipping from Shanghai to Vancouver isn’t the fastest either,” Taeyong shrugs as if it was supposed to be natural. As if that was the most unbelievable thing. Well, delivery services are sometimes a pain in the ass, that’s true but getting a wish delivered by Heaven was something you would have never thought of and it all drains down on you. Strangest realisation of your life.

“So… it’s all real,” you whisper ahead of yourself: magic, dragons and all that. You could basically see your old best friend’s I told you so smile and let out a soft chuckle. “I wish Mark could meet with you, too.”

At that the guy ahead of you claps his hands and rubs them together, creating the same purple smoke from before. You look at him alarmed.

“Your wish, my command,” Taeyong grins and lifts his hands and before you could make a sound of protest because gosh, you didn’t mean it literally, you feel the ground move under your feet and you’re falling, into the darkness but despite shutting your eyes automatically, fearing the impact of the crash, nothing comes. Only the smell of soy sauce in the air and warm sunshine on your skin… Wait, what?

Your eyelids fly open and you notice in shock that you’re not in your flat anymore, ready to sleep. Instead, you stand in the middle of a goddamn street somewhere in Korea based on the signs still in your PJ shorts and tee. Oh my gosh! You hide in an alley right away and yank the seemingly proud Taeyong with you.

“I didn’t tell you that I meant right now! I can’t meet Mark in my PJs and I need my phone and wallet to function anyways. Not to mention, I don’t speak Korean at all...” you ramble panicking, the realisation that you’re indeed on the other side of the Earth due to some magic is yet to register. But the awkwardness from the stares you have just gotten has already turned you bashful.

Listening to you, the wish dragon seems sheepish and slightly embarrassed as he scratched his nape, his colourful hair falling into his cast down eyes.

“Oh… sorry. I got so excited over the wish that I didn’t think about it! It’s been a while since I did teleport magic but hey, I still have it in me. Anyways, sorry. Phone and wallet, you said? Here you go,” he pulls out something from his pants which magically seems to be indeed your belongings. That definitely makes things earlier.

“Uhm, thanks. Where are we exactly?”

“Ah, well you mentioned your friend Mark Lee, so we’re here. Well, one bell away because I did remember that it’s rude to intrude other’s houses without permission first,” oh now, you know, you snicker internally and gulp because hell, even if you wanted to see Mark, you wouldn’t have thought that the meeting would come so soon. You didn’t have enough time to prepare yourself mentally.

“So… you’re telling me that this… is where Mark lives?” you point at the impressive apartment complex on the corner of the street but Taeyong shakes his head.

“Nope, This is where your Mark lives,” he says and before you could object about the ‘your’ part, the dragon points at the other side of the road at a luxurious house with a huge garden, basically a palace. Seeing the beautiful fountain, the modern and yet traditional Korean style building beyond the fences makes your jaw drop.

“Hahaha, alright for a magic dragon you must have made a mistake. There’s no way the Mark Lee I know lives here,” you look back at Taeyong finding it funny that the kid who used to wore his favourite tees until his mother basically threw them out would live at such a place.

“Mark Lee, korean name Minhyung, supposed to be 22 years old internationally soon. Bad eyesight, contagious laugh, clumsy but has surprisingly good reflexes, gets embarrassed easily. Sound familiar?” Taeyong crooks a brow at you as he reads the information off from a parchment he just took out of his pants. Everything he listed is just so Mark that you’re left in disbelief.

“Uuh… that sounds about right.”

“His father hit it big in 2016 with a tech company, their net worth has too many zeros to count,” Taeyong explains, seeing how surprised you were over the fact that he lived a lavish life like this. Not that he doesn’t deserve it! Mark is such a sweetheart, so of course, you would only want the best for him but as if half the world wasn’t enough, now you have another huge gap between you.

“Gosh, I really can’t believe this. How am I supposed to just ring the bell and say hello after so much time?” you sighed with your head in your hands. “Argh, I need to buy some clothes and change.”

Taeyong approves the idea based on how enthusiastically he hollers, you wonder why nobody on the street seems to pay no attention to him. Maybe only you see him, just more reason for you to be crazy.

“Good idea because we’re having dinner with Mark!”

“What?” you look up in shock, not following through. Taeyong grins down at you, flashing a giddy smile and with a twirl he’s changed from his baggy, casual clothes to something more chic but still laidback.

“Your wish was him meeting me, so I arranged everything. I can't meet him without you and the teapot there, you know,” he explains as if it was supposed to be obvious. You aren't ready yet though.

“You just want to eat all the fancy delicious food he has,” you squint at him suspiciously and the dragon stays silent, so you must be right. He laughs nervously.

“Maybe, but can you blame me? I haven’t had a feast since a literal decade!” he hollers and somehow you really cannot find it in yourself to be angry at him. You are in Seoul for god's sake after all and magic is real, you can put up with the inconvenience of buying clothes and making yourself look decent before dumping all this surprise on Mark.

An hour later you stand in front of the gates of the Lee mansion and nervously you wipe your sweating hands into your dress. You can totally do this, you just say hi to an old friend, it's not like you're afraid he wouldn't remember you, hah, of course not–

"Y/N!" 

You whip your head at the call of your name to the source of that all too familiar voice. Sure it's deeper than you remember but there's no mistake in whose it is. Plus, who else would call your name in South Korea of all places.

"Mark, hey!" you wave the boy who just got out of one of the fanciest cars you've ever seen in your life. And yet, despite the Prada suit and expensive shoes, styled hair and Swiss watch on wrist, Mark Lee still has that goofy little smile and the doe eyes that used to make you weak in the knees. Hah, who are you kidding? They still do.

"Oh my god, dude, you… you got pretty," Mark jogs up to you and having no filter like always he blabbers immediately only to stutter as his ears turn red. It was so him talking before thinking, so you didn’t really mean to dwell on his words. Although you felt your cheeks dusted with pink soon enough. "I mean, it's really good to see you! I was so surprised to see your name in my calendar for today's dinner! You should have told me you were coming to Korea, I would have picked you up at the airport."

His calendar? Ah, of course, he must have been busy and all that. You wouldn’t have been surprised to see an assistant run after him at this point, so you wonder how your wish dragon magically put you onto his list of important people to meet. Gosh, it was so weird.

"Ah, I have a funny story about that…" you chuckled to yourself but before you could have get out anything, even a please, can we go to a more private place? Mark’s eyes zero on the guy next to you and his eyes grow comically wide.

"And uhm, who is your friend?" he points at Taeyong who waves him in exchange with a kilowatt smile. He looks back at you with his mouth agapé. "Oh my god, you came to invite me to your wedding?"

He says oh my god way too many times for an eloquent rich kid, he really is the Mark Lee you knew.

"No, never! I mean, of course, I would invite you but Taeyong and I– I literally met him on my way here," you explain hastily cursing yourself for the silly lie. You came to tell him the news not to try to make it believable. 

“I heard there’s food,” the wish dragon pipes in very helpful and you shoot him a disapproving glance he doesn’t notice. Luckily, Mark doesn’t seem to mind.

“Oh, yeah, of course, dinner! Come on in, let’s get you two settled,” he grins albeit a bit awkwardly as he leads you through the gate after opening it with his card.

On the way through the very, very, very big garden, he’s chattering about how he misses the Vancouver weather, especially on humid, hot days like this and talks about how he thinks the fountain in their yard is a bit too much but his mom loved it and then before you know it, you sit by a huge dining table with fine food in front of you. Suddenly you can’t decide whether you're grateful for Taeyong’s shameless presence – he digs into the jjigae right away – because at least the situation isn’t awkward because of your silence or you’re annoyed by it because you must seem like a weirdo because of him. That’s why you decide to rip off the bandage and tell Mark as soon as the last maid has disappeared too.

“Okay, so actually I came here because I have a surprise,” you speak up, probably too serious because the boy almost chokes on his food due to how fast he turns his head towards you.

“More surprise?” he coughs out and you offer him a glass of water which he takes with a smile.

“You literally won’t believe this one!” you assure him and wait until he gulps down the drink. Only then you point to Taeyong and tell him that your childhood wish has come true. 

Mark almost falls off his chair this time.

Not after you tell him that though. He laughs at that with that wheezing laugh of his as if you told the joke of the century then pats you on the shoulder murmuring That was a good one, bro and turning back to his food. But then you look at the magic dragon pointedly and Taeyong puts down his chopsticks with an exaggerated sign. Then he flexes his magic: turning into his dragon form among additional sparkles and Mark suddenly looks like he’s about to faint. He reaches out to tap on your shoulder while not taking his eyes off the wish dragon.

“Am I dreaming?” he whispers and honestly, you totally get his reaction while Taeyong mumbles something about ‘people these days not believing in dragons’ as he shows off all the things he could do: gift riches, make one stronger than they are, giving skills of whatever one wants. He starts rambling about how this one Chinese emperor became wealthy thanks to this, how that one actor in martial arts and all this before changing back to his human form and he continues eating his pasta like nothing ever happened.

“I can do this all day,” he shrugs as if he didn’t just perform the coolest magic tricks.

“This… this is the best thing ever!” Mark exclaims with those sparkles in his eyes you missed so much. He was always so excited about new things and it automatically makes you smile how he bombards Taeyong with million questions like: ‘So you are the wish dragon that grants wishes?’ or asking him about his scales, his unique color, how it feels to live in such a small teapot, how old he is and the dragon glows under all the attention. Can’t blame him but Mark has always been so curious about the world, it’s endearing.

“So your first wish was to meet me?” he turns to you after long minutes of interrogating Taeyong and suddenly, under the spotlight you don’t know what to do with yourself. You can feel yourself blushing because you didn’t necessarily mean to wish for that but it’s not like you’re regretting it, it’s just… you don’t want him to misunderstand.

“I thought you should meet him, too, after all the package was delivered for the two of us,” you look down, trying to sound nonchalant while picking your food, avoiding Mark’s gaze. No matter how open armed he welcomed you, you still aren’t convinced that it’s okay to be here because the more time you spend with him, the more you would like to stay a part of his life. “It’s just… I wasn’t really sure we could ever meet again. We didn’t keep contact after you left.”

With dropped shoulders, you try not to sound too downhearted because of what happened because you know all too well, it wasn’t his fault, it was a family decision and look at him, it did good for him! He seems happy, they live in a practically mansion but most importantly, he didn’t seem to change with the wealth. He might wear expensive clothes but under it all he’s still the boy with the most loveable smile.

“I… I was thinking about you a lot, I just thought you forgot about me,” Mark admits with a sheepish smile, tucking his hair behind his ear shyly. He really still is the same and it’s playing silly little games with your heart. If this was a cheesy Disney movie, a slow bgm would start to play as you look into each other but your moment is broken when Taeyong accidentally kicks into his chair as he stands up. At first he looks alarmed but then giggles.

“I will just… go. Don’t mind me,” he disappears like smoke with a wink, leaving you two alone at which Mark lets out a woah. You chuckle at his cute reaction, heart doing somersaults in your chest.

You thought it would be awkward, just the two of you alone after long years but Mark has this thing that he makes people feel comfortable around him, so it’s actually quite nice. You catch up on everything and anything that comes to your mind: old neighbours, studies, friends, what are you doing now and what would you like to do, too.

After finishing the delicious dinner, Mark offers a home tour which you would never refuse and you jaw drops at the huge crystal chandelier in their living room as well as their swimming pool but your favourite place in the whole mansion is Mark’s room because it’s just so him. You can’t describe it well but the moment you step inside, it feels like home. It’s cozy to the point it makes you want to cuddle a pillow. It has colours of pastels, a synthesizer here, a guitar there, posters of singers framed on his wall and vinyl records hanging down. His window has a view of sunset and Namsan above their green garden and although you haven’t been in Seoul before, you’re pretty sure it’s your favourite place in the whole damn city, too.

“Wait, there’s someone I would like you to meet,” Mark suddenly exclaims while you’re looking through his pictures and he pulls you out of his room, out of the house, into the garden: You giggle all the way as he’s being so secretive about it but then your steps halt unexpectedly and the hand you have in Mark’s yanks him back.

“Mark… why is there a tiger in your garden in the middle of Seoul?” you ask as quietly and as immobile as you can. You don’t want to attract the sleeping animal’s attention to yourself. But to your biggest surprise, the boy just laughs, his thumb caressing your skin soothingly.

“She’s Jasmine and she won’t hurt you,” he reassures you but needless to say, you’re not too calm and you’re pulled close to the wild animal that lifts its huge head towards you lazily. “She was abandoned by her mother as a cub and she was outcast in the zoo because she’s a bit sick, so she has always been weaker than her siblings. Dad made a donation and we have raised her since she was young.”

You hiss when Mark reaches out without fear but the tiger basically purrs as he strokes down his fur at the neck. You watch in awe as this big wild animal becomes a soft cat under the hands of Mark Lee. When the boy encourages you to pat her too, you hesitate but he promises you that it’s gonna be alright and you take a leap of faith. 

“What’s her sickness?” you wonder aloud as your fingers get lost in the soft fur of the tiger. You hope she’s not in a lot of pain.

“It’s an immune system thing, not sure what exactly but she wouldn’t have survived this long in the wild,” the boy tells you and his mouth curls up in a smile when Jasmine licks your hand. It seems like you’re tiger-approved. You look into its warm brown eyes and your heart churns at the thought of her condition.

Mark tells you stories of Jasmine, about that one time she crashed his birthday cake or how much she likes to swim with him in their pool during summer and gosh, you could listen to him go on and on forever. You’re only reminded of the reality, that all this is just a possible one-time thing, a weekend getaway with magic when Taeyong shows up in swimwear, ready to crash in said pool.

“I guess he might have been bored in that teapot,” Mark laughs, not minding at all. He even offers you to join but you have a better idea.

“Taeyong, I have my second wish!” you call out for the wish dragon who’s suddenly much more excited about that than the water. He’s beside you in a moment, beaming and curious. You glance at Mark with a soft smile before looking at your personal genie confidently.

“I wish Jasmine would be healthy,” you whisper, playing with the tiger’s furry ears which she seems to enjoy. You were a little bit afraid the dragon would say it’s not possible, that he can’t cure sickness but to your relief, he just grins.

“Your wish, my command,” he nods and puts a hand over the animal. Nothing but a smoke of purple signals the magic being done but you believe in it and so does Mark by the looks of it. He reaches out for your hand and squeezes it gently. 

“Thank you,” he smiles and you smile back. He used to be your best friend after all, it’s the least you can do for him.

Mark convinces you to stay the weekend and there’s no way you could tell no to him, not when he clears his schedule just for you. He never complains about how busy he must be working for his father’s business while being a music major at a local university. All he ever talks about is the places he wishes to show you and he takes you around Seoul as if he was your certificated tour guide. It’s lovely how enthusiastic he is about it while what really matters to you is the time you spend together. He makes sure you two take a million photos to remember by, Taeyong posing on half of them since he joins you on your little trips and sometimes it’s just the two of you watching the wish dragon being genuinely in awe by modern technology, 10 years is a long time after all.

On the last day before you have to go back to Vancouver (thanks to Taeyong’s kind offer to take you the same way you came back since he misunderstood you, you don’t have to sit through a 10+ hours flight and you have more time), Mark not only tries to make you breakfast despite having an in-house chef (his eggs are ugly as heck but you appreciate his efforts and can’t help but coo at his dreamy smile under that grey hoodie when you tell him it tastes yummy) but he also introduces you to his friends in Korea. Of course, they tease you (mostly Mark) about where he has been hiding you but it’s all chill and fun you’re not quite ready to say goodbye. But you should go because the more you stay, the more you don’t want to leave. You’re lucky enough for this chance to reunite with Mark but all good things end eventually.

“Let’s not disappear from each other’s life again, okay?” the boy grins at you as you’re ready to go, Taeyong already working on his magic.

“Yeah, let’s not,” you agree easily, looking forward to your video chatting and constant texting even if it’s from the two opposite ends of the Earth with a terrible time zone difference.

You glance at the wish dragon who’s drumming with his fingers while pursing his lips as if he was waiting for something and you let out a huff before working up the courage to actually do something about these feelings inside of you. You might have regretted not confessing in middle school, you have spent years wondering about the what ifs, so you don’t want to make the same mistake twice but still, you want to give Mark a chance to ignore it all if he wants to. So you step forward and wrap your hands around him as you hug him close. It’s obvious that your action takes him aback, he suddenly doesn’t know what to do with his hands and his body tenses under you but it all melts as you say those words that have been threatening to fall from your lips all this time:

“I have missed you.” you confess, honest and based on the hitch in his breathing, Mark must be surprised. You can’t blame him though, you just wanted him to know. You step back with a weary smile, his big Bambi eyes on you but before he could say anything you nod at Taeyong and you feel yourself falling, purple fog pulling you in. A few moments later you’re back in Vancouver, in your apartment, without him.

The first few days pass in a blurr, you can still barely believe what just happened. Your weekend with Mark feels like a too good dream but Mark kept his side of promise and texted you almost immediately as you left. He sends you selfies, songs that remind him of you and you talk about your days like you never did before. Still, it feels like you’re dancing around certain topics which are basically the elephant in the room and maybe that’s why Taeyong tries to cheer you up in his own way. Though, he soon realizes that you not being happy isn’t the problem, you are happy, you just… miss Mark more than you ever did.

“Enough of moping, you still have a wish left!” Taeyong exclaims, throwing himself onto your bed. “Come on, close your eyes, imagine what you want the most in the world and make a wish!" he singsongs. However, before you could even just indulge him, your phone pings with a new notification.

fullsun00 tagged you in their post!

You click on it right away, wondering what Mark’s friend Donghyuck is doing online at 1AM. The uploaded post turns out to be a photo of you and Mark when you all hang out near Han river. You were too busy at the time laughing at how the boy almost lost his whole scoop of ice cream before he could have had a single bite to notice his smile while looking at you. Based on his caption Donghyuck apparently wasn’t.

fullsun00: just old friends, they say. friends my ass @buttercupyn @onyourm__ark

You click your tongue wondering what Mark thinks of the callout but you press like on the post anyways. You put your phone aside before you could see how his other friends join the teasing in the comment section.

“Actually, I do have my third wish,” you speak up as you turn to Taeyong before he could make a remark on your tinted cheeks.

You’ve been thinking a lot about it during the past days. You could wish for anything but you’re at a point of your life where no riches or fame would make you happier because you’re happy enough just the way it is. It might not be perfect but you don’t want to be selfish and you want to make decisions you won’t regret: like catching up with Mark, curing his tiger and bringing happiness into the life of somebody who only ever served other people in his life.

“Ooh, what is it?” Taeyong claps, giddy as if he was waiting for this to happen. He probably did.

“I wish you would go on a vacation and enjoy life,” you tell him but unlike his usual reaction, this time the dragon’s smile fades and he blinks at you, confused.

“You could ask for anything in the world and that’s what you want? Are you sure?” he furrows his brows, not quite believing your words but you just smile, knowingly.

“Yes, Taeyong, I’m sure.”

“Your wish, my command,” he bows with his hands put together and with a twirl suddenly he’s in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, looking as ready for a holiday as one can be. You chuckle and tell him to just go, you’ll be fine.

You’re fine, you really are. Life goes on, you study and work, you laugh with your friends, you video call with Mark regularly and his friends are regulars on your social media, too. It’s just sometimes the feeling of missing something hits you harder than other days. Especially when you’re looking through the pictures you have from your Seoul weekend.

“I wish you were here,” you whisper ahead of you at one particularly good photo of Mark and the sunset, smiling at you behind the camera. You miss his smile, the cute wrinkles around his eyes when he crunches his nose, the sound of his laughter, his hand on your wrist… you miss him.

Ding-dong.

You stand up startled at the sound of your flat’s bell, running to the door to open it even though you have no idea who it could be so early on a Saturday morning. Not having a better idea, you expect it to be either a neighbour of your landlord but on the other side of your doorstep stands a boy who you thought was a continent away. He’s dressed semi-casually this time, his shirt tucked in his jeans, hair lightly falling onto his forehead and a nervous smile on his thin lips.

“Mark! But I⎼ I don’t even have more wishes,” you blink, taken aback, looking around to look for Taeyong in case he came back. But your behaviour just manages to confuse Mark instead.

“What?”

“I just wished you were here,” you blurt out without thinking, your words only processing later in your brain and it’s then when heat creeps onto your cheeks. Mark tries to but can’t really hide his growing smile at that.

“Really? I’m glad then. I just took my new private plane on a test drive,” he says bashfully, a silly excuse for real.

“All the way to Vancouver?” you tease, watching Mark fumble with the hem of his shirt. Your heart beats overtime just because of the fact that he’s there. 

“Well, what can I say? I did miss the weather here,” he plays along with a shrug but he’s more serious when he looks deep into your eye and adds: “And you left without letting me answer.”

Oh yes, you did. You were kind of afraid of his reaction but seeing how he was ready to travel across the world just to see you, maybe there’s no reason for you to be so afraid. It feels like deja vu but a reversed one in a way as Mark gently pulls you into a hug, his lips grazing your hair with a whisper that makes your heart skip a beat: “I have missed you too.”

You really wouldn’t wish for anything more.

[littlesniggy]

Princess Part One

@pure-kirarin​: Hii! I loved your works, especially the smoker & Akainu ones. I was wondering if I could get smth for my Eustass boy where reader is a princess that is a fan of pirates since she was a child. She loves reading about Kid pirates in the newspapers and somehow is very intrigued. One day she hears that Kid pirates came to her island so she escapes undercover to meet Kid but she is shocked by how different he is from what she thought however, despite how "brute" that world seems she can't help but feel thrilled and excited to know more about him and she is even willing to give him her first time (P2) c: thanks a lot if you decide to write this ! <3 If you don't feel comfortable with it it's totally fine, kissies <3

Thank you so much! Well, I think I had too many ideas so I split it in two parts if that’s okay. This one is more like an introduction (?) and the dirty stuff will come in part two. It’s kinda long and I don't know if it got boring but anyways, have fun with Part one :)

Warning: verbal abuse

Word count: 3.5k

Part two is here

Her eyes skimmed through the newspaper articles looking for a specific one involving a certain pirate; Eustass Kid, the notorious pirate captain and part of the Worst Generation had been seen on an island not too far away from hers. Her heart started beating excitedly when she finally found the desired article.

Kid Pirates cause chaos – when will the bloodshed finally stop?

Eagerly, she started reading the article, absorbing every word like a hungry man almost starved to death. To her dismay, the article was shorter than she would’ve liked but nevertheless did she take out a pair of scissors from her desk, cutting the article out. On the next page was a wanted poster of Kid but sadly it was the same one she already had. She looked at his picture for a moment, tracing his face with his thumb before folding the newspaper and throwing it away. The article was stored safely in one of her desk drawers, away from any curious eyes.

“Y/n-sama…..Y/n-sama!” she heard one of the maids call her, waking her from her sleep. Tired, she sat up, rubbing her eyes before answering. “Come in.” her voice was still horse from her sleep and she had to clear her throat. The door opened and one of the maids entered, bowed down a little and went straight to the thick curtains, opening them in one swift motion. Dark clouds covered the sky and it looked like it was about to rain any moment; thunder could be heard from afar.

“Why are you still in bed? Today is a great day for you, Y/n-sama. If I were you I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.” She giggled. The princess followed the maid with tired eyes as she made her way over to the dressing room. “Your father has told me to take out the navy-blue dress he got you the other week. Remember? The one that looks like stars have been woven into it?” The maid came back with said dress, holding it up and looking at it in awe. “It’s truly beautiful.” She said reverently.

The princess looked from the maid to the dress, then back to the maid and back to the dress once more. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit too….much?” she asked concerned. It was pretty, no questions asked but it looked like she was going to a ball to impress someone and not to meet her future husband. “Nonsense, Y/n-sama! It’s perfect! The prince will be just as impressed as the rest. You will look stunning. Plus, if I dare to say, he will fall head over heels for your Majesty.” The maid’s big eyes shined at the princess. The maid seemed happier about this day than the princess herself.

“If you say so. I just don’t want to look overdressed.” She stated concerned. She slid to the side of the bed, put her feet on the floor and stood up, her long nightgown following her body. The soft silk felt nice against her body even though she had to get used to it in the beginning; it was just so slippery.

The princess made her way over to the big bathroom to follow her daily routine while listening to the maid telling her about the daily schedule. After a while she tuned out and simply looked out of the window while brushing her teeth. The vast ocean could be seen from her room and the bathroom; sometimes she caught herself imagining what life would be if she had been born in a different country, to a different family and live a different life. Her life was great, she wouldn’t complain but something was missing but she didn’t know what.

Her father, the king, was standing by a huge window, a frown on his face when Y/n entered the big hall. When he heard her come closer, he hid a document behind his back, turned around and smiled at his daughter with a big smile. “You look beautiful, Y/n.” he praised and looked her up and down in appreciation. “Thank you, father.” She replied and spun around, the dress complementing her like it was made just for her. “The prince will be very pleased.” He said. Servants were rushing through the huge hall, carrying trays, food, and other things to give the festive hall the last touch.

“They will arrive shortly so let us walk over to the schedule once more.” He said while holding his arm out for her to take and guiding her over to the thrones standing at the end of the hall. She walked next to her father, reciting what the maid had told her and what she could remember.

“No, first comes the dance, then the dinner. We don’t want your dress to look unflattering during this important moment by showing a food belly.” He jokingly said and she looked at him sourly but didn’t say anything to it; instead, she kept going through the schedule.

Her eyes caught the paper he had put in the back of his dress pants. “What’s this?” she wondered but he brushed her off. “Oh, it’s nothing. It doesn’t concern you. You should simply focus on the event ahead and forget about anything else.” This was odd. Why was he hiding something from her? But she knew he wouldn’t tell her, especially if she pressed him.

The day went as planned, the king and the prince arrived, together with a huge entourage following them. She made huge eyes when the prince gave her this incredibly beautiful necklace with a dark-blue sapphire. The prince himself was….okay-ish. He wasn’t the most handsome nor the most ugly but he was definitely not her type. Credit to him, he was a gentleman and tried to make her feel comfortable. He was attentive, charming, and a polite. But she couldn’t see herself marrying him. Yet. She knew she had to so she tried to be as interested in him as possible. But it was difficult.

During a moment he was talking to his father and her father she could finally breathe and be to herself. This whole event was exhausting and she was looking forward for it to end. She saw a servant scurry away, a familiar paper in his hand. She followed him to the kitchen, a few servants bowed down when they saw her approaching. “Princess-sama, please, you know you’re not supposed to be here.” A maid said and tried to get her to go back to her guests.

“I’ll leave in just a moment but I need to know what this piece of paper says.” She pointed at the piece the servant was holding and he hid it behind her back. “Miss, the King ordered me to throw it away and to not show it to anyone. I must obey him.”

“And I order you to show it to me.” She countered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Please, Princess-sama. It’s an order from your father.” He pleaded, conflicted on what to do. “He will never know. Show it to me and then you can burn it.” She said firmly and the servant sighed, handing the paper over to her. The maid tried to sneak a look at it and made big eyes.

“Oh no…” she whispered, backing away a few steps. “This is bad news. Why are they here?” fear was plastered all over her face, her hands clutched her arms like she was a small child.

“Please…give it back to me. I really need to get rid of it, Princess-sama.” The servant asked nervously, his eyes roaming the surroundings for any sight of the king. She gave it back to him, her face expressionless. “Thank you.” She simply said before turning around.

When she was out of sight, she couldn’t hold back a small squeak of excitement; the paper was a notice from one of the guards. He was patrolling the southern side of the island where there used to be a small town which had burned down a couple of years ago. Now, it was frequently used by bandits, pirates, and other criminals.

Her heart was racing, her face was burning, and she felt like she could burst out of sheer happiness. Pirates were anchoring near the burned down town. She needed to get there. She needed to meet them. She needed to see them. She needed to see him. She needed to see Eustass Kid.

It felt like an eternity when she was finally back at her chamber. It was already dark outside and she could hear the servants cleaning the garden in front of the castle downstairs. She was high up above the ground, her eyes trying to see the ship even though she knew it was useless; the window was on the north side, the Kid pirates on the south side so it was simply impossible. During the gathering she had to focus hard to not indulge too much in her thoughts about a certain captain. But the more she tried to suppress the excitement the more nervous she got.

And now, when it was finally over, she was hesitant. The desire to leave was strong but the guilt for sneaking out at night and maybe disappointing her father was not any weaker. But she knew that they would leave soon, probably sooner if her father sent his guards to the south side. Right now, he wouldn’t do anything since he didn’t want to cause any harm to his subjects. But as soon as they started to cause trouble, he would fight them. The princess was conflicted. What, if she got caught? She would get in huge trouble and if word got out the marriage between her and the prince would be called off. Nobody wants to associate themselves with a princess who sympathizes with pirates.

Time passed and she was still standing in front of the huge window, but by now she was looking at the wanted poster she was keeping in her drawer. With every passing minute her internal desire grew. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and came to a conclusion; she put the wanted poster back to its original spot, grabbed a coat, pulled it over, and opened the door to her chamber. The hallway was empty and she sneaked out. The servants and maids were still cleaning up and no one was paying attention to her.

It was easier than expected to exit the castle and its perimeter. How she was supposed to get back in was a problem of future princess. Right now, she was making her way over to the south side of the island. The ground was wet and muddy and cold from the rain but she was glad it had stopped an hour or so ago. In her hurried departure did she forget to put on shoes. How stupid can you be?, she thought to herself but tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling. Hopefully, she wouldn’t catch a cold.

She saw a dim light in the distance and she slowed down a little. Doubt starting washing over her the closer she got. Did she make a mistake? How could she be so gullible and come here? Alone. At night. With nothing to protect herself. If she had only taken her horse she would be able to escape if things went wrong.

The wind carried voices over to where she stood; laughter and singing. She could hear the sound of glass on glass, probably bottles of sake. She sneaked closer to the small town, one building which was not as burnt down as the other buildings was being occupied by a group of men. She hid behind a wall next to a broken window. She didn’t dare look through it, too scared of being caught.

She heard heavy footsteps coming closer from around the corner and she barely managed to round the other corner to hide herself. The princess took a quick lock to see who it was; a tall man with a blue and white mask and maybe blonde hair if she could see it correctly. This must be Killer! The excited feeling inside her stomach came back; seeing him meant that Kid wasn’t too far away, maybe even waiting around the corner Killer just came from.

The tall man took a piss against the wall and she turned her face away, blushing deeply for taking a peek at his dick. She was glad he hadn’t noticed her. When he was done he walked back to his crew, leaving her alone again. The voices inside the building welcomed the man back with loud roaring before continuing their conversations.

The princess waited like this for a long time, unsure of what to do. Should she just get up and walk in? No, this would be stupid. Should she try and make them aware of her presence by making some small noise? Probably a bad idea as well. So, how should she meet Kid? She knew it was a bad idea but she’s already come this far so she just needed to! She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear footsteps coming closer and rounding the corner to the wall she was sitting against.

“What do we have here?” a voice snapped her back to reality and like a deer in headlight she looked up at the two tall men standing next to her. “You were right, there really was someone here.” The read head stated amused at her small form sitting on the ground, clothes dirty and feet barefoot. Killer stood slightly behind his captain; arms crossed.

“And who might you be?” Kid crouched down next to her, a curious look on his face. She was frozen in place, unable to more or to talk. Kid’s aura was intimidating and she could almost feel his bloodlust. Would he kill her, too?

“What’s wrong? Too scared?” he chuckled before rising again. “I think I’ve seen her face before…” Killer’s words made her stomach drop. If he knew she was screwed! They would take her as leverage to get her father to pay them! They would torture her to get information about the kingdom’s treasure! “You have? Where?” Kid asked, nonchalantly as if he was talking about the weather. “I think in the newspaper. If I’m not mistaken then she is this kingdom’s princess.” Oh God, they knew! Kid tilted his head to the side, a pensive look on his face. “Now, that you mention it…” he said. A huge grin appeared on his face before he crouched down again. “Say, are you a princess?” he asked her, his eyes piercing through hers right into her head as if he didn’t want to wait for her answer and look for it himself inside her head.

“What would daddy pay for your save return?” he mused. She finally snapped out of this helpless state and slapped him across his face. The shock of her action hit her almost right after and she clutched her hand with her other, looking at him in fear. His grin had disappeared and was replaced by a frown. It didn’t hurt but how dare she slap him just like that? Kid reached for her arm and pulled her up with him; the grip was hard and unforgiving. It hurt and she whimpered, trying to pray his hand away which was useless.

Kid dragged her with him to where the rest of his crew was still drinking. All conversation stopped when they saw their captain dragging someone with him, followed by Killer. Kid pushed her to the ground in front of him, right in the middle of everyone. She looked around, sceptic pairs of eyes looking at her.

“Now, little princess, tell us. Why are you here?” he asked again. She looked at him with wide eyes before swallowing hard. “I….” but she stopped. What should she tell them? That she wanted to meet them? That she wanted to get to know them? That she was keeping every article of them, Kid especially, in her drawer? They would laugh at her!

“You?” Kid pressed, obviously enjoying he was making her uncomfortable, even scared. “I…” she started again. “I heard that…pirates had landed on this island and I….” she didn’t finish but somehow Kid got the gist. “And little princess thought it’d be a good idea to sneak out of her safe castle to meet the pirates.” His crew started laughing and her cheeks became red from embarrassment.

Kid got down to her level once more, grabbing her chin with his rough fingers, making her look at him. She looked straight into his red eyes, a warm and fuzzy feeling spreading inside her stomach. “Listen, princess.” His voice was so close to her, she could feel his breath against her skin; his rough but warm hand felt good on her skin and in left a slight tingling where he touched her. The grin on his face, exposing white teeth, was sadistic and dangerous; she knew he had the means to kill her but would he actually do it?

“I don’t know if you’re aware of who we are but it wasn’t your best idea to come and look for us. ‘Cause now you can get us in deep trouble, y’know?” His thumb stroked her bottom lip for a moment. Unconsciously, she opened her mouth slightly, wishing for him to continue. Instead, he started laughing and pushed his thumb past her lips inside her mouth. Shocked, she tried to move away but he wouldn’t let her. His thumb pressed down her tongue, the taste slightly salty.

“You like that?” she shook her head but he didn’t believe her. “Should’ve said you came looking for a good time, princess.” “Het ho…!” she tried saying but it was difficult with his thumb still on her tongue. Still, he obliged and removed it from her mouth. “I…I came here to see you!” she admitted, looking at him. “Huh?” Kid sounded intrigued. “Is that so? To do what? Get your little royal pussy fucked by me?” His crew chuckled, some whistled.

“What? N-no!” she said shocked but couldn’t deny the feeling his suggestion left inside of her. Kid hummed as he let his hand move from her chin, down her throat and to her breasts where he shamelessly touched her. Flabbergasted, she jerked away from his touch, her face now beet red. “Who….who do you think you are, pirate?” she asked.

Kid’s grin dropped at her remark. His hand grabbed her throat and pulled her closer to his face; too close right now. Fear struck her and she looked at him wide eyed.

“Do you think you’re better than us?” his low voice rumbled through the air, a shudder ran down her spine. “I don’t care who you are, princess, but don’t think you are above any of us. When I become the pirate king you will bow down to me.” A sinister glint flickered in his eyes which were looking right at her. He didn’t press down on her throat but it still felt like he was choking her.

“Let me join you!” she pressed out. A confused look came on his face and he let go of her. She moved away, holding her throat and looking at him scared. “Let you join us?” he repeated. The princess nodded, not sure what made her say that. The thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to know more about the pirate in front of her; the one who almost choked her, the one who made her feel excited, the one whose picture was hidden inside her drawer.

Kid shook his head in disbelief before getting up again, turning around to return to his original place among his crew.

“I…I want to know more about you.” She admitted. Kid looked at her with a disinterested face, chugging his bottle of sake.

“Go home, princess. You have nothing to offer. You wouldn’t even be beneficial to us if we took you hostage. We can just get the treasure from this island if we want.” It felt like a punch to her guts but she kept her tears at bay.

“Go back to your father and marry this prince. Today was the big day you met him, right?” he chuckled. “I remember reading it in the newspaper. Pretty big event. So, don’t go around chasing pirates like in one of those stupid love stories you chicks keep reading about. Life is nothing like that. Pirates ain’t nothing like the men in those booky. Sorry to burst your bubble, princess.” Everyone was laughing at her; her ignorance regarding pirates, her ignorance regarding life – she was a laughing joke to them.

She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and they quietly rolled down her cheeks and dropped from her chin to the floor.

“Leave.” She heard him say before she got up, tuned around and ran away, tears blurring her vision. Had she been so wrong about them? About him? But then again, what did she expect? It still felt like a dream had been shattered and it hurt.

[wesimpforxiao]

Say My Name and I’ll Be There:  7.2

Author’s Note:  This is the longest chapter so far!! *ehe*  Can’t wait for all the comments on this one....

Xiao eyed the three Fatui agents that were in charge of escorting the two of you to Dottore's arena the next day.  You found it rather odd that Childe and Dottore didn't accompany them this time, but didn't question it until they sought to bring only you with them.

Is this a chance for Xiao to escape?  Your gaze flit to the yaksha behind you as the agents bound your wrists with metal cuffs.  Xiao seemed as confused as you were.  "Where are we going?" You asked in hopes that they'll take you far enough away to avoid Xiao's powers.  They didn't answer you and pushed you out of the hallway.

They stopped just short of the throne room, taking a right instead of heading for those giant unwelcoming doors.  When they opened the next door, you halted.  It seemed like it was meant for some sort of conference room, but lighting was a bit over-the-top with candle lights and such.  A delicious aroma rose steadily into the air from the exquisite food that sat on the table.

"You're an idiot if you think this will woo me," you snorted as the agents removed your cuffs and left the room.  "Let's skip the crap, Tartaglia, and tell me what the hell you think you're doing."

"Why so skeptical, ojou-chan?  I just thought you'd like something to eat."  Childe held a smug smirk that complimented the devious glint in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah no.  I'll be going back to my cell now."  You spun on your heel and grabbed the doorknob.

"If you insist, I could fetch Dottore and resume your testing for the day."  When your hand froze on the knob, his smile widened.  "That's what I thought.  Sit."

You sat as far away from him as physically possible, and it drew a light chuckle from his lips.  "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to check in with you."  Childe grabbed a fork with ease and began to dig into the meal.  "This kind of treatment could continue day after day if you chose to cooperate."

"Are you trying to butter me up with food?  Do you seriously not know me well enough to know this trick won't work on me?"

"I seem to recall that it worked if it was chocolate," a boyish glint sparkled in his eyes.

Your fist slammed on the table and your eyes began to glow from the agitation.  "If you're trying to pull that 'shark week' stunt again, I swear I will--"

"--'Impale me?'  Were those the words you were looking for?"

"Okay, if there is no point to this conversation other than to infuriate me, I'm leaving."

"Have you thought of what I said, ojou-chan?"  When you raised an unamused brow, he continued.  "You can make a life for yourself here.  I'm sure with your...unique abilities, you'd be able to climb the ranks and might even rise to harbinger status."

"I have no interest in becoming a harbinger."

"The point being, you could choose whatever path you want if you joined us."

"The last time I checked, the Childe I knew enjoyed watching me suffer.  Why is he going out of his way to recruit me?"

"I think it'd be much easier on all of us if you joined our ranks.  Besides, at least with us, you could find something greater in life than..."

"Than chasing the love of a yaksha? Is that what you were going to say?"  Your glare was as cold as ice.  "I have no interest in this conversation."

"Listen to you; you're beginning to sound just like him," he retorted.  "Hold off on your retorts for a moment, ojou-chan." He placed his utensils down.  "Tell me, what would your plans be if you escaped with him?"

"Like I would tell you," you sneered.

"You've just proved my point.  I can see right through you; you don't have any."  Childe leaned forward and set his chin on his hand.  He held a smile that was somewhere between teasing and cruel.  You weren't intimidated and continued to hold his gaze.  "Ojou-chan, I'll be honest.  You'll die one way or another if you managed to escape, whether that be at the hands of the Fatui, or at the doing of the yaksha.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be the ones to kill you; you're the one killing yourself.  Death by a broken heart sounds more agonizing than what awaits you with us."

"You're not getting in my head."

"I'm not?  Then why, ojou-chan, does internal conflict arise on your face when you look at him?"

"Maybe because I'm having a conversation with him in my head."  

"You know what I think?  I think deep down, you know I'm right.  Part of you hates me for it, but the rest of you agrees with me.  With us, you could have anything you want if you can take it.  Be it fame, fear, glory, power, money.  Even love could grow within the ranks if you so desired it."

"Is this some sort of weird courting ritual?"  You bit back, but despite the hostility you portrayed to Childe, you were beginning to falter.  "I don't care for any of that stuff."

"But what you want most is love, no?  The yaksha can't give it to you; he's incapable of it.  You can't deny that much."  Childe refrained from grinning ear-to-ear as he watched the internal turmoil reach your expression.  You had hidden your hands under the table, haven't blinked in the past two minutes, and kept shifting in your seat.  Oh, how he's gotten under your skin.  He loved watching you squirm.  "Don't misunderstand me, ojou-chan. I'm not trying to insinuate love between us; that ship has sailed.  I'm simply looking out for your wellbeing."

You gripped the butter knife that was sitting next to your plate, flipping it over as you thought of the possibility of being able to one-shot him from here.  His lips curled upward slightly as if he knew what you were thinking.  Then, you placed the utensil back down and let out a long irritated sigh.  "Your words are falling on deaf ears, Tartaglia.  I'm going back to my cell now."

On the contrary, I think you've heard me loud and clear, ojou-chan.

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

The second you were shoved back into your cell, the tears began to fall.  Xiao watched you for a moment before gesturing for you to sit next to him, but you ignored him and sat in the far corner of the room.  You had glanced up at him once, noticing the tears that were also falling from his cheeks and thinking he was actually crying.  When you remembered it was just a side effect and that the tears manifested involuntarily, you reburied your face in your knees.

"Are you okay?"  Xiao sat so he was facing you, but didn't come any closer to the walls.  He hastily wiped your tears away from his face.  What a nuisance.  Can't emotions manifest themselves in a more convenient way?

"Just peachy," you sniffled without raising your head.  

As if I could ever join the Fatui! He's diluted for thinking something so stupid, for thinking I'm anything like him!  You wanted to scream and punch the wall from how frustrated you were.  How dare he try and twist me around like that!  The tears continued to spill and soak into your jeans as helplessness and hatred washed over you like the tide.  Xiao, why...?

The yaksha perked up when he heard you.  "What?"  

Why can't I be free of human emotions, just as you are?  Why must I be burdened with them?

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

Two more days passed, but the two of you were never taken to the arena.  Apparently the Tsaritsa had other temporary plans that required the presence of the harbingers for the time being.  So, when the time finally came for you and Xiao to be escorted out of the cell once again, you were surprised to see what looked like rookie guards instead of the usual seasoned agents.

Their rookie-ness was primarily given away by the fumbling of the keys before the cell door unlocked.  Then it was painfully obvious that these three guards were idiots by the way they swung the door open enough that it effectively gave Xiao an opening out of the sealed box.  The two of you exchanged shocked glances before Xiao bolted through the door, his lance manifesting in time to pierce through the first guard and pin him to the opposing wall outside the hallway.  

It was an outright slaughter.

Before you even had the chance to get to your feet, the yaksha was already retracting his polearm from the third guard's torso that lay on the floor.  The heavy metallic stench of blood made your stomach riot and you averted your eyes to keep the nausea under control.

"A-Are we really doing this?  Are we really making our escape?"  Your hands were shaking from the adrenaline as well as an emotion you recognized to be fear.

Zhongli...was it really a coincidence that I heard you last night, and now the guard schedules are mixed up?  Xiao furrowed his brows as his eyes danced over the bloody corpses.  "Let's move."

"Okay..."  You carefully avoided slipping on the soaked floor and followed Xiao.  He was surprisingly familiar with the hallways considering he had been blindfolded whenever he was outside the cell.  "How do you know this place so well?"

"Sight is not the only thing we are gifted," he answered as he peeked down a corridor.  "This way."

Several Fatui agents and skirmishers turned the corner as if they had been intentionally sent.  There was no way they could have heard the ruckus from up here.  Xiao waved a hand over his face, and his mask manifested with ease.  A demonic aura emanated around him, visibly blackening the immediate area around his body.  The new sight sent a chill down your spine.  "Stay out of my way."

You followed his order and ran back the way you came, using the corner as cover.  He first burst into the cryo skirmisher, who was practically first in line for a quick death.  The polearm sliced across his torso, then Xiao shoved it through his heart.  The second the blade was ripped out of flesh, geo and pyro skirmishers surrounded him.

"LAMENT!"  Xiao leapt into the air and dove into the ground with his spear.  The shockwave of his anemo burst sent spears of air ricocheting into the skirmishers.  They struggled to their feet after the devastating blow, and more Fatui agents filtered into the hallway.  Xiao performed another series of plunging attacks until no one but him was moving.  He jerked his head to the side and his mask evaporated.  "Come."

You didn't have time to drool over how hot that was--"Ah, wait, Xiao.  That's the throne room up ahead--"

If my intuition is correct...The yaksha burst through the doors despite your warning.

"Xiao--! H-huh?"  You ran after him only to run into his back.  You peeked over his shoulder to see why he stopped in his tracks.  "What's going on?"

No one was in the throne room save for the most important players of this story.  The Tsaritsa, who was standing in front of her throne; Childe, her beloved war hammer; Signora and Scaramouche, who stood off to the side as mere observers; Zhongli, with his arms crossed and eyes blazing with fury; and Aether, who held a firm look of determination.  The atmosphere was tense, even as they all turned their heads to the sound of the doors crashing open.

"I've massacred every last one of your agents," Xiao seethed at the cryo archon as the two of you approached the group.  "Our suffering is no longer."

"Xiao," Zhongli nodded, relief washing over him when he confirmed the two of you were okay.

"Thank the archons," Aether ran over and hugged you.  "I'm sorry we took so long."  He hid his surprise at how thin you were.

"You were saying, Morax?"  The Tsaritsa refocused everyone's attention, and you and Xiao stood at Zhongli's side.  The room seemed to inhabit a colder atmosphere than the first time you visited.  She could've cared less that you and Xiao killed her men.

"You've broken our contract," the archon clenched his jaw, but remained as composed as ever.  "Thou shall not interfere with Liyue or the adepti."

The Tsaritsa's gaze flicked to the two of you.  "Oh, is that so?  I told you I'd do anything necessary to accomplish my goal."

"Those who break the contract will suffer the wrath of the rock.  We have every nation on our side; the people of Teyvat are more than willing to wage war against you for your trespasses if you refuse to return the two of them."

"You think that's going to intimidate me?" The Tsaritsa let out a frigid chuckle at the thought.  "Oh, Morax.  You really are more brawn than brains.  Alright, I will return the yaksha to you."  She nudged her head at Xiao.

"And her."  Zhongli pointed to you.

"Ha!"  Another full laugh arose from the archon's lips.  "Have you already forgotten the terms of your own contract?  Liyue and adepti alone are to be untouched.  She is neither."

"You can't do that!"  Aether shouted, grabbing the hilt of his sword.

"Then I'm afraid we'll have to wage war because of your refusal."  Zhongli hardened his gaze as he continued to stare at the Tsaritsa.  You peered up at him only to realize that he was completely serious.

He wants to wage a world war for my sake?  You sent a nervous glance to Xiao, and he didn't appear to have a problem with his superior's proposition.  Neither did Aether.  Your wavering eyes came to a rest on an amused Childe, who stood across from you.  But...this bloodshed...would be my fault...

"Relax, Morax.  Her test trials are already over; we have what we need."  Your eyes lifted to the Tsaritsa.  "She won't be put through such harsh treatment again."

"Then why do you want to keep her?  Just let her go!"  Aether continued to glare daggers.  To watch his friend be taken away by a god just as Lumine had...he never wanted to feel the same pain again.  The walls appeared to close in on him as he watched the same events repeat before his very eyes.

"She'll be an excellent addition to our ranks.  I seek to recruit her; she will aid us in commencing trials for the hosts of the adeptal enhancements."  Xiao shifted so that you were mostly hidden behind him.  "She will be treated with great care as long as she cooperates."

"She will be part of no such thing," Xiao and Zhongli jinxed one another.

You couldn't pull your gaze away from Childe; it was like the two of you came to some sort of weird understanding of one another in this moment.  You were right, your eyes widened at him.  This bloodshed for my sake...I can't let them go through with this.

"You can't fight without your gnosis, Morax.  Your threats do not concern me."

I told you, ojou-chan.  Out there, you cannot live, the harbinger seemed to say with his eyes.

We'll be on the run if we took off right now.  We'll be hiding every day for the rest of our lives.  If the war actually happens instead of an escape, all these people will die for one measly girl.  Their blood will be on my hands, on Xiao's hands--And then there's the matter of my unrequited feelings...I can't deal with any of this--The world seemed to spin around you, and you grimaced at the feeling.

"So be it," Zhongli materialized his polearm.  Aether drew his sword.

Xiao tensed when he felt your despair and dread flow through him.  He glanced over his shoulder to gage your wellbeing and was still just as confused as he tried to pinpoint your thoughts.  

I can't...You gaze rose to meet your protector.  For both our sakes...

Childe's grin widened when you stepped forward.  "Stop this!"  Your high-pitched cry interrupted the rising arguments between Aether, Zhongli, and the Tsaritsa.  "All of you, stop!"  When all eyes turned to you, you took a deep breath to stop the tears from forming.  "I'll do it."

"WHAT?!"

"If she's willing to stay, your war is pointless," a thin smile spread across the cryo archon's lips.  Then she addressed you directly.  "A wise choice, young lady.  You will be treated well now that you are choosing to participate."

You spun around when Xiao gripped your upper arm.  "What do you think you're doing?"  His voice was hushed, but there was something fierce both in his gaze and his grip on you.  "There's no need to--"

Your arm left his grip, and you addressed Zhongli and Aether.  "I can't let you guys wage war on my behalf whether it's a bluff or not.  Whatever the outcome would be, it would end in thousands of pointless deaths.  I can't let you guys do this."

"But they'll kill you!"  Aether shook your shoulders, desperate to prevent another incident like his sister's.  "Don't you understand what's happening?!  You'll--"

"I'll be just fine on my own," you gave him a half-smile.  "It's not like I'll be able to live peacefully if I escaped anyway.  They'd always be on our tail.  We'd never escape the danger of the Fatui."  Xiao glared at Childe when he heard the regurgitation of the harbinger's words.

"...Are you sure you want this?"  Zhongli observed you carefully.  "Once you join the Fatui, there will be no escape."

"If it's to protect everyone, if it's to protect the three of you, I'm sure."  You weren't aware of the tears that stained your face.  You then turned your attention to Xiao, who stood back.  "Listen, I-"

"I don't agree with this," he said plainly.  "I told you there was no need to sacrifice yourself for anyone's sake.  I told you to trust in us."

"Xiao."  You threw your arms around him, feeling him flinch under your sudden touch before hesitantly placing his hands at your sides.  I can't stand around and let innocents get hurt, just as you can't do the same.  His eyes widened as he quietly listened to your prayer.  You pulled away slightly and brushed his bangs out of his face, hand cupping his cheek.  A few of your tears were falling from his eyes as he looked into yours.  You brought your forehead to his, intent on holding him for as long as he'd let you.  You may never understand this, and that's okay, but I love you.

Xiao's breath caught in his throat and his grip around you tightened.  His eyes wavered immensely, releasing more tears as he replayed your prayer in his mind.  Only, a couple of those tears didn't belong to you; they were his own.  "What're you..."

"Heh, you have no idea how hard it was to say that," you forced a laugh as more tears dripped down your cheeks, and you tore away from him completely.

Aether watched the two of you with utter confusion, while Zhongli observed you intently.  It appears she has admitted her feelings.  Xiao, will you follow suite?  His gaze flicked expectantly  to the yaksha, who was more than distraught and traumatized by the entire situation.

You didn't wait nor expect a reply.  "I will aid you," you spun around and addressed the Tsaritsa, "but it will be under my terms.  These three are to stay out of whatever you're scheming.  Not a single hair on the tops of their heads is to be harmed."

"You have my word." The Tsaritsa thought it was adorable at how hard-headed you were.  It reminded her of Childe, and also that of an ant.  Such a small insignificant being that thought it held a significant place in this world.  Absolutely adorable.

"You guys should leave," you lowered your voice as you turned back to the trio of your apparently-not-needed rescuers.  "I'm sorry I've caused you all this trouble.  Please know traveling with you three meant the world to me."  The tears continued to fall even though you failed to acknowledge their presence.

"You're serious about this," Aether bit his lip to prevent himself from crying.  "But your Granny...the village...the Lantern Rite--"

"I'll come back one day.  That's a promise," your eyes met Xiao's.  I swear to Rex Lapis, I will return.

The Tsaritsa watched you return to her after seeing your friends off.  A disturbing smile spread across her lips as you forced yourself to kneel at her feet.  "I believe you've earned this back."  She held her hand out to reveal your vision, to which you slowly took it into your hands and stared at it with vacant eyes.

You felt nothing as you attached it to your belt loop.